US1269886A - Base-ball-game apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

E. IVI. WATKINS. BASE BALL GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 1917.

E. M. WATKNS.

BASE BALL GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAELZ. 1911.

Patented Jun@ 1s, 1918.'

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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' BASE-BALL-GAME ABPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 1d, 191%..

Application lcd March 2, 1917. Serial No. 151,969.

To cZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that li, FDMOND M. Warmers, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of N ew York, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Base-Ball-Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

rfhe present invention relates to improvements in apparatus for playing gaines indoors, and more particularly to an apparatus'for playing baseball upon a board that represents a baseball s diamond.

rThe main ob]- ect of the present invention is to provide means whereby the game may be played with all the rules of an outdoor game, and whereby nearly all of the realistic effects may be produced.

Another object of the invention is to de vise an apparatus of the character described which can be manufactured on a commerlcial scale, or in other wordsone which is not so difficult to produce as to be beyond the reasonable cost of such a device.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement, and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and detailsof construction within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. p

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is 'illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:- y

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a baseball apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through y a portion of the apparatus and the mechanical batting device in its released position, on a larger scale; Fig. L1y is a similar section with the batting device in its cocked or operative position; Fig. 5 is a section taken on line '5-5 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a top plan View, partly in section, of the detail shown in Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

The improved game comprises a rectangular board 10, provided all around with an upturned :flange or railing 11, that is adapted to prevent the ball from rolling 0H the edge thereof. rThe board has leveling` screws l2 for the well-known purpose, said screws resting upon a table or similar support. rFhe board is covered with cloth, denoted by the numeral 10, t permit of a smooth rolling of a ball thereon. Upon the board is mounted a mechanical bat-ting device 13, the construction of which will bedescribed hereinafter. 1n front of this batting device is laid out the diamond 14, and arranged just outside of the diamond and adjacent the three bases are three mechanical basemen and the short-stop. rilhese mechanical basemen and the short-stop are denoted by the numerals 15, and comprise each a substantially Z-shaped member, made of sheet metal that is somewhat resilient, such as steel. The lower flange 16 of each of these members rests upon the covering of the board, and is attached to the latter by screws 17, passing through the said flange into thesaid board. rlhe upper flanges 18 of the mechanical fielders are slightly inclined toward the board and face the mechanical batter. `The distance between the covering 10 of the board and the lowermost edge of a flange 18 is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the ball used in playing the game. 1n rear of the four infielders above mentioned are arranged three other and larger ones, formed in a similar manner and denoted by the numerals 19. rlilhese members represent the three outfielders of the game. 1n rear of the iniielders is marked on the covering 10 an arc-shaped line 20, and in rear of the outfielders a similar line `21, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.y lin the far 0E corners of the board are marked lines 22, and in the longitudinal aXis of the board between the lines 22 is marked a line Q3, the purpose of which while intermediate the ends is formedupon the plunger a stop 28, that is adapted, 1n the projected position of the plunger, to abut mounted upon a spindle 31, the latter being rotatably j ournaled in the sides of the housing24. To this spindle is furthermore attached a lug l32tlie l'free end or which is seated ina slot 3B or a lever 34:, the latter being'I u'lcrumed at 35 to the housing 24 and is under theaction of a blade spring 36. Against. the free end of the lever 34 bears a trigger 37, in the tormbf a lever that is fulcrume'd at 38 to' one of the railing sections 11 olf the board, and disposed within a re'- cessj 39 inthe said railing section. The free end or theV trigger is made in the torni of a knob 40, projecting above the railing section.

On the two sides of the housing 24 are disposed mechanical catches' 41;'1, similar in configuration to the mechanical ielders, they being, however, mounted upon the board 10 i'n'such a manner that they face the fielders are adapted to arrest a ball that is rolled or thrown toward the batter from any point of the diamond'lt or from" points beyond the same.' o y l y AIAThe operation ofthe batter is as follows: The plunger 25 is forced manually' from the position shown in Fig.' 3 of tlie drawings into the one illustrated in Fig; 4, in which the sear or pawl 30 engages'with theshoulder' 27 on the said plunger, thereby holding the plunger cocked7 against the action of the spring l2thereon. The spring 36 keeps, by the intermediary of the lug 32 and lever 34, the sear vor pawl in engagementl with the said shoulder. If, now, thevknob 420l is depressed, the se'ar or pawl is disengaged from the said shoulder, which permits the spring 42 to actV and to project the plunger 25. From this it appears that a ball rolled man# ually toward the plunger 25 is adapted to be battedfby the same, if the said plunger is projected or released in proper time.

To play the game on this board two persons are necessary and various rules may be estab],ished` y One person, stai'idingnear the railing section 11 that constitutes the far'- thest end of the outeld, pitches manually the ball by rolling it toward the mechanical batter, and a second person controls the batter by lmeans of the knob Ll0. rlhe pitcher rolls the ball toward the plunger 25, and may readilycontrol its direction and velocity. He is also in a position, by some practice, t'o""pitcli` the ball either in a straight line or a curved line to meet the plunger squarely or at its sides, thereby controlling the direction in which the ball will be batted. The person manipulating the batter, presses down the button fl() in time to meet the ball pitched toward it, to project the same in the opposite direction. lr a ball is batted into any one of the ielders, or comes to rest inside the line' 20, the batter will be considered out, while if the ball comes to rest between the lines 20 and 2l, but not in any one oli the ielders, the batter will be considered to have made a one base hit, and it the ball stops outside ot the line 2l, the batter will be'considered to have made a two-base hil- It the ball is batted within the line 23, a homerun will be scored. It batted into the lines a three-base hit will be scored. lt the ball is caught by any one of the lielders it will be considered as having been properly fielded and the batter as having batted out. On the sides or the batter there are' two catchers, in contradistinctiou to the regular baseball game, where only one catcher is employed. i

lt is obvious that any other rules, dilliering from those herein mentioned, may be established for the playing of the game.

lVhat I claim is:

An apparatus of the class described, comprising a board, and means located on said board for batting a ball, said means including a support, a spring-pressed plunger slidably mounted thereon, a scar adapted to hohl said plunger in .its retracted position, a lug attached to said scar, a spring-pressed lever fulerumed to said support having a slot in which said lug is seated, and a trigger bearing against said lever. d

Signed at New York, in the county ot New York, and State of New York, this 9th day of January, A. D. 1917.

EDMOND M. VVATKINS.

Cepiesofthi's' patent nia'y be' obtained for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

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