US425850A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

H, A BEEN.

' GAMB APPARATUS. No. 425,850. Patented Apr. 15, 1890;

y/ Jv* C I. I I

l (No MqdeL) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

H. A. BEEN. GAME APPARATUS. N0425v,850. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. BEHN, OF UNION HILL, NEIV JERSEY.

lGAM E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,850, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed May 29, 1889. Serial No. 312,512- (No model.)

To all wom t may concern."

Be it known that I, HENRY A. BEHN, of Union Hill, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gaine Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which forni part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improveinentin game apparatus; and it consists in the combination of an operating mechanism, a revolving shaft, an endwise moving springactuated key, a series ofA wheels placed upon the shaft and adapted to be locked in position upon and released from the shaft, the figures supported upon the wheels, and the track, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to providea game in which figures of horses, men, boats, bicyclers, and animals and objects of any kind are made to race, and in which they are caused to revolve with the shaft until the key is operated, and then they are made to revolve independently of each other.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a game apparatus which embodies myinvention, taken to one side of the center. Fig. 2 is an inverted view. Figs. 3 and t are detail views of the hubs and the key. Fig. 5 is a plan view. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the operating mechanism. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the spring-catch.

A represents a suitable inclosing-case of any desired construction, and which has its top B formed into a track ot' any desired size.

rlhe portions B of the track are supported by means of the rods C, which project down from the arches I), which extend across the top of the track and are connected at their inner ends with suitable supports placed at the center of the track andinside'of therepresentation ofthe judges stand. These portions of the track are supported from above in order to give room for the movement of the different parts below.

The central shaft F is provided with a pinion G at its lower end, and above this 4pinion are placed the stationary supporting-collars H, and between the stationary collars are placed the hubs e of the wheels I, upon which the figures J are secured. Each one of these collars is provided with a conical projection or extension L bothA above andbelow, and these projections catch inside of the hubs of the wheels, as shown, so as to hold the hubs out of contact with the shaft and to cause the wheels to revolve with as little friction as possible. The wheels are given any desired weight that may be preferred, so that when given an impulse or movement they will have suflicient momentum to continue to revolve for some length of time.

Cut in one side of the central shaft is a groove N, and in this groove is placed a key O, which has an endwise-sliding movement and which when left free to move is forced downward by the spiral spring P, placed upon the upper end of the shaft. This key is shaped as shown in Fig. 3, and when forced upward as far as it can move the projections a upon its side engage with the hubs of the wheels; but when the key is forced downward by the spring the projections do not catch in the grooves -R made in the hubs of the wheels, and thus leave the wheels free to revolve upon the shaft. The projections upon the key O are separated just sufficiently far to allow the hubs of the wheels to iit in between them, so that when thekey israised these projections enter the grooves in the wheels and cause them to revolve with the shaft;

but when the key is forced downward each wheel is left free to revolve independently of each of the others. As shown in Fig. 3, the projections a upon the key O are shown in solid lines catching inside of the collars H only, thus leaving the wheels e free to revolve upon the shaft F. As soon as the key is raised so that the projections a catch wholly inside of the hubs c, or partially in the hubs and partially in the collars', as shown in Fig.

l, the wheels are all locked to the shaft so as to only revolve with it. The lower end of the key projects downward a suitable distance below the lower end of the shaft and strikes against the end of the pivoted lever S. In order to hold the inner end of the lever S in a raised position, a spring-catch T is made to catch over its outer end and thus lock the key. This spring-catch (shown in Fig. 7) consists of a bolt g,which moves back and forth on the .base-plate h, provided with the keepers z', and which has its inner end bent upward, so as to catch over the top of the outer end of the lever S. Projecting from one side of the bolt g is an armj, to which one end of the springl h is fastened, and the other end of this spring is fastened to the plate h. To a project-ion extending above the bolt is fastened the rod Z, which has its outer end to project through the casing and by which the bolt is operated. Then the bolt is left free to move, the spring 71. forces it inward, so that as soon as the outer end of the lever S is depressed the bolt at once snaps over its top and holds it in that position so that the key O is forced upward by the inner end of the lever S and compresses the spring P, and the projections a catch only in the collarsH. NVhen the spring-latch T is drawn backward, the spring upon the upper end of the shaft forces the key downward, so as to release the wheels from the shaft. When it is desired to lock the wheels to the shaft, so as to cause the wheels to revolve with it, it is only7 necessary to depress the outer end of the lever, so that the catch T will catch above it, and then when the shaft is made to revolve by the operating mechanism the wheels carrying the figures revolve With the shaft. After the shaft and wheels have been given a sufficient 'momentum the leverS is freed from'the catch,

and then the key is forced downward and -every wheel revolves independently of the other, making it a matter of the utmost un certainty which one will stop first.

The operating lnechanism for revolving the shaft and the wheels consist of a large gearwheel V, which has a ratchet-wheel W secured to its top. The pivoted lever Y, carrying the dog Z, is placed upon the same pivot as the wheel and the ratchet. When the lever is moved in one direction, the wheel and ratchet are caused to revolve, and when the lever is moved in the opposite direction to take a fresh hold the ratchet slips idly around. Vhen it is desired tostart the iigures in rapid lmotion around the track, one or more vigorous movements are given to the outer end of the lever Y, and then the catch T is moved outward, so as to release the end of the lever S, when each of the wheels is released from the key, and then they revolve independently of the shaft.

Pivoted to one side of the track is a rod M, against which the animals or others figures used are moved, so as to bring the grooves in the hubs of the wheels in a line with the key, and so that the key can be moved endwise and lock all of the hubs in position at the same time. Unless all ofthe animals or iigures are moved against this rod the grooves in the hubs are not brought into a line with the key, and hence the wheels cannot be locked to the shaft or the animals given a fair start. After the animals have been moved into po sition and the outer end of the lever S is depressed, so as to raise the key, the rod M is moved out ofthe way, and then when the operating mechanism is set in lnotion all of the wheels and gures revolve together until the key is released by the lever S, and then they revolve independently.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination of the track, the revolving shaft, the wheels mounted thereon and carrying the figures above the track, the endwise-moving spring-actuated key, which is adapted to engage with the hubs of the wheels and lock them to the shaft, a mechanism for causing the shaft to revolve, and a mechanism for operating vthe key, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the operating meehanism, the key, the revolving shaft provided with a vertical groove to receive the key, a lever for moving the key endwise, a spring for returning the key to position, aseries of fixed collars placed upon the shaft, the revolving wheels having grooves in their hubs, the figures carried by the wheels, and the track, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the lever S, the revolving shaft provided with a pinion, and an operating mechanism for revolving the shaft, with a key plaeedin a groove in the shaft, the revolving wheels mounted upon the shaft and provided with grooves in their-hubs to engage with the key, the figures mounted upon the wheels, and the track, Athe key having a sliding movement in the groove in the shaft and having its lower end to rest upon the lever S, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a revolving shaft provided with a vertical groove and a vcrtically-moving key placed in the groove with a series of wheels mounted upon the shaft and provided with grooved hubs in which the projections upon the key are adapted to catch and the mechanism for operating the key, thereby causing the wheels to revolve idly upon or to lock them to the shaft, so as to cause them to revolve with it, ysubstantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

\ HENRY A. BEHN.

Witnesses: l

ALLEN S. PATrIsoN, PHILIP MAURO.

IOO

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