US1981462A - Ball agitating device for pinball games - Google Patents

Description

B. E. MILLS Nov. 20, 1934.y y V l BALL AGITATING DEVICE FOR PIN-BALL GAMES Filed March 51, 1933 im fLQ`/ .III-

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Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES of Illinois BALL AGITATING DEVICE FOR PINBALL GAMES Bert E. Mills, Oak Park, Ill., assignor 1:0 Mills Novelty Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation Application March 31, 1933, Serial No. 663,743

4 Claims.

This invention relates to games of the so-called pin ball type, in which balls are projected over the surface of a board which is provided with a plurality of pin cages, with openings therein for 5 receiving the balls, each of said openings having a number associated therewith, so that the score may be computed by totaling the numbers at the various openings in which the balls are placed in the playing of the game.

In games of this character, the balls are ordinarily dropped through the playing board after the game is completed, and returned on a lower level to a position from which they are successively lifted to the surface of the playing board, and projected, by means of a plunger operated by the player.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for lifting the balls successively from the lower level to the playing board, and for insuring that the balls will not jam or become clogged in the passageway through which they pass into position to be lifted to playing position by said device.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as I proceed with my specication, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig, 1 is a plan and sectional view of an apparatus in which my invention is embodied;

Fig. 2 is a Vertical sectional View taken substantially on the sectional line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the ball lifting and shuilling device in side elevation; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Upon said drawing, I have shown, for purposes of illustration, one corner of a casing 11 having a front wall 12, upon which there is positioned a plate 13 having a hub part 14 extending into an aperture 15 in said front wall, said plate providing a support in which a plunger 16 is slidably mounted, said plunger having a :linger piece 17 on the front end thereof, and a plunger head 1S on the rear end thereof, said plunger serving to actuate a ball lifting and agitating device which will later be described.

The casing 11 has positioned therein a slanting board 19 on which the pin cages (not shown) are positioned, said board being disposed beneath a glass cover 21, shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing. A divider board 22 is positioned on edge at one side of the board to provide a passageway or alley 23, through which the balls may be projected by a plunger in a well-known manner, said board 22 extending over only part of the board 19 onto which the balls are projected after passing through said alley 23.

After completion of a game, the balls are allowed to drop through the board 19 and make their way to the forward part of the machine, where they roll laterally through an inclined trough 24, provided in a lower board 25. Said balls, which are indicated by the reference numeral 26, are adapted to pass through a relatively small opening 27 provided at the end of said trough 24, the forward ball resting against an arcuate portion 28 of a substantially L-shaped lever 29 pivoted at 31 to the frame, said lever having an extension 32 provided with a cam part 33 adapted to be engaged by the plunger head 18 to lift said lever from the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 2, to the full line position shown in said figure. Said arcuate portion 28 of the lever 29 is provided with a return part 34 at its lower end, which is equipped with a stop member 35, and to the upper end of said arcuate member 28 there is attached, by means of screws 36, or otherwise, a wedge-shaped member 37 having a beveled lower edge 33 adapted to strike against the forward ball 26 in the trough 24, on the downward stroke of said lever, to jar the balls and cause them to back up in said trough. As the balls are released by the board, they often roll down to the trough 24 in a group, and, since they are made of light material, they often stack and clog in the trough. It has been found inl practice in the use of the device of the present invention that, when the lever 29 is released after having been elevated by the player by pressing in the plunger 17, it drops quickly, and the wedgeshaped member 37 striking the lowermost ball in the trough will shoot the balls four or ve inches back in the trough. This will separate the balls long enough so that those which have been stacked on top of others will drop down and line up in the `trough thereby breaking up any jam or clogging in the passageway 27 or the trough 24, which might otherwise prevent the balls from moving through said passageway in succession so as to always have a free ball resting against the arcuate portion 28 of the lever, and adapted to roll into a vertical passageway 39, formed between a frame part 41 and the outer wall of the casing 11, the latter being grooved, as indicated at 42, to direct the ball upwardly after the horizontal end portion 43 of said lever 28, 29 has been moved downwardly beneath the ball to be lifted, and thence upwardly to a point at which it directs the ball through an inlet opening 44 into the alley 23.

Said pivoted lever 28, 29 thus serves the combned function of a ball lifter and a ball agitating device, thereby overcoming one of the serious difficulties which has heretofore been experienced with games of this character, namely, the jamming or sticking of the balls in the lower delivery chute or passageway so that, when the ball lifter is actuated, no ball is present to be raised to the playing board.

The plunger for actuatingV the balls after they are delivered to the passageway or alley 23 is not shown, but this, as well as the remaining parts of the game apparatus, willbe readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art'. f

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be 'apparent that various changes may be made inV the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention, or sacricing all of its material advantages, the construction hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof,

I claim:

l. In a pin ball gamathe combination of a playing board, means for supporting a supply of balls beneath said board, said means including a restricted passageway, through which the .balls pass, to present them singly to position for elevation to the playing board, a vertically oscillating ball lifting device adapted to lift the balls individually from said support to said playing board, said. ball liftingy device having a cam element thereon for agitating the remainingballs in said supply upon the down stroke of said device.

2. In a pin ball game, the combination of a playing. board, means for supporting a supply of lballs beneath said board, said means including a restricted passageway, through which the balls pass, to present them singly to position for elevation to the playing board, a vertically oscillating ball lifting device adapted to lift the `balls individually from said support to said playing board, said ball lifting device comprising a lever having a wedge-shaped plate attached thereto, which plate is adapted to strike the forward ball resting on said support when said device is moved downwardly, to thereby agitate and re-arrange said balls, thus preventing any jamming thereof, and assuring their orderly presentation, one by one, to said ball lifting device.

3. In a pin ball game, the combination of a playing board, means for including a trough and a restricted passageway at the end thereof, located beneath said playing board, for containing a supply of balls adapted to pass in single le through said passageway, a vertically oscillating ball lifting' device mounted adjacent the outlet end of said restricted passageway, means for actuating said device to successively lift the balls individually to the level of the playing board, and means movable with said lifting device for striking the forward ball `in said passageway on the down stroke of the lifting device to jolt the line of balls in said passageway, thereby breaking up any jam or clogging thereof in the passageway, and assuring the presentation of all the balls successively to said lifting device.

4. In a pinball game, the combination of a playing board, means for including a trough and a restricted passageway at the end thereof, located beneath said playing board, for containing a supply of balls adapted to pass in single le through said passageway, a vertically oscillating ball lifting device mounted adjacent the outlet end of said restricted passageway, means for actuating said device to successively lift the balls individual ly to the level of the playing board, and means movable with said liftingdevice for striking the forward ball` in said passageway on the down stroke of the lifting device to jolt the line of balls in said passageway, thereby breaking up any jam or clogging thereof in the passageway, and assuring the presentation of all the balls successively to said liftingl device, said last mentioned means comprising a wedge-shaped plate attached to said lifting device.

BERT E. MILLS.

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