US1507256A - Game - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 2 1924. 1,507,256 J. E. SEVERE GAME Filed Dec. 15, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

Sept. 2 1924.

J. E. SEVERE GAME Filed Dec. 15 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENT R Patented Sept. 2, 19246.

UNITED STATES JAMES nnwaan seven-n,

015' BROOKLYN, YORK.

GAME.

Application filed December To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES EDWARD SEVERE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvementin games and with respect to its more specific features to baseball games.

An object of the invention is to provide an interesting and diverting game, wherein the element of both skill and chance enter into the playing.

Another object is to provide a game having hazards, and game pieces adapted to be driven past the hazards to score, wherein sundry of the hazards are adjustable to strategic positions to increase the difiiculty of the scoring.

Another object is to provide in a game having a striker for driving game pieces in the general direction of scoring points. a plurality of hazards, some fixed, and some adjustable, for deflecting the game pieces to increase the difficulty of scoring.

Another object is to provide in a game having hazards and a striker for driving the game pieces past the hazards to score. means to direct the game pieces toward the striker, capable of adjustment to increase the difliculty of driving the game piece in the direction desired.

Another object is to provide an improved construction of striker for the game pieces, capable of adjustment to different positions on the board, and arranged to permit a degree of choice in the direction in which the game piece is to be driven.

Another object is to provide a game including a board, and played with game pieces and counters, which will closely simulate baseball as played.

Another object is to provide in a game, including a board having the representation of a baseball field, a striker for driving 15, 1922. Serial No. 607,040.

game pieces in the form of balls toward scoring pockets.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the.

features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the ap plication of which will be indicated in the following claims,

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification'wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the game board,

2 is an end View with parts broken away,

Figs. 3, 5 and 6 are sections on the lines 3-3, 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, of Fig. 1,

Fig. i is a side view of the game piece director, with parts in section,

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the striker,

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of one of the counters.

In the present embodiment of the inven tion, the game includes a game board, composed of a substantially square field or plate 1. having framing members 2, which enclose the plate in a substantially square frame, and the plate is spaced nearer the tops of the framing members than the bottoms. The bottom of the frame constituted by the framing members 2 is closed by a bottom plate 3, and a false bottom 4 is arranged in the compartment between the plates 1 and 3, for a purpose to be presentlv described. The spacing of the plate 1 from the tops of the framing members provides for a flange or ledge enclosing the plate 1. and the upper face of the said plate is provided with the representation of a baseball field indicated at 5 in Fig. 1. The bases or plates are indicated on the diamond, as is also the pitchers box, and the foul lines. Colored rectangles 6 are provided on-each side of the home plate, indicating the location of the striker to be presently described. The plate 1 is pro vided at the sides remote from. the home plate with openings 7, through which the game pieces indicated at 8, and which are spheres, preferably of rubber or the like, are adapted to pass when said game pieces register with the openings. The openings of each series extend from the foul line at that side of the board to the corner of the board remote from the home plate.

" ing 7, it will be deflected through the opening into the space below the plate 1. The.

adjacent ends of the hoods 9 are connected by a short plate or strip 10, and the plate 1 is colored adjacent to the plate 10, the

' field 11 of color extending-over two openings as shown. A small substantially trian" gular, filler 12 is placed at the strip or plate 10 for supporting the same, and the hoods ,9 are braced by substantially trian gular plates 13, arranged between the hoods and the/plate 1. Certain other fields of color 14 and 15 are provided at selected openings in the two series, the fields 11 being about the middle of the series, while i the fields 15 are near the outer ends of the series. The openings atl the fields 11, 14 and 15 have increased value in the count, as will be presently described.

At substantially the positions occupied by 'the opposing players, that is those in the field, when playmg, substantially triangular openings 16 are provided, in the plate 1, and at each opening a hood 17 is secured to'the plate 1, the hoods all. facing substantially toward home plate. Fig. 1. it will be seen that the openings 16 have their apices toward, home plate, the hoods extending along the bases of the ,openings. The opening 16? at the catchers position is slightly different in shape, the said opening being the segment of a circle, instead of a triangle, but'the hood 17" is similar to the hoods 17. All of the open-. ings]. '16 and 16 constitute pockets, the

openings being scoring pockets, while the openings 16 and 16". are hazard pockets.

It will thus be seen that the backfield,

.as seen from; the position of the striker is.

,-.m u1ar1y divided into sectionswhich have different scoring values which the defending. player; may take into consideration in placing the adjustable hazards 30. Thus great skill can be exercised by the defending players in the positioning of the ballpropelling device 26 and in the positioning of the aforesaid players, while a correspond- Referring to ing skill may be exercised by the player at the bat, by the timing and by the positioning of the striker. The game pieces are driven toward the scoring pockets by a striker, shown more particularly in Fig. 7. i

thereof, as indicated-at 21, and the disc has a handle 22 for convenience in 0scillating the same. A bracket 23 is secured to the disc near the edge, and on its upper face, the bracket being substantially U shaped,'and having its body securedto the disc.- The arms of the bracket extend upwardly, and have registering openings, for receiving the handle of a bat shaped member 21 which is held in the openings, in any suitable manner. The disc has an upstanding lug 25 at its periphery, in position to engage with its edge the bat shaped'mem her, at about the junction of the handle with the body thereof, to strengthen and reinforce the member. The handle 22 is ofl set upwardly from the plane of the disc, for convenience in grasping the same. In operating the striker the player may bat from either side. of the home plate, resting the plate 19 on either field 6. "With the left hand, or with the right, when the batter .is left-handed, the plate 19 is held tightly down upon the field. With the right hand, the bat is swung to strike the game piece to drive it toward thescoring pockets.

In order to supply game pieces to be. batted, the mechanism shown more particularly in Fig. 4 is provided. The said mechanism comprises a base or body 26, which is pivoted to the plate 1, asindicated' at 27, atthe pitchers box. The said base has an .o oenin 28 extendin lon itudinallr thereof, and inclined to the horizontal. In vertical section the base is substantially triangular,.and the base of the triangle is remote from the home plate. There is sutficient inclination of the opening 28. to cause the game pieces to roll down through the same, out upon the plate 1 andover the pitchers base, and it will be obvious that by swinging the base on its pivotal jmounting, the direction of travel of the game piece may be varied. As for instance, the person operating the pitching device, above described, may deliver four wide balls thus giving the "batter a base. Preferablya tubular extension 29 is connected with the base, one end ofthe extension being inserted in the opening 28. The free end of the extension is beveled as shown, to facilitate series may be differently colored if desired, or otherwise distinguished from each other, and those of the side at bat are counters used to indicate the position of the players on the bases. Those of the side in the field are placed at strategic points to deflect the game pieces from the openings 7, and into the openings 16, The counters may be placed at any points desired, in accordance with the fancy of the player. Should he for instance notice that the player at bat has a tendency to strike his balls toward one of the fields, he will place his counters principally on that side. Thus a considerable degree of skill and observation may be utilized in playing the game.

The rules applying to the game of baseball are followed generally. However, certain special rules are necessary, as for instance regarding the batted ball or game piece. If the ball rolls outside of the foul lines, it is a foul ball, as in the usual practice, but it is also a foul if it strikes the pitching device 26. Neither may the player bunt the ball, 'bunts being counted as fouls. The game may be played between two or more, and when played with two, they alternate at bat and in the field. Balls and strikes are counted as in ordinary baseball, and any ball struck into the field that does not drop into the pockets 16 is a base hit, entitling the batter to one base. Any players on bases will be moved up one base. If the ball drops into any of the pockets 16, the player is out, and should the ball strike and enter the pitching trough, that is the opening 28, the batter is also out. If the batted ball enters one of the openings within the field 11, the batter is entitled to three bases. If the ball enters an opening in a field 15, he is entitled to two bases, while if the ball enters an opening in a field 14, the batter is entitled to a home run. Balls that enter any of the other openings 7 count as clean hits. The pitcher may if desired turn the pitching device, and attempt to hit a runner on base. If the ball strikes the runner and enters the adjacent opening 16, the runner is out. If, however, he does not hit the runner, that is the counter representingthe runner, the runner may take another base, and every other man on base moves up one base. When the game is played by two ersons, one operates the striker, and the other the pitching device. Should the batter drive a ball into one of the openings 7, or should there be four balls, he is entitled to a base, and a counter is placed on 1st base. If however, the game piece strikes in one of the pockets 16-16 or in the opening 28 of the pitching device, the batter is out. When there are three outs the side is out. Runs are scored in precisely the same way as in the game of baseball, and for convenience counting devices indicated at 31 and 32 are arranged on the member,

the formerbeing adapted to count and record the balls and strikes, while the other records hits, runs and errors as also innings and outs, for both sides. When one side is out, the opposing side takes thebat and this alternation is continued until a selected number of innings, as for instance nine, is played.

The false bottom 4 slopes downwardly away from the pocket 16", toward the opposite corner of the board, and the framing 2 is provided with an opening, at the lowest part of the bottom, and a receiver 33 is arranged at the opening. The false bottom carries the game pieces which have passed through the pockets to the receiver 33, which extends beyond the framing 2, so that the game pieces may be removed from the receiver by the players. The rectangles 6 are formed by sheets of material having a high coefficient of friction, as for instance velvet or other pile material. The purpose of the facing is to prevent slipping of the base 19 of the striker, when it is held on one of the rectangles.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A game comprising a board, a striker thereon for propelling a ball, a plurality of openings in said board arranged in a substantially straight line, and through which the ball may pass, and a common deflector adjacent said openings and parallel to the line thereof, adapted to overhang them to deflect a ball therethrough.

adjustable ball propelling device at the no pitohers plate, and a series of scoring pockets at the sides of the board remote from the striker, adapted to receive and positively retain a ball, and hazards at substantially the positions of the opposing players.

4. A game comprising a board having thereon the representation of a baseball field, a striker mounted upon a block bodily Inovable on said board to various ositions about 10 the home plate, an adjustable all propelling device at the pitchers plate, and hazards at substantially the positions of the opposing players.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES EDWVARD SEVERE;

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