US2382328A - Hockey game - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 14, 1945.

D. H. MUNRO HOCKEY GAME Filed Feb. 27, 1945 Patented ug. 14, 1945 HOCKEY GAME n 4Donald H. Munro, Toronto, 0nta`rio,.Canada Application February 27, 1943, Serial No. 477,351

' `2 Claims. (Cl. 273-85) My invention particularly relates to certain new and useful improvements in a game of the character disclosed in Letters /PatentNa 2,048,944 issuedfto Ralph E. Grieve and myself on July .28, 1936. The .gameas described in said patent comprehends a board having a playing surface providing inclined fields sloping toward operating ends. The device .is a parlor game simulative of hockey and has goalsat its ends defended by goalkeepers in the form of bodily swingable game pieces manipulated `by thev players. A ball such as a Imarble is used in lieu of a puck, andis put in play by projectors. Flicking devices are swingably mounted @upon vthe `playing surface for'manipulation by the operators to score agoal.- The flicking devices `represent the hockey men of opposing teams; allthe men of each team being concurrently actuated by a manually controlled element. The course-of. thegame piecein gravitation toward a goal is influenced by the arrangement of hazards. So soon as the game piece rolls -to an end of ltheplaying surface the play is brought to a finish andthe game piece must be againprojected toput it into play;

According to my .present invention as set forth in the ensuing specification I `have devised an important and 'highly advantageous improvement `relating to the structure ofthe ends of the playing board by which the play is not necessarily brought to an end when the game piece rolls to an end of the playing surface.

The structure comprises the provision of an end wall curved outwardly and forwardly from a point behind a goal in an encircling manner with the curvature at one side prolonged and directed inwardly. The inwardly directed extent of the curvature has an inclined end face. conjunction with the compound curvature I arrange a icker at an angle therewith having its the goal or the opposite flicker, thus keeping the game piece in play with the object of scoring a goal. Again, the game piece may be caught directly between the compound curvature of the f end wall and the flicker thereat, in which event I the play may be continued.

, Fig. 4 is Fig. 1.` I

I This feature. makes the game far `more eciting and fascinating. Additionally, both skill` and judgment are required `in the execution of the n plays. n

Referring tothe drawing, l .n Fig. l is a plan view of the game showing the .ickers in `their normal positions, thepositons to which they may swing being indicated in dash lines. 1

Fig..2 is aside elevation of Fig. v1 showing the end portions in y section.

I Fig. 3 is a plan` view ofthe mechanism below `the `playingsurface of the game board by which an operator manipulates one set of flickersfrom a playingend. .Itnwill be understood that there is asimilar mechanism for the other set` of iiickers.

from their `'normal positions.

Fig. 54s a sectional detail taken on line 5`5 of `Like numerals of reference indicate corre- -spondingparts in each of the guresthroughout the 4drawingof the invention. n l

VMy 'invention is illustrated in the drawing as appertaining to a game comprising an `elongated board having aplaying surface divided by amedianli'ne '6 into two playing elds 'I and B, each planar and sloping toward the ends 9 and Ill so that when a marble I I, which is used to present a puck, is put into play by a projector I2 at one end of the board it will traverse the median line 6 or crest of the playing surface and gravitate toward the other end. The runway of each projector is shown as supplied with a nexible deflector I3 arranged to block the exit so that the marble may not return. The goals I4 and I5 `are in the form of nets and are defended by goalkeepers I6 and II respectively, each in the nafture of a peg mounted on an axis for lateral movement by means of a lever handle I8 manipulated by a person in playing the game. Each person or operator plays from an end of the board as will be understood. Deectors as at I9 may be 4arranged in spaced relation to the runways of the projectors I2.

Each team of vhockey men isrepresented by a set of flickers on the playing neld. One set comprises the members A, B, C, D and E., which are operated concurrently by the handle 20. other set comprises the members A', B', C,`D' and E', which are operated by the handle 2| at the other end of the board.

The iiickers are arranged as shown in Fig. 1

a fragmentary plan view vof the game ,showing one end thereof ,with flickers shifted The , trolled by a similar mechanism attached and it will be observed that the members A and B of one set flank the opponents goal, and that the members A and B of theother set are correspondingly disposed with respect to the other goal. The members D and E, and also the members D and E provide for direct goal shots. The members C and C provide for checking and passing et cetera, and constitute hazards in the playing of the game. The members A and B and the corresponding members A and B' are used for goal shots as will be understood by anyone familiar with the game.

As best shown in Fig. 5, each flicker consists of an arm 22 of wire rod material journalled by an axis 23 at one end by which it is swingably mounted on the board. The arm has an integral lever 24 at the underside of the board by which it is actuated. A peg 25 represents a man, and the pegs of one team are of a different color to those of the other team for distinguishing purposes. The lever 24 of the ilickers A, B, C, D and E areconnected by wire rods as at 26, Fig. 3 to the handle 20 forY concurrent action. The rods 26 are spring urged to retain the ickers in normal position. The other set of ickers are conto the handle 2|. y

Since the playing board is symmetrical about its centre line, a description of one end, in regard to the improved features, will serve for both. The end I0 is provided with a wall 21 having a curved face 28 which sweeps inwardly and forwardly from behind the goal l5 toward opposite sides of the board in a manner to encompass the flickers A andrB. The flicker B is normally disposed with its arm extending away from the adjacent side of the goal on a slight forward angleso that the marble can be icked toward this goal. The curved face 28 terminates at the right hand side of the board at a point in proximity to the distal end of the 'flicker B', but at the left side thereof it is curved inwardly, as at 29, about the axis of the flicker A on a reduced radius such as will serve to deflect the marble forwardly in the general direction of goal I5.. Wall 21 has a deiiector face 30 sloping upwardly from the end of curvature 29 andl meeting the adjoining side wall of the board. The arm of flicker A is positioned to extend rearwardly from its axis to meet the curved face 28 so as to form therewith a pocket 3| in which the marble may lodge.

In playing the game it will be found that the marble will on occasions directly roll into the pocket 3 I, or be guided into the same by the deflecting face 3U. When this happens the operator can make a goal shot by driving the marble out of the pocket with a short, Vquick flick of the flicker A'. When the Operators lose control of the marble in a play and it hits the wall 21, the curved face 28 causes it to roll from side to side. The marble can then usually be caught by swinging the flicker A' slightly away from this curved face to permit the marble to pass into the pocket, as indicated in Fig. 4. The flicker is then released and subsequently operated to drive the marble toward the goal.

Having exemplified the function of my improved structure, it is not necessary to describe all the plays that can be made, but it will be manifest that the invention presents an important improvement in the art.

What I claim is:

l. In a game apparatus comprising a generally rectangular board, the playing surface of which slopes toward opposite ends thereof, a continuous game piece retaining and directing wall surrounding the playing surface of the board, goals arranged on the inclined playing surface adjacent the end walls of the board, and means movably mounted on the playing surface for controlling the movement of the game piece thereover, the inner surface of each end wall being continuously curved from side to side of the board behind a goal and in spaced relation thereto, one end portion remote from the goal of each of said continuously curved surfaces being further `curved forwardly and inwardlytoward the longitudinal center of the board and to a point in advance of the entrance to the goal.

2. Thestructure of the game apparatus as dened in claim 1, whereinY a reentrant angle wall portion joins each of the inwardly curving end wall portions Ato an adjacent side wall of the board forwardly of the entrance to the respective goals for deecting a game piece inwardly towards the longitudinal center of the board.

DONALD H. MUNRO.

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