US2054616A - Game totalizer - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1936. L. A. DURANT GAME TOTALIZER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 18, 1935.

IN VEN TOR.

L. A. DURANT GAME TOTALI ZER Sept. 15, 1936.

Filed May 18, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 LJLL AM/A

M 0 m I Y B L. A. DURAN? GAME TOTALIZER Sept. 15, 1936.

Filed May 18,

1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 JNVENTCR. A. five-mew 4: WWW

A TTORNEYS.

Sept. 15, 1936. I A DURANT 2,054,616

GAME! TOTALIZER Filed May 18, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVEN TOR. imam A. flaw/Yr *ZWL ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME TOTALIZER :2 Mass.

Application May 18, -1933, Serial No. 671,599

3 Claims.

This invention related to totalizers or score keeping devices for use with that type of game in which balls are rolled onto a playing board with the object of getting them into holes formed in the board and possessing different scoring values. Typically this sort of game is provided with a coin controlled mechanism releasing a predetermined number of balls for play, and the invention has particular utility in connection with such a mechanism. In its broader aspects, however, the invention is independent of the partic* ular control mechanism, or of the particular type of game with which it is used.

For convenience in illustration, the invention has been shown as applied to an amusement device which is at the present time in common use. The game board of this device is contained within a glass topped cabinet so that it is visible but not directly accessible. A plurality of holes, possessing different scoring values, are formed in the board, and various hazards such as pins are located between the holes. At one side of the easing is a plunger controlled by the player to propel the balls one at a time onto the playing surface. Since the scoring is dependent upon the holes into which the successive balls fall it has been customary to retain the balls within the holes in full view until all of the balls have been played. After a players round of balls has been exhausted he adds up the total of the points scored. The desirability of an automatic totalizer is plain, but all devices hitherto proposed for this purpose have been so complex, bulky, and uncertain in operation as to render them impracticable. In accordance with the present invention, a totalizing device is provided which is of great simplicity in construction. and which has entire accuracy in operation. In its preferred form the device is coupled to the usual coin control ball release so that the device is reset to zero at the delivery of each fresh round of balls. An additional advantage is that the device is so constructed as to elevate the balls automatically into playing position. A further advantage of the device is that it provides an automatic high score record, which may be reset at the end of any desired period. Additional advantages will appear in the description of the preferred form of the device and in the claims set forth below. Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a game board to which the totalizer is applied;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the totalizer; Fig. 4 is an end elevation thereof;

(crave-121) ,Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the ball actuated' portion of the totalizer;'

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a section on line (-1 of Fig. 5; 6

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the totalizer mechanism; and

Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram of a signal device associated with the high score recorder.

The game board In is located within a casing 10 ll having a glass top l2. Holes l3, into which it is the purpose of the game to have the balls drop, are spaced around the surface of the board it, and the entire playing area is surrounded by a generally oval barrier or rail M. A 15 straight barrier l5 at one side defines a race-way it along which the balls b are initially projected. In the present case the balls are propelled down this race-way by a plunger l'i having an exposed handle l8 and a compression spring l9. When 20 the plunger ii is drawn back against the pressure of the spring a ball 12 drops in front of it from a chute 28. Release of the plunger will cause the ball in front of it'to be projected down the raceway it with a speed dependent upon the 25 amount the plunger is eased off before complete release. t

As stated above, the holes l3 have different scoring values, in some cases two or more holes having the same value. To segregate the balls 30 passing through the holes of these several values, a series of ball collecting levels 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 are provided below the board surface. Balls reach the level 25 directly through those holes 153 having the highest scoring value. The levels 36 2t, Z'i, 28 and 29 are reached through tubes 2!], 2i, 22 and 23 passing through intermediate levels as is clearly shown in Fig. 2. The board and the various levels are arranged on a slant, as also shown in Fig. 2, so that the balls have a tendency 4.0 to roll towards the front of the device. Here they strike a barrier 34? extending diagonally across the device, so that they ultimately reach a series of tubes or conduits 35 corresponding to the different levels and leading to a vertical i5 casing to. This casing has a hole ll in its upper head 52, to which the balls are delivered by the uppermost conduit 35; and a series of holes 53, M, 45 and 36, to which balls are delivered by the lower conduits respectively. The arrangement 50 is such that balls are delivered into the casing 40 at heights proportional to the scoring value of the holes it through which they pass. Balls not passing through any of the holes I3 are directed by the barrier M into a conduit 41 con- 55 the balls within a limited cylindrical sector of necting with the chute 2c and m the arrangement shown are returned to be replayed.

Within the casing is a shaft 56 having a pivotal bearing 5i in the lower head 52 of the holes 41 etc., and preferably spaced apart by a substantial angle. i'hese rods serve to confine the casing. Since the balls cannot, because of the presence of these rods, roll around themclined plane presented by the helical rib, their weight will cause them to descend by turning the shaft and rib in the direction of the arrow 55 in Fig. 6, the amount of rotation given to the shaft being directly proportional to the elevation at which the balls were introduced into the casing.

'-At the bottom of their descent through the casing the balls are directed outwardly through an aperture by the inclined upper surface 5! of the lower casing head 52. A pin 62 on the lower portion of the shaft 50 serves to assist in sweeping the ball out of this aperture, overtravel of the ball beyond the aperture being prevented by a shoulder 53 formed on the rib 53, and by a strap 64 joining the rod 54 and the adjacent edge of the aperture. The aperture 56 is aligned with a hole 65 in the frame plate 65 which carries the totalizer, and to which the casing 40 is secured as by screws 61. From the hole 65 the balls pass into a tube 68 mounted on rods 59extending from a shaft 10. The ends of the tube 68 are. open-,'the-balls being retained therein by the adjacent walls of the frame 56 except when the tube is opposite the hole 65 or a hole 1| located in the opposite frame wall at a nected with the chute 20 previously mentioned;

At the upper end of the-shaft 50 is formed a worm 15 which, 'as best shown in .Fig. 3; is in mesh with a worm gear 16 on a cross shaft 11.

'This shaft extends between the walls of the frame and at its end remote from the worm wheel has a collar 18 held in place by locknuts 19. A

second collar 80 is pressed against the adjacent.

frame wall by a spring 8| compressed between the two collars,-in order to exert ,an adjustable frictional resistance to the rotation of the shaft.

The angular travel given to the balls by the spacing of rods 54 and;55 is useful, in addition to shifting the discharge point from the admission point, in developing a certain momentum in the ball; which, when the ball strikes the rod come any static friction due to the collar 80.

Upon the shaft 11 is a drum 85, located between collars 86 and 81. The-outside of this drum is. graduated infigures indicating the total score;

antacid 9B fixed on, the shaft and resting against an interior wall of the drum. There being no load on the drum-the friction between'the spring and the wall is sufficient to drive it, while the drum can be reset readily by rotating it without causing any corresponding movement of the shaft.

The coin controlled resetting apparatus comprises theusual coin slide 92 having a coin receiving hole 93, reciprocable in a guide 9%. In the presence ofa coin this slide is coupled by a dog 95 to a second slide 98 in the manner customary in devices of this character. in the present case the slide 98 bears a rack 91 engaging a pinion 98 fast on a sleeve 99 loosely mounted on the shaft 77 between collars 86 and IE8. The sleeve 99 also it passes around the sprocket ill! and around a sprocket i mounted on the shaft 18, the ratio between the sprockets being such that a full inward stroke of the slide 98 will turn the shaft m an amount sufficient to raise the tube'88 from a position in alignment with hole 85 to a position in alignment with hole Til. Arm I92 carries at one end a resetting pin I05 adapted to make contact with a pin Hi5 on the drum 85. These pins are so set that with the slide 96 pushed way in, the drum will be turned to its zero reading. With the slide out the pins will be spaced sufiiciently toavoid any interference during the totalizing action. The opposite end of arm I02 preferably carries a counterweight I01, here shown as in the form of a screw. The end of shaft it is preferably bent as at I88 so as toengage a stop pin I09 when the tube 68 is in its lowered position. A spring 0 is stretched between a pin iii on the bent portion of the shaft and a notch M2 on the frame, the line of the spring 7 passing slightly below shaft 10 in this position.

' in raising the weight of the tube.

In case it is desired to employ a-high score indicator a second 41112211. is loosely mounted on a stationary hang d sleeve "5 surrounding the shaft |'|,-a spring 1 exerting a slight frictional drag on it to prevent overrunning. A pin i I 9 projecting from the side of drum 85 is adaptedtostrikeapin "8 on the side of drum 5, so that the second drum will be advanced with the carries'a sprocket lfll and an arm i132. A chain first but will not be reset to zero with it. Drnm- 5 will thus indicate the highest score which has been made on the apparatus since the'time is made, a current may passthrough these contacts froma battery H t and through a lamp I22 located in a visible position to attract attention to the feat.' The pin/i l9 also serves to position -the drum 85for zero reading, striking against s stop pin I23 forthis purpose. 55, will develop a slight impact suflicient to over- In operation a coin inflhole 93 and theslide 92pushedal1thewayirfi Thisresets to theposition of Fig. 4 by gravity upon the re- 75' .drum85to azeroreadingand eleyatestube 68in 7o lease of slide 92. The balls are now propelled one at a time by the plunger, goingout onto the board and either passing through one of the holes l3 or passing out through the opening 41. As the balls fall through the holes 13 they reach their proper levels and travel one at a time into the corresponding holes in the casing 40. It will be understood. that the paths taken by the balls are such that those passing through holes having the greatest scoring value are delivered to the casing at the highest elevation. As the balls sink through the casing they will rotate the shaft 50, and hence the drum 85, an amount proportional to the distance from their entrance elevation to the bottom of the casing. The motion of shaft 50 and drum,85 is added to proportionally by every ball that passes through, so that the final reading of the drum after the last ball hasbeen played will be the total score obtained.

It will be understood from the foregoing that many changes may be made from the specific details shown, without departing from the broader aspects of the invention asset forth in the following claims. 4

What 1 claim is: e

1. A register comprising a cylindrical casing having several vertically separated points of entrance and a point of exit at a lower level, a member having a spirally inclined surface located within the casing and adapted to be revolved by objects selectively admitted through said points of entrance, amounts proportional to the heights of said points, means for preventing unrestricted circumferential travel of said objects inthe casing, and means for registering the amount of rotation of said member.

2. A game totalizer device adapted for use with a playing board having ball receiving holes possessing difl'erent scoring values, comprising a cy-- in the playing board in accordance with the scor ing value thereof and having an outlet at the bottom, a member having a spirally inclined surface within the casing, means for preventing unrestricted circumferential travel of the balls in the casing, a shaft, irreversible mechanism coupling the member to the shaft, a drum frictionally connected to the shaft, a resetting device having a one-way connection with the drum for resetting it, a ball carrier movable from a position in line with the outlet to a position where it discharges balls for re-use, and a single means for operating said resetting means and for shifting the ball carrier from said outlet into discharging position whereby balls discharged from the casing can be returned to playing position only with an accompanying resetting of the drum and upon the resetting of the drum all the balls are certainlyleft in position for re-use.

3. A game totalizer device adapted for use with a playing board having ball receiving holes possessing diiferent scoring values, comprising means operated by the balls in amounts determined by the hole through which the ball passed, an indicating device registering the totality of said amounts of operation and operated by said means, means for resetting said indicating device 'to zero, and a maximum score indicator operable by said indicating device whenever said latterdevice is registering scores higher than those previously made, said maximum score indicator being unafl'ected by said resetting mechanism.

mp A. DURAN'I.

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