Bingo Pinballs

This Page Last Updated 7-30-2010

 

~ Hunting down Don Hooker patents takes some patience, but it’s well worth it ~

 

For you hunters out there: Trying different combinations in the search-fields is a must, variants like: Donald E. Hooker,

D. E. Hooker, Hooker Amusement, and Hooker Ray are all warranted. A great many of the ones I found I backed into off

of the “credit declarations” shown at the end of many “amusement apparatus” patents out there and off “dates”.

 

In 1953 Bally introduced Palm Springs and the Hold Feature that would allow the player to “second guess their skill shots”

if they wanted too with the opportunity to return the balls and start over. Using a cool set of buttons on the footrail, the

player was allowed to return all of the balls, or just the odd or evens balls as desired – Pretty Trick:

 

 

~ The following game built right on top of this and gives the player a second-second-guess if enabled – 1954’s Surf Club ~

 

 

Well most of you have seen the back of the common playfield, but to pull this of Bally had to develop a 2nd Mechanism to

 do this and likely a third, because 1979’s Tahiti even had a third variant of this feature:

 

 

~ Big Time and Surf Club – Side-by-Side ~

 

 

 

You’re gonna love this! - Don Hooker Steps-Up:

 

 

~ Awesome! – What I refer to as a “Major Find” ~

 

 

 

 

~ Check this next one out carefully! ~

 

 

~ This one too! ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Now read this one very very closely - ~

 

 

~ Paragraph #16 is describing a game we’ve never seen before Bingo Fans! ~

 

Mr. Hooper is slowly going through my website pages right now and correcting them (way cool) and I can’t wait until we get his

feedback on this “gem.” Although Don used this basic concept on the Hold/Double-Hold games, if I read this theory-of-operation

correctly: This bingo was never released and the playfield was a very special part of the electro-mechanicals in it, where the PF

would look at the winning combinations on the backgalss and would recommend to the player (allow the player) to “release the

balls that may be deemed with undesirable score significance” blah, blah, blah – A Smart Playfield interacting with the player.

 

Way-advanced compared to the Belgium Tri-Color-LED playfield design that shows the player the next best shot, Don’s idea here

seems to tell the player what the best balls to hold are and then let’s them shoot the rest again………..

 

 

  

……Totally Cool……

 

 

 

~

 

 

~ Keith Nickalo kindly sent in some Tahiti pictures for us ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Bingo Pinball Designers – Donald E. Hooker – The Man! ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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