Abstract: A wire form loop for use in conjunction with a pinball machine having a playfield on which is mounted a plurality of game play features. The playfield includes a shooter lane, play area, and drop area wherein at least one game play feature is located in the drop area. The wire form is provided for allowing a pinball to travel from the shooter lane to the play area and includes an entrance in the shooter lane, an exit to the play area, and an open area between the entrance and the exit. A spring biased plunger attached to the shooter lane is used to impart a plurality of speeds upon the pinball such that a first speed will allow the pinball to travel completely along the wire form from the entrance to the exit and a second speed will cause the pinball to fall from the open area of the wire form to the drop area.

Abstract: An automated machine and process for the production of pultruded hockey sticks and similar linear products. The machine comprises a rigid elongated frame and a creel bank supplying rovings from individual spools. An elongated, rigid, hollow mandrel extends substantially along the entire length of the machine supported by the frame. A veil guide directs and wraps a veil around the mandrel at the front of the machine. The machine comprises serial segments, each having a pattern card, a gathering bracket and a spiral winding station. Each segment directs rovings onto the mandrel in a longitudinal layer circumscribed by a radial layer comprising separate spaced apart, continuous rovings forming concentric helixes. The winding stations are synchronized and counter-rotate. A third pattern card converges a third longitudinal layer of rovings toward the mandrel. A resin injection die penetrated by the manifold gathers the rovings from the third card and saturates the uncompleted product with resin.

Abstract: An archery target method and apparatus including providing a stationary target for an archer shooting an arrow to initiate a moving target. The apparatus senses a hit on the stationary target and initiates a delay sequence. After counting down the delay sequence which allows the archer to reload a bow with a second arrow, the apparatus begins to move a moving target across a target range allowing the archer to fire at the moving target with the second arrow. The apparatus senses when the moving target reaches the end of the target range and stops the moving target at the end of the target range. The apparatus then resets the archery target to return across the target range when the second stationary target shot impacts the target. At this same time, the timing sequence is initiated again, thus repeating the alternating stationary and moving target shots. This sequence allows the archer both left to right and right to left moving targets as well as stationary target shots.

Abstract: A tennis racket has a head and a handle extending from the head, the handle having an internal cavity extending from the end of the handle toward the head. A measuring aid such as a telescopic wand is mounted within the cavity and may be extended for use in positioning the height of the tennis net above the surface of the court. When extended, the distance from the end of the telescopic wand to the remote end of the head equals the three foot specification required for the height of the net. The wand may be retracted into the handle when not used as a measuring aid so that the racket may play in conventional manner.

Abstract: A racket for the sports of tennis and the like with a special handle is presented. The handle includes a two-bar grip and two accessary shafts. The two-bar grip is formed by the extensions from the head frame of the racket which are arranged to be symmetrical and parallel, and are fixed with predetermined length and width by a opened hole clamp and a stopped hole clamp. The two accessary shafts are mounted on each of the bars of the two-bar grip with their fixing loops, and the mounting position and orientation can be adjusted.

Abstract: An amusement device has a movable body, a game board and a jumping mechanism. The game board has a surface large enough to accommodate movement of the moveable body in a plane of movement, which surface has first and second play areas. The jumping mechanism moves the movable body out of the plane of movement and also moves the movable body from the first play area to the second play area. The jumping mechanism includes a conical member, a sloped movable body passage and a movement mechanism. The conical member extends out of the game board and has upper and lower portions. The conical member is positioned within the first play area with the lower portion being closer to the game board than the upper portion. The conical member has a movable body outlet in the upper portion and a movable body inlet in the lower portion.

Abstract: A planetary ball storage device for a pinball game according to the present invention consists of a horizontally disposed rotating wheel having a plurality of pinball receiving pockets arrayed on the periphery of the wheel. The game player, using the flippers, can direct a ball into an empty pocket when a pocket is in a ball receiving position after a predetermined game objective has been met. Balls are returned to the playfield by the utilization of a magnetic lifter arm controlled by the game microprocessor. The wheel is rotated by an electric motor and its position is detected by an optical switch assembly. A second optical switch assembly generates a signal to energize the magnetic lifter arm.

Abstract: The visual display of the invention consists of a holographic display projected through the playfield. The display projects an image that is related to the playfield and is mounted on a flexible plate that is flexed by a rotating cam wheel. As the cam wheel flexes the plate mounted image appears to the player to move.

Abstract: A direction control key assembly comprises a base on which a cover is mounted to provide an interior space for receipt of a circuit board therein which has at least four switch units thereon respectively designating a specific direction. A button member is supported on the cover by a ball joint and has four pins depending therefrom respectively corresponding to the switch units such that when the button member is rotated with respect to the ball joint to allow one of the pins to engage and thus close the corresponding one of the switch units. A direction signal associated with the closed switch is thus generated.

Abstract: A putter having a putter head with a vertical flat machined surface thereon and a hosel threadedly connected to the putter head. The putter head has a hole extending into a top surface toward a bottom surface. The hosel has a portion extending into the hole. The hosel has a shaft receiving opening on an end opposite to the portion extending into the hole for receiving a shaft therein. The putter head and the hosel are made of a leaded steel or brass material. The hole is threaded within the putter head for receiving the threads of the hosel in mating engagement. The hole extends in parallel relationship to the machined surface generally adjacent to the machined surface.

Abstract: A golf putter includes an elongated, linear shaft and a club head having a striking face. A hosel is mounted on a back surface of the club head and centered between the heel and toe of the club head. An arcuate section is connected between the shaft and the hosel. In one embodiment, the hosel and the end of the arcuate section connected to the shaft are spaced from the bottom of the club head a distance equal to the radius of a golf ball. The arcuate section includes an end leg connected to the hosel and having a length such that when the end leg is connected to the hosel, the striking face of the club head is spaced from the longitudinal axis of the shaft a distance equal to the radius of a golf ball. In one embodiment, the shaft is initially loosely connected to the hosel for angular adjustment with respect to the club head before being fixedly attached to the hosel.

Abstract: This invention comprises a grip-enhancing device which enables increased shot-making power and control for all games rackets. In particular, the device includes two helically-oriented, hand-retaining surfaces disposed at or near the handle end of the racket. The hand-retaining surfaces bear against the rear surfaces of the hand adjacent to the thumb and heel portions of the hand. The entire device is adapted to rotate relative to the handle. While not so limited, the invention is especially useful for physically impaired players.

Abstract: 12-sided and 20-sided dice are disclosed which have a suit symbol and a value symbol on each surface representing one of the various playing cards in a standard 52 card playing deck. The 12-sided die will carry 3 different value symbols for each of the 4 suits and, accordingly, will depict 12 different cards, one on each of its surfaces which are identically shaped pentagons. A game is disclosed which employ three or more of such dice, all identical. In another embodiment a 20-sided die is provided which carries 5 values of each of the four suits. In all embodiments, parallel, opposing surfaces will bear the same value symbol and no two surfaces adjoined together along a common edge will bear the same suit symbol. This symmetrical arrangement provides for integrity of chance in re-rolling the dice and complete randomness of chance.

Abstract: A practice ice hockey puck is provided for indicating, in relative terms, the energy of impact when the puck is driven into a solid object. The puck has a cylindrical case extending about a central axis and defining an axially extending well containing a housing which in turn contains an indicator arranged to move angularly against frictional restraint. A driver is coupled to the indicator so that on impact, the energy in the driver is transferred to the indicator to move the indicator angularly relative to the housing against the frictional restraint. The degree of angular movement of the indicator relative to the housing is recorded on a scale thereby showing the user in relative terms the energy of impact.

Abstract: A game device for simulating the card game of draw poker comprising a base having five windows formed therein and including, at, for example, five discrete locations on one surface thereof, card representations used in playing of the game. Each of the card locations is masked by a removable covering, such as scratch-off metallized film, so that the car representation at that location is revealed only when the covering is removed. A slide member, carrying plural rows of five cards forming different poker hands, is disposed in a pocket formed in the base and is slidable with respect to the base so that the various poker hands can selectively be brought into registration with the windows in the base. A selected number of the card representations on the base, when revealed, can be used to form different combinations (hands) with the card representations on the slide member.

Abstract: A sports racket is disclosed as having an oval-shaped frame supporting a string network. The frame has a generally flat horizontal member arranged in the plane of the network and a generally flat vertical member having a leg extending on both sides of the horizontal member. Openings are formed in the vertical member at both sides of the juncture with the horizontal member for the passage of strings of the network. The outer edge of the horizontal member is rounded for the turnaround of the strings passing through the holes, while the inner edge is tapered so as to avoid contact with the strings.

Abstract: This invention relates to card games in which cards are traded and in which scores that depend on the combination of cards held by a player are tallied by means of score cards and markers. The score cards have charts with values and cross-reference multipliers by which the value of each of a player's card's is determined by references to other related cards that he may possess. The cards are traded by a system of offers and acceptances, credits and debts. The current state of a player's hand of cards is tracked by markers located on squares of each player's score card corresponding to the particular cards held. The value of the combination of his current cards, and of possible combinations that he may be able to acquire by trading, are calculated by the player consulting his score card.

Abstract: In a block inlaying puzzle, each of a plurality of blocks in a set has a plan configuration consisting of at least one basic shape. A puzzle board is provided with a block inlaying recess in which the set of blocks is inlaid. The block inlaying recess has a bottom surface and a peripheral wall surface surrounding a periphery of the bottom surface. The bottom surface has a configuration in which a plurality of the basic shapes are assembled together. A plurality of block guides arranged on the bottom surface of the block inlaying recess and/or marks applied to selected ones of the blocks impose as restrictions on inlaying of the set of blocks in the block inlaying recess.

Abstract: A slot ball game wherein balls are rolled up a slightly inclined surface having at least one elongated slot formed therein defining a target having an opening of sufficient width and length to receive and "trap" a plurality of balls. The opening of the slot target automatically decreases in size as the balls are trapped therein which makes the game more difficult as the game progresses. Numbers may be provided adjacent the length of the slot target for scoring purposes, and a ball ejector may be incorporated with the game for selectively releasing the trapped balls.

Abstract: A card game apparatus and method is set forth utilizing four sets of playing cards comprising fifty-two cards each plus four wild cards. Each of the four sets is of a single suit, i.e. clubs, diamonds, spades and hearts. A fifth deck of fifty-two cards provide instructional cards involving a "give and take" to effect playing of various cards awarded in a turn. Points are awarded for fulfilling various requirements and a winner derived by attaining an ultimate point total.