US1368425A - Puzzle or game - Google Patents

Description

J. ANTIGA Y ESCOBAR. PUZZLE OR GAME. APPLICATION FILED JULY 30,1920.

1,368,425. 1 Patented Feb. 15,1921.

1256/17 1 Es'caZar UNITED STATES JUAN ANTIGA y ESGOBAR, or HABANA, was,

PUZZ E 03 GAME.

Specification of LettersPatent.

PatentedFeb.15, 1921.

Application filed July 30, 1920. SeriaTNo; 400,081.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JUAN ANTIGA Y ESCOBAR, a citizen of the Republic of Cuba, residing at Habana, Cuba, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles or Games, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in puzzles or games.

An object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which one or several small spheres, balls, beads, or the like, are to be conveyed, through proper manipulation of the device itself, to a certain point of a plate, and that the path through which these balls, beads, or the like, must travel is a tortuous one.

The provision of this tortuous path renders the travel of the terminal point dificult, and this diiiiculty is enhanced'by providing one or more obstacles in the path of the beads, balls, and the like, which obstacles must be avoided and owing to the provision of which the beads, balls, or the like, have a tendency to roll back to the starting point or to another point of their travel.

With these and other objects in view, an

embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and described in the following specification.

In the drawing: 7

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device, and

Fig. 2 is a central sectional view through the same.

A short cylindrical member 1,preferably made of sheet metal so as to constitute a band,has reinforcing flanges 2 at its upper edge and similar flanges 3 at its lower edge. The bottom flanges 3 serve for supporting a thin bottom plate 4, also preferably made of sheet metal, while a cover of glass 5 is mounted on the upper reinforcing flanges 2.

The bottom 4: supports a plate or ring 6 made of a suitable composition or of a cast metal, which is concentrically disposed with respect to the annular member 1, whereby an annular interspace 7 is left between the which are not in alinement with each other,

plate 6 and said annular member. A number of parallel and other walls extend from the circumference of the plate 6 inwardly or traverse the ring, leaving thereby interspace between these walls, which interspace serves as tracks for the travel of balls, beads, or the like. The ring 6 is provided on its circumferenoe with a gap 8 which communicates with the annular interspace 7, as indicated at 7. Short partition walls 9 project from the traversing walls of the ring inwardly to partly obstruct the tracks between said walls and thereby converting these tracks into tortuous paths having a plurality of pockets, the confining members of which are disposed at right angles relative to each other, as shown. The symmetry of these confinin members or obstructions is entirely avoide so that the ring 6, combined with the traversing walls and obstructions projecting from said traversing walls, constitute a labyrinth which will make it difficult to drive any small rolling member, like a ball or head, which enters the ring at 8, through the various passages to a predetermined point of the labyrinth.

It will also be noted that the track formed by the walls and projecting obstructions has a different width at different parts, and that at the ends of these obstructions this track is narrow, as indicated at 10, to form gates through which the rolling elements must be conducted. The traversing walls themselves are also provided with gaps 13 and obstructions project in direction toward said gaps or gates 13 and 14 so as to make the passage of the balls 11 through these gaps difficult and imparting to the rolling members a tendency to impact against the obstructions and to roll back through the gaps. The end point of the labyrinth may be indicated at 12 and the object of the player must be to drive through suitable manipulation,

tilting or shaking .of the device, one or several balls from the entrance opening 7 to the terminal pocket 12.

Iclaim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting plate, a ring memberv resting on said supporting plate and provided with a gap, a plurality of traversing walls extending from one point of the circumference-of the ring toward another point thereof, said traversing wall portions being provided with gaps other wall portions projecting from the points of circumference of the ring member inwardly, and obstructing extensions projecting from said wall portions under different angles toward other wall portions.

2. Ina device of the character described,"

the combination of a bottom plate, a ring member supported thereon,. a transparent cover plate, said ring member havingfa gap in its circumferenceflvall portions traversing the interior oi saidring member and extending from one polnt of the circumference to ward another point thereof, said well aortions being provided Withgaps outof a ne- V 2 V 1,ses,42$

ment Witheach other, other aHportio'ns eX- 10 traversing wall portions, some ofsaid 0b- 15 structions being in opposition to said gaps. In Witness whereof I aifix my signature.

JUAN ANTIGA Y ESCOBAR.

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