Abstract: A pinball elevator has an inclined conveyor belt tensioned between two pulleys and driven by an electric motor. The belt is perforated with a series of spaced circular apertures for receiving the pinball. Preferably, the apertures have a diameter of about 80% of the diameter of the pinball. A lower one of the pulleys is rotatably mounted beneath the playfield of the pinball machine, and an upper one of the pulleys is rotatably mounted above the playfield. The ball is received by the belt at an entrance location, and is ejected from the belt at an exit location. The ball passes above and over the upper pulley when being conveyed by the belt from the entrance location to the exit location. The upper pulley has a concave central region to prevent the pinball from being prematurely ejected from the belt by the upper pulley. At the entrance location, the pinball sits on the belt and abuts against a wall of the playfield.

Abstract: A pinball machine has a plurality of ball-deflecting components mounted to a playfield section. The playfield section is selectively translated in response to player input, so that the ball is deflected by the ball-deflecting components to locations selected by the player. The translation of the playfield section, for example, is responsive to the conventional push-button switches that are operated by the player for activating flippers, and in this case the push-buttons activate respective solenoids for translating the playfield section in two different directions. The playfield section, however, could be translated in different directions along two or three orthogonal axes in response to a more complex player-input device such as a joy-stick.

Abstract: A flipper in a pinball machine is rotated by a motor, permitting control of the angular position or velocity of the flipper by the pinball machine in response to player input, ball position or game sequences. The flipper is controlled internally through software of the microcomputer that keeps track of game sequences and the player's score, or externally via a switch or control manipulated by the player. Preferably the angular position of the flipper is sensed, and the motor can rotate the flipper in both a clockwise and a counter-clockwise direction. In one embodiment, the flipper is rotated by more than 360 degrees to intermittently permit a timing shot when passage of the ball is synchronized to the rotation of the flipper. For example, the flipper may intermittently open a path for a ball to a target, or may intermittently permit the ball to be deflected by the flipper to a target.

Abstract: An electronic alphanumeric indicator is disposed at a target location on the playfield of a pinball machine. The electronic alphanumeric indicator, for example, is disposed just above and behind the target, or in the top portion of the target. For a drop target, the target is transparent and the electronic alphanumeric indicator is mounted on the back side of the target. The electronic alphanumeric indicator, for example, indicates the number of points associated with the target, or the time remaining for the player to complete a task on the playfield.

Abstract: A gate and target assembly is raised from a first position, wherein a target is positioned in a channel on a playfield to interfere with passage of a ball through the channel, to a second position, wherein the target is positioned above the channel so as not to interfere with passage of the ball through the channel. In a preferred construction, a plurality of targets are pivotally mounted between two opposed upright brackets that extend from the playfield and define opposite sides of the channel, and the targets are moved from the first position to the second position by energizing a solenoid that is linked to a swinging crank pin of the assembly. Moreover, the assembly is covered by the simulated head of an animal, such as a hippopotamus, and the simulated animal head pivots up and down with the targets. A timer circuit, for example, keeps the simulated animal head up and the channel open for a predetermined period of time beginning when any one of the targets is struck.

Abstract: A section of the play field is changed during play by replacing components mounted thereon with different components. In other words, the section of the play field is replaced with a new section. Preferably this is done by rotating the section of the play field to expose different components that were previously stored below the play field surface. In a preferred embodiment the section of the play field is coupled by a slip clutch to a continuously running motor, and a solenoid operated catch mechanism stops rotation of the section of the play field when it is approximately parallel to the rest of the play field surface. To change the components included in the play field, the solenoid is energized to release the catch and thereby permit rotation of the section of the play field by approximately 180 degrees.