US2510985A - Miniature golf game table - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1950 E. w. KUMMER MINIATURE GOLF GAME TABLE Filed NOV. 28, 1944 I NVEN TOR Il 1 l:

Patented .lune i3, 1950 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in miniature golf game tablets.

The popularity of golf as a game is Well known, as it is played extensively in all parts of the country. During the winter, when there is snow and rain, the ordinary outdoor golf game cannot be played and the golf enthusiasts frequently practice putting, in various ways, by means of suitable apparatus that can be employed indoors.

it is the object of this invention to produce a game table of considerable size by means or which a very interesting game of indoor golf can be played.

. The game table, briefly described, consists of a platform constructed in a rigid manner Some-l what in the form of an ordinary pool or billiard table. rihis platform is positioned with the surl face perfectly' level and is surrounded by means of walls in which are positioned pockets for the reception or the balls. v

in the embodiment that forms the subject of this invention, there are siX pockets, each colored so as to be readily distinguishable from the others. The gaine is played by means of balls colored in a manner corresponding to the color of the pockets. Each player has four balls and there may be as many players as there are pockets. The balls are distributed over the surn face of the table or platform by means of a specially constructed distributing device so as to distribute the balls of different colors promiscuousiy. Each player then attempts to drive his balls into the correspondingly colored pocket selected by him and the winner is the one Who gets all of his balls into the Vpocket with the least number of strokes.

Having thus briefly described the invention and the manner in which the game is played, the apparatus employed will now be described in greater detail, and for this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which the apparatus has been illustrated in its preferred form and in which:

Figure l is a top plan view of the table or platform that forms the subject of this invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the table;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan View to a larger scale; and

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5 5, Figure ll.

The game board which will be referred to hereinafter as the table is constructed of lumber and has a size of approximately twenty feet in transversely as sho-Wn in Figure 1.

length by seven feet in width, although the size may be v-aried to suit circumstances. lThe table is formed from a base comprising a large number of transversely extendingV pieces of lumber, such as have been designated by reference numeral i5. The base may be formed by a solid assembly or spacers may be provided, such as indicated by ida in Figure 3. Secured to the top of the base are boards i6 which extend surround,- ing the upper surface of the table is a Wall il' having corner pieces it inclined at 45 degrees as shown in Figure l so as to form an elongated Octagon. Positioned at the middle point of the Ylonger sides, and at the corners are pockets i5; which will hereinafter be more fully described.

Positioned on the side and end members are.

lamps 2li that are enclosed in reectors arranged to throw light down onto the table surface without exposing the lamp itself to view so that the table will be well illuminated in a manner to prevent glare. rIhe specic construction of the lamps i@ has not been illustrated because it forms no part of this invention except insofar as the lamps form an element of the combination.

Wall il may have an inner lining strip 2i made from wood; it may however be made 0f rubber or other elastic material, if desired. The ypockets are preferably made from some suitable material such as cast iron, any other metal, hard rubber, or any suitable synthetic material. The pockets are elongated as shown in Figure 4, and or" a depth substantially equal to the distance from the top of the wall il to the top surface of the base l5. One side of the pocket is pro-vided with an opening 222, the bottom of which is on the level with the surface of the board i6. The pockets are of such size that they will readily accommodate four balls of the size employed in playing the game.

The pockets are secured in position in the wall members in a workmanlike manner and are securely attached to the table. Each pocket is painted a different color. A ball remover or clipper 23 of any suitable design may be provided for each poocket. At the end of each game, the balls can be quickly removed by grasping the dipper handle 24 and lifting the clipper and balls out of the pocket; after the balls have been removed the dippers are replaced in the pockets.

The center of the table is provided with a circle 25 which is for convenience of positioning a distributing device.

amdes' For the purpose of distributing the balls over the table, any suitable constructed device may be employed. After the balls have been distributed in a haphazard manner and have come to rest, the players, employing specially constructed clubs, act in turn to bring their balls into position within the pocket assigned to them.

Score is kept of the number of strokes employed by each player and the one who gets all of his balls into the .pocket assigned to him with the least number of strokes, is the winner. The game can, of course, be continued until all of the balls have been pocketed and the scores can then be compared for all f the players.

Particular attention is directed to the arrangement of the pockets with respect to the table and to the construction of the pockets, which have a length sufficient to accommodate a number of balls.

Although specially designed clubs are employed in playing this game, the latter has not been illustrated for the reason that they form a separate invention.

In the above description the boards I6 have been referred to as ply boards. It is to be understood, however, that hardwood flooring or any other suitable material may be used.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A game table comprising, a planar base of greater length than width formed from a plurality of wood bars of rectangular cross section extending transversely of the table and secured together with spacer bars therebetween adja cent their ends and also intermediate thereof, the width of the bars and spacer bars in a longitudinal direction of the table being substantially the same, a wood table top having parallel sur- 4 faces, the peripheries of which are coextensive with the periphery of the base, and the lower' surface thereof being xedly secured to the base, a wood wall secured to the upper surface of the table top and lying inwardly of the edges thereof, ball pockets symmetrically disposed in said walls, each pocket consisting of an elongated recess extending between the top and bottom surfaces of the wall and of sufficient length to hold a plurality of balls, and a channel joining the recess with the space within the Walls, said channel being of a Width to pass one ball only therethrough.

ERNEST W. KUMMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 19,546 Croley Mar. 9, 1858 515,458 Andrew Feb. 27, 1894 914,655 Glenn Mar. 9, 1909 1,125,460 Burrowes Jan. 19, 1915 1,186,878 Brown June 13, 1916 1,188,136 Bajusz June 20, 1916 1,207,905 Hallam Dec. 12, 1916 1,291,808 Eichblatt Jan. 21, 1919 1,314,843 West Sept. 2, 1919 1,593,284 Arges July 20, 1926 1,856,117 Small May 3, 1932 1,876,128 Almada Sept. 6, 1932 2,145,521 Mischler Jan. 31, 1939 2,260,716 Kotler Oct. 28. 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 162,897 Great Britain May 21, 1921

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