US1214252A - Game apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

Y. 'YAMAMOTO.

GAME APPARATUS.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT-7 INVENTORZ ATTORNEY,

Y. YAMAMOTO.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION men SEPT-7.1916.

1,214,252. Patented Jan.30,1917.

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YUKINOBU YAMAMOTO, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 35 191?.

Application filed-September 7, 1916. Serial No. 118,815.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, YUKINOBU YAMA- MOTO, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to game apparatus and has for its object to provide a game designed to be played on a table or alley by means of a manually projected ball adapted to travel along the table and by contacting therewith cause one or more of a series of contact members or paddles to disappear from view, thereby registering a predetermined number of points with each throw or operation of the balls.

Other and further objects will be in part described and in part apparent as the description is proceeded with.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view showing two game apparatus side by side; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a single apparatus; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the box; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail view of the spring held rock bar; Fig. 7 is a detail view of one of the spring catches; and Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the counters.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, numeral 1 designates a table or alley comprising front and rear supporting legs 2 and 3, respectively, intermediate Supporting legs a and a top 5. The top 5 which is cut away at its rear end as at 6 to provide an opening 7 is substantially horizontal but preferably inclined slightly from front to rear for the obvious purpose of facilitating the travel of balls or other projectiles thereover.

Suitably supported between the front and intermediate legs substantially parallel with and spaced from the top 5 is a forwardly inclined partition or runway 8, the rear end of which is flush with a downwardly. and forwardly inclined partition or runway 9 arranged directly beneath the opening 7 for a purpose hereinafter described. The partition or runway 9 extends between and is suitably connected to the rear and intermediate legs in any convenient manner.

An open-bottomed box-like structure 10 comprising ends 11, rear wall 12, top 18 and shelf it rests upon and is removably supported by the table or alley 1 directly over and in communication with the opening 7 A. vertical partition 56 extends from the rear wall 12 to a front wall 15 thus providing two drawer openings 16 for the reception of drawers 17. lhe purpose of the drawers is to receive and contain the balls 20 when the latter are not in use. Access may be had to these drawers by swinging the extension 18 of the rear wall 12 downwardly upon its hinges 19 as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be noted that the front wall, which is of substantially the same dimensions as the drawer opening 15 serves the double purpose f closing the front of these openings and also for presenting upon the front face thereof suitable characters 21 for scoring purposes. The marginal edges of the wall 15 may be provided with a beading 22 for the purpose of adding to the appearance of the device, while a beading 25 extending between the ends 11 and along the front edges thereof serves a similar purpose.

A plurality of depending contact members or paddles 23, one for each character 21, pivoted at their upper ends by means of hinges 24; to the upper cross bar 51 of beading 25, are adapted to swing within the open space 40 in the bottom portion of the box 10, in the arc of a circle between the lower cross bar 52 of beading 25 and the shelf 14.

In practice the player who preferably stands at the front end of the table 1 projects a ball 20 down the inclined table top 5 toward the paddles 23, the object being to strike one or more of these paddles the ends of which when struck, will be caused to move inwardly and upwardly by virtue of their hinged connections. As the ball passes over the head or strip on the table top 5, the ball is caused to jump or rise as it is projected against the paddles. For every paddle thus moved to scoring position the player receives credit on his score for the number of points indicated by the particular character or characters 21 above the paddle or paddles successfully struck.

Means is provided for retaining the paddles in their uptilted or scoring position and out of the line of vision of the player comprising a transversely extending rectangular rocking bar 26 supported from the shelf 14 by means of hinges 27 and normally maintained with its upper face flush with the shelf by means of a spring 57. Attached to the forward face of this bar and in the arc of the circle described by the free ends of the paddles is a plurality of resilient catches 29, one for each paddle. These catches comprise a fixed part 30 having outstanding lugs 31 and a movable member 32 having apertured cars 83, the two parts being pivotally connected together by means of a pin 34 passing through the ears and lugs. The movable part 32 is normally maintained in a forwardly and upwardly inclined position (best shown in Fig. 7) by means of a coiled spring (not shown). When the free ends of the paddle strike the inclined faces of pivoted part 32 they force said part inwardly against the tension of the coil spring (not shown) until the ends of the paddles pass over the upper extremity 35 of the part 32 whereupon the latter springs back beneath the ends of the paddles thus locking the paddles in elevated or scoring position.

When the player has thrown all the balls to which he is entitled the attendant totals the characters above those spaces normally occupied by the paddles which have been uptilted, giving the player corresponding credit therefor. (It may here be noted that the employment of disappearing paddles greatly facilitates the reading of. the score both by the player and attendant, as will be readily understood). The paddles are then returned to normal or vertical position by means of a cord, rope Or the like 36 secured intermediate its ends to an eye 37, which in turn is secured to the bar 26. The free ends of the cord or rope pass around a pulley 58 secured to the partition 14 of the box-like structure 10, then out through the end walls 11 and to the front end of the table 1 in a convenient position to be grasped by an attendant positioned between two of the tables. A. slight pull exerted upon either or both ends of the cord or rope is communicated through the pulley 58 and eye 37 to the rocking bar, causing the latter to tilt rearwardly and thereby withdrawing the upper ends of the pivoted part 32 from beneath the free end of the paddles. The paddles will then return by force of gravity to 7 normal position.

It is to be understood that a single apparatusmay be used, as for instance in the inner face of the rear wall of the box 1 and drop down through the opening 7 onto the V inclined partition or runway 9 down which they will roll to the front end of the table in convenient position to be again used.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and 'many apparent widely different embodiments of my invention, within the scope of the claims constructed without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended'that all matters contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpretedas' illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a game apparatus a table having an opening therein, an open-bottomed box-like structure mounted upon said table over said opening, said box like structure comprising end walls and front and rear walls, said front wall having an opening therein, a shelf between the end walls and above the opening in the front. wall, a partitiondividing said shelf, forming drawer openings, drawers within said openings and means for gaining access to the drawers through said rear wall, a plurality of hinged contact members depending within the opening within the front wall, a plurality of characters on the front face of the front wall arranged above the contact members, one for each contact member, a rocking bar hinged to the bottom of said shelf, a plurality of spring catches carried by said bar, one for each contact member, said resilient catches comprising a fixed portion and a movable portion pivotally connected together, said movable portion presenting an inclined face in the arc of the circle described by the free ends of said contact members when said contact members are swung inwardly and upwardly under the impact of a ball orthe like whereby the ends of said contact meinbers ride over said inclined face and are locked and means for simultaneously releas ing said contact members.

2. In a game apparatus the combination' of a table, a box like structure supported at one end of said table, said box like structure having afront wall with an opening formed therein, a plurality of contact members hingedly mounted at their upper ends within said openings and normally maintained by force of gravity in a depending position, the free ends of said contact members being adapted to swingupwardly in the arc of a circle when struck by a ball I to permit passage of the free ends of said contact members thereabove and to automatically lock said contact members in such elevated position and means adjacent the front end of vsaid table for actuating said rocking bar to release said contact members. 1 In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiX my signature.

YUKINOBU YAMAMOTO.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of latents. Washington, D. G.

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