US672999A - Game apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

w. .1. Bunrls.

GAME APPARATUS.

(Application led Mar. 5, 1898 Patented Apr; 30, |904.

animar-ww' UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

wiLLAED J. BURrIs, oF eRANvILLE, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFIGATION forming` part of Letters :Ea-tent No. 672,999, dated April. 30, 1901.

Application filed March 5, 1898.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLARD J. BURTIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Granville, county of Washington and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specication.

The invention relates to such im provements; and it consists of the novel construc-V tion and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the let-ters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures. p

Figure l of the drawings is a top plan view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same, taken on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is avertical section taken on the broken line3 3 in Fig. 1.

The game played with myimproved apparatus consists in projecting a marble or similar object along a spiral channel or raceway to an interior depressed plane surface having a plurality of cup-like depressions, each adapted to receive and'retain a marble lodg# ing therein.

A is a base-plate, preferably made of some light material, as wood, though I do not wish to limit myself in this particular.

13,13', B2, and B3 are grooves or raceways formed on the top surface of the base, extending in a spiral form from the central depressed plane surface C outwardly toward the peripheral edge of the base-plate. The

raceways are so disposed relatively to each other that each one incloses its neighboring raceway on one side and is inclosed by its neighboring raceway on the opposite side. The raceways are preferably formed by inserting metal strips or bands A edge'wise in grooves A2, formed in the upper side of the base-plate, in the manner shown in the drawings; but the strips or fillets forming the raceways, together with the base-plate, may be cast in one integral piece of metal, or the separate strips may be secured to a separate base-plate in any known manner.

The plane surface C is depressed below the surface plane of the base-plate to form a cen- Serial No. 672,735. (No model.)l

tral well and provided with a plurality of cup-like depressions C, adapted to severally receive and retain a marble or other small spherical object.

By having a plurality of raceways-for eX- ample, four of them-disposed, as shown,with their outer ends ninety degrees apart at the peripheral edge of the base-plate, which may be two or three feet in diameter, it is possible for four players to play the game and each have a separate raceway, all usable simultaneously.

The apparatus may be provided with any desired number of raceways-one 0r more.

Each player should be provided with marbles differing in appearance or color from the marbles of the other players.

The players may play successivelyor sim ultaneously by projecting a marble alonga raceway to the depressed plane surface, making a count if he lodges his marble in one of the cup-like depressions. The different depressions rnay be given different values, as desired. For example, the lodgment of a marble` in one of the outer depressions would count ten and in the center depression one hundred.

The marbles may be snapped or propelled by the hand in any known manneror by some spring-actuated device. of a device which I believe to be novel and peculiarly adapted for this uand similar purposes, consisting of a ram supported and actuated by a single spring.

-D represents the ram, which is supported in the bottom of a raceway by the rubber spring D', which may be a common elastic band having the loop at each end slipped over a stud or nail D2, inserted in and projecting upwardlyfrom the base-plate. The band is forcedinto a narrow transverse groove D3 in the head of the ram, and the other end of the ram is provided with an operating-handle, as the finger-catch D4.

To operate the device, place themarble F just in front of the ram, as shown. Then draw the ram back to the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. land release it. The'spring will guide the ram and at the same time cause it to strike the marble with sufficient force to propel it through the raceway to the central depressed surface or well C.

I prefer to make use IOO The force of the blow upon the marble will depend upon the force expended in drawing the ram back away from the marble before releasing it.

It will be observed that the propelling device is very simple and easily constructed and that the transverse spring has the double function of guiding and actuating the ram.

rlhe raceway is preferably made Wider at its outer end, where the propelling device is inserted.

By having a central depressed surface or well C at the end 0f the several raceways and providing the bottom surface of this well with a plurality of cup-like depressions adapted to receive the marbles the marbles are all made to pass in different lines of movement across the bottom of the well, according to the degree of force with which they enter the well and strike its vertical wall. They may be propelled with sucient force to make them bound from one side of the well to another and back again, striking the vertical wall of the well several times before the marble finally becomes seated in one of the cuplike depressions.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A game apparatus consisting of a base-plate provided with a plurality of spiral raceways leading inwardly to a well common to all the raceways having a plurality of cup-like depressions in its bottom surface, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 3d day of March, 1898.

WILLARD J. BUR'lIS.

Witnesses:

GEO. A. MosHER, FRANK C. CURTIS.

Images