Patent Grant
6918590
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to toy figures and more particularly to toy figures that can be used for playing a game.
2. Background Art
Figures of characters have long been used in the play of various games. For example, in chess, figures of characters are the actual playing pieces, each of which is movable and imbued with certain characteristics and powers. As a less structured example, toy soldiers have been used to play mock war games. Toy figures have also been used as tokens to mark a player's progress around the path of a board game. Many games also involve the use of a chance determiner, such as a overturned card, a thrown die, or a spinner.
The use of figures in playing a game involving a spinner as a chance determiner is shown in Trump, U.S. Pat. No. 88,756 issued Apr. 6, 1869, Wells et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,224,772 issued Dec. 21, 1965, and Kraus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,933 issued Feb. 21, 1995. The Trump patent discloses a parlor game involving the use of an upright figure on the center of a cylindrical base with a rotatable card or plate received on the base, around the bottom of the figure. A lever extending out the side of a disk is moved to engage a gear within the base, causing rotation of the card or plate. Atop the card or plate are a number of sectors having indicia of various outcomes. The figure mounted atop the base holds a pointer. Ideally, when the rotating card comes to a stop, the figure points to one of the outcome sectors. However, all of the sectors on the rotatable card of the Trump parlor game are always exposed to view, and there is nothing to avoid “liners”.
The Wells et al. patent discloses a baseball game having a number of figures representing the batter, pitcher, catcher and fielders, each of which is attached to a disk. On the upper surface of each disk are a number of radial sectors containing indicia for determining outcome in the game. In addition to some of the other mechanical aspects, manual rotation of a pointer relative to the sectors on a particular player's disk is used to determine outcome.
The Kraus patent discloses collectible cards on which various game results are displayed in sectors in a ring around a two dimensional representation of a baseball player. The card is then inserted into a transparent sleeve having a rotatable pointer, which is then manually spun to determine an outcome in the play of a baseball game. There remains a need for a three dimensional toy figure with a spinner chance determiner that can be used in the play of various games and which avoids indeterminate positions, or “liners,” and may obscure at least some of the selections available prior to operation of the spinner.
The present invention is concerned with providing a toy figure for use in playing a game comprising a figure representing a character appropriate to the game to be played. The figure is mounted upon a base having an upper surface, an opposed bottom wall, and at least one side wall extending at least partially between the upper surface and the bottom wall, which has an upper inside surface. There is an access opening in the side wall of the base. A rotatable disk is substantially contained within the base. The disk has an upper face, as the disk is disposed in the base, an opposed underside, and an outer peripheral wall extending at least partially between the upper face and the underside. A segment of at least the peripheral wall is exposed in the access opening in the side wall facilitating spinning or rotation of the disk by the user's thumb or finger. There are a number of sectors on the upper face of the disk; at least some of the sectors having indicia for determining an outcome in the play of the game. A viewing opening or window in the upper surface of the base permits viewing of the entirety of only a single sector on the disk. The underside of the disk has a face ratchet, and an upwardly biased pawl on the upper, inside surface of the bottom wall of the base cooperates with the face ratchet to provide for the viewing of the entirety of only one of the sectors of the disk through the viewing opening in the upper surface of the base.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:
The present invention relates to the field of games, and in particular to games which simulate an activity, sport, or game in which recognizable characters participate. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the toy
The basic rules of the game to be played may readily be based upon the rules of the actual game or sport, such as baseball. A game to be played using the toy figures of the present invention may also include a game board, a score sheet, and may also possibly include cards or tables providing for more advanced and complex play involving strategies and tactics pitting teams, and even individual players against each other. A game board or mat may reflect unique characteristics of a particular team's home field or stadium, and may itself have provisions for a scorecard/scoreboard, and various statistics and probabilities. Particularly where the toy figures are representative of a real life player, variations of the toy figure may be provided to reflect the player's performance at different positions, such as, for example, a utility baseball player's performance at different defensive positions or a football player's performance in the player's regular offensive or defensive position, as well as on a special team. Each such character's various skills, such as that of a baseball player's probability of hitting singles, doubles, triples, homeruns, pop-ups, long fly balls, or striking out, may be used to determine play of the game. For example, a homerun slugger could have more homeruns and strikeouts sectors, and less singles and pop-ups sectors. Variations of such a toy figure could also be provided to reflect the real life player's change in skill levels at different times in the player's career.
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals are used for designating like parts throughout the several views, there is shown in
An upper pin 62 on the disk 60 is received in an upper socket (not shown) on the underside of upper shell 30. In addition, a lower pin 63 on the disk 60 is received in a lower socket 42 in bottom wall 40. Pins 62 and 63 are substantially co-axial and serve as trunnions or stub axles. Thus disk 60 is carried in base 20 for rotation or spinning about the axis of pins 62 and 63.
An upper decal 50 is affixed to the upper surface 64 of the disk 60.
A figure of a character 32 is mounted on upper surface 33 of upper shell 30, as shown in
A tactile or textured surface 62, such as a surface having a plurality of grooves, serrations, or knurling is provided on the outer peripheral wall or surface 61 of disk 60. Textured surface 62 facilitates a player's finger or thumb more easily gripping the outer peripheral wall surface of disk 60 for spinning.
On bottom plate 40 of base 20, there is an upwardly biased pawl or detent 44 that cooperates with circumferential grooves 66 forming a face ratchet 68 on underside 65 of disk 60, as shown in FIG. 5. As illustrated in
Pawl 44 provides a positive stop of disk 60 in one of a preselected number of radial positions in order to show the entirety of only one of sectors 53 containing an inner index from the inner ring of indices 54 and an outer index from the outer ring of indices 56 appearing in window opening 34, to facilitate the elimination of “liners”. A series of circumferential grooves 66 are provided at predetermined locations on the underside 65 of disk 60, and correspond in number to the number of sectors 53. The bottom of one of each of grooves 66 aligns with the radial center of one of sectors 53. As an alternative, ridges rather than grooves 66 may be used to comprise face ratchet 68. Rib or projection 48 of the pawl engages grooves 66 to bring disk 60 to a stop in a position such that the entirety of only one inner index from the inner ring of indices 54 and the entirety only one outer index from the outer ring of indices 56 appear in viewing opening or window 34.
A lower decal 70 can be affixed to the underside of bottom wall 40. Lower decal 70 can include additional information relating to a character or player such as a name, a position name, a position number, and a player cost. In a baseball game played using the present invention, each team could include a set of ten toy figures. Each team could include a toy figure for each of the nine positions: pitcher (1), catcher (2), first baseman (3), second baseman (4), third baseman (5), shortstop (6), left fielder (7), center fielder (8), and right fielder (9). A toy figure for a designated hitter (DH) may also be included. Each toy figure may have a player cost marked. The cost of the entire team may be required to equal, or be less than, some pre-selected amount.
After the particular toy figures have been selected to fill a team, and the batting line-ups have been determined, the toy figures may be placed at their positions on a game board. The home team begins the game on defense, and therefore, the home team places the pitcher toy figure on the pitcher's mound. In a very basic game the outcome of a pitch may simply be determined by the letters in outer index 56, as for example:
In a more advanced game, the numbers forming part of the outer ring of indices may be taken into account to determine further variations of the outcome in combination with toy figures representing defensive players, or by some sort of chart or table. Thus, for example, “F9”, a fly out to the right fielder, may result in a runner on a base advancing, or even scoring from second base, depending on the skills of the right fielder. Even more advanced games, with further variations, may be played employing the inner ring 54 of indices. Thus, when a toy figure is used for the defensive player, such as a second baseman, and the batter hits a ground ball to the second baseman, a spin-off between the batter and the second baseman toy figures may be used to determine whether there is a double play or a runner on third scores. Alternatively, such inner ring indices may be used with a chart or table to determine other results. Even more possibilities and variations may result from color coding the indices.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, with some further suggested alternatives, further variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended in the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications that come within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/434,339 filed on Dec. 18, 2002.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 88756 | Trump | Apr 1869 | A |
| 599452 | Mitchell | Feb 1898 | A |
| 1409033 | Smiley | Mar 1922 | A |
| 2435885 | Gewirtzman | Feb 1948 | A |
| D244559 | Wells et al. | May 1977 | S |
| 4687199 | Aguirregomezcorta | Aug 1987 | A |
| 5310190 | Morris | May 1994 | A |
| 20030071414 | Weisman | Apr 2003 | A1 |
| 20040051244 | Weisman | Mar 2004 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 8809160 | Feb 1990 | ZA |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20040198161 A1 | Oct 2004 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60434339 | Dec 2002 | US |
