US2257687A

US2257687A - Board

Info

Publication number: US2257687A
Application number: US341551A
Authority: US
Inventors: John E Huffaker
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-06-20
Filing date: 1940-06-20
Publication date: 1941-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1958-09-30

Description

SePt- 30, 1941- J. E. HUFFAKER 2,257,687

BOARD I Filed June 20, 1940 Ik .go /gv Il I 3mm/oom La7 16 E6 lJaim l yffzer @www Patented Sept. 30, 19411 A UNIT-ED STATES PATENT orifice John E. Huaker, Portland, Oreg.

Application June 20, 1940, Serial No. 341,551

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved board primarily adapted for use as a game board and also well adapted for use as a drawing board and having drawers for holding game pieces and other game implements or drawing instruments and materials, or the like.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide a board, for example, capable of being used for play of a number of games and formed of pivotally connected sections capable of being folded, for storage when not in use; said sections each containing drawers for holdingsheets provided with playing areas, and said drawers havin-g latch means for releasably retaining them in closed positions.

" Still another aim of the invention is to provide a folding gaine board with a pivotally con- `inected resilient latch means for holding the game board sections in a folded position and pivotally mounted latch means for holding the board in an extended position.

A further aim of the invention is to provide in combination with the drawers for `holding game paraphernalia, recesses formed in the marginal railing of the game board for holding the game pieces and having covers turnably mounted on the railing for exposing or closing said recesses.

Still another aim of the invention is to provide board sections pivotally connected along corresponding edges thereof and provided with rounded longitudinally extending ribs and grooves in said edges for inter-meshing, when the board is extended, to thereby reinforce the intermediate portion of the board to prevent excess pressure on the hinges or pivots which connect the board sections.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein;

Figure l is a top plan view of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken substantially along the plane of the line 2 2 of Figure 1, with the drawers in fully closed positions,

Figure 3 is an end view in elevation showing the apparatus folded, and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View showing a portion of the board in a folded position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, I designates generally a board, particularly adapted to be used as aff-ame bafdrbut which may be used as a portable drawing board. The board Iil is divided transversely, intermediate of its ends, and forms corresponding sections I I and I2, each of which is provided with a U-shaped frame I3, the intermediate portions I4 of which are connected by hinges I5. The ends or legs of the frames I3 extend outwardly relatively to each other. The sections II and I2 are provided with the top portions IB and bottom portions I'I which are secured to the opposite sides of the U-shaped frames I3 by mean's'of fastenings I8 to form spaces I9, which open outwardly of the remote ends of the board Ill.

Drawers 20 are mounted inthe spaces I9 and are provided with `the knobs 2| forimoving the drawers 20, relatively to the spaces I9 to open and closed positions. The drawers 20 carry curved latch elements 22 of spring metal which are adapted to engage fixed keepers 23, which project into the spaces, for releasably holding the drawers, in `fully closed positions. i

Theboard lil is provided withan up-set marginal railing24 which Vis formed of `corresponding U-shaped section-s carried by the board sections II and I 2, the ends of which are adapted to be disposed in abutting engagement, as best seen in Figure 2, when the board Ill is in an extended position. The railing 24 is substantially circular in cross section and along each side thereof is provided with a plurality of longitudinal grooves 25 which open upwardly and outwardly thereof. Each of the grooves 25 is provided with a cover 26, which covers are arcuately shaped in cross section. The covers 26 are provided with integral ring portions 2l at the ends thereof, which are disposed around the railing 24 and in grooves 28 in the under side thereof, and which are loosely mounted relatively to the railing to permit the covers 26 to be turned on the railing 24 for exposing or closing the grooves 25. Each of the covers 26 is provided with an outwardly curved lip 29, forming a handle for turning the covers. The lips 29 are provided with apertures 30 for engaging projections 3I on the inner side of the railing 24 for latching the closures 25 in closed positions. The lips 29 are sufficiently resilient to be sprung out of engagement with the projections 3| for releasing the latch means.

Latch members 32 are pivotally mounted on opposite ends of the two U-shaped sections of the railing 24 and are provided with down turned free ends, as best seen in Figure 2, for engaging grooves 33 in the other, alternate ends of the railing sections for releasably holding the board I in an extended position. The adjacent edges of the portions I4 are provided with longitudinally extending rounded ribs and grooves 34 which inter-mesh or inter-lock, when the board I0 is in an extended position, as best seen in Figure 2, to prevent pressure on the upper side of the board l0 from distorting or twisting the hinges l5 and to thereby provide means whereby the hinges l5 are relieved from supporting the weight of the intermediate portion of thev board lll, when in an extended position.

Referring particularly to Figure 4, a hook 35 is secured at its shank end to the under side of` the section I2, with its hooked end projecting outwardly from the free end of said section;

A loop V36 is pivotally connected to the under side of the corresponding portion of the section ll for detachably engaging the hook 35 when the sections Il 'and l2 are folded relatively to Y each other, in the manner as illustrated in Figure 3. The shank of the hook 3,5 is sufficiently resilient to permit its free end to ber bent and passed through the loop 36 for connectingl or disconnecting the parts.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the grooves Y25 form receptacles for holding) game pieces, and the like, while the drawers 20"may be used for containing the: sheets on which are printed various types of playing elds for use in the play of different games in conjunction u with playing pieces, not shown,l disposedV in the recesses 25. Said sheets, not shown, maybe spread on the upper side of the boardY l0, when extended, so that the board will act as a support for the game sheets and playing pieces. The drawers 20 and recesses 25 may also be used for holding drawing. instruments and paper, not

shown, and under such circumstances the board IU is readily adapted foruse as a drawing board, and lif desired a partor all of the railing 2d" can be dispensed with. The board Il), as heretofore explained, will be retained in an extended posi,- tion by the latch elements 32 engaging the recesses 33 and these latch elements. 32`may be swung inwardly to let the board be folded and latched in a. folded position by the

parts

35 and 36. When thus folded latch elements 32 will hold the drawers closed while the latch means and y3l will hold the covers 26 in closed positions for eiectively storing articles Vcontained within the drawers 20 and the grooves 25.

Various modifications and changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming the invention` are rcontemplated and may obviously be resorted to as only a preferred embodiment has been illustrated and described.

I claim as my invention:

1. A game board, formed of sections, having f an upstanding marginal railing extending around theV game board, said railing being formed of sections connected to the upper side of the board sections, said railing being substantially semioval in cross section and being provided Ywith spaced upwardly opening grooves, covers for closing or exposing said grooves, said covers being Varcuately shaped in crosssection andrbeing provided with integral ring portions at the ends thereof, and said railing having arcuately shaped groovesl in itsY underside forreceiving thel ring portions to position them for engaging around the railing for turnably mounting the covers thereon. Y Y

2. A game board of the type having recesses opening outwardly of the. ends thereof for receiving slidable drawers, comprising an upstanding marginal railing attached,P to the upper -side of the game'board adjacent the marginall edges thereof, said railing being substantially semioval in cross section and having upwardly opening, lengthwise disposed channels in its upper portionv and transversely disposed arcuately shapedV grooves in its underside, 'and cover` members, arcuately shaped in cross section, disposed on the railing and having ring shaped ends extending through and engaging the grooves for turnably Y mounting the covers on the channeled portions ofthe railing.

JOHN E; HUFFAKER