US938179A

US938179A - Amusement device.

Info

Publication number: US938179A
Application number: US4984640?A
Authority: US
Inventors: John Jacob Tanner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Publication date: 1909-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1926-10-26

Description

J. J. TANNER.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLIOATIOK FILED in 26, 1909.

Patented Oct. 26, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATE T O I some neon or cnmromn. I

Specification Letters Patent.

Patented Oct.

Application fled m as, 1000. mm 10. 4os,4c4.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Jnoon TANNER, citizen of Switzerland, residing at Petaluma, in the county of Sonoma and State of California, have invented new and useful Im-- provements in Amusement Devices, of which the following is a s ecification.

My invention re ates to amusement devices, and pertains particularly to a novel form of basket ball.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section,

the throwing device being shown in elevathe chamber 3 practically in a vertical plane,

and with the least amount of side movement of the ball possible. The chamber 3 has adjacent to one vertical side a partition 5,

which forms a vertical chute 6 up through which the ball is adapted. to be projected by the hammer or throwing device 7 located in the base of the apparatus. This throwing device is here shown as consisting of the hammer 'device 7 fulcrumed between its ends at 8, and with one end projecting into the chute 6, and the other end acted on by a spring 9 normally to project the throwing end upward.

The upward movement of the forward end of'the hammer is limited by a suitable sto provided by a ledge as 10, in the base, whi e the spring-connected end of the hammer is free to move up into dotted line position, shown in Fig. 3.

The ball 4 is adapted to rest on a suitable seat 11 and within the range of action of the hammer, when the latter is allowed to move from the dotted line position in Fig. 3 into full line position, and thereby impel the bal forcibly upward through the chute 6.

Any suitable means may be provided to actuate the hammer, and as here shown I provide a trigger 12, fulcrumed at 13,- and having a finger l4 pivoted at 15, which finger and are rigid when in engagement withthe under side of thehamm'e'r, 4 so as to tilt the latter, as shown in Fig. 2 but after releasing the hammer, the tn r can reassume its normal 'positionun er the action of the spring 16 by reason of the finger 14 doubling up and riding over the roller 17 on the hammer. The trigger is operated by suitable means as the lunger 18 and knob 19.

In operation, a bal 4 resting on .seat 11, is thrown by pushing down on the knob 19 which causes the hammer 7 first to'be lifted by the trigger 12 and its finger 14, and then on being released by the finger, the spring 9 gives a sudden impulse to the hammer to project the ball upward through the chute 6. The ball then strikes the inclined upper wall 20 of chamber 3, and is deflected horizontally for a short distance, and then begins to fall by gravity through the space in chamber 3,.and may encounter various fixed pins 21 located in the upper part of the chamber 3, and which pins will serve to de flect or-chan e the direction of the ball. The ball may fal upon an annular series of fixed pins 22, and into a basket'formed' by a pair of horizontally fixed pins 23, and a movable horizontal pin 24, whereupon this will record .a certain score to the credit of the player. Ifthe ball misses the basket formed by the pins 2324, it-will pass on down, and may fall into one of the other baskets formed by a lower set of fixed ins 25, and movable pin 26, or it may drop own into a series of baskets of lesser denomination, which lower baskets are represented by pairs of fixed pins 27 to correspond with the'movable pins 28. If the ball misses these lower baskets it will pass downward on to the inclined runway 29, and will roll once more back to its seat 11, into line-with the hammer, ready to be projected again upward by the next player. In case the ball is caught in any of the baskets formed by the respective sets of pins 2324, 25-26, 27-28, it is released by simply rocking a shaft 30 by means of an outside handle 31, each shaft 30 cont-inning across theback of the machine and carrying a respective

movable pin

24, 26, or 28; each

24, 26, or 28, adapted to move downwardly through a slot 32 in the back of the casing. Whenever the shaft 30 is rocked in the proper direction so as to release the ball,

a spring 33 serves to turn the shaft in the opposite direction to again project the pin outward into the path of the ball, and the tension of the spring being strong enough normally to maintain these movable pins horizontal. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent isv .1. An amusement device comprisinga suitable casing inclosing a thin, wide and long vertical chamber, a ball having a diameter slightly less than the thickness of said chamber, means for projecting the ball through the chamber, and baskets within the chamber adapted to catch the ball, each of said baskets comprising aplurality of plns projecting normally and horizontally across outside of the chamber for releasing the bal from said baskets.

3. An amusement device comprising a suitable casing inclosing a thin, wide and long vertical chamber, a ball having a diameter slightly less than the thickness of said chamber, means for projecting the ball through the chamber, and baskets within the chamber adapted to catch the ball, said baskets each comprising a plurality of pins projecting normally horizontally across the chamber, one of said pins forming the bottom of the basket, being movable.

4:. An amusement device comprising a suitable casing inclosing a thin, wide and long vertical chamber, a ball having a diameter slightly less than the thickness of said chamber, means for projecting the ball through the chamber, baskets within. the chamber adapted to catch the ball, said baskets each comprisin a plurality of pins projecting normally orlzontally across the chamber, one of said pins forming the bottom of the basket being movable, andmeans for operating said movable pin to release the ball from the basket.

5. An amusement device comprising a suitable casing mclosmg a thin, wide and long vertical chamber, a ball having a diameter slightly less than the thickness of said chamber, means for projecting the belly through the chamber, and baskets within the chamber adapted to catch' the ball, said-'baskets each comprisingX a plurality of pins pro,- jecting normally orlzontally across the chamber, one of said pins forming the bottom of the basket'being movable, said movable pin mounted on a rock shaft,'andlmeans operating on the rock shaft to maintainsaid pin normally horizontal.

6. An amusement device comprising a suitablel'casing inclosing athin, wide and long vertical'chaniber, a ball having a diameter slightly less than the thickness of said chamber, means for projecting the ball through the chamber, baskets within the chamber adapted to catch the ball, each of said baskets comprising a plurality of pins projecting normally horizontally across the chamber, and each basket having a movable bottom member, said throwing means for the ball including a spring-actuated hammer, and a trigger for operating the hammer, with means for positioning the ball in the path of the hammer. I

7. In an amusement device, a ball throwingmeans comprising'in combination with a suitable chute or runway for the ball. a hammer having an end projecting into the chute, said hammer fulcrtimed between its ends, and acted on bya spring, and a spring pressed trigger operative on the hammer.

8. In an amusement device, a ball throwing means COIIIPIlSlIlg 1n comblnation with a projecting into-the chute and operative on the ball, a spring for normally maintaining the hammer in contact with the ball, and a trigger operative on the hammer and in chute, having a seat for a ball, a'hammer opposition to its spring, first to move the hammer away from the ball, and then to release it to allow the spring to act to cause the hammer to hit the ball. F

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my handin presence of two subscribing witnesses. l

' J OHNJACOB TANNER. Witnesses: t

C. HALLAM COLE, E. G; BLASDEL.