US20050269785A1

US20050269785A1 - Restaurant tabletop game

Info

Publication number: US20050269785A1
Application number: US11/144,722
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry Shiu; Kori Roth
Original assignee: HK Tabletop Vending Inc
Current assignee: HK Tabletop Vending Inc
Priority date: 2004-06-07
Filing date: 2005-06-04
Publication date: 2005-12-08

Abstract

A restaurant tabletop game of skill and chance which can be used to entertain patrons while awaiting their order, while also serving as a condiment holder and advertising media. The game includes an orifice at the top at one end, a body cavity section, predetermined slots and a base at the other end. Disposed within the body cavity section is a plurality of pins forming a maze through which a coin travels. The plurality of pins can be formed on replaceable cards in numerous maze patterns. The base is such that it supports the game in an upright manner while also functioning as a coin accumulating chamber.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a restaurant tabletop game, more particularly to a game of skill and chance where a coin is dropped through a maze of pins. The object of the game is to get the coin to travel through the maze and come to rest on a designated slot spaced above the coin accumulating chamber at the bottom of the game.
The invention came about in order to entertain restaurant patrons while waiting for their food. Typically, restaurant patrons sit without anything to do while waiting for their food to be delivered. When the patrons include children, the children often become fidgety and bored resulting in the child misbehaving. The present invention allows the adult and child patron of a restaurant to be entertained while waiting for their food to be delivered.
Coin drop amusement games have provided entertainment for centuries, as witnessed by U.S. Pat. No. 2,345,781 to Wiedemann and U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,942 to LaCrosse. The game in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,345,781 reference involves a coin being dropped through the top of a fluid-filled bottle, wherein the object of the game is to get the coin to land in a shot glass instead of on the bottom surface. In the U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,942 reference, a coin is dropped through the mouth of the invention at a position which the user feels will result in the coin traveling past the pedestal down to the money collection surface.
While these patents provide coin drop amusement games, the utilization of an efficient to manufacture coin amusement game in a restaurant tabletop setting has not been adequately addressed. The Wiedeman invention requires the potentially mess entailed with a fluid filled bottle, while the LaCross invention is needlessly complicated with the added walls and portions that add to the cost and complexity of manufacturing.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a restaurant tabletop game. The disadvantages of the prior art may be overcome by providing a restaurant tabletop game that is easy to manufacture as well as easy to operate. The game includes an orifice at one end, a support base at its other end and a body cavity section and predetermined slots connecting the orifice and support base.
Disposed within the body cavity section are a plurality of pins forming a maze through which a coin on its edge can travel as well as predetermined slots where the coin may rest. The pins may be permanently fixed within the body cavity section or on a removable card which is inserted in the top of the body cavity section. In operation, a coin is dropped in the orifice at a location in which the user feels the coin will travel through the maze and come to rest on the predetermined slot that represents a winner. The predetermined slots are spaced above the bottom of the base such that if the coin does not land on the predetermined slot it will continue to fall and come to rest in the coin accumulating chamber in the base. The base optionally includes a lock for securing the coin accumulating chamber and a knob to facilitate removing the chamber from the base.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a restaurant tabletop game in combination with a maze through which the coin must travel.
Another object of the invention is to provide a user interactive tabletop entertainment device for restaurant patrons, thereby allowing restaurant patrons to be entertained while waiting for their food order to be delivered.
Still another object of the invention is to create a revenue generating amusement device which requires minimal tabletop space.
A further object of the invention is to provide a coin drop amusement game with a secure and convenient coin accumulating chamber.
A further object of the invention is to provide a restaurant tabletop game with space for advertising and holding condiments.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a maze-type amusement game with replaceable maze boards of varying patterns.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a maze card usable in the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, certain specific terminology will be employed for the sake of clarity and a particular embodiment described in accordance with the requirements of 35 USC 112, but it is to be understood that the same is not intended to be limiting and should not be so construed inasmuch as the invention is capable of taking many forms and variations within the scope of the appended claims.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the present invention comprises an orifice at the top of a body cavity section, an elongated body cavity section, predetermined slots, a base section and a maze card.
The body cavity 20 has a top side section 34 with a coin-size orifice 22 laterally along the top. The orifice 22 allows for a wide variety of choices as to where one can drop a coin when playing the game. The body cavity 20 has two sidewalls 24, 26, a rear wall 28 and a front wall 32.
The elongated body cavity includes a front wall 32 spaced from a rear wall 28 a minimum of the length that a coin within the body cavity will be maintained in a generally vertical orientation, or in other words, the sides of the coin will be generally parallel to both the front and rear walls 28, 32, respectively. The spacing of the front and rear walls does not allow the coin to turn on its side, and thus only the edges of the coin come into contact with the maze pins 62 during its travel downward. The distance between the front wall 32 and the rear wall 28 is maintained through the use of two side walls 24, 26. The front wall 32 is made from plexiglass or other transparent material so as to allow the player to see the coin as it proceeds through the maze pins 62. The front wall 32 and back wall 28 may have ornamental designs 38 for aesthetic effect.
Located at the bottom of the elongated body cavity is the topside of the base 40. The topside of the base 40 serves as a support means for the maze 60 and the predetermined slots 68.
Disposed within said body cavity 20 is a plurality of pins 62 which may have various geometric configurations as shown in FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the pins 62 are preformed in or on a removable maze card 60. The maze card 60 can be manufactured to have various pin patterns, thereby preventing a restaurant patron from becoming bored or too experienced with one pin pattern such that their coin always enters the winners area.
The maze 60 may be permanently affixed or part of a card which can be slid within the body cavity 20 by removing the top section 34 and sliding the new maze card 60 into the body cavity 20 until it comes to rest on the topside of the base 40. The maze card 60 can be transparent or opaque and can include printed material 36 as well as lights and sound generators.
The base 40 can come in various shapes as long as the base design is such that the body cavity section 20, predetermined slots 68 and top section 34 can be supported in an upright manner. The base section 40 includes a top side 50, a bottom side 70, a proximal end 42, a distal end 44, a first side 46 and a second side 48.
The base 40 extends forward from the bottom end of the maze card 60 to the proximal end 42 of the base 40 and back from the bottom end of the maze card 60 to the distal end 44 of the base 40.
Attached to the top side of the base 40 near the distal end 44 of the base 40 are two vertically extending rods 54 for holding menus or other marketing materials.
The base section 40 also contains a coin accumulating chamber 56. The coin accumulating chamber 56 consists of two side walls evenly spaced inward from the first side 46 and second side 48 of the base 40 and a top wall 58 fixedly attached to the side walls. The coin accumulating chamber 56 side walls extend out from and are fixedly attached to the base 40. The bottom sides of the coin accumulating chamber 56 side walls 58 are fixedly attached to the top side of the base 40. A key lock 64 is attached to the proximal side of the coin accumulating chamber and can be locked and unlocked to provide access to the accumulated coins. Once unlocked, the knob 66 can be pulled to facilitate the easy removal of the coin accumulating chamber.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the additional space between the coin accumulating chamber 56 and the remainder of the base may be used to hold ketchup and other restaurant condiments.
The preferred material from which the amusement device is to be manufactured is plastic. However, various other materials may be utilized as long as the front wall 32 of the body cavity 20 is made from a transparent material so the restaurant patron can view the coin traveling through the maze.
In operation of the preferred embodiment, a maze card 60 is inserted into the body cavity 20 such that the pins 62 are disposed therein. The user then takes a coin and drops it in the orifice on the top 34 at a position which the user feels will result in the coin traveling through the maze, bouncing off pins 62 and coming to rest on the winning position predetermined slot. If the coin is strategically dropped such that it lands and rests upon the winning position slot, the user wins the game and may be awarded a prize from the restauranteur upon whose tabletop the game is located.
The above described embodiments of the invention are intended to be an example of the present invention and alterations and modifications may be effected thereto, by those of skill in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A restaurant tabletop game of skill and chance comprising:

a) a top orifice through which a coin may be dropped;

b) a body cavity extending downward from said top orifice having a maze of pins disposed therein;

c) predetermined slots at the bottom of the body cavity and a coin accumulating chamber;

d) a base supporting the body cavity; and,

e) wherein in use, a coin dropped anywhere along the orifice will come to rest either on the predetermined slots or continue traveling on into a coin accumulating chamber.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the front and back walls of said body cavity are spaced by side walls at a distance which maintains the sides of a coin in a generally vertical orientation.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said pins are secured to and between said front and back walls.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the maze of pins is located on a card which is removably insertable into said body cavity.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said cards include printed indicia, lights or a sound generator thereon.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said pins may have various geometric configurations.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said base includes interior side walls, a top wall and a removable front section to form a coin accumulating chamber.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein said coin accumulating chamber includes a front section which can be removed in order to clean out the collected coins.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein said cover includes means for locking it to said base.

10. The invention of claim 1 further including a literature holding display attached to said base.

11. The invention of claim 1 further including means to secure the game to the tabletop.