US830078A - Game device. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. B. c. KENYON.

GAMB DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED une. 1905.

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PATBNTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

B. C. KENYON. GAMB DEVICE. APPLIoATI'oN FILED MAY e. 190s.

GAMEa 273..A MUSEME:: 188 N08L30,078.

I 273.- AM'USEMExT 33:33 GAMES.

PATENTED SEPT. 4. 1906.

B. C..KENYON. GAME DEVICE.

APrLmATIoN FILED MAY e. 1905.

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Befa/ l?? mj w m PATBNTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

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GAMB DEVICE.

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PATE'TED SEPT. 4, 1906.

B. c. KEN'YN. GAME DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 1905.

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273. AMtxaEMEmf 0 iv10Es,0AMES. 138

PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906.

No. 830,078. B. 0. KBNYON. GAME DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 1905.

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273. ,AMUSEMENT Daviess, @ANH-s.

PATENTE!) SEPT. 4, 1906.

B. C. KBNYON. GAME DEVICE.

APPLIoATIonf FILED Mus. 1eo5.

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273. AMUSEMENT SEMES, GAMES.

PATENTED SEPT. 4, 1906. E.G.KENY0N. GAME DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 8. 1905.

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State of Indiana, have 4inve PATENT cierren l BERTRAM C. KENYON, OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA.

` 'GAME DEVICE.

To atl' whom it' may conjcerw ABe it known-that I, BERTRAM C. KENYON, a citizenv of' the United States residing at Mishawaka,=in the county ofloseph and N a certam new and useful Improvememlz'n Game De- 3o third,` means for collcting and returninthe balls to'their receptacles-after they have vices, of which the followin'gis a specification'.-

My invention relates to game devices in whichballs are'automatically played; and in the particular form'of invention here shown the devices are so constructed and arranged as ,to-playthe, game of f. 001, the cue being automaticallyrsho the iiialls being then collected :and subsequently repositioned with hecfuball in frontl of the c ue and the object fall'sfarranged ingthejform of a triangle near heop'posifte-end Y'o fthe table; as in the regular Th general. lobjecti of lth'e' invention is to .provi egniechanisni forzjaf'utomatically playinga'game of this general. character, while the more specific.'objectsfwhich'render the general 'ohj ctpo's's'ible :offattainment are to proide,cfirst;neansffcroperating the cue; secyond,fm eans'or 'loweringthetable to inclined position vfor delivringfthe scattered balls to. f thefcollectingfmeansnnd' subsequently raisingA the '.table to :horizontal position for play;

een played; fourthym'eansffor raising and lowering'the cupsv orgplfqtforms which constitute bal i -receptaclesforlifting the balls back to y the tablein positie" or play; fifth, means for lfadjusting the .bj

b falls within their recepus'o btained in the present tacle, which objeiit instance .byagitating said receptacle; sixth,

an escapementand means for controlling the time of operation thereof; seventh, ball-con- '.trolled tally means and mechanism for operating' the same;l eighth,' means whereby the above-mentioned :mechanisms and devices are correlated so as to constitute a single automatically-operating game device.

.I 'attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

-i Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the complete device. .Figni'Z a' plan View thereof.`` Fig. -3 is a-vlewof thev escapement 'lookinginthe'directionio the arrows from the vertical plane indicated .bythe line -3 3,

ig.- Fig. 6. Fig. L1isa.sideeleva`tion of the comf lete machine llooking yfrom :theo erating.. j', ever side'thereof with thesideof t e-f'casing Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 6, 1905. Serial No. 269,117.

Patented sept. 4; 190e.`

removed'to exhibit the working parts. Y I 5 is a plan view of the devicewith the table,

top removed. Fi 6 is a plan view taken on line 6, Fig. 4..

in the direction of the arrowson"v saidlineu master shaftA and ing the same. FigljlO isa'frag'mentaiy" flan. view showing the trough'wherei`" he are retained p rioi" to theirfreleafseby he taining-gate'.v Said lfigure'la'lso `shfows tions ofthe runwaysfleadiglg to the object-ball receptacl receptacle.H Fig. 1 lisa-sid compound leverV 'whicli ceptaclesl` Said fgure'a lever for efectin theult the ball-rece tac es.;j, tion of the rop-tabl and loweringthefsam elevationof the'c nd by it is operatladn.A

of the lshaking;n i'echla- Vtate the object-ballsfn t' er.I ceptacle for -adjustiii e ball 15 is a side elevation-,offth devices for releasin fthe ball-receptacles are ecke or rest position, whicl`1gp mediate of the highest andlow Fig. 16 is a side e evation t tioned rod and of thepifotdl-andgca ope ated do which temporalyfsustaisszn' ro and the 'fting-yoke inhighest; ositiomi'fFi 17 is a fragmentaryelevatio tion of the above-mentione dog whereby it is locked' means for transmitting power'to' them'aster. shaft from the operatingdi'andle. 1;.' Fig. 19 is a fragmentary detail fview of the hook for engaging the yoke or proj ection' on Athe .escapeing-nger away omfthefan-wheel'of the escapement.- FiggfgZO-i's-'a sectional elevation Online 20 20, Fig: 5, showing the-construc#- .tion and arrangement ,of thel tally. means. .;Figs`.`.21, 22, .and 23 are detail views,in side no elevation, illustrat' theoperation of ther hereliythe ta y-box isf refiprocated.

ig. 7 is avertical sectional 6o view taken on line 7 7, Fig.. 6, and `lookingf The parts here illustratedf'ifre. operated .L the parts shown in Fig.. 1'5.':A Fig.' 18 isa frag mentary` ldetail. view showing the. preferred 'r' 'ment-arrestingrockfshafmtd hold,l the varrest xo 5 'ZIJ lVlUbtlVlLN l Ui.'.V Wbb, UAIVILD.

entirely automatic, in that it shoots the cue,

' so as to propel the cue-ball toward the object balls, then collects the scattered balls, and repositions them in readiness for a repetition of the play. All that is required on the part of the operator is to swing the operating-handle from the position shown in Fig. 1 to a position about ninety `degrees therefrom downward to the right.

With the exception of the operating-handle a the working parts are inclosed within the cabinet or casing b, which is provided in the present instance with two interior horizontal plates b and b2, which form supports for the greater portion of the interior mechanism. The table c, whereon the object balls d and cue-ball d roll, is mounted near the top of the casing, and it is desirable that a glass cover b3 be mounted at a distance above the table slightly greater than the diameter of the said balls d d.

In the present and preferred design of the machine all of the acting parts are operated or controlled from one or both of the two shafts e and which will be hereinafter referred to as t e master-shaft and motorshaft, respectively. Said shafts are journaled in suitable stationary hangers e and f respectively, which in the present instance are rigidly mounted on the plate b', as best shown in Figs. 7 and 8, respectively.

The master-shaft e is rotated in a forward or clockwise direction when viewed as, for

exam le, in Fig. 1 by means of theV operatingandle a, which for the convenience of the o erator is limited in its throw to an angle o about ninety degrees between the stoppins b* b4, fixed in casing b. It is desirable that handle a be operative upon shaft e while said handle is rotating from the normal or rest osition (shown in Fig. l) to the end of its t ow, but be non-operative upon said shaft during the return movement, whereby.

said handle may of itself return to normal position independently of said shaft. fel-'red means for obtaining this effect is best shown in Figs. 6, 8, .and 18, although I do not herein claim such construction, as it forms the basis of a separate application for United States patent for coin-controlling mechanism filed by me on the 17th day of April, 1905, Serial No. 256,005. In the device here shown for rotating shaft e in the forward or clockwise direction handle a is bolted or The preotherwise rigidly secured to the sleeve a', which is loosely mounted on said shaft, so as to straddle the collar e2, pinned or otherwise rigidly secured to shaft e. Said collar has a shoulder e3, adapted to be engaged by the nose of dog a2, pivotally mounted upon Sleeve a. Said dog is spring-influenced to remain out of engagement with said shoulder. A coin-chute b5 is mounted in casing b in such manner as to lead a coin to engage the pin a3 on said dog and throw the dog into engagement with shoulder e3 when said handle and sleeve are rotating in the forward direction. I do not desire to be limited to this construction, however, as any means may be substituted by which the-shaft e will be rotated in a forward direction when handle a is moving in a forward direction, but will permit said handle to return to normal position independently of said shaft. Y

Handle a, is urgedto return to normal position by means of a spring a, which is secured at one extremity to plate b2 and at the other extremity to the arm a5, rigidly secured to lsleeve a. The forward rotation of mastershaft e causes the forward rotation of motorshaft f; but the return rotation of shaft e is caused by the return rotation of shaft f, which acts under the force of spring g. The construction is best shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, wherein it is shown that the sheave e4 is rigidly secured to shaft e in line with the` sheave f 2, which is rigidly secured to shaftf.

A chain e5 is fastened at one end to sheave e'1L and at the other end to sheavef2, and thereby serves to transmit motion from one to the other. The parts are preferably so proportioned that the shaft f will be rotated practically one complete revolution by rotating handle a only aboutnintcy degrees. A sheave f also rotates with shaftf and for convenience of manufacture is made integral with sheave f2, as shown in Fig. 7. A chain g is fastened at one end to said sheave f3 and at the other end to the tension-spring g, above mentioned. Said spring is fastened to the casing b or other stationary part, and the'parts are so constructed that rotating handle a forward will stretch said spring; but when said handle is released the spring will pull chain g', so as to rotate shaft in the return direction, which in turn wi l rotate shafte back to normal position. y

It is during the return rotation of motorshaft f that the active operations of most of the parts occur, and spring g may therefore be considered as the motive power for driving the parts. This taken -in connection with the governing influence of the escapement causes the parts to operate at a uniform speed regardless of whether the handle is moved fast or slowly.

Escapement-The construction of the parts constituting the escapement are best shown in Figs. 3, 6, and 7. The shafth is IIO ' .spring-influenced to hold linger i in position .tion of fan ha without preventing its rotation,

Aalso adapted to act on lever h6 and is so timed sists of a finger i, rigidly secured -to the rockmounted in the stationary hangers b, secured to plate b', and has a fan h ri 'dly fastened thereto, which'serves to retar and govern the speed of rotation of said shaft by reason of the resistance of the air to said fan. Shaft h is 'onnected to shaftf through a series of reductiongears h2, which are also mounted in said hangers b". It is evident that when motor-spring g is fully stretched it will exert more force on shaft f than when said spring is more nearly collapsed and shaft f has nearly completed its return rotation. In order to offer greater resistance to the rotation of shaft f at the beginning of the return movement thereof when the spring is strongest, it is desirable to provide an auxiliary an h3, which is loosely and shiftably mounted on shaft h at the side of fan h and has a clutch part h4, adapted to fit into the clutch part h5 on fan h. A pivoted shiftinglever h is arranged to control the lateral posiand said lever is spring-influenced to tend to shift the said fan h3 into connection with fan h. A cam f4, rigidlyT attached vto shaft f, is

as to permit fan h3 to remain in contact with and be rotated by fan h durin the forepart of the return rotation of shaft f and to throw said fan h out of engagement with fan h toward the end of said return rotation. Thus there will be a greater fan-surface rotating while the spring g is under greatest tension and less surface when the spring is more nearly collapsed.

A ratchet-wheel f5 is rigidly secured to shaft f and is adapted to drive the reductiongears 7a2 and fan 71. always in the same direction by acting upon the pawl 71,7, mounted on such one of tie gear-wheels h2 as is concentric` with and loose upon sha-ft f. Thus the escapement permits shaftf to rotate in a forward direction without being affected; but said shaft upon its return rotation drives said escapement and is governed thereby.

In order to prevent premature operation of the escapement, arresting mechanism is provided, which in the present case conshaft 'i' in such manner that the extremity of said finger or arrester may be swung into and out of the path of fan h. Said shaft i is journaled in suitable fixed bearin s-for eX- ample, the hangers b0-and is itself operated by the arm t2. (Best shown in Figs.'3 and 4.) Said arm i2 is rigidly secured on shaft 'i' and is to arrest fan 7L. Said arm is operated by means of the arm a6, fastened to sleeve a', so as to rotate with handle a. The parts are so designed that arm a will not engage arm i2 to release the escapement until said handle a has returned part way, at least, toward normal position. The purpose of such construc-` tion is to render it impossible to operate the game device twice from a single coin. It will be remembered that do a2 1s held in enagement with shoulder e3 I y friction only.

onsequently as soon as the handle'is rotated backward the slightest amount the dog will become disengaged from said shoulder and cannot be again thrown into en agement therewith until after another coin ad been introduced into the slot. It is desirable, further, to so design the .arm a and parts of the escapement that said arm will not engage arm i2 to release the escapementuntil handle a has almost reached normal position on the returnmovement. The obj ect of this arrangement is to prevent the operation'of the parts until the handle has practically returned to normal position. The operator may therefore be as deliberate in his movements as he desires, but is assured that the collecting and repositioning arts will not commence to move until he 1s ready and desires them to do so, which desire he signifies by letting go of the handle, 'or at least permitting it to return almost to normal position. As a result of the above construction the operator may procure as long an interval as'he wishes between the scattering of the balls and their repositioning. Inasmuch as sleeve a', to which' handle a is attached, is loose upon shaft e, there is nothing to prevent the handle from being again rotated forward before the escapement completes its movement. This would permit the spring-influenced tinger fi, to swing into the path of the rapidlyrotating fan h and subject the parts to danger 'of breakage. To avoid this, I have formed a yoke or U-shaped bend i3 in shaft adapted to be engaged.' by the hook or catch e, as best shown in Figs. 3, 6, and 19. Said hook is pivoted upon the stationary hanger b, secured to plate b', and is spring-influenced, so that its forward hooked extremity tends to drop toward said yoke i3.' A pin e7, fastened to and projecting laterally from wheel e4, is adapted to strike the loweredge of said hook e to raise the same against the influence of thespring, and the parts are so arranged that said hook e will remain in engagement with yoke i3 from the time when said linger is first withdrawn from fan h until a time just before the wheel e4 has completed its 'return to normal position. At about the end of the return rotation of wheel e4 pin e7 strikes the lower edge of hook e and raises the same, so as to release the yoke i. This would permit the arresting-finger'i to again swing into the path of fan h but for the fact that when the handle a, is in normal position the arm a thereon will be engaging the arm '112 on shaft f to hold said arrestingfinger in retracted position.

Cue-operating mechanism--Referring more -particularly to Figs. 5, 9, and 13, the cue j is oosely mounted in the stationary sleeve 1)?,

,so as to freely reciprocate therein for propel- IOO Driv

ling the cue-ball'ilSaidwcueisurged'in a forward direction by means 0f 'the springs y" j', which are -preferably coiled springs located on opposite sides of the cue, as best shown in Fig. 5. The outer ends of said Springs are secured tothe rear inner wall bs of the casing b. It has been found to be advantageous to thus provide a pair of oppo# sitely-located springs, for the reason that they revent the binding of the cue in sleeve b? andkenderthe operation more smooth and certain. Said springs jf are auxilia ,as far as their propelling effect is concerne to the flat spring y2, which in the present design is vertically arranged and secured at its lower extremity to the lower portion of the wall b. The upper and free extremity of said spring, which is preferably a flat'spring, is also secured to cue j at a point behind sleeve b7 and wall bs. The cue is retracted against the force of its springs by means of the retractor k, which consists of a lever fulcrumed, preff erably, between its extremities in plate b.

Tlie upper extremity .of said retractor is adapted to engage the dog fis, which is pivotally secured to the rear extremity of the cue f and-hangspendent therefrom. vThe construction is such that when the upper ex-- tremity of the retractor moves rearward it rst retract said cue and then suddenly release the same, so that it will be shot forward-under the influence of the springs above mentioned.v When the upper extremity of theretractor subsequently moves forward, the dog will yield by swinging about its pivot, and thus permit the retractor to again assume a position in front of said dog. Said retractor' is-operated by means of a rod lc', which is pivotally connected to the lower extremity of the retractor 7c and is also connected to the crank-disk k2, loosely mounted upon shaft f, as best shown in Figs. 9 and 13. Said crank-disk is rotated through a comparatively small arc b means of the armf, rigidly secured to sha t f. Said arm f 7 is located at the side of the crank-disk k2 in position to engage the ins 7c3 and 7c, projecting laterally from sai crank-disk. When the parts are in normal position, they will remain as indicated in full lines, Fig. 9, and dotted lines, Fig. 13. The parts are so timed that arm]f7 when rotating in the forward or clockwise direction will engage pin 7c3 near the end of the forward rota motion; and will then rotate said crank-dis "until the retractor has moved to its rearmost position. (Indicated in full lines, Fig. 13.) Afterward when shaft f and arm f7 thereon begin to rotate in the return or anticlockwise direction the arm f7 will at first back away from pin lcaand have no effect on the loose disk; but `finally near the end of the rotationof shaft f arm f 7 will engage pin krandrotate 'the disk back to normal position. (Shown m dotted line, Fig.

13.) In other Words, arm f 7 rotates the disk forward by means of pin k3 and back again by means of pin k". The object in this construction is merely to obtain lost motion, so that the operation of the retractor may be confined to a time near the end of the forward motion of shaft f and near the end of the return motion thereof. The object in having the cue retracted prior to the completion of the forward movement of shaft f (and handle a) is to have the propelling-springs j and y`2 strained by the handle itself instead of depending upon the force cf the motorspring g. The retraction of the cue requires ordinarily a considerable amount of force, and I prefer to have such force imparted directly by the operator.

Although I `refer to the part as a cue and it is here shown in a form analogous to the form of cue employed in the ordinary game of pool, it is obvious that the form and method of mounting may be greatly varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Arranged in the formof a rectangle at the edges of table c and at a point somewhat inside of the marginal walls of the casing b are the four inner walls bs, b, b, and b, to which the cushions b12 are fastened in the ordinary manner. At the four corners and at the middle of the two sides are located pockets adapted to receive the balls from the table when the latter is in horizontal position. Leading from each of said pockets is an inclined runway which leads to the tally means, which will be hereinafter described. The table c above mentioned lits within said inner walls and is pivoted at one edge, so that it may be placed in horizontal or inclined position. In the preferred construction here shown said table is hinged to the rear inner wall bs.

Table-operating mechanism-The free extremity of said table c is raised and lowered at the proper time by means of the rod m, which is vertically movable and guided by the stationary portion b, which also forms a runway or hopper for guiding the objectballs in a manner hereinafter described. Said rod m is raised and lowered b means of the lever m', which is pivoted in tiie stationary hanger m2, as shown in Figs. 9 and 12. The table merely rests upon said rod; but in order to relieve the parts of unnecessary jar it is desirable to attach a weak spring 'm3 to lever m', so that the parts may drop of their own weight, but will do so slowly and smoothly. Said lever m is positively operated by means of the cam f s, formed upon disk f 9. Said disk is rigidly secured to shaft f, and the parts are so timed that when said parts are in normal position, said rod will hold said table horizontal, but after the cue has been shot will permit said table to be lowered to" inclined position for causing the balls to roll from the table onto the runway n.

IOO

Said runway n is fastened to the wall bw in position to receive the balls as they roll from table c. Below said runway and connecting therewith is a second runway or trough n', which is also fastened to wall b1 at the top of runway blt. A gate c is fastened to the under side of table c in such .manner as to retain the balls in trough n when said table is lowered and release the balls when the table is raised; this action being illustrated. in Fig. 9. The purpose in thus retaining the balls in trough n is to hold them there until all have been collected from the various parts of the device and then release them all at once. This is for insuring the proper distribution of the balls, so that they may be r'epositioned for subsequent play.

The manner of operation of the above parts is best illustrated in Fig. 10, taken in connection with Figs. and 9. It is to be understood that one of the balls is to be returned to the cue-ball platform o, while the remainder of the balls are to be returned to the object-ball platform p. From trough n there is a runway n2, leading tothe platform o, which runway is wide enough to receive only one ball. Also leading from trough 11, is the wide runway or hopper b, which leads td the object-ball platform p. To assist in directing the object-balls to platform p, it is desirable to provide stationary guides n3 and n4. Now while the gate c is in lowered position the balls will collect in trough n in the manner shown in Fig. 10, one ball beingI adjacent to the entrance to runway rn,2 and the others adjacent to the entrance to runwa Z214. As soon as gate c is raised it will simul, taneously release all of the balls from trough a', with the result that one of them will enter runway n2, while all of the remainder will run to the platform 7J.

Lift mea-ns.-The platforms o and p are adapted to support the balls, and for retaining the balls in position upon the platforms downwardly-yielding retaining walls or cups o and p', respectively, are provided. In this the preferred construction (best shown in Figs. 9 and 11) the cups have formed thereon sleeves o2 and p2, respectively adapted to slide upon rods r and s, respectivelv. Bosses or collars r and s are formed on said rods to act as supports for coiled springs for urging the respective cups upward. As a result of this downwardly-yielding feature of the cups 55 they are enabled to retain the balls upon the respective platforms while the latter are in lowered position and yet sink out of the way when the platforms are flush with the table.

Table c has a cue-ball aperture c2 and object-ball aperture c3, the former being large enoughto receive but one ball and being located in front ofthe cue. The a erture c3- is located near the opposite end of t e table and is adapted to receive the object-balls. Al- 6 5 though the number of object-balls is not essential, the preferred number is six, as this number permits an arrangement of the balls into the form of a trian le, as in the regular game of pool. As it is cesirable to have the object-balls close together when positioned on a level with the table ready for play, it is desirable that the a erture c3 be tapered so as to contract upwar the top of the opening being just sufficient to permit the elevation of the balls through it. The platforms o and 7 5 p are of such size that they will closely fit their respective apertures when their top surfaces are flush with the to of the table.

It has been mentioned that the platforms o and p are raised and lowered by means of the rods 1' and s. These'rods are rigidly secured to the lifting-yoke t, which in turn is raised and lowered by means of the lever u, pivoted on the stationary post u. (See Fig. 11.) One extremity of said lever u is slotte to receive the pin t', fastened to the vertically-apertured boss t2 of yoke t. By means of a link 'u2 the lever u is connected to one extremity of lever ua, which is fulorumed upon the stationary post at. The opposite extremity of 9o lever u3 is pivoted to the connectin -rod 11.5,

ivoted to the crank-disk u". 'Sai disk is. oosely mounted upon shaft f and is raised from lowest to normal position'by the arm fm, rigidly fastened .on shaft f. As best 95 shown in Fig. 11, said arm is located at the far side of disk u -in such position as to engage the in 11,7, projecting laterally from 'said disk. T e arm f1 in the present design of the machine is in engagement with pin ru,7 for roo only about an eighth of a revolution at the end of the return or anticlockwise movement of shaft The extreme positions between which arm f engages pin 'a7 are both shown in dotted lines, Fig. 11. The purpose in operating under this lost motion is to cause the rising action of the yoke t to occur just before the end of the return motion of shaft f and comparatively rapidly, so that disk a may perform its function after all of the other devices have completed theirs. As the throw of connecting-rod us is comparatively small and the required movement of the platforms o and p is comparatively large, the levers fu, and 'a3 are compounded, the actual 115 movement in the machine here shown being about seven to one. The proportions are not essential, however, the main idea being to have a comparatively great movement of-the ball-platforms'eifected during a small part of 12o the t'otal active period of the mechanism. j The weight of the yoke tand connected parts tends to cause them to drop; but there are four devices which act to sustain them at one time or another. These are the disk u,('see r2 5 Fig. 11,) the lever '0, (see Fig. 11,) the keeper z, (see Fig. 16,) and the kee er y2. (See Fig.

17.) The construction an operation of the lever v and keepers a and 'y2 will be hereinafter described; but there is a time after the rod y 13e IIO amena i has been released from kee er y2 and while arm f1 is at a point remote rom pin 'a7 when said yoke and connected parts are not supported. In order to prevent their falling too rapidly at suchl time, a counterweivht t3 is provided, which is attached to a cord t, said cord passing over the fixed pulley t5 and the other end being fastened to the yoke t.

Platforms o and p have three positions, in which they are presumed to rest for an appreciable period of .time-to wit, low position, (shownin full lines, Fig. 11, and dotted lines, Fig. 9,) in which position the ball-receptacles receive the balls from their respective run- Wa s final position, with the latforms o and p ush-with the top of the ta le, and normal position, intermediate of the low and final ositions. In vnormal position (shown in full es, Fig. 9) the .object-balls and cue-ball are :partially Y within theirv respective apertures c3 and-'c2 and are. consequentlyprevented from being accidentally disarranged.

'Thearm f 1 and crank-disk u, above described, act to raise yoke tfrom lowest to norfmalfposition, and this action occurs at the end vof .the return rotation of shaft f. The

raisingof said yoke from normal to highest orinal position, -withithe top surfaces flush Withithetop ofthe table, is accomplished in theffpresent design by means of the liftinglever fu, above mentioned, which is pivoted to the f stationary bracket b1, secured to the platform 1)', as best shown in Figs. 9 and 1 1. Thefree extremity of said lever is adapted to engager the pin t6 on yoke t to raise said yoke and, parts thereon. to final position. Said liftinglever is o erated by means of the cam e8, whchis rigid y secured to shaft e and contacts lower edge of lever 'v for raising the same. The parts are so timed that this final lift is imparted to the platforms o and p just prior to the completion of the forward rotation of shaft e. The final lift, therefore, vis accom lished directl by the operator in rotating andle a, whic .is preferable to requiring this work of the motor-spring g. One reason for this arrangement is that it affords simple means for obtaining the final lift just before the shooting of the cue and during the period of retraction of the cue. Another reason is that it relieves the motor-spring of the duty, which would otherwise 4be incumbent on it, of elevating the ball-platforms against the force of the yielding cups or receptacles o p.

Agtat'ing mechanism.-As above mentioned, this game device is ada ted to employ a plurality of object-balls, an it is necessary before said balls are played that they be positioned closely together. To assist in the proper gathering together of the balls, the object-ball receptacle p p is of a configuration vbut slightly larger than the area which the balls when assembled will cover. The

.- retaining-walljp is so shaped that when the object-balls are all in they make contact with each other and assume the form of a triangle.

W'hen the balls first run into the receptacle from runway b, one or more of them is apt to pile upon top of the others, their weight being insufficient to be depended upon to overcome friction and cause all of the balls to come down fairly onto the platform p. It is desirable, therefore, to provide special means for insuring the proper arrangement and settling of the object-balls within their receptacle before they reach the table. This adjusting and settling is accomplished by means of a special agitating or shaking device, which is shown separately in Fig. 14 and partially in'Fig. 11. Rod s, upon which the platform 7) 1s secured, is mounted upon yoke t in such manner as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. TheA tappet-arm s2 is rigidly secured to and extends horizontally from said rod s, and the tensionspring s is connected to said arm and to the yoke t in such manner that said arm constantly tends to move toward the tappet-lever w. The function of said lever w with respect to arm s2 is to move against it and swing it in an anticlockwise direction and subsequently produce a jarring thereof by first releasing and then suddenly arresting it. Said lever w is fulcrumed on the stationary bracket b, supported from plate b', and is operated to swing back and forth by the rod w', which is slidably mounted in the stationary bearing wz. Said rod is forced in one direction (to the right, Fig. 1-1) by means of the finger fw, which is mounted on rod w in position to be engaged by the pinsfuf, secured to the farther side of the disk f 9, hereinbefore mentioned. Said dog is pivoted to rod w and has a tensionspring wf extending from it to said rod in such manner that when disk f rotates in a clockwise direction, said dog will yield for the passing of pins f, but when said disk rotates in an anticlockwise direction the pins will move the rod to the right against the force of the spring 1124. One extremity of said spring w* is fastened to the lever w, and the other eX- tremity is fastened to the stationary hanger fc, which will hereinafter be more fully described. T he parts are so arranged and timed that as the rod s is rising from low to normal osition the pins f, rotating in an anticloc (wise direction, will successively strike the finger w, thereby imparting an agitating vibratory motion to the lever w and a corresponding rotary motion to the rod s, for the rod w will be moved to the right, Fig. 14, with a comparatively slow movement until one of the pins f 1 releases said finger w3, at which time said finger will suddenly escape to the next successive pin f 1, against which it will suddenly be arrested. This will shake the object-ball receptacle in such manner as to insure the object-balls settling down properly therein.

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Sustaining devices for the ball-receptacles. Yoke tis rigidly fastened to and guided in its vertical travel in the machine by the rod y, which has a sliding bearing in the hanger 11;, rigidly secured to plate b In the present design said rod also performs a second important function, which is to sustain the platforms o and p in normal position and in final position at a time when neither the arm f10 nor lever v is doing so. Referring more particularly to Figs. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 17, said rod has a notch i adapted to receive the keeper y2, which is s idably mounted on plate b and is urged by the spring 'g3 in a direction to enter said notch. The lower approach to said notch is beveled, while the upper edge thereof is substantially horizontal, so that when the keeper is within the notch rod y' will he sustained upon said keeper. The upward movement of rod y will, however,

force said keeper backward against the forceV of its spring. Said notch is so located on said rod that when resting upon said keeper said rod and the platforms 0 and p will ybe sustained in normal position. In order to'force keeper y2 backward at the proper time to permit the lowering of rod y and the connected parts, a cam j12 is formed upon disk f", as best shown in Fig. 15. A yielding finger y is pivot-ally attached to the under side of keeper y2 at a point in line with cam f 12, and said finger is spring -influenced to tend to remain in contact with keeper y2.

, The parts are so arranged that when cam f2 occupies the dotted position shown in Fig. 15 said finger y* will yield to permit said cam to rotate forward to the position shown in full lines without affecting said keeper; but the return rotation of said cam will force finger y* and keeper @/2 backward sufficiently t`o re- 4 lease rod y and permit it to drop. The reason for thus providing special means for sustaining rod 'g/ and the ball-platforms in normal position is to enable/the parts to remain there when handle a is in normal position, at which time the arm flo will be remote from pinV a7. (See Fig. 11.

Separate means are also provided for sustaining rod 1 1/ in final position, with the ballplatforms 0 and p Hush with the top of the table. These means consist of a keeper z, which is provided with a foot z', adapted to enter beneath the lower extremity of rod y. The proportions are such that whenrod y rests upon foot z said rod and the parts thereon will be in final position, with the ball-platforms level with the table. Said keeper z is urged by a spring e2 toward rod y, as shown in Fig. 16, and is forced out of engagement with said rod by means of the cam 3, rigidly attached to shaft The two keepers y2 and z are so timed with relation to arm f1 that the parts will operate as follows: Starting with the parts in normal position with keeper y2 sustaining rod y, let it be supposed that the handle a is rotated forward from normal position. Near the end of the forward rotation of the handle cam es will engage lever v and impart a final lift to yoke t and the ballreceptacles. This will raise rod y sufficiently to permit foot z to enter beneath it and sustainit for a short period-say, for example, about two or three seconds-while the balls are coming to rest after play. As the escapement-spring now rotates shaft f in the return or anticlockwise direction it causes camf13 to swing keeper z to dotted position, Fig. 16, to release rod y, at which time cam f (see Fig.4 15) is in contact with finger y to also hold keeper y2 in retracted position. This permits rod y to drop under the action of gravity to low position. (See full lines, Fig. 11.) The downward movement is made smooth and comparatively slow, however, by the counterbalance-weight t3, which is somewhat lighter than rod y and the parts attached thereto. After the balls have been guided to their respective receptacles and the return movementof the motor-shaft is almost completed arm f1 comes into engagement with pin '11,7 and rotates disk u one.- eighth of a-turn to normal position. This rotation of said disk sets the compound levers u and 11.3 in motion and raises rod y, yoke t, and the ball-receptacles to the normal or rest position, (indicated in full lines, Fig. 9.)

Tally merma-The tally means are designed to show into what pockets the balls have entered as a result of the play and to deliver one ormore checks or tokens, the number and valuel depending upon the number of balls pocketed and the values previously assigned to the pockets. Said tally means are il ustrated in detail in Figs. 20 to 27both inclusive, and are also. indicated in Fi s. 5, 6, and 7.

n the present device there are six pockets into which balls may drop as a result of the play-to wit, the'end pockets 1, the side pockets 2, and the end pockets 3, these last being nearest to the cue. The stationary receivingplatform 4 has therein three apertures 5, 6, and 7, as best shown in Figs. 5, 7, and 20. From the end pockets 1 an inclined runway 8 leads to the aperture 5 in platform 4. The inclined runways 9 9 lead from side pockets 2 tothe aperture 6 in said platform, and the inclined runways 10 10 lead from the end pockets 3 to the aperture 7 in said platform. Said apertures 5, 6, and 7 are sufiicient in size to permit the balls to drop through them.

Beneath the stationary platform 4 is a tally-box 11, which is ada ted to receive the balls dropping through p atform 4 and has three compartments 12, 13, and 14, each of a width and height sli htly greater than the diameter of one of the alls, so that said balls 'may freely move therein. Said box has a trp 15, having three apertures 16, 17, and 18 a apted to register wlth the apertures 5, 6,

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and 7, res ectively, and the com artments 12, 13, an 14, res ectively. Sai top 15 is so arranged that W en it is in forward or normal position, as shown in full lines, Fig. 20, the balls will rest thereon or upon door 21, but when in rearward position will permit the balls to drop through into the box at a point behind 4the plungers 22. The box is adapted to slide u on the stationary guide-rod 19 and is moved ack and forth thereon by means of the lug 20. (Best shown in Figs. 2() and 26.) Said lu is ri idly secured to said box and serves a so to. old the box true and upright u on its guide-rod.y Said rod is slightly inc ed, so that the balls will tend to run out of the back end of the box into the runway 57, which leads to the collecting runway or hopper bl. At the rear end ofbox 11 is hinged a door 21, which when closed serves to retain. the balls Within the tally-box to act u on the pl ers 22. Said door is held in c osed osition y means of a dog 24, which is pivota y mounted on the box and spring-in- .luenced to'v approach and engage said door.

Said dog is'caused to release the ldoor at the proper -time by means of the stationary cam or switch 25, which is fastened upon the stationaryframework 26 26. After said door is released the box continuing to move forward .brin s the door against the rear end of rod 27, whic thereby raises the door and holds it in raisedposition to permit the esca e of the balls. This positive raising of the oor is desirable, butmight be accomplished by the weight of the balls-themselves. In order to cushion the action, rod 27 is made yielding by slidingly mounting it in the apertiired lugs 29 31 on the tally-box. A collar 28 is formed on said rod and a weak com ression-spring 30 inter osed between it and tlhe lug 29. The spring a so acts to absorb backlash in movement of the box, for the parts are so arranged that after the door has been raised the forward one of the lugs 31 will contact the collar 28 and further com ress the spring. Near the end of the return or ackward movement after the door is free from rod 27 it will strike the stationary pin 32 in framework 26 and be positively closed, the dog 24 immediately snapping into engagement to keep it closed.

The plunger-rods 23, which carry the plungers 22 above mentioned, are mounted so that they will slide both relatively to the framework 26 and to the box 1 1 There is a plunger and plunger-rod for each of the compartments 12, 13, and 14, and in the initial .position the plungers are back to the right, as illustrated in Figs. 20, 24, and 25.A The parts are so proportioned that if the box moves forward empty to the end of its throw it will have no effect upon said plungers and rods, but with a single ball in a compartment the respective rod will be move'd forward a distance equal to the diameter of one ball, or if there are two or three balls in such compartment the plunger will be moved a corresponding amount. This is trueof compartments 13 and 14; but in order that one check or token may be delivered every time the device is played and the box makes a complete stroke forward and back compartment 12 has a fillet 33, which is adapted to engage the corner of its plunger, but permits the passage of a ball.

In the present design the plunger in compartment 12 is square, with corners for en-" gaging the fillets and arresting the plunger; but other means for arresting said plunger at the proper point may be substituted. The forward edge of the fillet is at a distance from the rear edge of the box equal tothe diameter of the ball, so that if there is one ball within compartment 12 it will have no effect additional to that of the fillet itself; but if there are two or 4three balls within the compartment the rod will be moved two or three diameters. Thus the operator is assured of getting at least one token every time he plays the machine, and he will get as many altogether as there are balls pocketed. This particular feature is designed for circumstances in which the machines are coin-controlled and placed in places of amusement and the tokens are redeemable by the proprietor in cigars or other merchandise. The player in such case receives some value for every coin deposited in the machine. It is not essential to the operation of the device that a check or token be always delivered; but the fillet affords means whereby this may be accomplished regardless to whethera ball has entered such compartment or not. It is obvious that the plungers in compartments 13 and 14 may be of the same shape as the one in compartment 12 or may be of any other shape such that a ball cannot escape past them. I also desire to point out the fact that the number of compartments is immaterial, and a box having one or any other number of compartments and plungers may be employed.

Upon each plunger-rod 23 is fastened a block 34 by means of a set-screw or otherwise, said blocks being adapted to engage the upper extremities of the levers 35 35. Said levers are fulcrumed upon the stationary bar 36 and are connected at their lower extremities to the lower extremities of the deliveringsectors 37 37 by means of the links 38. Said sectors are fulcrumed upon the stationary bar 39 in position to swing in a vertical plane beneath the chutes 40. There is one chute for each of the compartments in the tally-box and a delivering-sector at the bottom of each chute. The chutes are adapted to store a pile of checks or tokens 41, as best shown in Fig. 20, said tokens being preferably disks-of metal, although other shapes and materials may be substituted. The upper edges of the sectors are circular and concentric with ful- IOO tokens, as the case may be.

Crum-bar 39 and s'o located that they will support the tokens in the chutes, the tokens resting upon the upper edges of the disks. One or more fingers 42 are mounted upon each sector with the upper edges projecting above the edge of the disk a distance net greater than the thickness of a single token. If a plurality of fin ers are employed, as is the case in the pre erred construction here shown, they will be at a distance apart somewhat greater than the diameter of a token, with the result that when the upper edge of the disks 37 move forward they will remove from the bottom of the pile as many tokens, one after the other, as there are fingers caused to. sweep across the bottom of the chute. The parts are so proportioned that a single ball in one of the compartments in box 1 1 will produce sufficient motion to cause one of the fingers 42 to sweep' across the bottom of a chute, while two balls will cause two fingers, three balls three fingers, and so on. This will thus effect the' delivery of one, two, or three In order that the fingers 42 shall not interfere with the tokens on the way back, they are pivoted to the segments, as shown 1n Figs. 20 and 27. A spring 43 is attached to the segment and-to the fingers for normally retaining the latter in operative position, and

the fingers are prevented by stop-pins 44 from yielding in the backward direction. The tokens delivered bythe fingers from the storage-chutes drop 'into the receptacle 45, which is accessible from outside the casing.

The box 11 is moved back and forth by means of the arm 46, which is loosely journaled on the hub of the collar 47, pinned or otherwise rigidly secured to shaft f. In the referred construction (best shown in Fig. 26) arm 46 has a transverse pin 48 fastened therein, and lug 20, above mentioned, is doubly slotted transversely, one slot receiving the arm itself to thereby maintain box 1 1 in upright position upon rod 19, and the second slot bein adapted to receive said pin 48, whereby the ox may be slid back and forth upon said rod 19. A second collar 49, also secured to the hub or collar 47, but on the opposite side of arm 46, forms a convenient means for keeping arm 46 in roper position at right angles to shaft f. hese details of construction, however, are by no means essential, the principle bein to provide a loose arm centered upon shaft and capable when swung through a limited arc of imparting a reciprocatory movement to box 11. It is not essential that arm 46 constitute the means for holding box 11 level, for exterior guideways may be provided. As above indicated, arm 46 swings through a limited arc, although it has been previously 4explained ,that shaft f rotates approximately through one completerevolution.` The rearward or clockwise swing of arm 46 is effected by in Fig. 22.

',means of the in 50, which is rigidly secured on the far si e of collar 47 and rojects in such manner as to engage the e ge of said arm. This is indicated y the condition of the parts, Fig. 21.' Arm 46 is swung in an lanticlockwise direction to move the box forward by means of the dog 51, which has a shoulder 52, ada ted to engage the pin 53, extending from t e side of arm 46, as shown In order that the dog may release pin 53 at the proper time, it is pivotally mounted on collar 47, and a cam-surface 54 is formed on said dog, behind the shoulder, in such manner as to strike the rigid projection 55 and be depressed by the latter far enough to disengage illustrated 1n 23. The de ressing of dog 51 by projection 55 permits t e dog to continue its anticlockwise rotation without further aifect' arm 46. A spring 56 is attached to colar 47 and to the dog for urging the latter toward' pin 53 to engage it the next time the dog rotates in an anticlockwise direction.

Operation-When the mechanism is at rest, the 1plarts will occupy the positions shown in ll lines, Figs. 9 and 20, except that all of the fingers of the delivering-secin 53. This feature is best tors will be behind the token-chutes.` To l operate the device, all that the operator-has to do is to dro a coin into the chute b5, press the handle a gown as far as it will go, and then release it and permit it to return to normal osition. (Shown in Fig. 1.) During. the orward movement of the handle the balls are raised to a level with the table, the cue is retracted and shot, the tally-box is pulled back into position to receive the balls that have been at this time pocketed by the cue, and the motor-shaft f is rotated forward one revolution, which stretches the coiled s ring4 g, and thus provides power for furt 1er operating the mechanism. On the return movement ofthe handle nothing occurs until it has nearly reached normal position, at which time it causes the release of the escapement'and allows the motor-shaft to commence its return rotation. The table then dro s, allowing the balls that were not pockete to run off the table into trough n' where they are retained by means of the gate c. At the proper time the tally-box-is moved forward again to normal position, thereby pressing the balls therein upon the pistons 22 and causing the sectors 37 to deliver a number of tokens equal to the number of balls pocketed. Before the tally-box has quite completed its forward movement the door 21 at the rear thereof is caused to fly open and release the balls, which then run by gravity toward the assemblin hopper or runway b, In the meantime the ian-receptacles o andp have dropped to lowest position, so that the balls from the tally-box run into the objectball receptacle p. About this time the table IOO lIO

--ilO fan h* out of gear,

- tinues until the parts dro -table, acne,

v1n ont of said'cue,

-. .means for- -lowering begins to rise, thereby releasing the balls in trough n', which all run tothe receptacle p except one, which runs to the receptacle o. When the balls have reached their respective receptacles, said receptacles begin to rise, at about which time the object-ball receptacle is agitated with a jarring rotatory movement to cause the balls to settle down into the proper tria lar form. As the receptacles start to rise the cam f 4 throws tlie auxiliary thereby permitting increased speedin the motor-shaft, with a consequent gain in time in raising the ball-receptacles. The rising of the receptacles conare brought back to normal position ready for a repetition ofthe ay. A What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a game device the combination of a a receptacle for a cue-ball a receptacle for objectba'lls, means for shooting said cue, means for lowering said table to inclined position, said ball-receptacles, ineanslfor collecting. `the balls from the table whenfinclined and directing one of said balls to-saidcue-ball receptacle andthe remaindergto said object-ball receptacle, meansfor 3"? vositioirand means for raising said ball-receptacles togthe'level of-said table.

.graisingis'aidztable to substantially horizontal 2. `Aggame'device comprising a table, a ball, means for propelling said ball upon the 1 table to thereby put it in play, means for repositioning said ll upon the table, and devices forcorrelating said and repositioning means, whereby the ball is automatically repositioned after being propelled'. e@

3. A game device comprising a table, a plurality of balls, means for propelling one oi said balls toward the others, means for repositioning said balls upon different parts of the table, and means for correlating said proelling and repositioning means, whereby the balls are automatically repositioned after propulsion.

4. Agame device comprising a table adapted to lie horizontal when the device is in play, a ball free to roll upon said table, means for propelling said bal means for subsequently repositioning the saine, and means for correlating said propelling and repositioning means whereby the sequence of operation thereof is regulated mechanically` 5. In a game device, the combination of a table, an object-ball, a cue-ball; means for cue-ball toward said objectfor collecting and repositionprlpelling said a and means ing said balls.

6.; Ina game device, the combination of a table, an object-ball free to roll thereon, means for automatically positioning said ball uponsaid table,- a cue-ball, means for propeiling said cue-ball toward said object-ball, and means for correlating said propelling and positioning means.

7 A game device comprising a table adapted to lie horizontal when the device is in play, a plurality of balls free to roll upon said table, means for propelling one of said balls to act upon the others, means the irst propelled ball at one part of the table, other means for repositioning the other balls at another part of the table and means for correlating said propelling means and both repositioning means for rendering the gaine device automatic.

8. In a game device, the combination of a table, a ball, a spring, ball-propelling means urged by said spring, a handle, and a retractor operated by said handle for retracting said propelling means against the force of its spring, said retractor being adapted to release said propelling means when in retracted position, and subsequently rengage it.

9. In a game device, the combination of a table, a ball, a spring, a cue urged by said spring and adapted die, a retractoi operated by said handle for retracting said cue, against the force of its spring, said retractor being adapted to suddenly release said cue when retracted, and means operated by said handle for repositioning said ball upon the table after being propelled by said cue.

10. ln a game device, the combination of a ball, a drop-table, means for holding said table normally in substantially horizontal propelling meansposition, means adapted to move said table into inclined position, a runway adapted to receive said ball from said table when the latter is in inclined position, and means for subsequently positioning said ball upon said table.

11. In a game device, the combination of a ball, a drop-table, means for holding said table normally in substantially horizontal position, means adapted to move said table into inclined osition, a runway adapted to receive sairl)ball from said table when the latter is in inclined position, means for closing said runway against the admission of the ball when the table is in normal position, and a positioning receptacle for receiving the ball proceeding from said runway.

12. In a game device, the combination of a ball, a dro -table, means for holding said table norma ly in substantially horizontal position, means adapted to move said table into inclined position, a runway adapted to receive the ball from said table when the latter is`in inclined position, a gate f or retaining the ball when the table is down and positioning means adapted to receive the ball proceeding from said runway.

13. In a game device, the combination of a ball, a drop-table, means for holding said table normally in substantially horizontal posifor repositioning ISO

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