US1421575A - Game - Google Patents

Description

E. F-SCHMIDT.

I GAME. APPLLCAION FILED DEC. 20, 1919.

15421575, Patented July 4, 1922.v

Fieifiilistr GAME.

raarste,

Specification of Letters Patent.

-ratented July 1, 1922,

Application filed December 20, 1919. Serial No. 346,293.

To all t0/tom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDwAnD F. SCHMIDT, a citizen ot' the TJnited States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State oi' Illinois, have invented new and useful 1mprovements in Games, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part oi" this specilication.

My invention relates to games. More speciiically it relates to a game which simulates the game of baseball.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide such a game which will be amusing, interesting` and instructive to the players.

Further objects will appear from the description to follow and from the appended claims.

In the drawings in which one embodiment of my invention is shown:-

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the game apparatus with the cover removed;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional' view on the line 2-2 oi Fig. 1 with the cover on, and

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

The construction shown comprises in a general way, a trough-shaped floor 10, across which the ball 11 rolls (one side of this trough-shaped floor being slightly higher than the other side, and the ball being started on the higher-side, and rolling down this higher side, and then up the opposite lower side) an approximately horizontal, but slightly dished floor portion12, onto which the ball 11 rolls, after it has run the side of the trough-shaped iloor portion 10 (the horizontal floor portion 12 being providedv with a plurality of openings 13, through which the ball 11 iinally drops) an inclined return chute 14, onto which the ball 11 falls when it drops through one or the holes 13, and a rectangular box-like housing and supporting member 15, which surrounds and supports the floor portions 10 and 12 and the return chute 14, giving a rectangular box-like eect to the whole construct-ion.

The entire construction can be made ot straw-board or card-board, the parts being secured together in any suitable manner. It desired a sort of box cover 16 may be provided to be slipped on over the upper edge of the box-like portion 15 when the game is not being used. A cover can be provided for the bottom box also to facilitate handling.

l As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the floor portion 12 is located a substantial distance below the upper edges of the box-like portion 15, so that the walls of the box-like member 15 extending' above the iioor portion 12 will prevent the ball 11 from rolling ott oi the floor portion 12. v

As shown in Fig. 1 there are a considerable number of the openings 16, and this together with the Jfact that the floor portion 12 is slightly dished will insure that the ball will drop through one oi the holes 13, when rt rolls out onto the floor portion 12, as the dishing of the floor portion 12 will keep the ball rolling around until it does fall through one of the holes 13.

The construction of the trough-shaped floor portion 10 whereby the ball iirst rolls down an incline and then up anV incline, gives a considerable length of travel to the ball, yet prevents excessive lspeed of the ball at the time when it rolls oit from the trough-shaped floor portion 10 onto the horizontal iioor portion 12, as the travel of the ball slows up as it goes up the side of the trough-shaped floor portion 10,*so that it is traveling fairly slowly when it rolls out on the horizontal i'loor portion 12. rlhis comparatively long travel of ythe ball togetherv with the going up ot the ball before it rolls out on the horizontal floor portion, adds to the interest of the game, by prolonging the period of suspense or uncertainty as to which one of the holes the. ball will fall into and` enabling the progress of the ball to bebetter observed.- Also the dishing of the horizontal Hoor portion 12 tends to increase the length of travel of the ball, as the ball may roll aroundv for some time on this dished Hoor portion, thus prolonging the uncertainty and suspense.

In playing the game, the player places the ball on the edge of the higher side of the trough-shaped iioor portion 10, and lets it roll down across this trough-shaped floor portion, onto the horizontal floor portion 12. The ball will then roll around on this horizontal floor portion 12, (being prevented from rolling off by the upstanding walls of the box-like portion 15) and finally falls through one of the openings 13 onto the return chute 14.

The openings 13 -are provided with various indicia, to indicate various things which may CTX occur at different stages or" the game. As

shown in Fig. 1 some of these holes are marked Strike, others are marked Ball,

others marked One Base, Two Base, Three Base and Home Run etc. It is intended that these holes shall be. arranged so that those occurrences which are the most rare in actual base ball will be represented: by openings which are least apt to receive theball 11, thus the hole marked Home Run is at the extreme back of the horizontal floor 12, so that the ball would have to get past all of the holes in Jfront of it, and the hole marked Home Run is also near the outer edge of the floor, so that the dishing of the floor will tendv to carry the ball away from this hole and toward the center,

' thus making it ditlicult .for the ball to fall CIK into this hole.

The return chute 14 at the rear portion of the box-like portion 15 extends completely acrossthe box-like structure but the front portion of this ball returning-chutek is made tapering as indicated at 17 to bring the ball toward the central portion of the box 15, into a little pocket 18 located inside the box 15.

In order toget the balls out of this pocket 18, the box 15 has an opening 19 Jforming a hand hole into which the hand can be placed inorder to get at the balls in the pocket 18. rIhe edges of the return chute 14 may be turned up at 17, in order to direct the ball into the pocket 18.

The tapering of the chute 17 leaves an open space between the edges of this chute and the sides of the box. In order to prevent any possibility of the ball bouncing when it strikes the return chute 14 and falling into the space between the inclined portion of the chute and the box, I provide a delector 2O located under' the front line of holes 13, so that if the ball should Jfall inches is very satisfactory.

The game is to be played by two persons, or by two sides. In playing' the game, the person representing the side which is supposed to be in, will place the ball on the front edge of the floor portion 10 and allow it to roll down this floor portion. Ilz" desired the ball may be given a sidewise motion, to

Vone, sidejor the other, with the idea of enabling the ball to reach the hole which it is desired to reach. The ball will roll across the trough-.like portion and out onto Vthe dished floor portion 18 and will roll around on this dished floor portion until it falls through one of the holes. If it should Jfall through one of the holes marked Ball the player would take the ball out of the pocket 18 and roll again, continuing until three strikes are registered or Jiour balls or until a base hit was made, or some indication was made as to what happened to the player who was supposed to be up at bat.

The openings marked Out are provided to take care of various ways in which the batter might be out, other than by striking out, as for instance, by a foul or fly ball being caught, or by being thrownout in running bases. If the ball should fall into the hole marked Sacrifice FlyOut it would mean that thebatter himself was out on a caught ily but whatever men were on the bases would` be advanced one base. The holes marked One Base, Two Base, etc., mean, of course, that the batter makesa one base hit, or two base hit, etc. It is of course obvious that other arrangements of holes could be made, and that additional holes could be provided for various other contingencies if desired. It desired means may be provided for registering the balls, runs, etc.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and ,desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A game comprising a rollable object, and a floor for said object to roll on comprising a portion inclining downwardly from the starting point, a second portion inclining upwardly therefrom, and a third. substantially horizontal yportion onto which said object rolls, said third portion being dished, and provided with a plurality of openings into which" said object may roll, whereby said object will roll down said first portion, up said second portion, and around on said horizontal portionA until it falls into one of said openings.

QJ. A game'comprisinga rollable obj ect, a box-like structure having parallel vertical side walls, having substantially lhorizontal upper and lower edges, a floor for said object to roll on, from one end to the other of said box, said Hoor having a. number of openings at one end in which said object may roll, said floor extending from one side to the other of the sides of said box and a return Hoor extending Ytrom one end to the other of said box, and lying wholly between the side walls thereof .and underneath said playing floor, onto which said object JfallsV upper and lower edges, a floor for said object to roll on, from one end to the other of said box, said vfloor having a number of openings at one end in which said object may roll, said floor extending from one side to the other of the sides ot said box and a, return floor extending from one end to the other of said box, and extending between the side walls thereof, onto which said ob* ject falls when it drops through one of said opening, said return ioor serving to return the ball to the end of the box from which it started, said box-like construction being provided with end walls, one of said end walls having a hand hole therein adjacent the delivery end of the return :Floor through which the player can reach and get the rollable object after it has been re turned.

el. A game comprising a rollable object, a box-like construction having parallel vertical side walls, having horizontal upper and lower edges, said side walls being of sheet material, a floor on which said object rolls from one end to the other of the box, comprising a portion bent to form a smooth curved surface having aI portion extending downwardlj7 Jfrom one end of the box at a decreasing inclination, and a. second portion extending from said first portion and inclining upwardly at an increasing inclination, said portions together forming a smooth curve, a third substantially hori- Zontal portion at the rear end of the box having a number of openings into which said rollable object may roll, and an inclined return Hoor inclining downwardly from the rear end of the box to the front onto which said rollable object drops when it falls through one of said openings, said return floor extending down underneath the curved portion of the floor to the front end of the box.

5. A game comprising a rollable object, a box-like construction comprising two parallel vertical side walls having horizontal upper and lower edges, a loor Jfor said object to roll on from one end to the other oiE said box, having a number of openings at one end into which said object may roll, an inclined return chute leading from the rear end ot the box to the front end thereof for returning the rollable object, and a deflector located between said openings and said return chute onto which said object may fall to prevent said object from bouncing over the sides of said chute.

6. A game comprising a rollable object, a box-like construction having parallel vertical end walls, and parallel vertical side walls. said walls having horizontal upper and lower edges, a floor extending between said side walls and leading from one end to the other of said box for said object to roll on, said floor having a number 0f holes into which said object may roll, an inclined return chute leading from the rear end of said box to the front end thereof, and a receptacle at the front end of said box to which the object is "delivered from said return chute, the end wall of the box adjacent the pocket having a hand hole therein, through which the player can reach and get the ball j out of the pocket.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EDWARD F. SCHMIDT. lVitnesses CLARA V. BUDZ, C. G. NrLssoN.

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