US2791429A

US2791429A - Shuffleboard

Info

Publication number: US2791429A
Application number: US524349A
Authority: US
Inventors: Perec John; Salle Thomas La
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1955-07-26
Filing date: 1955-07-26
Publication date: 1957-05-07
Anticipated expiration: 1974-05-07

Description

May 7, 1957 J. PEREC Er A1.

SHUFF'LEBOARD Filed July 26, 1955 p n /fzo mail; Z I ,M z f [w n /j N f il M ..7 f 4% J Z WFT@ g. INVENTQRS L :fahrt/Perea United States Patent O s" SHUFFLEBOARD John Perec and Thomas La Salle, Utica, N. Y.

Application July 26, 1955, Serial No. 524,349

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-126) This invention relates to a game, and more particularly to a playing board or shuffleboard for a game.

The object of the invention is to provide a game board or shuliieboard which includes a playing surface that can be readily adjusted or leveled as desired.

Another object of the 'invention is to provide a shuifleboard which includes a playing surface that can 'be readily adjusted so that it assumes a desired position, the shufeboard including padding which serves to prevent the discs or playing pieces from damaging the board or causing too much noise, there being "a simple manually operable mechanism for .adjusting the position of the playing surface.

A further object of the invention .is to provide a shufileboard which is extremely simple an-d inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the ycourse of the following description.

`In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

lFigure 1 is a top plan view of a shuiieboard, constructed according to the present invention.

yFigure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

'Referring in detail to lthe drawings, the numeral 10 designates a housing which can be made of any suitable material, and the housing includes a horizontally disposed bottom wall 11 which has extending upwardly therefrom a pair of spaced parallel vertically disposed end walls 12, Figure 2. The housing 10 further includes longitudinally extending spaced parallel side walls 14. For supporting the housing 10 -a plurality `of vertically disposed spaced parallel legs 15 depend from the bottom wall 11 and are secured thereto.

There is further provided a base 16 which may have an hour glass shape .as shown in Figures 1 and 3 so that the sides of the base 16 m'ay be recessed inwardly. The base 16 is adapted to have discs or other playing pieces slid or moved therealong, and due to the hour glass shape, greater sk-ill will be required to properly move the discs therealong.

The base 16 includes a pair of superposed strips or plates 17 .and 18 which may be secured together by suitable securing elements 19, lFigure 4. -A sheet 20 of suitable material is secured along the top of the base 16, and the sheet 20 defines a playing surface upon which the discs or playing pieces are slid.

A manually operable means is provided for leveling or adjusting the position of the base 16, and this means comprises a plurality yof spaced parallel bolts or pins 21 which each have a head 22 on their upper end, and the heads 22 are secured in the base 16 as shown in Figure 4. The lower portions of the bolts 21 project through the r' p 2,791,429 Patented May 7, 1957 bottom -wall 11 of the housing 10, and the bolts 21 include a lower threaded portion 23. A wing nut or securing element 24 is arranged in threaded engagement with the threaded portion 23 of each bolt 21. Thus, by manually rotating the wing nut 24 in one direction, `the base can be moved downwardly to compress the coil spring 25, and -by rotating the nut 24 in the other direction, the coil spring will urge or bias the base upwardly. A coil spring 25 is circurnposed on each bolt 21, and the coil springs 25 are interposed between the base 16 and the bottom wall 11. Thus, by adjusting the Wing nuts 24, the base 16 can be caused to assume a level position.

There is further provided padding 26 which is secured to the inner surfaces of the end walls 12 and the side walls 14, and the padding 26 may be retained in place by support members 27. The padding 26 will help to deaden the noise of the playing pieces which may drop off the base 16, and the padding 26 will also help prevent damage to the housing from the playing pieces.

`From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been i provided a shuflleboard which includes a base 16 that can be leveled or adjusted as desired. In use, the game pieces or discs are adapted to be manually pushed or slid along the sheet 2() on top of the base 16. The sheet 20 may ybe made of a suitable wear resistant or hard material so that there will be no appreciable wear to the playing surface. Since the base 16 has the hour glass shape, more skill and pleasure will be derived in mov-ing the discs from one end of .the base to the other. To level the base it is only necessary to loosen or tighten the proper wing nuts 24 whereby the ten-sion on the coil springs 25 can be adjusted so that the bas-e 16 can be lleveled as desired. In the event that the game pieces move olf of the end of the base they will strike the padding 26 .so as to prevent damage to the housing and also tohelp mufli-e the sound. A framework may be secured below the base 16 .and this framework may include longitudinally ext-ending curved bars 28 which have a plurality of spaced parallel ribs 29 extending therebetween, Figure 3, and this framework helps to strengthen the base and prevent warping thereof.

The strips 17 and 18 can be made of any suitable material such as wood while the playing surface sheet 20 may ybe made of a hard Wood-like material also. Suitable washers can be provided on the bolts 21 so as rto prevent the associated parts from digging into 'the wood. The base isleveled by merely rotating the wing nuts 24. The shuleboard produced in accordance with the present invention is rugged and very `inexpensive to manufacture or make. By having the base shaped as shown in the drawings, the game will be more interesting to play, but it is to be understood that the base can have other shapes if desired. The parts can be made of any suitable material and of any desired size. Since the shuilleboard of the present invention is cheaper to make than the previous shuflieboards, it will have wider use and can be purchased by individuals for use in the home and the like. The sheet 20 may be made of a suitable hard material such 4as formica, and the device may be made of any desired color.

We claim:

1. In a shuille'board, a housing including a horizontally disposed bottom wall, spaced parallel vertically disposed side .and end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, a plurality of vertically disposed spaced parallel legs depending from ysaid bottom wall for supporting said housing, a base adjustably mounted in said housing above said bottom wall, .means for adjusting said base, said base including a pair of strips arranged in superposed relation with respect to each other and secured together, a sheet extending across the top of said base and secured thereto and delining a playing surface, a plurality of spaced parallel bolts depending from said base and having heads on their upper ends secured to said base, said bolts extending through the bottom wall of said housing, coil springs circumposed on saidbolts and interposed -between said base `and bottom wall, and manually operable securing elements on the lower ends of said bolts.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1, and furthery including padding secured to the inner surface `of said si-deV and end walls.

3. `In a shuieboard, a 'housing including a horizontally disposed bottom wall, spaced parallel vertically disposed side and end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall, a plurality of vertically disposed spaced Iparallel legs depending `from said bottom wall for supporting said housing, a base adjustably mounted in said housing above said bottom wall, means for adjusting said- "base, said base including a pair of strips arranged 'in superposed relation with respect to each other and securedA together, a sheet extending across the top yof said lbase and secured thereto and defining a play-ing surface, a yplurality of spaced parallel bolts depending from said 4base and having heads on .their upper ends secured to said base, said bolts extending through `the bottom wall of said housing, coil springs circumposed on said bolts and interposed between said base and bottom wall, and manually operable securing elements on the lower ends of said bolts, padding secured to the Vinner surface of said side and end walls, said base having an hour glass `shape whereby the longitudinal side edges of `said base are recessed inwardly, and a lframework secured below said base and including curved bars and spaced parallel ribsex-ten-ding between said bars.

4. A shufeboard comprising a housing embodying a horizontally disposed bottom wall, `spaced parallel Vertically disposed side `and end walls extending upwardly from said -bottom wall, a plurality of vertically disposed spaced parallel legs depending from said bottom wall for supporting said housing, a base -adjustably mounted `in 40 said housing above said bottom wall and said base adapted to have discs or other playing pieces slid or moved therealong, means `for adjusting said base, said 1base including a pair of strips arranged in superposed relation with respect to each other and secured together, `a sheet extending across the top of said base and secured thereto and defining a playing sur-face upon `which the disc or playing pieces are slid, a plurality of :spaced parallel bolts depending `from said base. and having heads on -their upper ends secured toV said base, .theY lower portion of said ybolts extending through the bottom wall of said housing, said bolts including -a lower threaded portion, coil springs circumposed on said bolts and interposed between said base and bottom wall, manually operable securing elements on the lower threaded ends of said bolts, padding secured 'to the inner surface of said side and end walls, support members for retaining said padding in place, said `base having an hour glass shape whereby the longitudinal side edges `of said base are recessed inwardly and-whereby due to the hour glass shape, greater skill will be required to properly move rthe discs therealong, `and `a framework secured below said base and including curved 'bars and spaced parallel ribs extending between said bars, said pad-ding serving to help deaden the noise of the playing pieces which may drop olf of the base, said padding yalso helping to prevent damage to the housing lfrom the playing pieces, said framework helping to strengthen the base and prevent warping thereof.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 473,991 Wilson May 3, 1892 1,099,419A Beatty June 9, 1914 1,357,778 Jacobs Nov. 2, 1920 1,636,535 Sherry July 19, 1927 1,663,749 iBenjamin Mar. 27, 1928 2,191,439 Brookfield lFeb. 27, 1940 2,493,620 Cusano lan. 3, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 24,284 G-reat Britain 1898