US3571959A

US3571959A - Amusement game device

Info

Publication number: US3571959A
Application number: US774780A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas C Babcock
Original assignee: Pace Industrial Inc
Current assignee: Pace Industrial Inc
Priority date: 1968-11-12
Filing date: 1968-11-12
Publication date: 1971-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-03-23

Abstract

A panel for use in an amusement game device includes a supporting member and a protective layer mounted on the supporting member with a layer of screenprint between the supporting member and the protective layer. The panel has portions which are translucent, and the translucent portions provide a continuous smooth surface.

Description

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m M, w h w www AMUSEMENT GAME DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In amusement game devices, and more particularly, those devices which are commonly referred to as pinball machines, the amusement game devices generally include a cabinet which contains mechanical and electrical control devices. A playfield is generally mounted on the cabinet and is inclined to the horizontal so that a ball rolls due to the force of gravity from the back end ofthe playfield to the front end. The playfield generally contains certain artwork to define a game and may contain one or more apertures to receive a ball and generally has one or more bumpers mounted thereon as a portion of the garne. The cabinet usually hasa backglass mounted in the back end thereof, which backglass is generally perpendicular to the playfield. The backglass has artwork on the glass and one or more lights are usually mounted behind the backglass to illuminate certain portions of the backglass as is required in the operation of the game `to indicate a score or scoring possibilities. v

The playfield conventionally is generally constructed of a single piece of plywood which is finished to a very smooth surface. The smooth surface is sealed and has artwork painted thereon to identify a portion of the game and to indicate scoring possibilities. The artwork is usually covered with a clear varnish to protect it from wear by a rolling ball. In some instances, the operation of the game is such that it is desirable to light up certain sections of the play-field to indicate scoring possibilities as a part of the game. This is accomplished by aligning a lamp under a hole in the playtieldrwhich hole is covered by a plastic button." The hole is drilled or bored through the plywood and the button, a colored plastic translucent disc, is mounted on the playfield flush with the surface of the playfield. A lamp is conventionally mounted under the button and is controlled by appropriate circuitry to light the disc. The installation of the buttons is expensive, and it is very difficult to provide aperfectly smooth surface over the button and around its periphery so that the roll of the ball will not be gffected. Furthermore, the button has a tendency to pop out 'after protracted use so that the playfield must be repaired after `it has been placed in use.

The playfield is generally inclined, as mentioned above. The ball is generally rolled along a channel up the incline and then is allowed to roll down the playfield until it reaches the -bottom, and the ball is then returned to a collecting station. Although the playfield is generally protected by glass, the playfield, which has a painted surface covered with a clear varnish, has a tendency to wear, and the ball following certain paths has a tendency to deposit dirt on the surface of the playfield so that the playfield becomes worn and'dirty and must be replaced even though the remainder of the device isin good operative condition.

The backglass which is commonly used consists generally of a piece of glass with artwork painted on the glass surface which is positioned adjacent to the light source so that light passes through the artwork in orderto illuminate the entire backglass or selected portions of the backglass. One ofthe problems which is encountered with the backglass is that during installation of the backglass, the backglass is exposedvto the hazard of scratching; that is, a'sharp tool may be `dragged across the painted surface, thereby removing the paint to damage the artwork on the backglass. In certain instances it is necessary to replace bulbs or -make repairs adjacent to the backglass, and a sharp tool may be used in the repair so that the sharp tool in some instances may accidentally hitv the painted surface and mar the paint. Even though a backglass may not be damaged `by having the paint on the glass marred, the heat from the lights has a tendency to cause the paint to fade in certain instances, and in others, the heat causes the paint to peel away from the backglass, so that the backglass must be replaced.

Pinball vmachines are in many instances located in bars and restaurants 'where patrons may engage in a certain amount of horseplay. ln some instances, a glass or a bottle may be thrown and if the glass or bottle strikes the backglass. the backglass usually shatters so that splnters of fine glass fall into the electrical circuitry behind the backglass. Thus. the repairman not only must replace the backglass but also remove all of the glass particles, which is a difficult, tedious, and in some instances, a dangerous job.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improved panel construction for use in an amusement game device, which device has a light source to illuminate at least a portion of the panel. The panel includes a sheet of transparent film and a layer of screenprint on one side of the transparent film and a clear transparent layer on the layer of screenprint so that the sheet of transparent film and the transparent layer protect the layer of screenprint from damage.

It is a principal object of the present-invention to provide a panel for use in an amusement device, which panel is economical to manufacture and is not susceptible to rapid deterioration from wear.

lt is another object of this invention to provide a playfield for use in an amusement game device, which playfield utilizes an inexpensive support material and the support material does not require a high degree of finishing.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved construction for a playtield in which the surface of the playeld upon which a ball rolls may be easily cleaned and which surface protects artwork which constitutes a part of the playfield. l

It is a still further object of the herein disclosed invention to provide a backglass for use in an amusement gaine device in which a sheet of glass has artwork on one side thereof, which artwork is protected from peeling and fading by a sheet of film material.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a backglass for use in an amusement game device, which backglass has a sheet of film material attached to one side with artwork between the glass and the sheet of l'ilm material, which film material holds together portions of the glass should the glass be broken.

Other objects and uses of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a perusal of the following specification in light of the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a perspective view of an amusement game device including a playfield and a backglass embodying the herein disclosed invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on Line 22 of FIG. l showing a portion of the interior construction of the amusement game device shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the backglass of FIG. l showing a glass sheet, a layer of screenprint and a layer of translucent film;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through a portion of the backglass of FIG. 2 showing in cross section the position of the various parts of the backglass in an assembled attitude;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary perspective view showing the playfield of FIG. l; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on Line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, and specifically, FIG. l, an amusement game device generally called a pinball machineis shown therein and is indicated by numeral l0. The device l0 generally includes a lower cabinet 12, upper cabinet 14 mounted on the lower cabinet, and a plurality of legs 16 supporting the cabinets. The construction of the lower cabinet l2 is generally conventional in that it includes an upper glass 18,

an inclined playfield which is conventionally mounted below the upper glass and slopes downward from the upper cabinet relative to the horizontal, and a plurality of lights 22 which are electrically connected to an appropriate conventional control mechanism, none of which control mechanisms is shown herein. The upper cabinet 14 includes a backglass 24, which is generally perpendicular to the playfield, and a plurality of lights 26. The lights 26 are connected to appropriate wiring which is not shown, and the lights 26 are connected to an appropriate conventional control device which is also not shown.

The playfield 20 includes a rigid flat base or playfield board 28 which base or board includes a plurality of apertures 30. The board 28 is made of an inexpensive plywood material which, though flat, does not have a highly finished surface; however, any other suitable material such as, flakeboard, cardboard or metal, may be used. Adhesively secured to the upper portion of board 28 by an adhesive layer 3l is a sheet of translucent film 32. The film 32 in this instance is polystyrene which has a thickness of 60 mils, though any other suitable thickness of material may be used. lt should be appreciated that although polystyrene is used herein, other materials, such as, treated polyethylenes, polyesters, nylon, cellophane, cellulose acetate, acetate butyrate, and triacetate films also may be used. A layer of screenprint 34 lies on the upper surface of the film 32 and provides a design for the playfield and partially defines the game of the pinball machine. The screenprint is a conventional screenprint paint which may be readily applied to the sheet of translucent film and examples of such screenprint paint are, nitrocellulose, ethyl cellulose, or alkyd resin base synthetic enamel. Adhesively secured to the layer of screenprint by a layer of adhesive 35 is a sheet of transparent film 36 which provides a transparent layer for the playfield. ln this instance, the sheet of transparent film has a thickness of 2 mils, though any other suitable thickness may be used. Although polyester is the preferred material for the transparent film 36, other suitable materials, such as, polystyrene, treated polyethylenes, nylon, cellophane, cellulose acetate, acetate butyrate, and triacetate, may be used.

The backglass 24 includes a plurality of layers which are adhesively secured to each other. The backglass includes a transparent layer which in this instance is a conventional piece of glass 38 having a thickness of approximately Va" to 3/16" and provides a rigid transparent continuous support. The backglass also includes a sheet of translucent film 40 which is, in the preferred embodiment, a 2 mil film of cellulose acetate though any other suitable thickness may be used. However, other suitable films, including polystyrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, and cellophane, may be used for film 40. The film 40 has a layer of conventional screenprint 41 adhesively secured thereon by an adhesive layer 42. Screenprint 4l also provides a design which constitutes part of the game of the pinball machine. The layer of screenprint is adhesively secured to the glass 38 by an adhesive layer 43, so that the backglass is, in effect, a single unit.

From the foregoing description ofthe playfield 20, it may be appreciated that the lights 22 provide illumination to the film 32 and the screenprint 34 on the film through an appropriate aperture 30, thereby illuminating a portion of the design as is required in the play of the device. lt is important to note that there is no limitation on the shape of aperture 30 or the shape of the design to be illuminated. However, a ball such as ball 44 may roll over the aperture irrespective of the shape of the aperture, and the surface of the playfield is a continuous smooth surface without any indentations or ridges. There is nothing which may readily disengage itself from the base 28 to pop out or form an undesirable ridge. Thus, the playfield has a long life.

lt may be appreciated that as the ball 44 rolls over the surface of the playfield, it does not engage the screenprint 34 but rather, it engages film 36. Thus` there is no wearing of the screenprint. Furthermore, any dirt which is carried by the ball and is deposited on the film 36 may be readily and easily wi d off the surface of .the film.

rom the foregoing, it may be seen that the playfield provides a superior surface to the playfields of the prior an in that it provides a smooth continuous surface. Furthermore. the playfield has a long life. lt should be noted that the playfield may be inexpensively manufactured in that it is only necessary to screenprint the screenprint layer 34 onto the film 32, adhesively mount film 36 onto the screenprint surface and then bond film 32 with the screenprint and film 36 onto the base 28. lt may be appreciated that the finishing of the base is eliminated since the heavier film 32 in cooperation with the thinner film 36 provides a smooth continuous surface. and there is no need to provide an expensive base material which must be sanded and finished to a smooth surface.

The backglass 24 provides an improved backglass in that the glass 38 protects the screenprint 4l from the outside, which is conventional, while the film 40 protects the screenprint from any interior damage. The backglass is simply manufactured in that the screenprint is adhesively mounted on film 40 and then film 40 with the screenprint is adhesively secured to the glass 38. The adhesive securing of the screenprint and the film 40 to the glass holds the glass together, in the event that the glass is broken` thereby eliminating shatter of the backglass. The screenprint is held between the film 40 and glass 38 so that the screenprint does not peel off the glass. and fading of the screenprint is substantially reduced.

Although the invention has been shown and described in specific detail and specific materials have been clearly set forth, it is to be expressly understood that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Although the invention has been described in detail in the specification, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light source comprising, a substantially flat rigid base having one side positioned adjacent to the light source, said base having an aperture extending therethrough, a sheet of translucent film having one side secured to the other side of said base and covering said aperture, a layer of screenprint on the other side of the sheet of translucent film providing a design on said sheet, and a thin transparent film secured to the layer of screenprint, whereby the sheet of translucent film with the layer of screenprint and the thin-transparent film provides a substantially continuous surface on said other side of the base, and a portion of the layer of screenprint is illuminated by the light source through said aperture.

2. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light source as defined in claim l, wherein the thin transparent film is a relatively thin sheet of polyester.

3. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light source as defined in claim l, wherein the sheet of translucent film is a relatively thick sheet of polystyrene and the sheet of thin transparent film is a relatively thin sheet of polyester and includes a layer of adhesive between the substantially flat base and the sheet of translucent film to secure adhesively the translucent film to the base, and a second layer of adhesive between the thin transparent film and the layer of screenprint to secure the thin transparent film to the layer of screenprint.

Claims

1. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light source comprising, a substantially flat rigid base having one side positioned adjacent to the light source, said base having an aperture extending therethrough, a sheet of translucent film having one side secured to the other side of said base and covering said aperture, a layer of screenprint on the other side of the sheet of translucent film providing a design on said sheet, and a thin transparent film secured to the layer of screenprint, whereby the sheet of translucent film with the layer of screenprint and the thin transparent film provides a substantially continuous surface on said other side of the base, and a portion of the layer of screenPrint is illuminated by the light source through said aperture.

2. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light source as defined in claim 1, wherein the thin transparent film is a relatively thin sheet of polyester.

3. A playfield for use in an amusement game device having a light source as defined in claim 1, wherein the sheet of translucent film is a relatively thick sheet of polystyrene and the sheet of thin transparent film is a relatively thin sheet of polyester and includes a layer of adhesive between the substantially flat base and the sheet of translucent film to secure adhesively the translucent film to the base, and a second layer of adhesive between the thin transparent film and the layer of screenprint to secure the thin transparent film to the layer of screenprint.