Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7371195 | Collapsible sports goal A collapsible sports goal comprising goal posts, supporting members, and a folding means for selective pivoting of the supporting members between an erect configuration and a collapsed configuration without disassembly. Each goal post has a base portion. An upper su... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7293776 | Practice target for sport projectiles A target for practicing aiming sport or game projectiles, such as balls, hockey pucks, arrows, etc., is formed of a large, flexible sheet whose upper edge is temporarily secured to the lower edge of a conventional garage door when the door is lowered. The sheet is d... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7278935 | Sports goal The invention relates to sports goals for games such as football, rugby, hockey etc, where the goals are formed by uprights and crossbars. Because of security issues, there are many instances where goals must be removed for storage when not in use, but secured in pl... | 10/09/2007 |
| 7244199 | Portable street hockey backstop A backstop for a street hockey goal comprising left and right stanchions with a net fastened therebetween with a strut fastenable to a hockey goal for supporting the net in a deployed position. Once deployed the net exceeds the height of the hockey goal and extends ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7235025 | Sports goal having curvilinear frame section A sports goal is provided having a pair of vertically extending posts and an interconnecting cross bar, wherein at least one of the posts and the cross bar include a curvilinear section. The posts extend from bottom ends adjacent a playing surface to upper ends inte... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7229072 | Playing surface for a game and method of using a game playing surface The invention may be embodied as a playing surface. Such a playing surface may include a first boundary wall, a second boundary wall, a first zone separator and a second zone separator. The second zone separator may be spaced apart from the first zone separator in o... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7143719 | Pet treat dispenser assembly with clicker An improved pet treat dispenser assembly is provided with a canister for holding pet treats, a dispenser slidably mounted in the canister for dispensing treats, and a clicker on the canister to attract a pet's attention following desired behavior. The canister inclu... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7001288 | Soccer practice cage A soccer practice cage including an enclosure defining an enclosure interior and multiple ball openings provided in spaced-apart relationship with respect to each other in the bottom portion of the enclosure and communicating with the enclosure interior. In typical ... | 02/21/2006 |
| 6966853 | Hockey training device A hockey training device for teaching hockey puck shooting. The hockey training device includes a panel having a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge and a second side edge, a top side and a bottom side. The top side has an apex extending from the front edge t... | 11/22/2005 |
| 6958891 | Actuator loading/unloading device for disc drive An actuator loading/unloading device includes a block unit disposed at a base of a disc drive to be positioned outside a disc, a lamp member positioned on the block unit so that the lamp member is lifted from or lowered down on the block unit, an actuator being park... | 10/25/2005 |
| 6929555 | Cue stick bridge support Apparatus for holding and supporting a cue bridge stick while playing a game such as pool and billiards. The top of a body member holds the bridge handle, while the bottom of the body member connects to legs for supporting the body member from a flat surface such as... | 08/16/2005 |
| 6918845 | Goaltender training apparatus A training device for a goaltender employs a plurality of transceivers mounted within a housing that emit beams that are reflected off of cooperative reflectors attached to a goal. The transceivers and reflectors are aligned such that uninterrupted reflected beams a... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6656064 | Hockey station and slat apparatus The present invention 10 discloses a first embodiment having a straight line apparatus consisting of tubular channels 18 that pass through risers 20 that elevate the channels off the ground. The end risers 22 provide a port 24 on one distal end that allow... | 12/02/2003 |
| 6582316 | Method and device for developing accurate aim An accuracy development device is disclosed, including a simulated projectile coupled to a feedback mechanism. The feedback mechanism provides feedback indicating whether a desired impact point on the simulated projectile has been hit by a free projectile... | 06/24/2003 |
| 6475108 | Soccer kicking training device A soccer kicking training device used for placement on a surface and for allowing a soccer ball to be kicked thereof. The soccer ball kicking training device includes a base with stationary base connector and horizontal and vertical members, two ball hold... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6402641 | Movable target for sports goal A target device is positionable in an infinite number of positions within a sports goal having left and right upright members and a crossbar connecting the upright members. The device includes a main body generally comprised of a sheet material. A pair of... | 06/11/2002 |
| 6279903 | Amusement game An amusement game in which a game piece descends adjacent a playing surface. A preferred embodiment of the game includes a playing surface, a game piece, a plurality of deflecting members, and a receiving mechanism. The playing surface is preferably incli... | 08/28/2001 |
| 6227967 | Prize redemption game apparatus A prize redemption game apparatus includes an elongated runway, an elastic abutment member at the second end of the runway, and a rollable object disposed for rolling travel along the runway between the first end and the second end. The playing is dispose... | 05/08/2001 |
| 6089570 | Ball and target game A ball and target game includes a spherical element and an elongate target element carrying a plurality of discrete target areas, which areas are juxtaposed longitudinally on the target element. The spherical element and the target element carry complemen... | 07/18/2000 |
| 6070879 | Goals for games Goals for games are provided. A crosspiece for a game goal is provided that can be used for both rugby and football. A first gripper is provided on a first end of the crosspiece for retaining a flexible pole on the first end of the crosspiece. The first g... | 06/06/2000 |
| 6059288 | Retractable ball cage for a rolling ball game A ball locking device includes a plurality of posts arranged to retract into or extendabove apertures in the game playfield. In the extended position, the posts form a cage which confines a game ball therein. The posts are arranged, for example, in a circ... | 05/09/2000 |
| 6036189 | Game with viewing panel having variable optical characteristics for producing virtual images A game which comprises a plurality of play devices and a panel for prohibiting access of a player to the plurality of play devices. The panel includes at least two optically distinct portions. A first optically distinct portion is substantially transparen... | 03/14/2000 |
| 5992848 | Vertically displaceable ramp A pinball machine having a vertically displaceable ramp play feature. The ramp moves between an upper position in which it does not interfere with gameplay, and a lower position in which the lower edge of the ramp rests on the playfield. When the ramp is ... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5938195 | Serpentine ramp for a pinball game A serpentine ramp is rotatable about a horizontal axis between its center and its upper end to lift a pinball from a lower play surface to an upper play surface. A ball is directed from the lower surface into a ball receiving portion in the lower end of t... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5924690 | Drop target for a pinball game A drop target for a pinball game includes a movable target element operably connected to a target driver. The target driver is controllably movable in response to energizing pulses from a game controller. A releasable latching mechanism moves in cooperati... | 07/20/1999 |
| 5913516 | Multimode target with variable trajectory ball ramp A play feature for a pinball game features a multimode target with a variable trajectory ball ramp. The multimode target features a pair of distinct targets mounted upon the playfield of the pinball game in a rotating fashion. The multimode target may be ... | 06/22/1999 |
| 5899454 | Ramp with integral ball deflector for pinball games A ramp with an integral ball deflector is positioned upon the playfield of a pinball game with its entrance approximately level with the playfield. A ball deflector having the shape of a triangle is mounted upon the bottom of the ramp with its widest port... | 05/04/1999 |
| 5839724 | Portable target game apparatus Portable target game apparatus positionable on a pool table or other support includes an inclined board having target holes for receiving balls rolled onto the board. Straight side walls and a straight back wall are attached to the board and extend upward... | 11/24/1998 |
| 5833236 | Wrecking ball play feature for a pinball game A wrecking ball play feature for a pinball game includes a crane disposed upon the playfield of the pinball game. A wrecking ball is suspended from the crane by a cable so that it may be impacted by a game ball rolling upon the playfield. After being stru... | 11/10/1998 |
| 5806851 | Interactive play for a pinball game An interactive play feature for a pinball game includes a shooting position on an inclined playfield and a target spaced apart from the shooting position. A shooting mechanism is responsive to input from a player for propelling a game ball from the shooti... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5799938 | Ball and ring games and game structures A game structure for use on a horizontal or substantially horizontal surface, the structure comprising a shaft one or more loop members, the shaft including two support members extending from each end of the shaft for supporting the shaft in a horizontal ... | 09/01/1998 |
| 5730441 | Pinball machine striking mechanism Conventional pinball machines have various mechanisms, some of which are under the control of the user, to enable the ball in play to be moved around the playing surface. An extra mechanism which can be incorporated is a rotated striking member, e.g. of o... | 03/24/1998 |
| 5716049 | Pinball machine target assembly A target and associated impact sensing mechanism is provided including a target head above the pinball playing surface which is movable from a first position above the playing surface to a second position above the playing surface upon receiving a suffici... | 02/10/1998 |
| 5704610 | Competitive table-top game with action-discharge A competitive table top type game having a "fenced-in" playing surface with opposed player ends. Each player controls one or more strikers and uses it to cause a play piece such as a ball to hit the opponent's target. When a player's target is hit, a liqu... | 01/06/1998 |
| 5697612 | Jet bumper for a pinball game The jet bumper of the invention consists of a body mounted to the playfield. A solenoid actuator and rebound ring are mounted on the body. An eddy current sensor is disposed about the body to detect the approach of a ball. Upon detection of the ball, the ... | 12/16/1997 |
| 5664777 | Rotary ball storage and discharge device for a pinball game A play feature for a pinball game permits the storage of a number of game balls and release of the balls at high speed and in quick succession back onto the playfield for multiple ball play. A rotor element having a plurality of vertical vanes is disposed... | 09/09/1997 |
| 5620181 | Signaling device for amusement game A signaling device for an amusement game including a playfield having a plurality of triggering devices disposed thereon electrically linked to a microprocessor. A plurality of light sources are mounted behind the playfield which are capable of being acti... | 04/15/1997 |
| 5580052 | Rotating magnetic box play feature for a pinball game The play feature of the invention comprises a planar surface which is rotatable above the playfield of a pinball game between a ball receiving and a ball discharge position. An electromagnet is attached to the planar surface. A ball detector, such as an e... | 12/03/1996 |
| 5571266 | Universal sports net system A new Universal Sports Net System for providing a sports net that facilitates improvement of the user's game by allowing the user to practice various sports in the convenience of their garage in all weather conditions and providing convenient storage ther... | 11/05/1996 |
| 5558327 | Pinball wand A wand for a pinball game which carries a pinball from one position to another by electromagnetism. The pinball rolls along the bottom surface of the wand as the wand is rotated to move the pinball from one position to another. A platform is provided to o... | 09/24/1996 |
