Cooper, Julius;

Timing game

The game consists of a frame having a plurality of ramps, directed towards a central common station or well, along which balls are rolled in a simulated race to discharge a scoring chute connected to the common central station; the sequence in which the balls enter the scoring chute determines a score for each player. In one embodiment of the invention a marker ball is deposited at the central station, independently of the game balls rolling along the ramps, so that it also enters the discharge chute. The marker ball is used to differentiate between game balls which enter the discharge chute before and after the marker ball. Those balls entering the chute before the marker ball obtain "plus" scores while those entering the discharge chute after the marker ball obtain "minus" scores.

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What is claimed is:

1. A game comprising, a frame including a plurality of ramps directed towards a central common station and a discharge chute located below and in communication with said common station; a plurality of game balls respectively associated with said ramps for movement therealong to said common station and into said discharge chute; said ramps each having a first end portion located adjacent said common station and a second end portion remote from said first end portion and at a higher elevation than said first end portion whereby said balls will roll down the ramps to said common station and into said discharge chute, said chute having a first end adjacent said common station and a second end remote from and at a lower elevation than its first end whereby said balls will roll down the discharge chute towards its second end in the sequence in which they arrive at said common station; a marker ball, and means located above said common station and the first end portion of said ramps and chute for allowing deposit of said marker ball into the common station from a position above the common station and said first end portions of the ramps and chute independently of said ramps.

2. The game as defined in claim 1 wherein said marker ball has indicia thereon differentiating the marker ball from the balls associated with said ramps.

3. A game comprising a frame including a plurality of ramps directed towards a central common station and a discharge chute located in communication with said common station; a plurality of game balls respectively associated with said ramps for movement therealong to said common station and into said discharge chute; said ramps each having a first end adjacent said common station and a second end remote from said first end and at a higher elevation than said first end whereby said balls will roll down the ramps to said common station and into said discharge chute; said chute having a first end adjacent said common station and a second end remote from and at a lower elevation than its first end whereby said balls will roll down the discharge chute towards its second end in the sequence at which they arrive at said common station; a marker ball, and means at said common station for allowing deposit of said marker ball at the common station independently of said ramps; said chute including an upwardly opening channel having a first portion adjacent the second, lower end of the chute having a width dimension approximately equal to the diameter of said game balls and a second portion adjacent the first, upper end of the chute having a width dimension which is greater than the width dimension of said first portion, said marker ball having a diameter which is greater than the diameter of said game balls and approximately of the same dimensions as the width of said second chute portion whereby the marker ball will prevent game balls entering the chute after the marker ball from passing into the first portion of the chute.

4. The game as defined in claim 3 wherein said means at the common station comprises an upwardly opening funnel mounted above the common station and having a discharge and located directly above said common station.

5. The game as defined in claim 3 including means on each of said ramps for retaining a game ball thereon and for selectively releasing the game ball for rolling movement down the ramp.

6. The game as defined in claim 5 wherein each of said retaining and releasing means comprises a lever pivotally mounted on its associated ramp intermediate its ends, said lever having an opening in the end thereof closest to said common station for engaging a portion of a game ball; and resilient means biasing the lever into engagement with the game ball to trap the game ball between the lever and the ramp.

7. The game as defined in claim 3 wherein said marker ball has indicia thereon differentiating the marker ball from the balls associated with said ramps.

8. A game comprising a frame including a plurality of ramps directed towards a central common station and a discharge chute located in communication with said common station; and a plurality of game balls respectively associated with said ramps for movement therealong to said common station and into said discharge chute; said ramps each having a first end portion adjacent said common station and a second end portion remote from said first portion and at a higher elevation than said first end portion whereby said balls will roll down the ramps to said common station and into said discharge chute, said chute having a first end adjacent said common station and a second end remote from and at a lower elevation than its first end whereby said balls will roll down the discharge chute towards its second end in the sequence at which they arrive at said common station; a marker ball, means at said common station for allowing deposit of said marker ball into the common station independently of said ramps; and means on each of said ramps for retaining a game ball thereon and for selectively releasing the game ball for rolling movement down the ramp; said retaining and releasing means comprising a lever pivotally mounted on its associated ramp intermediate its ends, said lever having an opening in one end thereof closest to said common station for engaging a portion of a game ball; and a leaf spring integrally formed with said ramp and operatively engaged with said lever for biasing the lever into engagement with the game ball to trap the game ball between the lever and the ramp.

9. A game comprising a frame including a plurality of inclined ramps directed toward a common central station and a discharge chute located in communication with said common station, said ramps each being inclined generally downwardly from a first end portion thereof to a second end portion adjacent said common station and said chute being inclined downwardly from a first end portion adjacent said common station to a second end portion; a plurality of game balls respectively associated with said ramps for movement therealong to said common station and into said chute; a marker ball, and means on said frame above said common station and said first end portions of said chute and ramps for allowing deposit of said marker ball into the common station from a position above the common station and said first end portions of said chutes and ramps for movement into said chute independently of said ramps.

10. The game as defined in claim 9 including means on each of said ramps for retaining a game ball thereon and for selectively releasing the game ball for rolling movement down the ramp.

11. The game as defined in claim 10 wherein said frame has a well formed therein at said common station including a lower surface located below the level of the ramps at the common station and inclined downwardly towards said first end of the chute whereby game balls fall off said second ends of the ramps into said well and are directed by said lower surface of the well to said discharge chute.

12. The game as defined in claim 10 wherein said marker ball has indicia thereon differentiating the marker ball from the balls associated with said ramps and when deposited at said common station, is directed by the lower surface of the well to said discharge chute.

13. The game as defined in claim 10 wherein said marker ball has indicia thereon differentiating the marker ball from the balls associated with said ramps.

14. The game as defined in claim 9 wherein said means at the common station comprises an upwardly opening funnel mounted above the common station and having a discharge located directly above said common station.

15. The game as defined in claim 9 wherein said marker ball has a diameter which is different than the diameter of said game balls and said chute includes means located at a predetermined position in the chute for cooperating with said marker ball to prevent game balls entering the chute after the marker ball from passing said predetermined position in the chute.

16. A game as defined in claim 15 wherein said marker ball has a larger diameter than said game ball.

17. A game as defined in claim 16 wherein said chute has a passage formed therein for said balls and said means comprises a passage section dimensioned to prevent passage of the marker ball.

18. A game comprising a frame including a plurality of inclined ramps directed toward a common central station and a discharge chute located in communication with said common station, said ramps each being inclined generally downwardly from a first end portion thereof to a second end portion adjacent said common station and said chute being inclined downwardly from a first end portion adjacent said common station to a second end portion; a plurality of game balls respectively associated with said ramps for movement therealong to said common station and into said chute; a marker ball, and means at said common station for allowing deposit of said marker ball at the common station for movement into said chute independently of said ramps; said chute comprising an upwardly opening channel located in direct communication with said common station to receive balls therefrom, said channel including a bottom and a pair of spaced side walls, said side walls, in a first portion of the chute, adjacent the second lower end thereof being spaced a distance which is substantially equal to the diameter of said game balls, and, in a second portion of the chute, adjacent the first, upper end portion thereof, the side walls are spaced apart a distance which is greater than their spacing in said first portion; at least one of said side walls including an inclined connecting section to accommodate the change in wall spacing between said chute portions; said marker ball having a diameter greater than the diameter of said game balls and approximately the same dimension as the wall spacing in said second chute portion, whereby the marker ball will prevent game balls, entering the chute after the marker ball, from passing into the first portion of the chute.

19. The game as defined in claim 18 wherein said first and second chute portions have predetermined lengths and said chute has scoring indicia associated therewith along said first and second chute portions, said scoring indicia comprising, in the first portion of the chute, a series of scoring numbers spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the diameter of a game ball with first scoring number of the series located adjacent the second end of the chute at which the first game ball entering the chute comes to rest, and, in the second chute portion, a series of scoring numbers also spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to the diameter of a game ball, with the first scoring number of this series located adjacent to said inclined connecting section of the chute side wall at the position in which a game ball, moving down the chute immediately after the marker ball, will be stopped by the marker ball blocking the first portion of the chute.

20. The game as defined in claim 19 wherein said means at the common station comprises an upwardly opening funnel mounted above the common station and having a discharge located directly above said common station.

21. The game as defined in claim 19 including means on each of said ramps for retaining a game ball thereon and for selectively releasing the game ball for rolling movement down the ramp.

22. The game as defined in claim 21 wherein each of said retaining and releasing means comprises a lever pivotally mounted on its associated ramp intermediate its ends, said lever having an opening in the end thereof closest to said common station for engaging a portion of a game ball; and resilient means biasing the lever into engagement with the game ball to trap the game ball between the lever and the ramp.

23. The game as defined in claim 22 wherein each of said ramps comprises an upwardly opening channel having a lower surface and said resilient means comprises a cut-out leaf spring formed in said lower surface of the ramp and operatively engaged with said lever.