Abstract: An arcade merchandise dispensing game delivers one or more visibly displayed articles from one of a plurality of pivotally mounted trays if a player causes a moving tripper to strike a portion of the tray so as to lift it far enough that one or more of the articles falls off the tray into a delivery chute. The strikable portion of the tray may be a tab that protrudes forward from the tray towards the player, where the width of the tab influences the probability of the tray's being struck. The tripper may be moved horizontally to and fro at a constant rate beneath the lowest of a number of rows of trays, and moved upwards in response to the player closing a momentary contact switch at an instant that the player believes is most likely to result in delivery of a desired one of the articles.

Abstract: A vertically oriented payment-receiving enclosure and player's console for an arcade game has two juxtaposed check acceptors hinged to it. This allows one of the acceptors to be swung out of the way while the other remains in its normal operating position during servicing and inspection. The arrangement also allows improved maintenance access to an enclosed portion of a player's control mounted in a top portion of the enclosure.

Abstract: A merchandise game of chance visually displays a commercially acceptable variety and number of prizes retained in magazines, some of which run along generatrices of a conical rotating body. A second set of magazines is interleaved with the first set of magazines at the base of the body so that prizes in a lower portion of each of the second set of magazines are visible to the player. When a player pushes a button, the rotating body slows to a halt and dispenses a prize if the magazine holding that prize is adjacent a delivery chute. In one version of the game a dummy magazine is used to display the smallest and least valuable prizes. If the dummy magazine is adjacent the chute when the conical surface stops, an equivalent small prize is delivered to the player from a dispensing hopper. The game is housed within a narrow enough enclosure to permit it to be moved through a conventional swinging door.

Abstract: A multi-station article dispensing apparatus for use in a "merchandiser" game of skill or chance has a plurality of delivery/display stations juxtaposed along an axle. Each station includes a cradle wheel rotating freely about the axle and loaded from a gravity-fed magazine. Each cradle wheel includes a plurality of drive pins parallel to the axle. The cradle wheel is rotated by a drive rod that nutates along its axis to engage a drive pin. Each drive rod has a solenoid rotatably connected to it and engages its respective drive pin whenever that solenoid is actuated. When the solenoid associated with a given drive rod is not actuated, a bias spring moves the drive rod to a position in which it does not engage a drive pin. Thus, although a single motor and drive train drives all the drive rods in unison, only a selected cradle wheel is rotated.

Abstract: Provided is an amusement device whereby prizes, coins or tokens are dispensed through an elongated chute onto a platform area. A reciprocating blade pushes the prizes, etc., forward, eventually dispensing one or more over the edge of the platform to the player. A timed trap door mechanism whose actuation is both audible and visible to the player prevents tilting of the device to obtain prizes without winning them. The chute is constructed so that a significant degree of skill can be employed to optimize the number of prizes, etc., dispensed and thus, won by the player. The use of coins or tokens other than those of a predetermined size are rejected from the chute back to the player.