Handheld pinball game having a changeable display

• US 7,422,523 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Wood, Ethan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pezzuto; Robert E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US10/776,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20050176501A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 463/2, 463/3, 463/7, 463 30- 34, 463/37, 463/35, 273/118.R, 273/118.A, 273/108.2, 273/108.21, 273/108.5, 273/109, 273/119, 273/120.A, 273/129.R, 273/129.K, 273/317.2, 273/461, 273/119.R, 273/120.R, 273/121.R, 273/121.A, 273/121.B, 273/121.D, 273/121.E, 273/122.R, 273/122.A, 273/119.A, 273/119.B, 273/123.R, 273/124.R, 273/124.A, 273/125.R, 273/125.A, 273/123.A, 273/118.D, 273/157.A, 273/317.1, 273/329, 434/252, 434/54, 434/181, 434/364, 434/427, 473131-409, 473/570, 473/615, 455/556.2
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2007/303 Parts of the playing surface being movable, replaceable or removable A63F2007/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 7/027 electric

Abstract

A hand-held pinball game has a changeable display. The pinball game has a housing having a front face. A display screen is formed in the front face of the housing. A first opening is formed in the housing. A display card is visible through the display screen. The display card is insertable and removable through the first opening. A second opening in the housing receives additional display cards so that the pinball game display may be changed by a player. An impact sensor in the housing allows the player to nudge the housing to change the path of the simulated pinball.

Claims

1. A hand-held game, comprising:

a housing having a front face;

electrical circuitry within said housing;

a display screen formed in said front face;

a first opening in said housing;

a display card visible through said display screen, said display card having a portion that allows completion of said electrical circuitry and being insertable and removable through said first opening;

a printed circuit board mounted in said housing behind said display card and said display screen; and

a plurality of LED'"'"'s mounted on said printed circuit board and visible through said display screen and said display card.

2. A hand-held game according to claim 1, wherein said first opening is in a top face of said housing.

3. A hand-held game according to claim 1, further comprising a second opening in said housing adapted to receive another display card not received in said first opening for use during play.

4. A hand-held game according to claim 3, wherein said second opening is a pocket secured to a back face of said housing.

5. A hand-held game according to claim 1, wherein said hand-held game is a pinball game.

6. A hand-held game according to claim 5, further comprising an impact sensor in said housing adapted to sense movement of said housing and alters a path of a simulated pinball in said display screen in response thereto.

7. A hand-held game according to claim 5, further comprising a spring-loaded plunger connected to said housing to launch a simulated pinball into play.

8. A hand-held game according to claim 1, further comprising a battery contained in said housing which powers said hand-held game.

9. A hand-held game according to claim 1, wherein said housing is made of plastic.

10. A hand-held game according to claim 1, wherein said housing has at least one speaker to provide sound.

11. A hand-held game according to claim 1, wherein said display screen is an LCD.

12. A hand-held game according to claim 11, wherein said LCD has a dot matrix portion to display text on said dot matrix portion.

13. A hand-held game according to claim 5, further comprising first and second buttons on said front face of said housing which control simulated flippers of said display screen.

14. A hand-held pinball game, comprising:

a housing having a front face and a back face;

a display screen formed in said front face;

an electrical circuit within said housing;

a first opening in said housing;

a first display card visible through said display screen and having an opening of the first display card in a first position and configured to complete said circuit in a first manner;

said first display card being insertable and removable through said first opening;

a second opening in said housing for receiving a second display card, said second display card being interchangeable with said first display card and having an opening of the second display card in a second position and configured to complete said circuit in a second manner; and

an impact sensor mounted in said housing to sense movement of said housing, wherein a path of a simulated pinball in said display screen is changed when movement of said housing is sensed by said impact sensor.

15. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, wherein said first opening is in a top face of said housing.

16. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, further comprising a spring-loaded plunger connected to said housing to launch said simulated pinball.

17. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, further comprising a battery contained in said housing which powers said hand-held pinball game.

18. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, wherein said housing is made of plastic.

19. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, wherein said housing has at least one speaker to provide sound.

20. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, wherein said display screen is an LCD.

21. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 20, wherein said LCD has a dot matrix portion to display text on said dot matrix portion.

22. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, further comprising a printed circuit board mounted in said housing behind said display card in said first opening and said display screen.

23. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 22, further comprising a plurality of LED'"'"'s visible through said display screen mounted on said printed circuit board;

wherein a first portion of said LEDs is visible through said first display card when the first display card is inserted through said first opening and a second portion of said LEDs is visible through said second display card when said second display card is inserted through said first opening.

24. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, wherein said second opening is a pocket attached to a back face of said housing.

25. A hand-held pinball game according to claim 14, further comprising first and second buttons on said front face of said housing which control simulated flippers of said display screen.

26. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game;

comprising the steps of

playing the hand-held pinball game in a first manner with a first display card viewable through a display screen in the housing of the hand-held pinball game, the first display card having an opening of the first display card in a first position, which allows completion of an electrical circuit in a first mode;

removing the first display card through a first opening in the housing;

inserting a second display card through the first opening in the housing the second display card having an opening of the second display card in a second position, said opening of the second display card allowing completion of the electrical circuit in a second mode; and

playing the hand-held pinball game in a second manner with the second display card viewable through the display screen in the housing of the pinball game.

27. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game according to claim 26, further comprising removing the second display card from a second opening in the housing before inserting the second display card through the first opening;

and inserting the first display card in the second opening after removing the first display card from the first opening.

28. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game according to claim 26, further comprising tapping the housing during play to alter a path of a simulated pinball in said display screen.

29. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game according to claim 28, further comprising counting the tapping of the housing during play;

and stopping play when a predetermined number of taps has occurred within a predetermined amount of time.

30. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game according to claim 26, further comprising pushing first and second buttons on said housing to move simulated first and second flippers of said display screen.

31. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game according to claim 26, further comprising pulling and releasing a spring-loaded plunger to launch a simulated pinball into play.

32. A method of playing a hand-held pinball game according to claim 26, wherein

the step of inserting a second display card through the first opening in the housing includes allowing at least one LED that is mounted on a circuit board in the housing behind the display screen to be visible through the second card when the second card is inserted into the first opening, which is not visible through the first card when the first card is inserted into the first opening.