US1620375A - Amusement device - Google Patents

Description

. G. MELING March 8, 1927.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Aug. 20, 1926 :7 1 4 7d" 5 Ill/ll f 4 IV 1 l III/ll l l A l l ATTO R N EY Patented Mar. 8,. 1927.

' UNITED STATES GUs'rAvn ,MELING, or FLUSHING, NEW. Yonx.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

Application filed August 20, 1926. Serial No. 130,499.

This invention relates to improvements' in amusement devices and has particular reference to a ball registering and return device. l

The primary object of the invention resides in a device which may either be constructed on a miniature scale for use as a toy by children in connection with which a marble maybe used, or by constructing the with their entrances'disposed adjacent the supportingsurface of the device, and which passages curve up to dispose their exits above their entrances, each exit being normally" closed by a swinging door having anumber thereon, there being different numbers on the various doors, which are normally concealed, whereupon a marble or ball passing through the passages with'sufiicient momentum will strike the respective door,causing the same to'drop to a position to expose the number thereon and permittin the marble or ball to be thrown forward- 1n the direction from which it was originally propelled, the player in turn being credited with the amount shown on the open door.

Another object of the'inventionaims to provide an amusement device which is simple in construction and highly amusing and entertaining to the players participating in 40 the use of the device.

' With these and otherobjects'in view, the invention resides in certain novel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of which are hereinafter fully described, are particularly ointed out in the appended claims, and are I illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which 4 Figure 1 is a perspective viewof my improved amuscment device.

Fi re 2 is a vertical sectional view on the hue 2-2-01? Figure 1. 1

Figure 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.-

Referring more particularly to the drawwalls 13. The walls 11 and 12 are disposed the direction from ing, the reference numeral 10 designates my improved amusement device in its entirety, and which includes a housing 11 constructed of a pair of spaced walls 11 and 12, and end (30 horizontally for a portion of their length and are curved upward and forward for a purpose to be presently explained. The space between the walls 13 are divided into aligned passages 14 by spaced partitions 15, the entrances to the passages being indicated at 16, while their exits are indicated at '17. The entrances are disposed on a level with the supporting surface, whilethe-exits are elevated to discharge the ball or marble 18, "7 to cause the 'same'to be thrown forward in which it was originally rolled or shot. v

The exits 17 are normally closed by doors 19, hingedly connected at their bottoms with the wall 11 as at 20, so as to cause the doors to swing downward when a push is exerted thereon from inside the passage. Each'door 19 has an angle iron or stop 21 mounted on the back of the same which engages the wall 11 when the door is in a closed position, whereby'to hold the door in such position. The door when closed i's swung to a position just out of vertical alignment with the axis of the hinge to prevent accidental dropping of the door. The backs of the door have numerals 22 of different values provided thereon, which count an e ual number of points for a player whose be is res onsible for the dropping of the door. en the door is in an open position, the numbers are exposed to view and the player credited with that particularamount.

The device is supported upon a supporting surface by the wall 12, while the side walls 13 extend rearward to aid in supporting the device and for preventing rocking of the same due to the peculiar shape of the housing.

The wall 11 directly'below the axis 17 is 1 curved forward as at 23 to cause any ball or marble which may not dro clear of the device on its return to roll orward when dropped thereon.

In practice, the device if used as a toy is 1 placed upon the floor or ground and the players agree upon a suitable mark from which to shoot at the device. The marble or ball 18 is shot or rolled from themarktoward the device, it beingthe object of the player to cause the marble or ball to enter that passageway closed by the door having the highest value. The marble or ball is propelled toward the entrances of the device with sufiicient forcefto carry the same through the passageway in which it enters and out-of the exit, from where it is thrown forward in the direction from which it was originally propelled. It will be noted that the marble or ball returns to the player Without requiring someone to return the ball to him. As the ball or marble passes out of the exit of the passage through which it travels, the same strikes the door of that particular passage causing the same to swing down, thereby exposing the number on the back thereof. The player is therefore credited with that particular number of points. The players may make such rules as they may agree upon regarding the number of points necessaryto win a game or the number of balls in each game.

After aplayer has caused a door to drop,

the door is manually swung to a closed position as will be readily appreciated.

The device when constructed on an enlarged scale might be used at the end of an alley such as a bowling alley and regular bowling balls thrown by the players with an effort of obtaining the highest score with a given number of balls.

While I have described what I deem to be the most desirable embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many of the details may be varied without many way departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not limit myself to the exact details of construction herein set forth nor to any thing less than the whole of my invention limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is p 1. An amusement device comprising a housing having transversely aligned curved passages therein, the exits of which are disposed above the entrances, and doors hingedly connected to the lower walls of the respective passages to swing. downward therefrom, numbers arranged on one side of said doors and normally concealed when said doors are in a closed position, means for supporting said doors in closed'position, and a spherical member adapted to be rolled into either of said passages with sufficient force to carry the same therethrough when entering said passage through the entrance thereof, whereby to strike the respective .door to cause the same to drop to an open position to expose the numeral thereon, said spherical member passing out of the exit and being projected forward in the direction from which it was originally rolled.

2. An amusement device comprising a housing having a curved passage therein, the exit being disposed above the entrance, a spherical member adapted to be rolled through said passage, and a door normally closing the exit of said passage and having indicating indicia thereon and normally concealed from view, said spherical member adapted to engage said door in its movement through said passage to cause the same to free the spherical member therefrom and to expose the indicating indicia thereon.

In testimony whereof I hereby aflix my signature.

- GUSTAVE MELING.

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