US547916A

US547916A - furrer

Info

Publication number: US547916A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 1912-10-15

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT union.

ALFRED FURRER, OF BERN, SWITZERLAND.

GAME-COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,916, dated October 15, 1895.

Application filed May 1,1896. Serial N0.54-.'7,8l1- (N0 mod l.) Patented in Switzerland May 8, 1893, No. 6.718,- in Germany September 2,1898, N0. 75,444; in Austria April 3, 1894, N0. 102, and in HungaryApril 3, 1894, No. 9,807-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED FURRER,a citizen of Switzerland, residing at Bern, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counting-Frames for Marking the Points Made at Games, (for which I have received Letters Patent in Switzerland, No. 6,718, dated May 8, 1893; in Germany, No. 75,444, dated September-2, 1893; in Austria, No. 102, dated April 3, 189i, and in Hungary, No. 9,807, dated April 3, 1894;) 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 appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the apparatus is to enable players to score the points made in games without being obliged to score by writing.

My apparatus is represented in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 shows its front side, and Fig. 2 represents the rear side.

The front side is arranged so that four persons playing together can score the results in points up to ten hundred and ninety-nine when they are winners or to six hundred when they are losers. The rear side is provided with elements allowing two players to score their winnings up to eighteen hundred and sixty or losses to six hundred 3 also each party can score the number of games lost or won.

In the drawings, A is the frame; I), the guides, secured in the frame, (Wires, rods, rails, &c.,) carrying small bodies or blocks with figures, and a number of them are provided with small rings sliding thereon. The blocks 0 have the figures engraved, painted, or otherwise marked in double rowsone upright and the other upside down. On the front side of the apparatus the bodies a are divided into four groups. Each group comprises three series of ten bodies each. One series serves to indicate the units from 1 to 10, the middle series from 1 to 10 the tens, and the third from 1 to 10 the hundreds. The color of the numbers changes from group to group. The blocks on the reverse side of the frame, Fig. 2, are divided into two groups of six series. Each group is divided into two from one half to the other. The difierent series in each group are multiples of certain units. One series serves to indicate the units from 1 to 10, a second series from 1 to 10 the fives, a third series from 1 to 10 the tens, a fourth series from 1 to 10 the twenties, a fifth series from 1 to 10 the fifties, and the sixth series from 1 to 10 the hundreds.

(l are rings sliding on a select number of the guide-bars, as already mentioned above and as shown. Before beginning the game they are placed in the middle upon their guides, being maintained in this position by small knots e. One half of these rings are painted with a light color and the other half with a dark color. When a game is won, the winner pushes a light-colored ring over the knoteup againsttheoutsideframe. Inlosing he pushes a dark-colored ring over the knot on the opposite side.

The upper and lower slots of each half of the frame on the front side are parallel to the guide-rods b, Fig. 1, and carry in double rowsone row upright and the other inverted-the figures 1, 2 to 9, 10, 20 to 90, 100, 200 to 600. The said rails are provided with movable or sliding pointers f. These pointers are shifted to one or the other side to indicate the proper figures, according to the minus or loss to be marked, Fig. 1. When there is a result of minus two hundred and seventy-three, one pointer is placed in front of the figure 200, the second pointer on 70, and the third on 3. The inside row of minus figures on the opposite ends of the game-counter,being duplicates of the outer row thereof, are indicated by the same pointer, the said pointer being adapted to connect with either side of the rail. On the rear side of the apparatus,Fig. 2, only two cross-rails carry these figures for the same purpose. The side rails of the frame may be employed to print upon the direction how to use the apparatus or otherwise.

The figures marked on the side rails of the frame correspond with the lowest number of each series in order to make it more easy to find the rows or series of blocks in which the figures should be shifted. If, for instance, four persons are playing with dice, each one 5o halves. The color of the figures is changed selects one group on the front side, Fig. 1, I00

with which to score the points thrown. Suppose the first player throws twelve. He then shifts forward the first block in the row of tenths carrying 10 and the first two blocks in the row of units, thus marking twelve. Afterward he would throw, say, nine, making, in addition to the former twelve, twenty-one. He then shifts forward the second block of tenths and shifts back the second block in the row of units, thus marking twenty-one, &c. It is always easy to read the final result from either side as the figures are repeated on each block upside down.

It is obvious that the parts forming the flame and the form of the blocks may be varied without departing from the nature of my invention. The frame, instead of having different figures on the front and rear side of the blocks, as shown, may also be made double, to be fastened together by pins or otherwise, so as to be detachable, and so that parties can play separately, one using the front part and the other the rear part.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is In a game-board for separately registering the forward and backward scores of players, a frame provided with parallel guides ar ranged in groups and series, as described, each series provided with ten sliding blocks, the blocks of the different series numbered in units, tens and hundreds, respectively, and the rails of the frame provided with sliding pointers, and fixed numbers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

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

ALFRED FURRER. Witnesses:

C. HANSLIN, GUsT. SULZBERGER.