Ball game

Application filed July 28,

To dll w horn it may concern :

Be it known that I, Matthew Cardoza, a citizen of Portugal, and residing at New Bedford, county of Bristol, State of Massa5 chusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball Games, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to games and more particularly to games intended 10 especially to amuse children although the apparatus may be fiiade of such size as to afford considerable exercise. Broadly the game includes a device wherein a ball or marble is manually propelled along an alley 15 to strike a pivotally mounted arm, carrying on the shaft thereof a pointer so that, as the shaft is rotated, by the ball striking the arm, the pointer comes to rest above a number, serving to indicate the score oo20 tained by the player rolling the ball, and in which means are provided to return the ball to substantially the starting point.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a novel form of ball game.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide in a ball game, a circular platform having pivotally mounted above it a plurality of radiating arms adapted, to be struck and rotated by the ball, carrying on 30 the pivot a pointer cooperating with a series of spaced numbers arranged on the Avail of the platform.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel and improved form of ball 35 game having an inclined alley substantially returned upon itself with the scoring apparatus adjacent the player, and with means to return the balls to the starting point.

It is a still further object of this.invention 40 to provide in a ball game an inclined alley along which the ball is projected, the alley returning substantially upon itself and being provided with means to prevent the ball from returning in the same direction it is 45 projected.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a ball game 50 constructed according to this invention;

Figure 2 is a section partially in elevation on the line 2—2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a detailed vertical section on the line 3—3 of Figure 1.

Tn the draAvings are disclosed the three essential parts of the apparatus including the

GAME.

1924. Serial No. 728,790.

alley, 10, the ring platform 11 and the ball return tunnel 12. This game apparatus is adapted to be made in any suitable size, the smaller sizes being adapted to be used with marbles and played upon a table or the floor, Avhereas the larger sizes are adapted to be used with balls similar to those used in the game of duck pins, and may be made of a substantial size and mounted upon the ^β5floor, the player standing to project the balls along the alley.

The alley is formed with two run-ways 13 and 14, 'the run-way 13 having its lower or starting end 15 elevated a substantial 70 distance above the surface upon which the game is supported by means of the framework 16, and inclined upAvardly to a point 17 substantially twice the elevation of the starting point where the run-Avay 14 joins the 75 run-way 13 at an acute angle. The runway 13 is provided with the horizontal sides 18 converging toAvard the upper end as shoAvn, and the run-way 14 is provided Avith the horizontal sides 19 converging toward so the ring platform. The end wall 20 closes the meeting ends of the two run-ways. The floor of the run-way 13 is elevated slightly above the floor of the run-way 14 and is cut off at right angles to the surface of the run- ⁸⁵Avay 13 at an obtuse angle to the inner side 18 to provide what may be called a step, best shown in Figure 3, in order to prevent the ball or marble returning to the starting place after it has been projected against the θθ end 20. The run-way 14 is inclined doAvnAvardly from the end 20 to the point 21 Avhere it enters the ring at an elevation substantially the same as the starting point 15 of the run-way 13 and its side walls con- 95 verge toward this point.

The platform 22 is circular in shape and of a suitable diameter commensurate with the size of the balls or marbles to be used. The upper surface of the platform is flat 100 and elevated above the supporting surface by means of the feet 23 to the level of the lower end 21 of the floor of the run-way 14. The platform 22 is surrounded by the Avail or ring 24 of any suitable height fastened 105 thereto by screws or nails as shown at 25.

The run-way 14 of the alley passes through the wall 24 and enters on to the surface of the circular platform 22 on an extension of a chord of the circle and on no the far side of the center thereof from the starting point 15 of the alley. The floor

1,543,318 of the platform 22 is provided with a groove 26 substantially the width of the entering portion of the run-way 14 and increasing in depth, from the point 21 to its end 27 where 5 it joins the vertical opening 28, passing clear through the platform and allowing the ball to drop out into the tunnel 29 which may be formed either, of. wood or sheet metal, and which connects the opening 28 10 with a point closely. adjacent the starting point 15 of the alley. This tunnel is fastened to the under side of the platform 22 and its lower surface is inclined toward the starting point 15 in order that the balls 15 dropping through the opening 28 may roll down this inclined surface and stop against the end wall 30 of the tunnel in order to retain them in a convenient position for access by the player.

Centrally of the platform 22, there is provided the vertical hole 31 covered at its lower end by the metallic plate 32 fastened to the under side of the platform by the screws 33. A guide bar 34 is arranged 25 diametrically of the ring 24 and supported adjacent its upper edge, being provided at its center with a hole 35 reinforced by the metal washer 36, and is substantially the same diameter as the hole 31 in the plat30 form which is reinforced at its upper end by the metallic washer 37 fastened to the upper surface of the platform. The pivot 38, formed of any suitable material, and having a sharp conical point 38' is adapted 35 to be rotatably mounted in the openings 31 and 35, the sharpened point 38' thereof resting against the plate 32 and forming a thrust bearing having but little friction. The upper end of the pivot 38 is reduced 40 and threaded as shown at 39 and over this reduced end is fastened the horizontal portion 40 of the pointer, which is held in position 'by means of the spherical nut 41 screwed on the reduced portion 39 of the pivot. The portion 40 of the pointer extends horizontally to a point substantially over the ring 24 where it is bent downward and sharpened as shown at 42 in order to cooperate with an annulus 43 mounted upon 50 the upper edge of the ring 24 and divided by the radial lines 44 into any suitable number of parts, shown in the drawings as fifteen, provided with the indicia, here shown as the numbers 1 to 15 respectively, 55 indiscriminately- arranged between the dividing lines 44.

The pivot 38 is adapted to be rotated by the balls rolling down the run-way 14 and through the groove 26 and for this purpose ⁹⁹ the pivot is provided wifh a number of radiating arms 4.5 formed of metal rods or of any other suitable material substantially fastened-within the pivot and positioned a distance above the floor of the platform 22, 65 substantially equivalent to one-half of the diameter of the balls used in playing the game. These arms extend almost to the wall 28 and it will be noted that at least four of them will be used in order that one arm will always project over the groove 70 26 in position to be struck by a ball passing along the groove in order to rotate the pivot and allow the pointer to finally come to rest above one of the numbers on the annulus 43, thus serving to indicate the score ob- 75 tained by the player each time a ball is rolled.

In order to prevent the balls inadvertently jumping from the groove 26 and following one of the arms around and thus 80 failing to drop through the opening 28, there is provided the guard rail or rod 46 positioned slightly above the arms 45 and paralleling the groove 26 and between it and the pivot. This rod or rail may be 85 formed of any suitable material and supported from the ring 24 or it may be bent from wire or metal rod in the form of an elongated inverted U with the arms thereof supported in the platform 22. To pre- 90 vent the balls getting between the groove 26 and the outer wall 24 of the platform, a baffle 47 formed of wood is fastened against the upper surface of the platform 22, having the arcuate outer wall 48 rest- 95 ing against the inner surface of the ring 24 and the arcuate inner wall 49, serving to guide the balls. This baffle is of a height substantially greater than the distance .the arms 45 are mounted above the surface of 100 the platform, and the ends of the arms 45 pass closely along the arcuate wall 49 of this baffle.

The preferred manner of playing the game consists in allowing each player to roll 105 thirty-two balls, and when two or more players are playing the game they may roll alternately, each one marking down, after each play, the number indicated by the pointer, and at the end of the game the one having ih· the largest total score obtained by aciding up the numbers from tlie various plays is considered the winner. It is of course only necessary to have one or two balls, since the player stands close to the lower closing wall 115 30 of the tunnel, and the balls return within easy reach after each play. Considerable skill is necessary in order to obtain a large score, and owing to the fact that the ring platform is adjacent the player, he can al- 120 ways observe the position of one of the arms 45 in respect to the groove 26 and calculate the necessary speed with which to project the ball up the alley in order that it may bounce off of the encl wall 20 and strike one 125 of the arms 45 with the necessary force to rotate the pivot and its supported parts to bring the pointer above one of the larger numbers, thus increasing his score more rapidly. Of course this manner of playing the 1 so

1,543,318 game is merely suggested, as a number of variations of the same will suggest themselves to the players.

There has been disclosed in this specifica5 tion but one embodiment of the invention, but it is obvious that the invention may take a number of forms, and it is intended that it shall be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.