Did You Know...
...that the Slinky toy was the result of a failed attempt by engineer Richard James to produce an antivibration device for ship instruments? His goal was to develop a spring that would instantaneously counterbalance the wave motion that rocks a ship at sea. Instead, he developed the Slinky.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 5491462 | Joystick controller A joystick controller is characterized by a control shaft that has toward its lower end a hemispherical-shaped member having a spherical surface. The control shaft extends upwardly through an opening in a top wall of a housing, and a circumference of the ... | 02/13/1996 |
| 5406040 | Joystick with improved actuator A joystick includes a shaft having a handle at one end and an actuator at the other end and pivotally mounted on a base for universal pivotal movement to actuate a plurality of switches. A bearing sleeve having a very low coefficient of friction is telesc... | 04/11/1995 |
| 4647043 | Pinball machine with fold-down upper cabinet A pinball machine has an upper display cabinet pivotally movable with respect to a lower playfield cabinet between an upright use position spaced well above the lower cabinet with the rear walls of the upper and lower cabinets substantially coplanar and a... | 03/03/1987 |
| 4623787 | Ball and transducer mounting arrangement for mouse A "mouse"-type position indicating control apparatus has a two-part housing comprising an apertured base and a cover which contains a ball, a portion of which projects through the aperture in the base to support and transport the housing along a support s... | 11/18/1986 |
| 4616833 | Target shooting game with photoelectric orientation sensing apparatus The apparatus senses the absolute elevation and azimuth of a device, such as a gun in an arcade target shooting game. The gun is fixed to a shaft which is pivotable about horizontal and vertical axes and which is connected by two linkage assemblies, respe... | 10/14/1986 |
| 4615525 | Spinning target assembly The spinning target assembly comprises a post rotatably mounted to the playfield board of a pinball game. A bridge extends over and is substantially parallel to the playfield board. Three spinning target units hang downwardly from the bridge. The bridge a... | 10/07/1986 |
| 4588187 | Port expansion adapter for video game port A game port expander for a video game input port includes a plurality of first multi-pin ports respectively connectable to four different game controllers, and a second multi-pin port connectable to the input port of a video game. Each game controller has... | 05/13/1986 |
| 4587510 | Analog joystick controller An analog joystick controller includes a handle shaft engageable with two yokes rotatably movable respectively about two perpendicular axes in response to tilting of the handle shaft. The yokes are respectively coupled to the wipers of two potentiometers,... | 05/06/1986 |
| 4587419 | Position control device with dual manual controls A position control device includes a generally rectangular, two-part housing having orthogonal walls, two of which have openings formed therein. A shaft is rotatably mounted in the housing on bearings which are respectively received in recesses in support... | 05/06/1986 |
| 4575086 | Trackball device The trackball device comprises cylindrical first and second supports. First and second code wheels are respectively coupled to the supports and are rotatable therewith. First and second reader means are respectively associated with the first and second co... | 03/11/1986 |
| 4568085 | Spinning target assembly The spinning target assembly comprises a pair of posts and a bridge therebetween. Three spinning target units hang downwardly from the bridge. The units move back and forth between the posts. Each unit includes a pair of supports and a target therebetween... | 02/04/1986 |
| 4558609 | Joystick controller with interchangeable handles A handle assembly for a joystick controller includes a tiltably mounted, elongated, hollow, tubular shaft having an elongated rod extending coaxially therethrough. A helical compression spring is seated in a recess at one end of the shaft and coaxially en... | 12/17/1985 |
| 4533142 | Mechanically actuated object-propelling apparatus A mechanically-operated object-engaging member for a game is pivotally mounted on a shaft to which is fixedly secured a drive cam disposed in camming engagement with one end of a third-class lever. A spring on the cam biases it and the lever to a normal r... | 08/06/1985 |
| 4509631 | Coin door assembly A coin door assembly includes a door panel with a coin slot therethrough. Mounted on the rear of the panel in spaced-apart relationship are an entry chute communicating with the coin slot and a coin box unit, which cooperate to define therebetween a recep... | 04/09/1985 |
| 4508343 | Pinball game with randomly operable drop targets A pinball game includes a playfield board on which is mounted a plurality of drop target assemblies, each including a target member movable through an opening in the playfield board between a playing condition projecting above the playfield board and a re... | 04/02/1985 |
| 4505165 | Trackball device The trackball device includes two supports for the trackball, each of which has a code wheel associated therewith. The journals on the end of each shaft and the bearing surfaces of the pillow block associated with the shaft are constructed to have substan... | 03/19/1985 |
| 4504057 | Pinball game and rotatable bumper therefor A pinball game includes a playfield board on which a pinball rolls for engagement with targets carried by the board. A shooter mechanism projects the pinball into rolling engagement along the board in a predetermined path against a rebound device which is... | 03/12/1985 |
| 4498670 | Wide face horizontally movable kicker for pin ball game A kicker apparatus for a pin ball game including a playfield board on which a ball rolls for engagement with an actuator member in a kicking region, comprises a frame which mounts a kicker member in a track for sliding reciprocating movement in response t... | 02/12/1985 |
| 4493992 | Adapter circuit for trackball device An adapter includes a program-controlled microprocessor provided with input means adapted to be coupled to the output of a trackball-type position control device, output terminals and selection means for selectively conditioning the processor for operatio... | 01/15/1985 |
| 4492830 | Joystick with single-leaf spring switch A switch assembly is provided for mounting in the two-part housing of a joystick apparatus. The assembly includes a printed circuit board held between retainers on the two parts of the housing. A plurality of switches are mounted on the board, each includ... | 01/08/1985 |
| 4488724 | Horizontally movable kicker for pin ball game A kicker apparatus for a slingshot bumper assembly in a pin ball game including a playfield board on which a ball rolls for engagement with a resilient impact band to actuate a drive solenoid, includes a frame which mounts the solenoid with its plunger ax... | 12/18/1984 |
| 4487416 | Rotatable kicker for pinball game A rotatable kicker apparatus includes a frame adapted to be mounted in an aperture in the playfield board of a pinball game for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the playfield board. The frame carries a drive solenoid which connects through crank ar... | 12/11/1984 |
| 4473725 | Modular joystick controller A joystick controller includes an enclosure including unitary one-piece cover and bottom parts. The cover part has structure defining a plurality of receptacles respectively receiving direction-control switches and a handle support module therein, while t... | 09/25/1984 |
| 4470320 | Joystick assembly with wear member A joystick assembly includes a relatively soft plastic frame and a relatively hard shaft extending through an opening in the frame which is dimensioned to accommodate limited pivotal movement of the shaft. A metal wear member is insert molded in the frame... | 09/11/1984 |
| 4463237 | Pushbutton assembly with integral bias means A pushbutton assembly for a switch includes a cylindrical housing having an axial bore therethrough, one end of the housing being enlarged to define a cup-shaped cavity communicating with the bore. An elongated tubular actuator body is reciprocally movabl... | 07/31/1984 |
| 4460176 | Post construction for pinball game A post construction comprises a post body having an externally threaded stud embedded therein and projecting axially from one end thereof for threaded engagement with the playfield board of a pinball game. A hex surface on the post body facilitates drivin... | 07/17/1984 |
| 4459440 | Joystick and switch assembly therefor A switch assembly is provided for mounting in the two-part body of a joystick apparatus. The assembly includes a circuit board held between retainers on the two parts of the body. Four leaf spring switch modules are mounted on the board, each module compr... | 07/10/1984 |
| 4454397 | Push button switch assembly A push button switch assembly includes a base having an internally threaded aperture therethrough and a cylindrical housing closed at one end by a circular end wall having a cylindrical bushing portion which is threadedly engaged in the base aperture. A m... | 06/12/1984 |
| 4453060 | Switch blade cover A covered leaf switch assembly includes a switch body having resilient switch blades. A molded plastic cover includes an elongated sheath for receiving the blades therein and a coupling portion for interfitting with the switch body. In one embodiment the ... | 06/05/1984 |
| 4438928 | Pinball game with ganged kicker mechanisms A pinball game includes plural parallel columns of kickers, each kicker being responsive to ball impact thereon for propelling the ball therefrom in a predetermined direction. Each kicker is rotatable for varying the predetermined direction and the kicker... | 03/27/1984 |
| 4438930 | Rollover switch apparatus The rollover switch apparatus includes a one-piece plastic base, a switch attached thereto and a one-piece plastic actuator having an arm pivotally attached to the base and means engaged by the rolling pinball to move the actuator from its rest position t... | 03/27/1984 |
| 4438929 | Drop target with cam means A target member in a drop target assembly of a pinball game has a cam surface formed on the rear surface thereof and adapted for camming engagement with the assembly frame when the target member is deflected by a pinball and unlatched from its raised cond... | 03/27/1984 |
| 4437664 | Pin ball game with oscillating shooter A pin ball game includes a ball receptacle which has associated therewith a rotary oscillating shooter for propelling the ball from the receptacle and along the playfield board in the direction of a predetermined axis which oscillates with the shooter. Wh... | 03/20/1984 |
| 4436971 | Snap-in switch mounting structure The mounting structure includes a pair of side abutments, upper and lower abutments, and front and rear abutments into which a rectangular parallelepiped body of a leaf spring switch is snap fit.... | 03/13/1984 |
| 4426081 | Drop target apparatus The drop target apparatus includes a frame for attachment to the underside of the playfield board of a pinball game. A frame carries a target member which is vertically movable between a raised position above the playfield board and a retracted position. ... | 01/17/1984 |
| 4404865 | Trackball device A trackball device includes a housing containing a plurality of rotatable supports and a ball seated thereon with a portion of the ball projecting through an opening in the housing for manual rotation by a user. First and second ones of the supports compr... | 09/20/1983 |
| 4398718 | Illuminated flipper assembly The flipper assembly has a transparent flipper carried by a rotatable flipper shaft. A light shaft extends through the flipper shaft and is fixed to the pinball game. A bulb is located in the flipper and is carried by the bulb shaft.... | 08/16/1983 |
| 4382166 | Joystick with built-in fire button A joystick apparatus includes a tiltably mounted tube and a rod reciprocally movably axially therethrough. The tube has a frustoconical first actuator at one end thereof for operating engagement with a selected one or more of a plurality of first switches... | 05/03/1983 |
| 4373123 | Studded mounting structure for switch The mounting structure includes a block having a bore therein and a stud thereon, their axes being substantially parallel. A leaf spring switch has two leaf springs carried by a body having a pair of bores. The surfaces of the block and the body are in ju... | 02/08/1983 |
| 4362300 | Cap for pinball game rebound device An automatic rebound device for a pinball game has a cylindrical pedestal portion which projects above the playfield board and carries an electric lamp therein, the pedestal having an annular attachment flange at its upper end with vertical openings there... | 12/07/1982 |
