US957254A - Game apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

A." W. PROOTGR.

GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED novpm, 1908.

Patented May 10, 1%10.

1 17,?) em; for

ALFRED WATERS PROCTOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED VVATnRs PROG- ron, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Brooklyn and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to game apparatus, and more particularly to a mechanism in which a wheel having its face divided into radial sectors is spun and then caused or allowed to come to rest with any chance or random sector opposite a given mark. For this purpose I have devised a very convenient spinning apparatus or mechanism, the use of which, however, is not entirely limited to this particular field.

In its broadest aspects the invention consists of a wheel having a notched periphery and a spring arm which is impelled against said periphery until its tension and deflec tion permit its sudden escape or passage tangentially across the edge of the wheel, giving the latter a sudden fillip or impulse as it does so.

From another aspect the invention consists of a spring arm which engages a notched wheel to spin the same, and is then swung completely around to act as a detent and arrest the rotation of the wheel with a sector exactly centered on the predetermined index mark.

l/Vith the above and various other objects in view my invention consists particularly in the features of construction and combination as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an isometric view of a game apparatus embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating a modified construction of the same. Fig. 3 is vertical sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a wheel preferably of metal, and notched at equally spaced intervals around its periphery. An ordinary gear wheel answers every purpose. This wheel is mounted so as to spin readily on its axis. Pivot or cone bearings may be employed, but I prefer some sort of bearing support as shown in Fig. 3 as it permits the wheel to be entirely supp rted from its rear side leaving the sectored face free and unobstructed.

2 indicates a pin, pointed at its upper end to engage a correspondingly coned portion Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 18, 1908.

Patented May 16, 1910.

Serial No. 463,133.

of the wheel, and sleeved or bushed at 3 to exert a steadying efiect on the lower side of the wheel. This form of support is substantially free from vibration and allows the wheel to spin smoothly and freely for a long time, if desired.

4 denotes an arbor having a crank 5 and a spring arm 6 with a rounded extremity 7 which swings in a circle which slightly crosses or intersects the circumference of the wheel 1. The spring arm 6 is most conveniently formed of a spirally or helically wound spring wire or blade having a radially or tangentially projecting portion with a bent over end to form the rounded extremity 7 An important characteristic of the arm 6 is that it is capable of swinging completely around in a circle when impelled by the crank 5, the intersection of its circular path with the circumference of the wheel being only sufficient to deflect and tension the arm without wholly obstructing its eventual continued angular movement by a sudden fillip which causes the spinning when it has been sufficiently deflected and tensioned. The continued right handed rotation of the crank will therefore produce repeated spinning movements of the wheel. The complete rotative movement of the crank has another function as follows: The rounded extremity 7 of the spring arm is adapted to fit nicely into the notches of the wheel 1 (see particularly Fig. 2) and when the wheel is spinning normally, in the di rection of the arrow, and the crank is rotated in the proper (right handed) manner above referred to, it will be evident that the rounded extremity 7 of the spring arm is adapted to snap suddenly into a notch of the wheel and arrest the latter, not only with great suddenness and positiveness, but with the notch exactly centered on the extremity of the arm which itself has an exactly predetermined location by the action. If therefore the wheel has a card 8 with an exposed face marked with a number of sectors 8 thereon corresponding to the number of notches, the sectors will be exactly centered on some predetermined index mark 9 by the above action. The continued rotation of the operating crank therefore accomplishes the three functions of (1) spinning the wheel, (2) arresting the wheel, and (3) centering the divisions or sectors on a given mark. The action of the device is also such that the movement of the crank is limited to one complete turn and automatically stopped, a quite desirable characteristic, as it makes the device seem like an automatic machine of some sort, such machines often having operating cranks the rotation of Which is arrested after a complete turn in this same general manner.

Any desired game may be adapted to the spinning device of the present invention Where there are a definite number of possible prescribed conditions or results attainable, any one of which is to be selected or designated by chance. The application of the device is sufficiently obvious under these circumstances and need not be particularly described.

hat I claim, is

l. A game apparatus comprising a Wheel having a notched periphery, a spring arm movable to engage the Wheel and be tensioned and finally give the wheel a fillip by its continued displacement in the same direction, and means including parts relatively displaced by the movement of the Wheel for indicating, upon the stoppage of the Wheel, one of a plurality of possible results.

2. A game apparatus comprising a Wheel having a notched periphery, an arbor having a spring arm angularly movable to engage the Wheel and be tensioned and finally give the Wheel a fillip by its continued displacement in the same direction, and means including parts relatively displaced by the movement of the Wheel for indicating, upon the stoppage of the wheel, one of a plurality of possible results.

3. A game apparatus comprising a Wheel having a notched periphery, an arbor having a spring arm rotatable through a com plete turn to engage, be tensioned by, spin,

and finally arrest the Wheel with its notches in a predetermined relation, and means including parts relatively displaced by the movement of the Wheel for indicating, upon the stoppage of the Wheel, one of a plurality of possible results.

4:. A game apparatus comprising a Wheel having a notched periphery, an arbor having a spring arm With a rounded extremity rotatable through a complete turn to engage, be tensioned by, spin, and finally arrestthe Wheel with its notches in a predetermined relation, and means including parts relatively displaced by the movement of the Wheel for indicating, upon the stop page of the Wheel, one of a plurality of possible results.

5. A game apparatus comprising a Wheel having a notched periphery, an arbor having a crank and a spring arm adapted to be tensioned to spin the Wheel repeatedly by continued rotative movements of said arm in the same direction, and means including parts relatively displaced by the movement of the Wheel for indicating, upon the stoppage of the Wheel, one of a plurality of possible results.

6. A game apparatus comprising a Wheel having a notched periphery, an arm rotatable through a single complete turn to first spin and then arrest said Wheel, and means including parts relatively displaced by the movement of the Wheel for indicating, upon the stoppage of the Wheel, one of a plurality of possible results.

In Witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ALFRED XVATERS PROCTOR WVitnesses lVALDo M. CHAPIN, JAMES DAN'roNIo.

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