Patent GB-1181038-A (GB)
Title: Model Ball Game
Inventor: IMMENDORF KARL
IPC: A63F7/26
Filed: 1968-06-11
Abstract: 1,181,038. Model ball game. K. IMMENDORF. 11 June, 1968 [13 March, 1968], No. 27598/68. Heading A6H. A model ball game in particular a football game in which on a playing field 69 with goals 125, 126 (Fig. 5) two teams in the form of stationary but rotatably movable figures 71 to 80 and 81 to 90 representing the individual players are disposed and each of the players has a shooting device to be operated from outside, is characterised in that around the shooting device of the individual figures a defence 60 is disposed. As shown, the shooting device is provided with a shot direction guide 1 rotatably mounted around a vertical axis 11 and around the shooting device is disposed the defence device, comprising a ball deflecting device 60 and 66, 67, 68 (Fig. 3) rotatable about the same axis 11 independently of the shot direction guide 1. The surface 61 of plate 60 is inclined towards central axis 11. The rotating plate is provided with a cylindrical cup-shaped member 62 which closely sur rounds the rotating member 7 of the shooting apparatus and on its lower side carries a double pulley 63. By means of a hub 64 the rotating plate 60 with its double pulley 63 is rotatably mounted on the tube 18 and the hub 64 is supported on a distance ring 65 which lies on the upper frameplate 24. The shooting apparatus consists of a shot directing guide 1 and ball cup 2 fixed on a plunger 3 movable in an axial direction. The shot directing guide consists of a rod 4 fixed eccentrically on a rotating member 7 by means of plates and screws and of a deflecting nose piece 5 which is intersected by the central axis of the shooting apparatus and the plunger 3. The shot direction guide has a wedge member 6 on its underside directed towards the ball cup 2. Ball cup 2 is also provided with a face 8 directed obliquely in the direction of shooting of the ball 54 which together with a rearward- and obliquely set face 10 forms a groove in which the intersecting line of these two faces 8 and 10 of the ball cup 2 is on the central axis 11 of the shooting apparatus. For supporting the wedge member 6 in the desired direction of shooting there are provided on the ball cup 2 two walls 15 running parallel to the direction of shooting which are a little higher than the centre of the ball and this lateral spacing is a little greater than the diameter of the ball 54, which ball may be made of a synthetic plastics material. In its position of rest the ball cup 2 together with its side walls 15 sinks into the hollow space of the rotating member 7, the upper bounding face 8 of which is inclined towards the central axis 11 and thus forms the supply shoot for balls 54 for the ball cup 2. All shooting devices of one side are actuated from a drive 95, 96, 94, 93, 92 and 109 and all defence devices 60 and 66, 67, 68 on the shooting devices of the other side are actuated by a second drive 106, 105, 104, 103, 102 and 108 and these two drives are disposed together on the side of the playing field associated with one of the players. Deflecting device 66 (Fig. 3) consists of a doubly curved member with which the ball 54 whilst rolling past on the rotating plate 60 may come in contact. Device 66 may project beyond the diameter of plate 60 as shown. Deflecting device 68 is formed as a catching pocket opened outwards so that the rolling ball may be caught and projected in another direction outwardly as plate 60 is rotated. Deflecting device 67 consists of a U-shaped wire stirrup with which a shot by the opponent can be obstructed by placing the device in the. line of travel of the ball by rotation of the plate 60. During a game the two players stand opposite one another at opposite longitudinal sides of the playing field 69 and operate with one hand the hand levers 96, 106 and 108 and 109 respectively and for the shooting of the ball for one of their player-figures they press buttons 112 or 113 of the switch boxes 110 and 111. If the ball 54 is in the spherical cup 2 of one of the player figures 81 to 90, the player on the right side of the playing field by adjustment of hand lever 96 will bring the shot direction guide 1 of the shooting device of the player figure concerned into the shooting direction and then with the other hand operate the press button 112 associated with this player figure and thereby release the shot. On operating key 112 one of the press button switches (115), (116), (117) is closed and the solenoid (33) of the player figure concerned is excited (Fig. 4, not shown). Due to excitation of solenoid 33 the armature 35 moves rapidly upwards and the cap 39 on the guide pin strikes the plunger 3 upwards so that the ball 54 strikes against the inclined face 6 of shot direction guide 1 and being in conjunction with the face 8 is shot in the direction of the nose piece 5 or one of the arrows illustrated in Figure 5. Upon shooting the ball the opponent can by suitable adjustment of the rotating plate 60 of one of his own figures attempt to obstruct the ball to bring it again to a player figure of the player in possession of the ball or coming into his own goal 125 or 126. Goals 125 and 126 are formed as catching holes through which the ball comes into a collecting shoot. The operating mechanism of the table is shown in Figure 5. In the first team with the player figures 71 to 80 the smaller circle represents the double pulley 25 of the shooting device. For the opposing team with the figures 81 to 90 the smaller circle represents the double pulley 63 of the rotating plate or defence device 60. Double pulley 25 of the team with the figures 71 to 80 is connected to the player by means of an endless traction cord 91 in drive connection with a driving pulley 92. Pulley 92 is connected to a second pulley 93 in driving connection by means of belt or cord 94 with the pulley connected to hand lever 96. By the pivoting movement of hand lever 96 all double pulleys 25 and thereby all shooting devices of figures 71 to 80 are pivoted simultaneously. The double pulleys 63 of the opposing team for the figures 81 to 90 are connected by a traction cord 101 driven by roller 102. Roller 102 is in driving connection with pulley 105 via a traction belt or cord 104 and the second pulley 105 on which pulley hand lever 106 is fixed. Thus while hand lever 96 serves for determining the direction of shooting, hand lever 106 is provided for the rotation of the rotating plate of the opposing team for the defence. Instead of the ten press buttons 112 and 113 on each switch box, a single press button and accordingly also a single press button switch (115) or (118) may be provided for each player and at the same time, upon shooting, operate all solenoid contacts 33 of his own team. The strength of the ball shot may be varied by alteration of the adjusting knob of a variable resistance (119) (Figure 4, not reproduced) so that the current impulse which excites the solenoid 33 concerned may be adjusted by the player from time to time. As shown, ball cup 2 is movable in an axial direction and the shooting device guide I is mounted to be only rotatably movable but the ball cup may alternatively be disposed immovably in an axial direction and the shooting direction guide made axially movable with its wedge face 6. This would be of advantage especially if the shooting device were operated by hand instead of by electro-magnets The shooting direction guide 1 then need only be provided with a striking head which can be moved by hand in the direction of the ball cup 2 lying thereunder. Contact switches (115), (116), (117), and (118) may be replaced by a single contact switch which is not operated by press buttons 112 or 113 but by an upward movement or pressing movements of the hand levers 96 or 109 which at the same time releases all shooting devices of a player.