Apparatus Having Memory Unit

Abstract

Memory apparatus having a memory unit comprised of a tube having a side opening between the ends thereof with the tube being disposed to receive an article at one end and to allow the article to pass to the opposite end of the tube and, responsive to the presence of an article disposed at such opposite end, to cause a second article to be ejected from the tube through the opening thereof. Means are provided to indicate the ejection of an article from the tube so that the memory apparatus is suitable for use as structure for playing a memory game wherein a number of the aforesaid memory units are utilized to receive player pieces in accordance with a predetermined manner of play.

Description

This invention relates to improvements in memory devices and, more particularly, to an improved memory apparatus capable of being utilized for playing a memory game.

The present invention, in its broadest terms, relates to a memory unit formed by a tube having one end open and the other end closed and provided with a side opening between the ends thereof. The tube is disposed to allow an article to pass therethrough and into the closed end thereof so that a second article inserted in the tube after the first article will be ejected from the tube through the aforesaid opening due to the presence of the first article in the tube. In this way, the unit serves as a memory to provide a go-no go, yes-no, plus-minus or other indicator depending upon the presence or absence of a previously placed article in the closed end of the tube. Memory apparatus utilizing the aforementioned memory unit and employing a suitable indicator can be used to indicate when an article has been caused to be ejected from the tube. To this end, the indicator device can be a buzzer, light or other observable element.

While the memory unit of this invention can be used in a wide variety of different applications, it will hereinafter be described as a part of apparatus for playing a memory game wherein a game board having a number of holes therethrough is adapted to receive a number of playing pieces which are selectively inserted into and through the holes and into respective tubes, each constructed and arranged in the same manner as the basic memory unit described above. To this end, the game board may be provided with suitable indicia on its upper surface distinctive of the various holes into which the various player pieces are inserted and the rules of the play of the game with which the apparatus is associated can be selected so that the decision as to which of the holes the player pieces are to be inserted into is based in part, at least, upon remembering which holes have previously received played player pieces. Such a game provides entertainment for children and adults alike and can be played by one or more players with a minimum of instruction.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a memory unit which is simple and rugged in construction and utilizes the movement of articles through a tube having a side opening therein to allow one article to be removed therefrom in response to the presence of a second article in the tube adjacent to the opening.

Another object of this invention is to provide a memory apparatus having a memory unit of the type described and an indicator for providing an alarm when an article has been ejected from the memory unit, whereby the memory apparatus is rendered suitable for a number of different uses including its use as the structure for playing a memory game.

A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus for playing a memory game wherein the apparatus includes a game board and a plurality of memory units of the type described whose tubes extend downwardly from the game board and have open upper ends aligned with holes in the game board to receive player pieces, so that the player of the game associated with the game apparatus can depend upon the remembering of which holes have been used to receive player pieces to thereby stimulate the interest of and provide entertainment for the players of the game.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings for an illustration of the preferred embodiment of apparatus for playing a memory game.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus for playing a memory game of the type described, portions of the apparatus being broken away to illustrate details of construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the basic memory unit of the game apparatus;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the memory unit of FIG. 3, showing the ejection of a player piece therefrom;

FIG. 4a is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along line 4a-4a of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the game apparatus, illustrating the way in which player pieces are removed from the tubes;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the movement of the player pieces from the positions thereof shown in FIG. 6 after the game apparatus has been returned to its normal operating position.

The basic memory unit forming the subject matter of this invention and broadly denoted by numeral 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, and includes a tube 12 having an upper, open end 14, a lower, closed end 16, and an opening 18 through the side thereof adjacent to and spaced above lower end 16. Tube 12 is slightly inclined to allow for ejection of an article therefrom through opening 18 in a manner to be described. An inclined panel 20 has a hole therethrough for receiving the lower end of tube 12 and a relatively thin plate 21 is secured to the underside of panel 20 to close the lower end of the tube. Panel 20 has a length sufficient to allow it to define a predetermined path for one or more articles 22 which move out of tube 12 through opening 18. Plate 21 is provided to rapidly dissipate kinetic energy of an article 22 which drops in tube 12 onto plate 21. Thus, the article is kept from bouncing upwardly and out of tube 12 through opening 18. To this end, plate 21 can be secured at a few, spaced locations to panel 20 so that there may be a displacement, ever so slight though it may be, of plate 21, whereby the drop of the article onto the plate can be said to be, in effect, cushioned or, stated another way, plate 21 effectively absorbs the kinetic energy of the article so that it cannot rebound from the plate sufficiently to exit from tube 12 through opening 18.

Memory unit 10 is utilized with panel 20 and an actuatable indicator device 24 to form a memory apparatus by means of which articles 22 ejected from tube 12 will move into coupled relationship with indicator device 24 to actuate the latter to, in turn, cause an alarm or other signal indicating such ejection. To this end indicator device 24 is disposed adjacent to the aforesaid predetermined path formed by panel 20 and is actuated in response to the movement of an article 22 along such path to provide the aforementioned signal. For purposes of illustration only, indicator 24 includes a rotatable arm 26 pivoted about a shaft 28 secured in any suitable manner to the lower face of plate 21 as shown in FIG. 3. Arm 26 is rotatable in a clockwise sense when viewing FIG. 3 to close an electrical switch 30 which is electrically coupled in any suitable manner to an electrical power source and a suitable indicating element or elements, such as a light 32 and/or buzzer 34 (FIG. 1). A counterweight 35 biases arm 26 into a position with switch 30 open. A receptacle 36 coupled to panel 20 receives articles 22 after they have moved along the aforesaid predetermined path. To this end, receptacle 36 is aligned with an aperture 38 which forms a part of such path and the receptacle has an opening 40 through which arm 26 extends.

A V-shaped guide 42 directs an article 22 moving away from tube 12 into vertical alignment with aperture 38, whereby the article falls through the aperture and engages arm 26 to rotate it in a clockwise sense, whereby switch 30 is closed to actuate light 32 and buzzer 34. The article then moves off arm 26 and is deposited in receptacle 36. Arm 26 has the transversely V-shaped configuration shown in FIG. 4a to form a trough whereby the article dropped therein will move longitudinally of the arm and to its adjacent end before dropping into receptacle 36. Thus, the length of the arm portion extending from just below aperture 38 to such adjacent end will determine how long light 32 and buzzer 34 will be actuated. For purposes of illustration, guide 42 includes a pair of short guide strips 44 (FIG. 1) which converge toward each other and abut at a location adjacent to aperture 38.

In tube 12, the distance between opening 18 and lower end 16 is equal to or less than the height of an article 22 within tube 12 at its lower end 16. Thus, a second article 22 inserted into the tube and movable along the same will engage a first article in the lower end of the tube and become aligned with opening 18. Since the tube is slightly inclined in the direction of opening 18, the second article will be ejected from the tube through the opening and will then pass onto the inclined surface of panel 20 and move along the same until it becomes aligned with aperture 38, whereupon the article will gravitate through the aperture and cause arm 26 to swing downwardly to in turn close switch 30 to actuate light 32 and/or buzzer 34. The indicator device will give an alarm or signal that an article has been ejected from the tube. Thus, the user of the memory apparatus will recognize that another article 22 must previously have been inserted into the tube and is presently in the lower end of the tube as shown in FIG. 4.

Using the basic memory unit 10, apparatus can be devised for playing a memory game, such apparatus being broadly denoted by the numeral 46 and best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Apparatus 46 includes a game board 48 having an upper surface 50, a lower surface 52, and a plurality of holes 54 therethrough, there being a memory unit 10 for each hole 54 respectively. Thus, a plurality of memory units 10 are utilized as parts of apparatus 46 and, for purposes of illustration, all of the units 10 have a common indicator device 24 by virtue of guide means comprised of inclined panel 20, V-shaped guide 42 and a pair of partitions 45 which provide extensions for guide 42 and which span the distance between game board 48 and panel 20. Thus, articles ejected from certain tubes 12 of memory units 10 will move along the upper surface of panel 20 and engage respective partitions 45 and the latter, in turn, will direct the articles into the central portion of V-shaped guide 42 and into alignment with aperture 38. It is assumed here that panel 20, indicator device 24, and guide 42 as described above with respect to FIGS. 3 and 4 also form parts of game apparatus 46. Also, a damping or energy dissipating plate 21 is secured to the underside of panel 20 to prevent bounce or rebound of articles 22.

Articles 22 as used with game apparatus 46 will hereinafter be referred to as player pieces and can be of any shape capable of being ejected from the various tubes 12 and of moving along the inclined surface of panel 20, into and through aperture 38, and along arm 26. For purpose of illustration, the player pieces for game apparatus 46 comprise balls which are generally spherical so that they readily move out of tubes 12 and roll along the upper surface of panel 20.

A pair of sides 56 are secured to and depend from a pair of opposed side edges of game board 48 to provide support therefor and to position inclined plate 20 in the manner shown in FIG. 2. Tubes 12 are slightly inclined and span the distance between plate 21 and game board 48, each tube 12 having its upper end communicating with and in alignment with a respective hole 54. Moreover, openings 18 in the tubes are essentially the same distance upwardly from the upper surface of plate 21.

Game board 48 as well as panel 20 can be made of any suitable material, such as a lightweight fiberboard or the like. Tubes 12 can be made of the same material, or plastic, as desired. Strips 44 of V-shaped guide 42 will be secured in any suitable manner to panel 20. Receptacle 36 is secured in any suitable manner to the lower face of plate 20 and communicates with an aperture 38 in the same manner as shown in FIG. 4. Apparatus 46 includes an end wall 60 generally spanning the distance between sides 56 and disposed adjacent to receptacle 36. Wall 60 has an opening 62 through which receptacle 36 extends, whereby the receptacle projects outwardly from wall 60 and has an open top 64 permitting access to player pieces collected in the receptacle. Light 32 is carried in any suitable location, such as on upper surface 50, so that a visual indication can be given when a player piece is ejected from one of the tubes 12. A battery 66 electrically coupled to light 32 and buzzer 34 in the manner shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in a concealed position below gameboard 48, above panel 20, and inwardly of wall 60. Switch 30 is shown schematically in FIG. 1 as forming part of the circuit with these components.

A pair of generally parallel wall sections 68 extend inwardly from wall 60 and terminate adjacent to the outer extremities of strips 44. A rib 70 spans the distance between wall sections 68 and is spaced above the lower extremity of panel 20 (FIG. 7). Rib 70 is transversely triangular to present a surface 72 which is inclined with respect to the inner surface 74 of wall 60. Rib 70 is normally in overlying, spaced relationship to a slot or aperture 76 formed in panel 20 adjacent to the bottom end of wall 60 (FIGS. 5 and 7) and the purpose of rib 70 is to define one boundary of a collection region for player pieces 22 which have been removed from tubes 12 when apparatus 46 is tilted from the operative position shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 to the retrieval position shown in FIG. 5, whereby the normally uppermost ends 14 of tubes 12 are disposed lower than the normally lower ends 16. Thus, player pieces 22 within the tubes can gravitate therefrom through the respective openings 18 and into the collection region whose bottom boundary is defined by the inner surface of wall 60 as shown in FIG. 5. The articles are prevented by V-shaped guide 42 from passing into the space denoted by the numeral 78 adjacent to aperture 76. Thus, when apparatus 46 is returned to its normal operative position as shown in FIG. 2, the player pieces 22 in the aforesaid collection region can move past inclined surface 72 of rib 70 and into space 78, whereupon the player pieces will gravitate through aperture 76 and into receptacle 36 and will thereby be accessible once again.

The player pieces of apparatus 46 can initially be contained in any type of container, but for purposes of illustration only, they are placed in a tray 80 secured in any suitable manner to the upper surface 50 of game board 48. Moreover, the game with which apparatus 46 is associated can be played in any suitable manner but, again, for purposes of illustration only, can be played with a number of sets of holes 54 with each set surrounding a central point 82 and having specific indicia 84 corresponding to respective holes 54 which surround the particular point 82, such as that shown in FIG. 1, to identify or distinguish particular holes. The points 82 may comprise stopping points which are disposed on a line surrounding tray 80 and the players of the game can be provided with suitable markers which are advanced from point to point as determined by the roll of a pair of dice or the like.

The game can be played by one or more players and the player markers are advanced serially from point to point in one direction and when the marker comes to rest on one of the points, the player takes a player piece from tray 80 and deposits it into one of the holes of the set surrounding the particular point 82 after deciding that the tube corresponding to such hole has not previously received a player piece. If a player piece has not previously been inserted into the particular hole, the first player piece will gravitate to the bottom of the corresponding tube and will remain there. The next player will continue with the game by advancing his player marker according to the roll of the dice, selecting a player piece from tray 80 and inserting the player piece into a selected hole adjacent to the point 82 at which his marker stands. The game progresses in this manner and, if a player plays a player piece in a hole which previously has received a player piece, the second player piece will be ejected from the tube and a visual and/or audible indication from light 32 and/or buzzer 34 will signify this occurrence. The player thus is penalized in some manner and after a number of such penalties, or after the entire number of player pieces from tray 80 have been played, the game comes to an end. While the foregoing has been merely illustrative of the way in which the game is played, it is clear that the game can be played in other ways as well.

Claims

What I claim is:

1. Memory apparatus comprising: an inclined tube having a sidewall provided with an opening therethrough spaced from the lower end thereof, the opening facing along a line extending outwardly and downwardly from the tube; means blocking said lower end and defining structure for dissipating the kinetic energy of an article gravitating to the lower end of the tube with the energy dissipation being sufficient to prevent the article from rebounding upwardly and out of said opening of the tube, the opening being disposed to permit an article to move toward said lower end and to allow a first article to be ejected through said opening when a second article is disposed between said opening and said blocking means; means concealing the lower end of the tube including the opening therethrough and means adjacent to said tube for indicating the ejection of an article therefrom.

2. Memory apparatus comprising: a tube having an open upper end and a closed lower end and provided with an opening therethrough between said ends, said tube adapted to receive articles at said upper end, whereby the articles will gravitate toward said lower end, the distance between said opening and said lower end being at least sufficient to cause an article to be ejected from the tube through said opening when one other article is disposed in said tube at its lower end; means coupled with said tube for concealing the lower end of the tube including the opening therethrough; and an indicator device adjacent to said tube for indicating the exit of an article from said tube.

3. Memory apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said device is spaced from said tube, and including means between said tube and said device for guiding an article toward said device from said tube.

4. Memory apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said guide means includes an inclined plate, said tube being disposed adjacent to the upper end of the plate and said device having an article-engaging portion disposed adjacent to the lower end of said plate.

5. Memory apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the tube end closing means comprises means for dissipating the kinetic energy of an article when the latter moves into said lower end of the tube with the energy dissipation being sufficient to prevent the article from rebounding upwardly and out of the tube through said opening.

6. Memory apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said concealing means includes structure having a hole therethrough and extending laterally from and surrounding said hole, said tube having its upper end aligned with said hole and extending downwardly from said structure.

7. In memory apparatus: a member having a number of spaced holes therethrough; a tube for each hole, respectively, the tubes having an upper end aligned with respective holes and extending downwardly therefrom, each tube having an opening therethrough spaced upwardly from the lower end thereof and adapted to receive articles inserted in the respective hole in said member, whereby the articles will gravitate toward said lower end, said member being formed to substantially conceal the lower portion of each tube including the opening therethrough; means closing the lower end of each tube, the distance between said lower end of each tube and its opening being sufficient to cause a first article in the tube at said lower end to eject a second article from the tube through said opening; an actuatable indicator device actuated in response to the movement of an article away from a respective tube along a predetermined path; and means adjacent to said tubes for directing an article along said path after the article has been ejected from a tube.

8. In memory apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein said directing means includes structure defining an inclined surface disposed to support articles which exit from said tubes, said device having a portion disposed adjacent to the lower end of said surface.

9. Apparatus for playing a memory game comprising: a housing having an upper member, a lower member, and a plurality of holes through the upper member; a number of player pieces, each of said player pieces being movable through the holes of said upper member; a tube for each hole, respectively, the tubes extending downwardly from said upper member and having open upper ends aligned with respective holes, whereby player pieces inserted in said holes will enter respective tubes and gravitate toward the lower ends of the tubes, said lower member closing the lower end of each tube, there being an opening through each tube at a location adjacent to and spaced from its lower end, the spacing between each opening and the lower end of the corresponding tube being such as to cause a first player piece disposed in the lower end of a tube to eject a second player piece from the tube through the corresponding opening; an indicator device adjacent to said tubes and actuated as a function of the movement of a player piece along a predetermined path; and means adjacent to the device for guiding player pieces ejected from said tubes toward said predetermined path.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said lower member includes an inclined plate, said device having a shiftable portion disposed adjacent to the lower extremity of said plate, there being means presenting an inclined upper surface extending away from each tube and defining at least part of said guiding means.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein said indicator device includes a shiftable arm disposed across said path and engageable with and movable by a player piece moving along said path, and an actuatable switch element coupled to said arm and responsive to the movement thereof.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein is provided a receptacle adjacent to the end of said path for receiving player pieces after the indicator device has responded to the movement thereof.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12, wherein said housing is provided with means defining a collection region for player pieces when said housing and said tubes are moved as a unit from their normal operative positions into respective first positions permitting player pieces in the lower ends of the tubes to gravitate therefrom through corresponding openings, said region defining means having means including an article-supporting surface for causing player pieces collected in said region to move into said receptacle when said housing and said tubes are returned as a unit to their normal operative positions.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein is provided structure defining an inclined surface having a first aperture therethrough, said guide means being disposed to direct player pieces ejected from said tubes into and through said first aperture, said region defining means includes a rib spaced from said guide means, there being a second aperture between said guide means and said rib and communicating with said receptacle, said rib having an outer surface positioned to direct player pieces toward said second aperture as the housing and the tubes are returned to their normal operative positions after the player pieces have been collected in said region.

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein each player piece comprises a ball.