Roll down games have been provided at arcades for many years. The games are appealing to all ages and game play involves elements of both luck and skill. In many conventional embodiments multiple machines are attached together to allow for multi-player competition. As soon as a first player meets the object of the game, the play at linked games is stopped and an award is distributed to the winning player.
A conventional Fascination table of the prior art is about 1.3 meters long, 50 centimeters wide and 1 meter high. Typically, a number of tables are arranged next to one another and the games are configured to allow for competitive play among multiple tables.
The players are each positioned at a first end of the table. At the other end of the table is a series of 25 holes, roughly 5 cm in diameter, arranged in a five-by-five square matrix or grid. The player rolls a ball, which may be similar to a racquetball or handball, toward the holes. The ball that is used is only slightly smaller than the target holes. As the ball falls through one of the holes, it is detected and a light on a backboard display corresponding to the target hole lights up. The player can see the pattern corresponding to the holes that the balls have fallen through and which targets are required to complete the objective of hitting five targets in a row. The ball then rolls back to the player on a ramp having a slight incline slanted back from the holes to the player location at the front of the device. The process is repeated until a player lights five lights in a row, either across the matrix, in a vertical column, or on a diagonal, similar to the game of Bingo. In some embodiments, like Bingo, the hole in the center of the matrix is a “free space.” A glass plate over the front part of the table keeps players from reaching too far over the table to improve their aim.
Fascination tables are typically installed in groups from 20 to 50, but can be in as small a system of 2, up to any amount without limit, and are interlocked through an electromechanical or electronic system. Players compete against one another, with the first player to complete a row of five being the winner. An interlocking system determining which was first to compete the five ball in arrow and will locking out all others. If two or more players tie, each is declared a winner. Games usually last between 60 and 90 seconds, with a new game starting soon after the end of the previous one.
Winners may receive a tickets, tokens or credits which can be redeemed for prizes. In some embodiments, a bonus may be won by winning with all spots lighted on a certain row marked by colored lights in a display provided above the target field. For example, the top row on the board (the back row of holes) may be displayed in the grid display as “red” and if all the targets are successfully hit, may award a win three to five times the normal rate; A fourth row from the top (the second row of holes from the front) may be designed as “gold” and a successful player would be awarded at double the normal rate.
In some embodiments, an announcer may preside over the game play. The game play is initiated by pressing a button which provide an audible and visual signal and activates all of the linked machines. Balls are them released so they are accessible to the players. Play proceeds until a player achieves the object of the game, namely, rolls a ball through five holes in a line. When a win is detected, a second audible signal is transmitted and the announcer may broadcast the winner. A fee may be paid using a credit activation device or may be manually paid before play begins. The winner can redeem tickets, tokens or credits at a redemption center.
In another roll-down game, referred to as Pokerino, the target holes are associated with playing cards and the object of the game is to the highest five card poker hand. The hands are displayed on a scoreboard. Pokerino uses holes that are designated 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace and different suits in a 6 by 6 matrix.
A third prior art roll-down device is known as the Lite-a-Line game. The Lite-a-Line game can be characterized as a combination of pinball and bingo. The game is similar to pinball because a player uses a plunger device to put a ball into play and is like Bingo because the player must hit five targets in a row to win. As a ball drops through one of 25 holes on the board, a corresponding light on a grid on a five-by-five scoreboard provided at the rear of the game is illuminated. Like the Fascination game, an announcer will manage the collection fees and start the game. Like pinball machines, to put a ball into play, a player pulls back a plunger and releases it to propel the ball up an inclined board past a drop location. If the player doesn't release the ball with enough force, it won't reach the drop point on the board and will roll back down to the plunger. The player can then replay the ball. Balls that are released with too much force, will pass the drop point but may bounce off a surface and return back to the plunger. If the player releases the ball with the correct an amount of force, it will drop down the board toward the 25 target holes. In the Lite-a-Line game the holes are designed into five colors, with five holes per color and each colored set are numbered one to five. Like Fascination, as the ball passes through a hole, it will illuminate a corresponding light on a back display and score board. If the target has already been activated, the display board remained unchanged when the ball passes through. Certain targets may be pre-lit before the game begins. The first player to illuminate five targets in a row, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally, will result in a win and all of the linked games will be locked and play discontinued. Scoring may be provided for different events, for example, a bonus may be paid out for a win with no extraneous marks on the display. Other scoring techniques may allow for second and third place finishes wherein the play is not locked out until the last recognized finisher, or providing payouts to the first player to illuminate four targets in a row.
The present invention is directed to an improvement to arcade and redemption games wherein the user is provided with a controller that allows for the timed release of bursts of air from nozzles or exit ports from locations on or adjacent to a play field. This feature allows the user to affect the direction of game pieces that have been put into play.
In a first embodiment, the air nozzles or exit ports supplied at locations provided on roll-down games such as Fascination or Pokerino. Players can release bursts of air to affect the movement of balls in the field of play and therefore direct or influence the direction of balls toward intended targets. As used herein, the term “roll-down games” refers to games wherein a player rolls a ball or series of balls down a ramp or inclined surface towards an array of targets. The object of the game is to roll the balls into target holes. In embodiments, the object is to roll the balls to hit a predesignated number of targets in a line, which may be on an X axis, a Y axis or a diagonal line from the perspective of a player.
In an embodiment, the targets are in a target area that includes a series of openings in a five by five grid array. A sensor is provided in connection with each opening and the target area is substantially flat. Other target configurations are also contemplated. In other embodiments, the targets are arrayed in a single line at the end of the ramp.
While roll-down games have enjoyed widespread popularity in the past, the new features disclosed herein are intended to provide new life and interest to both existing games that may be retrofitted or new games that incorporate the new features.
In an embodiment of the invention, a switch or activation device is provided to allow a player to control a release of a blast of compressed air at locations adjacent to the play field which can influence the direction of game pieces.
In embodiments, a camera and display are provided to competitive amusement games that are linked together wherein the camera captures images of each player during play. The display may broadcast player images and or live action of players to other machines during play. When the game is completed and a winner has been determined, the image of the winning player is broadcast to each of the linked games and provided on a display. During play, different images and live action may be captured and broadcast to each of the linked games. For example, an image of the leader at any point in time may be broadcast, or an imager of the player that had the most recent score, or of the leading player associated with the current status of the leading players illuminated targets. When the game is over, the winner can be provided with a photograph as a prize or souvenir, in addition or in lieu of tickets or other prizes.
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It will be clear to one skilled in the art that the embodiments described above can be altered in many ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the following claims and their legal equivalents.
Applicant claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Application No. 62/792,945 filed on Jan. 16, 2019.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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62792945 | Jan 2019 | US |