US1994862A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Mmh 19, 1935. F, W, MLLER 1,994,862

GAME APPARATUS Filed DeC. 13, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 19 Irs 2O FIG, 5

f8 1o 5@ 19 12 A IH 9J 1s March 19, 1935. F. W, MULLER 1,994,862

GAME APPARATUS Filed Dec. 13, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 19, 1935 HAN-Siren STATES :FFICE in Germany Claims.

'I'he object of my invention is to provide for indoor and outdoor use a game. device or plaything which will be of simple construction and call. for the exercise of a reasonable amount of :IiiA skillfin its use, which will render the game fascinating or attractive.

A. characteristic feature of the invention is the use with a suitablehandle oi a disc or wheel form member that caribe set in motion by peripheral contact` with such a` surface as thatof a table top, the licor. or ground,.and by manipulation of the handle may be thrown fromthe handle into the air and then caught by a catching device or devices located. atdierentpoints along` the handle. l5;- My invention consists in whatever is'described by or is included within the termsfor scope of the appended claims;

Inthe drawings:V

Figs. 1 and 2 are side and end elevations respectively of one embodiment oi Vmy invention;

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3Voi Fig.` 1, with the'rollingimember situated in the bearing for hurlingor throwing it into the air;

Figs. 4, and 5 are, respectively, `side and end viewsofanother embodiment of myinvention;

Figs. 6 and '7 are respectively, side and end elevations ofiyetv another embodiment of my invention;

Figs. Sand 9 are endviews of still other embodiments of my invention; and

Figs; 10,. 11` and 12 are, respectively, side elevations of as many different embodiments of my invention. having characteristics of construction speciallysuited'for indoor tableuse.

This application is a' continuation in part of my United States application No; 510,288led January 2l, 1931, and in fact Figs. 1, 2` and V3-of the drawingsherein-are copies of: Figs` 1, 2 and 4 ofA thedrawingfof that application.

All; of the various embodiments of my invention showninthedrawingshavein common, a handle with ahandgrip at` one end andV at what is the lower end in trundlingthe rollingmember alcngwhich endY is forked to- Vstraddle the roll- 'f ing member,.there are two bearings for the ,pivots of' such: member for successive use, one of which by a. forward thrust on the handle with therolling member, in contact with a flooror table enablesv thefrolling vmember to be rapidly revolved, andthe otherv of! which, after the freeing of the rst-mentioned bearing from the pivots, is engageable'with the pivots-and' fromfwhich by an upward movement othe, lower end of the handle r therolling member may be hurled while in a "5 state ofrapidlrevolution' andt thereafter caught July 25, 1932 and held by the same or a similar handle as the apparatus is used in asolitary game or in asocial game. Obviously, in the use of the apparatus, there is call upon the playerfor quickness, dexterity and alertness, and he is induced totake considerable bodily exercise in playing with the apparatus.

Describing rstwhat is shown in Figs'. 1, `2 and 3, the handle, that is-to. say, the rolling member revolving and throwing and'catching member, is 10v a substantially stra-ight rod, or stick, of alength to extend from the hand of the player to the ground, or door, having at the upper end ahandgrasping or. gripping portion, 1D, and being forked at the lower end to provide opposite forks, 11, to 15 accommodate the disc or wheel, 12, each lower end of the fork having downwardly opening bear-- ings 13, that, respectively, engage the opposite ends of the wheel pintle 14; so that the device may be trundled along the floor or ground and the wheel'set in motion, andat will, the handle detached from the rolling wheel-and at the same time given an upward-jerk to throw the detached wheel into theair. Besides thebearings 13, at the lower side ofthe forks, the forks have on the upper Yside upwardly open or hook-shape bearings 15, to engage the pintle 14.

At a suitable-distance above'the fork bearings 13 and 15, there is a wheel catching device-in the form of two plates 16, secured to the forks on the opposite sides, as by screwswhich on the upper side of the handle have outwardly opening-bearings toreceive the wheel pintle 14, when` by a skillful toss oru upward throw of the revolving wheel the pintle may be caught or lodged-in such bearings and its revolutionoontinued in the space between the forks. As indicated in dotted lines in Fig; 1, the side of the wheel may have numbered graduations in a circle torcooperate. with a pointer 17, formed on each plate 16, so that a score or points in playingv a game may be made.

Preferably the plates 16 are of rubber so that noise in use of the device may be avoided andso that there may be some cushioning effect when the wheel pintle falls into engagement with the plates.

, Above the bearing plates 16,.there are opposite lateral recesses 18, in the opposite, spaced sides 19, of the handle, through which when the Apintle 14, is thereat by the movement of the wheel along the upper side of the handlethe pintlemay'pass and the wheel permitted to fall through, out of engagement with the handle.

The wheel or. rolling member may be made of aluminum' iiV desired, and. itsV peripherali surface may have a rubber tire or rim so that in running the wheel along a door indoors, no objectionable noise will result.

Near the handle or hand-gripping end 10, may be attached a loop 20, that may be slipped. over the arm of the player to carry the handle from place to place.

Referring to what is shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it will be seen that'instead of providing a slot or slots in the handle to receive the hurled disc or wheel, the handle is in the form of a straight,

metal, thin shank 21, and the wheel has an annular slot 22, reaching from its periphery inward of a width to straddle the handle and thereby engage therewith, the disc having a central hub to limit the passage of the disc over the handle.` And the two bearings at the forked end of the handle are at opposite ends of a notch in the upper side of each branch of the fork and spaced longitudinally of the handle from one another, the upper open-ended bearing, 23, being opposite the lower open-ended bearing 24, and the transfer of bearing contact with the wheel pivots being ef fected by pulling thehandle upward to disengage it from the pushing or thrust bearing and to engage it with the hurling bearing.

As shown in Fig. 4, the side surfaces of the disc may carry ornamental or other matter, such as fantastic figures or pictures or portraits of human faces or verbal inscriptions. As shown, a comical human face is printed or painted upon the disc side. n

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, it will be seen that the forked lower end of the handle is, in regard to the relative position of the bearings, similar to what is shown in Fig. 4 and on the sides of the wheel or disc are numerals which, in cooperation with pointers on the side of the handle, at different points along its length, give a score value tol the dropping of the hurled disc at the marked points on the handle. YThese marked points, with a numerical value, are at shallow notches or depressions 25, in the top edge of Vthe handle.` The handle, as shown' best in Fig. 7,- is formed by two similar, but opposite shanks or blades 26,

each with a hand grip at its upper end, which are movable towards and from one another in order to provide the slot or space to receive the hurled disc, and to clamp the same to arrest itat a desired point along the handle. Normally the two handle members are thrust apart by a light coil spring 27, attached to the respective hand grips and tending to thrust them apart so that a squeezing pressure by the hand on the hand grips is necessary to clamp the disc caught between the two handle members.

Referring to Figl 8,the handle is provided with two side by side longitudinally extending slots 28, in either of which the hurled rolling member may be caught, and besides, a thirdrslot maybe provided by spreading apart two normally closed strips 29, which extend longitudinally of the handle (and which when closed provide the inner side of the two slots). Said strips are elastic or spring rods which terminate in outwardly bowed hand grips 30, which upon being squeezed to-` gether by pressure of the hand cause the bowing apart or" said strips 29, as indicated in Fig. 8 in dotted lines, to provide the third and then single, disc-receiving slot.

Referring to Fig. 9, the construction of the handle is similar to that of Fig. 'l with the addition of two other slots formed by a light rod or strip 3l, spaced sidewise apart from the other handle strips and movable with them when they are moved towards and from one another as the manipulation described in the case of what is shown in Fig. 7.

Such embodiments of my inventionV as have thus far been described are specially adapted for outdoor use whereV the disc or rolling member is trundled over the ground or pavement. For indoor use, the embodiments of my invention shown in Figs. 10 to 12 are better suited because for indoor use, the apparatus must be smaller and the conditions of indoor use do not permit the swinging and other manipulation of the handle for hurling the rolling member which exists in the case of outdoor use. I accordingly, as in the construction shown in Figs. 10 to 12, provide spe cial means, such as spring devices, for imparting the hurling movement to the rolling member so that swinging of the handle itself is not depended on and such swing would be inconvenient for indoor use because of the contracted space in such a case.

As shown in Fig. 10, the Yhandle is made in two parts joined end toend by a flatV spring 32, adjacent the fork by which a nipping and forcible movement can be imparted to the forked wheelengaging or carrying part of the devicejtofhurl the disc or wheel from .the supporting bearing which in the case of Fig.'10 and also of Figs.'11 and 12, is similar to that shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

Referringto Fig. 11, the handle has attached to it a spring 33, having an arm 34, which is placed under tension and lies against the underside of the handle, and the arm is held by a. trigger-like slidable latch 35, in convenient reach of the hand grasping the grip end of the handle. When the latch is withdrawn, the arm 34 is re-V leased and swings forward and strikes with considerable force the underside of the pivots Vof the wheel, or disc Vand thereby flings or hurls the wheel or disc out of the hurling bearing into the air. v l

In Fig. l2, the handle is jointed so that the forked end has a pivot 36, and there is a spring including'an arm 340 corresponding to arm 34, Fig.` 1l and Va coil concentric with the pivot which forcibly swings the fork upward to hurl the disc or wheel therefrom, when a slidable trigger-like latch 37, is pulled to free the spring arm 340, for action, Vthe arrangement being similar to that of Fig. 1l.

In Fig. 11, a stop 38, arrests the spring when it swings upward; and in Fig. 12, a stop 39, arrests upward movement of the fork under the action of the spring. It willbe understood that in the case of Fig. 11, there is a flipping spring arm at each side of the disc.

'In the case of each embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the handle has pivoted to it a longitudinally slottted arm, 40, with a series of spaced apart notches 41, in its upper edge for catching, according to the skill of the player, the hurled disc by the lodgment of the pivots in one or the other of the notches. Each notch is given a numerical value for score purposes. The bar may be swung to a position alongside the handle or when in use and swung upward at an incline as shown inveach of Figs. 10, 11 and 12, it is there supported by a brace 42.

If desired, as shown in Fig. 4, in addition to the two bearings in the fork, onev for pushing or trundling the rolling member and the other for use to hurl it rin the air, a third bearing 43, may be provided which is in the form of a notch 44, to engage the pivots as a convenient means of holding the disc to the handle when the apparatus is not being used.

I contemplate if desired, having each of the pushing and hurling bearings in the fork closed by an openable latch or bolt which will prevent the accidental disconnection of the rolling member from the handle, but which is readily movable, automatically if desired, to release the pivots from the bearings. When I use the term open as applied to such bearings, it is to be understood it includes such an arrangement.

When the rolling member is in the form of a hat disc, it may be made in various ways. It can,'for example, be a metal disc with a rubber tire seated in an annular groove in the periphery of the disc; it can be a disc of rubber conned between thin metal plates on opposite sides and provided with an annular groove or slot when the form of handle shown in Figs. 4 and 5 is employed; or as shown in Fig. 5, it may consist of two spaced apart rubber discs clamped or held between the two outer metal discs and an intermediate metal disc. The disc has preferably a rubber tire or periphery so that the disc will be suicently elastic to bound or rebound on striking a surface and so that it will not injure articles of furniture or other objects which it may strike, and preferably the outer ends of the pivots are tipped with rubber pieces 45, as shown in Fig. 5, for like reasons.

What I claim is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a handle and a loosely associated rolling member, the rolling member having handle-engaging pivots, the handle having a plurality of bearings for the rol1 ing member situated at different points along the length of the handle adapted for successive engagement by the rolling member pivots, the handle movable with relation to the rolling member to separate one bearing from the pivots and to cause engagement of another of such bearings with the pivots from which last-mentioned bearing the rolling member is bodily shiftable upwardly, said last-mentioned bearing opening upward to permit the bodily shifting of the rolling member upward into the air while the rolling member is in rotation, such rotation being imparted to it by moving it in Contact with a horizontal surface while loosely engaged with said rst-mentioned bearing.

2. Game apparatus as in claim l in which the handle is forked to straddle the rolling member and two of the plurality of bearings are carried by the forks and open outward whereby the rolling member pivots may pass out of engagement with one bearing and into engagement with the other, and said rolling member may be bodily displaceable from said last-named bearing.

3. Game apparatus for rolling over a surface a rolling member in peripheral contact with such surface, hurling and catching such member, comprising a handle with a grip portion and having a plurality of bearings for engagement with such member, said bearings situated at separated points along the handle, one of which acts on such member to move it over said surface to impart rotation thereto when the handle is moved longitudinally by hand, another of which opens upwardly and serves to support said rolling member while rotating and from which the member may be projected, said rolling member and said handle being separable to enable the various handle bearings to be successively used.

v 4. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which for peripheral interengaging of rolling member and handle a slot is provided in one of said parts into which the other is adapted to enter.

5. Apparatus as in claim l in which the handle is slotted for the passage thereinto of the rolling member, said rolling member being of disc form.

6. Apparatus as in claim l having rolling member clamping means to x the position of the rolling member when lodged on the handle.

7. Apparatus as in claim l having rolling member clamping means to X the position of the rolling member when lodged on the handle, said. clamping means being opposite side walls of a slot in the handle movable at will towards and from one another.

8. Apparatus as in claim l in which the rolling member and the handle have complementary value denoting indicia.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which the handle intermediate its ends is slotted with the opposite sides of the slot spaced to permit the dropping into the slot of the rolling member, the sides of the slot at their upper edges forming bearing contacts for the rolling member pivots.

l0. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which the handle has spring means to project the rolling member from the handle.

FREIDRICH WILHELM MULLER.

Images