US2988361A - Marble race game - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1961 r A, T 2,988,361

MARBLE RACE GAME Filed April 4, 1958 United States Patent 2,988,361 MARBLE RACE GAME William Arthur Dart, Mason, Mich., assignor to Dart Manufacturing Company, Mason, Mich., a partnership of Michigan Filed Apr. 4, 1958, Ser. No. 726,457 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-120) This invention relates to a novel game apparatus for a chance controlled game and more particularly to a marble race game comprised of a plurality of marble race elements which are vertically stackable so that marbles released on the uppermost of said elements progress in an unregulated chance manner to the lowermost of said elements.

Games hitherto developed and well known in the art require skill on the part of the contestants or players, usually have complicated rules that must be learned before the game can be played, and often utilize complicated structures which present a storage problem when not in use.

Games, whose outcomes are influenced by the skill of the contestants, lose their appeal as one contestant becomes more proficient in the specific game thereby winning consistently.

Complicated rules which must be observed during the playing of games often remove the element of relaxation from the game and require that potential users of the game devote time and etfort to learn the rules before being able to enjoy the game.

Bulky and elaborate structures utilized to play some games often create a storage problem, in addition to raising the initial cost of the game.

Another limitation of most games is that a limited or definite number of contestants are required and players usually play in sequence. This sequence type of play often results in loss of interest in the game by players while they are waiting for their turns.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel and entertaining game which can be played by one or more persons simultaneously.

A further object of this invention is to provide a game whose outcome is not predicated upon the skill of the contestants but is governed entirely by the element of chance.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a game whose rules of play are simple and thus easily mastered.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game device which is light and compact, economical to produce, easily assembled, and easily disassembled and stored.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a simple trouble-free structure capable of high production and economical maintenance.

Other objects and advantages found in the construction of my invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following specification in connection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the marble race game element illustrating the raised marble receiving portion and the grooved circular pathway having a marble drop opening opposite the raised portion.

FIGURE 2 is apartial breakaway view illustrating the interlocking features of the marble race game elements when they are joined for use as a game structure.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the marble race element illustrating a numberedpanel which is added to the lowermost element for. scoring ,purposes.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the marble race element illustrating the hollow wall configuration of the preferred embodiment.

Patented June 13, 1961 FIGURE 5 is a front assembly view illustrating a plurality of vertically-stacked marble-race elements in their use position, each of the race elements being oppositely oriented with respect to the next adjacent race element. The marble drop opening of the uppermost element is in register with the raised marble receiving portion of the element directly below.

FIGURE 6 is a front view of the marble race elements in their storage position wherein they are nested one on top of the other so as to require a minimum of storage space.

General description In general a chance controlled game structure is provided wherein a plurality of marbles or balls are released upon an uppermost marble race element 11. The marbles roll in accord with gravity down the marble receiving ramp 12 which merges with the pathway 13. Each marble due to its momentum, will circulate around the substantially horizontal and substantially circular grooved portion or path 13 of the marble race element 11. As each marble loses its momentum, naturally or due to bumping with other marbles, it moves to the lower grooved portion 13a of the grooved portion or path 13, and. drops through the marble drop opening 14 provided through the marble race element 11. The marble drop opening 14 is in register with the raised marble receiving portion or ramp 12 of the next succeeding lower marble race element 11. Each marble drops through the marble drop opening 14. The raised marble receiving portion or dias 12 is also grooved and slopes gradually until it merges with the main substantial horizontal and substantially circular grooved path 13 of the race element 11 Here again the marbles race about the grooved path portion 13 until each loses momentum and drops through the marble drop opening 14 to the next succeeding marble race elementll, where the process is circular grooved portion or path 13 until they lose their,

momentum and move to the marble drop opening 14. The lead marble comes to rest in the pocket 15 which is formed by the walls of the marble drop opening14 and the surface 16 upon which the lowermost marble race element 11 is resting. The remainder of the marbles come to rest adjacent to the marble resting in the pocket 15 in. chance order of their progress down the marble race game structure and in accord with their chance position as a consequence of delay in the paths 13 and their contact with each other. A simple scoring chart 17 is incorporated on the face of the lowermost element 11 which indicates score for the relative positions finally held by the marbles after they have stopped.

his pointed out that the order in which. each marble is released on the uppermost marble race element does not determine the final position of each marble on the lowermost race element. While any given marble may remain on a marble race element a relatively long time due to its momentum, other of the marbles quickly drop through the marble drop opening to the next succeeding marble race element having lost their momentum by bumping into other of the marbles. On the next succeeding marble race element, the relative position or progress of the marbles may again change because of similar chance bumping which may change their respective momentums and/or directions. It will. also be appreciated that the inertia of the marbles carry them across the marble drop opening when the momentum is suflicient to supply a climbing centrifugal force around the drop opening.

Thus, several turns about the path 13 are possible until the momentum of the marble fails to cause it to climb 3 up the wall of the pathway 13, the drop opening 14.

thus no longer avoiding Specific description The marble race element 11, as shown in FIGURE 1, is manufactured from polystyrene plastic sheeting. It is vacuum molded by a process well known in the art. The preferred embodiment of the marble race element is of hollow construction, as shown by the cross-sectional view of the FIGURE 4.

A raised ramp portion 12, shown in FIGURE 1 is pro vided on the marble race element 11. The ramp surface 18 is grooved as shownin the cross-sectional view of FIGURE 4. The grooved ramp surface 18 slopes downwardly to tangentially merge with the substantially circular and horizontal grooved pathway 13, as shown in FIGURES. V v

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIGURE 4, the grooved substantially horizontal pathway 13 is provided with an outer banked portion 19 which permits the marbles to ride away from the marble drop opening 14 when they are acted upon by centrifugal force due to their momentum.

The marble drop opening 14 is provided in the lowest grooved portion 13a of the substantially circular and horizontal pathway 13 and is located a point substantially opposite the ramp 12.

As shown in FIGURE 4, the marble drop opening 14 of the lowermost race element 11 is so configured so as to cooperate with the supporting surface 16 to form a trap pocket 15 for a marble. A rim portion 20 merges with the banked portion 19 to retain the marbles on the marble race elements 11.

A fiat central portion 21 is provided on the marble race element 11 and the hollow support hub 22 rises integrally therefrom. The hollow support hub 22 of each of the marble race elements 11 is of an upwardly tapered splined hollow wall construction. Positioning notches 23 are integrally formed at the base of the support hub 22 intermediate the splines 24. The positioning notches 23 are configured to engage the upper portion of the splines 24 of an identical mating. marble race element 11 so as to maintain the elements in the use position shown in FIGURE 5. This mating relationship is illustrated in the partial breakaway view of FIGURE 2.

It is thus seen that the hollow construction unique structure permits the marble race elements 11 to be stacked in a nesting manner for storage purposes by placing the hollow wall splines 24 of the hub 22 in register witheach other. This stacked relationship is shown in FIGURE 6. By rotating the marble race elements 11 so that the positioning notches 23 of one are in register with hollow wall splines 24 of another, the marble race elements 11 are automatically held in their use position as shown in FIGURE 5.

Although, all of the marble race elements utilized in the marble race game are of identically formed hollow construction, the marble race element intended to be the lowermost in use is provided with a scoring chart 17 as shown in FIGURE 3. Each number on the chart 17 coincides with a marble which has come to rest on the lowermost marble race element, either in the pocket 15 or adjacent another marble, thus providing a score for each finish position.

Operation In operation, a plurality of the marble race elements 11 are stacked vertically, as shown in FIGURE 5. The marble race elements 11 are alternately positioned so that the marble receiving ramp 12 of one of said elements 11 is directly below the marble drop opening 14 of another.

- Marbles, each of a different color, are chosen by each player. After each player has chosen a marble, the marbles are simultaneously released on the marble receiving portion or ramp 12 of the uppermost element. The

marbles roll around the grooved paithway 13 of the upmost element has no relation to their final positions on the lowermost element.

The scoring in the game is accomplished by referring to the chart 17 of the lowermost element. A different score coincides with each marble position. The highest score is assigned to the marble which is first and is resting in the pocket 15. Marbles to the left of the pocket are assigned smaller but positive scores. A marble to the right of the pocket receives a negative score.

This constitutes a game or the process may be repeated until one of the contestants reaches a predetermined score total.

After the game has been played, the marble race elements are disassembled. Due to their identical hollow construction, they can be telescoped" or nested upon each other and stored so as to require a minimum of space, as shown in FIGURE 6.

Although the present embodiment of this game structure utilizes marble race elements having hollow integral central support hubs enabling them to be vertically stackable in themselves, it is within the scope of the invention to utilize a separate support column or external support frame to maintain a plurality of marble race elements in a vertical spaced-apart relationship.

Various modifications of the invention may be made without departing from the principle thereof. Each of these modifications is to be considered as included in the hereinafter appended claims unless these claims by their language expressly provide otherwise.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, I claim the following:

1. In a marble race game, the combination including: a plurality of hollow platform elements for positioning one above the other in substantially parallel spaced-apart play position; a ramp-like receiving portion integrally provided on each of said platform elements and being grooved to tangentially merge with a substantially horizontal and convolutely grooved pathway, the convolutions of said pathway merging at their adjacent edges through gradually sloping portions to permit change in relative position of marbles released thereon, said pathway defining a drop opening at one point substantially opposite said ramp-like receiving portion and in play position oriented directly above and spaced-apart from the said ramp-like receiving portion of the next lowermost platform.

2. In a marble race game, the combination including: a plurality of nestable identically formed hollow platform elements having support hubs for positioning one above the other in substantially parallel spaced-apart play position; a ramp-like receiving portion integrally provided on each of said platform elements and being grooved to tangentially merge with a substantially horizontal and convolutely grooved pathway, the convolutions of said pathway merging at their adjacent edges through grad ually sloping portions to permit change in relative position of marbles released thereon, said pathway defining a drop opening at one point substantially opposite said ramp-like receiving portion and in play position oriented directly above and spaced-apart from the said ramp-like receiving portion of the next lowermost platform.

3. In a marble race game, the combination including: a plurality of identical substantially parallel spaced-apart marble raceway platforms in vertically-stacked play position; a ramp-like receiving portion integrally provided on each of said platforms and being grooved to tangentially merge with a substantially horizontal and convolutely grooved pathway, the convolutions of said pathway merging at their adjacent edges through gradually References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 117,559 Patterson Aug. 1, 1871 424,260 Bender Mar. 25, 1890 1,337,773 Ireland Apr. 20, 1920 2,838,870 Morse June 17, 1958

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