US2799501A - Simulated basketball game - Google Patents

Description

L. BARBOLLA SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jime 11, 1954 INVENTOR. LU/5. 5A REOLLA BY /4 T'TORA/EY L. BARBOLLA SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME July 16, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 11, 1954 A INVENTOR. LUIS BHITBULLA BY July '16, 1957 1.. BARBOLLA SIMULATED BASKETBALL GAME 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 11, 1954 INVENTOR. Lu/s BARBOLLA A TTOKNf Y SIMULATED BASKET-BALL GAME Luis Barbolla, Mendoza, Argentina Application June 11, 1954,.Se1'ial No. 436,143

1' Claim; (CI; 273 85) The present invention refers to a parlor game and more particularlyto anentertainingdevice which by maneuvering mechanized means in order to imitate human beings, constitutes a simulation of a competitive basketball game.

The field is of the type containing depressions so as tov define positions in determined lines Within reach of the players, with the particularity that the puppets constituting'jthe players, are articulated so as to-reach, elevate and toss the ball towards the basket.

Said puppets, being made of any adequate material,

are held by a bar passing through the thigh, so as to articulate the body' with respect to the legs, and the arms are also articulated and directed in pairs ending bi-symmetrically with both hands, in pressing condition, in addition to being able to act as a tossing racket, according" to their position, for, corresponding to the rotation of the bar, the mechanism makes the body stoop until it reaches the ball after it has slid in front thereof by means of the bar. Acting as pincers, both hands are enabled to elevate the ball when the body is again raised, all combined with movements which, at the same time, cause the arms to be raised above the level of the head, giving them the character of a catapult to throw and direct the ball towards the basket, according to the manner in which the manual bar has been operated.

Each depression line to where the ball gravitates may be reached by the puppets pertaining to one or the other player, so that it depends upon the skill of the operator of the bar when disputing the possession of the ball against an adversary who has the same chance, which means that, by nlechanica'l means the same effects as the real basket-ball game is obtained.

For a better comprehension of this invention it has been illustrated withseveral drawings in which this parlor game has been represented in one of the preferred forms of the invention, thus:

Fig. 1 is 'a' front elevational view of one of the puppets constituting the players, part of which is in section so as to show the gear mechanism that operates parts of the puppets.

Fig. '2 is' a side elevational View of the puppet represented in section, with portions broken away to show the internal gear mechanism, the puppet being shown in an upright position with upstretched arms; and .dot and dash lines illustrating the possibility of carrying the body backwards in order to impel. the ball retained within the hands.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the puppet seen from above so as to give an idea of how, by the structural device of the arm articulations, the arms alter their angle, so that the palms of the hands being outturned, act as an impelling racket for the ball, also shown.

Fig. 4 is an elevational. view of the puppet seen from the front, but with the body bent-and the .arms in prehensile attitude, in condition -to act as a pincer, with the possibility of reaching the ball which fits within its 2,799,501 Patented July 16, 1957 hands; it may also beseen how they may 'be displaced towards' the position of the dotted lines, so as to be able'to grasp the ball, with theadjustment of the springs disposed in the articulations. I

Fig; 5 is a side elevational view of the puppet at the moment of grasping the ball with its hands; this posi? tion; which corresponds to that of Fig. 4, is the result of the angular movement of the body, caused by the slightest rotation of the operating bar. 5

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional: view of part of the apparatus which constitutes the parlor game, taken on line 66 of Fig. 7 and illustrating the manner in. which the ball is picked-up and tossed to a basket by one player and. interfered with by the other player;

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the game table, giving an ideaof the combination of the playing teams, operated through the handle of their respective .bars.

In the different drawings the same reference numbers indicate equal or corresponding parts, the elements being indicated by letters.

As may be seen in the drawings, a is the table which represents a basket-ball field, having. a railing 1,. per.- forated on both sides, in which are mounted bars 2 which with handles. 3 constitute the mounting elements for operating the puppets b representing the mechanical players;

Said bars 2 are rotatably mounted on bushings 4, and at the same time are susceptible to being displaced ,in a sliding manner, so that puppets b may have a lateral run, in addition to their angular displacement.

The floor a of the field is inclined from the middle and ends towards depressions 5, which follow a transverse line between two rows of puppets; the two bars 2 .fronting. depressions 5, belong to difi'erent teams, having their handles 3' in opposed disposition, thatis to say that the handle of one 'bar is placed on one side, while the handle of the other bar is on the opposite side. As there are two depressions 5 in field a one of .said' depressions corresponds to one team, so that the person operating on one of the sides acts with the two handles of said side, while the other person acts likewise on the opposite side.

Near both ends of'the table are baskets 6 which, accompanied with their backing walls 7, are supported above the field by their respective posts 8.

The bars 2 which have three puppets b correspond to the attacking forwards; therefore puppets b are directed frontwise with their hands towards the nearest basketo. The bars containing two puppets, correspond to the guards and have their backs towards the nearest basket, in defending positions.

As has been stated, the puppets b-are mounted insets voftw'oor three on a rotative and slidable bar 2. Each puppet b is composed of three parts: i. e. a hollow body 9, solid legs 10 and solid arms 11. The legs 10 have, in their upper part, a perforated integrally connected gear sector '12, which is run through by bar 2', so that the-legs 10 are loosely suspended on bar 2, and remain normal to the general plane of the field and bar '2 may rotate without affecting them.

Bar 2, by means of rivets 13 (Fig. '1') maintains hollow body- 9 of puppet .b in a fixed :manner, so that when the :bar is rotated, body h is angularly displaced, as may be seen in Figs. ,2 and .5.

Body 9 carries a rotatable, gear '14 meshed with gear Sector 12, so that while displacing the body 9 by means of bar 2,. said gear 14 is forced to rotate. Gear 14 is meshed with an intermediate pinion gear 1 5 which, in turn, is meshed with a gear 16, a shaft '17' .of which unites arms 21, so that :these arms are varticulated :to

the .body 9. The articulation of arms 11 with respect mechanism described. When body 9 is angularly displaced by rotation of bar 2, gear 14, resting on the teeth of sector 12, rotates in such a manner that it causes intermediate pinion gear 15 to rotate gear 16 which, linked to arms 11, causes them to pass from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 5, and vice-versa. Thus, when ball 18 is to be raised from one of the depressions of the field, puppet b, by stooping, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, lowers its arms 11 downwardly so that it can reach the ball; then returning to the upright position of the body, arms 11 are raised and displaced slightly towards the back, as graphically shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, so that if it has grasped the ball 18, the puppet can throw it towards the basket 6.

The ends of shaft 17 are so connected to arms 11, that the arms respond to the rotation of the shaft, but, are articulated as they are moved over the surface 19 of body 9.

The base of arms 11 are pressed against surface 19 by springs 20 which cause them to adapt themselves against surface 19. Both surfaces 19 being symmetrical offer a sort of cam, in such a manner that when arms 11 are directed towards the front, the palms of the hands 11 remain as jaws of a pincer. Normally by the inclination oifered by surface 19 on the body part 9, the arms, tensioned by springs 20, tend to close, but leaving between the hands 11 a space slightly smaller than that of the section of the ball 18; thus when bar 2 is operated, the body stoops, as in Figs. 4 and 5; if the ball 18 is in depression 5, the hands 11 will separate slightly and grasp the ball. Due to the tension of springs 20 on both sides, the hands grasp the ball, as any person would do when playing the game.

When the ball 18 is grasped by the pressing action of arms 11, the same is raised, always responding to the mechanical operation of bars 2; the body 9 is then set in erect position as in Fig. 2 and the ball 18 remains grasped between both hands 11', but when passing from the position of full lines to that of the dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, a change is produced in the angle of hands 11' which remain towards the front in the attitude of a racket; this changes the angle, according to the conformationof the surface 19 given in the back part, as shown in Fig. 3.

Thus reaching the dot and dash line position of Fig. 2 the puppet acts as a catapult, as, in abrupt answer to the action of bar 2, the body 9, with arms 11, in an angular movement, can impel the ball towards the basket to which it is aimed.

With these elements, two competitors can intervene in the game, placing themselves in their respective sides of the table a so as to operate the handle corresponding to bars 2.

If there is a coin box 21, Fig. 7, when introducing the corresponding coins, several balls 18 are obtained on tray 22, which are used by the intervening parties in order to start the game.

Upon the throwing of a ball in the center of the field, by slope or gradient it will gravitate to and rest in one of the depressions 5. In view of what has been expressed, each depression is situated between two bars pertaining to different teams; both opponents must try to reach the ball 18 by sliding, by their respective bars 2, one of the puppet b up to the place where the ball is found, and once in front of same, the bar is rotated by handle 3 so that by stooping body 9 may reach the ball 18 with hands 11. This is due to the operation of sector 12 on gear 14, which in its movement operates gears 15 and 16 resulting in the angular displacement of arms 11. As when descending the hands collide with the ball, which is somewhat larger than the distance between the hands, so that the width between the hands must be displaced in order that the ball 18 may be securely grasped by both hands 11' and as this is influenced by the tension of the springs 20, the grasping of the ball is effected with a certain pressure, sufliciently strong so that the ball may not drop when the body of the puppet is raised.

The person operating bar 2 by handle 3 must rotate same so that body 9 is set upright from the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to that of Fig. 2. When the body 9 is in a standing position, the gears also lift the arms 11 upwardly with a relative displacement in a greater angle than the body b, and the ball is lifted with hands 11' up to the maximum height. Owing to the fact that surface 19 compels a twisting of the arms 11 to be effected when overpassing the zenith line, the palms of hands 11 will be shown frontwise and acquire the character of a catapult, so that operating the bar 2 in an abrupt manner, the body with arms 11 produce an angular movement, of such violence that the ball 18, freed from the hands, follows a trajectory that may reach as basket 6 if the aim has been precise.

This means that puppet b, with their mechanical action, may act nearly in the same manner as would human beings playing the game of basket-ball, at least in what refers to the picking up of the ball.

Whichever may be the result produced by the impulse of the ball, after being hurled, due to the gradient of the field, it will fall into one of the depressions 5, where the teams with their respective puppets b can dispute the possession thereof in the manner indicated in Fig. 6.

If it were the guards or backs instead of the forwards who receive the ball, when throwing the ball it would be difficult for them to make a goal, but in any case the hurling of the ball in the opposing field shows a progress for its team, as it will pass towards the zone of the rival basket, Occupying the line of the respective depression 5, and with luck and ability, operating the bar of the forward players, the ball may be grasped in order to hurl it towards the basket.

It is obvious that in carrying out this invention, modifications of detail and structure of the specified device may be introduced, without this implying a departure from the scope of said invention, the characteristics of which are clearly stated in the following claim.

I claim: 7

In a parlor game of the basketball type, a floor simulating a basketball area in shape, side and end walls surrounding the floor, small baskets respectively located at the opposite ends of the floor, a backboard associated with each basket, bracket means for supporting the backboard and basket above the floor extending upwardly from each end wall, parallel operating bars slidable through and rotatably connected to the opposite side walls, said parallel bars being arranged in pairs, the bars of one pair lying in confronting relationship to one another and in front of one basket at one end of the floor and the bars of the other pair lying in confronting relationship to one another and in front of the other basket at the other end of the floor, each end of the floor having inclined surfaces converging toward one another and providing an intermediate depression extending across the floor into which a playing ball may gravitate, articulate playing men elements mounted in spaced relationship on said bars, two said playing men elements being mounted on the bar of each pair located immediately in front of each basket and representing the guards or backs of a team, three said playing men elements mounted on the bar of each pair more removed from the basket and representing the center and forwards of a team, handles from the guard bar and the forward bar of different pairs extending outwardly from the opposite side walls to manipulate the articulate playing elements forming the different teams, each of said articulate playing elements comprising a hollow body fixed at the thigh to the bar to be turned and slid therewith, a leg element depending from said bar, spring biased opposing arms extending from the upper end of the hollow body,

driving mechanism extending between the leg and the arms to cause the arms to grasp and pick up the ball as the body is rotated downwardly and upwardly to an elevated and throwing position and cam means on said body over which said arms are operable to release the ball as the arms are extended upwardly to prepare the ball for catapult action by the hands so that upon return rotation of the body the ball will be trajected toward the basket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,934,381 Slosson Nov. 7, 1933 6 Barnum Nov. 27, 1934 Gosnell Nov. 25, 1947 Botts July 15, 1947 Levi Aug. 15, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS France Apr. 12, 1937 France June 20, 1951

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