US2042984A - Pocket ball game - Google Patents

Description

' June 2, 1936. J. 5, FRITZ POCKET BALL GAME Filed Aug. 16, 1955 Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

POCKET BALL GAME Jacob S. Fritz, Zanesville, Ohio Application August 16, 1935, Serial No. 86,581

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-96) My invention relates to improvements in pocket ball games of the type in which a paddle having an aperture and a depending pocket secured to the paddle and surrounding the aperture, is involved. This type of device usually has a ball attached to a string or resilient cord.

In the ordinary device, as briefly described that the ball can get into the net is to pass through the aperture.

An object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described, in which the net or basket may assume a position similar to that already described, so that he game can be played by passing the ball through the aperture and in which means is provided for shifting the position of the net or basket at right angles, thereby permitting the ball to enter the basket without passing through the aperture as will be hereinafter explained.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described in which the basket is hinged to the paddle so as to be moved from one position to the other with means for holding the frame of the basket in its adjusted position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the type described having a novel basket holding means of simple construction, this holding means also having the additional functions of a hinge and means for adjusting the tension on the basket frame.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the paddle with the basket secured thereto in a position at right angles to that of the ordinary device.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the device along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the device along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the device along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the basket is used when secured in the position illustrated in Fig. l, and,

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the position of the basket when it is used in the ordinary manner.

In carrying out my invention I make use of a conventional paddle 'l of the shape shown in the drawing. This paddle is provided with an aperture 8. A ball 9 is secured by a resilient cord, such as a rubber band, III, to the handle by means of a staple II, or in any other suitable manner.

The basket or net l2 has a frame member or rim l3 of substantially circular shape, having a flattened portion l3a disposed in engagement with'the paddle at a place near the aperture. This portion I311 is secured to the body portion of the paddle I by means of bolts I 4, outer washers I5, inner washers i6 and winged-nuts II. It will be observed that the outer washers ii are curved as shown at l5a in Fig. 3, to receive the portion,

l3a. of the member I3 and forming, together with its inner washer l6, a hinge socket.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood. The frame member I3 is held frictionally by tightening up on the winged nuts I! so that when the basket is in the position shown in Fig. 1 it will remain in that position until it is' swung to the position shown in Fig. 6, that is to say, it will remain in the position shown in Fig. 1 while the game is being played, but it may be readily changed to play the ordinary game by simply swinging it up,

against the friction of the holding members.

In Fig. 5 the ball 9 is struck by the face of the paddle which bears the basket, so that the ball is driven at right angles to the plane of the face, the flexible cord I2 stretching as the ball moves I forward. The ball returns owing to the flexibility of the cord, passes the paddle (as shown by the dotted lines), the paddle is turned over into the position shown by dotted lines and is thrust forwardly so as to entrap the ball in the basket. It will be seen that the ball does not pass through the aperture in playing the game in this manner.

While I have shown in Fig. 5 the ball as being struck in the position to drive it in a substantially form of the game the ball is struck by the paddle as shown and on the return swing the player endeavors to so place the paddle that the ball will pass through the aperture into the basket. The fact that the basket is hinged enables the player to swing it outwardly on its hinges and recover the ball without the necessity of reaching through the aperture or of trying to shake the ball out of the basket through the aperture. It often happens that when one attempts to shake the ball from the basket, the resiliency of the fabric of the basket will collapse the latter when the paddle is reversed, thus retaining the ball. As stated above, in my form of the device all that is necessary is to swing the basket away from the paddl and one has easy access to the ball.

I claim:

1. The combination with a paddle having an aperture therethrough, of an open frame hinged to the paddle and movable to a position to encircle the aperture, means for frictionally holding the frame in any of a plurality of adjusted positions, and a basket carried by said open frame.

2. The combination with a paddle having an opening, of a substantially circular frame, a pair of clamping members carried by the paddle, means for hinging said circular frame to said paddle adjacent to said aperture, means carried by the paddle for exerting tension on said hinging means whereby the frame may be adjustably secured in angular position with respect to the paddle, and a basket carried by the frame.

3. The combination with a paddle having an opening, of a basket having a portion of the rim thereof hinged to said paddle and movable to a position to cover the opening, and screw actuated means for varying the friction of the hinging means, whereby the basket may be held in different angular positions with respect to the paddle.

JACOB S. FRITZ.

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