US1856798A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

D. E. WALKER GAME APPARATUS May 3, 1932.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8, 1929 jm/vrofi Z. E Walker ATTORNEYS D. E. WALKER GAME APPARATUS May 3, 1932.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 8, 1929 I a o I DALLAS E. WALKER, DOVER, FLORIDA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF 1T0 WALKER, OF DOVER, FLORIDA GJI..

Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED.- STATES PATENT oFFicE.

min m E.

GAME APPARATUS Application filed June 8, 1929. Serial No. 369,281.

channels in which a rollable game piece or pieces areadapted to be projected. p I

The invention is characterized as to novelty by the provision of certain traps, hazards,

, pockets and signal means which, in combination with special deflecting surfaces, require the exercise of considerable judgment, accuracy and skill on the part of the player in order to obtain the higher score values, more or less arbitrarily given to the surface divisions of the apparatus and receivers.

More particularly, the invent-ion resides also in the provision of manipulable means for the ball deflecting and receiving elements which may be so set as to effect a return of the game pieces to projecting position or to a projector after each play, or preventing such return, as the case may be, and in accordance with the particular manner of playing the game.

Among other objects, it is my aim to pro vide a portable game apparatus which may be readily handled, set up, stored or transported from place to place, and embodying intriguing features affording a considerable variety in the plays and the skill to make the same.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth a and the novel features thereof defined by the hazards and the adjusting means therefor;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the channel gates and operating means therefor a Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View on line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a similar view on line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a similar View on line 8-8 of- Fig. 5; and j V r Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

Referrinqto the drawings, 10 designatesgenerally the gameboard, which is in effect a relatively long and narrow receptacle having the confining wall 11 entirely surrounding the same. This wall at the farther end, it is to be particularly noted, is preferably provided with variable length, angularly'related sections 11a, 11b and 110, the particular object of which will be more fully'set forth as this description proceeds.

Adjacent to and spaced fromrone of the side or enclosing walls is disposed a relatively. long partition 12 which forms a guide chan nel or alley A extending the full length of the board or base, said channel preferably being made to gradually widen as it approaches the far end where the partition 12 joins a circularly shaped block 13, which in conjunction with the outer wall extends the said guide channel around to the opposite side of the board. v

In the particular embodiment here d-isclosed by way of exemplification of the invention only, I provide two additional partition walls, one designated 14: and located approximately centrally, and the other 15 located adjacent the side of the board. One end of the longer partition 15 is slightly curved and extends into the outlet of the channel A and by its cooperation'with the side wall of the board a channel or alley B is formed.

As a special feature, the extremity 15a of the partition mentioned is made of bendable material so that the tip may be adjusted laterally one way or the other to thereby impart a greater tendency to shunt the game ici channels C and D. At the entrance to these channels adjacent the circular block 13, I place a bell 16 and a hazard 17 in the form of an adjustable block, having the angularly related deflecting faces 17a and 176, the particular position of which will control more or less whether the gamepiece will pass into the channel D with or without contact with the bell or into the channel C with or without contact with said bell. Any'means for adjusting the block 17 maybe employed but I preferably use for this purpose'a setting or clamping screw 18 passing through the bottom of the game board.

By the use of the diagonal, spaced partitions 19 and 20, together with the openings 21 and 22 in the partition 12, the game pieces passing into the return alleys B, C or D will return to the guide channel A. In one of the return channels, preferably that designated B, I place a pocket receiver 23 with its mouth facin the entrance to the channel. The dis position of the gamepiece into this receiver is a matter of chance and accordingly a greater value to the play is given, as will be later explained.

To enable the game piece which lodges in this receiver to be displaced, the said receiver is pivotally secured to the game board or base and provided with an actuating rod 24 which extends through the near end of the board where it is accessible to the player. By pulling upon the rod and rotating the receiver against the tension of the spring 28, the

game piece will move out of the pocket under the influence of gravity, when the board is inclined and return to the guide channel A, after which the pocket will be restored to its normal position by the spring 23. I

A still further special feature of my ap paratus resides in the provision of the gates 25 and 26 for closing the ends of the channels B and D and trapping the game piece or pieces which may pass into said channels. These gates are each pivoted at one end while on their free ends there are preferably secured wear plates 2? and 28 which coact with camming fingers 29 and '30, in turn connected to the link 31. From this link an actuating rod 32 extends outwardly of the near end of the board.

By pulling upon said rod the camming fingers 29 and 30 will shift the gates to open position against the tension of their springs 3-3 which act to close the gates only when the rod 32 is pulled back in the reverse direction to that above mentioned. Thus the game may be played withthe channels B and D open or closed and when closed no question can arise in the plays as to whether the gamepieces passed through one channel or the other. After each play of course the gates may be simultaneously opened and the game pieces will return to the guide channel farend at the desired height to insure the gravitative action of the rollable members or operation during playing of the game.

\Vhile I do not consider it to be essential,

I nevertheless prefer to'employ a projector device for this game in the form ofa spring. gun of special construction, this gun, which I do not herein claim, is'novel in construction and comprises theh ead or block 35 through which passes a rod 36 extending througha guide tube 37. To the end of the rod is secured the handle or knob 38 and about the guide tube .37 is disposed the spiral spring 39 which in the operationofthe gun is compressed by pulling'outwardly'on the knob 38.: The guide tube 37 in this operation slides through the opening in the end of the board so as to permit the compression of the spring as above mentioned, and this special arrangement of the guide tube maintains the spring in the proper position to,

insure its free action to impel the head 35. This head coacting with the side walls of the channel A, is thus guided and a straight and powerful impulse may be imparted to the reliable game iecc which is initially placed in advance 0 the head in the channel A As just mentioned, this game is intended to be played with a spherical game piece or ball, or a plurality of'such members, as the case may be. These ball members have a diameter substantially less than the width of the guide channel A and for this reason the shots of the game pieces will differ from one shot to the-next, depending primarily upon the position they originally occupy with relation to the head of the gun and the force of the impulse as controlledby the degree of retraction of the gun by the player.

In order to prevent the accidental displacement of the game pieces, I preferably employ a transparent cover 40 for the game board. This cover is in one ormore sections and is slidably mounted in guide grooves 41 in the side walls 11. The cover is heldin place by the retainer 42 which extends across the near end of the cover-andis pivotally secured to the sides as indicated at 43, By raising the retainer the; cover sections may be displaced sufiiciently to enable access to the vari ous channels for cleaning purposes or for displacement of the ball members, repair of parts, etc. In view of the force with which the ball members contact with ithe far end of the ame board, I prefer to employ a nonbreakable cover section 40 at said end.

At an intermediate point in the cover an opening at is provided for the purpose of enabling the sound of the bell to pass from the game board so as to be heard by the play ers. In conjunction with this opening a sound deflector of metal or the like, designated a5, is used so as to assist in directing the sound toward the end of the board where the players manipulate the projector.

At least on one side a handle 46 is provided for holding the board while pressure is eX- erted upon the plunger for propelling the game pieces or balls 47 used with this apparatus.

Vhile the game may be played in several different ways, the following may be taken as an eXemplifica-tion of the character of op erat-ion of this apparatus. A plurality of balls l? is first inserted into the guideway A in advance of the projector. The introduction may be made through the sound opening 44 or the glass cover section at the near end of the board may be displaced for this purpose. The handle 38 of the projector is now pulled baclrwardly and then released Under the impetus of the spring 39, the balls are rolled up the inclined guideway A, banking off of the angular sections 11a, 11?) and 110 in their progress to the return side of the game board. If one of the balls passes around and into the alley C without contacting with the bell, a score point of is taken; if in doing so the bell is struck, then the score point of 50 is taken for this shot. This ball will roll down and pass through the opening 22- and back to the guideway channel A in advance of the head of the projector. If one of the other balls passes into the alley D without ringing the bell, a score of 10 is taken; if in doing so the bell is struck, a score of is taken for this shot. If one of the balls passes into the channel B, which is the easiest one to play orto roll into, a penalty of 5 points is deducted from the total of the other channels. If, however, the ball in passing down the channel B should lodge in the pocket receiver 23, a score of is taken.

Those balls passing into the alleys D and B will be trapped by the gates if closed until the score is fully calculated, whereupon the gates may then be opened and the balls will return by gravity to the alley A. The game is won by the player who receives the highest score arbitrarily set for the game.

Instead of employing a plurality ofballs, a single one may be used and the score points accumulated over a number of shots.

A difi'erent method of playing the game a ball is lodged in the receiver 23, a diiferent prize being awarded for eachofthese results.- I wishit to b'e'particularly understood that the wall at the far end of the game board may be rounded instead of angled as in the embodiment disclosed in the drawings, but I prefer to employ the angle formation of the end wall as a greater variety of banking shots may be had by this construction.

Other changes may be made inthe details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention and withinfthe scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-v ters Patent is: i

1. In apparatus of the class described, a game board, an enclosing wall, partitions dividing the surface ofthe board into a plurality of return channels, and adjustable means at the entrances of the channels for varying the width of said entrances and variably deflecting into one of said channels a; gamepiece projected into said channels, said deflection being dependent upon the speed of said game piece. I i i 2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a game board, an enclosingwall extendingaboutthe margin thereof, partitions dividing the surface of the board into a plurality of return channels, and an adjustable obstacle memberv disposed approximate the entrances to said channels whereby to vary the size of said entrances.

3. Game apparatus comprising a base, an enclosing wall extending about the margin of said base, partition members dividing the surface of the base into a plurality of channels, a projector device disposed at the end of one of said channels, swingable stop members pivoted to the base to swing horizontal- 1y, spring means coacting with said stop members normally tending to hold them in one position, and an actuating rod for said stop members for horizontally swinging the stop members against the tension of their springs to extend diagonally across the channels intermediatethe partition members.

4. Game apparatus of the class described comprising a game board, means at one end of said board for holding the end thereof at an elevated inclining posit-ion, spaced wall members dividing the surface of the board into a series of channels, a projector device mounted in one of said channels for impelling rollable members through said channels, a sound producing member connected to the board in association with certain of the channels, a cover member for said board having a sound projecting opening therethrough and a rearwardly ext-ending deflector associated with said opening for directing the sound of the sound producing member toward the player.

5. Game apparatus comprising a base, an

1 ciated With said channels, said obstruction means being'adjustable independently of each other, one of said obstruction means constituting a pivotable receiving member, and a projector device disposed at one end of one of said channels.

6. Game apparatus comprising a base, an.

enclosing Wall extending about the marginof said base, said wall having a slot in its inner face adjacent to the upper edge thereof, partition members dividing the surface of the base into a plurality of channels, a sound producing member associated with certain of said channels, a projector device disposed at the end of one of said channels, a translucent covering adapted to slide in the slot formed in the enclosing Wall, said covering being formed in sections, certain of Which are in spaced relation and provided with a deflecting member for directing sounds from said sound producing member towards the player, and means for locking said covering sections in'position, said means being shiftable to permit separation of the covering sections Whereby to render the interior of the apparatus accessible.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

DALLAS E. WALKER.

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