US1479350A - Game accessory - Google Patents

Description

a tray to hold the counters so that they Patented dan. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES ELI TI. WIEL, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

GAME Accessory.

Application led January 3, 1923. Serial No. 610,426.

T 0 all who-m. it may concern u Be it known that I, ELI H. VVIEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, Sta-te of California, have-invented a certain new and useful Game Accessory, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a device Yto be used in connection with games employ-ing fiat `oblong pieces or men, somewhat of the shape of a domino. The device is particularly useful in playing the now popular oriental game, usually called Mah Jong, which comprises a large number of fiat -oblong pieces delineated on their. faces to represent different characters and values. In this ,game the fiat oblong domino-like pieces are called tiles and will be so referred to herein. The [game is played by four players, who first build a rectangular wall of the tiles, each side of the wall being 18 tiles long and two tiles high. Each pla-yer draws 13 tiles from the wall, in a manner provided for in the rules of the game and sets the tiles up in front of him, so that he, and no other player, may see the face ofthe tiles. The players then successively drawl from the wall and discard one tile, the object being to make a hand consisting of four sets of three tiles each, either three of a kind or a sequence, and one pair. The player accomplishing this first wins the game. A. rather complex system of scoring forms part of the game and at the end of each game, the players pay each other, according to their respective scores, counters being used for this purpose. The counters are long narrow pieces of bone, about 2% inches long and if of an inch wide, marked to give them different values. These counters are rather difficult to handle and their manipulation requires much time, which mi'ght otherwise be devoted to playing 'the game. The tiles are also quite narrow, so that a jar of the playing table often upsets them, exposing the hand to the opponent.

An object ofmy invention is to provide a device for facilitating the playing of the game, by providing a rack to hold the tiles drawn from the wall, so that they will not fall over and may -be readily shifted and a are readily accessible.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some ofwhich with the forey wall.

going, will be set forth at length in the folowing description, where I shall outline in full, those forms of the invention which I have selected for illustration in thedrawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. In said drawings l have shown several forms of the device embodyirfg my invention, but it is to be under stood that I do not limit myself to such forms, since the invention, as set forth in the claims may be embodied in aplurality! of other forms.`

Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is a erspective view of one form of device embo ying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device shown in Fig. 1,.with the rack lifted to permit access to the counter tra Fig. 3 is a cross section of the device shown in Fig. l. A

My invention relates to a game accessory comprising al combined rack andk counter tray.. The Ydevice is preferably made .of wood and may be painted or delineated in any suitable manner to render it ornamental and attractive. The rack 2 comprises a backwardly and downwardly. inclined shelf 3 and an inclined back wall 4, perpendicular to the shelf. The shelf is substantlally of the same depth as the thickness of the tiles 5, and the tiles reston the shelf and against the back The inclination of the back wall is such that the faces of the tiles are substantially perpendicular to the line of sight of the player. AIn Fig. l, I have shown three tilesv of the dot suit on the rack, but it is to be understood that there are other suits and that the racks will hold a greater number of tiles. The rack is usually made 18 tiles long so that it serves as a guide or backinfg in building the wall, thus obviating the necessity of counting the tiles as the walls are being built.

Inthe construction shown in the drawings the rack is hinged at its rear lower edge, to the rear upper edge of the counter tray 6 so that 'the rack serves as a cover for the tray. The tray is preferably provided with a round bottom trough 7 which is divided into a plurality of compartments by the artitions 8. The counters 9 are usually'of our different denominations and the ltray is preferably divided into four compartments so that the counters of different denominations may be segregated. The trough is closed on the ends by theend Welle 12 andthe intended to be used with any forms of pieces rack, When closed down, prevents the dis- Which are set up before 'the player in playing 15 y placement of the counters. a game.

By the use of a device embodying my inl claim: A 5 venticn, the playing of the game is greatly A device for use in playing a game emfacilitated; the tiles are supported so vthat ploying tiles and counters comprising a they will not fall over and the counters are counter tray, a movable cover on said tray 20 lxepi:A segregated and are readily accessible. and a tile rack consisting of an inclined shelf .lhroughoulJ the specification have reand aninclined back Wall substantially per- 10 ferred to the pieces with which the game is pendicular to the shelf,'on said cover.

played as tiles, but it is to be understood In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set that suchvword is used. merely for convenmy hand. ience and illustration and that, the device is ELI H. WIEL.

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