US2103151A - Game - Google Patents

Description

R 'P. DIETRICH Dec. 21, 1937.

GAME

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 28; 1956 FIG. 2.

FIG. m as 1Q a AHHH INVENTOR. RIJ P DiaTr-ich ATTORN EY Patented Dec. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GAME Roy Perry Dietrich, Bayside, N. Y. Application September 28, 1936, Serial No. 103,013

3 Claims.

This invention relates to games.

An important object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus which may be manipulated so that one or more of a plurality of readily movable, indicia-bearing game pieces or counters, associated therewith and having curved surfaces, will come to rest in a certain position for scoring, such position being one wherein the game piece will reveal this indicia, no matter how much it may have rolled about due to this curved surface.

Another important object is to provide a game piece or counter having a curved surface broken by a plurality of spaced-apart flattened surfaces,

the flattened surfaces bearing indicia, so disposed that after the game piece has rolled upon its curved surface and has come to rest, one of the flattened indicia-bearing surfaces will be up-' permost, or in a position to be readily observed.

Still another important object is to provide a game piece or counter having a curved surface and a plurality of spaced apart areas bearing indicia so disposed that after the game piece has rolled upon its curved surface and has come to rest, one of the spaced apart areas bearing indicia will be uppermost or in a position so that the indicia may be readily observed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which draw- 1ngs:

Figure l is a top plan view of one embodiment of the novel game apparatus.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same, with one of the walls of a housing, associated therewith, removed so as to reveal portions of the construction.

Figure 3 is a section substantially upon the line 3-3 of Figure 2 but with the wall, removed in Figure 2, in place.

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the novel counters or game pieces, which may be associated with the game apparatus, illustrating a method of determining the position of indicia-bearing areas to be disposed thereon. V

Figure 5 is an elevation of one of the novel counters or game pieces.

Figures 6 and '7 are perspective views of the game piece shown in Figure 5, and illustrating two positions assumed by the game piece.

Figure 8 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the game apparatus.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 8, with one of its walls removed so as to reveal portions of the construction beneath.

Figure 10 is a third embodiment of the novel. game apparatus, employing a game piece of a different construction than those illustrated in Figures 1 to 9.

Figurell is an elevation of a grouping of game pieces which may be employed with the game apparatus shown.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown three embodiments of the invention, the letter A may. designate the first embodiment thereof, this embodiment comprising the housing B and game pieces or counters C, the letter D a second embodiment of the inven- 9 tion, including, for example, the housing E and game pieces or counters C, and the letter F a third embodiment of the invention including, for example, the housing E and game pieces or counters G.

In the form A of the invention, shown particu-' larly in Figures 1 to 3, the novel game apparatus includes a housing B which may comprise side walls I5, end walls IS, an upper or top wall I1, and a bottom or lower wall l8. One wall, preferably the top wall l'l, may be detachably' secured to the housing as by screws l9 and provides a closure or cover. for the housing B. V

The top wall I! may be provided with a sight opening 20, extending across its longitudinal medial line and inwardly of one of the end walls Hi. This sight opening 20 may be provided with a transparency 2|, such as glass, suitably secured in place.

Means may be provided to guide the game 3 counters C or G so that they will appear at the sight opening 20, and such means preferably comprises a pair of like members 22, each having a surface 23 converging towards the longitudinal medial line of the housing and towards the plane 40 of the sight opening 20. In the exampleshown, these members 22 comprise a length of suitable material, such as metal, bent to provide the surfaces 23 and secured to the walls of the housing by any approved means, such as nails 24. 45

In the example shownin Figures 1 and 2, the sight opening 20 is wide enough to reveal three game counters at once, andm'eans may be provided to accommodate three game pieces and retain them in place at the sight opening. This '50 means preferably comprises three pockets or stalls 25, which may be formed by portions of the material making up the members 22 and portions of the bottom wall l8and transparency 2|. In providing the pockets 25, the material making 5 up, in part, the members 22, may be bent or doubled upon itself to form spaced apart partitions 26, and bent to form two end partitions 21, as shown in Figure 2. The pockets 25 open towards or into the interior or chamber 28 of the housing B.

If desired, a plurality of spaced apart projections 29, extending into the housing from the walls thereof, may be provided. These projections 29 aid in causing rolling about and mixing of the game counters inclosed by the housing.

The game counter C may be described as substantially spherical, each having curved rolling surfaces 30, each surface spaced substantially a like distance from the center of the counter. Spaced apart, over the outer surface of the counter, is indicia 3|. Preferably, this indicia 3| is disposed as folloWs:- Assuming a cube inclosing one of the counters C, where a line projected from each corner of the cube strikes the surface of the counter, may be disposed the center of one of the spaced apart indicia 3|. In addition, where a line, projecting from the center of each face of the cube, intersects the surface of the sphere, may be the center of another similar spaced apart indicia 3 I. Employing this method of disposing the indicia, each counter C will be provided with fourteen of these spaced apart indicia, which may comprise numerals. Other methods may be employed and a slightly less or much greater number of indicia areas may be provided. Preferably, this spaced apart indicia 3| is disposed upon a small flattened face or surface 32 of the counter so that if there are fourteen of the spaced apart indicia areas 3 I., there will be fourteen spaced apart flattened surfaces 32. Preferably, the spaced apart indicia upon any one counter will be the same for that counter but it need not be the same as that on another counter. With this arrangement, no matter how the counter C may come to rest before the sight opening 20, there will be an indicia area 3| in such a position that it may be observed easily through the sight opening 20. By the term easily is meant that a person gazing into the sight opening will see at least one indicia area 30 at or so near the surface nearest him of the game counter C, that he will be able to read it readily. Such game counters differ from spheres having'one or several indicia areas thereon which areas may be read with difficulty, if at all, except if by chance the indicia area happens to be uppermost or nearly uppermost. Figures 5, 6 and 7 illustrate how the game counter C may come to rest upon one of the flattened surfaces 32, for instance, and always present an indicia area directly in the line of sight of the person gazing down upon the counter, and without the necessity of the person moving his head in order to see clearly the indicia. Even if the game counters do not happen to come to rest upon a flattened surface, there will be an indicia area 31 so disposed that it may be readily observed without the person, gazing down upon the counter, moving his head.

In the form D, shown in Figures 8 and 9, the construction of the housing E is preferably the same as the housing B except that in the housing E, the sight opening 35 is smaller so that it will disclose to view but one counter and, consequently, there is but one pocket 36, in place of the three pockets 25 of the housing B. This difference necessitates a reconstruction of the length of material making up the converging surfaces 23 and partitions, so that there are two partitions 31, corresponding to the partitions 21 of the housing B. Otherwise, similar reference characters designate corresponding parts of both housings B and E.

The embodiment F, shown in Figure 10, is preferably like form D, except that certain indicia such as that shown at 40 may be disposed upon a wall of the housing E and counters G employed, which are preferably spheres, which may be colored, in any approved way, with different colors. For instance, one sphere 45 may be black, a second sphere 43, red, 2. third sphere :11, green, a fourth sphere 48, yellow, a fifth sphere 49, blue, a sixth sphere 5!], orange, a seventh sphere 5|, pink, an eighth sphere 52, brown, a ninth sphere, 53, lavender, and a tenth sphere 54, white.

This form F is particularly applicable where the game apparatus is small and, consequently, the counters must be so small that it would be impossible to dispose the indicia, provided for the counters C, thereon. It is now apparent that no matter how any one of the counters G come to rest at the sight opening, the player observing it will readily note the color and may compare with the chart of indicia 40 so as to learn its value.

An example of the employment of the game apparatus is as follows:- With the counters free to move about, as is apparent in Figures 2 and 3, but so disposed that they cannot be touched by the players, the latter may agitate the apparatus in any way, i. e., such as shaking it, rotating it or simply tipping it in such a manner that the counters will roll down the inner surface of the bottom wall "3 and one or more of them will appear at the sight opening, dependent upon the size of this opening. The players can readily observe the indicia on the counter or counters and the indicia, if figures and there are three counters in sight, is read from left to right. In the example shown in Figure 1, the figures in sight represent 305, and the one counter in sight in Figure 10 represents 0. Preferably, the players play in turn and the one having the highest score wins. Variations of the use of the game apparatus are many.

By the construction shown, the counters are so disposed that, at no time, may they be touched by the hands of the players, they are below the plane of the wall containing the sight opening at all times, and, as they come to rest in the pocket or pockets provided, the indicia upon them will be readily observable every time by the players.

It will be noted in Figure 2 that there are 30 game pieces shown, there being three game pieces bearing naughts, three bearing ones, three bearing twos, and so on up to and including three bearing nines. Thus, it will be seen that it is possible for the three game pieces appearing at the sight opening 20 to count from 000 to 999. The ten game pieces, shown in Figure 9, are numbered from 0 to 9 and, consequently, any number from 0 to 9 may appear at the sight opening 35. This is given, only by way of example, since I do not want to be limited to the employment of ten or thirty game pieces.

While the device may be used as a game in itself, it may also be employed as an accessory for counting or indicating the movement which may be made by a game piece for any other type of game.

Various changes may be made to the forms of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In a game apparatus, a housing including substantially paralleling side walls, substantially paralleling end walls and a top and a bottom wall normal thereto enclosing a chamber and provided with a sight opening in said top wall adjacent one side wall, and an incline within said chamber extending from one of the end walls towards said side wall, said chamber having a pocket at said sight opening, said pocket being provided with a bottom wall and substantially vertical side walls, said incline extending to the mouth of said pocket, said incline and said walls of said pocket comprising a strip of material rigidly secured at one of its ends to said one end wall of said housing and. formed into said walls of said pocket, said strip of material being rigidly secured to said side wall of said housing and extending from said top wall to said bottom wall of said housing.

2. In a game apparatus, a housing including substantially paralleling side walls, substantially paralleling end walls and a top and a bottom wall normal thereto enclosing a chamber and provided with a sight opening in said top wall adjacent one side wall, and an incline within said chamber extending from one of the end walls towards said side wall, said chamber having a pocket at said sight opening, said pocket being provided with a substantially straight bottom wall, paralleling said side wall of said housing, and spaced apart side walls normal to said bottom wall of said pocket, said incline extending to the mouth of said pocket, said incline and said 7 walls of said pocket comprising a strip of material rigidly secured at one of its ends to said one end wall of said housing and formed into said walls of said pocket, said strip of material being rigidly secured to said side wall of said housing and extending from said top wall to said bottom wall of said housing.

3. In a game apparatus, a housing including substantially paralleling side walls, substantially paralleling end walls and a top and a bottom wall normal thereto enclosing a chamber and provided with a sight opening in said top wall adjacent one side wall, a pair of inclines within said chamber, one extending from one end wall and the other extending from the second end wall, towards said side wall, said chamber having at least a pair of pockets at said sight opening, said pockets being provided with bottom walls and side walls, said inclines and said walls of said pockets comprising a strip of material rigidly secured at its ends to said end walls of said housing and formed into said walls of the pockets, the strip of material being doubled upon itself between two adjacent pockets, said strip of material being rigidly secured to said side wall of said housing at said pockets and extending from said top Wall to said bottom wall of said housing, whereby said strip of material provides said incline and the walls of said pockets and also provides bracing for the walls of said housing and a support for said top wall thereof.[ 7

ROY PERRY DIETRICH. V

Images