IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,526,978
Granted Patent B1
US 9,526,978 · App. 15/239,778 · Granted Dec 27, 2016

Vacuum drop arcade game

Inventor: Stephen P. Shoemaker, Jr. (Redondo Beach, CA)
A63F9/30A63F9/0079A63F9/24G07F17/3209G07F17/3246G07F17/3248G07F17/3251A63F2009/0081
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,526,978
App. No.
15/239,778
Granted
Dec 27, 2016
Kind
B1
Abstract

A new arcade game utilizes a vacuum pick-up device to pick-up prizes from a protected silo on a moving playing field. The playing field can be a rotating turntable or conveyor belt, and multiple players can play at multiple player stations. The prizes can be lightweight cards, such as gift cards, that are stacked in silos on a platform that can rotate in one or two directions. Each player has a designated vacuum pick-up device that the player can move radially along the turntable so that, as the turntable rotates, each player can access to the entire playing field. If the player has correctly positioned the pick-up device, the pick-up device will lowing directly into a silo where the cards are located. The suction function is triggered, and the pick-up device will extract the gift card.

Claims (14)

1. An amusement game, comprising:

a housing including multiple player stations, each player station having player controls including a pick-up device positioning control;

a playing field within a windowed portion of the housing, the playing field including a turntable rotated by a motor;

a plurality of target silos disposed on the playing field, each target silo including at least one target;

a pick-up device associated with each player station and controlled by said player station's player controls, the pick-up device including a suction cup for applying suction to a target;

a retrieval bin associated with each player station for collecting a prize won by that player;

wherein the player controls position the pick-up device over a silo and the pick-up device lowers into a silo to extract a target, and wherein the target is then dropped in the player's retrieval bin; and

wherein multiple players can play on the same playing field using the individual controls.

2. The amusement game of claim 1 , wherein the playing field includes a rotating turntable that supports the silos.

3. The amusement game of claim 1 , wherein the playing field includes a conveyor belt that rotates from side to side, and wherein the silos are mounted on the conveyor belt.

4. The amusement game of claim 1 , wherein the targets are gift cards.

5. The amusement game of claim 1 , wherein the player controls include a joystick.

6. The amusement game of claim 1 , wherein the player stations are arranged around the housing.

7. The amusement game of claim 1 , wherein the player stations are arranged linearly.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 6, 2018
From: SHOEMAKER, STEPHEN P., JR.
To: STEPHEN P. SHOEMAKER TRUST
Reel/Frame 044846/0375 →