Pinball machine having a conveyor belt ball lift
US5335910A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 13, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 9, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 13, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63F7/027
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A pinball elevator has an inclined conveyor belt tensioned between two pulleys and driven by an electric motor. The belt is perforated with a series of spaced circular apertures for receiving the pinball. Preferably, the apertures have a diameter of about 80% of the diameter of the pinball. A lower one of the pulleys is rotatably mounted beneath the playfield of the pinball machine, and an upper one of the pulleys is rotatably mounted above the playfield. The ball is received by the belt at an entrance location, and is ejected from the belt at an exit location. The ball passes above and over the upper pulley when being conveyed by the belt from the entrance location to the exit location. The upper pulley has a concave central region to prevent the pinball from being prematurely ejected from the belt by the upper pulley. At the entrance location, the pinball sits on the belt and abuts against a wall of the playfield. At the exit location, the ball is tangent to the belt around the upper pulley and is tangent to a supporting surface of an elevated exit ramp.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.