US2039782A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

May 5, H R T I GAME APPARATUS Filed May 6, 1955 Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME APPARATUS Howard B. Doty, Glenside, Pa;

Application May 6, 1935,- Serial No; 19,942

6 Claims. (Cl; 273-102) The principal objects of my invention are to panel I 03 opposite to that on which the disk 'IOI provide a game in which elements appearing visand block I02 are located, of the instant selected ually similar and effectively indistinguishable as setting may be'avoided by requiring him to avert regards the portions of their surfaces exposed to his gaze while such setting is being made, or by view from a given direction may be differently manipulating disk IIII too rapidly for his eyes and alternatively set as regards the instant posito follow its movements, or by interposing any tion of one of the said elements instantly identiphysical body between his eyes and the apparatus fied by its instant condition of relatively greater during suchmanipulation. These are matters of susceptibility than another of the said elements rule and procedure, the essential requirement to to displacement; and to provide a game in which be fulfilled by the apparatus being that, once the a players success depends upon his displacing an manipulative alternative setting has been made, element, the instant location or condition of which there shall effectivelybe no readily recognizable relative to another element not equally susceptidistinguishingdifferences between the-portion'of ble to displacement has been selectively and alterblock I02 seen through one of the apertures and natively predetermined by an opponent without the portions of disk IOI seen through other aper- 1-5 turned relative to panel I03, on pivot IIO, to an point) behind aperture '01, he directs his the said players specific knowledge. tures, as viewed by-a person looking from the side In the accompanying drawing: of panel I03 opposite to disk IOI and block I02 Fig. 1 represents a front View of a disk, II, and from such distance as maybe appropriate to containing an opening, I04. his performance of his function in the game,-

Fig. 2 represents a front view of a block, I02, of After the completion of a'manipulative and such size and shape as to fit into the opening I04. selective setting as above described, culminating Fig. 3 represents a front view of a panel, I03, in the alternatively selective setting of disk IOI containing a plurality of apertures which are inand block I02 relative toapertures I06, I01,' I00 dicated by numbers I06, I01, I08 and I09, respecand I09; the person mentioned in the-preceding tively. paragraph, whom we shall call player A, attempts Fig. 4 represents an edgewise view of panel I03 to displace'blo'ck I02 from its position in openwith disk IOI attached thereto by pivot II 0, so ing I 04: This he may "accomplish by directing that the disk can be turned relative to the panel. a suitable impulse against block I02, such as a To operate this apparatus, block I02 is placed push with his hand or some implement, or the in opening I04, where it may be retained, if orimpact of an object h t or th any d y fi friction or gravity, i not Sufficient, case, he is 'faced with the problem of guessing by a sp i O f of such optional Spring is 01 otherwise determining the location of block shown as 15111 I02 in order that he may displace it. If when,

Disk WI, Carrying with it block 15 then unknown to him, block I02 is (from his viewalternatively selected position such that block I02 is in apposition with one of the apertures I 06, I01, I08 or I09, so that to a person looking from the opposite side of panel I03 the location of block 102 is not visually determinable, since what such a person would see behind any given aperture might be either block I02 or disk IOI, these two tack against What he sees behind aperture I06, or I08, or I09, he will encounter disk IOI which Will not yield or be effectively displaced. I If, however, he directs his attack against what he sees behind aperture I01 at such a'time; he will encounter block I02 'and it will be readily 'diselements being visually similar as to character of surface, and no distinguishable identifying If he iu only One hls j? m y 7 differences being exposed to his View depend entirely upon guess or chance, 1n*' the I prefer to make block I02 and opening I04 a apparent ratio f one the f l f es little larger than anyof the apertures I06,'I01, P l 1031" II, w r, he 1s allowed several I08 and I09 in order that other provisions or opt1a1srh1$chafne Tatlo W111 Improve h ough the crative precautions against visibility and recogniknowledge gamed by each unsuccessful p 0 tion of the edges f block 2 and pening 4 for instance, if in the above situation he attacks may be rendered unnecessary, but this larger size fi st I08, then 06, then I09, he Will have learned of the block and opening relative to apertures I06, by trial, error and elimination that block I02 is I01, I08 and I09 is not essential. behind aperture I01.

Specific knowledge, on the part of a person The rules for playing the game are susceptible looking at the apparatus from the side of the of infinite variation and. are not claimed as patentable, but for illustrative purposes typical playing procedure is indicated as follows:

Players may be allowed to use blunt-pointed.

darts for the purpose of attacking locations where they surmise that they might displace block I02. Let us suppose that when taking his turn at this function of play a player is called the shooter, and is supplied with four such darts, corresponding to the number of possible alternative settings of the disk and block. We shall refer to his instant opponent, who makes a manipulative setting of the apparatus in anticipation of the shooters play, as the blocker.

The blocker having madehis setting, the shooter then proceeds with his attack, being credited with a score for each dart he throws along a path on which the block is located at the commencement of his turn. Thus, supposing he starts by displacing the block with his first shot, and further supposing he throws all his remaining darts through the aperture in panel I63 defining the position of block I02 prior to such displacement, he may score four times at one turn. Or, if he misses with the first dart or by wrong selection hits disk [0| therewith, he cannot thereafter score more than three times at that turn because he has but three darts remaining and has failed to score with the first. Obviously he may also be unsuccessful with the second dart, leaving himself but two further chances; he may fail again and leave himself with but one; he may by bad selection and bad throwing combined fail to displace the block and hence fail to score at all; or he may after displacing the block and so beginning to score, miss the aperture with any succeeding dart and thus fail to addto his score.

When the shooter has completed his turn by throwing all of his darts, and when his score, if any, has been recorded, he may become the blocker and the player who opposed him as blocker may become the shooter for the next turn; or one or the other or each of them may give place to another player for the next turn,

it being possible for two or many persons to playby taking turns at the different functions of the game in any mutually satisfactory order or system of rotation.

I It is clear that adding to the number of elements comparable with and functionally counterparts of disk [0| or block I02, or either of them, whether or not like those illustrated as to form, would introduce no addition to the principle.

All such optional variations are anticipated and included in this invention as described herein.

It has likewise been made clear that the nature of the impulse utilized in the attempt to dislodge an element is optional and may be pressure with the hand or any implement, or impact of any object shot or thrown, rolled, slid or thrust forward, or any mechanical or electrical or other application of energy, all being effective equivalents.

I claim:

1. In a game device, including, at least: two members operatively associated and arranged for adjustment relatively to each other; one of said members having a displaceable and replaceable target element and a surface portion identical in appearance to a surface portion of said element; the other member having a plurality of openings making portions of said target element and first member visible therethrough, and

means to conceal the position of the aforesaid target element.

2. In a game, including, at least: two members operatively associated and arranged for adjustment relatively to each other; the first of said members having a displaceable and replaceable associated element and at least one surface portion identical in appearance to a surface portion of said element, the said surface portions being arranged for exposure to attack in alternative positions relative to the second of said members; the second member comprising a plurality of openings making said surface portions visible therethrough; and means to conceal the respective positions of said first member and its as sociated element.

3. In a game, including, at least: a plurality of target elements and a body member; said target elements having surface portions identical in appearance, and being operatively associated and arranged for adjustment relatively to said body member, and at least one but not all of them being effectively displaceable and replaceable as regards its operative association in an adjustment effectuated relatively to said body member; said body member comprising a plurality of openings making portions of said target elements visible therethrough; and means to conceal the relative positions of the said target elements.

4. In a game device, including, at least: a plurality of target elements and a member rela tively to which the said elements may be alternatively adjusted; the said target elements having surface portions identical in appearance, at least one of said elements being effectively displaceable and at least one of said elements being effectively fixed as against displacement from an adjustment effectuated relatively to the said member; and means to conceal the relative positions of a displaceable element and a fixed element.

5. In a game device, including, at least: a member comprising a plurality of defined spaces; and an assembly of target elements susceptible of adjustment relatively to the said member in such manner as to result in there being in conjunction with an alternatively selected defined space, a target element effectively fixed as against displacement, and in conjunction with another alternatively selected defined space, at the same time, an effectively displaceable target element; and means to conceal the relative positions of said target elements.

6. In a game device, including, at least: a member comprising a plurality of defined spaces; and an assembly comprising a plurality of target elements related to the said defined spaces and adjustable in such manner that there may be, in alternative arrangements, a displaceable element related to one defined space while there may be a fixed element related to another defined space; and means to conceal the relative positions of displaceable and fixed elements.

HOWARD R. DOTY.

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