US3237946A

US3237946A - Pocketed aerial projectile game apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3237946A
Application number: US276356A
Authority: US
Inventors: Velkas George
Original assignee: EMBASSY METAL CORP
Current assignee: EMBASSY METAL CORP
Priority date: 1963-04-29
Filing date: 1963-04-29
Publication date: 1966-03-01
Anticipated expiration: 1983-03-01

Description

March 1, 1966 G, VELKAS POCKETED AERIAL PROJEGTILE GAME APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. George Val/((18 I I. I

March 1, 1966 G. VELKAS 3,237,946

POCKETED AERIAL PROJECTILE GAME APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 pousu: Q ZBASES a 2 I INVENTOR. 1 George Val/(a5 14 FOP/V545 March 1, 1966 G. VELKAS 3,237,946

POGKETED AERIAL PROJECTILE GAME APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 NE TWO gums STRIKES i i z i i INVENTOR.

George Val/(a6 l9 W ATTOP/VEYS United States Patent 3,237,946 POCKETED AERIAL PROJECTILE GAME APPARATUS George Vellras, Flushing, N.Y., assignor to Embassy Metal Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 276,356 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-95) This invention relates to the art of game devices and more particulaly concerns a pinball or bagatelle type of game in which a player performs actions simulating those of a player in a sport such as baseball.

According to one form of the invention, there is provided a bat shaped like a baseball bat having a tapered hollow body. The bat has a transparent wall through which is visible a scoreboard carrying a plurality of pockets, each marked with appropriate scoring indicia. A ball is loosely disposed in the hollow bat body. The player swings the bat he would have swung an actual baseball bat which throws the ball out from a starting position in the handle. When the player raises and stills the bat, the ball will roll back into one of the pockets to eifect a score. According to another form a suitable manuallyoperated lever is provided to control a catch for retaining the ball in starting position until the player elects to release the ball. Thus, the player can make practice swings of the bat without releasing the ball, and when the player is ready he operates the lever to release the ball, takes a swing, so that a score will be made.

It is, therefore, one object of the invention to provide a simulated game device in which a player swings the game device in the same manner as in playing the sports, to displace a scoring ball movable in a hollow transparent body of the device to engage the ball in a scoring pocket within the game body.

Another object is to provide a game device in the form of a bat or club having a tapered hollow transparent body, with a scoring ball movable in the body over a scoreboard having a plurality of pockets in any one of which the scoring ball may engage.

Another object is to provide a game device as described wherein a manually-operated cat-ch means is provided to retain the scoring ball in a starting position inside the hollow body until the player operates the catch means to release the ball.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a game device embodying the features of the invention, and in which the device has the shape of a baseball bat.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale taken generally on line 2-2 of FIG. '1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken generally on line 33 of "FIG. '2.

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 3, part being broken away.

FIG. 5 is a vfragmentary vertical sectional view taken generally on line 55 of FIG. 2, showing an individual pocket with a scoring ball therein.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one part of the game device of FIG. 1, shown on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a modified baseball bat with means for retaining the scoring ball while practice swings are made.

Patented Mar. 1, 1966 FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a front longitudinal sectional view taken generally on line 1010 of FIG. 8.

Referring first to FIGS. 16, there is shown a game device 10 in the form of a baseball hat. The bat has a long tapered hollow body 12 and a hollow cylindrical handle 14 extending from the narrow end of the tapered body. The wider end of body 12 is closed by a circular cap 16 with a rounded end. The tapered bat body 12 is made of opaque plastic material. A long trapezoidal score plate 18 extends diametrically across and throughout the length of the body 12. The upper wider end of the plate fits into a groove 18' formed on the fiat circular underside of the cap 16. The plate has a plurality of integral tapered pockets 20 with open wider upper ends. The pockets extend outwardly of the plane of the plate 18 to one side thereof.

Baseball scoring indicia 22 are marked on the front face of score plate 18 above the open end of each of the pockets 20. A small scoring ball 25 is disposed in the hollow body 12 and rests in a starting position on a circular plug 26 as shown in FIGS. 1-4. This ball can be engaged in any of the pockets 20 but will extend out of the open end of the pocket as clearly shown in FIG. 5. Plug 26 is seated on a ledge 28 formed at the narrow end of the tapered hollow body 12 at the upper end of handle 14. The tapered body 12 has an open side which is closed by a tapered transparent shell-like wall'part 30, FIG. 6. This wall has its upper wider arcuate end 31 engaged at recess 32 formed at the periphery of cap '16. The bottom, narrow end 33 of the wall is secured to the handle 14. Grooves 29 at edges of wall 30 engage lateral edges of the score plate 18; see FIGS. 4 and 6.

semicircular ribs 36 of progressively large radius of curvature extend transversely of body 12 integral with its inner semiconical Wall face. These ribs engage in grooves 38 formed in the rear side 23 of plate 18 and hold the plate stationary in the body 12. Pockets 20 and indicia 22 are clearly visible through the transparent wall 30 which is disposed opposite the scoring plate 18. The free end of the handle 14 is closed by a circular end wall 17 provided with an annular bead 19.

According to the modified baseball bat shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10, and generally at 10, the handle :14 has a longitudinally extending slot 40 across which extends a pintle 42 pivotally engaging a lever -44. The inner end of the lever has a rounded tip 46 which bears on the underside of a flange 48 secured to the bottom end of an axially-movable shaft 50. The upper end of the shaft passes slidably through an axial hole 52 formed in the plug 26. A coil spring 55 on the shaft bears on flange 48 and tends to retract the shaft downwardly. The shaft 50 is stopped by engagement of the inner lever end against the inner side of handle 14 as clearly shown in FIG. 7. In this retracted position of the shaft, the outer end 49 of the lever 14 extends out of slot 40 in a downwardlyinclined position.

The upper end 51 of shaft 50 extends upwardly beyond plug 2-6 and is semi-cylindrical in form. The flat side of the shaft end slidably abuts the front side 21 of score plate 18. The free end of the shaft is formed with an inverted semiconical tip 53. This tips forms an obstruction to prevent ball 25 from passing into the wider end of the tapered scoring compartment C defined'between wall 30 and score plates 18. The ball 25 is thus contained in a small space C defined between wall 30, plate 18, plug 26 and tip 53, at the lower end of the compartment C.

If the trigger end 49 of lever 44 is depressed radially inward of handle 16 as indicated by arrow A in FIG. 7, then shaft 50 will be lifted axially upward against tension in spring 55. The tip 53 will then move to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 7, where compartment C is somewhat wider, so that ball 25 can pass freely out of space C and into compartment C. The shaft 50 with associated spring 55 and lever 44 serve as a manually operable catch to restrain the ball within compartment C until the player presses the trigger end 49 of the lever, whereupon the ball 25 is released.

In the playing the game, the player can hold the handle 14 of the device like a conventional baseball bat and make several practice swings before releasing the ball 25. The ball 25 will remain in starting position in the space C. If the player presses trigger end 49 of the lever 44 inwardly during a subsequent swing of the bat, the playing ball 25 will be thrown through compartment C to the flat inner end face of cap 16. Then as the player turns the bat to an axially upright position with cap 16 uppermost, the ball 25 will roll down plate 18 or will fall down through compartment C and may be caught in any one of the pockets 20. The score marking 22 indicates what score the player has made. This may be a strike, 'ball, home run or other play score. If the ball does not land in any pocket it will fall down to the bottom of compartment C which is a strike out score.

To start the next play, the player will first restore ball 25 to space C which is at the starting position of the ball. If desired, the bottom end of compartment C with the ball 25 resting on tip 53 of shaft 50 may be used as starting position. Then the player need not press trigger 49 to release the ball since the ball will be free to move in compartment C and operate as with the bat of the form shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, and will roll or be thrown toward cap 16 when the player swings the bat. Plays are scored according to the scoring indicia 22 and two or more players can use the game device to play a competitive game.

It will be apparent that the game can be embodied in bats and clubs such as used in other sports, golf, polo, lacrosse and the like. It can be embodied in playing balls of other sports such as volleyball, soccer, etc. In any case the player handles and executes the motion of a playing bat or ball in a manner simulating the motion of a standard playing bat or ball of the sport the game device simulates. The scoring indica in the game device will always be appropriate to the particular sport for which the game device is intended.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A game device, comprising a hollow tapered body, said body having a tapered transparent wall, a tapered plate in said body defining a long, tapered compartment with said transparent wall, said plate having a plurality of tapered pockets extending into said compartment, said pockets all having wider ends open to the wider end of said compartment, a scoring ball freely movable in said compartment between narrow and wider ends thereof for engaging in any one of the pockets to effect a score in the game, said plate having scoring indicia thereon adja cent each of the pockets for indicating a score in the game, and manually operable catch means in the narrow end of the compartment for retaining the scoring ball thereat until said catch means is manually operated to release the ball while said body is swung to displace the ball from said narrow end of said compartment.

2. A game device, comprising a hollow body, said body having a transparent wall, a plate in said body defining a long compartment with said transparent wall, said plate having a plurality of pockets thereon extending into said compartment with an open end in each pocket, the open ends of the pockets all being open to one end of said comp'arement, said plate having scoring indicia thereon adjacent each of the pockets for indicating a score in the game, a scoring ball =freely movable in said compartment to engage in any one of the pockets for effecting a score in said game, and manually operable catch means at the other end of said compartment for retaining the scoring ball thereat until said catch means is manually operated to release said ball while said body is moved to displace the ball from said other end of said body.

3. A game device, comprising a hollow tapered body, said body having a tapered transparent wall, a tapered plate in said body defining a long, tapered compartment with said transparent wall, said plate having a plurality of tapered pockets extending into said compartment, said pockets all having wider ends open to the wider end of said compartment, and a scoring ball freely movable in said compartment between narrow and wider ends thereof for engaging in any one of the pockets to effect a score in the game, said plate having scoring indicia thereon adjacent each of the pockets for indicating a score in the game, a plug at the narrow end of said compartment, a shaft slidably disposed in said plug, said body having a narrow hollow extension defining a handle, said handle having a lateral slot, a lever pivotally mounted in said slot, spring means biasing the shaft in a retracted position to bear on one end of said lever so that the other end of the lever extends out of the slot, said shaft having a radially extending tip for retaining the ball at the narrow end of said compartment, whereby said ball is released by axial extension movement of the shaft in said compartment upon pivotal movement of said lever.

4. A game device, comprising a hollow tapered body, said body having a tapered transparent wall, a tapered plate in said body defining a long, tapered compartment with said transparent wall, said plate having a plurality of tapered pockets extending into said compartment, said pockets all having wider ends open to the wider end of said compartment, a scoring ball freely movable in said compartment between narrow and wider ends thereof for engaging in any one of the pockets to effect a score in the game, said plate having scoring indicia thereon adjacent each of the pockets for indicating a score in the game, said body having a narrow hollow extension defining a handle for manual grasping to swing said body and move the scoring ball in said compartment, and manually operable catch means in the narrow end of the compartment for retaining the scoring ball thereat until said catch means is manually operated to release the ball while said body is swung to displace the ball from said narrow end of said compartment.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

2. A GAME DEVICE, COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY, SAID BODY HAVING A TRANSPARENT WALL, A PLATE IN SAID BODY DEFINING A LONG COMPARTMENT WITH SAID TRANSPARENT WALL, SAID PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF POCKETS THEREON EXTENDING INTO SAID COMPARTMENT WITH AN OPEN END IN EACH POCKET, THE OPEN ENDS OF THE POCKETS ALL BEING OPEN TO ONE END OF SAID COMPARTMENT, SAID PLATE HAVING SCORING INDICIA THEREON ADJACENT EACH OF THE POCKETS FOR INDICATING A SCORE IN THE GAME, A SCORING BALL FREELY MOVABLE IN SAID COMPARTMENT TO ENGAGE IN ANY ONE OF THE POCKETS FOR EFFECTING A SCORE IN SAID GAME, AND MANUALLY OPERABLE CATCH MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF SAID COMPARTMENT FOR RETAINING THE SCORING BALL THEREAT UNTIL SAID CATCH MEANS IS MANUALLY OPERATED TO RELEASE SAID BALL WHILE SAID BODY IS MOVED TO DISPLACE THE BALL FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID BODY.