BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a pin-ball amusement machine.

(2) Prior Art

Amusement machines of the pin-ball or flipper game type are well known and widely popular, being usually coin-operated for commercial operation, but also of a free-playing variety for use in homes or elsewhere. Such a machine comprises a cabinet containing a rectangular table or playfield tilted at an angle towards the front, that is, towards the player. A steel ball is propelled to the rear or top of the playfield by the operation of a spring loaded plunger or by electro¬ mechanical means, and gravitates towards the front of the playfield and an out-hole or gate. The ball may be kept on the playfield by the player's manipulating flipper bats near the bottom of the playfield and normally to both sides of the out-hole. The flippers are usually electro-mechanical devices, solenoid operated. Various obstacles, targets and other electro¬ mechanical devices are placed on the playfield whereby the player may be awarded points and the ball may be further propelled about the playfield, counters and read-out displays being provided so that the players score of points may be registered and displayed. The time for which a ball may be kept in play and the score recorded is dependant largely on the skill of the player in manipulating the flipper bats. Normally a preset number of balls are given by the machine for one game. The machine provides for one or more players (usually up to four) to play in one game and individual read-out displays are provided for each player. Players competing in one game receive the same number of balls and play the machine in turn after each ball is lost

through the Out hole' by the previous player. In some machines more than one ball may be projected on to the playfield or released into play at the same time.

Amusement machines of the type described restrict competition between players to games played in turn.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The general object of the present invention is to provide an amusement machine broadly of the type set out which allows players to compete with each other simultaneously using the same ball or a single player to compete with the machine on the same basis. In some versions of the game more than one ball may be in play at the same time as in conventional machines. With this and other objects in view the invention resides broadly in an amusement machine of the pin-ball or flipper game type wherein the playfield comprises a plurality of contiguous sectors of a cone and each sector includes: propelling means for projecting a ball onto the sector and towards its apex, an out hole for receiving the ball moving gravitationally to the lower part of the sector, and a pair of flipper bats flanking the out hole and manually controllable by a player at the sector.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that exemplary embodiments of the invention may be readily understood reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an amusement machine according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the machine, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The amusement machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings includes a cabinet having a lower square section 10 and an octagonal upper section 11 with four equal long sides 12 and four equal short sides 13. The upper cabinet section houses a playfield 14 which may be viewed through a top window opening 15, sheeted with a glass panel 16 secured by a frame 17. Conventional power supply and electronic control components (not shown) are housed in the lower cabinet.

The playfield 14 is in the shape of a shallow cone and located centrally in the top section 11 of the cabinet, its surface inclining downwards from its centre towards its outer edge at an angle of approximately 5°. Four cover plates 18 are mounted in adjacent sequence above the outer part of the playfield 14, each with an arcuate outer edge with the same radius as the playfield, and a wide-angled inner edge. The playfield is divided into four sectors. A, B, C and D each having an out-hole 19 located on the playfield near its circumference in a position central to a long side 12 of the upper cabinet 11 and between succeeding cover plates 18. To opposite sides of each out-hole 19 are two flipper bats 20. These flipper bats are any suitable means such as solenoids and are controlled by buttons 21, two of which are located on each short side 13 of the upper cabinet 11 so that a player facing a sector of the playfield at the long side of the cabinet has a button to his left hand to control the left flipper and a button to his right hand to control the right flipper in usual manner.

At each out-hole 19 there is a solenoid operated ball eject mechanism 22 of known type so that when the solenoid is actuated a steel ball 23 is

propelled onto the appropriate sector of the playfield 14.

At the apex of the cone a solenoid operated central pop bumper 24 is affixed so that a ball 23 reaching the apex will be rebounded towards the base. As the ball is rebounded and gravitates towards the circumference it may strike, and be deflected by, one of a number of further pop bumpers 25 equally spaced from the central pop bumper 24. The ball may also strike, and be rebounded by sling-shot devices 26 of known type, located between the cover plates 18 and the playfield 14. Various roll-over buttons 27 on the playfield 14 have electrical switch contacts which, when a ball 23 rolls over them, cause scoring to be recorded and registered on generally conventional displays 28 located on the cover plate 18 in front of each player.

The machine is ^* started by the insertion of a coin into the coin slot 29 located in the lower cabinet in front of each player whereupon the ball is projected into the playfield. One to four players may play a game on the machine and in case of fewer than four players playing the machine the flipper in the sectors not claimed by a player are operated by sensors or by the buttons of active players to keep the ball moving in those sectors. Scoring and flipper control in those sectors is then a matter of the format of a particular version of the basic game. The number of balls allotted to and lost by each player will be computed by conventional electronics and indicated on the status displays 30.

In the further embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3, the playfield 31 is semi-conical, and is divided into two sectors with two out-holes 32 and two pairs of flipper bats 33 set up as previously described. A machine according to this embodiment allows operation by one or two players and its flat back

may be placed against a wall, saving space where this is a consideration.

The apparatus according to the invention allows players to compete simultaneously with each other for scores, which is not possible on conventional pin- ball machines, and to retain the ball on the playfield or cause an opponent to lose a ball thus providing more exciting and interesting entertainment than will be provided by a conventional pin-ball machine. The playfields of the invention extend the range of possible innovations to games of pin-ball to make them more interesting and exciting for one or more players.