US1558401A - Amusement apparatus - Google Patents

Description

.Oct. 20, 1925. 1,558,401 k R. SATO AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed July 28,- 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .Fyj 9 INVENTBR a TO NEY AT R Oct. 20, 1925- R. sATo AMUSEMENT APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 28. 1923 INVINTOR ATI'DRNIY WITNESS:

Patented Oct. 20, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

nYU I SATO, or NYACK, NEW YoaK.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

Application filed July 28, 1923. Serial No. 654,455. I

To. all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RYUJI Saw, a subject of Japan, residing at Nyack, in the county of Rockland and State of New York,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to amusement apparatus and has particular reference to an apparatus of this class for use in amusement parks or like places wherein a number of persons may compete for a prize and wherein the one showing the greatest amount of skill is declared the winner.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of an amusement apparatus wherein is employed a plurality of inclined cages having a manikin at one end and a basket at the other end of each, and separate operating mechanisms operable from a counter for actuating the respective manikin to cause the same to kick a ball in the direction of the basket with an endeavor to de posit the same therein, the first operator to accomplish this being declared the winner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for indicating the winner when the ball is deposited in the basket and a means for releasing the balls after being trapped in the basket.

Another object of the invention is-the provision of an amusement device which stimulates a great deal of excitement between the several operators, the same being simple in construction and cheap of manufacture.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certain novel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended. claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved amusement apparatus.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View through one of the cages-taken on the line -l-' Ii of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the basket showing the electric light circuit in diagram.

Referring more particularly to the draw ing, the reference numeral designates a single unit, any number of which may be arranged side by side to make up my amusement device in its entirety. The units 10 are identical inconstruction, so it is'believed that a description of one will suffice for the others. Each unit 10 comprises an inclined bottom 11 rising from the rear end to the front end and being supported above the ground by suitable legs 12. Rising from the base 11 is a frame-work 13, aboutwhich is secured a foraminated screen 14 to close the unit at its front and side walls thereby forming a cage 15, the rear wall of said cage being open for a purpose to be explained. The cage 15 is formed with a pair of guide rails 16, secured to the base at the sides. of the cage, one of the rails 16 being curved inwardly at the lower end .of the cage as at 17 to form a pocket 18. Mounted at the open end of the cage is a manikin 19 of any suitable design but whereas a figure of a man has been shown it is to be understood that a. figure of a woman may be substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of the invention. The manikin 19 is provided with a pivoted leg 20, and a stationary leg 21, the said legs straddlingthe curved portion 17 of one of the guide rails. The pivoted leg 20 has its foot disposed within the pocket 18, and is normally held in a rearward position by means of a contractile spring 22 having one end secured to the leg and the other end to a portion of the frame 13. The stationary leg 21 is bolted or otherwise secured to the base 11 as at 23 so as to support the manikiu in a vertical or standing posture.

I employ an operating mechanism 24: for advancing the pivoted leg 20 against the action of the spring 22 for imparting a force to a rubber ball 25 normally positioned adjacent the foot of the pivoted leg sufficient to drive the ball in a direction toward the front end of the cage. This mechanism includes a cable 26 trained over suitable pulleys 27, and having one end secured to the underside of the foot of the pivoted leg as at 28, and the other end of said cable extending to the top of a counter 29 at the front end of. the device, and provided with a hand grasp 30. From the structure de scribed it will be seen that a sudden upward pull upon the hand grasp will cause the cable to move the pivoted leg in a forward ill direction against the tension of the spring so as to kick the ball forwardly.

Supported at the front end of the cage is a wire basket 81 having a hinged bottom 32 normally held in a closed position by means of a spring hinge 33. In operation of the several units it is the object to cause the manikin to kick the ball 25 into, the basket 31 by either deflecting it from the walls of the cage or by kicking it directly into the same. The spring hinge 33 is of suflicient tension to hold the bottom closed when the ball is trapped therein, but I eniploy a suitable releasing means "for permitting the ball to drop from the basket and gravitate down the runway defined by the bottom 11 and guide rails 16, to the pocket 18 adjacent the pivoted leg it). The releasing means includes a cable 34, trained over suitable pulleys 35 and having one end secured to the bottom 32 of the basket near the front thereof. The other end of the cable is secured to a cross bar 36 having vertical sliding movement in the front legs 12. hen it is desired to release a ball from the basket the cross bar 36 is depressed by the foot so as to lower the bottom against the tension of the spring; hinge. It is ot course understood that the cable 34 of each unit is connected to the bar 36 so that all are operated simultaneously.

A suitable indicating means is included for determining the winner when a ball. has been trapped in a basket, and to this end I make use of a normally open switch 37 mounted on its pivoted bottom 32 of the basket. Each switch is in a circuit with an electric light 38 and a battery 39 whereby the weight of the ball trapped in the hasket is sutficient to close the switch 37 cansing its respective electric light to be illuminated.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be manifest that the manner of operation has been clearly set forth and a further explanation of the same is not deemed necessary.

If desired the manikin and operating mechanism might be dispensed with and the persons competing take a position formerly held by the manikins with an endeavorot kicking the ball into the basket. (it course in such case the proportions of the apparatus would be increased accordingly.

lVhile I have described what I deem to he the most desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many of the details may be varied without in any way departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the exact. details of construction herein setforth nor to anything less than the whole of my invention limited only by the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed as new is 1. An amusement apparatus including an inclined table, a plurality of cages mounted above said table, baskets supported at one end of said cages, a manikin mounted at the other end of said cages, a ball normally positioned adjacent each of the manikins, and individual operating mechanisms for actuating said manikins to cause the same to kick the balls in the direction of said haskets.

2. An amusement apparatus including an inclined table, a plurality of cages mounted above said table, baskets supported at one end of said cages, a manikin mounted at the other end of said cages, a ball normally positioned adjacenteach of said manikins, and individual operating mechanisms for actuating the manikins to cause the same to kick said balls in the direction of said has kets, indicating means for each of said baskets operative upon the depositing of the balls in said baskets and a common means exlcriorly of said cages for releasing said balls trom said baskets.

3. In an amusement apparatus, the combination of a plurality of cages having an inclined bottom, a manikin mounted at the lower end of each of said cages, a basket disposed at the other end of each of said cages, a ball, and individual operating mechanism for actuating each of the manikins, to cause the same to kick said ball with an endeavor to deposite the same in said basket, the inclined bottom of said cages serving as a runway for returning the balls to their normal position adjacent the manikins, each basket having a hinged bottom for trapping the ball therein, and a means for actuating said hinged bottoms to release said balls therefrom and indicating means operative upon the trapping of said. balls in said basket.

l. An amusement apparatus comprisii'ig an inclined runway, a cage mounted above said runway, a manikin mounted at the lower end of said runway and having a pivoted leg, means for holding said leg in a rearward position, a ball normally positioned adjacent said pivoted leg, a basket mounted at the other end of said cage, and manipulating means for moving said piv oted leg in a forward direction to cause the same to kick said ball with an endeavor to deposit the same in said basket.

In testimony whereof I have aitixed my signature.

RYUJI .SATO.

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