US565954A

US565954A - Game-board

Info

Publication number: US565954A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 1913-08-18

Description

(No Model.)

W. R. AUSTIN 81; W. N. GRAW.

GAME BOARD.

Nu. 565,954; Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

F t/g.l.

WITNESSES zit/2205s I UNITED STATES WILLIS R. AUSTIN AND WILLIAM N. GRAWV,

. CONNECTICUT.

PATENT OFFICE. I

OF SOUTH NORVVALK,

GAME-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,954, dated August 18, 1896.

Application filed S ptember 27, 1895. Serial No- 563,839. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIs R.AUSTIN and WILLIAM N. CBAW, citizens of the United States, residing at South Norwalk, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus; and we 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.

Our invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive house game adapted for either two or four players and-in which success shall depend upon a combination of skill and chance.

With these ends in view we have devised the novel game which we will now describe, referring by numbers to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan view of our novel game, illustrating the manner in which it is played; and Fig. 2 is a section on the line a; a; in Fig. 1.

1 denotes abox,and2 acircularwallwithin the box, which is provided with openings 4, and 3 a concave bottom, the edge of which is secured to the wall and which is provided with holes 5, forming pockets. The box, the wall, and the bottom are made of any light, inexpensive material, ordinarily of pasteboard. The holes in the bottom are placed in rows and at equal distances apart, nine being the number of holes ordinarily made in the bottom. The openings 4 are diagonally opposite to each other, "and at each opening is placed a block 6, which is provided with a groove 7 the front end of each groove leading into the open space within the wall and each groove having at its rear end a spring-arm .8, which serves as a propelling device for balls 9. The

balls are of contrasting colors, six balls of each color being ordinarily furnished.

The game is to propel the balls from the groove into the open space within the wall by means of the spring-arms and to place three balls of the same color in a row in the holes or pockets 5. The players play in turn, each using balls of one color. In case four play the game at the same time, two play as partners against the other two. In starting, the first player places a ball in one of the grooves and propels it into the space within the wall by means of the spring-arm. The ball will naturally pass around the wall, quite likely anumber of times, depending on the force with which it is propelled, and will finally roll down toward the center of the bottom. If it stops in one of the holes, it is allowed to remain; if not, it is removed. The players play in turn, each player shooting but once at each turn. As soon as either player has succeeded in placing three balls of his color in a row the game is won. In the present instance, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the game has been won by the player using the darkcolored balls. Should the balls assume such positions relatively to each other in the holes that neither player can complete a row, neither player wins, and the game must be played over.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- The herein-described game apparatus comprising a box inclosing a circular wall having two openings 4 opposite each other, and an unobstructed concave bottom having a series of straight rows of retaining-pockets near the center, a tangentially arranged block outside of each opening l andhaving a grooved upper surface, a fiat spring-arm S at the rear end of each block and projecting above the surface thereof, and a series of balls of contrasting colors, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS R. AUSTIN. WILLIAM N. CRAW.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. WILoox, RIoIIARp H. GOLDEN.