US3705724A

US3705724A - Tiddly winks target board

Info

Publication number: US3705724A
Application number: US12954A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred C Einstein
Original assignee: Affiliated Hospital Products Inc
Current assignee: Affiliated Hospital Products Inc
Priority date: 1970-02-20
Filing date: 1970-02-20
Publication date: 1972-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 1989-12-12

Abstract

A game unit including a frame having a rim and a plurality of pockets with a central through-hole void zone therebetween and within the bounds of the rim and pockets, for enabling play from said central void zone into selected ones of said pockets. The frame may be vertically reversible to turn pockets upside down, with pockets having a high upper edge facing the void zone when turned up on one side and a lower height upper edge facing the void zone when turned up on the other side as compared to a table or floor or other supporting surface for the frame, thereby providing for the playing of tiddly winks or similar snap or flip action games from said central void zone, at two levels of difficulty.

Description

United States Patent Einstein [151 3,705,724 51 Dec. 1 2, 1972 [73] Assignee: Affiliated Hospital Products, Inc., St.

Louis, Mo.

22 Filed: Feb.2 0, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 12,954

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1930 Mann ..273/123R 1/1901 Fuller ..273/12 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATlONS Great Britain ..273/95 E Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney-Reginald F. Pippin, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A game unit including a frame having a rim and a plurality of pockets with a central through-hole void zone therebetween and within the bounds of the rim and pockets, for enabling play from said central void zone into selected ones of said pockets. The frame may be vertically reversible to turn pockets upside down, with pockets having a high upper edge facing the void zone when turned up on one side and a lower height upper edge facing the void zone when turned up on the other side as compared to a table or floor or other supporting surface for the frame, thereby providing for the playing of tiddly winks or similar snap or flip action games from said central void zone, at two levels of difficulty.

8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEU DEC 12 I972 sum 1 or 2 FlG.l

PATENTEU DEC 12 I972 SHEET 2 or 2 FIG.4

FIG. 5

TIDDLY WINKS TARGET BOARD This invention relates to game units, and more particularly to a game unit on which tiddly winks type games may be played.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a game unit which will enable the playing of tiddly winks games or other snap or flip action games, at two levels of difficulty.

Still a further feature is the provision of a game unit which enables the play of a rotation type of tiddly winks or other snap or flip action game.

Still other features and attendant advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following detailed description of an embodiment according to the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is aperspective view of a game unit as to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial section view on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing a corner and adjacent open center zone of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and schematically illustrating playing action with wink pieces.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. lof the embodiment of FIG. 1 vertically reversed, with the previously bottom side up.

FIG. 4 is a partial section view on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 similarly to the section view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a further fragmentary section view on line 55 of FIG. 3.

Referring now in detail to the Figures of the drawing, a generally square frame unit 11 is provided, having four straight side walls 13, four pocketed corner sections 15 and an open center zone 17. The cornersections 15 are shown curved in the illustrated embodiment, but may be straight angled and formed by intersecting continuations of straight side walls 13, if desired, or other corner configurations 15, such as diagonal corners, may be employed as desired.

Pocketed corner sections 15 eachhave a reversible pocket 17 in the form of a reversible net 17a which is secured in each respective corner section 15 by a spring wire form 17b engaging therethrough and seated within a groove 21 formed in the corner section 15. Each seating groove 21 is formed in the rounded comer section 15 and the facing diagonal cross member 19 which forms the inner front edge of each respective pocket 17.

The diagonal cross member 19 is suitably secured to, or formed integral with, the upstanding side walls '15 as by cement, nails, staples, integral mold forming, or otherwise as desired. The diagonal cross members 19 are at the same height at all four corners, but are vertically closer to the effective unit supporting edge surface 13a of walls 13 on one side than on the other, thereby providing a lower effective pocket front upper surface 19a for the pocket-bounding cross member 19 when the frame unit is positioned on one side as shown in FIG. 1 as compared to the reversed position of .unit 11 as shown in FIG. 3, with a substantially higher front effective upper obstacle surface 19b for the respective pockets 17. Thus, corner pockets 17 are disposed with the effective inner front

upper edges

19a or 19b at materially different heights, dependent upon which side of the game unit is up, with the other side supported on the table T or floor or the like. This creates a selective dual pocket height, which enables the play of a tiddly winks or other flip or snap action game at dual degrees of difficulty. The provision of the pockets 17 at the four corners of the unit enables the rotational play by the players from pocket to pocket about the annular periphery of'the frame unit, or the play into a separate pocket by each player as may be provided by the rules or as may bedesired by the players.

The manner of play and the dual difficulty play positions of the frame unit are shown respectively in FIGS. 1 and 2 (low level of difficulty) and FIGS. 3 and 4 (higher level of difficulty). FIG. 5 illustrates the seating of the bent ends 17b of the mounting wire ring 171; in the section 21a of groove 21 formed on the net side of diagonal member 19.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to a single illustrative embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that various modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For instance, various shapes of reversible corner pockets 17, diagonal members 19 and side walls 13 may be formed while still carrying out the basic inventive concept of reversible dual difficulty pocketed frame unit. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by the particular illustrative embodiment, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. A selectively dual difficulty multi-pocketed tiddly winks game unit for resting on a supporting surface to enable play of tiddly winks or other snap action game by snapping winks or other playing pieces from a boundedplaying field formed on such supporting surface into selectively variable height surrounding raised edged pockets in said game unit, comprising a frame having a rim and a plurality of reversible pockets at spaced positions about the rim,

each of said pockets having individual boundingedge-forming means forming first and second vertically reversibleoppositely laterally facing effective lateral edge surfaces for the respective said pocket,

said two effective lateral edge surfaces of each said pocket being effectively spaced a different distance from correspondingly lateral facing surfaces of said rim, whereby said reversible pockets may be selectively fixed at either of two different heights above a supporting surface as a direct function of supporting said game unit with selectively one or the other of said lateral facing rim surfaces resting on such flat supporting surface, to thereby selectively dispose one or the other of the effective lateral edge surfaces in an upwardly fac- I ing direction as an effective selected height obstacle to ballistic entry of snapped playing pieces into said pockets,

said frame having a substantial laterally open zone forming a through-hole between said pockets for use in player snap action into said pockets from that portion of a supporting surface underlying said through-hole and bounded by said rim'and pockets.

2. A game unit according to claim 1,

said frame being quadrilaterally polygonal, and said through-hole forming alarge open central void extending between said pockets,

said pockets being formed at all four corners of said quadrilaterally polygonal frame.

3. A game unit according to claim 2,

each of said pockets having an individual bounding edge-forming means facing on said open central through-hole void and comprising a corner brace extending between two respective adjoining side walls of said rim at each respective corner and pocket.

4. A game unit according to claim 3,

each of said corners having reversible flexible nets forming vertically oppositely extendible playingpiece-receiving sections of said pockets.

5. A multi-pocketed tiddly winks game unit for resting on a supporting surface to enable play of tiddly winks or other snap action game by snapping winks or other playing pieces from a bounded playing field formed on such supporting surface into surrounding raised edged pockets in said game unit, comprising a frame unit freely invertible from a first position to a second invertibly reversed position and having a rim and a plurality of pockets at spaced positions about the rim, said pockets being so constructed as to be accessible to a wink passing thereinto when said frame unit is in either of said positions,

said frame unit having a substantial laterally open totally through-void zone forming a complete and unencumbered through-hole between said pockets, said through-void zone being of effectively materially larger size than a human hand and adjoining arm portion for use in player snap action into said pockets from that portion of a separate supporting surface underlying said through-hole and bounded by said rim and pockets and on which separate surface said frame may be freely invertibly placed in supported relation thereby, to enable said separate supporting surface to serve as the center and exterior base for snap action into said pockets.

6. A game unit according to claim 5,

said frame being quadrilaterally polygonal, and said through-hole forming a large open central void extending between said pockets,

7. A game unit according to claim 5,

each of said pockets having an individual boundingedge-forming means facing on said open central through-hole void and comprising a corner brace member secured to and extending between two respective adjoining side walls of said rim at each respective corner and pocket.

8. A game unit according to claim 6,

each of said pockets having an individual boundingedge-forming means facing on said open central through-hole void and comprising a corner brace extending between two respective adjoining side walls of said rim at each respective corner and pocket.

Claims

1. A selectively dual difficulty multi-pocketed tiddly winks game unit for resting on a supporting surface to enable play of tiddly winks or other snap action game by snapping winks or other playing pieces from a bounded playing field formed on such supporting surface into selectively variable height surrounding raised edged pockets in said game unit, comprising a frame having a rim and a plurality of reversible pockets at spaced positions about the rim, each of said pockets having individual bounding-edge-forming means forming first and second vertically reversible oppositely laterally facing effective lateral edge surfaces for the respective said pocket, said two effective lateral edge surfaces of each said pocket being effectively spaced a different distance from correspondingly lateral facing surfaces of said rim, whereby said reversible pockets may be selectively fixed at either of two different heights above a supporting surface as a direct function of supporting said game unit with selectively one or the other of said lateral facing rim surfaces resting on such flat supporting surface, to thereby selectively dispose one or the other of the effective lateral edge surfaces in an upwardly facing direction as an effective selected height obstacle to ballistic entry of snapped playing pieces into said pockets, said frame having a substantial laterally open zone forming a through-hole between said pockets for use in player snap action into said pockets from that portion of a supporting surface underlying said through-hole and bounded by said rim and pockets.

2. A game unit according to claim 1, said frame being quadrilaterally polygonal, and said through-hole forming a large open central void extending between said pockets, said pockets being formed at all four corners of said quadrilaterally polygonal frame.

3. A game unit according to claim 2, each of said pockets having an individual bounding edge-forming means facing on said open central through-hole void and comprising a corner brace extending between two respective adjoining side walls of sAid rim at each respective corner and pocket.

4. A game unit according to claim 3, each of said corners having reversible flexible nets forming vertically oppositely extendible playing-piece-receiving sections of said pockets.

5. A multi-pocketed tiddly winks game unit for resting on a supporting surface to enable play of tiddly winks or other snap action game by snapping winks or other playing pieces from a bounded playing field formed on such supporting surface into surrounding raised edged pockets in said game unit, comprising a frame unit freely invertible from a first position to a second invertibly reversed position and having a rim and a plurality of pockets at spaced positions about the rim, said pockets being so constructed as to be accessible to a wink passing thereinto when said frame unit is in either of said positions, said frame unit having a substantial laterally open totally through-void zone forming a complete and unencumbered through-hole between said pockets, said through-void zone being of effectively materially larger size than a human hand and adjoining arm portion for use in player snap action into said pockets from that portion of a separate supporting surface underlying said through-hole and bounded by said rim and pockets and on which separate surface said frame may be freely invertibly placed in supported relation thereby, to enable said separate supporting surface to serve as the center and exterior base for snap action into said pockets.

6. A game unit according to claim 5, said frame being quadrilaterally polygonal, and said through-hole forming a large open central void extending between said pockets, said pockets being formed at all four corners of said quadrilaterally polygonal frame.

7. A game unit according to claim 5, each of said pockets having an individual bounding-edge-forming means facing on said open central through-hole void and comprising a corner brace member secured to and extending between two respective adjoining side walls of said rim at each respective corner and pocket.

8. A game unit according to claim 6, each of said pockets having an individual bounding-edge-forming means facing on said open central through-hole void and comprising a corner brace extending between two respective adjoining side walls of said rim at each respective corner and pocket.