US1718898A - Apparatus for playing games - Google Patents

Description

June 25, 1929. T. FAGAN 1,718,898

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING GAMES Filed May 1 "Hm JHHJIHI Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES THOMAS FAGAN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR PLAYERS GAMES.

Application filed May 19, 1928, Serial No. 279,136, and in Great Britain May 28, 1927.

The invention relates to apparatus for playing games and has for its object to provide a device whereby a game may be played in which some amount of skill will be required and a considerable amount of uncertainty or chance will be present.

Broadly, apparatus according to this invention consists in mounting a number of movable pieces arranged behind each other and each bearing an appropriate symbol, number or letter, etc., upon means which can be operated so as to bring said pieces successively past a point of observation until the movement of said means is arrested, means being provided whereby the movement of the said pieces can only be arrested with one of said pieces lying properly in the point of observation. v

For the purpose of the invention a predetermined number of plates, cards or the like, hereinafter referred to as cards, formed of any suitable material may be employed, each card bearing preferably on each side thereof a marking 01' markings such for example as part of a number, playing card, symbol or the like and these cards are mounted and so marked that when two or more thereof are exposed to view in the same plane in an edge to edge position a complete number, playing card or symbol or the like will be displayed and means are provided for shutliing, changing or turning over such cards in such manner that it is uncertainwhich thereof will be displayed.

For example, said cards may be pivotally mounted by one edge thereof between discs carried by a spindle mounted in or on any suitable frame. Said discs may be provided with perforations adjacent the peripheries thereof and the cards may be furnished with pins or projections engaging in said perforations so that said cards are thus pivotally mounted at a point adjacent the edges of said discs or instead of being mounted between discs said cards may be mounted in a frame or otherwise.

The said spindle is preferably mounted with capability of freely rotating and is preferably furnished with a fly or loaded wheel which is fixed thereon and means are provided for rotating the spindle and allowing the same to run freely, the arrangement being such that the momentum of the fly or loaded wheel will cause the spindle and discs, to rotate and thepivotally mounted cards to turn about their pivots and change their faces until the momentum of said fly or loaded wheel or the like has been expended thus the particular pair of cards for the time being exposed to view is uncertain depending upon when said wheel stops.

In order that only one complete number, playing card, symbol or the like may be e:\'- posed to view at one time a suitable resilient or other finger or other means is provided adapted to slightly retard or brake said cards in their pivotal movement whilst each card is marked on the back with one half of the number, playing cards, symbol or the like whilst the other half required to complete such marking is carried by the front surface of the card following it so that when said back is exposed in juxtaposition tothe following front of a card a complete number, playing card, symbol or the like is displayed.

Any suitable means may be employed for imparting motion to the said spindle such as for example ratchet or equivalent mechanism which may be hand operated or any suitable motor such as an electric or a clockwork or other motor may be employed for the purpose in view. Any suitable means may also be provided for suddenly stopping the rotation of the spindle of the apparatus at random at any desired moment as will be readily understood.

If desired several series of such cards, oi" the like may be so mounted upon the one spindle and such series may be connected or not with one another and the movement of one series might be dependent upon the movement of the other, by any suitable means. The flywheel or flywneels may be coupled to the spindle through suitable gearing and/ or a suitable frictional clutch which will permitthe relative position to alter or be altered from time to time.

The whole apparatus may be enclosed in a box or case having a window at which the cards may be displayed and means may be provided upon the exterior of said box or case for setting the apparatus in motion.

The apparatus may be employed for playing any suitable game and each card may be marked to represent half a number or playing card, or it may be marked with part of any other sign or symbol or letters of the alphabet or signs of the zodiac and the apparatus may be employed in the game of telling fortunes or as a race game or foretelhng the results of horse races.

.111 order that my invention may be clearly Fig. shows suitable method of attaching the card carrying members to the rotary discs. v Referring to the drawings I have shown the invention as applied to a device for cutting a pack of cards in which by the rotation of a spindle 1 a number of card-like pieces 2 aresuceessively brought in a plane which will expose each card piece 2 through an opening 3v in a suitable casing 4 accommodating the pieces 2. It is desired to ensure that during the rotation of the spindle 1 the exposure of each card will only be momentary until the rotation of the spindle is arrested, when two pieces will be held in a common vertical plane, one beneath the axis of the spindle 1 and one above said axis as indicated at 2 and 2 respectively in the drawings. The size of the opening 3 can be such as to expose both of the said pieces or only one, and if both are exposed the pieces 2 can be so arranged that each exposed pair of pieces combine to make one symboletc. to be exposed. For instance each piece 2-,can be half a playing card, the

- opposing faces of a pair of pieces lying next to each other being complementary to each other. If desired each piece can be a cornplete card or other symbol carrying member.

The views 2 are mounted so that the r travel each with one surface foremost towards anda'way from the opening?) in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 3, the pieces lying behind each other. This can be eli'ccted by mounting each piece 2 in a transverse folded or channel section strip 5, a number of which a re provided each having its ends fairly looseflyengagedm circular penmgs 7 in a palr of discs 6 fixed on the on s of a hub member 8 fixed to the spindle 1. For this purpose nuts 9may be threaded on to the threaded ends 10 of the hub member 8 and the discs 6 interposed between these nuts and annular parts adjacent the ends of the hub member 8. -Alternatively, as in'Fig. 4, the discs 6 may be secured to the inner faces of a pair of fly wheelsll by means of screws 12 passed through the discs 6 into the fly wheels which are engaged over the reduced ends of the hub member 8. The fly wheels 11 can serve as a suitable means of obtaining the requisite momentum for rotating the spindle 1 'at the speed required to carry the pieces 2 quickly past the opening 3, the spindle 1 being mounted in suitable bearings 13 and provided at its ends with knurled caps 14-. for engagement by an operator. This arrangement obscures the flywheels 11, but if desired the said flywheels can be outside the casing st, for in stance by taking the place of the caps 11, the discs 6 in this event being a rrangcd as shown in Fig. 2. Instead of two flywheels 11 only one need be employed for instance as shown at 15 in Fig.2.

The pieces 2 engage a resilient linger 16, which can be a curved leaf spring, during their movement, and the free end of this leaf saring which engages the pieces is so posi' tioned that when the rotation of the spindle 1 is arrested the outer end of one of the picccs (i e. 2") will be held against the linger and will lie in substantially the same plane as the piece immediately preceding it (i. e. the piece 2), the inner ends of the said two pic cs lying very close to each other as shown in Fig. 1. This linger 16 may be made adjustable.

The channel or folded strips 53 carrying the pieces 2 have radiuscd edges 5')" so that they turn easily in the apertures 7, and npsland ing lugs 5" are preferably formed on the said strips for gripping the pieces 2. The pieces 2 will travel more easily past the linger 16 if only one free edge of the pieces is actually engaged with the linger as it passes the linger. For instance it might be desirable to arrange two pieces 2 in each member 5, as shown in Fig. 5, particularly when employing a pack of cards, and in this event I so arrange each pair of pieces in a member 5 that their free or outermost edges slightly overlap as indicated at 2 in Fig. 8, the front piece extending beyond the rear piece. The channel pieces 5 maybe separate corner pieces titted to each edge of the cards, omitting the cross strip. This will permit damaged cards to be replaced by flexing the cards to engage the pivots 5 in the holes 7 of the discs (5.

The appliance may of course be worked by clockwork or other alternative means, and a window may be provided'in the opening 3 provided it clears the free ends of the pieces 2. I ,I claim 1. Apparatus for playing games comprising a rotary structure, a number of sign bearing plates arranged behind each other and each pivotally mounted at one end upon the rotary structure and free at its other end, and a projection located in the path of travel of the plates, arranged successively to engage the free ends thereof and positioned so that when movement of the plate assembly is arrested the plate engaging the projection will have an exposed surface.

2. Apparatus for playing games comprising a rotary plate-carrying structure, an arresting stop, a plurality of sign-bearing plates pivotally carried by the rotary structure having free ends successively engaging the arresting stop when in upstanding position during rotation of the structure, and falling by gravity on disengagement with said stop, the position of the stop being such that the last plate to fall by gravity on leaving the stop, lies in the same vertical plane as the next plate which is held upstanding by the stop, and forms part of an exposed surface the other complement-a1 part of which is the stop-engaged plate.

3. Apparatus for playing games comprising a casing, an axially rotatable hub member mounted in bearings in the casing and including two spaced-apart discs, a cireumterential row of apertures in each of said discs, plate-holders, each supported by the two discs and pivot-ally mounted in the apertures thereof, a plurality of sign-bearii'ig plates held by their inner edges in the plate holders, and an arresting stop successively engaging the tree edges of the plates on rotation 01 the hub to retain the plate engaged by it in upstanding position, each plate 011 leaving the stop falling by gravity.

4-,. Apparatus for playing games comprising an apertured casing, an axially rotatable hub member mounted in hearings in the easing and including two spaced-apart discs and one or more flywheels, a circumferential row of apertures in each of the discs, plate-holders each supported in the two discs and pivotally mounted in the apertures thereof, a plurality of sign-bearing plates held by their inner edges in the plate holders, and a resilient arresting finger successively engaging the free edges of the plates on rotation of the hub to retain the plate engaged by it in upstanding exposed position, each plate on leaving the said linger falling by gravity to constitute part 01 an exposed surface visible through the casing aperture the comple1nental part of which is constituted by the stopengagcd plate.

5. Apparatus for playing games compriss ing a casing, an axially rotatable hub member mounted in bearings in the casing and including two spacedapart discs and one or more flywheels, a circumferential row of apertures in each of the discs, channel-section plate-holders each supported in the two discs and having their ends pivotally mounted in the apertures thereof and adapted to receive in their channels the inner edges of sign-l: earing plates, and a resilient finger adapted, on rotation oi. the hub, to successively engage the free outer edges of plates fitted in said holders, and positioned to retain a plate engaged by it in the same plane as the last plate which has passed said finger, when rotary movement of the hub is arrested.

THOMAS FAGAN.

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