US2594434A - Bingo game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 29, 1952 J. s. HOFSETZ 2,594,434

BINGO GAME APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. J4M$ 5. HOFJETZ April 29, 1952 J. s. HOFSETZ 2,594,434

BINGO GAME; APPARATUS Filed May 2, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 J M M INVENTOR. Jzwis 5 /70F5 72 :34: BY W A T TOP/YE V Patented Apr. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE BINGO GAME APPARATUS James S. Hofsetz, Denver, Colo.

Application May 2, 1949,Serial No.90,933

5 Claims.

This invention relates to a game device for use in playing thewell-known game of bingo, and has for its principal object the provision of a "highly efiicient mechanism which will constantly 'and effectively agitate and intermixthe numbered balls employed in such a game; whichwill deliver these balls to the operator'ina chance sequence; and which will provide a raclg for receiving the delivered balls, insertion of the ball in which will act to close an indicating circuit.

Another object of the invention is to-provide a ball-receivingrack for "bingo games in which the delivered balls will be supported in their proper numerical positions until the game is completed; and which will discharge all of the balls from the rack simultaneously upon completion of the game.

A further object is to so construct the ball discharge mechanism of therack that it will operate to open all indicating electrical circuits of the machine when the balls'are discharged from the rack.

Other objects and advantages reside in the'detail construction of the invention, which is *designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become'more apparent from the-following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a parthereof. Like -nu- 'merals refer to like parts in viewsof thedrawing and-throughout the description.

In the drawing: Fig. lis a plan view of-the'improvedgame-decuits employed between the .deviceand the indicating board of Fig. 6.

The improved gamedevice is built. into .a.'desl-:- like structure supported upon suitable legs it and consisting of'a ball compartment 'l.| anda rack compartment, designated in itsentiretyby the numeral I2.

The ball compartment is closed at the -?top :by

means Qf-atransparent cover I 3, and is provided with-a window 4.4 .in' the f-ront,. throughvrhich 'the "game balls, indicated at l5, are visible. A hopperlike sub-bottom l6-is positioned in the ball compartment ll. Thecentral portion of the subbottom I6 is formed by a horizontal rotating disc mounted on the shaft of a motor-turning device 1850' that it will rotate at approximately 150 revolutions per minute. The :disc I! carries a diametrically positioned scattering vane I9 which actstoagitateandintermix th pile of balls restingon the sub-bottom l6 and the disc IT.

A ball-discharge tube 20 leads through the wall of the sub-bottom lB'to a ball delivery trough 2| projecting from the rear face of the ball compartment H. The balls enter the ball compartment II through a receiving opening 22 formed in the inside wallof the ball compartment H.

The balls are fed to the opening 22 by means of an inclined'bottom 23 which extends throughout theentire'area-of the rackcompartment l2.

An inclined rackboard'24 covers the top of the rack compartmeritlZandis supported on cleats '46, see Fig. 5. Theplate 24 is provided with a 'plurality'of ball-receiving holes 25 arranged in laterally and longitudinally extending rows. Each hole is numbered, as indicated at 45, to correspond to a number on-one of the balls I 5.

In the usual bingo game there are seventyfive'balls, and the rack board 24 would be provided with seventy-five of the ball holes 25 arranged-in five longitudinal rows of fifteen holes per row. For convenience of illustration, only thirty-five holes are illustrated, arranged in five rows of seven holes each. It is to be understood the number of rowsa'nd holes can bevaried according to demands of'the'particular game.

A shifting plate 26 is mounted beneath and 'again'sttherackboard 24 and is provided with ball openings 2'|-similar in size and spacing to the holes 25. The shifting plate 26 is slidably mounted in the cleats 46 so that it may be shifted forward and back. When the shifting plate is in its forwardpositiongindicated in Fig. 4, the open- 'ings-"2'l are-s1ightly out of alignment with the holes 25 so that a ball cannot fall through the openings'fl but is supported by the plate 26, as

shown in Fig. 4. When the shifting plate is moved 'rearwardly, the openings-25 and 21 align with :each other," allowing the balls to fall through onto "the inclined-bottom 23, thence through the opening 22 to the ball compa rtment H. An inclined Window '41 is provide'd'in the front of the device through which the returning balls are visible to thegplayers.

- .The,=plate 26 isashiftedfrom a rotatable lever sli'aftcza through the medium of levers .29 which are affixed to and project from the shaft 28 and which are connected to the plate 26 by means of suitable connecting links 3! The shaft 28 is rotated by means of handles 3i extending to the operators position at the rear of the machine.

A switch board 32 is supported below the shifting plate 26 in parallel relation thereto. This board is also provided with ball openings 33 positioned in alignment with the openings 25. The switch plate carries a plurality of toggle switches 34, the handles of which, indicated at 35, extend upwardly through handle slots 35 in the rack board 24 to a position above the latter. Each of the slots 36 joins one of the holes 25 so that the handles 35 may be swung to a position to partially project over the holes 25 when the switches are in the off position. When in the on position, the handle extends forwardly in the slot 36.

The holes 2? in the shifting plate are also provided with notches for the passage of the handles 35. The latter notches are so arranged that when the plate 26 is shifted rearwardly to align the openings 21 and 25, the extremities of the notches will engage the switch handles 35 which are in the on position and force them rearwardly simultaneously to the off" position.

Each of the switches 33 is connected by means of a conductor 37 to a signal lamp 353. All of the lamps 38 are grounded by means of a ground wire 39 to a source of power 49, and all of the switches 3d are connected to the source of power it by means of a main conductor 3 l. The lamps are positioned behind a translucent face plate 32 ina light box .3. The face plate 42 is divided into sections and the sections carry numerals 6 corresponding in number and arrangement to the numerals 45. on the rack board 24.

Let us assume that all of the balls are in the ball compartment, and that they are being stirred and intermixed by means of the rotating disc I! and the scattering vane [9. Certain of the balls will roll into the ball discharge tube 20, and from thence into the trough 2|. The operator will pick up the foremost ball in the trough and call thenumber thereof to the players, and will then place the selected ball in its proper receiving opening 25. As the ball is placed in its receiving opening, the switch handle of that opening is forced forwardly to admit the ball and to turn the toggle switch 3 of that opening to the on position. This closes one of the circuits 3! and illuminates the number on the face plate 62 corresponding to the number of that particular ball.

This procedure is continued until a player completes a prescribed row of numbers as is usual in the game of bingo. The winning numbers are checked back with the operator and if correct the handles 3! are depressed, causing the shifting plate 2% to move rearwardly so as to align its openings 21 with the openings 25 of the plate 24. This allows all of the balls to drop to the inclined bottom plate 23 to be returned by gravity to the ball compartment H. The rearward movement of the shifting plate 26 simultaneously throws all of the on switches 36 to the off position, thus extinguishing all of the lamps 38 so that the device will beset up ready for the next game.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the-spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Electric switching means for a game apparatus of the type having a substantially horizontal rack board provided with a plurality of ball passages extending therethrough and having a shifting plate slidably positioned below said rack board and provided with a similar number of corresponding passages, comprising a switch board positioned below said shifting plate and provided with openings corresponding to the passages in said rack board; a plurality of toggle switches mounted on said switch board, there being one switch for each opening therein; and a switch-operating handle extending upwardly from each toggle switch through both said rack board and said shifting plate so as to be operable from above the former.

2. Electric switching means for a game apparatus of the type having a substantially horizontal rack board provided with a plurality of ball passages extending therethrough and having a shifting plate slidably positioned below said rack board and provided with a similar number of corresponding passages, comprising a switch board positioned below said shifting plate and provided with openings corresponding to the passages in said rack board; a plurality of toggle switches mounted on said switch board, there being one switch for each opening therein; a switch-operating handle extending upwardly from each toggle switch through both said rack board and said shifting plate so as to be operable from above the former, the openings in said shifting plate being so arranged in relation to said switch handles that the latter will be forced to the oil position when the openings in the shifting plate are shifted into alignment with the passages in the rack board.

3. Electric switching means for a game apparatus of the type having a substantially horizontal rack board provided with a plurality of ball passages extending therethrough and having a shifting plate slidably positioned below said rack board and provided with a similar number of corresponding passages, comprising a switch board positioned below said shifting plate and provided with openings corresponding to the passages in said rack board; a plurality of toggle switches mounted on said switch board, there being one switch for each opening therein; a switch-operating handle extending upwardly from each toggle switch through both said rack board and said shifting plate so as to be operable from above the former, the openings in said shifting plate being so arranged in relation to said switch handles that the latter will be forced to the off position when the openings in the shifting plate are shifted into alignment with the passages in the rack board; a lever shaft extending along said shifting plate in parallel relation to the rear edge of the latter; levers projecting from said lever shaft; means connecting said levers to said shifting plate; and manual handles mounted on said shaft for rotating the latter to reciprocate said shifting plate.

4. A rackboard and switch apparatus for bingo games comprising: astationary rackboard having a plurality of ball holes; a shifting plate slidably mounted below said rackboard and having openings positioned to register with the holes in the rackboard; a switch-supporting member positioned below said shifting plate; a plurality of switches mounted on said switch-supporting "member, there being one switch for each open- 5 ing in the shifting plate; a switch-operating handle'ior each switch, said handles projecting upwardly. through the shifting plate and through the rack board adjacent the holes therein, said switches and handles being so positioned that when in the "01T position, said handles will extend into said holes to prevent a ball from entering, and when in the on position, said handles will be swung to one side of said holes to allow the balls to enter therethrough.

5. A rackboard and switch apparatus for bingo games as described in claim 4 in which the switch-operating handles are placed to be con-- tacted by said shifting plate as the latter moves to align its openings with the holes in said rack board to simultaneously swing all of said handles to the "01? position.

JAMES S. HOFSE'I'Z.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 350,450 Tucker Oct. 5, 1886 496,366 Moore Apr. 25, 1893 1,253,471 Ellison Jan. 15, 1918 2,003,979 Skoric June 4, 1935 2,130,123 Ebert Sept. 13, 1938 2,203,886 Zamora June 11, 1940

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