US1917948A - Amusement device - Google Patents

Description

Patented July 11, 1933 UNiTED STATES l GEORGE v. ros'r, or cincinnafrr, OHIO AMUSEMENT DEVCE Application ledrctober 1*?,v 1928. Serial No. 313,131.

My invention relates to game devices, and particularly. to a novel game combination which will allow the contestantsy to play the game much as theymight partake as spectators in a racing contest.

The whole country has, during recent years, taken a great interest in whippet racing, and it is specifically the object of my invention to provide a game board having sectors indicated thereon over which a series of arms carrying small reproductions ot whippets .pass during the operation of a spinning wheel. It is further my object to provide an independently operable arm which carries a small reproduction of a rabbit which also passes over the indicated sectors and determines, by stopping in the samesector with one lof the whippets, which one ot' the whippets has won the race. Further it is my object to provide a playing board, independent of the game board 7 on which contestants may place counters or chips as if in regular betting, and it is my cbj ect to so mark the board that the different-winning points of winning, placing and showing lwill result in the .payment to the contestants of different odds.

The above and other objects to which reference will be made during the ensuing disclosure I accomplish by thatvcertain com' bination and arrangement ot parts of which lhave shown a preferred embodiment.

VReferring to the drawing Figure l is a perspective view of the playing board, which, in this instance, is part of the lid of the box in which the game board is packed. Y

Figure 2is a plan view of the game board.

Figure 3 is a sideA elevation of the game board.

The `gaine board is formed by a circular piece of material l, usually metal, which has a reinforcing flange 2 at its center, from which extends upwardly a pin post 3. `The pin post extends within a circular hole al arranged axially in the hub 5 of a spider 6. The hub 5 has pin post 7 extending up from itsk axis which passes through an axial ,hole 8 in the =hub 9 of an upper spider 10. The end of the post 7 has a thumb nut 11 securely fastened on it which provides means for rotating the hub or hubs as will behereinafter explained.

The lower spider has a plurality of arms at the end of each of which a small miniature whippet 12 is mounted.v The upper spider has only two arms-one which carries the rabbit 13, which represents the lure for y the whippets, and the other which carriesv a. weight le to counterbalance the weight oi: the rabbit.

The game board is marked with a series ot radiating lines 15 which divide the board into a series oi sectors 16 or compartments, over which the rabbits and whippcts pass when the spiders are spun.

The playing board 17 which,l as hasbeen noted, is ln'ovided on the lid ot' the box in which the game is packed, is marked with V a series of. vertical lines 18 which divide the board into winning, placing` and showing compartments. The board is also marked with a series of horizontal lines 19 forming a plurality of compartments each of which is marked with the name of one particular whippet.

The game may be played with chips or other suitable :counters as follows: One of the players is appointed game keeper or banker, and he twirls the thumb nut, causing the lower spider to rotate. He may also twirl the upper spider with one of his ingers, or he may let the upper spider be gradually rotated by the friction between the two hubs. In either event therabbit and the whippets begin to race independently around the' track. rlhe winning whippet will be that whippet which stops in the same sector with the rabbit.

The contestants in the game place their counters on whichever space they desire on the playing" board. They may play any of the whippets to win, place or show. lThe odds are determined by the figures indicating the compartments formed by the vertical lines; f

In order to illustrate ,how the game is played, each contestant may start with'fty counters. Suppose one of the players plays the space 'markedv 3, or Midnight Joe by placing one counter vin the winning compartment which is the first space 'from the left. H this happens to be the winning whippet, he is paid by the banker eight counters, as the odds on the winning column are eight to one. The placing or showvso ing whippets may be indicated by count- Y ing either to the Vright or tothe lett the whippets next to the winning whippet. All the whippets are numbered in accordancev iro with the spacing on the playing board. Bets ments will be paid odds of five to one and two to one. The odds are so calculated that it each space on the playing board were to be played the banker would neither win no1-'lose any-V thing so that the game is not adapted for gambling purposes, but is merely an interesting pastime in which children and adults may engage. The player having the greatest number ot chips at the end of the game wins.

It will, of course, be possible to have a plain, unmarked playing board, and to provide different whippets with names or numbers. Then whatever' whippet has the rabbit stop nearest toit will win, and the nearest whippets in the direction the rabbit stops from the winning Whippet would be considered the winners respectively of the place and show bets. It will further be Y possible to have indicating numbers or names on the different sectors in which case the indicating ol the several whippets Will not be necessary. rl`he numbers ot' the whippets may be in sequence, or they may be numbered in a confused order, but such modil'ications will readily occur to those seeking to construct a similar game or one which may be played similarly.

It will, of course, be possible to adapt the same type of game to a horseracing, automobile racing, or other type ot game, but in so muchas the idea oi? a whippet racing game requires the rabbit for indicating the winning whippets,it seems best adapted for this purpose. f

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is A l. In an amusement device, two members mounted for concentric relative rotation, one member connvn'ising a series of imitative elements carried by said memberaround the axis ot rotation and the other member comprising a Vsingle imitative element distinguished in appearance from said other imitative elements, carried around close to said series of elements, each member being free to rotate by its momentum and said members frictionally contacting together whereby one member, upon having its rotation initiated, transmits rotationto the other member in uncertain ratio, so that said members may chance to stop with any one of said series of elements nearest to said additional element. K

2. In an amusement device, two members mounted for relative rotation, one member comprising a series ot imitative elements carried by said member around the axis of rotation and the other member comprising a single imitative element distinguishedv in appearance from said other imitative elements, carried around close to said series or elements, and means relatively to vwhich both of said members are rotatable, having sectors arranged around the axis of rotation of the members, each member being free to rotate by its'momentum and said members trictionally contacting together whereby one member, upon having its rotation initiated, transmits rotation to the other member in uncertain ratio, so that said members may chance to stop with any one of said series ot' elements within anyone of said sectors with said additional element.

3. In an amusement device, a base, a lower hub rotatable on an uprightl axis on said base, a series of imitative elements carried by said hub around said axis, a pin lixed to and upstanding from saidl hub centrally thereof, an upper hub rotatable on said pin and supported on the top of said lower hub, a single imitative element distinguished in appearance 'from said other imitative elements, carried around said axis by the upper hub, closely above said series of elements, said pin extending above said upper hub for manual engagement to initiate rotationof said lower hub, the frictional contact of the lower hub and pin vwith the upper hub trans'- mitting rotation to the upper hub in uncertain ratio, so that said hubs may chance to stop with any one of said series of elements nearest to saidl additional element.

il. In an amusement device, a rotatably mounted series of imitative elements free to rotate by virtue of their momentum, a single imitative element distinguished in appearance 'from said vother imitative elements, mounted to rotate freely, concentrically with but relatively to said series of elements, by virtue of its momentum, and frictional means for imparting motion from said series ol element-s to the'aeditional element in uncertain ratio, so that by chance anyone of the series of elements may be nearest to the additional element upon stoppage or' revolution yof all of said elements.

5. In an amusement device, a rotatably mounted series of imitative velements free to rotate by virtue of their momentum, a single imitative element distinguished in appearance from said other imitative elements, mounted to rotate freely, concentrically with but relatively to said series of elements,'by virtue ot its momentum, a. stationary member having sectors arranged concentric :with the paths of the revolutions of said elements, and frictional means for imparting motion from said series of elements to the additional element in uncertain ratio, so that by chance any one of the series of elements may K1 be withnrany one of the sectors With the additional element upon stoppage of revolution of all of said elements. l

GEORGE v. Postr.

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