US2600909A - Cabinet for amusement apparatus - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1952 N. A. NELSON CABINET FOR AMUSEMENT APPARATUS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Sept. 17, 1945 June 17, 1952 N. A. NELSON 2,500,909

CABINET FOR AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1945 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 WWW Patented June 17, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE H 2,600,909 Y oABrNET non AMUSEMENT APPARATUS A. Nelsonphicago, Ill.,.assignor to Raymond T. Moloney, Chicago, Ill. Application seat-aw 17, 1945, Serial'No. 616,669 (01. 312-107) 3 Claims.

This, invention has for itspr-incipal object the provision of improvements-incabinet structures, particularly those employed nconjunction with ame and amusement. apparatus to house various mechanisms and playing instrumentalities, the improvements relating more-specifically to the provision of a cabinet structure having separable unit-sections to; facilitate servicing change or replacement of game features or scoring features, andtransport I HL 3' H vIt is a furtherobject: of the invention to provide a novelcabinet constructionconsisting. of)

a score, andcontrol cabinet,; as one unit, and a game cabinet, as, another unit and; shapedfor attachment to the first cabinet ornnit. so that the-two units together form the-game, either unit being replaceable by another to'alter the playing or scoring features, orby identical. unitsfor quick servicing in event of InechaI-iical, or electrical failure of any of the instrumentalities comprisn ithegame means. v I i Additional objects and aspects; of novelty 3 re,- late to the construction of the,-cabinetsectionsin a manner facilitating handling;and shipping thereof to the construction q -the cabinet sections in amanner such that they-will present an artistic game unit inassembledcondition; to the provision of novel means, for mounting variousmechanisms employed in: such games whereby to facilitate servicing, installation, electrical connections, etc:, all of whichwill appear more fully as, the following descriptionproceeds in- View of the; accompanying-drawingsin.which: V Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled game;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the cabinet sections or game units;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another one of thecabinet or game units; Fi 4 is a rear elevation of, the cabinet section shown in Fig. 3; i v

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective fragment of the cabinetsection shown in Fig.4 and showingparticularly the novel apparatus-mounting means; Fig, 6 is-a fragmenta1y, front; elevationali view of the cabinet sectionlshownzimFig; 2;

, Fi'gs..7 and 7a show details of the retractable leg-structure.

Referringto Fig.1, theassembled game-structureincludes a front gamessectiongenerallyrindicated at It! and shown separately, thattistadisassembled, in Fig. 2,..and arear scoringxpanel section I I, shown separately in=.Fi'g. 3, thesatwo sections being joined together along the; line [2, Fig.1. The front section [-0 consists of anupright pedestal portion -l 3-having anintegral horizontal case section I' l, the latter having a glass top I5,

2 V beneath which one or another arrangement of playing orgame instrumentalities are arranged, as in a ball-rolling game, of which there are many varieties well-known inthe art,

Assuming the game of Fig. 1 to bea-balL-rolling game, aball propelling plunger Itis, provided at the front ofthe pedestal for launching balls, elevated to propelling position-by an elevator plunger- [1, these latter instrumentalitiesbeing wellknown in the artandnot describedf-urther herein. since they do not per se constitute part of the invention. 1 V V The type of game chosen for, illustration-is, of the coin-controlled variety, and; accordingly there is provided the usual coin depository I 8, from which deposited coins pass, into a known typelof coin testing chute: 19, mounted, as in Fig. 6, on therear of apedestal door 20, along with-associated mechanisms customarily employed in such games.

Of importance-to the invention is'therfact that the ball-rolling or other game. instrumentaliti-es lodged beneath the glass top l5-may be of great variety and subject to frequent-change or replacement in order that player-interest in the games may be. constantly stimulated, and. to the I end of facilitating such replacement, the-front or pedestal section I 0 isdetachable from the other section H, bolt means 22, Fig; 2, being ene gageable. in holes. 23, Fig. 3, of the score panel section I I to secure thetwo sections in assembled relation, as in Fig.1. Thus, in. order to replace the front section I0, it is not-necessaryto transport the entire game structure, but only the section being replaced Inv order that the. frontseparable section It may besupported in. normal upright position; when separated as aforesaid, there isprovided a vertically shiftable leg 25-w-hich may beheld in any desired position of elevation by means of bolts-26 (Fig. through the rear face. plate 21 of the front section, engaging in verticalslots-Zll- (Fig. 8) in the leg, said bolts engaging nuts to hold the leg in adjusted position. Thus, whenthe front section- It is disengaged from-the rear section H, leg--25-is loweredand securedwith its lower-end resting, on the floor level,,asin Fig. 2; and whenthe front section [0 is. assembled with the rearsection, as in-Figal, leg 25 is raised clear. of the floor and so-secured, it being pointed out that this leg ispositioned to fit-fiush against the rear section, particularly the lower panel part Ila thereof, Fig. Land in a median portion thereof so as toforma design element therewith to-conceal artistically the nature of -the leg element, when the latter is not in use to supportthe front section. j I e Where it is desired or necessary, as in case of mechanical failure, to replace the rear section. the same considerations apply.

The rear section I I for purposes of description and reference, is called the score cabinet, and includes a glass panel 30, Figs. 1 and 3, behind which various scoring indicia (not seen) appear when illuminated by small electric lamps 31, Fig. 5, responsive to playing of the game; and a further feature of the game cabinet construction resides in mounting lamps 3! on a panel 32, hinged to the rear cabinet section as at 33, Fig. 4, so as to be free to swing outwardly into the position of Fig. 5 for servicing, when latch means 34 is released, the panel 32 having in addition a shelf section 35 adapted to mount instrumentalities, such as a transformer 36, associated with the lamp score means 3 I.

As in Figs. 4 and 5, additional swinging panel means 40, provided with a shelf portion 4| supporting game instrumentalities 42, and upper panel means 45 having a shelf and shield portion 46, supporting instrumentalities 41 and 48, are respectively hinged to the cabinet by hinge means 49 and 50. Thus, game and score mechanisms for the rear score cabinet section H are housed therein on swinging members corresponding respectively to the several control units involved, so that each said unit may be serviced and wired or connected in manufacture with relative ease and accessibility by swinging the corresponding panel and shelf portions as needed.

It is well known in the art that games of the class to which the instant invention is adapted employ various electrical devices, for example ball-operated switches, on the playing field situated beneath the glass top I5, and the present cabinet construction provides for electrical connection with these devices by means of connecting cables 60 therefrom passing through openings 61 in the rear panel portion 21 of the front section or unit, said cables being passed through similar openings 62 cut in the score cabinet section (Figs. 2, 3 and 5) for connection with the electrical instrumentalities 42, 41, 48, etc.

Means for stabilizing the swinging shelf members 35, 4|, 46, includes channel shaped brackets 49 (Fig. 4) mounted on a vertical side wall portion interiorly of the score cabinet to receive the edge portions of said shelves supportingly when the latter are swung into place.

It will now appear that the invention provides a form of knock-down cabinet construction peculiarly adapted to game apparatus of the class described, whereby the handling, shipping, re-

placement, servicing, and manufacture of such games is greatly facilitated; and it will appear further that the novel apparatus mountings on swinging shelf sections comprising separate units, e. g. 35, 40, 46 additionally facilitates manufacture and servicing.

I claim as my invention:

1. An apparatus cabinet comprising a first upright cabinet section having an access closure in a rear side thereof, a horizontal section projecting at approximately right angles from the forward side of said first section at a level between the upper and lower extremities of said first section and removably attached to the latter, said horizontal section terminating at its end remote from said first section in the rearward side I of a second upright cabinet section pendantly at right angles to said horizontal section, said second cabinet section having an access closure in a front side thereof, and leg means adjustable 4 up and down into position in the region of juncture of the horizontal section with the first section to support said horizontal section, cooperably with said second section, when the latter two sections are separated from the first section.

2. An apparatus cabinet comprising an upright rear cabinet having a base upon which said cabinet can stand alone, and a front pedestal having an integral horizontal cabinet section projecting approximately at right angles to the pedestal and having a terminus engageable with said rear cabinet at a level between the base and top thereof, means for securing said terminus to said rear cabinet, and a leg fitting up into said horizontal section inwardly of said terminus to fit close to said rear cabinet when the terminus is joined thereto, so that said leg appears as a design element of said cabinet, means mounting said leg for vertical movement into and out of position to support said terminus and thereby support said horizontal section cooperably with said pedestal when the leg is lowered, and means for securing said leg in'raised or lowered condition.

3. A knock-down cabinet structure especially for housing apparatus and comprising an upstanding rear cabinet section, an upstanding front cabinet section of lesser height than the rear section and constituting a pedestal, a horizontally-extensive table section joined at one longitudinal end region to said pedestal such that the latter forms a support for said one end region, the opposite end region being removably joined to said rear cabinet for support by the latter, said opposite end region of the table section having at least one decorative and functional standby leg and means mounting the same thereon to move vertically from an extended table-supporting contact with a floor to a retractive position clearing the floor, said stand-by leg being situated in close proximity to the juncture of said opposite end region of the table with said rear cabinet so as to fit decoratively close to the latter to afford a predetermined decorative design in either extended or retracted condition when the cabinet sections and. said table section respective ly including communicating chambered portions for receipt of cooperative apparatus.

NELS A. NELSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 836,106 Feldkircher Nov. 20, 1906 1,471,532 Sheets Oct. 23, 1923 1,700,202 Langford Jan. 29, 1929 1,788,883 Madsen Jan. 13, 1931 1,858,060 Ricci May 10, 1932 1,906,260 Gibbs May 2,1933 1,929,063 Hampton Oct. 3, 1933 1,986,152 Loaring Jan. 1, 1935 2,106,230 Whitson Jan. 25, 1938 2,193,372 Miller Mar. 12, 1940 2,233,003 Epps Feb. 25, 1941 2,417,619 Seyferth Mar. 18, 1947 2,457,248 Lemke Dec. 28, 1948 2,488,431 Parnell Nov. 15, 1949

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