Shooting game apparatus

Abstract

 Shooting game apparatus comprising a shooting unit (100) and a remote controller (600) for operating the shooting unit (100). The shooting unit (100) comprises a body (110), a plurality of rotatable members (112/114) supporting the body (110) for free movement on a horizontal surface, a receiver (510) provided at the body (110) for receiving a control signal from the remote controller (600). The shooting unit (100) includes a moving mechanism (200) at the body (110) and operable by the remote controller (600) via the receiver (510) for turning the rotatable members (112) to move the body (110) to aim at a target, and a shooting mechanism (300) at the body (110) and operable by the remote controller (600) via the receiver (510) for shooting a game piece (10) at the target. The remote controller (600) comprises a transmitter (620) and a plurality of manually operable switches (611-615) for controlling the transmitter (620) to generate a said control signal for receipt by the receiver (510).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to shooting game apparatus that is intended, particularly but not exclusively, for playing by two or more players in a combatant game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Shooting game apparatus, particularly for playing by combatant players such as in a simulated football game, can be exciting for fun and good for children in terms of training their manoeuvre and responsiveness. Existing shooting game apparatus, whether for combatant or solo playing, are usually confined to a specific playing field that limits the movement of shooting devices controlled by the players.

[0003] The invention seeks to mitigate or at least alleviate such a shortcoming by providing improved shooting game apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] According to the invention, there is provided shooting game apparatus comprising a shooting unit and a remote controller for operating the shooting unit. The shooting unit comprises a body, a plurality of rotatable members supporting the body for free movement on a horizontal surface, a receiver provided at the body for receiving a control signal from the remote controller. The shooting unit includes a moving mechanism provided at the body and operable by the remote controller via the receiver for turning the rotatable members to move the body to aim at a target, and a shooting mechanism provided at the body and operable by the remote controller via the receiver for shooting a game piece at the target. The remote controller comprises a transmitter and a plurality of manually operable switches for controlling the transmitter to generate a said control signal for receipt by the receiver.

[0005] Preferably, the body has opposite sides on which the rotatable members are provided.

[0006] More preferably, the body is provided with a respective said moving mechanism for operating the rotatable member or members on each side of the body.

[0007] Further more preferably, the moving mechanisms are operable independently of each other by the remote controller via the receiver.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the or each moving mechanism comprises an electric motor in driving engagement with the or the respective rotatable members via a gear train.

[0009] It is preferred that the rotatable members are in the form of wheels.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the shooting mechanism comprises a spring-loaded plunger for shooting a said game piece.

[0011] More preferably, the shooting mechanism includes an electric motor for loading and releasing the spring to cause the plunger to shoot a said game piece.

[0012] Further more preferably, the shooting mechanism further includes a cam rotatable by the motor for loading the spring.

[0013] It is preferred that the shooting mechanism has a normal condition in which the spring is loaded and a momentary condition in which the spring is released, upon operation by the remote controller via the receiver, to cause the plunger to shoot a said game piece.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the body includes a portion provided with a catch for holding a said game piece at a position for shooting by the shooting mechanisms.

[0015] More preferably, the portion is in the form of a recess for locating a said game piece, and the catch is provided within the recess.

[0016] More preferably, the catch comprises a magnetically attracting or attractable member.

[0017] Further more preferably, the shooting game apparatus includes the game piece, and the game piece comprises a magnetically attracting or attractable member for being caught by the catch through magnetic attraction.

[0018] It is preferred that the shooting game apparatus includes the game piece.

[0019] it is preferred that the game piece is in the form of a ball.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the receiver and the transmitter are linked together by means of a radio-frequency link.

[0021] In another preferred embodiment, the receiver and the transmitter are linked together by means of an infrared link.

[0022] In a specific construction, the body supports thereon a football player figure including a movable leg that is connected to the shooting mechanism for movement thereby to simulate a kicking action when the shooting mechanism operates to shoot a said game piece that is in the form of a football.

[0023] The invention also provides combatant game apparatus comprising at least two aforesaid shooting game apparatus, one for each of a plurality of players, and including the game piece.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front and top perspective view of a shooting unit of an embodiment of shooting game apparatus in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view equivalent to Figure 1, showing the shooting unit shooting a game piece;

Figure 3 is a see-through top plan view of a base of the shooting unit of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a see-through side view of the base of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a see-through top plan view of a moving mechanism provided inside the base of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a see-through side view of the moving mechanism of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the moving mechanism of Figure 6 taken along line VII-VII;

Figure 8 is a see-through top plan view of a shooting mechanism provided inside the base of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the shooting mechanism of Figure 8 taken along line IX-IX;

Figure 10 is a functional block diagram of a receiver provided inside the base of Figure 3 for controlling the aforesaid moving and shooting mechanisms; and

Figure 11 is a functional block diagram of a transmitter of a remote controller of the subject shooting game apparatus, said transmitter being linked with the receiver of Figure 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0025] Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown shooting game apparatus embodying the invention, which apparatus comprise a shooting unit 100 for free movement on the floor or any flat horizontal surface and shooting a game piece 10, and include a handheld remote controller 600 (Figure 11) for controlling the operation of the shooting unit 100. In this particular embodiment, the shooting unit 100 has a horizontal generally flat square base 110 and a football player figure 190 supported upright thereon, and the game piece 10 is in the form of a football 10.

[0026] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the base 110 is provided, at all four corners thereof, respective roller wheels 114 and, on opposite left and right sides thereof, respective driving wheels 112. A elongate bracket 116 extends internally along each left/right side of the base 110, which supports the corresponding pair of roller wheels 114 at opposite front and rear ends and the corresponding driving wheel 112 at an intermediate position. All the wheels 112 and 114 are aligned parallel to a forward direction of the base 110.

[0027] As also shown in Figures 5 to 7, the shooting unit 100 incorporates, housed within opposite left and right sides of the base 110, a pair of identical moving mechanisms 200 for rotating the respective driving wheels 112. Each moving mechanism 200 is formed by an electric motor 210 having an output pinion 211 and a speed-reduction gear train 220 formed by a series of four gearwheels 221 to 224. Both the motor 210 and the gear train 220 are located by the same bracket 116 on that side of the base 110. The pinion 211 is in mesh with the first gearwheel 221, and the last gearwheel 224 is mounted fast on the same shaft as the driving wheel 112 for rotating the wheel 112 when the motor 210 is energised, whose drive is transmitted by means of the gear train 220.

[0028] Both driving wheels 112 are provided with respective rubber rings for gripping the floor to move the overall shooting unit 100, while the other four wheels 114 are merely free rollers. The two moving mechanisms 200 are operable independently of each other by means of the remote controller 600, in the sense that either one or both of them can be energised as required, in either opposite rotational direction as desired. When only one of the driving wheels 112 on either side of the base 110 rotates, the shooting unit 100 will turn forwards or backwards in the opposite direction about the other wheel 112. When both driving wheels 112 rotate, the shooting unit 100 will travel straight forwards or backwards. Alternatively, both driving wheels 112 may be arranged to rotate in opposite directions to cause the shooting unit 100 to turn more swiftly about its vertical central axis.

[0029] The shooting unit 100 is free to move around on the floor, in particular for aiming with a front end portion of the base 110 at a target, such as a football goal in the case of the described embodiment.

[0030] The front end portion of the base 110 is formed with a V-shaped recess 111 that extends from the top side through to the bottom side of the base 110 and faces forwards to define a horizontal right-angled internal corner for locating the football 10. The football 10 has a plastic body containing an internal member which is made of soft iron for example, that is ferromagnetic and thus magnetically attractable. A pair of permanent magnets 113 is mounted within respective inclined surfaces of the recess 111, lying flush therewith, which acts as a magnetically attracting catch to hold the football 10 within the recess 111 through magnet attraction with the internal member of the football 10. The recess 111 opens forwards, which in conjunction with the self-catching magnets 113 is useful to get hold of the football 10 when the latter is a loose ball.

[0031] As also shown in Figures 8 and 9, the shooting unit 100 further incorporates a shooting mechanism 300 for shooting the football 10 retained in the recess 111, which is housed within the base 100 adjacent one of the moving mechanisms 200. The shooting mechanism 300 comprises an electric motor 310 having an output pinion 311, a speed-reduction gear train 320 formed by a series of four gearwheels 321 to 324, a horizontal spiral cam 330 having a radially expanded stepped portion 331, and a sliding plunger 340. The pinion 311 is in mesh with the first gearwheel 321, and the last gearwheel 324 is mounted fast on the same shaft as the cam 330 for turning the cam 330 about a vertical axis when the motor 310 is energised, whose drive is transmitted by means of the gear train 320. The cam 330 is arranged to rotate in only one direction (direction A of Figure 3).

[0032] The plunger 340 is in alignment with the recess 111 from behind, having a front end 341 normally situated at the bottom of the recess 111 and a rear end 342 acted upon by a compression coil spring 349 behind it. The plunger 340 is supported for sliding movement by including a co-extending slot 345 in sliding engagement with two fixed pins 115 (internally of the base 110). The plunger rear end 342 has a side projection 343 that is acted upon by the cam 330 in front of it.

[0033] The cam 330 has a normal angular position such that its expanded portion 331 is turned (in direction A as shown in Figure 3) to abut against the projection 343, thereby sliding the plunger 340 backwards and holding it in a rearmost position against the action of the spring 349. When the plunger 340 is in this normal, rearmost position, its front end 341 reaches right at the bottom of the recess 111, while the spring 349 is fully loaded.

[0034] The shooting mechanism 300 operates, upon trigger by a player, by having its cam 330 rotate further in direction A for one complete turn. Initially, the stepped portion 331 of the cam 330 rotates off the projection 343, whereupon the plunger 340 is suddenly released and is sprung forward by the spring 349. The plunger front end 341 projects rapidly into the recess 111 through its bottom, thereby hitting and shooting the football 10 out of the recess 111. The shooting mechanism. 300 should be triggered when the base 110 is aimed with its recess 111 at the football goal of the combatant player. In a moment later, the cam 330 returns to its normal angular position holding the plunger 340 back again, pending the next shooting action.

[0035] The upper surface of the plunger 340 is exposed and lies flush with the upper surface of the base 110 (Figure 1). The football player 190 has a hinged right leg 191 including a hinged foot 192, such that both of these parts are loosely movable. The foot 192 is connected onto the exposed upper surface of the plunger 340, for movement with the plunger 340 upon shooting to simulate a kicking action (Figure 2).

[0036] The base 110 includes a battery compartment 400, between the shooting mechanism 300 and the other moving mechanism 200, which holds three battery cells 410 for powering the motors 210 and 310 and related control circuits. A master ON/OFF switch 420 is provided for the motor 310 of the shooting mechanism 300 (Figures 3 and 10).

[0037] The shooting unit 100 incorporates an electronic circuitry 500 provided within the base 110 for operating the moving and shooting mechanisms 200 and 300. The circuitry 500 comprises a radio-frequency receiver circuit: 510 with an antenna 511 for receiving control signals from the remote controller 600, and a latch and decoding circuit 520 for processing the received control signals. The circuitry 500 includes two control circuits 530 for controlling the motors 210 of the respective moving mechanisms 200 and another control circuit 540 for controlling the motor 310 of the shooting mechanism 300, all based on the decoded control signals provided by the decoding circuit 520.

[0038] The remote controller 600 incorporates a latch and encoding circuit 610 including five switches 611 to 615 for generating the aforesaid control signals, and a radio-frequency transmitter circuit 620 with an antenna 621 for emitting the control signals for receipt by the radio-frequency receiver circuit 510 of the shooting unit 100. The four switches 611 to 614 are for commanding the encoding circuit 610 to generate respective control signals for transmission by the transmitter circuit 620 to control, via receiver circuit 510, the moving mechanisms 200 to cause the shooting unit 100 to move forwards and backwards and turn left and right.

[0039] The first two switches 611 and 612 may be operated by means of a joystick that pivots up and down, and the other two switches 613 and 614 by another joystick that pivots left and right. The last switch 615 may take the form of a pushbutton switch for commanding the encoding circuit 610 to generate a control signal for transmission by the transmitter circuit 620 to control, via receiver circuit 510, the shooting mechanism 300 to cause the shooting unit 100 to shoot the football 10, at any time as desired by the player.

[0040] The configuration and operation of the circuits 510, 520, 530, 540, 610 and 620 will not be described in detail herein for clarity, as they are peripheral to the subject invention and generally known in the art.

[0041] The receiver and transmitter circuits 510 and 620 are linked together by means of a radio-frequency link. It is envisaged that an infrared link, or even a wired link, may be employed instead.

[0042] A pair or a number of the shooting game apparatus as described above may be used by two or more players to play a combatant game such as in the case of the described embodiment a football game. Each player holds one remote controller 600 and uses it to control his/her own shooting unit 100 to shoot the football 10 into the goal of the opponent player(s).

[0043] It should be noted that the physical design of the shooting unit 100 is not important. Instead of a human figure design, an animal design or even a vehicle design may be adopted.

[0044] The invention has been given by way of example only, and various other modifications of and/or alterations to the described embodiment may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as specified in the appended claims.

Claims

1. Shooting game apparatus comprising a shooting unit and a remote controller for operating the shooting unit, which shooting unit comprises a body, a plurality of rotatable members supporting the body for free movement on a horizontal surface, a receiver provided at the body for receiving a control signal from the remote controller, a moving mechanism provided at the body and operable by the remote controller via the receiver for turning the rotatable members to move the body to aim at a target, and a shooting mechanism provided at the body and operable by the remote controller via the receiver for shooting a game piece at the target, which remote controller comprises a transmitter and a plurality of manually operable switches for controlling the transmitter to generate a said control signal for receipt by the receiver.

2. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the body has opposite sides on which the rotatable members are provided.

3. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the body is provided with a respective said moving mechanism for operating the rotatable member or members on each side of the body.

4. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the moving mechanisms are operable independently of each other by the remote controller via the receiver.

5. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the or each moving mechanism comprises an electric motor in driving engagement with the or the respective rotatable members via a gear train.

6. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the rotatable members are in the form of wheels.

7. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the shooting mechanism comprises a spring-loaded plunger for shooting a said game piece.

8. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the shooting mechanism includes an electric motor for loading and releasing the spring to cause the plunger to shoot a said game piece.

9. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the shooting mechanism further includes a cam rotatable by the motor for loading the spring.

10. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that the shooting mechanism has a normal condition in which the spring is loaded and a momentary condition in which the spring is released, upon operation by the remote controller via the receiver, to cause the plunger to shoot a said game piece.

11. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the body includes a portion provided with a catch for holding a said game piece at a position for shooting by the shooting mechanisms.

12. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that the portion is in the form of a recess for locating a said game piece, and the catch is provided within the recess.

13. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 11 or claim 12, characterised in that the catch comprises a magnetically attracting or attractable member.

14. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 13, characterised in including the game piece, and the game piece comprises a magnetically attracting or attractable member for being caught by the catch through magnetic attraction.

15. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including the game piece.

16. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, characterised in that the game piece is in the form of a ball.

17. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the receiver and the transmitter are linked together by means of a radio-frequency link.

18. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the receiver and the transmitter are linked together by means of an infrared link.

19. The shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the body supports thereon a football player figure including a movable leg that is connected to the shooting mechanism for movement thereby to simulate a kicking action when the shooting mechanism operates to shoot a said game piece that is in the form of a football.

20. Combatant game apparatus comprising at least two shooting game apparatus as claimed in claim 1, one for each of a plurality of players, and including the game piece.

Drawing