US558599A

US558599A - Game-indicator

Info

Publication number: US558599A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 1913-04-21

Description

(No Model.)

E.- BROOKS, Jr.

GAMB'INDIGATQR. No. 558,599. Patented Apr. 21, 1896.

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EDVARD BROOKS, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTHS TO ALFRED T. BAKER, OF SAME PLACE, AND TIIE PRESS COMPANY, LIMITED, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME-INDICATOR.

SPECIFCATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 558,599, dated. April 21, 1896. Application filed November 25,1895. Serial No. 570,026. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD BROOKS, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Game-Indicators, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

My invention consists of a novel construc- Io tion of game-indicator, which is especially adapted to show the progress or condition of a game of foot-ball, means being provided for indicating through the medium of a rotatable or pivotal plate disk or other device simulat- I 5 ing a foot-ball, which has painted on opposite sides thereof the colors of the opposing teams, the status of the game at every stage thereof, and the possession of the foot-ball being indicated to the spectators by means 2o of the rotation of said disk simulating a football, provision being also made for indicat` ing by means of endless belts the number of yards to gain and the status of the game for either side, whether a touch-down, third down, kick, fumble, iieldgoal, &e.

It further consists of a plate, disk, or otherl device simulating a foot-ball pivotally mounted and capable of lateral movement.

It further consists of novel details of con- 3o struction, all as will be hereinafter set forth. Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a game-indicator embodying my invention, the same being especially applicable for indicating the progress and condition of a foot-ball game. Fig. 2 represents a rear elevation of the board seen in Fig. l. Fig. 8 represents a section on line x x, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring tc the drawings, in Fig. l is desi gnated the game-indicator ccmplete,the same consisting of the rectangular or other shaped board A of suitable material, which has indicated at substantially the points B and C the names of the opposing teams, or said teams may be designated by flags of different colors, if desired.

D and E designate ways or channels in which a movable slate or plate is adapted to 5o be inserted, having thereon the number of points made by the contending teams.

F designates an elongated slot or opening which is preferably in substantially the central portion of the board A, said opening having located at 'the top and botten thereof at 55 the points Gr and H a graphic representation of the field or gridiron, the same being divided into spaces of live, ten, fifteen, and twenty yards, itc., as is customary.

J designates a plate or disk simulating a 6o foot-ball, which is pivotally or rotatably mounted,as will be hereinafter explained, and which has painted on opposite sides thereof the colors of the opposing teams and a letter designating cach team, as may be desired. 6 5

It will of course be understood that said device J may be a block of suitable material of oval shape to designate a foot-ball, or*` it may be a plate, and said plate may have its edges meeting in a sharp point, if desired. 7o

K designates an opening in the board A, in the present instance at the lower left-hand corner, although the position of the same may be varied, in which is indicated the status of the game as to touchdowns, kicks, fumbles, dac., by means of an endless apron at the rear thereof, to be hereinafter referred to.

L designates an opening located in the present instance at the lower portion of the board, back of which another endless apron is adapt- 8o ed to revolve, having thereon the numerals l, 2, 3, 4, &c., to be hereinafter referred to, the lower portion of said board adjacent said opening L having thereon the words Yards to gain.

Referring now to the back of the board, as indicated in Fig. 2, N designates the endless apron, which is mounted upon the rollers P and Q in the rear of the opening K, said apron having thereon the words Touch- 9o down, Third down, Kiek, Fumble Fieldgoah rbc., and being adapted to be readily manipulated, as may be required, according to the stage of the game.

R designates an endless apron mounted on the rollers S and T in the rear of the recess L and having thereon the numerals 1,2, 3, l, the., the function of which is to be hereinafter explained.

U designates a suitable backing, which roo may be of dark or other suitable color, and which is located at the rear of the elongated opening F, in front of which backing U is located the foot-ball J, the same being supported by means of the rod V, which has its upper end Y threaded and passing through the cross-bars Z, said rod being held in position relative to the upper cross-bar by means of the nut Z.

A' designates uprights which connect the cross-bars Z Z, thereby forming a carriage, said uprights having mounted on their upper extremities the rollers B', which run upon a suitable track within the casing C', which latter is attached to the rear of the board and extends longitudinally of the same.

WV designates a rod at-tached to the lower portion of the ball J and having thereon the handle X, if desired, for readily manipulating said ball.

The operation is as follows The total points made by the contending teams are indicated by means of the slates or movable devices, which can be inserted at the points D E. The relative position of the ball to the gridiron or iield is indicated by moving the ball J to the right or to the left, which can be readily done by reason of its manner of support in the casing Cf. The fact in whose possession the ball may be at any time is in dicated by rotating the device J so that the color of the team having the ball will be toward the spectators. Thus, assuming the game to be between Pennsylvania and Harvard, if Pennsylvania had the ball the side having the letter P and painted thereon the Pennsylvania colors would be to the spectators, as indicated in Fig. l. The number of yards to be gained is indicated at L by moving the endless apron R so as to bring the required numeral into view. The status of the game, as touclrdown, first down, second down, third down, kick, fumble,7 field-goal, goal,7 the., is indicated at K by the proper manipulation of the apron N.

Especial attention is called to the feature of the rotatable device simulating the football, which is also capable of a lateral movement, whereby it can be readily indicated in whose possession the ball may be and the progress of the same toward either goal. Emphasis is also laid upon the fact that all the operative parts of the device are actuated from behind the board, so that there is no obstruction to the view of the spectators.

It will further be apparent that the device simulating a foot-ball can be readily removed from position and another one inserted in place by merely unscrewing the nut Z when it is desired to use the apparatus to display the scores between different opposing teams.

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

l. In a game-indicator, a board having a slot therein and a rotatable disk adjacent to said slot, said disk having different distinguishing-marks, on its opposite sides, and the walls of said slot having marks thereon, indicative of distance, said parts being combined substantially asdescribed.

2. In a game-counter, a board having a slot therein, the walls of said slot having marks thereon, indicative of distance, a disk, a supporting-rod therefor, a backing adjacent to said slot and through which passes the rod of said disk, and a track with a carriage thereon, supporting said disk by said rod, said parts being combined substantially as described.

3. In a game-counter, a board having a slot therein, a track on said board, a carriage movable on said track, a disk indicative of a foot-ball, supported on said carriage and adapted to rotate, said parts being combined substantially as described.

4. In a game-indicator, a board, an elongated opening therein, a device simulating a foot-ball mounted adjacent thereto, a carriage, rollers mounted on said carriage, and a track for said rollers, said foot-ball being rotatably mounted in said carriage, substantially as described.

5. In a gaine-counter, a board having a slot therein, a track on said board, a carriage on said track and a disk indicative of a football supported on said carriage, the walls of said slot being graduated indicative of a football gridiron, and said disk being rotatable, said parts being combined substantially as described.

6. A game-indicator having a slot with graduations on its walls indicative of a f0otball gridiron, a rotatable disk indicative of a foot-ball having bearings adjacent to said slot and visible therethrough, a backing secured to said board in rear of said slot, and endless aprons mounted on said board adjacent to openings therein, and having thereon characters indicative of plays in the game, said parts being combined substantially as described.

7. A game-indicator having a slot with graduations on its walls indicative of a football gridiron, a rotatable disk indicative of a foot-ball having bearings adjacent to said E DVARD BROOKS, JR.

Titnesses JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, WM. C. WInDERsHnIM.