US3464694A

US3464694A - Game apparatus having playing piece ejecting means

Info

Publication number: US3464694A
Application number: US614616A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry Stan; Gordon A Barlow; Burton C Meyer
Original assignee: Glass Marvin and Associates
Current assignee: Glass Marvin and Associates
Priority date: 1967-02-08
Filing date: 1967-02-08
Publication date: 1969-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 1986-09-02

Description

Sept 2, 1969 STAN ET AL 3,464,694

GAME APPARATUS HAVING PLAYING PIECE EJECTING MEANS Filed Feb. 8, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS' l/E/VQY STA/V GOPDOA/ABAWLOW 60970/1/CMEY5? BY J z a a AT- nNevs Se t. 2, 1969 H- STAN ET AL 3,464,694

GAME APPARATUS HAVING PLAYING PIECE EJECTING MEANS Filed Feb. 8, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N v ENTO RS HE/VAY STA/v GOAOO/VA 5/121. 0W

80/970 6 MEVEA BY Jim 0 ATTORNEY United States Patent M 3,464,694 GAME APPARATUS HAVING PLAYING PIECE EJECTIN G MEANS Henry Stan, Chicago, Gordon A. Barlow, Evanston, and Burton C. Meyer, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Marvin Glass & Associates, Chicago, 111., a partnership Filed Feb. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 614,616

Int. Cl. A63f 3/04 US. Cl. 273-1 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Game apparatus for a race type of game in which the players compete to accomplish a result, and which includes a game board, a container on the board for receiving a plurality of playing pieces, and a simulated miniature broom for use by each player in sweeping pieces from the board. The container has a spring biased, movable bottom which is releasable to eject pieces on to the board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention belongs generally to that group of games wherein the players are disposed around a board and move playing pieces on the board in a manner determined by the rules of the game. In the present invention, all of the players act simultaneously on the playing pieces and race one another in the collection of objects which are thrown on to the board by apparatus provided with the game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A game comprising a playing board, a plurality of playing pieces, means for holding and ejecting said playing pieces on to said board, and additional means provided for each player for removal of said pieces from the board.

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a game as set forth above, wherein said board includes three-dimensional obstacles thereon and an enclosure for the side edges of said board including a tray at each corner which is accessible from the board, said means for holding the playing pieces comprises a cylindrical container having a spring-biased bottom and including means for sequentially moving said bottomabruptly upwardly to cause at least some of said pieces to be thrown on to the board, and said additional means comprises simulated brooms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the game set up for play- FIGURE 2 is an enlarged exploded view of a portion of the structure shown in FIGURE 1;

3,464,694 Patented Sept. 2, 1969 the park on all sides, but are spaced slightly at the extreme corners, to provide exit spaces for trash, each rail having an outwardly projecting lug 22 (see FIGURE 2) adjacent each end, one of which fits within a notch 24 in an inwardly directed portion 25 of the wall 26 of a receptacle generally designated as 28. The latter has a floor 30, a portion of which extends under a corner of board 10 so that the latter rests on it, and

similar receptacles

32, 34, and 36 support the remaining comers in like manner and engage other lugs 22 at the ends of rails 20. Fence rail 20 rests against inturned portion 25, while an identical fence rail rests against an inturned portion 38 and has a lug similar to 22 engaged in a notch 40. Fence rails 20 have lower inturned flanges 42 which are interposed between board 10 and floor 30, rails 20- being of such a length that, when so engaged with all four

receptacles

28, 32, 34 and 36, they will define an area just sufiicient to receive board 10. It will be observed that when board 10 is in place, rails 20' are positively spaced from each other by the edges of board 10 so that the rails cannot shift inwardly, and conse- FIGURE 3 is a further enlarged vertical axial sectional view of a simulated trash can indicated in FIG- URE 1, with parts broken away and including a portion of the board;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a park bench indicated in FIGURE 1, including a portion of the board, and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a broom and a collection of articles ejected from the trash can.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT quently lugs 22 cannot escape from

notches

24 and 40, so that on a solid surface such as a table top the device will be firm and strong and amply stable to withstand the excitement of the play.

A trash can 44 is placed substantially in the middle of board 10 and provided with a supply of waste material 46 (FIGURE 5) typical of what might be found in a trash can, some of which might be considered of value, and most of which would not, and such material is thrown out of the can from time to time as will appear. Each of the players is provided with a broom 48 and stationed at one of the

receptacles

28, 32, 34 and 36, and when the material is thrown out of the players endeavor with their brooms to secure as many valuable articles as possible out of the trash and sweep them into their respective receptacles. In this they are hindered by each other and by a series of obstacles typical of what would be found in a park.

Park benches '50 and 52 are fixed on board 10 firmly enough that they will stay in place if contacted by any of the articles or brooms. A bridge 54 is fixed in position over lagoon 16, and similarly a bridge 56 is fixed in position over lagoon 18. A lamp post 58 is fixed in position along pathway 12, and signs 60 are placed at strategic points. All of these project substantially above the surface of board 10 and tend to interfere with the progress of the articles over the board, and also with the manipulation of the brooms by the players.

Trash can 44 has an outer wall or shell 62 and a bottom wall 64, the latter being provided with a pair of hooks 66 which, when the parts are assembled extend through slots 68 in board 10 and, when shell 62 is slightly turned, engage the under side of board 10 beyond the ends of slots 68 and lock can 44 securely in place. It will be observed that can 44 can be easily removed, nevertheless, by turning it slightly, whereupon hooks 66 will readily come up through slots 68.

In like manner, fence rails 20 may be removed from engagement with

receptacles

28, 32, 34 and 36 by lifting board 10 upwardly out of engagement with flanges 42. Benches 50 each have a leg portion 70 having an offset foot 72 which rests upon board 10, and has a flanged hook-like portion 74 which may be inserted through a slot 76 in board 10 and, when the bench is lowered into normal position will engage the under side of board 10 along the edge of slot 76. Bench 50 also has a leg portion 78 having a foot 80 provided with spaced studs 82 extending downwardly and engaged, when bench 50 is in normal position, in holes 84 in board 10. In this way the bench is firmly secured in place, but is easily removable for storing.

Bridges

54 and 56 are locked in place in a similar manner, as are lamp post 58 and signs 60.

Trash can 44 is provided with a piston or false bottom 86, as seen in FIGURE 3, which is freely slidable in shell 62, and this bottom is continuously urged upwardly by a spring 88 engaged between it and bottom wall 64. An upwardly directed flange 90 guides the spring on wall 64, and a downwardly directed flange 92 guides the spring on the under side of false bottom 86. The bottom 86 is retained in place against the force of spring 88 by a pin 94 projecting outwardly from an upwardly directed stem 96 extending preferably axially through shell 62 and retained against upward movement by a lower flange 98 engaged in a recess 100 in bottom wall 64. Stem 96 is freely rotatable in bottom wall 64 and also in piston 86, and if rotated sufficiently will bring pin 94 into registration with a notch 102 in piston 86, so that the latter may be suddenly impelled upwardly by spring 88 until a plain or un-notched portion of the piston encounters another pin 104 which will arrest the movement and prevent piston 86 from being expelled entirely from shell 44. Similar pins 106 and 108 are fixed on stem 96 at different levels below pin 94 and also spaced circumferentially from pin 94, and which pins may also be positioned to be passed by notch 102 by suitably rotating stem 96. The latter may be turned by any suitable gripping means, in the present embodiment a sign-board 110 being affixed to the upper portion of stem 96 as shown in FIGURE 1, and made rugged enough to serve as a key or handle.

In playing the game, the parts are assembled as hereinbefore described, and false bottom or piston 86 is pressed down from the position shown in FIGURE 3, while stem 96 is turned to successively align pins 106 and 108 with notch 102, until the piston is below pin 108 whereupon slight further turning will secure it beneath pin 108. The supply of trash 46 is then loaded into trash can 44 on top of piston 108. One of the players then turns sign 110 until pin 108 aligns itself with notch 102. Piston 86 will then suddenly and forcibly pop up into engagement with pin 106, and in doing so will expel or toss a portion of the trash out of the can and distribute it in a random manner on board 10. The players then race with their brooms to try to secure the most valuable items and sweep them into their respective receptacles. Piston 86 will not go beyond pin 106 at this time, since pin 106 is circumferentially displaced from pin 108 so that pin 106 will not register with notch 102 at such times as pin 108 does. Piston 86 will therefore perform only part of its possible stroke at this time.

When this portion of the trash has been disposed of sign 110 is turned again, whereupon another portion of trash will be expelled as piston 86 jumps once more, this time into contact with pin 94. The operation is repeated when the latter portion of trash has been disposed of, and piston 86 is allowed, by further turning of sign 110, to jump into engagement with pin 104, the last movement being sufiicient to expel the last of the trash from can 44. A rib 112 extends lengthwise of container 44 in engagement with a slot 114 in bottom 86, in order to prevent rotation of the latter.

The game is won by the player who has the largest collection of valuable items when all the trash is out of the can and in the receptacles 28 of the players. Additionally, a player may be penalized for the amount of useless items or trash he has collected or which has been swept into his tray 28 by an opponent.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific embodiment, it is to be expected that variations and modifications will occur to others working in this field, and it is intended that all such variations shall be considered as part of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a playing board, a plurality of playing pieces, means for holding and ejecting said playing pieces on to said board comprising a container having a movable bottom portion, spring means biasing said bottom portion toward an open, upper end of said container, means for releasably holding said bottom portion in a position spaced below said upper end of the container, and means provided for each player for removal of said pieces from said board.

2. Game apparatus comprising a playing board having a generally plane surface, means defining an enclosure along the side edges of said board, a plurality of playing pieces, a container for said playing pieces comprising a vertically movable bottom portion, spring means biasing said bottom portion upwardly in the container toward an open end thereof, means for releasably holding said bottom in any of several vertically spaced positions within the container, and a plurality of simulated brooms for use by the players.

3. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said enclosure includes a tray-forming portion adjacent each corner of the board and accessible from the board to permit sweeping of said pieces into the trays.

4. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said container includes means cooperable with openings in the center of the board to removably fix the container in position on the board.

5. Game apparatus comprising a playing board having a generally plane surface and including three-dimensional objects fixed thereon in spaced-apart positions, means defining an enclosure along the side edges of said board and including a tray adjacent each corner which is accessible from the board, a plurality of playing pieces simulating objects of various values, a container for said playing pieces adapted to be removably fixed in the center of said board and comprising a vertically movable bottom portion, spring means biasing said bottom portion upwardly in the container, means for releasably holding said bottom in any of several vertically spaced positions with the container, and a plurality of simulated brooms for use by the players.

6. Game apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said means for releasably holding said bottom in position includes a post extending the length of the container and projecting upwardly from an open end at the top, a plurality of vertically and circumferentially spacedapart pins on said post, and said movable bottom portion includes a central opening for closely receiving said post and a slot extending outwardly of said opening to permit the passage of anyone of said pins.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 286,868 10/1883 Thompson 124-16 X 2,318,169 5/ 1943 Rock 273 2,617,651 1l/1952 Gerhold 1M16 X 2,824,739 2/1958 Frank 273--85 X 2,981,542 4/1961 Weiss 273-85 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner P. E. SHAPIRO, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.