Game apparatus including pivotal slideway members and control means for manually directing the travel of a ball thereover

Claim 1

A GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) A HOUSING INCLUDING A FIRST SIDE WALL, A SECOND SIDE WALL, A TOP WALL, A FRONT WALL AND A REAR WALL, SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND ORDINARILY BEING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY DISPOSED WHEN SAID GAME APPARATUS IS IN USE; (B) BALL MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING; (C) A DIVIDER WALL WITHIN SAID HOUSING SPACED FROM SAID FIRST SIDE WALL BETWEEN SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS TO DEFINE A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY EXTENDING PATHWAY BETWEEN SAID FIRST SIDE WALL, SAID DIVIDER WALL AND SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS AND EXTENDING TOWARD SAID TOP WALL; (D) A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY SPACED APART SLIDEWAY MEMBERS PIVOTALLY CARRIED WITHIN SAID HOUSING BETWEEN SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS, AT LEAST THE PORTION OF SAID FRONT WALL OVERLYING SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS BEING TRANSPARENT; (E) CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO ALL OF SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY PIVOT THE SAME FROM A FIRT POSITION IN WHICH SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS ARE INCLINED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID DIVIDER WALL TO A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS ARE INCLINED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID SECOND SIDE WALL; (F) THE UPPERMOST OF SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS INCLUDING ONE END SPACED FROM SAID DIVIDER WALL A DISTANCE LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID BALL MEANS WHEN SAID UPPERMOST SLIDEWAY MEMBER IS IN SAID FIRST POSITION TO RETAIN SAID BALL MEANS THEREON UNTIL SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS ARE PIVOTED TO SAID SECOND POSITION BY SAID CONTROL MEANS; (G) ALTERNATE ENDS OF SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS OVERLYING THE NEXT LOWER SLIDEWAY MEMBER WHEREBY SAID BALL MEANS IS CAPABLE OF DESCENDING FROM ONE SLIDEWAY MEMBER TO THE NEXT WHEN SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS ARE PROPERLY PIVOTED ALTERNATELY FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TO SAID SECOND POSITION BY SAID CONTROL MEANS AND WITH THE REMAINDER OF THE ENDS OF SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS BEING SPACED FROM SAID SECOND SIDE WALL AND SAID DIVIDER WALL A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID BALL MEANS IN ALL POSITIONS OF SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS WHEREBY SAID BALL MEANS IS CAPABLE OF BYPASSING SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS WHEN SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS ARE IMPROPERLY CONTROLLED; (H) A RETURN WALL EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID SECOND SIDE WALL AND SAID DIVIDER WALL AND SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS AND BELOW THE LOWERMOST OF SAID SLIDEWAY MEMBERS, SAID RETURN WALL BEING INCLINED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID DIVIDER WALL; (I) SAID DIVIDER WALL INCLUDING AN OPENING ALIGNED WITH SAID RETURN WALL AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID PATHWAY; (J) ACTUATOR MEANS INCLUDING PORTIONS EXTENDING INTO SAID PATHWAY BELOW THE POINT AT WHICH SAID OPENING IN SAID DIVIDER WALL COMMUNICATES THEREWITH, SAID PORTIONS BEING OPERABLE TO ENGAGE SAID BALL MEANS TO MOVE THE SAME UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID PATHWAY; AND, (K) GUIDE MEANS DISPOSED AT THE TOP OF SAID PATHWAY TO DIRECT SAID BALL MEANS ONTO SAID ONE END OF SAID UPPERMOST SLIDEWAY MEMBER.