US1007854A - Game-counter. - Google Patents

Description

WILLIAM P. FLANAGAN, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

GAME-COUNTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented a... 7,1911.

Application filed October 17, 1910. Serial No. 587,393.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM P. FLANA- can, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Brooklyn. in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game- (ountel-s. of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to game counting devices and particularly to devices of this class used in counting a game of pinochle, and the object. thereof is to provide an improved device of this class by which a game of pinochle or the points made therein may be conveniently counted, and a complete score kept by the player of the points made during any game.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my improved game counter applied to and used in connection with an ash tray which may also be used as a card holder, and the invention is fully disclosed in the following specification of which the accompanying drawing" forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figures 1 and 2 are plan views illustrating the construction of my improved game counter and the method of its operation. and :-F ig. 3 a sectional side view thereof and on a reduced scale.

My improved game counter comprises a plate. card or board a which in the accompanying drawing is shown mounted on an ash tray 71, said plate, card or board being supported by corner posts 6 connected with said tray. The plate a is divided into a top portion a? and bottom portion (i and each of these portions is provided with horizontally and vertically arranged lines of perforations (Z, the vertically arranged rows of perforations being the same in both portions of the plate, while the horizontally arranged rows of perforations in the upper portion of the plate are five in number, and in the bottom portion of the plate ten in number.

The vertically arranged rows of perforations in both portions of the plate are numbered from 1 to 100, the numerals used in doing this being 10, 20, 30, 40 etc. up to 100, and three of these rows of numerals are employed only for the purpose of aiding the eye in counting the game. The horizontal rows of numbers of the top portion of the plate are numbered at the left and beginning with the second row, 100, 200, 300 and 400; and at the right, and beginning with the first row 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500; and in the bottom portion of the plate the said horizontal rows of perforations are numbered at the left, and beginning with the second row, 100, 200, 300, 400 etc. to 900; while at the right said rows are numbered, beginning with the first row, 100, 200, 300, etc., to 1000. this arrangement of said numerals at both the left and the right being also for the purpose of aiding the eye in counting the game. I also employ four pins or plugs e, 6 c and c which are adapted to be inserted into the perforations d in the plate a, and which are designated by separate reference characters for the purpose of the following description, but are not separately designated in practice. The alternate rows of vertically and horizontally arranged perforations are also provided with or connected by lines f for purposes of convenience and to aid the eye in counting the game, and in practice the game is played in the usual manner, the cards being shuttled and dealt to each player, after which, suppose the game to be auction pinochle, the players bid for the right of naming the trump, and the player winning the right to name the trump will, for the purpose of this description, be called the leader. Suppose the leader to have bid 210, in this case the pin 6 is placed in the top portion of the plate as shown in Fig. 1 and in the perforation which represents 210, after which the leader molds and if the meld amounts to 250 the pin 0 is placed in the hole (Z as shown in Fig. 1, and which represents 250. After the hands have all been played and alltricks are taken the leader now counts and finds that he has 200 points, whereupon he adds this 200 points to the meld of his hand making a total of 4.50 points, and the plug 6 is moved downward as indicated by its dotted position in Fig. l, to the 450 mark, thus indicating that the leader has made .450 points, and 24.0 points more than he bid, whereupon the pin 6 is placed in the lower portion of the plate and in the perforation representing 450 points which representthe number made by the dealer on his hand.

At the end of the playing of the first hand the pins in the top portion of the board are removed while the pin 6 in the bottom portion is left in position. The cards are now again shuflled and dealt as before and each player bids for the right to name the trump, and for the. purpose of this description We will assume that the player who won the right to name the trump on the first deal also wins the rightto name the trump on the second deal and becomes leader. Suppose the bid on the second hand to be 215; the leader now places the pin 6 in the perforation or hole (2 in the top portion of the plate which indicates 215 points, and as shown in Fig. 2, after which he melds and finds that his meld shows 105 points. He now places pin 6 in the hole 03 which represents 105 as shown in Fig.

2. The second hand is now played out in the usual. manner and at the end thereof the leader counts and finds that he has 145 points, whereupon he adds the said 145 points to the meld of 105, making a total of 250, and the plug 6 is moved into its dotted position as indicated in Fig. 2 to represent 250 points, thus indicating that the leader has made the number and points more than his bid, and this total of 250 is added to 450, the amount made on the first hand and the pin 6 is placed in the hole d in the lower portion of the plate which represents 700 points for the two hands. If the said leader should not makejin the playing of the second hand, the amount of his bid which was 215 points, he forfeits this number of points and he deducts from the 450 points Which he had at the end of the first hand, this amount, and the pin 6 is moved back to its dotted position in Fig. 2 to represent 235 points and the pin 6 is not used as shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that each player has one of my improved counters, and it will also be understood that each player when he wins the right to name the trump plays and counts in the same manner as hereinbefore set out.

My invention is not limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, and various changes therein and modifications thereof may be made, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages. It will also be understood, as hereinbefore stated that the deviceaas shown and described may serve as a card holder as well as a game counter, in which event the cards will be placed in the tray I) under the plate a.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;-

In a game counter, a plate or board divided into top and bottom portions, said top and bottom portions being provided with horizontally and vertically-arranged rows of perforations, the horizontal rows of perforations in the bottom portion being greater in number than those in the top portion, and the vertically arranged rows of perforations being numbered horizontally from 5 to 100 in multiples of 5, and the horizontal rows of perforations in the top portion of the plate or board being numbered 100, 200, 300, etc., to 500, while the horizontal rows of perforations in the bottom portion of the board are numbered 100, 200, 300, etc., to 1000.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention. I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 14th day of October 1910.

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