US2588972A

US2588972A - Parlor baseball game

Info

Publication number: US2588972A
Application number: US123947A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert H Fish
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1949-10-27
Filing date: 1949-10-27
Publication date: 1952-03-11
Anticipated expiration: 1969-03-11

Description

MarCh 11, 1952 R. H. FISH PARLOR BASEBALL GAME Filed Oct. 27, 1949 IN VEN TOR.

i Q UA 3 I Q 4 5/ 4 f AW 2 42 0 .4 3 2 y M oo 00 00 2 OO 00 oo 00 00 w 0o 0O 00 N 0o 00 T A AN Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a surface projectile game and it is an object of the invention to provide a game of this kind including a resilient barrier against which the projectile is adapted to be impacted and to be repelled therefrom upon a playing field.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game of this kind including a field divided into a plurality of playing areas which become selectively effective by the area in which the projectile comes to rest.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game of the character indicated above, in which projectiles of different colors are being used and wherein the color of a projectile in connection with its final resting area decides the value of the play.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a game wherein a spinner is used as an umpire to decide any doubtful plays.

The invention consists in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts of my improved surface projectile game whereby certain advantages are attained, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan of a game apparatus embodying the invention; and

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, B denotes a flat body of plastic or any other suitable material and having any desired suitable shape. On the body B a baseball diamond D is delineated and in said diamond four bases Ii) including a home plate are indicated. A pin II is secured on the body B outside of the diamond D rearwardly of the home plate. Two other pins l2 are secured on the body 13 at opposite sides of the diamond D and at points beyond first and third bases. The pins II and 12 are substantially in alignment across the diamond D. A resilient bumper I3 is arranged between and supported by and betweenthe pins l l and I2 and extends substantially parallel to the first and third base points and. between. Preferably the bumper I3 comprises a coil spring.

The area of the body B representing the entire playing field is surrounded by a wall W. The wall W comprising the end or transverse portions l4 and I5 and the longitudinal or side portionsv A striking unit S is located adjacent to the tarnsverse wall portion l5 and is arranged in alignment with the home plate and the second S comprises a plunger rod l8 slidably sup -j base. ported in substantiallyhorizontal position by the transverse wall portion I5 and a bracket IQ of any suitable construction secured to said wall portion I5. On the end position of the plunger rod inner end portion of said rod a striking head 22 is rigidly mounted. and is preferably made from. hardwood. This head consists of a block having, preferably an elongated rectangular shape.

mond is concavely curved from one end to the other as at 23. The spring 2| abuts the bracket I 9 and the rear surface of the head 22 urging the plunger rod l8 to extend inwardly of the trans-. verse wall portion 1 5. A pair of guide walls 24;

formed from angle iron or any other suitable material are secured to the body B and extend inwardly from the transverse wall portion I5 at spaced from and runs parallel to the longitudinal wall portion l 6 with which it forms a channel 26. The guide wall 25 extends inwardly from the transverse wall portion I4 and is curved as at 21" so that its end portion 2.8 runs parallel to the transverse wall portion !5. The end of the wall end portion 28 is located adjacent to one of the front corners ,of the striking head 22.

Another guide wall 29 branches offlfrom the longitudinal wall portion l6 and runs parallel to the curved guide wall portion 21 and the straight guide wall portion 28.

surface of the striking head 23 and in front of -the guide wall 24.

The distance between the guide wall 29 and the

guide wall portions

21 and 28 is equal to the distance between the longitudinal wall portion.

16 and the guide wall .25 so that the guide wall- .29 and the

guide wall portions

21 and 28 form a continuation 30 of the channel 26.

The channel 26 and its continuation 3B are adapted to guide a ball 3| to the space in front of the striking head 22 when said head is retracted by pulling on the hand knob 20.

Th face of said block, i. e., the surface facing the dia--.

The end portion of the guide wall 29 is located adjacent to the lateral The projectile 3| may be a ball, disk or the like but is herein shown as a ball. The projectile 3| is impelled to roll along the guide channel 26-30 by a spring biased pitching plunger 32. This plunger comprises a rod 33 slidably supported by and extending through the transverse wall l4 and a bracket 34 mounted on said transverse wall. A hand knob 35 is rigidly secured to the portion of the rod 33 located outside of the transverse wall and a propelling. head 36 is mounted on the inner end portion of the rod 33.

A helical spring 3'! surrounds the rod 33 and.

abuts the propelling head 36 with one of its ends and the bracket 34 with its other end; The plunger 32 extends in the guide channel'26-30 and is protected by a cover 38 provided with a hole 39, which is large enough to permit projectile 3| to be placed in front of the propelling head 36.

There are. furnished a plurality of projectiles 3|, preferably seven and these projectiles are provided. with marks distinguishing them from Preferably they are di'fierently colored. Adjacent to the pitching plunger 32' each other.

. i'ng plunger. Another player retracts the striking unit S, if he decides he wants to bat the projectile passing infront of the head 22. If he chooses to let the projectile pass by into the catching channel 4|, the color of the projectile decidesif the play is to be counted as a strike or a. ball. For instance, red, green and yellow balls may designate strikes and white, black, blue and orange designate balls.

When the batter hits the projectile the latter is forcibly'propelled against the bumper |3 from which it rebounds onto the playing field. The value. of each play is decided by the area of the field in which the projectile comes to rest. There are defined a plurality of areas in the playing field and each such area is designated by a number or the like. If the projectile comes to rest in area #1, the play may be decided as a single. A- projecti-le resting in area #2 may be a bunt, in #3 a foul, in #4 an out and so forth. If desired the value of the several areas may vary in accordance with the color of the projectile in play. For instance, a green projectile. resting in. area #4v may be out but a white projectile in the same area may be a home run.

Four pins 44 are adapted to be putv in four holes. 45 provided in. the body adjacent to the striking unit S. Each hole 45 designates one of the bases and the pins in the holes indicate base runners on the bases. 7

To decide doubtful plays, an umpire spinner U is provided on the body B outside the bumper I3. This spinner U comprises a dial 46 divided in a plurality of radially arranged fields 41. Some ofthese fields are provided with the legend safe and some with the legend out. In the center of the dial 46 a vertical shaft 41 is fastened in the body 3 and a hand 48 is rotatably mounted on said shaft so that it extends over the dial. The hand is spun about the axle and the resting place of the hand decides the value of the play.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by and to the above indicated playing. rules, butthat such. changes and. alterations maybe made: which fall within the claims appended hereto.

While the present embodiment of the invention is based on the well known game of baseball, it-isbelieved obvious that the areas of the playing field may be identified in a manner to permit simulation of a different type of field game.

It is also to be stated that the top or playing surface of the body B and more especially the playing field portion thereof is preferably flocked when balls are. used or of a hard smooth surface should the projectilesbe in the nature of disks.

I claim:

1. In a surface projectilegame, an elongated" rectangular flat body'having its top surface provided with delineated scoring areas, means at one side of the rear end of said body for-forcibly discharging the projectile forwardly along one side of the body, a movable striker mounted at the center of the front side of said body, means for directing the discharged projectile transversely of the body across the path of movement of the striker, and oppositely angled bumper means extending transversely of said body adjacent. its rear end to change the direction of travel of the projectile, if and when it is propelled by the striker, so that it will come to rest at some point on the surface of the. body.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, with the said body having Walls rising from its front rear and opposite side edges, and the. said means, for directing the. travel of the projectile transversely of. the surface of the body across the path of movement of said striker, constituted in a con-.

tinuation of a channel formed on the said surface immediately inward of and parallel to a wall at one side of the body from the point. of initial discharge of the projectile to a point inwardly from the front end of the body, said channel continuation terminating at one side of the path of movement of said striker and in line with a second channel extending inwardly from the opposite side of the body, said second channel terminating at the opposite side of the path of movement of the striker, said striker being. normally disposed between and closing the opposed ends of said channels.

ROBERT H. FISH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 804,697 ,Woodberry Nov. 14, 1905 998,045 Standidge July 18, 1911 1,122,141 McIlroy Dec. 22, 1914 1,662,317 Livingston Mar. 13, 1928 2,083,540 Armstrong June 15, 1937 2,165,059 Koci r July4, 1939