US645877A

US645877A - Toy.

Info

Publication number: US645877A
Application number: US72039599A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence W Taylor
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1899-06-13
Filing date: 1899-06-13
Publication date: 1900-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 1917-03-20

Description

No. 645,877. Patented Mar. 20, I900.

C. W. TAYLOR.

TOY.

(AppXieation filed June 13, 1899.)

(No Model.)

775M 217 jnmszzfazf Zwrez oae Wfwylor.

'NITED STATES CLARENCE w. TAYLOR, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA;

TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming m of Letters Patent No. 645,877, dated March 26, 1eoo.

Application filed June 13, 1899. Serial No. 720,395. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLARENCE W. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sioux City, in the county of VVoodbury and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Game Devices or Toys,of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an improved game device or toy calculated to amuse and instruct the young; and it is the prime object of the invention to provide an article of this character that will be very simple in construction and cheap to manufacture.

It is a further purpose of the invention to provide a game device or toy especially adapted to train the eye in quick and accurate observation and the mind in rapid addition of figures. Finally, it is the object of the invention to provide a simple game device or toy for the young that will be especially entertaining and productive of mental discipline.

Briefly and generally. stated, the invention comprises a bat or handpiece divided by lines or marks into a plurality of sections, each section bearing a suitable designating mark, letter, figure, or other character, and in an elastic strip or band secured to one end of the bat or handpiece and carrying a ball or other body at its free end, the object being to cause said ball or body to strike one or more of the said designating marks or characters by a single shot, which is accomplished by drawing the said ball back against the tension of the elastic band, taking aim at one of the designating marks or characters on the hat or handpiece, and then freeing the ball or body from the hand, whereby it will be projected or shot forward in the direction of the aim given.

In order to enable others to understand, make, and play my game or toy, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being had for this purpose to the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a view of my improved toy or game device.

In the said drawing, the reference-letter a designates a bat or' handpiece circular in cross-section, preferably made of wood, and which is shown as tapering from one end to the other, although I may make the same of other cross-sectional shapes and of uniform diameter throughout. The said bat or handpiece is provided with a plurality of circumferential lines or marks b, forming between them and the opposite ends of the bat a series of spaces or sections 0, each bearing a suitable designating mark, number, figure, or other character dsuch, for instance, as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 which comprise the countingpoints of the game. Instead of forming the said spaces 0 by a series of lines I may paint or otherwise mark the bat in so many solid contrasting colors, and I wish it to be here understood that this manner of marking the bat clearly comes within the scope of my invention. When I make the bat or handpiece in this man ner-that is, by forming the spaces in solid contrasting colorsit will not be absolutely necessary to provide such spaces with other distinctive characters, as the colors themselves will be indicative of certain numbers or figures-as, for instance, if the colors were yellow, green, red, blue, and black they would count, respectively, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. It will be obvious that the colors may be applied to the bat or handpiece by first printing them upon a strip of paper and then pasting said strip around the bat.

The lower end of the bat or handpiece a serves as a hand-holding portion, and to the extreme end of the bat opposite to the handholding portion I secure an elastic band 6, the length of which is preferably somewhat shorter than the length of the bat, and to the opposite or free end of said elastic band I attach a ball or other body said ball or body being secured to the elastic band in any desired manner.

In practice I preferto round olf the extreme end of the bat or handpiece, as shown at g, where the end of the elastic strip is secured, so as to avoid the presence of sharp corners at this point, which if present would tend to cut or wear the elastic strip. This rounded end of the hat or handpiece also permits the elastic strip to have a free movement in all directions, thus enabling the ball to strike the said bat or handpiece on the rebound as well as on the advance stroke.

In operation the bat or handpiece is held in one hand and the ball pulled back with the other hand against the tension of the elastic band until the latter is stretched about twice its natural length. Aim is then taken at one of the spaces on the bat and the ball then released, whereupon it will be projected or shot in the direction aimed, or approximately so, and whatever numbered space or spaces on the bat are hit by the ball before the same comes to a state of rest are added together until a certain predetermined number, as 50, is reached, the person first having this number to his or her credit being designated the winner of the game. A hit forward or backward counts the figures on all spaces the ball strikes. If a player should fail to hit any space, than he loses one point. The highest figures are made by holding the bat a little slanting and when the ball strikes on the under side of the bat during its return movement from a shot which carries it below the bat and to the figure 5 space.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a toy is provided that will be very inexpensive to manufacture as well asamusing and instructive to the young. Owing to the fact that the ball acts very rapidly under the impulse of the elastic band, it will be seen that the eye will be trained during play in quick and accurate observation and the mind in rapid addition of figures.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide a game apparatus comprising a handpiece with an elastic strip secured intermediate the ends thereof and carrying a ball at its free end, such as is shown in the patent to Reifi, No. 477352; but in such patent the elastic strip is not secured to the extreme end of the handpiece and could not have such a free movement as to permit the ball to act on the rebound as well as on the advance shot,

and my invention, therefore, is distinguished from the Reifi construction in that the elastic strip is secured to the extreme end of the handpiece,'so as to have a free movement in all directions, whereby double or triple counts may be made during a single shot. I am also aware of the construction shown in English patent No. 568, of 1896, in which a fan-shaped handpiece is employed with an elastic strip and ball secured thereto; but in this construction the ball can only act on the forward stroke, no rebound strikes being possible, as is the case with my invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is- A toy comprising a bat or handpiece circular in cross-section and rounded off at one end, and having a plurality of distinctive circumferential marks or colors upon its surface dividing the said bat or handpiece into several spaces or sections, an elastic strip having one end secured to the extreme roundedoff end of the bat or handpiece, and a ball attached to the free end of the elastic strip, the construction being such as to permit a free movement of the elastic strip in all directions whereby the ball may strike the bat or handpiece on rebound as well as on advance movements during a single shot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit nesses.

CLARENCE \V. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

GRANT J. Ross, R. II. BROWN.