US2193468A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

March 12, 1940. N.P. VICKERY GAME APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 12,1940.' N, R KERY 2,193,468

GAME APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ial/671:

Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES APPARATUS Norman P. Vic'kery, Keene, N. H.

Application .June 12, 1937, Serial No. 147,906

v 3 Claims;

This invention relates to games involving :the use of a -,conventional golf ball and putter. and relates more particularly to a game of this type wherein the golf ball is propelled by .the putter .5 down an alley provided with a setof ten pins. I provide a tee at one end of the alley and in the same horizontal plane as a pin plate at the opposite end of the alley, the pins being for-med of relatively light material and being designed and arranged specifically for a golf ball of standard weight and dimensions.

The purpose of the game of my invention is to improve a golfers skill in the art of putting through his necessarily varying the degree of force applied to the-ball to correspond to the varying degree of speed required coupled with accuracy and direction to topple a maximum number of pins.

It is an object of my invention therefore to provide a game involving the .use (of aa conventional golf ball and putter adapted to improve a golfers skill in the art of putting.

Another object of my invention is to provide a game of this type wherein an alley and a set :of 26 ten pins are used and the alley is covered with a material simulating a grass putting surface.

Another object of my invent-ion is to provide a game of. the above type having an improved gutter bordering each .side of the alley and pinpla-te.

Another object of my invention is to provide a return means for :the'golf .ball including a bumper directing the ball to the approximate hitting position on the tee.

Another object of my invention-is to provide a game of the above type wherein the alley and associated parts comprise a number :of individual pieces substantially secured together whereby the pieces may be quickly assembled or disassembled when changing from one location to another.

Another-object of my intention is to provide an improved pit at the end of the alley for a game of this type-adapted to cause the pins and ball to roll forwardly to be easily accessible by the pin boy.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will become increasingly apparent in a consideration of the following description and drawings wherein:

Fig. l. is a plan view of a ten pin alley embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side ,elevational view of the alley illustrated in l;

Fig. 3 is a medial longitudinal sectional view of the alley of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line l-fl of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the alley of Fig. 1 showing the gutter construction; 1

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary View showing the construction of the ball return.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, I have illustrated generally at It! a completely assembled alley ready 10 for use and comprising a central ball runway or alley proper l I, a ,tGG'lDOI'tlOI'l ii, a pin plate '13, and a pit M. The central runway or putting alley proper comprises flooring lbsupported by a plurality of transversely extending preferably Wood members Hi, the members it having generally V-shaped notches formed at each-end as indie cated at H.

Side boards l8 abut the ends of the transverse members I6 and are suitably secured thereto as .20

by nailing-or bolting, the side boards extending A above the level of the putting alley or flooring E5. The notch portions ll of members it support longitudinally extending preferably wood stripslfl'forming a gutter or trough into which the ball may roll in leaving the alley proper. It will be noted that the outer portion of the gutter is relatively sharply upwardly inclined and that the base of the gutter is relatively clos'eto the upstanding side board [8 so that there is little tendency for the ball to ride out of the gutter. The gutter extends from the tee portion 82 to the pit i l whereby the ball will be carried into the pit. The side boards it are extended upwardly substantially at the initiation of the pin plate is as indicated at 2B to join with a back board 2d and the pit floor indicated at 22 which is tilted forwardly to cause the pins or ball to roll forwardly and be in an easilyaccessible position for the pin boy. The back board 2i includes a seat 2-3 from which a back stop comprising sheet of flexible material 2t depends toabsorb the force of the ball. Strip 24 is preferably rubber but any suitable material may be used.

Secured to the outer side of one of the side boards I 8 is a ball return 25 which initiates rearwardly adjacent the seat 23 withinconvenient reach of the pin boy and at the stop of the side board portion 20, the return is then curved relatively sharply downwardly, as indicated at 26 and .50

is progressively lowered in a direction toward the tee portion l2. 1 p

The tee portion I2 is extended laterally on each side of the alley by transversely extending sup port members 21 and flooring 28. The tee portion l2 and the alley flooring i5 is covered by carpeting or other suitable material 29 simulating a grass putting surface, the carpeting for the alley proper terminating at the pin plate 13 so that the ball leaves the carpeted surface just prior to striking the pins. The ball return is preferably formed of two transversely spaced similar parallel and confronting strips 3! having arouate ball engaging portions 32. supported at spaced intervals by brackets The forward end of the ball return engages a bafile 3t extending over the tee portion 62 and of angular form whereby the golf ball after leaving the ball return will be directed toward the center portion of the tee surface l2, the return being so designed that sufficient impetus is imparted to the ball by gravity to carry the ball to the approximate hitting position on the tee surface.

Although any suitable dimension may be employed, I have found after considerable experimentation that the following measurements provide conditions which require considerable skill to secure an arbitrary rating fixed in a manner to be hereinafter described.

Preferably the width of the putting alley proper is two feet and the distance from the center of the tee portion l2 to the first pin at the pit end of the alley is approximately twenty feet. The pin plate 43 or the surface on which the pins are disposed is preferably two feet square and the pins are arranged so that the head of the first pin is six inches from the end of the carpeted surface and the said carpet end may serve as a junction marking the foul line for fallen pins, considered as dead wood. The back four pins are preferably 2 from the edge of the pit with the two end pins of this group 3" from the side edges of the pin plate. The center of each pin spot is preferably six inches from the center of adjacent pin spots. I also find that a tee portion five feet in width by three feet in depth provides sumcient area for either a right or left handed player to stand in the usual position while putting.

The manner of scoring which I have evolved as an indication of relative skill will now be described. A player hits three balls, and marks down the number of pins knocked down. If all of the pins are knocked down with one ball, it is called a strike as in bowling and scored the same way. Each three balls are considered a box and when ten boxes are played, the string is completed as in bowling and the player scoring the highest number of pins knocked down is the winner of that string. One hundred is an exceptionally good score for string and only an excellent putter can attain this score occasionally with the candlewood type pins to be hereinafter described. However, the golf method of scoring is more appealing to a golfer and is played by holes instead of boxes. The player has three balls to hit for each hole. If all of the pins are knocked down with the first ball, it is considered a hole in. one and the other two balls are not used. If all the pins are knocked down with two balls, the score is two for the hole. When all three balls are used and all the pins fall, the score is three on the hole. When all the balls are used and one pin is left standing, the score for the hole is four and any greater score is attained by adding the three balls to the pins left standing.

The players may also alternate on the tee for each hole to play match play wherein the most holes won in nine or eighteen holes, as agreed, determines the winner. Medal play where each nine holes is added up for a total can also be used to determine the winner and a score of 36 for nine holes is considered very good putting.

The aforementioned measurements may be considered as standard for a golf alley when a standard golf ball is used and the alley can only be used for home amusement when an exceptionally large room or hall is available. Inasmuch as there is nothing of a mechanical nature requiring a player to operate levers while playing or electrical score indicating means, the entire attention of the player may be concentrated on achieving accuracy in putting.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I contemplate that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit of my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A game alley adapted to have a golf ball propelled therealong, the alley comprising a tee end, a pin supporting surface and a putting runway intereonnecting said tee end and said pin supporting surface, longitudinally extending gutters on each side of the runway, the gutters being disposed below the surface of the runway,

the gutter portion more transversely remote from the runway being relatively sharply inclined upwardly and the gutter portion adjacent the runway joining the runway at a substantial distance below the rpnway surfaces, side boards extending a substantial distance above the upper termination of the gutters, transversely extending support members extending beneath the runway and projecting laterally beyond the runway sides, the side boards being secured to the support members and abutting the ends thereof, the portions of the support members between the runway and the side boards having a groove disposed therein, the groove side adjacent the runway being relatively less sharply inclined than the groove side adjacent the runway joining the runway at a substantial distance below the runway surface and a plurality of longitudinally disposed strips in the grooves connected to the support members.

2. A game alley adapted to have a golf ball propelled therealong, the alley comprising a tee end, a pit end, and an interconnecting putting runway, a pin plate of wood or the like material at the pit end of the runway, carpeting material or the like extending along the runway from the tee end to the pin plate and flush with the pin plate surface, longitudinally extending gutters on each side of the runway, the gutters being disposed below the surface of the runway and generally V-shaped in cross section, the gutter V-portion more transversely remote from the runway being relatively sharply inclined upwardly, the gutter V -portion adjacent the runway joining the runway at a substantial distance below the runway surfaces, transversely extending support members extending beneath the runway and projecting laterally beyond the runway sides, the side boards being secured to the support members and abutting the ends thereof, the portions of the support members between the runway and the side boards having a generally V-form groove therein, the groove side adjacent the runway being inclined at an angle substantially less than 45 and the groove side adjacent the side board being inclined at an angle substantially in excess of 45 the groove side adjacent the runway joining the runway at a substantial distance below the runway surface and a plurality of longitudi- 10 from the tee end to the pin supporting surface and flush with said surface whereby the ball is frictionally retarded along the runway and the pins are free to slide on the pin supporting surface,

longitudinally extending gutters extending on each side of the runway, the gutters being dis posed below the surface of the runway, the gutter portion more transversely remote from the runway being relatively sharply inclined upwardly and the gutter portion adjacent the runway joining the runway at a substantial distance below the runway surfaces, said gutters adapted to receive such balls as may be directed to the sides of the 10 runway.

NORMAN P. VICKERY.

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