US2540918A - Partition divided paddle - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 6 1951 OFFICE PARTITION DIVlDED PADDLE Harry 0. Utes, Forest Park, 111.

Application April 12, 1948, Serial No. 20,381

This invention relates to games and particularly to a ball and paddle. assembly designed to test the skill of the player in causin a ball to successively pass from one side of the paddle to the other side thereof upon manipulation of th paddle itself.

The most important object of this invention is the provision of a game of skill in the nature of a paddle that is substantially T-shaped presenting a pair of opposed wings and a handle, the ob ject of the game being to bounce a ball from one of the wings to the other by grasping of the handle and swinging of the wings.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of a game of skill in the nature of a paddle having a handle and a pair of flat opposed wings extending laterally from one end of the handle and having a dividing member between the wings over which the operator must direct a ball as he causes the same to bounce from one wing to the other.

Other more minor objects will be made clear or become apparent during the course of the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a game of skill made in accordance with my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a substantially cross sectional view taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line III--III of Fig. 2.

The game about to be described is similar in many respects to the conventional ping-pong game in that a paddle and small ball is utilized and differing because of the fact that the same may occupy the time of a single player.

The paddle used is of the character clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing and constitutes a body broadly designated by the numeral having a pair of Wings l2 and M and a handle 16. The handle l6 and the Wings l2 and Id are all in the same plane and all formed from relatively rigid material. The wings l2 and M are each substantially circular and disposed in opposed relationship, such wings l2 and I l being joined to the handle l6 by a central portion it. Thus the entire structure is substantially T- shaped, the wings I2 and I4 and the connecting portion l8 forming one leg thereof and the handle l6 constituting the other leg.

The portion 18 is relatively narrow and the handle 16 extends laterally therefrom in substantially perpendicular relationship to the longitudinal axis of this portion l8. This bridging portion [8 1 Claim. (01. 27396) e between the substantially circular Wings 12 and I4 is appreciably narrower than the diameters of the wings I2 and I4 presenting a pair of opposed, concave edges 20 and 22 disposed between wings l2 and It. The handle 16 is elongated and extends from the arcuate edge 22 of bridging portion It on a substantiall median line between the Wings 12 and 14. It is thus seen that a well balanced double paddle is presented for the purposes hereinafter more fully described.

An up-standing dividing member 24 is substantially G-shaped, one leg 26 thereof resting directly upon the normally uppermost face of the handle 16 adjacent the portion [8 and being perpendicular to the handle [6. A bight portion 28 of the member 24 extends forwardly from the leg 26 in substantial parallelism to the faces of handle l5 and the wings l2 and l 4 and terminates outwardly beyond the arcuate edge 20 of portion I8. A second leg 30 in substantial parallelism with the leg 26 joins an inturned arm 32 with the portion 28 of member 24. This arm 32 has a notch 34 formed therein presenting an ear 35 that underlies the portion [8 of the paddle. This bridging portion 18 has a slot 38 extending inwardly from the arcuate edge 20 thereof and disposed in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the handle I B.

The arm 32 of the member 24 projects tightly into the slot 38 and constitutes the sole means of mounting the member 24 on the paddle. This interlocking of the arm 32 within the slot 38 cooperates with the leg 26 which rests upon. the handle It in preventing displacement of th dividing member 2 1 when the paddle is placed in use.

It is contemplated that the game be played with a small, light-weight ball 49. The operator grasps the handle 55 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 holding the wings I2 and I4 thereof in a substantially horizontal position. As the handle i6 is caused to oscillate within the hand 42 of the operator, the ball 4!? will be driven from one of the wings l2 or M to the other wing of the paddle. In so driving the ball through an arcuate path of travel from one side of the handle [6 to the other side thereof, the operator must cause the ball to travel over the dividing member 2 3. In otherwords, this member 24 corresponds to the fence or screen used in the games of tennis and ping-pong. Obviously the effect could be enhanced by actually making the member 24 in the form of a screen if desired. It will become apparent that a great deal of skill will be necessary to successively cause the ball 40 to travel from one of the paddles or 3 wings to the other paddle requiring an exact amount of force applied to the ball 40 each time the paddle is swung from one position to the other in the manner illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. This figure also indicates the path of travel of the ball 40 from one of the wings l2 or l l to the other wing.

It is contemplated that the entire paddle Ill be madeffrom a relatively light, yet rigid material. It is also apparent that the simple mounting means for the dividing member 24 makes it possible to pack the entire'structure in a relatively fiat condition. Obviously, the lengths of the legs 26 and 39 of member 24 should be less than the diameter of the ball 48 used, forcing the player to always drive the ball over the portion 28 of this member 24.

The entire game is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, will provide many hours of enjoyment to youngand old while they attempt-to become proficient in driving the'ball in the man'- ner contemplated for long periods of time without error.

'Obviously, many details of construction -may be changed such as the precise disposition of the handle 5- and the'formation of the member =28,-all without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired-to be secured by Letters Patent is:'

A device for use in game of skill-comprising a substantially T-shaped body having a pair of opposed, parallel, planar surfaces and comprisingan elongated'handle and a pair of identical, substantially circular wings 'on one end thereof, said end of the handle being midway between the outermost ends of the wings, the longitudinal axes of the wings being in alignment and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the handle;

and a partition member =rigidly=secured to the body and extending laterally from one of said surfaces of the body between the Wings and within a plane containing said axis of the handle in parallelism therewith and perpendicular to said surfacesfsaid partition member including a frame having-a1p'air of end pieces, one end piece resting on the handle, a bar joining the pieces and spaced from'the bodyjand a second bar joining the other-end'fpiece' and one edge of the body opposite to said handle.

HARRY O. 7

REFERENCES CITED V The'followingreferences are-of record in the file of thisipatent: V

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date #717,041 Smith Dec. 30, 19,02 .2 ,193,441 V Batkin Mar. 12,1940

FOREIGN PATENTS v I Number countr Date 149,120 Switzerland Aug. 31,; 193l

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