US2126006A

US2126006A - Game and apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2126006A
Application number: US120873A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Gross
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-01-16
Filing date: 1937-01-16
Publication date: 1938-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1955-08-09

Description

J. H. GROSS GAME AND APPARATUS Filed Jan. 16, 1957 INVENTOR JOHN H. GROSS BY at,

ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

The invention relates to a game of numbers, to a method of playing such game and to apparatus particularly designed for practicing the method.

The invention has for its primary object the providing of a variation in rolling ball games which employ numbered balls or spheres such as pool and billiards and which invention features both an element of skill in shooting a cue ball as in playing pool, and an element of chance as to which combination of numbers may be separated from a conventional pyramid arrangement of such numbered billiard balls as the result of a skillful shot.

The invention further contemplates the utilization of the single number on an ejected ball, or preferably the summation of two such numbers in the event of the simultaneous ejection of two suchballs.

Referring to the apparatus aspect of the disclosure, an'object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of container for billiard balls and like numbered spheres so designed and proportioned that the contained spheres can be readily mixed to assume a change in relative arrangement by shaking the container, andfrom which container a pair of the numbered spheres may be readily rolled out of the container on the actuation thereof in the manner prescribed by the rules of the game.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from a consideration of the method features of the disclosure and. from an inspection of the accompanying drawing and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one method of practicing the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel modifications of the preferred method and other features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view looking downupon a pool table equipped with apparatus for playing the games herein featured and showing the container in plan and in position to be actuated;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view in front elevation of the container shown in Fig. 1, looking at the same from the left hand side of that figure and with the closures in locked position;

Fig. '3 is a horizontal section through the container and taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a view partly in side elevation of the right hand side of the container as shown in Fig.2 and with parts broken away on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1 to show details of construction and also showing in dotted lines an elevated position of one of the closures.

In the drawing and referring first to Fig. 1 there is disclosed a flat support In and in the instant case shown to be the top of a pool table or other surface on which pool balls roll easily. There is positioned on the table a container II, acue ball I2 and an actuating cue I3.

The container II comprises a bottom I4, triangular shaped in plan, having an apex I5 and a base edge I6 forming the side opposite the apex l5. The ball receiving top surface I! of the bottom is inclined slightly downwardly from the base edge I6 tothe apex I5 so that the spheres or balls B- hereinafter described will tend to roll down the incline towards the apex I5 after the balls have been shaken to mix the same, as hereinafter described. The upper portion of the container comprises primarily a one-piece shell I8 which includes a flat upstanding base side I9 and two upstanding side walls and 2| rounding into each other to form slightly curved dome roof 22 considered transversely, that is, in planes parallel to the base side I9 as shown in Fig. 2. Considered from front to rear, that is, perpen dicularly to the base side I9, the roof 22 converges, from its maximum height, at the crotch 23 formed by the juncture of the side walls 20 and 2] above the apex l5 as shown in Fig. 4. The roof is provided at its high forward point with an upstanding funnel 24 provided with throat 25 of sufficient diameter to permit the insertion, one by one, of the balls B.

The base side I9 is provided adjacent its opposite edges with two openings 26 and 21 of a size to permit the free passage therethrough of one of the balls but not of sufficient dimension to permit two of the balls to pass therethrough out of the container at the same time. The openings have their lower edge flush with the high edge of the bottom I4 so that the ejected spheres when ejected from the container will drop a, short distance in falling on to the support ID as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The openings 26 and 21 are provided respectively with

drop closures

28 and 29 normally held by virtue of their own weight or by their inertia in position closing their respective openings.

The

closures

28 and 29 are secured to the wall l9 by hinges 30 located above the respective closures so that each closure while normally hanging vertically is capable of swinging outwardly when unlocked and thus form a drop door. The doors are each designed to be tem" porarily locked in closed position by means of a hasp 3i hinged to the lower edge of the closure and designed to be secured by locking means 32 movable into inoperative or unlocked position by means of a spring pressed thumb piece 33. These thumb pieces are preferably designed to face inwardly that is, towards each other, as shown in Fig. 2, and thus disposed in position to be conveniently moved outwardly relative to each other and into unlocking position by the thumb of the two hands of the operator as. he grasps the opposite sides 26 and 2| at the corners adjacent the base side Hi. The crotch edge 23 is provided intermediate its height with an outwardly projecting horizontally disposed cylinder 34 provided with a bore 35 extending axially and horizontally therethrough. Slidably mounted in the bore 35 is a bolt-like plunger 36, the inner end of which is formed with a cue head 31 simulating the head of cues such as the head of the cue I3. The outer end of the plunger 36 is threaded as indicated at 38 and is in threaded engagement with an external head 39 preferably formed by mutilating a billiard ball to provide an internal bore 40 slidably mounted on the cylinder 34 to provide a horizontally extending bearing engagement between the head 39 and the projecting cylinder 34. It is a feature of this disclosure that the outer exposed surface of the head 39 provides a spherical contact face 4| and otherwise the structure is designed so that the plunger head will simulate a billiard or pool hall for cooperative play with the free cue ball 12. The bore 40 forms a spring chamber containing a coiled spring 42 bearing at one end against the outer end of the cylinder 34 and at its other end against the head 39 tending to urge the plunger outwardly.

A long narrow box-like partition 43 is located in the container between the openings 26 and 2! and projecting from the base side I9 a distance at least equal to the diameter of one of the balls and disposed so as to provide a pair of

constricted passageways

44 and 45 leading from the interior of the container to the openings 26 and 2?. The partition is provided with a top 43 sloping downwardly from the base side l9 and underlapping the throat 25 and thus disposed in position to receive the balls introduced into the throat and direct them oiT the top 46 and into the interior of the container to join the balls already there.

Within the container are twelve billiard balls B each provided with a single number and forming two sets of numbered balls, each set being numbered progressively from I to 6 inclusive. The bottom I4 is so proportioned relative to the twelve balls when in position engaging the top surface ll of the bottom that they assume the pyramidal form illustrated in Fig. 3 with an apex ball marked 3 in this case centered in axial alignment with the direction of thrust of the plunger. The halls when falling into position tend to arrange themselves in two lines in the form of a V with five balls in each line and with the apex ball common to both lines. The other three balls, as for instance those marked 6, 3 and I, in the illustrated arrangement, are located between the two lines of balls in the crotch of the V formed thereby. The inclined slope of the bottom I! tends to shift the balls as. a whole towards the right of the showing in Figs. 3 and 4 and'thus away from the partition 43 and from the base side I6 provided with the openings. While it is the intent to make the structure as small as possible and thus provide a container which can be readily lifted from its support in the shaking of the balls incidental to the mixing operation herein featured, suificient clearance 41 is provided so as to ensure the requisite freedom of movement between the several balls during the mixing operation. With the idea of making the structure as light in Weight as possible it is suggested that the shell be made of sheet aluminum and the base made of wood.

In operation and assuming that the balls are, for instance, in the position in the container as indicated in Fig. 3 and that the container is centered at one end of the pool table as suggested in Fig. 1, the player strikes the cue ball I2 with one l3 and aims for the head 39 either with a direct shot or with a bank shot in accordance with certain rules forming no part of the present disclosure. The objective insofar as this disclosure is concerned is to strike the spherical head 39 with sufficient force to overcome the reset spring 42 and cause the cue-like end of the plunger to strike a percussion blow against the apex ball in this case shown to be one of the numbered 3 balls. This will cause both lines of balls 4, 2, I, at the upper side of Fig. 3 and balls numbered 4, 6, 5, 2, at the lower side of this figure to move slightly from right to left in the direction of the lines. Assuming that the closures are unlocked, the impulse transmitted along the two lines of balls will cause the end ball and which in the instant illustration both happen to be numbered 4 to leave the balance of the balls in the line and move rapidly and forcefully out of the two openings. This outward movement of the end balls elevates the closures as they pass beneath the same as indicated in dotted lines at the left of Fig. 4. The two balls will then roll out of the container and on to the billiard table where they can be quickly read and utilized as part of the complete game. While the remaining balls of the line such as the 2, 5, I, will not move very far from their initial position, and this is especially true in those cases where the balls must move up the incline formed by the bottom, anyhow, the next succeeding balls 2 and 6 will not be moving under any material force. However, even though this next succeeding ball of each line be moving, it would not have sufficient force to elevate for the second time the dropped closure and in this way the dropped closure acts selectively to permit while restraining the freedom of escape of the first ball in each line, and in preventing the second ball from moving outwardly it maintains all of the remaining balls in the container. In this way only two balls can be ejected from the container at one actuation of the plunger and only then in the event that all twelve balls are within the container when the plunger is snapped.

After a play has been made the two ejected balls are replaced in the container through the open top funnel and permitted to rejoin their companions remaining in the container. The fastening means at 33 are snapped into closed position, the container is elevated from its support and vigorously shaken in order to mix the balls indiscriminately so that it will be a matter of chance as to what particular numbered balls will eventually occupy the most advanced position in each line and which in Fig. 3 are occupied by the two balls numbered 4.

The container 7 with the mixed grouping of the balls is replaced on the table, the closures are unlatched and the device is ready fora repetition of the ball ejecting operation previously described.

It is obviously within the scope of the disclosure to operate the plunger by direct manual operation or bychance instrumentalities or by skill controlled instrumentalities other than the one and cue ball aspect herein featured.

Iclaimf e "1; In a device of the class described,'the combination of a support providing a flat pool-tablelike surface, a container of substantially triangular form in plan having two openings in its base side, each opening provided with a drop closure hingedly mounted above its respective opening, twelve billiard balls constituting two sets numbered one to six, said balls located in a single plane in the container with nine of the balls arranged in the form a V, one line of the balls being in alignment with one of the openings and the other line being in alignment with the other opening, a plunger mounted at the angle of the container opposite the base side and adapted at its inner end to contact with the ball forming the crotch of the V, the outer end of the plunger exteriorly of the container provided with a spherical exposed contact face simulating a billiard ball, a reset spring acting on the plunger and tending to project the spherical face outwardly away from the container, a free one ball on the support exteriorly of the container and adapted to be moved forcefully, as by percussion froma cue in playing pool, into contact with the spherical face to move the plunger inwardly against the resistance of its reset spring and, thus cause the plunger to react along the two lines of balls to cause an end ball of each line to move out of the container through the adjacent opening and against the resistance offered by the drop closure of such opening.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a mixing container for spheres, said container provided with a sloping bottom of triangular form in plan and with an end wall and two side walls coacting to group the spheres in the form of a triangular with an apex forming sphere at the lowermost point of the bottom when the spheres fall on the bottom at the termination of a mixing operation, the end wall being at the wide side of the pyramid and provided with two openings therein adjacent the side walls and a plunger at the apex opposite the end wall, said plunger operable from the exterior of the container and in engaging the sphere at the apex acting to eject from the container the two spheres which happen to be nearest the openings.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container having a bottom triangular in plan and sloping downwardly from one base edge to an apex, an end wall and two upstanding side walls, the end wall opposite the apex provided with two openings adjacent the two side walls, drop closures for each of said openings hinged to said end wall, means for locking said closures at will, more than two numbered spheres on said bottom disposed in two lines with a sphere common to both lines at the apex and with the spheres aligned with the openings and a percussion plunger mounted in the container at the apex and adapted in engaging said common sphere to eject the two spheres at the opposite ends of the lines out of the container through the openings and against the resistance interposed by the inertia of the closures when hanging in unlocked position.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a container having capacity to contain more than two billiard balls with sufficient clearance to permit the balls to be mixed by shaking the container with the balls therein, the bottom of the container being of triangular form to cause the balls automatically to assume a triangle form when they fall to the bottom, one of the upstanding walls of the container provided with two openings each of a size to permit only one billiard ball to pass'therethrough ata time,and a plunger carried by the container opposite the wall having the openings and adapted in striking the ball at the apex of the triangle to eject the two balls which happen to be nearest the openings therethrough and thus out of the container.

5. A container for billiard balls having an interior of sufficient capacity to permit the mixing of the balls when the container is shaken violently, said container provided on one side thereof with a pair of openings, means for causing some of the contained balls to assume two lines of mutually contacting balls arranged in the form of a V, and means acting on the ball at the apex of the V to eject the two balls at the opposite end of lines out of the container through the pair of openings.

6. A container for billiard balls having an interior of sufficient capacity to permit the mixing of the balls when the container is shaken violently, said container provided on one side thereof with a pair of openings, means for causing a certain number of the contained balls to assume two lines of mutually contacting balls arranged in the form of a V, said means including a bottom of triangular form sloping towards one apex for causing the balls to roll towards said apex and to position one of the balls at said apex, and means acting on the ball at the apex of the V to eject the two balls at the opposite end of lines out of the container through the pair of openings.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a support, a ball-mixing container for a group of numbered balls fixed to the support,- means acting on the balls for arranging them in line and in contacting relation, said container provided with an opening at one end of the line of balls for discharging the same on to the support, and ejecting means slidably mounted in the container at the other end for engaging the adjacent ball of the line.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a ball-mixing container for a group of numbered balls, means acting on the balls for arranging them in line and in contacting relation, said container provided with an opening at one end of the line of balls and a plunger carried by the container at the other end for engaging the adjacent ball of the line, and a bottom to the container inclined downwardly from the opening towards the ejecting means whereby the balls in rolling down the incline will contact with each other successively in line, with the ball at the lower end thus automatically located in position to be engaged by the ejecting means.

9. A container for two sets of billiard balls and having capacity to permit the balls to be 'mixed when the container is bodily shaken, means for causing the mixed balls to arrange themselves in two lines, said container provided with two openings, one for each of said two lines of balls and manually actuated means acting directly on that one of the contained balls which happens to be 7 nearest thereto to move the same to cause the balls forming the two lines to shift slightly towards their respective openings and thus act to eject from the container selectively only the two balls which happen to be nearest the two openings.

10. A container for two sets of billiard balls and having capacity to permit the balls to be mixed when the container is bodily shaken, said container provided with two openings and means acting directly on the contained balls to eject from the container only the two balls which happen to be nearest the two openings, and closures for the openings and constituting gravity controlled means tending to defeat the ejection from the container of any of the balls except such two balls.

11. In a game device, the combination of means forming an enclosure, a plurality of sets of simi-