US2223805A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

G. MADIEU GAME APPARATUS Filed Feb. 26, 1957 JNVENTOH Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNiTED STATES iATENT OFFiCE Application February 26, 1937, Serial No. 128,041

In France January 13, 1937 Claims.

This invention relates to a game apparatus and a principal object is to provide a simple, practical, dependahle and unique apparatus capable of functioning as an adjunct to any suitahle or ap- 5 propriate game such as a gameinvclving a number of players Whose individual movements or progression on, for example, a marked-oif game looard have to be determned; among other chjects is the provision of a game apparatus utilizing, in a unique and intriguing manner, certain forces of rotation and of rollingction and capa hle as desired of control by such degreeof skill as the player may be able to exert in the effort to determine the magnitude or value of his turn at the game. To best carry out such objects as these, I aim to provide a game apparatus comprising a cup shaped receptacle providedat its lower central portion with a certain number of small recesses or like caVities and a plurality of halls; which are distinguished from 'one another hy suitable means, such as -diifertnt colors and/or sizes, numoers, nOtches or other iridica' tiens, etc.

When the balls are set in movcment in the cup and allowed to stop they will come together at the hottom of the latter and be retaind in said recess, so that they will stand in a certain order determined by hazard on'the figure or design formed by said recess.

The points scored hy the players will be based upon the relative position or positions of one or more given halls, in the figure formed by the halls.

In a prefei*red -emhodimnt, the said cup has three recesses and th1fieehalls are used.

The movement of the halls may be efiected either by r0tating the cup, or by the direct throwingf the halls ina stationary cup.

The said game apparatus, in order to evaluate the figure formed by the halls, is completed by a score ihdicating chart upon Which are represented on the one hand the diiferent'figures which may be formed loy the halls in the cup and also any suitable limes, 'circumferences or the like, combined With said figures in such way that h-y the positions of the halls in the cup, the scoring points of the different players are automatically indicated.

50 In the accompanying drawing, which is given solely by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammati vertical section of a form of construction of a game apparatus in acordance with the invention. H

55 Fig. 215 a correspond ing plan view.

Fig. 3 shows the corresponding score indicating table.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus comprises a concave receptacle I of shallow form, which is rotatahly mounted, by 5 means of an axle 2 and a hall oearing 3, upon a base 4. A pin 5, urged by a spring 6 mounted in a lateral support 7, enters an aperture 8 in the eclge of the said recipient i, and Will thus stop this latter in a given angular position, after it 10 has heen set in rotation and has lost its kinetic energy after making a certain number of revolutiens depending upon the force Which has been thus applied.

In the bottem of the 'said cup l are formed 15 three shallow circular recesses 9, sa, il which may have any desired position, but are preferahly arranged, as shown, in such way that their centers are located at the apices a, b, c, of an equilateral triangle.

Any desired reference mark or indexing mans such as the arrow l6-(Fig. 2) is provided on the cup, preerably in radial alignment With one of the recesses. The apparatus' is completed by thre halls i2, I3, [4, which can be distinguished from one another by any desired means. In the present case, the three halls have the same diameter, and they can he recognized bytheir colour. For instance, the ball l2 iswhite, the hall i3 is bine, and the 30 ball 14 is red. The halls preferahls have such a diameter that they will touch each other hen they stand in the respective recess 9, m, Il, as shown in Fig. 2.

When the cup is rotated and then ieft to itself 35 the halls Will roll upon the surface,nd When the cup bas been brought to rest by the stop pin 5, they Will corne together at the bottom by the effect of gravity, and drop into the recesses 9, H], H, respectively. 40

' With 'three recesses -positioned at the apexes 'of an equilateral triangle as shown in Figure 2 and with three difierently colored halls capable of heing brought to rest in the respective recesses, the halls will thus -be able to take such relative positions with respect to the arrow l6 that Six difierent combinations or figures can be obtained.

The invention comprises also a score indicatingchart Il (Fig. 3) showing the said'combinations as indicated at A, B, C, D, E, F. Arrows l8 onsaid chart correspond to the arrow l6 of the cup and the respective positions which the halls can take are shown by white circles (12) blue circles (I3) and red circles (M) arranged tangentially to each other.

The six combinations are as follows: Combination A.The white hall l2 is at the top,

in the recess 9. The red bal] l4 at the bottom, on the right, in the recess Il. And the blue hall l3 at the bottom, on the left, in the recess Il). v The whole set of combinations is shown b-elow:

Botcom Top Le; Right Combination:

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, the combinations A and B are shown side by side, C and D are shown below side by side, and D and E are shown at the base of the chart, also side by side, with a. point of contact between the inner circles of the combinations A and B, C and D, E and F. Moreover, a circumference !9 is shown on each group, said circumference passing through the point of contact between the three halls in each group.

The chart like that of Figure 3, for interpreting or tiranslating the possible geometric figures which the halls can be made to set up may be used for many game combinations. For example, the several players may take turns in manipulating the halls and the cup and the six combinations A to F of Figure 3 may be given appropriately difiering numerical values such as, for example, from 1 to 6, respectively. Accordingly, if a player achieves the combination B that could mean that he may make two moves in whatever game the apDaratus, including the chart, is functioning, and so on. For that matter, some of the combinations may be given negative values to indicate retrograde movement in the particular game being played. Thus, the game being played might be a game like parchesi or backgammon. Many other game combinations can, of course, be devised.

Obviously, the said invention is not limited to the embodiment shown and described. The stop pin may be dispensed With. It has however the advantage of stopping the cup in a position which is fixed in space, which facilitates the control of the game by the players. When the stop pin 5 is used, it Will be appreciated that the stoppage of the rotating receptacle I may be relatively sudden in which case the rolling around of the halls is given, relatively, a substantial impetus and in such case the player can exercise his efforts at skill by the initial rotary movernent that he gives the cup and that may be set into rotation at, for example, high speed or low speed, and likewise, also, the player may set the stop pin into action at any point in the deceleration of the cup. If, as above noted, the stop pin is dispensed With, the rotary motion of the cup, initially achieved at any desired value as the players judgment and skill may direct, may be halted or decelerated in any suita-ble way, even manually, thus afiording the player the opportunity of exercising skill and judgment in the rate at which the cupis decelerated or the point in its deceleration at which it is completely halted, or both, the result as set up by the halls depending upon these factors and their variations as determined by the skill and judgment of the player.

The cup I need not have a rotary motion, and for the more simple playing, it may be moved by hand.

The cup I may also be held stationary, in which case the halls are throWn by hand or by a stream of air, or by any other means.

In order to malte a distinction between the halls, use may be made of any desired characteristics such as colours, numbers, difierent sizes, perforations, various marks, or the like.

The arrangement of the combinations on the score indicating chart I! may be difierent from the one represented, and may consist of separate circles, inverted combinations, difi.erent positions, etc. Some of the circles of a combinatien could be superposed upon circles of another combination and each combination could have contacting points With a plurality of other combinations. Difierent values could be put upon these difierent arrangements and different interpretations given them according to the particular game being played.

Thus, it will be seen that there has been provided in this invention a game apparatus in which the various objects above noted, together With other thoroughly practical advantages, are successiully achieved. The action of the mochanism is unique and intriguing, the apparatus is of wide adaptability, and the exercise of the play-ers skill may be brought into play to any desired extent.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment' above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lower central part With a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of a polygon and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing means forming a point of orientation with respect to said polygon, and a set of individually distinguishahle halls in the same number as the said recesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circular smooth path and to enter respectively into said recesses to be retained therein by their own weight, whereby said halls and said recesses coact to set up according to which distinguishable -balls enter which recesses, any one of a plurality of distihguishable polygonal arrangements with respect to said point of orientation formed by said indexing means.

2. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lower central part with a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of a polygon and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing means forming a point of orientation With respect to said polygon, and a set of individually distinguishable halls in the same number as the said recesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circular smooth path and to enter respectiVely into said recesses to be retained therein by their own weight, the recesses being so located that the halls are in contact With each other in the lower part of the receptacle when they are retained in the respective recesses, whereby said halls and said recesses coact to set up according to Which distinguishable halls enter which recesses, any one of a plurality of distinguishable polygonal arrangements with respect to said point of orientation formed by said indeXing means.

3. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lower central part With a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of a polygcn and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing means frming a point of orientation with respect to said polygon, and a set of individully distinguishable halls in the same number as the said recesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circular smooth path and to enter respectively into said recesses to be retained therein by their own weight, and means for rotatably supporting the receptacle, whereby said balls and said recesses coact to set up according to which distinguishable halls enter Which recesses, any one of a plurality et distinguishable polygonal arrangements With respect to said point of orientation formed by said indexing means.

4. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided at its lower central part With a number of recesses arranged at the apexes of a polygon and leaving thereabout a circular smooth path, indexing means forming a point of orientation with respect to said polygon, and a set of individually distinguishable halls in the same number as the said recesses, adapted to freely roll in said receptacle along said circular smooth path and to enter respectively into said recesses to be retained therein by their own weight, and means for rotatably supporting the receptacle and means adapted to stop the rotary receptacle in a given angular position, whereby said halls and said recesses coact to set up accorcling to Which distinguishable halls enter which recesses, any one of a plurality of distinguishable polygonal arrangements with respect to said point of orientation formed by said indexing means.

5. A game apparatus comprising a receptacle provided with a circular interior surface with three recesses arranged in substantially an equilateral triangle, whose center substantially coincides With the center of said surface, and a plurality of individually distinguishable halls capable upon relative movement betWeen them and said receptacle of ultimately coming t0 rest in recesses at the apexes of said triangle and in coaction with said recesses to form any one of a number of distinguishahle triangular relations with respect to a given point of orientation.

GERARD MADIEU.

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