US995388A - Amusement device. - Google Patents

Description

G. c. TILYOU. AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 30, 1910. 995,388, Patented June13, 1911.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30. 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

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G. G. TILYOU.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED we. so, 1910.

Patented June 13,1911.

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1:1: "cums PETE ATEN 1 FI GEORGE C. TILYOU, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. TILYOU, a citizen of the United-States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a new and amusing device for amusement resorts and similar places.

In carrying out this invention I provide a chute or other means for conveying the public to the proximity of the particular part of the flooring where my improved device is located. Near the outlet from the chute, preferably'arranged to have the outline of a diamond, I provide a plurality of rotating disks flush with the floor and operated from suitable mechanism below the main flooring. The floor surrounding the disks is of polished wood, and the disks themselves are formed with a surface of polished wood. Maple I have found to be a proper wood for this purpose. The rotating disks are arranged so that adjacent disks will rotate in opposite directions, the purpose of which is to cause a person who slides down the chute and onto one or more disks to be thrown from that disk to another and travel throughout the plurality of disks in an indeterminate direction, greatly to the amusement of the public.

I term my improved invention a human pool table, preferring this name for the reason that if two people come into contact while on the area covered with the rotating disks, they immediately fly apart much as would pool balls upon one striking the other.

The scope of my invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view showing my improved invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the driving mechanism for rotating the disks, the upright shafts and sleeves being shown in section; Fig. 8 is a sectional side elevation taken on line 33 Fig. 1; Fig. 4. is a section of the chute taken on line 4-4 Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a central sectional side elevation drawn to an enlarged scale showing one of the disks.

As shown in the drawings, a chute 1 of ordinary Ushape construction, preferably of maple and well oiled and polished, is constructed to one end, of which access is had Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 30, 1910.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Serial No. 579,764.

form, in this instance shown as of diamondshape. The platform 4 is substantially sur rounded by a trough 6, so that one rolling from the platform at into the trough will not sustain injuries therefrom. Any shaped trough may be provided. I have shown in the drawing a trough having inclined sides and fiat bottom. The platform a is provided with a number of circular apertures 7 and gives the appearance of a sheet of dough from which round cookies have been cut, with the circumference of the circular openings as near one another as possible, consistentwith the strength of the platform. These circular openings are preferably provided with ledges 7, such as shown in Fig. 5, which are adapted to act, as will hereinafter be described, to aid in supporting the disks. The disks 8 are mounted to fit in the circular openings, before described, and to be rotated in the directions of the arrows shown in Fig. 1. In Fig. 5 I have shown an enlarged view of one of the individual disks 8 showing it carried at the end of a tubular bearing sleeve 9, to which sleeve 9 is secured a sheave 10, the sheave preferably being fast near the lower end of the sleeve. Side struts or braces 11 fast to the sleeve extend toward the outer circumference of the disk and are fast thereto. To a stringer or subfloor 12 there is mounted in suitable clamps or footsteps 13, a stationary vertical shaft 14, so that the disk may be placed in position from the upper floor by inserting the sleeve through the opening in the floor onto the vertical post.

In order to rotate the various disks in the direction shown by the arrows, I provide the mechanism shown in Fig. 2 by preference, although any driving mechanism to rotate the disks may be provided. As shown in that figure, 15 is an electric motor provided with a driving pulley 16, belted by a belt 17, to a pulley 18, on a counter-shaft- 19, on which counter-shaft are secured a pair of sheaves 20 and 21. An endless rope 22 and 23 pass from these sheaves around suitable idler pulleys 2 1, 25 and 26 for one of the ropes, and around idler pulleys 27, 28 and 29 for the other rope. As shown in Fig. 2, the ropes are passed from one side of one sheave to an opposite side of the next sheave, bearing on a portion of the circumference only in most instances. I prefer to secure the friction driving effect secured by a sheave and rope drive over other means, in the first place because it tends to prevent too violent shocks to the individuals availing themselves of the device, and secondly because a man of heavy weight, if he should partially stop the rotation of a disk when sitting upon it, the disk will pick up speed immediately afterward and throw him off suddenly before he realizes the condition. It will be noted that the openings flush with the floor are of greater diameter than the disks fitting therein, but that the lower edge of the disks rest upon the ledges of the flooring beneath the upper surface. I find it important to leave this extra space to prevent the pinching or otherwise harming the public who use the devices.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform provided with a plurality of rotating disks flush with the platform and substantially fitting openings in said flooring whereby no dangerous crevice will be left to catch clothing or persons.

2. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform provided with a. plurality of rotating disks flush with the platform and substantially fitting openings insaidifiooring whereby no dangerous crevice will be left to catch clothing or persons, and means for rotating the disks so that adjacent disks will rotate in opposite direction.

3. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform provided with a plurality. of rotating disks flush with the platform, and a receiving trough surrounding the plurality of disks.

4. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform, circular openings 7 in the platform, disks in said openings, said disks substantially fitting said openings without a crevice between the edge of the opening and the disk, rotating sleeves to support the disks, sheaves for the sleeves, and an endless belt drive for the sheaves.

5. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform, circular openings in the platform, disks in said openings, rotating sleeves to support the disks, sheaves for the sleeves, an endless belt drive for the sheaves, a trough surrounding the disks, and a chute leading to the disks.

6. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform, a pair of disks side by side, and means for rotating them in opposite directions, a second row of disks consisting of more than two, and succeeding rows of disks and means'for rotating the same.

7. The hereindescribed amusement device consisting of a platform, a pair of disks side by side, and means for rotating them in opposite directions, a second row of disks consisting of more than two, and succeeding rows of disks and means for rotating the same, the said disks being arranged to form a diamond in shape, and a trough surrounding the disks.

8. The herein described amusement device, consisting of a platform provided with a plurality of rotating disks, substantially flush with the platform, and inset therein, so that the edges of the disk will overlap the material of the platform.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to the above specification in the presence of witnesses, at the city of New York, this 22nd day of August, 1910.

GEORGE O. TILYOU.

Witnesses EDWARD J. TILYoU, THEO. S. JENKINS, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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