US476046A

US476046A - Game-board

Info

Publication number: US476046A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1892-05-31
Anticipated expiration: 1909-05-31

Description

(No Model.)

W. FULD. GAME BOARD.

No. 476,046. Patented May 31, 1892.

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UN rra STATES I 'WILLIAM FULD, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GAME-BOARD.,

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,046, dated May 31, 1892.

Application filed February 18, 1892. Serial Ne. &21,920. (Ne model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FULD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Boards; and I do hereby declare that the following is a f ull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan of my improved gameboard. Fg. 2 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the device for Shooting the ball from one end of the table; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View of this device.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures.

This invention relates to game boards or tables of that type in which a spring-gun is located at one end of a horizontal cloth-covered table and adapted to shoot a ball either into certain pockets in the fiat top or sides of the table, or against other balls or "men, in the nature of nine-pins, set up upon the table so as to upset the same; and my improvement consists in the peouliar Construction of the ball-ejecting device or spring-gun, in combination 'with the table, as will be hereinat'ter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A designates the fiat cloth-covered top of the table, having raised sides B and pockets O. The top of the table is preferably made with slanting sides at one end, as shown at B', with said slanting sides cut away so as to leave an opening D tlush or even with the top of the table. The opposite end of the table has a number of depressions 01' recesses a a, which should be numbered to indicate the value in points of the game of each hole or recessa.

The second part of the device or apparatus consists of a ball-ejector in the nature of a spring-gun, comprising a barrel E, piston F, having piston-rod f and spring G. The piston-rod passes through the coiled spring G and out through an aperture in the closed end of the barrel, whore it is provided with a handle I-I of suitable shape. The piston-rod f is tubular, and the piston F and handle Il are perforated in alignment with the aperture through the rod to pernit of the insertion and passage of a fine cord I, having attached to it at one end a ball J of ivory, celluloid, or other suitable material, and provided at the other end with a button K. The cord or string I must be of sufficient length to reach from the perforated handle I-l to the corners at the op` posite 'end of the table when the spring-gun is placed in position ready for use. l

The game may be played in a variety of ways, among others the following: A ball or marble L is placed at a point on the table about half-way between the muzzlc of the' spring-gun and the nearest row of recesses a This point may be marked by a patch Z, as shown in Fig. 1. The spring-gun is now loaded by pulling upon button K and string I, so as to draw the ball J into the barrel, as shown n full line in Fig. 3, until it' brings up against the piston, which has first been drawn back by its handle l-I, so as to compress spring G. The muzzle of the gun is now pointed aga nst the ball placed on the patch Z, and the ob; ect is to hit this ball L with ball J and shoot t into one of thenumbered recesses a. Another way is to place balls in all of the recesses a a and try to dislodge them by hitting them with ball J, or a certain number of the recesses a a, may be filled with balls, while others are left empty, and the object ot the game will be to shoot these balls from one recess into another or against another ball by hitting them with ball J; or it may be made an object to dislodge the balls deposited in the recesses or depressions a and' shoot them by causing them to carom against one another into the side pockets O. There are many other ways in which an interesting game can be playedupon this table which will readly suggest themselves, and it will be obvous that the Construction of the table perse may be varied to adapt it to different games.`

As the ball J with which the game is played is held eaptive by the string by which it is attached to the gun, it cannot fiy ot of the table, and after each shot it can be pulled back into the gun simply by pulling on the string. The button K not only serves as a handle for pulling string I, but it also serves an impor tant function in forming a stop, so that the string cannot be pulled through the handle and the tubular pisten-red connected there` IOO With. As the coi-(1 or string is long enough to permit ball J to play all over the surface of the table and reach the ends thereof, it will not interfere with the aim of the gun or the movement of the ball.

The barre] of the spring-gun is pivoted in the opening D by means of a stud M, projecting from one side ot' the barrel and fitted into a hole bored through the table-top, so that the barrel Will project into the opening D. The slanting sides B' B' permit the gun to be so trained that the ball J may be shot against the straight sides, (said sides being cushioned, as in a bi11iard-tab1e,) so that the ball Will be defleeted and sent in the direction of the 1'ecesses a a.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- The combination of the table A B, swiveled gun-barrei E, perforated pisten F, having tubular piston-rod f, and perforated handle H, spring G, and ball J, having string I and button K, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM FULD.

XVitnesses:

JAMES B. LOANE, WILLIAM F. LOANE.