US2111339A

US2111339A - Game

Info

Publication number: US2111339A
Application number: US59511A
Authority: US
Inventors: Etta M Squires
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1936-01-17
Filing date: 1936-01-17
Publication date: 1938-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 1955-03-15

Description

Patented Mar. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to games in which one element is mounted on a seesaw, and is here illustrated as a game of table tennis in which the top surface of the seesaw serves'as the field or court of the tennis game, and the net swings or teeters with the seesaw. A newelement of uncertainty is introduced into table tennis or other ball games played upon a seesaw, by the teetering of any element which teeters with the seesaw. This added uncertainty requires a new kind of skill to overcome it, or makes the game more and more a game of chance and less a game of skill, thus making a new game.

The game shown is played by two, three or four persons who may be seated upon the seesawso that at least one person is going up while another is goingdown, though the game is susceptible of being played by persons standing upon the ground while the seesaw teeters up and down carrying up and down or back and forth the game element which is fixed to it, the net in form shown.

The uncertainty is added to make the new game one particularly suited for children who are always seeking something new.

In the forms shown the seesaw includes two separate standards each carrying a bearing, and a board or plank carrying a shaft adapted to rest in the bearings.

The board may be provided with narrow extensions beyond the ends of the court on the board forming convent seats.

The game is well adapted to be kept in a game room with the board or plank lifted off its bearings and set on end against a wall, with the posts also set against the wall. Moreover the posts holding the net may be lifted out of the holes which normally hold them so that the whole game device is normally out of the way but easily set up on the game room floor.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying one form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional side view of the same.

Figure 31s an end view with the board or plank level.

In the form shown a table-tennis net convengame of table tennis, being provided with the usual line markings l4, i5, 16..

To play this or any other game the players may be seated uponextensions ll of the plank 13. The extensions I! are here shown as relatively narrow, so that a player may sit astride of an extension at one side or the other of the plank, or sit sideways upon it with the feet dangling between the extensions, ll.

To enable a relatively light plank I3 to serve the purpose the plank may be stiifened by rela-- tively thin longitudinal planks or girders l8 on edge, one suitably fastened near each edge to the underside of theplank l3 and extending out to near the end of the extensions ll.

The plank I3 is shown as provided with a transverse shaft 19, mounted on hangers 20 which are shown as fastened to the bottom edges of the longitudinal planks l8, so that the plank usually balances on the shaft, at the holes I 2.

The shaft 19 is shown as fixed in the hangers 20 by transverse pins 2| and as extending beyond the edges of the plank l3 so that its ends .rest in journal members 22 on the upper ends of supporting horses 23, with the result that the plank l3 forms a seesaw turning on the horses 23.

Forcompactness and solidity the horses 23 are formed with relatively broad bases 24 from which rise timbers 25 forming an inverted V, the journal members 22 forming the apexes of the Vs, and being held by transverse and longitudinal bolts 26 to the timbers 25.

For simplicity the journal members provide a bearing 2lbetween upstanding arms 28, and the horses 23 are prevented from working lengthwise I of the shaft! by cotter pins 29 passing through the shaft and long enough to lie adjacent the vertical faces 30 of the bearing members 22, thus confining the play of the horses between the hangers 20 and the pins 29.

The ends ofthe vertical planks l8 are shown as cut off at their ends 3| on a slant so that they do not limit the rocking of the seesaw l3. Thus .the full teetering of the plank I3 is utilized to increase the interest of a game such as the tab tennis illustrated.

The plank 13 may also be provided with an opening 32 near one of the post holes 12, to removably hold an upstanding post 33 to which the ball for playing any game is tethered by highly flexible string 35.

, Thus, given a string 35 of suitable length, table tennis may be played with the tethered, ball 34, or'another game may be played with the tethered ball after removing the posts II and net I0.

Having thus described certain embodiments of the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A game floor balanced as a seesaw carrying upstanding posts at the point about which it seesaws while playing the game, and a net stretched between the posts. M

2. A game floor balanced as a seesaw, carrying an upstanding game element at the point about which it balances while playing the game, and extensions of the floor forming seats upon which players of the game may sit and teeter up and down with the floor while playing the game.

3. A game floor balanced as a seesaw carrying upstanding posts at the point about whichit seesaws while playing the game, a net stretched between the posts, and extensions of the floor forming seats upon which players of the game may sit and teeter up and down with the floor while playing the game. v

4. A game floor balanced as a seesaw carryi upstanding posts at the point about which it seesaws while playing the game, a net stretched between the posts, and extensions at each side of each end of the floor forming seats upon which players of the game may sit and teeter up and down with the floor while playing the game.

5. A balanced game floor having an opening to receive a post, a post remov'ably fitting the opening, hangers on which the floor teeters and a ball tethered to the post in position for players to play the'game with the ball upon the teetering floor.

6. A game floor balanced as a seesaw, a post fitting an opening in the floor, a net carried by the post and forming part of the game equipment, a second post flttingjanother opening in the floor, and a ball tethered to. the second post in position for players to play the game with the ball upon the teetering floor.

SQUIRES. 20