US664492A - Race game and apparatus for playing same. - Google Patents

Description

No. 664,492. Patented D60. 25, I900. a. MCMULLEN.

RACE GAME AND APPARATUS FORPLAYING SAME.

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 664,492. Patented Dec. 25,1900.

v G. McMULLEN. RACE GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME;

(Application filed Oct. 7, 1899.)

I 3 Sheets-Spent 2.

INVENTOR g 8) ATTORNEYS wmvzssss No. 664,492. Patented Dec. 25, I900.

I a. McMULLEN. BAGE GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME.

(Application am on. 7,1399.)

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(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE MCMULLEN, OF PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JOSHUA HERBERT JOSEPH, OF SAME PLACE.

RACE GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,492, dated December 25, 1900.

Application filed October 7, 1899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE MOMULLEN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Perth, in the Colony of Western Australia, have invented an Improvement in Race Games and Apparatus for Playing Same, of which the following is a specification.

This in ventionhas been designed so as to provide an apparatus which will fulfil to a certain extent and in a counterfeit manner the purposes of a competitive race, to effect which result the apparatus is constructed so as to sufficiently resemble a race-course in its appointments-such as astarting bell and barrier, Winning-post, and announcement of the winners; and the invention relates, first, to a new race game, and, secondly, to the apparatus employed for effecting same; and in this apparatus the first essential feature consists in the use of press-button mechanism whereby the player imparts a rotary motion to rollers or Wheels around which travels an endless co rd. To this cord is attached a standard, which carries the dummy figure representing the horse or other contestant, as the case may be. The length of the traveling cord actually determines the distance of the running-path of the race-course.

The second essential feature consists in the means provided whereby the passing of each horse past the winning-post is concurrently notified or indicated to the several players or onlookers by the release and exposure of marbles, which are colored to correspond to their own respective horses. Such arrangement consists in the employment of a balanced lever having a detent projection which holds the marble until such time as the horse in passing the post makes contact with a pivoted lever or finger, which in its turn oper ates the balanced lever and so in depressing the detent allows the marble to be released.

The third feature of the invention consists in the peculiar arrangement of parts whereby the starting-bell is rung and the starting-barrier is concurrently released.

The apparatus will be now described by the aid of the accompanying drawings, and in Which- Figure 1 is a top plan of an apparatus con- Serial No. 732,953. (No model.)

structed for use by four competitors or players, Fig. 2 being a transverse section on line XX of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views in plan and elevation, respectively, of the mech- .anism employed for releasing the indicatormarbles. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the tappet mechanism for operating the apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a plan of the arrangement of the inent chamber, which contains any multiple of the apparatus, while A denotes the concen 7o tric or companion compartments, which individually contain each separate apparatus for each competitor.

The top A denotes what is the ground surface of the race-course, having formed therein the continuous slots A, in which vertical standards travel for carrying the dummy horses.

B represents the buttons, which upon being operated depress the lever B that is pivoted at B to the bracket B, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. Such press-buttons are provided with a suitable spring, as B, for returning the button to its home position, while B is a small set-screw which acts as a regulator, so as to adjust the length of the stroke of the lever B To the under side of the latter is attached, as at O, the bar or rod 0 which connects, as at O to the pivoted quadrant O This quadrant at C also carries the vibrator D, which impinges and makes frictional contact against the periphery of roller D By means of such vibratory impulses imparted to the roller D it is made to revolve upon its axis or spindle D 5 It is apparent that to operate the difierent rollers, as D, at their respective levels, as shown in Fig. 2, it is necessary to vertically extend to such required levels thepins 0 which connect to their vibrators.

The vibrator D is provided with a spiralspring attachment D", so as to impart the neo- IOO essary resiliency and to keep such vibrator well pressed against the peripheral edge of the roller D With the roller D a companion or guide, as E, is provided, around both of which the endless band E travels, and the path of such band constitutes the line of race for the dummy horseor other contestant. This band carries the vertical standard E to which at its topmost is attached the dummy horse E or otherwise, as the case may be.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and l, F is the lever pivoted at F. one end with an upward projection or tongue, as F whose purpose is to detain the indicator-marble F until such time as its own related horse has passed the post. To the other end of this pivoted lever F is attached a counterbalance F so as to insure the lever and its tongue F being so held as to-correctly detain the marble unless otherwise required. This tongue F works upwardly in the slot F, as provided for the purpose. The lever, as F, carries a dependent rod G, which is attached to another pivoted plate G by means of the flexible connection G This plate at its outer end is formed with a finger, as G,

against which the running-carrier E in its travel makes contact, and thereby concurrently releases its own indicator-marble.

Referring to Fig. 6, J represents the pockets, into which the indicator-marbles F according to their respective colors, are in the first instance placed and are retained therein by the slide or barrier J until the final lap or round of the game is being run off, when the barrier is slid back and so allowing the marbles to rest or be detained against their stops F as above referred to. This barrier works in the slots, as J and is formed with the knob-handle J Upon being released each marble runs into the galley K, so as to reveal to the players and onlookers the color or number of the winners and also the order or sequence of the winner.

The ringing and starting mechanism consists of two parallel slide-bars L and L and which work and are held in the recesses L formed in the under side of the top frame of the box A. These bars are connected to each other by the cross-bar L which is pivoted at L and operated by the knob L working in its own slot-piece L To one of these bars is affixed a projection which makes suitable contact with the hammer of the bell, as L for announcing the start of the race. These slide-bars are formed, where shown, with inclined or curved faces for engaging with the down end of the finger M, which is suitably pivoted to the barrier-standard M and works in the slots M and M, as shown. The other end of such finger, as at M retains the barrier, as N, in position, at or against which the horses are'arranged or faced until released, whereupon it flies open and upward on its hinge N being assisted and expedited by the spring N This lever is formed at N denotes the brackets for holding the barrier in its various positions on the race-course.

The spinning device for deciding which horse and press button is to be allotted to each player consists of a many-colored disk P, which rotates underneath a fixed disk, which latter has circular spaces marked by number or by other distinguishing manner. P represents the winning-post.

The manner of playing this new race game and of using this invention thereforis mainly as follows: It will'be assumed that four persons elect to play, in which case an apparatus as shown in Fig. 1 will be used. Each player will then call any number up to 4:, and the device P will be spun around, so as to decide which button and horse is to be op erated by each respective player. The players are now allotted their button in accordance with the decision of the spinning device-as, say, that in the event of red appearing under the circle marked 1 then N0. 1 player is allotted the button marked or colored red, and so on. The buttons are made to correspond in color with that of their own respective horse. The horses are now brought abreast of the barrier N, and concurrently with the release of same by the movement of the sliding bars L and L the starting-bell rings,whereupon each player operates his own press-button, as B, which by means of the pivoted lever B vibrates the finger D and so rotates the roller D by means of which the band E is made to travel, together with its attached dummy horse E Upon the horse passing the winning-post its carrier F. makes contact with the finger G thereby depressing the detent or tongue F and so allowing the marble to be released, which then runs into the galley K and so indicates the result of the race.

It will be noted that each apparatus is distinct in itself, and as regards operation each button has its own horse and indicator-marble to correspond.

While specific mechanism has been shown and described for the carrying out ofthis invention, it is obvious that the details, of construction may be varied without departing from the essential nature and constituents of the invention as broadly set forth.

In Fig. 8 in the galley K the tongue F is shown holding the marble F in position to be released upon the horse E arriving at the winning-post P the object of the hand drawslide J being so as to retain the marbles in Q their pockets J at the time that they are being placed therein and until such time as the race is being run,whereupon the slide is withdrawn and the marblesare. allowed to run up v against and face their respective retentiontongues F until the same is withdrawn by the finger G and connected mechanism G G and F, as shown in Figs. 3, 4;, and 9.

In Fig. 9 the first position of the marble is shown in a full line and the position it assumes as against the retention-tongue is shown in broken lines, while the final position of the marble as exposed to view in the galley K is shown in a full line.

Fig. 10 shows starting and ringing mechanism, consisting of the transverse connectingbar, as L pivoted at L which by the pin L operates the slide-bar L and this slide-bar at L operates the finger M for releasing the barrier N, as also shown in Fig. 7. The other parallel bar, as L, connects to the bar L by means of the pin L, and such bar, as L, is operated by the knob, as L. The bar L also when moved forward rings the bell L by the ham mer-piece L ias shown,and so announces the start of the race simultaneous with the release of the barrier N.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a new race game apparatus: the mechanism consisting of slide-bars which concurrently operate a bell and also a detent whereby the race-barrier is released and removed so that the contesting figures may race substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and described.

2. In combination in a race game, the rollers, the cords passing around the same, contestant figures secured to the cords and arranged to run side by side, a winning-post and push-button mechanism for operating the rollers, said push-buttons being independent of each other and arranged toim pel the proper cord separately and continuously, the cords and contestant figures running freely when the impulse is given by the push-buttons,substantially as described.

3. In combination in a game apparatus, means for moving and carrying the contestant figures, a winning-post or other given point and means for exposing an indicator as the figures reach the winning-post, substantially as described,

4. The combination of parts consisting of the press-button or vibratory means for imparting the racing motion to the figures together with the means for announcing the winner by the release of marbles and together with the mechanism for announcing the start of the game and the removal of the racing-barrier, the whole working as one apparatus for playing a new race game substantially asherein set forth and described.

5. In combination with the contestant figures, means for carrying and moving said figures, a series of marbles, a galley K into which the marbles may run and arrange themselves in order and means for holding the marb1es,-said means being released by the operation of the carrying means, substantially as described.

6. In combination, the race-barrier, a bell, means for holding the race-barrier in position, means for releasing the race-barrier and ringing the bell, the contestant figures and means for operating the same comprising push-buttons.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE MOMULLEN.

Witnesses:

J. M. SPEED, RIcHD. SPARROW.

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