US1855445A - Amusement apparatus - Google Patents

Description

E. FEY

April 26, 1932.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed July 27, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR, Edmund 15 Mm ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 26, 1932 UNITED STATES? PATENT OFFICE" EDMUND FEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AMUSEMENT APPARATUS- Application filed'July 27,. 1929. Serial No. 381,559;

This invention relates to improvements-in a competitive amusement device wherein coin controlled apparatusisemployed to actuate a plurality'of vehicles or the like.

improved coin controlled amusementdevice wherein a plurality of mechanicallyactuated vehicles orthe like may be skillfully guided by a number of contestants toward "definite goals.

Another object of my invention is to .provide an improved coin controlled amuse nientdevice having a number of mechanically propelled vehicles or the like which may be competitively manipulated by a numher of contestants to avoid collision with certain obstacles moveably located'in their paths.

A further objectzof my invention is to provide acompetitive amusement. device embodying a number of mechanically propelled vehiclesor the like which may be competitively guided by a number-of contestants to avoid collision with number of moving ob-.

stacles positioned in their paths.

Astill further object of my invention is to provide a competitive amusement device embodying a number of mechanically propelled vehicles or the like, anumber of moveable or stationary obstacles, and means for registeringthe number of obstacles collided with.

during the travel of the vehicles toward their goals.

Other objects more or less-.apparent'will glllesoirti themselves or will be specifically pointed outin thedescription to follow.

Inthe accompanying drawings: 7 H Fig-. 1 is a perspective view of a competitive.amusement device constructed in accord-,

ance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same; 7

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on theline- =-33 of'Fig. 2-; and

Fig. t is an enlarged sectional view of a partot the device, showing in detail thelighting mechanism of one of the vehicles, an obstacle construction and its registering means,

Sand one of the mechanically propelled drums Anobject of my invention is to provide an i on which is wound the cable connected to the vehicle.

Referring to the drawings the numerall represents an enclosing casing having aniin clined runway 2 located therein, and a transparent top plate. 3 positioned over the latter. Extending inside the casing is a coin chute 3 through which a coin of a particular denominationmay pass. Rotatably mounted in the upper rear end of the casing are a pair of drums 4, which areadapted to be rotated independently ofeach other. Rotatably mounted inside the casing at pointsbeneath the drums 4, is ashaft 6 which loosely carries a pair of pulleys 7. A .pairof belts 8 extending over the, pulleys 7 and grooved projections secured to drums 4:,serve to trans 'mit rotary motion from the shaft 6 to each.

I ing through elongated slots located in. oppo-.

site sides of each of. the clutch members, serve. to permit the clutch member to slide. back and forth on the shaft as well as to rotate with the. shaft. The. ends of the pins whichproject beyond the clutch members 9 are each secured to a collar 10 loosely mountedon the said clutch member. Each of the collars 10 are fastened to governor balls 11 which in, turn are fastened to a clutch member 9. Upon rotation of thfe shaft 6 the. clutch members 9 as well as the collars 1O rotate with it, and the governor balls 11 being thrown by centrifugal force in an outwarddirection move. theclutch'members '9 toward and in contact with the pulleys 7, thereby causing the pulleys to rotate and actuate the drums, 4 through their belts, 8. Theshaft Gisp'rovided with a pul by 12 which is actuated by a motor 13. through a beltor chain 14. Suitably secured and connected toeach drumA andfits axis,-

is, a flexible insulated, wire= cable 15 com prised' preferabl'y oftwo strands of copper wire through which an electrical current-may pass. Thecable ofjea'ch drum is suitably fastened to a miniature vehicle or other object 16 which is movably positioned onthe inclined runway 2. Suitable connections with an electric light globe 17 carried by the vehicle 16, are provided to permit the electrical current to proceed from the cable to the said globe. The drums at are preferably made from a metal material, and a contact strip 18 connected to a suitable source of electricity and to each of the drums serves to supply an electrical current f r the lighting of the globes 17. When the drums are rotated by the motor 12 the cables are round thereon, thereby causing the vehicles :0 be drawn up the runway 2. Slidably located in slotted brackets 18 with parts thereof extending downwardly in front of the ClllllDS'l; are two vehicle guiding members 19 through which the cables 15 moveably extend' The guiding members 19 are each loosely attached to an upright rod 20 which is secured at its lower end to a rod 21 that extends through the front of the casing 1 and is provided witl a manipulating handle 22. By moving; either of the handles 22 in semi-circular directions, the vehicle guiding member 19 associated therewith is moved to different positions in front of its drum 4, thereby causing the cable 15 extending therethrough to so move accordingly as to change the direction of travel of the vehicle in its movement up the runway 2.

Pivotally mounted on the bottom of the casing 1 are a pair of contact arms 23 and 24, each of which is normally located beneath the end of the coin chute 3 and in position to intercept a coin dropped through the said chute. The contact arms are each normally held in a forward position by a spring 25. Suitable electrical wires 26, from a source of power leading and connecting the motor 12 to the contact arms 23 and 24 and the coin chute 3, form a circuit when a coin is contacting with one of the contact arms, thereby permitting the motor to operate. The contact arms 23 and 24 are positioned one above the other, so that when the former is removed from engagement with a coin, the latter contacts therewith, thereby causing the motor to continue its operation until the last mentioned contact arm is withdrawn from beneath the coin chute and disengaged from contact with the coin. The contact arms 23 and 24 are each connected by a cord or wire 27 to a U- shaped member 28, which is pivotally mounted on a supporting rod 29. The U-shaped members which extend upwardly above the runway 2 and in front of the drums 4, are positioned to intercept the vehicles 16 when they have completed their upward travel. lVhen' either of the vehicles 16 strike a U- shaped member 28 the said member is pushed forwardly thereby causing the cord 27 at tached thereto to pull its contact arm from beneath the coin chute 3 andfrom engagement with the coin therein. If the right hand vehicle 16 reaches its U-shaped member 28 first, the contact arm 23 is withdrawn from contact with the coin at the end of the coin. chute, thereby permitting the same to drop onto the contact arm 24. In order to stop the rotation of either drum & when the vehicle 16 associated therewith has reached its U- shaped member 28, I have provided means for disengaging the clutch members 9 from contact with their pulleys 7. This means in cludes an upright pivoted bar 30 movably located in a circular groove in each clutch member 9. Each U-shaped member carries a curved projection 31 which is in contact with one of the bars 30, and upon the movementof the said U-shaped member in a forward direction by the upward movement of a vehicle 16, the projection 31 thereon moves the bar 30 so the same actuates the clutch member 9 away from its pulley 7. Thus when either of the vehicles 16 reaches its U-shaped member 28, the clutch member 9 associated therewith is actuated so as to prevent the operation of the particular drum associated with the vehicle striking the U-shaped member.

In order to prevent each of the drums l from rewinding while the vehicles are being drawn up the inclined runway 2, a curved shoe 32 is mounted to contact with each drum, thereby providing frictional means to offset the weight of the vehicle. The curved shoes 32 are each provided with a downwardly projecting part 33 which enters the groove in its respective clutch members 9, and until the clutch member is stationary the said curved shoe continues to contact with its drum 4. lVhen the motor does not further rotate the shaft 6 and the clutch members 9, the shoes 32 associated therewith are moved away from their drums, thereby permitting the vehicles to move downwardly on the inclined runway 2. It will be noticed that either drum is stopped from rotating when its vehicle has intercepted the particular U-shaped member 28 associated therewith, and that the other drum continues to rotate until its vehicle has also intercepted its U-shaped member. Each drum is maintained at the top of the runway 2 until the motor 12 has ceased to rotate the shaft 6 and the clutch members 9, this being due to the fact that the governor balls 11 maintain the clutch members 9 in a position where the said clutch members do not disengage the shoes 32 from contact with the drums 4:.

In order to permit the contestants to stop the upward movement of their vehicles, levers 34 are provided at the front of the casing, which levers connect through cords 35 to the upstanding pivoted bars 3 By pulling the levers outwardly the bars 30 engage with the clutch members 9 and draw them away from their pulleys thereby causing the drums to cease rotating. The shoes 32 during this time are still in contact with the drums, thereby preventing the drums from rewinding and allowing the vehicles to descend.

To enable the contestants to exercise their skill in guiding the vehicles up the runwa I have provided a number of movable obstacles 36 in the path of travel of each vehicle. The moving obstacles 36 are each piv otally mounted by a pin on a supporting bracket 37 which is slidably positioned inside an arcuate shaped slot .38 in the runway 2. A pair of wire springs39 attached to each obstacle and its bracket ST-tends to maintain the obstacle in a vertical position. The inside of each bracket is provided with a spring pressed plunger 40- which is adapted to be actuated in a downward direction when struck by a pin 41 secured to an obstacle 36. Any of the obstacles when struck by a vehi- 01s in its upward travel causes the pin 41 thereon to depress a plunger 40 so the same contacts and in turn depresses a lever member 42. Each obstacle has a lever member 42 thereunder which is adapted to be struck by the pin 41 of the obstacle, and each lever member is so pivotally attached to the lower surface of the runway that its opposite end may be elevated upon the striking of its front end by the pin 41 of the obstacle. 'lhe rearwardly disposed end of each lever mem ber 42 is positioned beneath and in contact with a collar 43 secured to one of two upright rods 44; the said rods extending into a register 45 which isadapted to be actuated to register the number of obstacles hit by each vehicle. Vfhen a vehicle strikes an obstacle 36, a lever member 42moves the rod 44 upwardly to cause the register todesignate the factthat'the said obstacle has been struck. A stationary obstacle 46 located on each runway near the top thereof is adapted to cause the register 45 to designate the fact of its being struck by a vehicle.

The obstacles 36 with their brackets 37 are each moved back and forth in the slots 38 in the runway by a pivoted bar 46 secured to each bracket. The bars 46 are each provider with a projection which enters an irregular shaped groove located in one of two cylinders 47 secured to the shaft 6. As the shaft 6 rotates the cylinders 4'7 rotate with it, thereby carrying the bars and their brackets to different positions. The obstacles 36 are moved back and forth above the slots 38 and in the path of the vehicles to diFerent positions, thereby enabling the. contestants .to.

exercise a. certain amount of skill in guiding their vehicles .up the runway without ailox'w' downward movement of the vehicles, merely depresses them temporarily, they thereafter returning to upright positions.

In order to clear. the register 45* afteri' the vehicles have reached their goals,-I have provided projecting arms 48' at the lower: end of the runway. As the vehicles 'run-zover'the arms 48, cords 49 attached. thereto and connected to the'register, are actuated to remove the designating characters 'from the glass front of the register.

After the vehicles havebeen allowed to move: in a downward direction,'the springsr25 of the contact arms 23 and 24 pull theU- shaped members 28 through cords27- to normally upright positions. It is apparent to those skilledrin the art that. my improved amusement device vmay be constructedin other forms than the one shown and described, so for. this'a nd other ap parent reasons I desire my invention included broadly within the spirit of the appended claims. i 7

Having described my invention what 'I claim is: V 1. In an amusement device," a runway, an object movably positioned on therunway, means for moving theob-ject along the runway, one or more obstructions movably positioned on the runway and in the path of travel of the object and means indicating the number of obstructions encounteredby the object in its travel along the runway.

2. In an amusement device, a runway, an object movably positioned on the runway, means for moving the object along the runway, one or more obstacles positioned on the' runway and in the path of travel of the object, means for moving the obstacles back and forth across the path 'oftravel of the object and means for guiding the object.

3. In an amusement device,a runway, a

plurality of objects movably located on the obstacles movably positioned on the; runway i and adapted to move back and forth across the path oftravel ofthe objects, and independent means associated witheach object for guiding each object during its movement along the runway.

4. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movablypositioned on the runway, means for movingthe objects along the runway, one or more obstacles positioned on the runway, and inthe path of travel of the objects, each obstacle being adapted to change its positions when encountered soas to permit an object to continue its travel along the runway, and independent means associated with each object for guiding the object in its travel along the, runway.

5. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movably positioned on the runway, means for moving the objects along the runway, I a plurality of obstacles positioned on the runway and movable back and forth across the path of travel of the objects, independent means associated with each object for guiding the objects, and independent means associated with each object for stopping said object during its movement along the runway.

6. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movably positioned on the runway, a plurality of rotatable drums, each connected by a flexible cable to an object, means for rotating the drums, whereby the objects may be drawn along the runway, and independent manually operated means associated with each drum for stopping the rotation of each of the drums, whereby each object may be stopped during its movement along the runway.

7. In an amusement device, a runway, a plurality of objects movably positioned on therunway, a plurality of rotatable drums, each connected by a flexible cable to an ob ject, means for rotating the drum, wh-.- rebv the objects may be moved along the runway, independent manually operated means associated with each drum for stopping the rotationof each of the drums, whereby each object may be stopped during its movement along the runway, a plurality of obstacles movably positioned on the runway and in the path of travel of the objects, and independent means associated with each object for guiding the objects during their movement along the runway.

8. In an amusement device, a runway, a vehicle movably positioned on the runway,

means for moving the vehicle along the runway, a plurality of obstacles movably positioned on the runway and in the path of travel of the vehicle, registering means con nected to and associated with the obstacles for designating a number of obstacles struck by the vehicle, during its movement along the runway, and means associated with the vehicle for guiding the vehicle during its movement across the runway.

9. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehicle movably positioned on the runway, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing and connected by a flexible cable to the vehicle, means for rotating the drum, whereby the vehicle may be moved along the runway, means for stopping and starting therotation of the drum, whereby the vehicle may be stopped and started during its travel along the runway, a plurality of obstacles movably positioned onthe runway and in the path of travel of the vehicle, means for moving the obstacles across the path of travel of vehicle, and means for guiding the vehicle during its movement along the runway.

10. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing, flexible means connecting the drum and the vehicle, a shaft revolvably mounted in the casing having a pulley loosely mounted thereon, a belt extending over the pulley and the drum, a clutch member mounted on the shaft and rotatable therewith, means for moving the clutch member into and out of engagement with the pulley, whereby the drum may be rotated and the vehicle moved across the runway, electrically operated means connected to the shaft for rotating the latter, and means for commencing and discontinuing the operation of the electrical means.

11. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehicle on the runway, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing, flexible means connecting the drum and vehicle, a shaft rotatably mounted in the easing having a pulley loosely mounted thereon, a clutch member carried by the shaft, means for moving the clutch member into and out of engagement with the pulley, frictional means engageable with the drum for normally preventing its reverse movement, means actuated by the vehicle for disengaging the clutch member from the pulley, whereby the movement of the drum may be stopped, and means for rotating the shaft.

12. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehicle movably located on the runway having an electric light globe therein, an electricity conducting cable attached to the drum and the vehicle, the said cable being connected to the globe and contact means mounted on the drum, means for supplying electricity to the contact means on the drum, whereby the globe may be lighted, and means for rotating the drum,

whereby the vehicle may be moved along the runway.

13. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehicle movably mounted on the runwa means for moving the vehicle along the runway, a plurality of obstacles movably mounted on the runway and located in the path of travel of the vehicle, a cylindrical member rotatably mounted in the casing, having a plurality of irregular grooves extending around the member, a lever arm attached to each obstacle having a projecting part located in one of the grooves in the cylindrical member, and means for rotating the cylindrical member.

14. In an amusement device, a casing having a runway therein, a vehicle movably located on the runway, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing, flexible means connecting the drum and the vehicle whereby upon rotation of the drum the vehicle may be moved across the runway, means for rotating the drum, means engageable with the vehicle for discontinuing the rotation of the drum, and means for permitting the reverse rotation 01 the drum, whereby the vehicle may be returned to its original position on the runway.

15. In an amusement device, an enclosing casing having a transparent top and inclined runway therein, a plurality of vehicles moveably located in the casing on the runway, means for moving the vehicles, along the runway, and means located at the outside of the casing and connected to the vehicles for guiding the said vehicles. 7

16. In an amusement device, an enclosing casing having a runway therein, a plurality of objects moveably located on the runway, means for moving the objects along the runway, one or more obstacles moveably mounted on the runway and positioned in the path of travel of the objects and means located at the outside of the casing and connected to the objects for guiding the objects.

17. In an amusement device, an enclosing casing having a runway therein, anobject moveably located in the casing and on the runway, means 'for moving the object along the runway, one or more obstacles located on the runway and adapted to be moved to a position enabling the vehicle to pass over it and means located externally of the casing and connected to the object for guiding the object.

18. In an amusement device, a runway, an object moveably positioned on the runway, means for moving the object along the runway, a plurality of obstacles positioned on the runway and in the path of travel of the object, registering means for designating the number of obstacles struck by the vehicle during its movement along the runway, and means associated with the object for guiding the object during its movement along the runway.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

EDMUND FEY.

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