US2164682A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

July 4, 1939. KEn-H 2,164,682

GAME APPARATUS Filed May 5, 1938 Z 272 a w 44 m INVEN TOR.

Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a game and more particularly to a game of a chance controlled type wherein counters are intermingled with each other and move to a counting position.

One object of the invention is to provide a game of this type wherein the counters are. housed in a rotatable carrier and move upwardly to a counting position through a liquid in which they rise to a counting position after the carrier has been brought to a stationary position. It will thus be seen that movement of the counters will be entirely chance controlled and cannot be controlled by the operator of the game apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to form the carrier so that it will be provided with counterreceiving pockets into which a corresponding number of counters are received, thus permitting the counters to form numbers which are to constitute individual scores obtained by the players.

It is another object of the invention to so form the counters that they will float freely to the top of the carrier and be maintained in an upright position in which position numerals thereon may be read and combined to form numbers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container rotatably mounted in an improved manner and having yieldable means associated therewith to bring it to a stop with the counter receiving pockets at its top.

Another object of the invention is to provide 30 improved means for imparting rotary motion to the container or carrier and permit continuous movement of the carrier after the operating means has been released and returned to its normal position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved latch for releasably securing the operating means of the carrier in its normal position, coin controlled means being provided for moving the latch to a releasing position.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the improved game apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken vertically through the rear portion of the game apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken vertically through the game apparatus along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of the latch and associated members.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the main shaft in section and a ratchet wheel thereon in elevation.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the 55 counters.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken vertically through the counter along the line ll of Fig. 6.

The housing I of this game apparatus has a forwardly projecting lower portion 2. The upper portion of the housing has a glass front plate 3 and the back A constitutes a removable closure for the entire housing and is held in place by removable fasteners such as a suitable number of screws 5. By removing the back, access will be had to mechanism within the housing.

A circular casing or hollow wheel 6 is disposed vertically within the housing and has a glass closure 1 for its front so that the interior of the casing may be seen through the glass plate of the housing. The casing is filled with water or other suitable liquid and within the. casing are disposed a number of discs 8 formed of wood so that they will float to the top of the water in the casing and certain ones thereof enter the pockets or recesses 9 at the top of the wheel which register with similar recesses 16 defined by the border ii of the front of the housing. The discs 8 have numerals upon their front faces, as shown at l2, in Fig. 6. The discs are marked with numerals consecutively numbered from 1 to 0 to form a set of discs and in the present illustration there have been provided two sets of disks and two recesses or pockets 9 into which two of the discs come to rest when the wheel is turned or rocked about its axle or shaft l3 and comes to rest with the pockets at its top, If more than two sets of discs are to be placed in the casing, a corresponding number of pockets will be provided. By considering the numerals of the discs seated in the pockets, digets of various numbers within the scope of the number of sets of discs, will be provided. This is clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, where discs bearing numerals l and 2 are seated in the pockets and form the number 12. This will represent the score obtained by the player operating the wheel. While the discs have been shown carrying numerals, it is to be understood that other markings may be provided, if desired.

The central portion of the back of the casing from which the stub shaft l3 extends is thickened to form a boss i 4 and the central portion of the back plate or closure l is formed with a bearing i5 to rotatably receive the shaft. A crank arm i6 is carried by the rear end of the shaft and extends downwardly therefrom with its lower end provided with a rearwardly extending pin i! to which is anchored the upper end of a spring l8. This spring has its lower end anchored upon a horn or hook l9 carried by the closure 4 and since the spring is under tension it will serve to yieldably hold the casing in its normal position with the pockets uppermost. The casing or wheel will, therefore, always come to rest with the pockets in position to receive two of the discs and since the discs are weighted, as shown at 20, the numerals or other markings on the discs can be read. In view of the fact that the crank is located externall of the housing, the wheel may be entirely rotated in the housing or oscillated and only turned about its center a distance sufficient to dislodge the discs and cause them to be thoroughly mixed as they again move upwardly through the water in the casing. It will thus be seen that lodgement of the discs in the pockets will be entirely chance controlled.

In order to rotate or oscillate the wheel, there has been provided a lever M which is disposed vertically and pivoted adjacent its lower end to the back plate 4, as shown at 22. An arcuate rack bar or cross head 23 extends transversely of the lever at its upper end and this rack bar meshes with a pinion or gear 24 carried by the shaft [3 between the back plate and the wheel or casing 6. The gear or pinion fits loosely about the shaft and carries a pawl 25 urged into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet 2d of the shaft by a spring 2?. By this arrangement, the gear wheel may be rotated in one direction as the lever is swung about its pivot in opposition to the spring 28 which yieldably holds it in the position shown in Fig. 2 and when the lever is released and the spring returns it to its original position, the gear will be rotated in a reverse direction but the shaft and the wheel may continue to turn in the original direction by momentum until the spring 18 brings the wheel to a stop with the pockets uppermost. If only slight rotary motion is imparted to the gear and wheel as the lever is actuated, the wheel may be merely oscillated about its axis and then stop. In either case, the motion will be sufficient to dislodge the discs and cause them to be intermingled and then rise to the surface of the water to be grouped at the top of the wheel with two of the discs seated in the pockets 9. Only the discs seated in the pockets are counted for scoring purposes and the remainder are not considered when reading the score. If so desired, the front closure 3 may be painted or otherwise shielded so that only a portion of sufiicient dimensions to disclose the pockets will remain transparent.

The lever 2| is provided at its lower end with a forwardly extending arm 29 and at the front end of this arm is a handle all which extends upwardly with its upper end portion passing through a slot 3| in the top of the forwardly projecting lower portion 2 of the housing and terminating in a finger hold 32 by means of which the handle may be easily grasped and moved longitudinally of the slot to swing the lever about its pivot and turn the gear 245. A spring 33 secured at one end to the handle and at its other end to the post 34 assists in causing the lever to turn about its pivot 33 when the finger hold is grasped and the handle moved toward the right of Fig. 1 to turn the lever about its pivot.

A latch 35 for releasably holding the lever in its normal position is pivoted to a bracket 38 at the bottom of the housing and at one end is formed with a tooth 3? for engaging the arm 29 of the lever. A spring 38 urges the toothed end of the latch upwardly for engagement with the lever arm and assures latching of the lever to prevent it from being operated without placing a coin in the coin slot 39 at the front of the lower portion of the housing. A plunger 43 is slidably mounted in the coin slot and when a coin is placed in the slot and the plunger pressed inwardly a strip M having a depending arm 32 will be forced inwardly in opposition to the action of a spring 43 and a foot 4 5 constituting a cam will be shifted toward the latch so that the cam surface will engage under and act upon the lever end of the latch to raise this end of the latch and cause the toothed end of the latch to be depressed. The tooth will thus move downwardly out of blocking engagement with the arm 29 of the lever 2i and the handle 30 may be moved to turn the lever 29 about its pivot 22 to rotate the gear 24, When the strip M is returned to its normal position by the spring 43, the latch will be released and its toothed end will be raised by the spring 38 and returned to a position for engaging and securing the arm 29 as the lever 2| is returned to its normal position by the spring 28. It will thus be seen that a player can only operate the game apparatus once each time a coin is deposited in the coin slot.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A game apparatus comprising a support, a casing carried by said support and rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a transparent front wall, pockets being formed within the casing about the periphery thereof and extending radially of the casing, means for yieldably hold ing said casing stationary with the pockets at the top of the casing, the casing being filled with a fluid, counters freely movable in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they are adapted to rise therein and cer ain of the counters enter said pockets,

and means for turning the casing about its axis to dislodge the counters for random entry of certain of the counters in the pockets when the casing is restored to its normal position and the counters move upwardly therein toward the pockets.

2. A game apparatus comprising a support, a casing in front of said support rotatably carried thereby and having a transparent front wall, the casing being filled with a fluid, counters freely movable in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they have a tendency to rise to the top of the casing, said casing having pockets therein to receive certain of said counters when the pockets are at the top of the casing and the counters move upwardly therein, means for imparting movement to said casing to dislodge the counters, and means for restoring the casing to its initial position with the pockets in position for random entry of counters therein as the counters move upwardly in the casing.

3. A game apparatus comprising a support, a casing in front of said support having a transparent front Wall the casing being filled with a fluid, counters freely movable in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they have a tendency to rise to the top of the casing, said casing having pockets therein to receive certain of said counters when the pockets are at the top of the casing and the counters move upwardly therein, a shaft for said casing journaled through the support, a crank arm carried by the protruding rear end of said shaft, a spring anchored at its ends to the support and the crank arm and yieldably holding the casing in a normal position with the pockets at the top of the casing, and means for imparting turning movement to the shaft and casing to dis lodge the counters and distribute them in the casing for free upward movement therein toward the pockets when the casing is brought to a stop by said spring.

4. A game apparatus comprising a housing having a forwardly projecting lower portion and above said lower portion having a transparent front wall, a removable back wall for said housing, a hollow casing filled with a fluid and disposed vertically in said housing and having a transparent front wall visible through the transparent wall of said housing, pockets being provided in said casing at a point about its periphery, counters in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they are adapted to float upwardly in the casing and certain of the counters enter said pockets at random when the casing is stationary with its pockets at its top, means for yieldably holding said casing stationary, and means for imparting rotary motion to said casing having an actuating member projecting through the forwardly projecting lower portion of said housing.

5. A game apparatus comprising a housing having a forwardly projecting lower portion above said lower portion having a transparent front wall, a removable back wall for said housing, a hollow casing filled with a fluid and disposed vertically in said housing and having a transparent front wall visible through the transparent wall of said housing, pockets being provided in said casing at a point about its periphery, counters in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they are adapted to float upwardly in the casing and certain of the counters enter said pockets at random when the casing is stationary with its pockets at its top, a stub shaft for said casing journalecl through the back wall of said housing, an arm carried by said shaft, a spring engaging said arm and yieldably holding the shaft and casing stationary with the pockets at the top of the casing, a pinion carried by said shaft within the housing, and a lever pivoted to said back wall having a rack at one end meshing with said pinion and a handle portion at its other end protruding from the forwardly projecting lower portion of said housing.

6. A game apparatus comprising a housing having a forwardly projecting lower portion and above said lower portion having a transparent front wall, a removable back wall for said housing, a hollow casing filled with a fluid and disposed vertically in said housing and having a transparent front wall visible through the transparent wall of said housing, pockets being provided in said casing at a point about its periphery, counters in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they are adapted to float upwardly in the casing and certain of the counters enter said pockets at random when the casing is stationary with its pockets at its top, a stub shaft for said casing journaled through the back wall of said housing, an arm carried by said shaft, a spring engaging said arm and yieldably holding the shaft and easing stationary with the pockets at the top of the casing, a pinion loose about said shaft within the housing, a ratchet extending about said shaft, a pawl carried by said pinion and engaging said ratchet, a lever pivoted to said back wall in a vertical position and having a rack at its upper end meshing with said pinion, an arm projecting forward from the lower end of said lever, and a handle for said arm rising from the front end thereof and protruding through the top of the forwardly projecting lower portion of said housing.

7. A game apparatus comprising a housing having a forwardly projecting lower portion and above said lower portion having a transparent front wall, a removable back wall for said housing, a hollow casing filled with a fluid and disposed vertically in said housing and having a transparent front wall visible through the transparent wall of said housing, pockets being provided in said casing at a point about its periphery, counters in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they are adapted to float upwardly therein and certain of the counters enter said pockets at random when the casing is stationary with its pockets at its top, a stub shaft for said casing journaled through the back wall of said housing, an arm carried by said shaft, a spring engaging said arm and yieldably holding the shaft and casing stationary with the pockets at the top of the casing, a pinion loose about said shaft within the housing, a ratchet extending about said shaft, a pawl carried by said pinion and engaging said ratchet, a lever pivoted to said back wall in a vertical position and having a rack at its upper end meshing with said pinion, an arm projecting forward from the lower end of said lever, an actuating handle extending upwardly from the same and protruding through a slot in the top of the forwardly projecting lower portion of said housing, a latch in said housing yieldably held in position to engage said arm and secure the arm and lever stationary with the casing in its normal position, and coin controlled means for moving said latch to a releasing position.

8. A game apparatus comprising a housing having a forwardly projecting lower portion and above said lower portion having a transparent front wall, a removable back wall for said housing, a hollow casing filled with a fluid and disposed vertically in said housing and having a transparent front wall visible through the transparent wall of said housing, pockets being provided in said casing at a point about its periphery, counters in said casing, the counters being of less specific gravity than the fluid whereby they are adapted to float upwardly therein and certain of the counters enter said pockets at random when the casing is stationary with its pockets at its top, a stub shaft for said casing journaled through the back wall of said housing, an arm carried by said shaft, a spring engaging said arm and yieldably holding the shaft and casing stationary with the pockets at the top of the casing, a pinion loose about said shaft within the housing, a ratchet extending about said shaft, a pawl carried by said pinion and engaging said ratchet, a lever pivoted to said back wall in a vertical position and having a rack at its upper end meshing with said pinion, an arm projecting forwardly from the lower end of said lever, an actuating handle extending upwardly from the same and protruding through slot in the top of the forwardly projecting lower portion of said housing, a latch in said housing yieldably held in position to engage said arm and secure the arm and lever stationary with the casing in its normal position, and a coin controlled plunger slidable through the front of said housing and having a cam at its inner end for engaging the latch and moving the latch to a releasing position.

HENRY M. KEITH.

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