US693191A - Toy bowling-alley. - Google Patents

Description

N0. 693,19I, 'l Patented Feb..v ||,\|90`2.'

M.. ULMER. l TOY BOWLING ALLEY.

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UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICE.

lMELoHIoR ULMEE, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOY BOWLING-ALLEY.

SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,191, dated ll'flebruary` 1 1, 1902.

Application nea August 3o, 1961. serrano. 73,854. (Nomads.)

To a/ZZ whom, if may 'con/cern.-`

Be it knownthat I, MELCHIOE ULMEE, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, borough of the Bronx, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in rloy Bowling-Alleys, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in games, and in particular to that class of games in which a number of pins or other similar,

members are bowled over by means of a ball. The object of the invention is to provide a simple and durable game apparatus of this;

kind in the operation of which both chance and skill' enter; and for this purpose the invention consists of a toy bowling-alley comprising a rectangular board, two. followers, one at each of the front corners of said board, follower-boxes for said followers, a field of pins on saidboard at the front of the same,

. cushions, one at each of the rear corners of sections on lines 3 3 and 4 4, Fig. 2.

Similar charactersof reference indicate cor-` responding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the game-board of my improved toy bowling-alley, which board Vis composed ofV the base ct, side walls d', front wall a2, and rear wall a3, or constructed in any other suitable manner and preferably made of oblong shape, as shown.

Ateach of the front corners is arranged av spring-actuated follower-block B, the spring b3 of which is interposed between the same and the front wall a2., said block,4 spring, and

the pin b2 projecting upwardly from said block through a slot b in the cover-plate b of the follower-box, forming together the fol. lower. The side wall b4, together with the adjacent portions of the base a and front wall a2 and the cover-plate b, form the followerbox. The outer or rear corners of the Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same;

Y Vgame-board are provided each with a cushion of peculiar shape and composed of a fillingpiece, corner piece or block d, provided with a facecushion d@ The cushioning of the corner-pieces and the rear end a3 of theboard between the same is preferably accomplished by asingle strip of rubber or other suitable elastic material extending continuously upon the same.l Upon the base-board a and prefherably toward the front of the same, as shown, are located a number of bowling-pins E,which may be arranged in any suitable manner. In order to'aid the return'of the ball, it is preferable to give thegame-'board a slight inclination out ofthe horizontal, and for thispurvpose two or more supporting-feetfat the rear of the board or other means for tilting the board may be used.

. As before stated, the object of my invention is to provide a game apparatus in the operation of which not only skill but chance also is an element. For the purpose of the latter l provide a ball, preferably of glass or other heavy material, of a substantially less diameter than' the distance between the side wall of a follower-box and the adjacent side wall of thegame-board ,and the detecting-cushions at the outer corners of theboard opposite said follower-boxes, respectively, are formed in a peculiar manner to coperate with'said relative construction of ball and follower-box for p producing deflection of the ball in different directions, according to the position of the same in the follower-box when shot therefrom. The cornencushions are composed each Y `ably provided with a` slight concavity, into which the ball will seatitself,and the follower-` block is also preferably of less width than the The face of each follower-block isilgyreferj-y roo follower-box and so mounted in the 'same as to have lateral play therein about equal to the play of the ball in the same.'

The ball cis inserted in the follower-box and enters the recess of the follower-block. Upon drawing the follower-block back by means of its pin b2 the ball recedes with the block, owing to the inclination o5 the board, or when the board is not inclined the ball may be placed by the player in position against the retracted follower. Upon releasing the pin b2 the spring b3 throws the block forward and the ball is projected along the board either adjacent the side Wall of the same or at a slight distance removed from the same, according to the position it occupied in the follower-box when being thrown. The forward end of the opposite cushion d receives the ball and deflects it. This deflection, however,varies in direction, according to the point upon which the ball strikes, and in this variation of direction, due to the fact that the diameter of the ball is less than the width of the follower-box, lies the element of chance in the game. The follower-box may be made sufficiently wide so that the entire field may be covered from one box, the cushions being formed accordingly. Owing to the fact that some of the defiecting-surfaces are convex curves the differences in direction between the different courses of the ball are magnified, so that a comparatively slight increase of the play of the ball, in its box over that shown in the drawings would enable the cov-1 It sl cring of the entire field from one box. preferable, however, to so proportion the play ofthe ball that only a portion of the field of the pins can be covered from one follower, theremainder being reached from the other. This leaves to be determined by the player which follower to use in a given case and adds to the interesting nature of the game. When the apparatus is constructed as in the drawings, the ball when delivered at one side of the box covers the course l, at the opposite the course 3,and when thrown at a medium point follows, for example, the course 2.

The foregoing-described operation of the game is that which takes place when the ball is propelled with sufficient force so thatits momentum carries it in approximately straight lines from the different points of deflection, and gravity due to tilting of the board has practically no influence upon the course of the ball. When, however, it is desired, for

instance, to strike from a follower a pin lo,l

cated at the lower portion of the field-that is to say, a pin out of the normal course of the ball when shot from said follower-here the influence of gravity is allowed to act on the ball so as to pull the same out of its straight lateral course from the last deflection into contact with the pin, as indicated in dotted lines 4, and it then becomes a matter of both skill and chance as to whether or not the pin will be struck, for if the player pull too hard gravity will not exert sufficient influence on the ball to draw it to the pin even though the deflection be on the angles of the line 3, for instance. As to the approximate point to which the followerI must be retracted to impart the proper initial momentum, this is a matter of judgment obtained by practice with the game, and when one is familiar with the game can be well judged.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A toy bowling-alley, consisting of a rectangular board, two followers, one at each of the front corners of said board, follower-boxes for said followers, a field of pins on said board at the front of the same, cushions, one at each of the rear corners of said board, a cushioned end between said corner-cushions, said co1'- ner-cushions being composed each of a convex forward portion and a concave rear portion merging into said cushioned end and a ball of less diameter than the width of either followerbox, adapted to be thrown therefrom substantially as set forth.

2. In a toy bowling-alley, the combination, with a hoard, and a field of pins at the front of said board, of a cushioned rear wall at the opposite end of the board, and corner-cusb ions also at the opposite end of the board at each end of said rear wall and com posed each of a convex forward portion and a concave rear portion merging into said rear wall, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MELCIIIOR ULMER.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH 1I. NILEs, PAUL GoErEL.

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