US2012519A

US2012519A - Game apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2012519A
Application number: US741202A
Authority: US
Inventors: Radtke Bruno
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1934-08-24
Filing date: 1934-08-24
Publication date: 1935-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 1952-08-27

Description

B. RADTKE GAME APPARATUS Filed Aug- 24 H15 ATTORNEYS.

30. discharging position.

Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED/STATES ATENT l oFFlCE GAMEAPPARATUS Q" l y Bruno RadtkerChi-cago, Ill., assignorto John. e p Y l f p VF. Meyer,Chicago,111.` Y Applicationfixugust `24, 1934, serial No; '141,202 Q2 claims,l (o1. 194-1) This invention relates'to` a game apparatus.` `It is an object of this invention t pIOi/ide an improved game apparatus whichis relatively simpleand inexpensive in construction and eiicient in use. l

A further object of thisinventicn vis to provide in a game apparatus which includesean ,inclined playing board, means for elevating the balls from a point, belowwthe playing board onto the same, and means including a new and improved lar rangement of inclined runways for returning balls which pass through the exit openings in the playing surface backvtovthe velevating means in such i a manner that the balls do notxbecome jammed or piled upon each other at the point where they enter the elevating means, asA frequently hap` pens in the use of prior art game` apparatus. A further object of the invention isto'provide in a game apparatus, a novel device for preventing fraudulent operation of the game apparatus,

or, what is commonly known inthe trade as nilk-H ing the apparatus; said-deviceincluding the elee: vating means, a 'coin slide, andmeans coacting with the elevatingmeans andvcoin slide yto prevent fraudulent operation ,of the elevatingdevice after a predetermined ,number of operations thereof, when the coin slide` is movedjzfrornits initial orV `coin-receiving position .towardy coin.-

`Other objects will appear hereinafter, v

The invention consistsin-the novel combinar; tion and arrangement ofpartsto be hereinafter described and claimed. -4

`The invention will be best understood-by reference to the accompanying .drawingnrshowing the preferred form ofconstruction andin which: Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a game apparatus-embodying a.preferred formvlof ,the I invention;

Fig. 2 1s ofFig.1;and

Fig. 3` is a fragmentary sectional detailed ,viewy on linef3-4-3in Figi 1.u a l l A game apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention isgenerally indicated at Il) in the drawing, and comprises a cabinet I! which includes an inclined playing board I 2; the inclined playing board I2 being provided with ball exit openings I3 and I4; and there being arranged below the inclined playing board I2 a sliding panel or board I5 which is provided with ball exit openings I6 which are adapted to be registered with the ball exit openings I3 by slidable movement of the board I5.

a `vertical sectional view on lineif-Z;

In carrying out the present invention,"there are provided below the slidable board orV panel l'oppositely inclined ballreturn runways I'Iand I8 which converge toward each other from op'- positeends of the playing board I 2 and merge into a runway I9; `the runway I9 extending transverselyl of the inclined playing board I2V belowthe latter and being inclined towardrthat` side of the cabinet II atlwhich is arranged theball elevating device, generally indicated at 2 0. The transverse runway IS communicates with'an in-` clinedrunway 2I'which is inclined toward the` elevating device 20, and thefspent playing .balls 22 are Yfed Vone'at a timev fromrthe ball return runway 2` Iv into a vertical guideway 23 throughwhich they are elevated.` up tothe level of tbe playing surface `I2 by means of a segmental velevating member or quadrant 24'; the elevator 24 having a ball seatportion 2,5 whichworks in `the guide'-Y wayr23. l, l- ,The elevating member 24` is pivotally mounted in the cabinetlj, as atZE; FigLZ, and has a. l at. erally `extending arm 2'I' which isA engageable vwith theend portion 28, o1 a ,latch .member 29; the end portion 2,8 of the latch member `2!! being pro:-A j'e'cted through. and ,beingslidableim a slot, 30, which is formed in a plate 3i; the plate 3| being stationarily mounted 4in the` cabinet II upon the upright supportingV wall -SZ't-herein,4 as shown in ,At its opposite end the latch member 29-has an upwardly` extending portion 33` Whichis` piv` otallycbnnectedto an arm 34 of a latchoper'- ating member 35; the member beiner pivotally mounted in the cabinet II asat 3B and having an arm 31 which projects ,laterally and horizon.- tallyover the coin slide 38: Vand the coin slide 38 is providedwith `an upwardly extending pin or-lug 3B which is arranged in the path of `move-z mentof the arm 37` of the latch'operatingfmember35.` -4- y i ya; The game apparatus I0. as shown, .includesa conventional ball propelling device 'orplunger llgandtherlsegmental elevator'V 24 is operated by means of ajslide rod'4I in arconventionalmanner.

Operation In the operation of the new apparatus, the balls are propelled one at a time by the propelling device 40 up onto the inclined playing surface I 2 and gravitate thereover so that they may enter into the ball exit openings I3 or into the exit opening I4; the balls being normally retained in the exit openings I3 and I4 by means of the V'sliding panel I5, but are discharged therefrom by inward movement of the sliding panel I5, which may be accomplished by operation of the coin slide 38; the inner end of the coin slide 38 engaging an abutment member 43 which is carried by the slide board I5 at the lower end of the latter.

As the balls are discharged from the exit openings I3 and I4 they fall, respectively onto the inclined runways I'I and I8 and roll down the latter into the transverse runway I9; and they pass from the runway I 9 into the runway 2I from which they are fed, one ata time, into the guideway 23 wherein they are elevated one at a time By means of the foregoing 4arrangement of ball return runways, the balls are prevented from piling up or jamming at the point where they are fed into the elevator guideway 23, and thus an objectionable feature of the prior art apparatus is eliminated.

.When the elevator operating slide rod 4I is pushed inwardly to operate the elevator 24 the laterally extending arm 21 of, the elevator 24 engages the end portion 28 of the elevator latching member 29 and moves the end portion 28 of the said latch member 29 in the slot 30 which is provided in the plate 3|; the latch member 29 being moved from full to dottedline position, as shown in Figs. land 2; andas the latch member 2.9 is thus moved from full to dotted line position, Figs. 1 and 2, by engagement of the arm 2'I of the elevator 24, the said elevatorarm 2l passes out ofk engagement with, and moves above, the end portion 28 of the elevator Vlatch member 29, whereupon the resetting spring 42 for the elevator latch ing member 29 retracts the latch member 29 back toits initial or full line position, as shown in Fig. 2, and in thisposition of thelatch member 29, the end portion 28 thereof is disposed in the right hand end portion of the slot 30 u(Fig. 2). In this position of the latch member 29, the end portion 28 thereof is disposed in the path of the elevator arm 2'I which falls, bygravity, back vonto the end portion 28 of the latch lmember 29, thereby urging the said endportion 28 against the action of. ,the spring 42into the notch which provides a seat for the end .portion 28 of the latch member 29 so that the elevator 24cannot be returned tov its initial or ball receiving position until the end` portion 28 of the latch member 29 is again moved back to normal orineifective, position (Figs. land 2), which can be accomplished only by retracting the ycoin slide 38 which acts through the lug 39 and member 3I-35-34 to move the end portion 28 ofthe latch rod29 fromright to left (Fig. 1) hence if a'player attempts to operate the game apparatus fraudulently, or, as it is called in the trade, to milk the machine by holding in the coin slide 38 and operating the elevator 4 I-24, he Will be able to accomplish only one operation of the elevating device II-24, since when the coin slide'38 is moved from coin-receiving toward coindischarging position, (as in Fig. 1) the upright lug orY pin 39 'which is carried by the coin slide 38 is movedaway from the arm 3'I of thelatcb.

operating member 35, whereupon the spring 42 operates upon the latch member 29 to pull the end portion 28 thereof back into position (as in full lines, Fig. l) to engage the elevator arm 21 and thereby prevent further operation of the elevator 24 and its operating rod 4 I.

However, as the coin slide 38 is moved back toward, or into, coin-receiving position the upright pin or lug 39 which is carried bythe coin slide 38, engages the arm 31 of the latch-operating member 35 and thereby pivots the latter and the latch member 29 (from dotted to full line position, counter-clockwise, Fig. l), thereby moving the end portion 28 of the latch member 29 (from dotted to full line position, Fig. 1) in the slot 3U; thus moving the said end portion 28 of the latch member 29 out of latching engagement with the arm-21 of the elevator 24 and thereby freeing the elevator 24 and its operating slide rod 4l for further operation.

When the coin slide 38 is again pushed in, toward coin-discharging position, the upright pin or lug 39 carried thereby is moved away from the arm 31 of the latch operating member 35 whereupon the spring 42 acts upon the latch modification, without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set,

forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modications asv come within the scope of the appended claims.

.Having thus described my invention what I claim. as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: Y

l. In a game apparatus Vwhich includes a cabinet and a member Within the cabinet providing a ballhplaying surface; means for elevating balls onto the said playing surface; a coin-controlled member; and means coacting With said controlled member for latching said elevating means against further operation after one operation thereof when said coin-controlled member is moved from its initial or coin-receiving position.

2. In a game apparatus which includes va cabinet and a member within the cabinet providing a ball playing surface; means for elevating balls onto the said playing surface; a coin-controlled member; means coacting with the said coin-controlled member to prevent further Voperation of the said Velevating means after one operation thereof when the said coin-controlled member is moved from its initial or coin-receiving position; and means coacting with said coin-con-l trolled member to release said latching means from latching engagement with said elevating means when said coin-controlled memberris returned to its initial or coin-receiving position.

BRUNO" RADTKE.