Patent GB-439238-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to coin-freed apparatus for playing a game of skill
IPC: G07F17/34
Filed: 1934-04-21
Abstract: 439,238. Coin - freed amusement apparatus. BRENNER, B. W., 374, London Road, Croydon. April 21, 1934, Nos. 12058 /34, 22991/34, and 5877/35. [Class 132 (ii)] [See also Group XVIII] In coin-freed amusement apparatus comprising a series of wheels 2a ... which are adapted to be spun and to be stopped individually by skill control means operable by the player, and in which prizes are delivered according to the positions in which the wheels are stopped, the said wheels are mounted independently on a fixed shaft 3 and are adapted to be spun independently and consecutively, a lower wheel being only spun if the wheel above is stopped in a winning position. Secured to each wheel is a toothed disc 9a ... having shallow notches 19a and deep notches 12a, the latter determining the winning positions of the wheel. Separately pivoted above each wheel upon a shaft 15 are a series of frames 13a ... each having a driving pawl 16a ... and a stop pin 18a. These frames are urged toward the rear of the apparatus by springs 17a ... , but in operation are normally prevented from doing so by engagement of detents 21a ... on flaps 20a ... pivoted to the frames with the peripheries of gapped control discs 24a ... arranged in a staggered formation upon a shaft 25 adapted to be slowly rotated by a helical spring 33 under the control of a geared flier. Upon rotation of a main operating shaft 44 after prepayment, one of three rollers 48 carried by a 3-armed plate secured to the shaft 44 rotates a second shaft 51 by engagement with a cam plate 49. Secured to this shaft 51 is an arm 52 which rotates the shaft 25 into its set position, winding up the spring 33, by means of a chain 56 passing round a sprocket wheel 38 on the shaft 25. The shaft 15 has secured thereto, upturned lugs 65a ... for engagement with the frames 13a ... , and is connected with a second arm 53 on the shaft 51 so that, as the main shaft is operated, the frames 13a ... are moved forward into their set position with their detents 21a ... bearing against their respective control discs 24a .... As the shaft 25 slowly rotates, the upper frame 13a is first released and spins the wheel 2a by means of its pawl, when the gap in the disc 24a reaches the detent 21a. Full inward movement of the frame is, however, prevented by engagement of a second detent 22a on the flap 20a with the edge of the disc 24a. The skill control means for stopping the wheels comprises a series of external operating levers connected with respective arms 30a ... secured to shafts . 29a ... having arms 28a ... which engage arms 27a ... secured to the flaps 20a .... As the wheel 2a spins, the player may raise the flap 20x to disengage the detent 22a by operating the respective operating lever, whereby the frame 13a moves inwardly to stop the wheel by engagement of its pin 18a with the disc 9a. If the pin enters a shallow notch 19a, the detent 22a remains in engagement with the disc 24a which it locks and stops further rotation of the shaft 25. If, however, the wheel 2a is stopped in a winning position by the pin 18a entering a deep notch 12a, the shaft 25 continues its rotation so that the next wheel is spun and so on. Prize tokens for allowing of continued use of the apparatus are delivered for each wheel stopped in a winning position, and the contents of a pool is delivered if the last wheel and therefore all the wheels, are stopped in winning positions. The tokens are delivered from a magazine 115 by a series of superposed slides 142a ... having token receiving apertures normally registering with an aperture in the magazine. The slides 142a ... are spring biassed to the delivery position, and are released in succession to deliver prizes by successive slight rotations of a shaft 155 carrying an arm 154, Fig. 8a, having stepped serrations locking the slides, the rotations of the shaft 155 being effected by engagement of the arms 13a ... , as they are released in succession during successful operation of the apparatus, with staggered arms 157a ... secured to the shaft 155. The slides 142a ... are re-set at the commencement of operation by mechanism operated by the shaft 51. The pool, Fig. 7, is divided into a reserve pool 164 and a main pool 185 by a trap-door 168, and tokens are delivered into one or the other by a pivoted diverting plate 182 having an arm 189 bearing against cam parts 206a, 206b on a wheel 204 of mechanism for counting tokens delivered into the pool. After a certain number of tokens have passed to the reserve pool 164, the plate 182 is moved to direct subsequent tokens by way of a passage 163 to the main pool. The discharge plate 165 for the main pool is locked by engagement of a pin 215 with a rearward extension 167, the pin 215 being provided on a plate 211 controlled by a cam 37 at the lower end of the shaft 25. If the last wheel is stopped in a winning position, the cam 37 operates to cause the pin 215 to release the plate 165 and deliver the contents of the main pool to the player.