US809535A - Combined fan and score-card. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

W. STEEL. COMBINED FAN AND SCORE CARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 1.

s M W 5 v Witnesses Httomegs COMBINED FAN AND SCORE CARD APPLICATION FILED JAN.12, 100s.

Witnesses L55 PATENTBD JAN. 9, 1906.

2 SEBETS-EHBBT 2.

UNITED snares PATENT OFFICE.

COMBINED FAN AND SCORE-CARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed January 12, 1905. Serial No. 240,810.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILL STEEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at TeXarkana, in the county of Miller and. State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Combined Fan and Score Card, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined fan and score-card, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient device of this character particularly designed for use by persons attending baseball games and the like and which will serve the dual purpose of a fan and score-card, whereby the several points made by the opposing teams during the progress of the game may be conveniently registered and an accurate account kept thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a score-card by means of which a person may ascertain at any stage of the game the exact number of runs made by each team, the particular player at the bat, the number of balls and strikes called on the batsman, the particular inning being played, and the number of men out on the home or visiting team, according to which team is at the bat.

A further object is to provide means for locking the indicating-arm or pointer against rotation during the first half of one inning or when the visiting team is at the bat and means for automatically returning the actuating-wheel of said arm to operative position when the first half of said inning has been played and three outs have been registered against the visiting team on the dial.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for resetting the ball and strike indicating dials when the man at the bat makes a base hit, strikes out, or gets a base on balls.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a combined fan and score-card constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the interior mechanism. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the releasing mechanism for the ball and strike dials. Fig. 6 is a similar view of one of the dial-actuating wheels and locking-pawls.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The device forming the subject-matter of the present invention consists of a casing or housing, preferably in the form of a fan, as shown, and comprising a pair of spaced plates 5 and 6, connected together in any suitable manner and provided with a central vertically-disposed reinforcing-strip 7, upon which is mounted the registering mechanism hereinafter described. The fan or casing is provided with a hollow handle 8, and formed in the front plate 5 of said fan or casing is a marginal row of openings 9, designed to receive the portraits of the several players on the home team, the particular position held by each player being stamped, printed, or otherwise represented on the plate immediately below his picture, as shown.

Mounted for rotation at the center of the plate 5 is an arrow or pointer 10, operated through the medium of a system of gearing to indicate which particular player of the home team is at the bat during the progress of the game, while above the pointer are two segmental openings 11 and 1.2 for displaying the number of balls and strikes registered against each player during each half of said inning. Formed in the plate 5 immediately below the pointer or arrow 10 are openings 13 and 14, through which is displayed the number of the innings being played and the number of men put out by either team during the progress of one-half of any particular inning. Arranged to one side of said openings are two additional openings 15 and 16 for determining the number of runs made by both the home and visiting team during the progress of the game.

'1 he several openings above described may be arranged in any suitable manner or order in the plate 5; but for sake of convenience I prefer to have them arranged in the manner shown.

Mounted on the reinforcing-strip 7 at the top of the casing or fan are toothed disks or wheels 17 and 18, each provided with a seg- TIC mental plate 19, upon which are stamped or otherwise printed a series of numbers representing balls and strikes, respectively, the disk or wheel 17 being preferably provided with four peripheral teeth and actuated to successively display the numerals at the opening 11 in the casing through the medium of a rod 20, while the disk 18 is provided with three teeth and actuated by means of a similar rod 21. The rods 20 and 21 extend through openings in a transverse partition 22 in the hollow handle of the fan and are pivotally connected to bell-crank levers 23, which latter are in turn pivoted to pushbuttons 24 and 24, slidably mounted in suitable openings at opposite sides of the hollow handle 8 and preferably near the upper end of the latter, as shown.

Secured to the rods 20 and 21 are collars 25, and interposed between said collars and the partition 22 are springs 26, the functions of which are to return the rods to their normal position after being elevated to turn the disks by pressing inwardly on the buttons 24 and 24.

The disks 17 and 18 are free to turn on stationary stub-shafts 27, the latter being provided with laterally-extending spring-pawls 28, adapted to engage a series of ratchetteeth 29, formed in the face of the disks, so as to prevent backward movement of the same. Connected to each disk is a coilspring 30, the normal tendency of which is to return the disks to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings when the pawl-releasing rod, hereinafter referred to, is released.

Mounted for rotation on stub shafts 31 at points adjacent the upper end of the handle 8 are toothed wheels 32 and 33, each provided with a suitable dial 34 for registering the number of runs made by the home and visiting teams and displaying the same at the openings 15 and 16 in the front plate of the fan or casing. The wheels 32 and 33 are provided with springpawls 35, similar in con struction to the pawls 28 and which engage ratchet-teeth 36, formed in the face of the wheels to prevent backward movement of the same, said wheels being rotated by longitudinal rods 37, terminating in push- buttons 38 and 39, disposed at the bottom of the handle, as shown.

Journaled on a stub-shaft 40 above the toothed wheel 32 is a toothed wheel 41, and connected to the latter by a collar 42 is a dial 43 for indicating at the opening 14 in the fan the number of men put out during either half of the inning being played. The wheel 41 has preferably six peripheral teeth, as shown, and interposed between said wheel and the dial 43 is a second wheel or disk 44, provided with two transfer-teeth 45, so that when the wheel 41 is rotated the distance of three teeth, corresponding to three men put out during one-half of any particular inning, one of the transfer-teeth 45 will engage a tooth on the innings-wheel 46 and cause the dial 47 of the latter to display a number at the opening 14, corresponding to the last half of one inning ,or the first half of the n ext, as the case may be. The central portion of the innings-dial 47 is preferably formed of some transparent material, such as isinglass, to permit the numerals on the dial 48 to be readily seen through the opening 13 in the front plate of the fan.

A rod 49, provided with a terminal pushbutton 50, extends longitudinally of the handle 8, said rod being provided with an intermediate branch rod 51, which engages the teeth on the wheel 41 when the button is depressed and serves to rotate the latter and in turn actuate the wheel 46. The free end of the rod 49 engages a toothed wheel 52, provided with oppositely-disposed peripheral lugs 53, which in turn engage the laterallyprojecting arms 54 of a cam 55 at every half-revolution of the wheel 52, or, in other words, whenever the button 50' is pressed three times to register three men out. Socured to the shaft 56 of the cam is a pointer or index 57, which moves over the face of the plate 6, and upon the surface of the latter of which may be stamped or otherwise printed the names of the home and visiting teams, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. will thus be seen that at every half-revolution of the wheel 52 the index 57 will shift its position and alternately point to the home and visiting team, so that the person keeping the score may determine by a glance at the back of the fan which team is at the bat.

In order to determine the batting order of the respective players on the home team, I provide a toothed wheel 58, keyed to a shaft 59, carrying the arrow or index 10. This shaft is mounted on a spring-arm 60 and is capable of slight lateral movement within a slot 61 in the plate 5. A coil-spring 62 engages the arm 60 and normally holds the wheel in operative engagement with a branch rod 63 of the pawl-releasing rod 64, so that when the rod 64 is operated it will rotate the wheel 58 and cause the arrow to indicate which particular player of the home team is at the bat. l/Vhen the visiting team is at the bat, however, and the wheel 52 starts to make the second half-revolution, the lug 53 of said wheel will force the active face of the cam 55 into engagement with the spring arm 60, causing the shaft 59 to move laterally in the slot 61 and out of engagement with thebranch rod 63, thereby permitting the operation of the registering mechanism without affecting the arrow during each half-inning played by the visiting team. As the cam 55 is turned to move the wheel 58 to inoperative position the arrow or index 57 at the back of the fan will of course be shifted to point in the direction of the visiting team, as will be readily understood.

As a means for releasing the spring-pawls 28 of the disks 17 and 18 to permit the latter to return to normal position after a player has struck out, made a base hit, or gets a base on balls, I provide the releasingrod 64. This rod extends longitudinally of the fan and is provided at one end with a push-button 65, preferably arranged in horizontal alinement with the buttons 24 and 24. The opposite end of the rod 64 passes beneath the springpawls 28 and is provided with spaced teeth 66, which engage said pawls when the rod is moved longitudinally and releases said pawls from the ratchet-teeth 29.

Pivoted to the free end of the rod 64 is a loop 67, which encircles the rods 20 and 21, the latter being provided with stop-lugs 68, which normally bear against the top of said rods, as shown, while the loop is provided with one or more transversely-disposed pins 69, adapted to engage the rods 20 and 21 and force the free ends of the latter out of engagement with the peripheral teeth of the disks 17 and 18 when the button 65 is depressed. It will thus be seen by operating the" rod 64 the spring-pawls 28 and operatingrods 20 and 21 are simultaneously released, thereby permitting the disks carrying the numbered segments to return to normal position.

The operation of the device will be readily understood and is as follows: At the beginning of the game the inning-dial is rotated until 1 shows at the opening 14 and zero at the opening 13, which indicates that it is the first half of the first inning and no men are out, after which the arm or pointer at the rear of the fan is adjusted according to which team is at the bat. Suppose the first half of the ninth inning is being played and I the home team or Yale is at the bat while -tered by pressing the button 24.

two men are out and the opposing teams have scored one and two runs, respectively,'as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Should the man at the bat get three balls, they may be successively registered by depressing the button 24, while any strikes that may be called by the umpire may likewise be regis- Should the batsman have three strikes called on him, the release-button is depressed, thereby permitting the ball and strike disks to return to normal position and at the same time causing the arrow or index 10 to revolve and point to the next man at the bat. As three men on the home team are out, this ends the first half of the inning, and the movement of the rod 49 to register the third man out will cause the lugs 53 to rotate the cam, and thereby move the wheel 58 to inoperative position while the visitors are at the bat, and at the same time shift the arrow or index 57 to point to the visiting team on the back of the fan. It will of course be understood that the arrow 57 will be properly positioned before beginning the game and that each successive run made by both teams will be duly registered by pressing the respective buttons controlling the same.

I/Vhile I have shown the names of the players printed on the face of the fan, in practice the names of the several players, together with the respective positions they occupy on the team, will be stamped or otherwise printed on the pictures or photographs, so that said photographs may be interchanged from time to time in accordance with the batting order of the team.

The fan may be constructed of cardboard, wood veneer, celluloid, or other suitable material, and the pictures of the several players may be introduced in the openings in thefront plate of the fan through suitable slots or in any other well-known manner.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a comparatively simple and extremely convenient device by means of which patrons of base-ball games may keep an accurate account of the points in the game and one which may also be utilized as a fan for keeping cool during the progress of the game.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a game-register, a casing provided with a plurality of display-openings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, registering-dials arranged within said casing, means for actuating said dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, a diallocking mechanism, and means for releasingsaid locking mechanism, said releasing mechanism also serving to rotate the pointer.

2. In a game-register, a casing provided witha plurality of display-openings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, registering-dials arranged within said casing, means for actuating said dials for successively displaying a'numeral at said openings, a diallocking mechanism, and means for releasing said locking mechanism and simultaneously rotating the pointer.

3. In a game-register, a casing provided with display-openings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, a plurality of registering-dials arranged within said casing, means for actuating said dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, a dial-locking mechanism, means for releasing said locking mechanism and simultaneously rotating the pointer, and means for returning said dials to their normal position.

4. In a game-register, a casing provided with display-openings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, registering-dials arranged within the casing, means for actuating said dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, a dial locking mechanism, means for releasing said locking mechanism and simultaneously rotating the pointer, and means for moving said pointer out of operable engagement with the lockreleasing means.

5. In a game-register, a casing provided with display-openings, a plurality of dials carried by the casing, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, an index movable over the back of said casing, means for rotating the pointer and simultaneously actuating some of the dials to successively display a numeral at said openings, and means for operating one of said dials and rotating the index.

6. In a game-register, a casing provided with a handle and having dis layopenings formed therein, a plurality of ials arranged within the casing, spring-pressed rods for actuating the dials to successively display a numeral at said openings, and push-buttons carried by the handle of the casing and operatively connected to said spring-pressed rods.

7. In a game-register, a casing provided with a handle and having a display-opening formed therein, a plurality of registering dials arranged within the casing, rods for independently actuating said dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, pushbuttons carried by the handle, and le vers forming a pivotal connection between the rods and the push-buttons.

8. In a game-register, a casing provided with a handle and having display-openings formed therein, a plurality of registeringdials arranged within the casing, a perforated partition extending transversely across the handle, rods extending through the perforations in the partition and engaging said dials for actuating the latter to successively display a numeral at said openings, push-buttons carried by the handle of the casing, levers forming a pivotal connection between the rods and the push-buttons, and springs arranged on the rods and interposed between the levers and said transverse partition.

9. In a game-register, a casing provided with a terminal handle and having a plurality of icture-receiving openings formed in one wal thereof, there being a plurality of display-openings also formed in said wall, a pointer movable over the surface of the easing with astep-by-step movement and adapted to register with the picture-receiving openings, a plurality of registeringdials mounted in the casing, means for actuating said dials for successively displaying a numeral at the display-openings, and means for rotating the pointer.

10. In a game-register, a casing provided with displayopenings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, an index movable over the back thereof, registering-dials carried by the casing, means for actuating said dials to successively display a numeral at said openings, means for locking said dials against backward movement, and meansfor simultaneously releasing the locking means and dial-actuating means to permit the dials to return to normal position, said releasing means serving to rotate the pointer.

11. In a gameregister, a casing provided with display-openings, registering-dials arranged within the casing, spring-pressed rods for actuating said dials to successively display a numeral at said openings, means for locking said dials against backward movement, a toothed rod for releasing the locking mechanism, and means pivoted to said toothed rod and engaging the actuating-rods for disengaging the latter from the dials.

12. In a game-register, a casing provided with display-openings, registering-dials arranged within the casi'ng, spring-pressed rods provided with stop-lugs for actuating said dials to successively display a numeral at said openings, means for locking said dials against backward movement, a toothed rod for releasing said locking mechanism, and a loop pivoted to said toothed rod and engaging the stop-lugs on the springrod for disengaging the latter from the actuating-dials.

13. In a game-register, a casing provided with displayopenings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, registering-dials arranged within the casing, means for actuating the dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, means for locking said dials against backward movement, means for releasing said locking means and simultaneously rotating the pointer with a step-by-step movement, and means for moving the pointer out of operative engagement with the locking means.

14. In a game-register, a casing provided with displayopenings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, registering-dials arranged within the casing, means for actuating the dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, a bracket, a toothed wheel journaled in the bracket and carrying the pointer, a rod for rotating the wheel with a step-by-step movement, a cam engaging the bracket, and means for rotating the cam to move the toothed wheel out of operative engagement with said rod.

15. In a game-register, a casing provided with displayopenings, a pointer movable over the face of the casing, a plurality of registering-dials arranged within said casing, one of which is provided with transfer-teeth for engaging the teeth of the adjacent dial, means for operating said dials for successively displaying a numeral at said openings, means for locking all of said dials against backward movement, and means for releasing the locking means and simultaneously rotating the pointer.

16. In a game-register, a casing provided IOK 10 with an index movable over the back of the casing, and means for rotating the cam to thereby move the toothed wheel out of operative engagement with said rod.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiiXed my signature 15 in the presence of two witnesses.

WILL STEEL. Witnesses:

RICHARD M. MANN, CHARLIE D. WINsETT.

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