US239997A - Game-box - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. VIDGER, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

GAM E-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,997, datecl April 12, 1881.

Applicafion filed June 16, 1880.

To all w/wm zt may conccrn:

Be it known that I, CHARLES HENRY \VID' GER, of Lynn, in tbe county ofEssex antl State of Massachusetts, bave inventecl certain new and. useful Improvements in Game-Boxes, of wbicb che following is a spccifieation.

My inveution consists in a certain novel coustroction ancl' combinatiou of parts, forming a simple, cbeap, ami effective device for keeping a record of tbe points in a game, or for marking tbe points made by several separate players; also, in a certain bovel arrangementand adaptation wbereby saitl invention may be appliecl to a card-case or cribbagebox.

Referring to tbe drawings forming part of tbis application, Figure 1 is a plan view of a card-case or cribbage box opened upon its hinges, tbe pack ci cards being sbown tberein in broken lines. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of said case or box, taken npon che line w 00 of Fig. 1, but sbowing che box COSC(. Fig. 3 is an enlargecl section of one of tbe strips I.

It, is Well known lo cartl-players tbat, witb tbe exception ot' che orclinary cribbage-board, few, if any, of tbe card-boxes sold in tbe market contain devices for recording the various games wlncb may be played witb carcls. Il; would be difticult to devise an apparatns wbicb could be used to mark ali possible games; but for the purposes of recording tbose which are most commonly used by card-players some device is greatly neetled, and it is tbe pnrpose of my invention to supply tbis want.

Ain tbe clrawings indicates a box or case suitable for containing a full pack of cartls. This case may be made, if desired, of snob proportions as to hold tbe cards laitlin a single pile; but I prefer to increasc tbe lengtb and reduce thetbickness of tbe case by formng it, as shown in tbe clrawings, so that tbcpack maybe stowed tberein in two equal, or nearly equal, parts, as it may be much more conveniently carried in che pocket wben made in these proportions. Witbin tbe bottom of the case or box A, I form tbe cribbage-board B.

A is che lid of tbc box, and upon tbe inside of this lid I place a marking device or tlevices, which I construct in tbe following; manner: Slots O C O G are out 10m gitudinally in the lid A, extending from one end to about tbe cen- (No model.)

ter of the cover, or as far as may be lesirable. These slots are sballow, an d are partl y covered by strips of veneer, D, out from anyornamental woocl, a narrow space, D, being left between tbe adjaccnt strips over tbe central part of the slots (3. A block or strip, F, whicb m ay be covered With felt a, so as to closely fil; witbin tbe inclosed slot 0, is placecl in sai l slot before che strips D are fastenecl in place. A 1netallic button baving a screw-sb ank is lir1nly attacbed to each of tbe blocks or strips F by screwing the tbreadecl end iuto tbe wood composing tbe block: Tbe sbank of tbe button G projects between che vencer strips D, so that tbe bead or buttou itself rests upon tbe adjacent e(lges of said strips, betwecn wbicb il; may be mmed or slicl longitudinally Witb ease,wbile at the same time tbe block upon wbicb it is mounte l fit-s closely enougb in its slot to prevent any accidental inovemeimordisplacement. Io eacbbntton is attacbed a pointer, I, projecting over tbe strip I). A graduated scale is marked upon saitl strip, Witb suitable uumcration indicatetl tbereon, and tbe arrangement ci tbe parts just described is snob tbat tbe poiuterI 1naybe made to register with any one oftbe clivisions marked on tbe scale by merely slitling che button along until 'it reacbes tbe proper point.

A separa-te scale may be 1i1arked upou eacb strip D or upon eacb edge of tbe tbrce interior strips; or tbe central strip may bave tbe sanie scale marked upon eacb etlge, Whilc separate andindepentlent graduatons are i'ormetl 011 t-be otber strips. Moreover, by pivoting tbe heatl ot tbe button G upon its shank, so that it may be revolved one-balf a revolution, I may tbrow auy one of tbe pointers I into engagementwitb either one of two different scales. Tbe same result may also be accomplisbed by pivoting tbe pointer I upon che button G. So many dift'erentcombinations are possible in tbis manner that a great variety of gan1es may be marked witb tbis device.

Tbe remaining portion of tbe inside of tbe top is occnpiecl by a slate or other surface capable of receiving legible marks from any pencil. I prefer to use for tbis purpose a strip of artificial slate, wbicb may be simply fitted in place and renewecl wbenever desired. Tbe couvenience ot combining snob a tablet Witb 0116 other marking devices described, as well as With the cribbage-board, will be apparent to every player.

The blocks or strips F may be made square or slightly oblong but I prefer to use a long strip and to mount the button at one end. 'lhe strip may be arranged to slide under the tablet L as the buttons are pushed toward the center of the cover. By using a long strip nstead of a block, there is less danger of its bndng in che slot, the button moves more steadily and smoothly, and the felt packing may be more easily attached.

When the pack of cards is stowed in the box a vacant space W11 remain either at the end or between the two piles of cards, as the case is a ltt1e more than twice the length of an ordinary pack. By sliding the buttons G to the center of the cover they wll, when the ld is closed, fall into the space between the two halves of the pack, as shown in Fig. 2.

The markng devces, consisting of the buttons G and graduated strips D, may be used upon any game table or board as well as in that described.

Havng thus fully described my inventon, whatIclam as new, and desire to seeure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A game-box, A, containng the cribbageboard B, the sliding markers G, and the recording-tablet L, thc said box being composed of two parts hinged together, in order to provde for the cover A, al1 substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a game-board, che combnation, with diffkarently-graduated soales, of the buttons G, n1ounted upon strips F, each button beng adapted to sfide in a straight lime upon said scale and move independently of the others, substantially as set forth.

3. The two-part combination, With the gameboard A A, of the graduated strips D, the sliding blocks F, provided With a packng of felt, and the buttons G, having a suitable pointer, I, mounted on each one, substantally as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, With the buttons G, adapted to sfide between che dfferently-graduated strips D, of the reversble pointer I, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a gamebox, A, provided. With hnged cover A and having the cribbage-board B, the markc1s G G, adapted to slide between the graduated strips D, and provided with a reversible pointer, I, and the recording-tablet L, the buttons G being mounted upon felt-lined st1ips F, substantially as and for the pmpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my na-me to this specificaton in the presence of two subscribing wi tnesscs.

OHARLES HENRY WIDGER.

Witnesses S. O. SHERMAN, GEORGE H. R1on.

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