US2628102A - Electrically actuated ball lift for use in marble pin games - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 10, 1953 M. J. BINKS 2,628,102

ELECTRICALLY A T ATED BALL LIFT FOR USE IN M LE PIN GAMES Filed Sept. 15, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET l INVENTOR.

Feb. 10, 1953 M. J. BINKS 2,628,102

ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED BALL LIFT FOR USE IN MARBLE PIN GAMES Filed Sept. 15, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 r W L 47 j/ l I i I. :35 T I] i r 58 15 42 M42 37 y 44 .21 v 43 9 40 12 1 INVENTOR.

flz's Attorney- Patented Feb. 10, 1953 ELECTRICALLY ACTUATED BALL LIFT FOR USE IN IVIARBLE PIN GAMES Melvin J. Binks, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Republic Patent Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 15, 1949, Serial No. 115,875

This invention relates to new and simplified electrically actuated ball lifts for use in marble pin games.

The invention has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved structure of this character which will be highly efiicient in use and economical in manufacture.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified arrangement for effecting elevation of a ball from a ball return trough of a pin ball game to the feed runway for delivery of the ball to ball projecting position. In this connection it is an object of the invention to effect actuation of the ball lift actuating mechanism by the ball to be elevated to ballprojecting position.

In accomplishing this object, the elevation of the ball to such position is entirely independent of any action on the part of the player. In this respect the elevation of the ball may be said to be substantially automatic.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by refer- I ence to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating my ball elevating mechanism; 1

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 2--2 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the mech anism shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a suggested circuit diagram embodied in the invention.

In standard and conventional marble'pin ball games, the cabinet of such games provides'an enclosed inclined play board down which balls are adapted to gravitate. Along one longitudinal side edge of such board there is provided a projecting runway through which a ball is projected to the upper end portion of the board for gravitation thereover. Such ball is usually projected through said runway by a ball projector.

The spent balls from the play board find lodgement in an inclined return trough. Such return trough is fragmentarily illustrated at I0 in Figs. 1 and 5.

These spent balls are elevated one at a time from the return trough to an inclined feeding trough for gravitation to a position in front of the 3 Claims. (Cl. 273118) 2 ball projector; This feed trough is illustratedin the drawings (Figs. 1 and 5) at I I.

My invention has to do with the elevation of the ball from the return trough II] to the feed trough M. This is accomplished by providing a mounting late I2 which may be secured to a wall within the cabinet with which it is associated.

Extending from this mounting plate I2 and secured thereto in any suitable manner as by spot it U welding or the like, are lateral plates I3 supporting therebetween in spaced parallel relation with respect to the plate I2 the upper end portion of an elevating tube I4, the said tube being secured to the plates 53 in any suitable manner, as for example, by spot welding.

The lower end portion of the tube I4 is supported in parallel spaced relation with respect to the plate I2 by a supporting plate I5 secured thereto in a like manner.

Located a predetermined distance from the lower end of the tube l4 and secured thereto as at I6, is a bracket H on which is positioned the adjacent end portion of the return trough Ill, such trough I0 being secured to the bracket by means of suitable securing elements I8. This bracket I! provides parallelly extending spaced apart arms [9 having formed therein aligned slots 20.

Slidably arranged within the tube I4 and operating in such slots 29 is an elevator bar 2|. The upper end portion 22 of this bar 2| operates in th tube I4 and provides an inclined ball seat 23 on which a ball from the return trough I0 is adapted to find lodgement. This seat 23 engages a stop pin 24 provided by an adjacent arm of the arms I 9 and secured thereto in any suitable manner as at 25.

The upper end portion of the tube I4 communicates as at 26 with the feed trough II. Formed in the wall 2! of the tube I 4 is an elongated opening 28. Projecting into the tube I4 through such opening 23 for engagement by a ball lodged on seat 23, is a spring finger 29 of a switch leaf 30 carried by a mounting block 3|, secured to the wall 21 by means of screws 32. This switch leaf 3!) has a contact head 33 adapted to engagea confronting contact head 34 of a switch leaf 36 carried by the block 3 I.

The arrangement is such that a ball gravitating from the return trough Iii will lodge on the ball seat 23 in pressing'engagement'against the spring finger 29.

The weight of such ball will move the spring finger 29 projecting through the opening and flex 3 the spring leaf 3!} to move the contact head 33 into engagement with the contact head 34.

The lower end portion of the elevating bar 2| provides an extension 3'! extending substantially at right angles with respect thereto. Mounted on the mounting plate I2, as by means of screws 38, is an electrically operated motor 39 having an armature shaft 40. Mounted on such armature shaft 40 is a cam disk 4|. Connected as by means of screws 42 to this disk 4| for rotation with the disk 4| is an actuating arm 43.

One end portion of this actuating arm 43 carries a roller 44 which is adapted to be brought into engagement with the extension 31 upon operation of the motor 39.

A bracket 45 is secured to the plate 12 by means of screws 46. This bracket supports a switch block 4! extending from which are switch fingers 48 and 49 having confronting contact heads 59 adapted under certain conditions for engagement with respect to each other. The switch finger 49 has a depending extension disposed in the path of the hill 52 of the cam disk 4|. The arrangement is such that upon engagement of the depending extension 51 with the cam hill 52, the contact heads 59 will be brought into engagement with respect to each other.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a suggested circuit for the motor 39, in which circuit there is a power source 53. An observation of this circuit is selfexplanatory.

In the initial or starting position of the cam disk 4-! the actuating arm 43 will be disposed in the position shown in Fig. l. A ball gravitating from the return trough II) will lodge on the seat 23, disposing its weight against the spring finger 29, flexing the spring leaf 30 to move the contact head 33 into engagement with the contact head 34 to initially energize the motor 39. Upon this initial energization of the motor 39 the roller 44 will be brought into engagement with the extension 31 and initiate upward elevation of the bar 2|.

Prior to the time that the ball is removed from engagement with the spring finger 29 by virtue of elevation of the bar 2|, the cam hill 52 will have engaged the extension 51 of the switch leaf 49 and flexed the same to bring the contact head 59 thereof into contact with the contact head 59 of the companion switch leaf 48,

thus taking over the energization of the motor 39 after the contacts 33 and 34 have been separated. Continued operation of the motor will elevate the bar 2! to a position where the ball is discharged from the seat 23 into the feed trough H for gravitation to a position in front of the ball projector (not shown).

' The inertia of the motor 39 after the contacts 59 have been separated will carry the actuating arm 43 back to its initial or starting position as shown in Fig. 1.

By this simple arrangement a ball elevating mechanism is provided for returning a ball from the return trough to the projecting apparatus without any action on the part of the player of the game.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I 4 claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A mechanism for elevating balls from a return trough to a feed trough of a marble pin game comprising a tube having communication with the outlet end of the return trough and the inlet end of the feed trough, the feed trough being in a plane above that of the return trough, an elevating member movable longitudinally within the tube and having one end providing a ball seat adapted to receive a ball from the return trough, cam means for reciprocating said elevating member within said tube, electromagnetic means including a power circuit for actuating said cam, a pair of switch members connected in parallel in said circuit, one of said switch members being a ball-actuated starting switch disposed adjacent to the outlet of the return trough for engagement with a ball moving from said return trough onto said ball seat and adapted to be closed by said ball, said starting switch remaining closed until said ball is elevated out of engagement therewith by said elevating member, the other of said switch members being a holding switch and having an extension adapted to be engaged by a hill of said cam subsequent to the closing of the said first-mentioned switch member by said ball, said holding switch remaining closed until the elevating member returns to starting position with respect to said return trough.

2. A mechanism for elevating balls from a return trough to a feed trough of a marble pin game comprising a tube having communication with the outlet end of the return trough and the inlet end of the feed trough, the feed trough being in a plane above that of the return trough, an elevating member movable longitudinally within the tube and having one end providing a ball seat adapted to receive a ball from the return trough, means for reciprocating said elevating member within said tube, electromagnetic means including a power circuit for actuating said reciprocating means, a pair of switch members connected in parallel in said circuit, one of said switch members being a ball-actuated starting switch disposed adjacent to the outlet of the return trough for engagement with a ball moving from said return trough onto said ball seat and adapted to be closed by said ball, said starting switch remaining closed until said ball is elevated out of engagement therewith by said elevating member, the other of said switch members being a holding switch and having an extension adapted to be engaged by an element of said reciprocating means subsequent to the closing of the said firstmentioned switch member by said ball, said holding switch remaining closed until the elevating member returns to starting position with respect to said return trough.

3. A mechanism for elevating balls from a return trough to a feed trough of a marble pin game comprising a tube having communication with the outlet end of the return trough and the inlet end of the feed trough, the feed trough being in a plane above that of the return trough, an elevating member movable longitudinally within the tube and having one end providing a ball seat adapted to receive a ball from the return trough, an electric motor including a power circuit therefor, a cam disk on said motor, a roller bearing member carried by the cam and adapted to engage an element of said elevating member, a pair of switch members connected in parallel in said circuit, one of said switch members be- 6 ing a ball-actuated starting switch disposed ad- REFERENCES CITED jacent to the outlet of the return trough for en- The followin references are of record in the gagement with a ball moving from said return we of this 'z trough onto said ball seat and adapted to be closed by said ball, said starting switch remaining 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS closed until said ball is elevated. out of engage- Number Na Date ment therewith by said elevating member, the 1,263,875 Fekete Apr. 23, 1918 other of said switch members being a holding 2,197,491 Bellah Apr. 16, 1940 switch and having an extension adapted to be 2,295,599 Mozel Sept. 15, 1942 engaged by a hill of said cam disk subsequent to go the closing of the first-mentioned switch mem- FOREIGN PATENTS her by said ball, said holding switch remaining Number Country Date closed until the elevating member returns to 53%,838 Great Britain Mar. 19, 1941 starting position with respect to said return trough. 15

MELVIN J. BINKS.

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