Crane game having internal housing unit

Abstract

A crane game is provided with a gantry supporting a claw mechanism for grabbing bundles of tickets having RFID tags. A solid playing floor supports the bundles of tickets. An internal housing unit is supported on the playing floor and defines a prize chute. A claw mechanism grabs a bundle of tickets. The claw mechanism is lowered into the internal housing unit where a shielded RFID reader reads the RFID tag of the bundle of tickets. The internal housing unit has internal first, second, and third deflection walls that meet with one another at a peak and they slope in a direction towards the playing floor. If a bundle of tickets falls out of the claw mechanism while it is in the internal housing unit, then the bundle of tickets hit one of the first, second, or third deflection walls and exits through first, second, or third internal housing unit exits.

Claims

1. A crane game comprising: a game housing; an enclosed crane housing positioned within the game housing; a playing floor within the crane housing; a crane house ceiling; a gantry attached to the crane house ceiling; a crane attached to the gantry; a claw mechanism attached to the crane; at least one prize on the game playing floor; an RFID tag attached to the at least one prize; a joystick, wherein the joystick is located on an external side of the game housing; an RFID reader; a prize chute; a prize deflector, wherein the prize deflector includes first, second, and third deflection walls; a base; and an internal housing unit supported on the playing floor, wherein the internal housing unit further comprises a support and wherein the prize chute is located at the top of the support, the base is located at the bottom of the support, the prize deflector sits on top of the base, and the RFID reader is located within the prize chute.

2. The crane game of claim 1, wherein the shape of the prize chute is either square or rectangular.

3. The crane game of claim 2, wherein the base has a bottom, a front, a back, and two sides and is in the shape of a square or a rectangular.

4. The crane game of claim 3, wherein the base also has a display.

5. The crane game of claim 1, wherein the shapes of the first and third deflection walls are identical and are in the shape of a triangle.

6. The crane game of claim 5, wherein the shape of the second deflection wall is a trapezoid.

7. The crane game of claim 6, wherein the first, second, and third deflection walls are arranged in such a way as to cause the prize deflector to be in the shape of a ramp.

8. The crane game of claim 1 wherein the prize is a bundle of tickets and wherein the value of the bundle of tickets is programed onto the RFID tag.

9. The crane game of claim 1, wherein the playing floor has no prize openings.

10. A crane game comprising: a game housing; an enclosed crane housing positioned within the game housing; a playing floor within the crane housing and wherein the playing floor has no prize openings; a crane house ceiling; a gantry attached to the crane house ceiling; a crane attached to the gantry; a claw mechanism attached to the crane; at least one prize on the game playing floor; an RFID tag attached to the at least one prize; a joystick, wherein the joystick is located on an external side of the game housing; an RFID reader; a prize deflector, wherein the prize deflector includes first, second, and third deflection walls; a base; and an internal housing unit supported on the playing floor and wherein the RFID reader is located within the internal housing.

11. The crane game of claim 10, wherein the shapes of the first and third deflection walls are identical and are in the shape of a triangle.

12. The crane game of claim 11, wherein the shape of the second deflection wall is a trapezoid.

13. The crane game of claim 12, wherein the first, second, and third deflection walls are arranged in such a way as to cause the prize deflector to be in the shape of a ramp.

14. A crane game comprising: a game housing; an enclosed crane housing positioned within the game housing; a playing floor within the crane housing; a crane house ceiling; a gantry attached to the crane house ceiling; a crane attached to the gantry; a claw mechanism attached to the crane; at least one prize on the game playing floor; an RFID tag attached to the at least one prize; a joystick wherein the joystick is located on an external side of the game housing; an RFID reader; a prize deflector, wherein the prize deflector includes first, second, and third deflection walls; a base; and an internal housing unit supported on the playing floor and wherein the RFID reader is located within the internal housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is front view of a crane game having an internal housing unit.

(2) FIG. 2 is a right side view of a crane game having an internal housing unit.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the internal housing unit of a crane game on the playing floor.

(4) FIG. 4 is a top view of the internal housing unit of the crane game wherein the ceiling is not shown.

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a prize deflector of the internal housing unit of the crane game.

(6) FIG. 6 is front view of the bundle of tickets.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Components List

(7) Crane game10 Game housing14 Playing floor16 Bundle of Tickets18 RFID tags20 Electronics22 Coin or game card slot24 Ticket dispenser26 Tickets28 Crane housing30 Ceiling32 Gantry34 Rear wall36 Crane50 Claw mechanism51 Joystick52 Button54 Internal housing unit60 Prize chute62 Support64 Display66 Internal housing unit base68 Prize deflector70 Peak71 First deflection wall72 Second deflection wall74 Third deflection wall76 Front deflector support77 Left front deflector support groove77a Right front deflector support groove77b Side deflector support78 Side deflector support groove78a Side deflector support opening79 Shielded RFID reader and antennae80 First internal housing unit exit82 Second internal housing unit exit84 Third internal housing unit exit86 First sideS.sub.1 Second sideS.sub.2 Third sideS.sub.3 Fourth sideS.sub.4 Hypotenuse sideH.sub.1 Adjacent sideA.sub.1 Opposite sideO.sub.1

(8) FIGS. 1 and 2 show front and side views of a crane game 10, which has a game housing 14 that supports a playing floor 16. The playing floor 16 supports bundles of tickets 18. As shown in FIG. 6 bundle of tickets 18 has an RFID tag 20. The playing floor 16 does not have any openings, thus bundles of tickets 18 are not able to pass through the playing floor 16. Positioned internal to the game housing 14 are game electronics 22, and the game housing 14 defines coin or game card slots 24. Players (not shown) can insert coins or tokens or a game card into the coin or game card slot 24 to activate the crane game 10 allowing the player to play the crane game 10. The game housing 14 also is loaded with winner tickets 28, such that when the player wins a bundle of tickets 18, the equivalent number of tickets 28 can exit the crane game 10 through a ticket dispenser opening 26. In the embodiment that uses a game card, the game card stores wins on the game card, thereby eliminating the need for tickets 28 and ticket dispenser 26. In this embodiment, the coin or game card slot 24 is used for inserting the game card instead of coins. The game card includes information about tickets wins and the balance of game credits. The player may add money to the game card in order to continue playing. When the player is done playing, the player may cash in ticket wins for actual prizes. The electronics used in connection with crane games and the control of the cranes in such games is known to those skilled in the art.

(9) The crane game 10 also has a crane housing 30 that is enclosed within game housing 14 and that is positioned towards the top of the game housing 14 such that it is at eye level for a player. The crane housing 30 does not move during game play. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the crane housing 30 has a rectangular shape in one embodiment and prevents the bundles of tickets 18 from falling out of the crane game 10. The outside of the crane housing 30 is made of a clear material, for example plastic or glass, so that players can look inside of the crane housing 30 and the bundles of tickets 18 supported on the playing floor 16. The crane housing has a ceiling 32, best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

(10) The ceiling 32 supports a gantry 34 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The gantry 34 has a pair of first and second parallel rails (not shown) that are fixed in position relative to the crane housing 30. The gantry 34 also has a movable cross rail (not shown) having first and second movable cross rail ends (not shown). The first and second movable cross rail ends are supported on the first and second parallel rails respectively. Thus, the movable cross rail can be driven back and forth along the first and second parallel rails with, for example, motors and servomotors. A claw mechanism 51 having claws is supported by and hangs from the movable cross rail and the claw mechanism 51 can be raised and lowered relative to the playing floor 16 by a player, and the claw mechanism can be moved back and forth along the movable cross rail. Thus the claw mechanism 51 can be moved by the player in the X axis and the Y axis and the Z axis as shown in FIG. 2 by moving a joystick 52 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The joystick 52 is located on the external side of game housing 14. The joystick 52 is connected to the claw mechanism 51 and it allows the player to operate the position of the claw mechanism 51 above the playing floor 16. The player uses joystick 52 to try to capture a bundle of tickets 18.

(11) After the player has moved the claw mechanism 51 over the desired bundles of tickets 18 he or she can push a drop button 54 that causes the claw mechanism 51 to drop and automatically close on the bundles of ticket 18 and at a first clamping force. The claw mechanism 51 is operated by a solenoid. Next, the claw mechanism 51 rises in the direction of the Z-axis and the claw mechanism 51 exerts a second clamping force that is less than the first clamping force. During these movements of the claw mechanism 51 the bundles of tickets 18 may fall out of the claw mechanism 51. If these bundles of tickets 18 fall onto the playing floor 16, then the player is not credited with a win. Claw mechanisms and their operation in crane games is known to those skilled in the art.

(12) The crane game 10 also includes an internal housing unit 60 that is positioned in the crane housing 30 and supported on the playing floor 16 such that it cannot move. In one embodiment, there are no openings in the playing floor 16 associated with the internal housing unit 60. The internal housing unit 60 has a generally rectangular shape and abuts a rear wall 36 of the crane housing 30. The internal housing unit 60 defines a prize chute 62 and the claw mechanism 51 can be lowered into the internal housing unit 60 through the prize chute 62. Positioned in the internal housing unit 60 is a shielded RFID reader and antennae 80. In one embodiment, the RFID reader is a 900 MHz long distance reader such that unaligned and multiple bundles of tickets 18 can be read without the assistance of a worker. An RFID reader 80, best shown in FIG. 3, is located in the internal housing unit base 68 of internal housing unit 60 and is thusly shielded from the inadvertent reading of RFID tags 20. That is, the claw mechanism 51 in combination with bundles of tickets 18 and RFID tags 20 must be located in a particular location in order for the RFID reader 80 to be able to read the RFID tag 20. In particular, the claw mechanism 51 in combination with bundles of tickets 18 and RFID tag 20 must be located within the prize chute 62 of internal housing unit 60.

(13) As shown in FIG. 3, the internal housing unit 60 has fitted therein first, second, and third deflection walls 72, 74, 76, that meet with one another at a peak 71 (shown in FIG. 4). All of the first, second, and third deflection walls 72, 74, 76, slope in a direction towards the playing floor 16. If and when a bundle of tickets 18 falls out of the claw mechanism 51 (as depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2) while the claw mechanism 51 is positioned over the prize chute 62 or is otherwise in the internal housing unit 60, the bundles of tickets 18 fall and hit either of the first, second, or third deflection walls 72, 74, 76. The player is credited with a win if this happens. The first, second, and third deflection walls 72, 74, 76, extend to first, second, and third internal housing unit exits 82, 84, 86, respectively, defined in the internal housing unit 60. If a bundle of tickets 18 exits through any of the first, second, third internal housing unit exits 82, 84, 86, then gravity causes it to fall onto the playing floor 16. Another player can then immediately try to retrieve that same bundle of tickets 18.

(14) The crane game 10 also includes a display 66 that is connected to the base 68 of internal housing unit 60. Display 66 informs the player of the win and how many tickets have been won. In one embodiment, display 66 is an LED panel.

(15) FIG. 4 is a top view of crane game 10 depicting the bundles of tickets 18 and a portion of the internal housing unit 60. For clarity, prize chute 62 is not shown. First, second, and third deflection walls 72, 24, and 76 are depicted. Display 66 is also shown.

(16) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the prize deflector 70 comprised of one trapezoid-shaped piece, second deflection wall 74, and two triangle-shaped pieces, first and third deflection walls 72, 76. First deflection wall 72 and third deflector wall 76 are mirror images of each other and both are connected to second deflection wall 74. Third deflection wall 76 is in the shape of a right triangle having three sides, hypotenuse side H.sub.1, opposite side O.sub.1, and adjacent side A.sub.1. First deflection wall 72 is identical to third deflection wall 76. Second deflection 74 is in the shape of a trapezoid having first, second, third, and fourth sides S.sub.1, S.sub.2, S.sub.3, and S.sub.4. Second side S.sub.2 and third side S.sub.3 of second deflection wall 74 each abut hypotenuse side H.sub.1 of third deflection wall 76 and hypotenuse side H.sub.1 of first deflection wall 72, respectively. Opposite sides O.sub.1 of first and third deflector walls 72 and 76 meet fourth side S.sub.4 of second deflection wall 74 at peak 71 forming a ramp. All of the deflection walls slope down towards playing floor 16. When a bundle of tickets 18 hits any part of the prize deflector 70, it will bounce off of one of the deflection walls 72, 74, 76, and exit the internal housing unit 60 by way of first, second, or third internal housing unit exits 82, 84, 86, back onto the playing floor 16. The particular arrangement shown in FIG. 5 allows the bundles of tickets 18 to be randomly distributed on the playing floor 16.

(17) As assembled, prize deflector 70 also includes front deflector support 77 and side deflector support 78. First and second deflection walls 72 and 76 are both connected to side deflector support 78 along their adjacent sides A.sub.1. Side deflector support 78 is connected to internal housing unit base 68 by connectors (not shown) that are placed in side deflector support openings 79. Side deflector support 78 also includes side deflector support groove 78a, which allows side deflector support 78 to be inserted over the front wall (not shown) of internal housing unit base 68 such that the side walls (not shown) of internal housing unit base 68 are on the outside of side deflector support 78. Front deflector support 77 is connected to second deflection wall 74 along its first side S.sub.1. Front deflector support 77 also includes left and right front deflector support grooves 77a, 77b, that allow front deflector support 77 to be connected to internal housing unit base 68 and display 66. For example, connectors may be inserted through left and right front deflector grooves 77a, 77b, to connect front deflector support 77 to internal housing unit base 68 and display 66.

(18) Although prize deflector 70 has been described above with two triangle-shaped pieces and one trapezoid-shaped piece, it is understood that prize deflector 70 could be made with a different number of pieces. For example, there may be two deflection walls instead of three, whereby the two deflection walls meet along an extended peak rather than the arrangement shown above in FIG. 5. In other embodiments, the first and second deflection walls are not right triangles.

(19) In a preferred embodiment, the prize deflector 70 is made of acrylic and in a more preferred embodiment, the prize deflector 70 is made of translucent white acrylic. The translucent white acrylic allows RFID reader 80 to accurately read the RFID tag 20 of bundles of tickets 18.

(20) FIG. 6 depicts bundle of tickets 18 in combination with RFID tag 20. Although the present disclosure has been described using bundles of tickets 18 it is understood that the bundle of tickets 18 could be any other prize.

(21) The present invention provides many advantages. As described above, the need for collecting baskets filled with bundles of tickets and all of the problems associated therewith are eliminated by the crane game 10 described and shown herein. The internal housing unit 60 of the present invention allows the crane game 10 to be played without the interference of a worker to remove the bundles of tickets 18. The prize deflector 70 allows the RFID tag 20 to be read while the bundle of tickets 18 is located above in the prize chute 62. The prize deflector 70 also ensures that the bundle of tickets 18 is randomly distributed back onto the playing floor 16 once it is dropped from the claw mechanism 51. The present invention also allows for a playing floor 16 that is solid and thus does not have any openings in it. Thus a simplified playing floor 16 is provided.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

(22) In one embodiment, the prize deflector 70 is assembled using three walls that peak towards the rear of the prize deflector 70 similar to a ramp. In this embodiment, the prize deflector 70 is placed on top of the internal housing unit base 68. The front and back of the internal housing unit base 68 is 7.75 inches in width and the two sides of the internal housing unit base 68 are 9.235 inches in length and the height of the front, back, and two sides of internal h sousing unit base 68 is 6 inches. In other embodiments, the height may be more or less than 6 inches. The width of the sides of internal housing unit base 68 is 0.375 inches. In this example, first side S.sub.1 of second deflection wall 74 and front deflector support 77 are 8.84 inches. The distance between the two side deflection wall supports 79 is 6.0 inches. The height of the ramp created by prize deflector 70 is 3.448 inches, which includes the height of the front and side deflector supports 77, 78.

(23) In one example, the angle between H.sub.1 and A.sub.1 is 17 and the angle between H.sub.1 and O.sub.1 is 73. The angle between O.sub.1 and A.sub.1 is 90. The angle between S.sub.2 and S.sub.1 and S.sub.3 and S.sub.1 is 55.5 and the angle between S.sub.2 and S.sub.4 and S.sub.3 and S.sub.4 is 124.5.

(24) It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while the crane game with internal housing unit has been described in detail herein, the invention is not necessarily so limited and other examples, embodiments, uses, modifications, and departures from the embodiments, examples, uses, and modifications may be made without departing from the process and all such embodiments are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.