US2588038A - Air actuated chance device - Google Patents

Description

March 4, 1952 C PAGENHARDT 2,588,038

AIR ACTUATED CHANCE DEVICE Filed March 13, 1950 1N VENTOR BYW l ATTOR N E Y`5.

Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNIT-'ED STATES; PATENT OFFICE 2,588,038 AIR ACTUATED HANCE DEVICE Leonard CL'Pagenhardt, Roanoke, Va; Application March 13, 1950,*Serial No. 149,372- 2 Claims.` (Cl. 273"143) This invention relates to amusement devices and Ymore particularly to articles for playing about articial'alinement'of the numerals or ggames based upon possible combinations of numeralsor gures.

An object ofl the inventionk is to provide ade.-

vice comprising a plurality of air actuated'vvheelsl which rotate in opposite directions and' which contain on the periphery thereof legends that will aline various combinations 'when' the wheels come` to rest.

Another object of the invention'is to provide an amusement device, as above described, in which' permanentv magnets are utilized to terminate rotation of the'vvheels once the supply economical and simple to manufacture` both as`r to material and structure;

These 'and other objects and 'advantages'ofithe invention will become apparent fromA the fol?` `r lowing' description and the accompanying dravvev ings in which:

Figure l is a front elevation View of the invention;

Figure 2 isv a sectional view'taken along the longitudinal axisof the device;

Figure A3 is a right side elevationy of the article as' shown in Fig. l;

Figure 4- is aI sectional' view takenV` on the lineA 4 4 in Fig; 2;

Figure''is a rearelevational view of the'invene tion;r

Figure 6' is an elevationalA view ofone "of ther wheels-used inthe-device.

Similar referencefcharacters in theseveral ilgVA ures represent similar parts.

In 'keeping-with the constanteffort to produce] entertainment for thepublic I have devisedV the present invention which I'feelappeals to not one particular group; such as' children, or adults, but,` in fact provides. unlimited entertainment; and amusement forfpeople. of all. ages.. The-device is'similar in resultf'to various mechanical devices Whichutilize complicatedrand involvedlmachin-v ery to bring about various combinationsofnum--f bers or pictures', which combinations areincor-i" porated into the rules of scoring .fortvarious; s games.' By means of thestructure described in" f this specification I havey not 'onlyretained the interest` afforded' by the. above-mentioned deel vices, but have also added tovthis interest agreatei erelement ofi chanceby removing theA possibility ot"v mechanical adjustment whichA4 might.` bringev My invention is intended and designed to be merely a pocket article which can be easily tucked away in the clothing sothat it is at all times available for entertainment. The entertainment value of this. device'cannot be over emphasived and'it is this. type of game apparatus that has' for many years been enthusiastically receivedA by the American public. It is an inherent'nature of the public to enjoy an uncomplicated game which incorporates the element of chance. The present invention is a device which lends itself to such aA game and may be the source of competitive contests or may be equally as amusing.

and' entertaining to an individuali who has time" on his hands, suchY asv one engaged in traveling,..

invalids, etc.

The scoring wheel elements of this devicev may: be interchangeable with an equal number of elements containing a different form ofnumeral. or gure and in' this manner an infinite number of interesting games are. possible with the use of the article. The subjectof the individual games is limited only by the imagination of either the manufacturer or the user. In this regard it will be;A readily seen. that by providing index wheels'` with proper legends, games such as baseball, football, racing, or even several card games may be played,l

In. addition to the educational and interest aspect aiforded by the above described games the unique. operationv of the rotating. index wheels aiTords unusual attraction to children who may or may not be of insufiicient age to enjoy or comprehend complex games which may be played with the same instrument. The device further lends itself to modicationin suchv manner asV to provide a: Whistle or siren sound as the individual wheels rotate, this featureY further adding to the amusement of the small child. In reality the device, as shown in the accompanying drawings does produce slightvwhirring noise.

To describe the invention in detail reference is rst made lto Figure l of the-drawing in which it Will be seen that the device consists basically of a hollow cylindrical sleeve'or body I0 preferably formed of opaque plastic of any color or combination of colorsV desired. The outer periphery at one 'end ofv the'sleeve I0 is` provided with screws-threads 'Il extending inwardlyia short distance from the.` extreme` end of the sleeve. The screw threads- Il accommodate matingv threads on;` the inner surface of a conical mouthpiece. 12J; These inner threads are..A formedf on the end of the mouthpiece` having the vlarger. diameter and lie. beneathan annular bead I3 providedl toY give ,sucientbody furthe screwthread,

.3 connection. To add symmetry to the appearance of the article a matching annular bead Irl is provided at the opposite end of sleeve le. The smaller end of mouthpiece I2 is open as at I5 in order to form a passage for an incoming air flow originating in the lungs of the user.

The operating mechanism of the device comprises a plurality of wheel members It which for the purpose of illustration'have been shown in these drawings as four in number. It will, of course, be understood that any number of wheels from two up may conveniently be used depending upon the nature of the game to be played. Wheels I6 are journaled upon a common axle or pivot shaft I1. This shaft is preferably of cylindrical metallic stock, being journaled at its opposite ends in cross members or supports I8 and i9 disposed respectively at the two extremities of sleeve lli. The support bars I8 and IS may be of plastic material similai` to that used in the construction of sleeve !ii,.bar lbeing formed integral at each .end with the inner surface 2G of the sleeve. Thus Vbar I8 extends transversely across the air exit at that end of the device, theremaining area of the exit end being completely open and unobstructed for free air ow.

.Bar'IQ is a removable element which extends through slots (not shown) oppositely disposed in the mouthpiece edge of sleeve I0. Theends of the bar I9 are formed with at least onesegmental screw thread (shown as dotted line 2i in Fig. 2). These threaded ends engage Vwith the inner threads on mouthpiece I2 to firmly lock the support bar I9 in position. This prevents longitudinal movement of member I9 relative to the axis of shaft Il and accordingly retains the several wheels in proper position. As' will -be seen in Fig. 2, at a centralpoint on the inner face of each member I8 and I9 a small hole for the appropriate ends of pivot shaft il.

In considering the particular construction of the individual wheels I6 it will be seenl from Fig. 2 of the drawing that each wheel is molded from a plastic composition and has a central hub portion 22 containing an axial opening therethrough which slidingly receives shaft I1. Each of hubs 22 has on the opposite faces thereof a protruding lip 23 which is so designed as to present a minimum contact ysurface between the adjacent wheels and between the end wheels and support bars I8 and I9 respectively. It will be seen that by rounding lips 23 the actual contact between adjacent rubbing surfaces will be held vto approximately a circular line around each lip. This feature is extremely important in that it enables the wheel to travel with a greater rate of rotational velocity with a Iless amount of air or wind and thereby increasing the effective action of the individual wheels.

Each hub `22 has a plurality of radially extending blades 24 which for the purpose of illustration have been shown in the drawing to be four in number for each wheel. Each blade is inclined relative to the vertical plane of the wheel-,as shown .in Figs. 2 and 6, and each will thu's'formv an obstruction to the passing current of air the'forceof which will act upon the inclined blades in such a manner as to cause rotation of the blades and hub-'portion 22.

In order'to provide 'greater interest in the game and greater eiiectiveness in the operation' 40 or recess is formed which acts as a bearing sea t of the rotating wheels in order to thoroughly mix the numerals or figures I prefer that adjacent wheels alternate as to inclination of their respective blades 24. in other words, the rst index wheel, or that adjacent the mouthpiece of the device, may have its blades inclined in such a manner as to cause counter-clockwise rtation and the second have its baille blades oppositely inclined so as to cause clockwise rotation of that wheel. This alternation as to blade inclination and direction of rotation is continued throughout the series of wheels. Therefore, in operation the wheels will present a jumbled and intriguing pattern as they rotate in opposite directions.

On the outer edges of the radial blades 24 of each wheel there is integrally formed a plastic rim 25 which completely encircles the previously described blades and hub portion. The outer periphery of rim 25 forms the Surface upon which may be inscribed numerals or other figures 26. These characters to beused in the various games may be formed or compressed at the time of the wheel molding operation or may be con-I veniently attached by means of applying a strip of paper or other material completely around the periphery of the wheel rim, this strip containing the selected series of legend representations.

In order that the combination of numerals or gures may be viewed when the various wheels come to rest I provide an elongated window 2l (Fig. l) which may be formed of clear plastic enabling the characters to be observed through this opening in the opaque wall of sleeve I0.

Because of the lightness of the plastic material used in the construction of the index Wh-eels I6 and also due to the effective anti-friction bear-V ing arrangement between the adjacent surfaces the rotating wheels attain considerable velocity and evenafter the current of air from the users mouth is stopped the wheels would ,continue their rotation for a considerable timeunless sufficient` means was provided for preventing such rotationA immediately upon discontinuance of the force 0f the air current. Also an effective-means is preferable whereby the numerals on the individual index wheels will come to rest in perfect alinement in order to obviate guesswork or dispute as to the exact numeral or gure on each wheel appearing in window 21. This important feature is taken care of by the provision of a magnetic attraction arrangement consisting rst oi a plurality of iron wire bars 28 which extend transversely across .the peripheral surface of each wheel I6 to'divide said surface equally into a predetermined number of sections each section containing an individual numeral or figure. Bars 28 areseated in a semi-cylindrical recess formed in the outer surface of rim 25 and may be press tted or adhesively connected in some convenient form. The bars 28 are closely adjacent the inner surface 2i! of -the sleeve member, there being provided only a minute clearance in order toirisure free rotation of the various elements.

upon the number of index wheels incorporated in the specic modification of the invention. The magnets are of the permanent type and for effective and sudden operation it has -been foundv that magnets known as alnico type are pref, erable. 4Each magnet 29 has formed at its op-"` y posite ends inwardly extending lianges 3u which form the north and south polesof the magnetf The casing or sleeve Iii is formed with elongated slots in alinement with flanges 30 so that each flange may extend through the wall of the sleeve to lie in close contact With the arcuate plane of the revolving core or bar members 28. The particular shape or design of magnets 29 is immaterial and for the purpose of illustration I prefer to show such magnets as being rectangular in plane with a ilat outer surface 3| and an arcuate inner surface E2 similar in degree to the curvature of sleeve l.

As best seen in Fig. 4 of the drawing the ilanges 30, which form the opposite poles of each magnet, are spaced similarly t the symmetrical spacing of the core or bar members 28 so that when an individual wheel comes to rest it will have the member 2t in magnetic contact with each of the two poles of magnet 29. In positioning the individual magnets 29 I have found it advisable to alternate the north and south poles of each so that the north seeking pole or one magnet will be adjacent the south seeking pole of the magnet or magnets lying cn each side thereof. This arrangement permits an increased attraction between a magnet and its associated series of core or bar members 23.

In practice it has been found that the moment the air supply is cut off from the revolving elements the strongly energized magnets 29 immediately attract a pair of adjacent core members 28 so that rotation of an individual wheel is interrupted and the wheel is locked in place due to the attraction between the poles 30 of the magnet and the two members 28 which have come to rest opposite those poles.

In the operation of this device the mouthpiece l2 is placed to the lips of the player and a forceful gust of air is transmitted into the device through opening l5. This current of air passing through the sleeve member l0 is opposed by the opposite-ly inclined blades on the several index wheels, this causing yeach wheel to rotate in its predetermined direction so that the numerals or gures on the peripheral surfaces of the wheels are completely jumbled. The rotational velocity of the individual Wheels will vary minutely depending upon such features as the perfection of its journaling structure and its proximity to the original source of air power. This minute variation prevents any possibility of the wheels turning at a symmetric or uniform rate of rotation so that the identical combination of the numerals or iigures will be retained between the several wheels.

Immediately upon the interruption of the air or wind from the players mouth the individual alnico magnets will attract an adjacent pair of transverse iron bars or cores 28 and the various rotating elements will immediately come to rest. At this time the combination of numerals or gures may be observed and recorded, if desired, for purposes of scoring the selected game. The strength of the magnets 29 will insure that the resulting combination is retained in its place adjacent the Window 2l until an over-powering force of air is again injected through opening I in the mouthpiece. From this simple and automatic operation it will be seen that the game becomes entirely a matter of chance and all possibility of dishonesty in playing the game or operating the device is removed. This is an important feature in view of the universal knowledge that mechanical movement devices of this type have heretofore been of such construction as to enable pre-setting of the apparatus in such a manner as to insure either the possibility or improbability of obtaining winning combinations of characters on rotating wheels.

From the foregoing description of the present invention it will be seen that I have provided a very simple and economically constructed apparatus which may be classied both as a toy for children and an amusement device for both children and adults alike. This device may be made comparatively small in size so that it is at all times available when amusement or entertainment is desired.

While a preferred form of the invention has been shown for the purpose of illustration it is to be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention as to material from which the device may be constructed nor specific games or uses to which the article may be put. Variations in details of form may be made without departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An amusement device comprising a hollow body member having a passageway extending therethrough with opposite open ends, a shaft, means mounting said shaft longitudinally within the passageway, a plurality of Wheels having apertured hubs rotatably mounted on said shaft, said hubs having rounded lateral contact surfaces, inclined blades extending radially from said hubs for rotation of the wheels in response to an air current sent through said passageway, each wheel having a rim disposed at the outer ends of the radial blades, characters on the outer periphery of each rim, means in said body member permitting visibility of desired portions of said outer peripheries and the characters thereon, a plurality of magnetically susceptible metallic members spaced about the circumference of each wheel, and magnetic means in said body member for attracting said metallic members to stop rotation of said wheels when said air current is interrupted.

2. An amusement device comprising a hollow cylindrical body member having opposite open ends, a shaft, means mounting said shaft longitudinally within the body member, a plurality of Wheels having apertured hubs rotatably mounted on said shaft, inclined blades extending radially from said hubs for rotation of the wheels in response to air current, the blades on adjacent Wheels being pitched in the opposite direction, each wheel having a rim disposed at the outer ends of the radial blades, characters on the outer periphery of each rim, means in said body member permitting visibility of desired portions of said outer peripheries and the characters thereon, a plurality of magnetically susceptible metallic members spaced about the circumference of each wheel, and a permanent magnet carried by said body member opposite each wheel for attracting said metallic members to stop rotation of said Wheels when said air current is interrupted.

LEONARD C. PAGENHARDT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 547,100 White Oct. 1, 1895 807.927 Henwood Dec. 19, 1905 2,041,466 Gertz May 19, 1936

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