Patents by Inventor Peter A. Oliphant

Peter A. Oliphant has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4582323
    Abstract: An electronic football game includes an insulating housing supporting a microprocessor control circuit, a plurality of user-operable keys, and a display. The user operable keys facilitate information input to the microprocessor system. The display includes a perspective view of a portion of a football field as it would be seen by a ball-carrier including a pair of merging sideline markers, an end zone, a goal standard, and several yardage markers. A plurality of illuminatable defensive player characters are arranged in three rows facing a stationary ball-carrier positioned in the center foreground of the display. Consistant with the perspective view, the defensive players in the second and third rows are progressively smaller than those of the first row. Under the control of the microprocessor, apparent movement of the stationary ball-carrier is depicted by moving the entire defensive player character illumination pattern in the direction opposite to the intended ball-carrier motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1986
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Minkoff, Peter A. Oliphant
  • Patent number: 4422639
    Abstract: An electronic football game having controls for two operators, the controls being divided in play calling controls and play actions controls. The game has a display upon which appear indications representing offensive and defensive players and the ball. Control circuitry operates in response to the controls to move certain players under operator control and other players under automatic control. Various of the players under automatic control may be preprogrammed to run selectable specified patterns or to attack specified targets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1983
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert M. Del Principe, Peter A. Oliphant
  • Patent number: 4322074
    Abstract: An electronic game having a display field of illuminatable segments arranged in a matrix or array of rows and columns, with a plurality of manually operable switches equal in number to the number of columns, the switches having different functions determined by the rules of one of a plurality of games playable on the electronic game. At least one segment is illuminated in a predetermined column and upon initiation of the game segments in that column are successively illuminated, one at a time. Depending on the function assigned to the switches manual operation of one of the switches causes one of three displayed results, the reversal of the direction of successive illumination, the varying of the speed of successive illumination, or the ceasing of the sequence of illumination displaying the then illuminated segment in a static condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 30, 1982
    Assignee: Mattel, Inc.
    Inventors: David F. James, Peter A. Oliphant, Timothy A. Effler