Patents Examined by Anton O. Oechsle
  • Patent number: 4983242
    Abstract: A frame for a tennis racket is formed of an inner tubular member, an outer tubular member, and a dampening sleeve of a visco-elastic material sandwiched between and bonded to the inner and outer layers. The dampening sleeve undergoes plastic deformation upon bending of the racket frame, due to the difference in movement between the inner and outer layers, and thus acts to dampen racket vibration caused by impact of the ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1988
    Date of Patent: January 8, 1991
    Inventor: Roland Reed
  • Patent number: 4974847
    Abstract: A rotating drum is designed for mixing number balls within an enclosed container. The container has an entry port for the insertion of the balls and an exit port for the exit of the balls after they have been mixed and randomly selected. The machine may be used for any game or function that requires the mixing of numbers, but the main purpose is for the random selection of numbers for the various lottery games that are now popular around the country.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: December 4, 1990
    Inventor: Joseph F. Donahue
  • Patent number: 4966366
    Abstract: Preselected words, appearing on cards, are matched by aranging cubes with different letters on each face, some of which are repeated on different cubes in proportion to their frequency of use in the written language, so that the word is spelled out on the exposed upper faces of the cubes. Because some cubes contain two or more letters of a selected word, a player must select the proper cubes in a proper order lest an essential letter on a cube be unusable because another letter on that same cube has been used. The player who completes the word in the least time wins the round.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1990
    Assignee: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
    Inventor: Roberto Mercado-Torres
  • Patent number: 4948139
    Abstract: A case particularly adapted to be utilized when playing Bingo. The case includes a lid which can be opened and expand to have an enlarged playing area substantially twice the surface area of the lid itself, and when thusly deployed, a marker storage area is exposed to allow access to Bingo markers. A pair of swinging doors is provided adjacent the front of the case which swing out and allows a plurality of different markers to be stored thereat whereby a plurality of Bingo games can be played simultaneously in a limited amount of space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1988
    Date of Patent: August 14, 1990
    Inventor: Robert Heeszel
  • Patent number: 4944514
    Abstract: An improved material for finishing athletic court, commercial, and residential floor surfaces of wood, linoleum, terrazzo, concrete, or other smooth surface includes at least one elongated sheet having a layer of a uniform flexible film of clear plastic material of between about 1 mil and 25 mils thickness and a continuous layer of adhesive material releasably adhering the flexible film onto the floor surface. The elongated sheet is provided in a self-adhesive roll and is applied to the floor surface by unrolling the sheet from the roll, with the adhesive side down, aligning an end portion on a predetermined corresponding portion on the floor, and pressing the total length of the sheet against the floor to adhere the sheet to the floor surface. Additional sheets may be unrolled successively, with a slight overlap to assure an sealed joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1990
    Assignee: Suitco Surface, Inc.
    Inventor: James R. Suiter
  • Patent number: 4943062
    Abstract: A housing contains a plurality of tetrahedron shaped dice. The faces of the dice bear one or more indicia. The housing includes a tumbling compartment in which all of the dice are shaken and a smaller plurality of pyramidal shaped cavities in which certain of the dice are then disposed for viewing. At least a portion of one face of each die is visible through the wall of the housing in one embodiment, while at least a portion of two faces of each die is visible in another embodiment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1988
    Date of Patent: July 24, 1990
    Inventor: Richard A. Gillette
  • Patent number: 4936581
    Abstract: A number selector and card marker in accordance with this invention is usable in connection with the marking of a card or play slip, and it comprises a substantially flat housing having a slot therein for receiving at least a portion of the card. One part of the housing has a series of closely spaced, carefully aligned holes of equal size, disposed in columns and rows. The placement of the holes of the series closely coincides with the placement of rectangular boxes to be found in the game grids of the card to be marked. An enclosure serves to enclose the series of holes as well as a plurality of small, equal size spheres. Each of these spheres is slightly larger than the holes, so as not to be able to pass therethrough, the size relationship of the spheres to the holes being such that a small portion of each sphere extends below its respective hole when the spheres have settled into the holes. A marking member is located in the housing directly below the series of holes and adjacent the aforementioned slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 26, 1990
    Inventor: Roger D. Hill
  • Patent number: 4934711
    Abstract: The present invention is a word game having a plurality of letter tiles and category cards. The game may also include a letter bag, a plurality of letter racks, and/or a playing board. By taking turns, individual letter tiles are drawn at random by players. If a drawing player chooses to use that drawn letter tile in the composition of a word relating to a randomly selected category identified on a current category card, that player may place that letter tile on that player's letter rack. If the player discards the letter tile, the letter tile is placed face-upward within a designated playing area, such as upon the game board. During each player's turn, such player may exchange individual letter tiles between his or her letter rack and the game board in an effort to spell a word belonging to the designated category. When a person correctly composes a complete word which belongs to the chosen category, the round is ended and points are allocated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Inventor: Neil W. Runstein
  • Patent number: 4934700
    Abstract: This invention discloses a dice word game set of twenty-four identical six-sided dice. Each side of each die is marked with a unique letter of a six-letter target word, so that the die contains all letters in the target word, which in the preferred embodiment is the word "HEARTS". Each player is given six dice, one for each letter in the target word. The player rolls one die, attempting to roll the first letter in the target word. If the roll is successful, the die is added to a completion set, which partially spells the target word, and the player attempts to roll the next letter in the target word. When a player has completed spelling the target word, he wins the game. Because the dice are identical, the game set is inexpensive to produce. Because the target word is given and known, the game is easy to play, requires a minimum of mental exercise, and is relaxing. Because the dice are rolled one at a time, the odds of winning are sufficiently great to make the game interesting to play.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1988
    Date of Patent: June 19, 1990
    Inventor: Alice N. Turek
  • Patent number: 4930780
    Abstract: A method of playing a dice game is disclosed wherein a dice box having two play compartments in separated by a common wall, one compartment of which is used to catch the dice when thrown, the second compartment acting as a holding area in which dice are placed that have been counted in scoring, taking them temporarily out of action. The game is played with six dice. Ones, fives and certain multiple combinations are scored. Players may rethrow any dice which miss the play compartment, and any score changes being caused by one die hitting another in the play compartment are counted. A player must voluntarily surrender his turn while still accumulating score in order for that score to be counted; if he fails to score on any throw of the dice, any score accumulated during that turn is canceled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 5, 1990
    Inventors: Van R. Goodman, Maxine Goodman
  • Patent number: 4930779
    Abstract: An improved apparatus for the selection of a predetermined quantity of a plurality of random numbers for use in the playing of a lottery game comprising a plurality of numbered balls and a container for the balls. The container is formed of a base, a hollow cover secured to the upper surface of the base and an intermediate member secured between the base and cover at an intermediate location. The intermediate member is formed with a slide extending downwardly from its read portion to its forward portion which includes a trough for supporting the predetermined quantity of balls whereby when inverted, the balls will move to the upper extent of the cover and when reverted the balls will roll down the slide to the lower extent of the cover onto the base with the preselected quantity of balls being randomly received and supported in the trough for reading by the participant of the lottery game. The trough may extend horizontally or generally vertically. The trough may be supported by the cover or the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 5, 1990
    Inventor: Albert F. Maddox
  • Patent number: 4930775
    Abstract: A method of playing a bowling game in which players are allowed at least one ball to knock down pins in each of a plurality of turns of play beginning with a given or beginning pin setup. Each player is required to deliver at least one ball in each of a succession of the given pin setups during a first turn of play until the player fails to knock down a given number of pins in one of the given pin setups. As play continues, at least one pin from the beginning pin setup is eliminated to define a further turn of play of a pin setup having a reduced number of pins. The number of consectuve times in which each player has knocked down at least one pin is recorded. The winner of the game is to be the player having the highest score in terms of consecutive strings in which that player knocked down at least one pin, as accumulated during the play of the game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1989
    Date of Patent: June 5, 1990
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventor: John R. Hoffman
  • Patent number: 4928964
    Abstract: A reel driving device which comprises a drive disk having a drive shaft fixing boss for prohibiting the drive shaft from idling, and impact mitigating bosses for mitigating an impact force exerted by the motor, provided therein opposed to each other with respect to the drive shaft fixing boss; a reel having holes for receiving the drive shaft fixing boss and the impact mitigating bosses provided at corresponding positions thereof; and reel fixing means for prohibiting the reel from moving along the drive shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1990
    Assignee: Sigma Incorporated
    Inventor: Kikuo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 4928970
    Abstract: A bingo chip dispenser is set forth utilizing an elongate cylinder including a pivotally mounted lid with a lowermost hood oriented relative to an opening within the cylinder. A plunger is diametrically aligned with and opposed to the opening within the hood and further includes a thumb loop secured to the hood and a forward wall of the cylinder with an index and middle finger loop positioned diametrically opposed to the thumb loop with the thumb loop aligned with the middle finger loop to provide a coacting force applied to the plunger, wherein the middle finger loop is directed rearwardly of the index finger loop and beyond a floor of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1990
    Inventor: Richard G. Latimer, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4927150
    Abstract: A shiftable block puzzle comprising a frame with means for retaining a plurality of shiftable blocks and at least one object piece and with allowance for perpendicular movements. The shiftable blocks remain on the playing surface, whereas the object piece is selectively removable or insertable through at least one opening in the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Inventor: Terry Monoyios
  • Patent number: 4927146
    Abstract: A playing card holder comprises a substantially pentagonal backing plate having fixed thereto a locator block and a transparent view plate. The locator block has first and second stepped edges converging upwardly from the bottom edge of the backing plate. Each of the stepped edges includes a plurality of steps each having a horizontal locator surface. The view plate is parallel to and spaced apart from the backing plate to define a card-holding slot therebetween. The view plate has inclined top and bottom edges parallel to the top edges of the pentagonal backing plate. A plurality of deformable filaments, preferably carpet pile, are afixed to the backing plate and extend across the card-holding slot onto abutment with the view plate. The filaments deflect when a playing card is inserted in the card-holding slot and hold the inserted card against the view plate. A base is provided supporting the card holder in an upright position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Inventor: Arthur E. Bull
  • Patent number: 4927148
    Abstract: A kit for lottery playing paraphernalia having a pair of rectangular members formed for positioning face-to-face to provide an openable folio case adapted for containing equipment for playing a lottery, an integral hinge joining the rectangular members along one side so they are swingable between a closed position and an open position, the confronting faces of the rectangular members being provided with a plurality of identations sized to receive and contain stacks of rectangular papers and other objects used in playing the lottery, with latch means on the rectangular members being provided for releasably holding the latter in their closed position. Changeable protective snap-on covers are provided for the rectangular members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Inventor: Steven L. Weiner
  • Patent number: 4927147
    Abstract: A charade and drawing card game using dice to reference specific words or phrases to be charaded or drawn by players. Eighteen different words or phrases categorized into three letter groups of six words or phrases each comprise the inner rectangular surface area of each card face. The outer perimeter of each card face displays the markings of a standard poker playing card deck thereby allowing independent play of poker-related games entirely unrelated to the disclosed card game of charades and drawing. The three distinct dice of the disclosed card game when tossed simultaneously serve to direct players to a particular word or phrase and to direct players as to whether that word or phrase is to be charaded or drawn. Points are awarded for correctly guessing the word or phrase play. The poker deck markings feature is unrelated to the play and originality of the disclosed charade and drawing card game.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Inventor: Robert J. Delzio
  • Patent number: 4927149
    Abstract: A playing card holder comprises a substantially pentagonal backing plate with a plurality of pinching members mounted thereon in a preselected arrangement. Each of the pinching members includes a pinch block fastened to the backing plate and a spacer disposed between the pinch block and the backing plate so that a card-gripping surface of the pinch block is spaced from the backing plate by a preselected clearance less than the thickness of a playing card. A playing card inserted in the space between the backing plate and the card-gripping surface of the pinch block is frictionally gripped therein. In an alternative embodiment, each pinching member includes a leaf spring having a card-gripping surface normally contacting the backing plate. The leaf spring elastically deforms when a playing card is inserted between the card-gripping surface and the backing plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 22, 1990
    Inventor: Arthur E. Bull
  • Patent number: 4925194
    Abstract: A game consisting of a game board with thirty six identical playing pieces and one control playing piece. The board comprises thirty seven spaces. Cube shaped playing pieces have six arrangements of four colors on the six sides which allows a choice of twenty four possible ways to orient the playing pieces onto the spaces on the board to achieve player advantage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 1989
    Date of Patent: May 15, 1990
    Inventor: David M. Anderson