MONEY RETRIEVAL GAME SYSTEM

Description

(b) CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

(c) STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

(d) THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

(e) INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not Applicable

(f) STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

(g) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to game apparatuses and more particularly pertains to a new game apparatus for playing a game in which items such as banknotes are fished out of a container.

(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to various game apparatuses for playing “fishing” games in which items are caught on a hook or similar tool to be pulled out of a container, through a hole, or the like. Often, the items retrieved are tokens designed to depict or represent fish, and the prior art provides many apparatuses in which these items may be pulled upwardly from their resting place from a receptacle or through a hole. However, the prior art fails to disclose a game system in which items may be placed in a container with a transparent top and holes in the base such that the items may be pulled via hooks downwardly through the holes while viewing the items from above.

(h) BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a container which has a base wall and a lid. The lid is coupled to the base wall and is positionable in a covered position with respect to the base wall in which the lid extends over the base wall. The lid and the base wall surround an interior space of the container when the lid is in the covered position. A portion of the lid comprises a transparent material such that the interior space is visible through the portion of the lid. The base wall defines a hole which extends through a top side and a bottom side of the base wall. The lid comprises a perimeter wall and a top wall, where the perimeter wall is coupled to and extends away from the top wall. The perimeter wall extends from the top wall to the base wall when the lid is in the covered position. A retrieval member is insertable through the hole of the base wall of the container into the interior space. The retrieval member comprises a handle and a hook, wherein the handle is elongated between a grip end an attachment end and the hook is mounted to the attachment end of the handle.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

(i) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective kit view of a money retrieval game system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top kit view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a container of an embodiment of the disclosure taken from Line 4-4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

(j) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 5 thereof, a new game apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, the money retrieval game system 10 generally comprises a container 12 which has a base wall 14 and a lid 22. The lid 22 is coupled to the base wall 14 and is positionable in a covered position 28 with respect to the base wall 14 in which the lid 22 extends over the base wall 14. The lid 22 and the base wall 14 surround an interior space 30 of the container 12 when the lid 22 is in the covered position 28. The lid 22 is pivotably coupled to the base wall 14 and comprises a perimeter wall 26 and a top wall 24. The perimeter wall 26 is coupled to and extends away from the top wall 24, and the perimeter wall 26 extends from the top wall 24 to the base wall 14 when the lid 22 is in the covered position 28. The top wall 24 comprises a transparent material, such as glass, plastic, or the like, such that the interior space 30 is visible through the top wall 24 of the lid 22. Any portion of the top wall 24 may comprise the transparent material in other embodiments. The base wall 14 defines a pair of holes 20, each of which extends through a top side 16 and a bottom side 18 of the base wall 14. The base wall 14 is elongated, and the holes 20 are spaced from each other along a central longitudinal axis of the bottom wall. The holes 20 are positioned opposite each other across a midpoint of the central longitudinal axis.

The container 12 further comprises a lock 32 to secure the lid 22 in the covered position 28. The lock 32 is mounted in the base wall 14 and is operable to engage the lid 22 to secure the lid 22 in the covered position 28. The lock 32 is a keyed lock but may be any suitable type of lock such as a combination lock, a biometric lock, or the like. In some embodiments, a hasp or clasp or the like may be used to secure the lid 22 in the covered position 28 in cooperation with the lock 32.

A pair of retrieval members 34 is provided for retrieving money or other items from the interior space 30 through one of the holes 20. Each retrieval member 34 is insertable through a selected hole 20 of the pair of holes 20 in the base wall 14 of the container 12 into the interior space 30. Each retrieval member 34 comprises a handle 36 and a hook 42 which are coupled together. The handle 36 is elongated between a grip end 38 and an attachment end 40, and the hook 42 is mounted to the attachment end 40 of the handle 36. The handle 36 comprises a bendable material such that the hook 42 is positionable via grasping the handle 36 at the grip end 38 and bending the handle 36. The bendable material may be, for example, a rubber, a silicone, another plastic, or the like. The bendable material may be resilient such that the handle 36 returns to a resting state when a bending force is released from the handle 36. The bendable material may bend under the weight of the hook 42 such that the hook 42 may fall onto the base wall 14 when inserting the retrieval member 34 through one of the holes 20.

A timer 44 is provided indicating a time period of play of a game using the container 12 and the pair of retrieval members 34. The timer 44 comprises a sand timer 48 and a ring 46, wherein the ring 46 is coupled to and extends away from the sand timer 48. In other embodiments, the timer 44 may comprise an electronic timing device or other suitable timing device.

A plurality of support pegs 50 is coupled to the container 12 and is positioned on the base wall 14. Each retrieval member 34 is positionable to hang onto an associated support peg 50 of the plurality of support pegs 50 via the hook 42 of the retrieval member 34, and the timer 44 is positionable to hang onto a corresponding support peg 50 of the plurality of support pegs 50 via the ring 46.

In use, the money retrieval game system 10 is used to play a game in which items such as banknotes 52 are placed in the interior space 30 of the container 12, the container 12 is shut, and players of the game try to retrieve the banknotes 52 or other items by inserting the retrieval members 34 into the interior space 30 via the holes 20 in the base wall 14. The lid 22 may be locked in the covered position 28 to ensure that the items are not removed by opening the lid 22. The timer 44 may be used to indicate the beginning and the ending of a round of play of the game.

In the embodiment shown in the Figures, two players may play simultaneously by each player inserting one of the pair of retrieval members 34 into a respective one of the holes 20 in the base wall 14. In other embodiments, different numbers of holes 20 and retrieval members 34 may be provided such that different numbers of players may play simultaneously. The holes 20 may be spaced from each other such that the retrieval members 34 cannot tangle with each other when simultaneously inserted through adjacent holes 20. The container 12 may be supported on a pedestal, between a pair of tables, or the like such that the holes 20 are accessible from below the container 12. In some embodiments, the container 12 may be integrally formed with a table. If using banknotes 52, the banknotes 52 may be folded, wadded, or crumpled such that they protrude upwardly away from the base wall 14 and can more easily be pulled by the retrieval members 34.

In some versions of the game, the players may keep the items which were retrieved during 46 the game. Or rules may be followed which award a winner with a prize, which may include all the items retrieved during 46 the game. Other items may also be used besides banknotes 52 in some versions of the game.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.