US999069A - Game device. - Google Patents

Description

B. G. WARD.

GAMB DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 21, 1910. 999,069. y Patented Ju1y 25, 1911.

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UNITED STAILETENT GFFICE. l

BERTRAND Gr. WARD, 0F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

f GAME DEVICE.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTRAND G. WARD, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Devices, of which the following is a specilication, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to game devices or apparatus and the object thereof is to provide an improved device of this class which is designed to amuse and entertain both old and young, and which is preferably made in the form of a table, one end of which is higher than the other, but which may be made in the form of a board adapted to be placed on a table or other support with one end in a higher position than the other.

'Ihe invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of t-he views, and in which Figure l is a plan view of my improved game device or apparatus; and, Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a table or board a having a rim composed of side members a2, a front end member a3 and a rear end member a4, and in the right hand front corner portion thereof is a longitudinal channel-way o formed by the adjacent side rim member a2 and a short partition b2 arranged parallel with said side rim member, and the front end portion of said channel-way is provided with a cover o3 and placed therein is a plunger Zat having a rod Z which passes out through the front end rim member a3, and is provided with aknob or handle ZJ, and placed on the rod o5 is a spiral spring o? which normally holds the plunger o4 in its innermost position.

' Placed on the rear end portion of the table or board a and centrally thereof is a bell or gong o around which are diagonally arranged rows of staples, loops or wickets CZ and cl2, the staples Z2 being of less transverse dimensions than the staples (Z, and while the bell c is entirely inclosed by these diagonal rows of staples, the staples Z2 are only at the right hand side and constitute the bottom row, and between the top diagonal rows of staples, or between the diagonal Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 2l, 1910.

Patented July 25, 1911.

serial No. 598,602.

rows of staples adjacent to the rear end of the table or board are placed two staples Z3 .which cross each other as shown and which are larger than the staples (Z.

Arranged centrally of the table or board and in the manner of a pair of stairs are a series of steps e, e2, e3, c4, c5 and e, said steps being arranged transversely of said bo-ard and being bounded on the opposite sides by raised flanges or plates e7 and, in the form of construction shown, the steps e, e2, e3, etc. decrease in length from the rear end portion thereof forwardly, and the side flanges or plates o7 diverge from the rear ends thereof forwardly, and this forms on the opposite sides of the stairway, or series of steps, longitudinal spaces f and g, the longitudinal space g being on the left hand side of the table or board, and said spaces diminish in width from the rear end portions thereof a plurality of the staples Z arranged in the form of a triangle below the base of which the bell or gong Zt is placed.

The steps e, e2, c3, etc., preferably with the exception of the step e, are provided with pockets c', Z2, 3, i* and 5, and these pockets are made, in the form of a horseshoe, and are secured to said steps and open in the direction of the rear end of the table or board, and in the arrangement shown the steps e2,

c3 and e5 are each provided with one of said pockets, while the steps e4 and cG are each provided with two of said pockets.

The bells or gongs o and h. and the pockets z', Z2, Z3, etc., are each and all provided with, or designated by, numbers consisting, as will be seen, of live or multiples thereof, and at the front end of the board is a transverse row of pockets j, jz, js, etc., and which are live in number in the form of construction shown, and these pockets are preferably composed of staples Z2 or staples similar to the staples Z2 at the rear end or farther end portion of the table or board, and these pockets open toward the central part of the board, and placed at the entrance into said pockets are transverse staples (Z, or staples similar to the staples CZ at the opposite end portion of the board.

Arranged between the pockets j, jg, js, etc., and the steps or stairway formed by the steps e, c2, e3, etc., are two other pockets lo and 7a2 made substantially in the same manner as the pockets j, jg, js, etc. and of staples cl2, and across the entrance into said pockets are placed transverse staples el, and thepockets 7c and 7a2 are arranged longitudinally of the table or board, and centrally thereof and on the opposite sides thereof are two larger pockets 7c3 and kf which are formed by the staples CZ, and which open in the direction of the cent-ral portion of the board and across the openings into said pockets are placed other staples (Z, and the pockets 723 and 764 are provided with bells or gongs m and m2, and all the pockets j, jz, 7'3, etc., /c and 7a2, and the bells or gongs m and m2 in the pockets 7c3 and 7:4 are provided vwith, or designated by numbers consisting of multiples of five as shown. l also provide a ball or balls fn, adapted to be placed in the channel-way I) and to be projected longitudinally of the board by the plunger b4 and the dimensions of the ball or balls a is such that said ball or balls will pass freely through the staples CZ but will not pass through the staples cl2, and said ball or balls will also freely enter the pockets 2, 3, etc.; and while said ball or balls will enter the pockets 7s and 7a2 through t-he transverse staples d at the opening thereof, they will remain in said pockets until removed, and this is also true of the pockets y', y2, jg, etc.; but the said ball or balls will not remain in the pockets 7c3 and lo* in the operation of playing the game as hereinafter described.

While I have described the parts Z and d2 as staples, loops or wickets, it will be understood that said parts form guards for the bells or gongs in connection with which they are used except at the bottom end of the table or board where they form pockets and my invention is not limited to the use of staples, loops or wickets in forming the various pockets and other parts shown and described as formed by said staples, loops or wickets, as these parts may, if desired, be formed from or consist of pins or plugs arranged in the manner shown and described.

It will be understood that any desired number may engage in playing the game and any desired number of balls n may be provided, and in the playing of the game, a player places his ball in the channel-way b and draws back the plunger b4 by means of the knob or handle 56 thereof, and when said knob or handle is released the plunger b4 will be driven forwardly by the spring o7 adjacent to the right hand rim portion of the table or board a, and the said ball will follow a course depending somewhat upon the force with which it is projected, or on the extent to which the spring b7 is compressed in pulling back the plunger b4.

The rear end portion of the board or table is preferably provided with buffers 0 designed to control, to an extent, the movement of the ball at the farther end of the board or table, and said ball during its initial movement will proceed along the dotted line until it reaches the rear end portion of the table or board from which point it may turn inwardly from any one of a number of positions as indicated by the various arrows m2, w3 or m4, and will then roll down between some of the diagonal rows of staples CZ-rlg. In this operation the ball may hit the bell or gong 0 and the number 5 would be counted by the player, after which the ball may roll down through the left hand space and through the staples Z above the bell or gong L and strike said gong, in which case the number 10 would also be counted by the player and from the bell or gong it the ball would roll down to the front end of the table or board and might roll into the pocket 7:3 and strike the bell or gong m in which case the player would count the number 55, and from the pocket 7a3 the ball would roll pref erably into one of the pockets y', 3'2 or js in which event the number of said pocket would be counted.

Instead of rolling down through the left hand space g, the ball might roll down over the steps e, @2 e3, etc., and might be caught in either of the pockets z', 2, 3, etc., in which event the number of said pocket would be counted by the player, and if the said ball should not be caught in one of the pockets 2, 3, etc., it would proceed down over said steps and might be caught in either of the pockets 70, 762, j, jg, jg, etc., in which event, the number of said pocket would be counted by the player; or said ball might go through one of the pockets 7c3, 7a4, and strike the bell or gong therein, in which event, the number of said bell or gong would be counted, and from said pocket the ball would roll downwardly and possibly in one of the pockets j, jg, j, etc. in which event, the number of said pocket would be counted.

Instead of the ball taking the course indicated by the arrows x2, m3 and at the rear end of the board, it might cross over and take the course indicated by the arrows m5, or m7, or any other course between the diagonal rows of staples on the left hand side of the bell or gong c, in which event, the movement of the ball might be similar to that hereinbefore described but, as will be understood, the exa-ct direction or course that a ball will take when projected by the plunger b4 cannot be given. It will also be understood that each player takes his turn in the usual manner and before beginning the game a number of points is fixed upon which will signify the number to be made to win the game, and the first player to make this number wins the game, and, as in other games of this class, the players may be divided into pairs, if desired. It will also be understood that the bells or gongs 0, h, m and m2, and the pockets z', 2, 3, etc., and the pockets 70 and 702, and the pockets j,y'2,y'3, etc. constitute counters, some of which retain the ball, while the others do not, and it will be apparent that these counters maybe made in diferent ways, and changes in and modications of the construction described may be made, within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or sacricing its advantages.

It will be understood, of course, that the ball cannot roll backwardly or down through the right hand space f as this is prevented by the diagonal row of staples cl2, and it will also be seen that the said diagonal rows of staples (l and Z2 around the bell or gong c serve both as guides for, and obstructions to control the movement or course of the ball, the direction of the ball when it starts its return movement being always determined by the said rows of staples or similar devices; and the staples d over the bell or gong 7L' serve for a similar purpose, as do also the staples, wickets or similar devices which form the pockets 7c3 and le* in which the bells or gongs m and m2 are placed.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let- 3 ters Patent, is

A game device of the class described, comprising an oblong table or board one end of which is adapted to be supported higher than the other, the lower end of said table 3 or board being provided at one side thereof with a channel-way in which is placed a spring operated plunger, the central part of the table or board being also provided with longitudinally arranged steps having pock- 4 ets which open toward the higher end of said table orboard and which are numbered.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 4 16th day of December 1910. i

BERTRAND Gr. WARD.

Vitnesses:

C. E. MULREANY. E. Gr. BROMLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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