US794431A - Amusement device. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JULY 11, 1905.

W. T. SMYTHE.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 17, 1904.

WITTUR'I'EY UNITED STATES Patented July 11, 1905.

PATENT rrics.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE- SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794331, dated July 11, 1905.

Application filed June 1'7, 1904. Serial No. 213,017.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. SMYTHE, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Montandon, in the county of Northumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the'following is a speci- The object of this invention is to provide a game which shall require a certain degree of skill to attain the desired result or solution, coupled with aproportionate element of chance in its operation, and which shall at the same time be instructive as well as amusing.

The subject-matter of this amusement device is in the form of a game and represents the progression of an individual through life, from childhood to the Presidency of the United States, and the successive steps taken in attaining to that position.

In illustrating and carrying out the subject, as stated, in the form of a game I provide a flat board or table, which may be of any suitable size and shape, preferably in the form of a polygon. The surface of the board is divided by concentric walls parallel with the outer edge into spaces which are each given a numerical value, increasing from the outer to the inner space of the series, and these concentric spaces are subdivided into positions by means of radial lines, which positions are progressively and successively to the center designated by names corresponding to the successive periods of a persons life, such as school, college, &c. The surface of the board is divided into as many sections as it is desired to have players by radial avenues, in which the width is decreased as they approach the center. At the head of each avenue is provided a starting-point from which each player starts, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, using for that purpose a preferred form of board octagonal in shape and having the radial lines perpendicular to the sides, as appears in the drawings.

The same letters refer to similar parts throughout the difierent views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings accompanying this specification, Figure 1 is a general or plan view of a board or table embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1, partly in section. Fig. 3 represents a ball of elastic material, preferably of rubber, used by the players, as will be hereinafter explained.

A represents a board or table of any shape.

B, C, D, E, F, G, and H represent concentric strips or partitions parallel to the rim, seven or more in number, about two inches apart and one-fourth of an inch high.

B C D E F G H represent spaces between the partitions and to which I have given the arbitrary numbers 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100; but it is conceivable that any progressive notation may be used which will increase the number of points that may be obtained by the skill of the player to offset the increased difficulty of placing the ball in a space in or near the center. The spaces B, C, and D are subdivided by the radial lines a b 0 cl a painted on the board, and these subdivisions to which I have given the letters'a, b, c, d, e, f, g, 11, together with the spaces E, F, G, and H, form successive positions to which I here have given the names, respectively, School, College, Business, Politics, Legislature, Governor, Ambassador, Congress, Senate, Cabinet, Vice-President, and White House; but

it is conceivable that any names may be used which are successively and progressively connected in their several meanings. The position H is a concave surface, which may be white in color, suggestive of the name given thereto via, White House about three inches in diameter and about one-fourth of an inch deep in the center.

W, X, Y, and Z represent avenues radiating from the center which divide the spaces and partitions into regularand symmetrical sections. In order that the difficulty to the player of placing the ball in or near the center may be increased, these avenues decrease in width as they approach the center. For example, they may be about three inches wide at partition B and about one and one-eighth (1%) inches wide at partition H.

M, N, O, and P represent the starting-point for each player and may be felt cushions.

A represents a marginal wall about one and one-fourth (1%) inches high.

In playing the game each player has a chess man or figure which he places in the first position, which'is here designated as School. Each player in turn places an elastic ball on the starting-point and with the finger snaps it down an avenue toward the center, great skill being necessary to prevent the elastic ball from hitting the partitions, and therefore diverging widely. The number of the space in which the ball finally comes to rest counts to the player a'number of points corresponding to the number in said space, and the player who has the largest number of points moves his chess man or figure one position, each players object being to move his particular chess man or figure through all the positions and place it first in the White House or cen ter H.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an amusement device, the combination of a base or board having a flat level surface with a depression or concave surface in the center and having amarginal upstanding wall, a plurality of concentric strips or partitions forming a part of said base, spaces between the strips or partitions, intersecting avenues radiating from the center and through which balls or bodies may be passed, substantially as described.

2. In an amusement device, the combination of a base or board having a flat level surface with a depression or concave surface in the center and having a marginal upstanding wall, a plurality of concentric strips or partitions parallel to the marginal wall, spaces between the strips or partitions, both intersected so as to form regular and symmetrical sections by avenues radiating from the center to the marginal wall, substantially as described.

3. In an amusement device, the combination of a base divided into annular spaces by concentric walls, radial avenues, decreasing in width toward the center, a depression or concave surface at the center.

Signed at Milton, in the county of Nor thumberland and State of Pennsylvania, this 4th day of June, A. D. 1904:.

WILLIAM T. SMYTHE. Witnesses:

JAooB F. GAUGER, HORACE GAUGER.

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