Abstract: An interactive game of a strategy nature employing a digital processor includes a keyboard to preselect the successive directional movements of one or more of the simulated player symbols prior to the start of the game and/or supplement this preprogrammed game action with real-time control over further game action during the playing of the game.

Abstract: A billiard table having a playing surface, a plurality of pockets associated with the playing surface, ball collecting mechanism below the playing surface for transferring balls entering the pockets into a common channel, circuitry including an electrical power source, ball contacting switch mechanism disposed along the common channel, a first pulse counter responsive to pulses from the switch, an oscillator, a second pulse counter responsive to pulses from the oscillator, a latch associated with and responsive to the second pulse counter, a digital comparator receiving signals from the first pulse counter and from the latch of the second pulse counter, a decoder transmitting a pulse from the comparator and display mechanism capable of receiving the pulses from the decoder; whereby rapid periodic pulses transmitted from the oscillator to the second pulse counter cause signals to be sent to the latch at the same rate, so that when a ball passes the switch mechanism, a pulse is transmitted from the switch mecha

Abstract: Apparatus for generating and controlling the position of a displayed symbol for a video game comprises a plurality of voltage comparators responsive to inputs thereto from multiple control voltage sources including a microprocessor and a participant control such that the microprocessor and participant control introduce separate bias offset voltages into the comparators to occasion positioning of the displayed symbol in accordance with the net effect of the multiple inputs.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed herein for use in conjunction with raster scan video displays, including standard monochrome and color television receivers, for the generation, display and manipulation of images upon the screen of a display for the purpose of playing games or for the purpose of drawing pictures. In addition to the generation of signals which, when supplied to the video display, cause the display of moveable and immoveable game playing indicia such as walls, players, and balls to play a variety of typical games such as tennis, handball, billiards, and the like, in a manner well known in the art, other indicia are displayed on the display screen in response to commands from the game operator which are defined by the operator as to shape, location, color and other attributes and are, furthermore, endorsed with interactive characteristics.

Abstract: A general method is disclosed for accurately determining the location or position of a source or sink of electric current on the surface of a resistance element or impedance layer. Touch panels are described that detect the presence of a user's finger on such surface, and produce output signals corresponding to the position of the finger in one or more axes. A preferred embodiment discloses a touch panel that includes a signal generator and determines the position of the user's finger from current flowing through the user's body to ground. Another touch panel embodiment determines the position of the user's finger from currents caused by ambient electrical noise. A pressure-sensitive touch panel, a transparent touch panel for use with a video display, a touch-panel-controlled audio mixer, and a video game incorporating touch panels are also disclosed.

Abstract: In a game device of the type which can have one or more sets of symbols which are placed in motion in response to a player playing the game device and which also has apparatus for stopping the motion, apparatus is disclosed for generating one or more random time delays for stopping the motion of the sets of symbols.

Abstract: An air combat simulator including a part spherical screen, a remotely controlled horizon projector positioned so as to project onto the screen a scene consisting of sky and ground terrain, and a t.v. projection system for projecting onto the screen an image of an opponent's aircraft. A simulated manned aircraft consisting of a pilot's control station is positioned to view the screen and has flight controls arranged to generate flight control signals and a computer is arranged to control the horizon projector and opponent's aircraft image projector in dependence upon the flight control signals and upon a tactical decision making process programmed into the computer. To simulate range variation the size of the opponent's aircraft is varied by controlling the raster dimensions of a t.v. picture formed in the t.v. projection system, which system does not include a zoom lens.

Abstract: An electronic logic game method and apparatus comprising a device for simulating a balance scale in its balanced state or either of its unbalanced states, a device for simulating playing pieces one of which is simulated to be heavier or lighter than the others and selected ones of which may be symbolically placed on said simulated balance scale, and a device coupled to said simulated balance scale for detecting the presence or absence of the simulated heavier or lighter playing piece and simulating the scale to be balanced or unbalanced in a predetermined direction according to the presence or absence of the piece whereby the heavier or lighter piece may be logically discovered in a predetermined number of electronic scale balance or unbalance representations.

Abstract: A system that uses the computer more efficiently in computer generated image displays by allocating priority status to the area being viewed by the observer while progressively diminishing the resolution requirements of the displayed scene toward its perimeter. The video signal corresponds to the orientation of the observer's head which is ascertained by head and eye trackers, and provides a variable level of detail that tends to match the visual acuity of the human eye.

Abstract: A wide angle infinity display system to be utilized by a trainee pilot for bserving a visual scene displayed upon a retroreflective screen. The system includes a helmet adapted to be worn by the trainee pilot, image producing means for generating visual information, image forming means mounted upon the helmet for projecting the visual information onto the retroreflective screen so as to form the visual scene observed by the trainee pilot, and communicating means for transmitting the visual information from the image producing means to the image forming means. Position monitoring means coupled to the helmet sense angular movement of the head of the trainee pilot, and the visual scene is changed correspondingly, to permit scanning of a wide angle field of view.

Abstract: An electronic pool game including a matrix display representative of the playing surface of a pool table, a control and driving circuit for applying driving signals to the matrix display for the display of indicia representative of pool balls, including a cue ball, on the matrix display, the driving and control circuit being further adapted for the selective application of further driving signals to the matrix display for the display of further indicia representative of direction of travel of the cue ball, and input switches for applying control signals to the control and driving circuit to control the placement and orientation of the direction indicia and at least the initiation of the displacement across the matrix display of the indicia representative of the cue ball in the direction indicated by the orientation of the direction indicia.

Abstract: An LED matrix display is disclosed having a plurality of light-emitting diodes of appropriate size, shape and spacing to emulate the appearance of lighted objects in substantially continuous motion. Application and duration of control signals are controlled by a programmed microprocessor to produce a video-like display primarily suitable for use in conjunction with hand-held electronic games.

Abstract: A control system for a tractor hydraulical power lift system having an electrohydraulic actuator (22) coupled to a main hydraulic valve (21), comprising a feedback electronic control circuit including a circuit for mathematically combining a plurality of transducer generated signals into a command signal. The command signal comprises the output signal of a first differential summing device (32) receiving a first input signal for a control handle transducer (24) from which is substracted a second input signal produced as the output of a signal mixer that combines input signals from a rockshaft transducer (25), a draft selector transducer (26) and a draft load transducer (27). The command signal and a signal from a transducer (28) coupled to the electrohydraulic actuator are fed into a differential summing device (49) that has as its output an error signal representing the actual and desired positions of an implement to be positioned by the power lift system.

Abstract: A golf game practicing apparatus capable of simulating putting shots on a putting green comprises: a memory section for storing data concerning the distribution of heights of the curved surface of the green; a device for displaying the image of this curved surface on a display screen based on the stored data; ball information detecting section for detecting the velocity vector of a rolling ball struck by a player at a designated putt position toward a hole in the green depicted on the screen; and a computer for computing an imaginary trajectory of the ball rolling on the depicted green based on the detected velocity vector and the curved surface data. The ball trajectory is depicted on the display screen in accordance with the result of the computation.

Abstract: An apparatus for simulated shooting is disclosed which includes a laser transmitter for directing a laser beam, as a simulated shot, towards a target; a receiver and evaluation device on the target for determining the deviation of the laser beam from the target in terms of magnitude and direction, and an impact indicating device on the target which is controllable by the evaluation device such that pyrotechnic charges are ejected in the determined direction of the deviation of the laser beam from the target and ignited so as to represent the light and smoke phenomena of the impact of a real projectile.

Abstract: Instant replay for microprocessor-controlled video games is provided by storing and retaining for a period of time in a random access memory the results of microprocessor polling of each of the player command entry devices. In a memory conserving embodiment only newly entered player commands and the times when such commands are entered need be stored and retained.

Abstract: A portable electronic basketball game having a housing containing control circuitry and mounting a display and input controls. The display shows both offensive and defensive players and a ball. The defensive players may be controlled to undertake a plurality of defenses and the offensive players may pass between one another in a preferred embodiment. The preferred embodiment also featured a twenty-four second clock, a three-second clock, foul shots, and three-point long distance field goals.

Abstract: A microcomputer controlled game apparatus utilizes a microcomputer for controlling the play of one or more games a participant may play against the machine or against another participant. The device includes a housing having a playing surface with a plurality of light emitting elements arranged across the surface including one or more elements associated with each player. The light emitting elements are conveniently covered by a translucent screen bearing insect or other indicia which is illuminated when the underlying light emitting element is actuated. The light emitting elements are sequentially actuated in an apparently random path by the microcomputer located within the housing. When a player's light emitting element is illuminated, the player has a predetermined time to actuate a manually actuable switch.

Abstract: A sparemaker display for operation in conjunction with automatic pinspotters is provided in which control signals characteristic of particular standing pin combinations are stored in a read only memory and addressed to control a ball path display upon the occurrence of a corresponding standing pin combination on the machine table of the pinspotter. This control signal is outputted from the read only memory through a decoder/demultiplexer to drive a corresponding group of indicator lamps in defined ball path display configurations.

Abstract: An electronic card game simulation apparatus adapted primarily for portable hand-held use by a player. A microprogrammed MOS/LSI device receives selection signals generated by means of a keyboard to which a player has access, and controls the progress of the card game in response thereto and in accordance with established game rules as programmed in a storage device such as a read only memory unit. A display device, such as a plurality of seven-segment fluorescent displays, indicates the identity of simulated playing cards dealt randomly from a full 52-card deck of simulated cards as the game progresses. In a preferred embodiment, the microprogrammed device includes memory capacity, arithmetic capability, and appropriate programming to permit a player to play the well known game of Blackjack against a phantom dealer and to place bets which are automatically added or subtracted from a previously established stake in accordance with the outcome of each hand.