An Improved Apparatus for Playing Games of Chance."
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1890.
Complete Specification Left, 11th July, 1891-Accepted, 24th, Oct., 1891,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Playing Games of Chance."
We, PATRICK KENNEDY Jr., Machinist, of No. 105 Johnson. Street, and
CHARLES JOSEPH.DISS, Machinist, of No. 331 Pearl Street, both in Brooklyn in
the State of New York, United States of America, and WILLIAM WOODWARD
ROSENFIELD, Inventor, of No. 1270 Lexington Avenue, in the City of New
York in said State of New York do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to communicate to a range of wheels having
numbers, designs, or characters upon their peripheries, a rotating movement,
preferably by means of a lever, after a coin has been inserted in a slot. The
rotating wheels are within a case having one or more openings through which the
peripheries of such wheels can be observed, and the rotating device is, so con-
structed that the numbers or other characters will be arrested in line with the
respective openings or nearly so. This toy can be used as a means of amusement,
by guessing the designs; numbers or characters at which the respective wheels will
be stopped by the friction as they are rotated:
The case for the toy may be of any suitable size and shape. Usually it is made
with a base to set upon a suitable pedestal or coin receiver, and we provide a semi-
cylindrical top to set upon said base and said top is secured to said base by screws
and by a lock. There is a glass in the front of the top divided by a line at its
center to form two openings and there is a central shaft within the case formed by
the top and base, which shaft is supported at its ends in suitable bearings.
Upon said shaft are placed two or more of the number or character wheels; each
of which is loose and free to revolve upon such shaft and to each wheel is con-
nected a ratchet wheel. Upon said shaft, and.fast thereto, are hubs. corresponding
in number to the character wheels, and cach hub is adjacent to a ratchet wheel
of the number wheel, and, carries a pawl to engage said ratchet wheel. Each
pawl is provided with a spring to keep it in contact with its ratchet wheel, and
the teeth of each ratchet wheel and the end of each pawl are inclined in opposite
directions, so that when the shaft is stopped, at a particular place, after each
movement, the inclined end of each pawl, as actuated by its spring, will allow its
ratchet wheel and number wheel to, continue, to revolve, until, arrested, by the
frictional contact of the end of the pawl. The spring forcing the end of the pawl
in between two of the ratchet teeth causes the number wheel to, turn, either, one
way or the other, as it stops, so that the numbers or, characters upon the periphery
of each, wheel may come centrally or nearly so with the two openings, in the case.
It is to be understood that there are as many teeth upon each ratchet wheel as
there are numbers or characters upon each character-wheel, hence the number
wheel will always stop with two numbers or characters, fully, exposed at, the
openings. In order to give motion to the central shaft, we make use of a pinion
on such shaft and a toothed sector gearing into the same, such sector being upon a
pivot and having a downward forked projection, and there is a stop for arresting
the movement of the sector, the pinion and the shaft.
The actuating handle is in the form of a lever upon a pivot and said handle is
raised to its normal position by a spring, and there is a finger upon said lever
handle that acts behind a projection upon the toothed sector to draw such sector
and turn the parts until arrested by the before-mentioned stop, but upon the
lownward movement of the lever-handle, said finger passes away from the projec-
ion on the sector and said projection is acted upon by a coin that is passed through

page_text: a slot in the case and is between the notched forked projection on the sector lever
and the notched end of an arm on the lever handle.
After the coin has been passed through the slot in the case, it falls upon an
incline having flanges that prevent it slipping off, and the lower end of the incline
-is adjacent to the notched end of the lever-handle arm and the notched forked
end of the toothed sector, and as thè coin leaves the incline it-passes between and
is supported by said notched and forked ends of the lever handle and toothed
sector respectively, and if pressure is now applied to the lever handle, the coin that
intervenes between the lever handle and the sector causes the movement given to
the lever handle to be transmitted to the sector and by the latter to the pinion
and central shaft, and by the ratchet wheels and pawls motion is communicated to
the number or character wheels and according to the rapidity of movement given
to the lever handle so all the character wheels will be rotated with greater or
less rapidity and will continue to revolve until stopped by friction and by the
action of the pawls upon the ratchet wheels as before mentioned.
'
:
It is preferable to allow the lever handle to return immediately to a normal
position while the number wheels are rotating, and as soon as the pressure upon
said handle is released, the downward arm of said lever draws back sufficiently
from the coin to allow such coin to drop away from the arms of the lever handle
and toothed sector.
Should an effort be made to rotate the character wheels when there is no
coin between the arm of the lever handle and the arm of the toothed sector,
the
same will not succeed because the arm of the lever-handle will pass between
the forked end of the arm of the toothed sector and no motion will be given to the
latter.
The central shaft may be placed either horizontally or vertically and any
suitable connection may be made between the toothed sector and the central shaft
in place of gear teeth.
The revolving wheels upon their shaft receive their motion from the rotation of
the shaft and stop in one of several positions in consequence of the action of the
pawls, hence the apparatus may be used when the shaft is rotated by any suitable
means, and it is not necessarily limited to the coin actuated devices.
Dated this 16th day of December 1890.
ERNEST DE PASS,
78, Fleet Street, London, Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Playing Games of Chance.
We, PATRICK KENNEDY Jr., Machinist, of No. 105 Johnson Street and
CHARLES JOSEPH DISS, Machinist of No. 334 Pearl Street, both in Brooklyn
in. the State of New York United States of America, and WILLIAM WOOD-
WARD ROSENFIELD, of No. 1270 Lexington Avenue in the City of New York in
said State of New York, Inventor, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
"The object of this invention is to communicate to a range of wheels having
numbers, designs or characters upon their peripheries a rotating movement
preferably by means of a lever after a coin has been inserted in a slot, and the
rotating wheels are within a case having one or more openings through which the
peripheries of such wheels can be observed and the rotating device is so constructed
that the numbers or other characters will be arrested in line with the respective
openings or nearly so. This toy can be used as a means of amusement by guessing
the designs, numbers or characters at which the respective wheels will be stopped
by the friction as they are rotated.

page_text: Ա ՆԱ Ա
Fig. 1 is a front elevation partially in section of this toy :
Fig. 2 is an end elevation partially in section of the same :
Fig. 3 is a plan of the coin slide :
Fig. 4 is an elevation of the ratchet and pawl that is connected with one of the
character wheels, and
Fig. 5 is a section through the line, x, of Fig. 3.
The case is of any suitable size and shape. We have represented a base A
which is to be placed upon a suitable pedestal or coin receiver and there is a
semi-cylindrical top B which sets upon said base A and is secured thereto by
screws and by a lock and there is a glass at 2 in the front of the top divided by a
line at a to form openings at 2 & 3 and there is a central shaft E running
longitudinally within the case and supported at its ends in suitable bearings 4.
Upon this shaft E are placed two or more wheels F each of which is loose and
free to revolve upon such shaft E and so also are the ratchet wheels G that
are connected with the respective wheels F. Adjacent to each ratchet wheel G
is an arm H with a hub clamped fast to the shaft E and provided with a pawl I
engaging the ratchet wheel G and it is preferable to provide a spring 5 for each
pawl I and the teeth of the ratchet wheel G have inclined faces in opposite
directions and so also has the end of each pawl I, the object of this construction
being that when the shaft E is stopped at a particular place after each movement
the inclined end of the pawl I as actuated by its spring 5 will allow the wheel F
and its ratchet wheel G to continue to revolve until arrested by the frictional
contact of the end of the pawl and the spring forcing the end of the pawl in
between two of the ratchet teeth causes the wheel F to turn either one way or the
other way as it stops so that the numbers or characters upon the periphery of the
wheel may come centrally or nearly so with the openings 2 & 3 it being understood
that there are as many teeth upon each ratchet wheel G as there are numbers or
characters around the periphery of the wheel F hence by this construction the
wheel cannot stop with two numbers or characters partially exposed at each of the
openings 2 & 3.
In order to give motion to the central shaft E we make use of the pinion K on
such shaft and a toothed sector L gearing into the same, such sector being
pivoted at 6 and having a downward projection 7 preferably in the form of a fork as
seen in Fig. 1 and there is a stop 8 located in any convenient position for arresting
the movement of the toothed sector, the pinion and the shaft in such a position that
the numbers or characters upon the edges of the wheels F will be in line with the
openings 2 & 3 or nearly so.
The lever handle M is pivoted at 9 and it is raised to a normal position by the
spring N and there is upon the arm extending from this lever handle a finger 10
acting behind the downward projection 7 of the toothed sector L to draw such
toothed sector and turn the parts until arrested by the stop 8 but upon the down-
ward movement of the lever handle M, this finger 10 passes away from the
projection 7 and this projection 7 is acted upon by a coin that is dropped in
through a slot and passes between the projection 7 and the arm O of the lever
handle M.
The slot through which the coin is introduced is represented at 11 and inside the
case is an incline P upon which the coin passes and there are flanges 12 & 13 that
prevent the coin slipping off the inclination as such coin passes down the said
incline and these flanges 12 & 13 are also inclined hence the edge of the coin will
roll against these flanges as it passes on down the incline and the end of this
incline P is between the end of the arm O and the downward projection 7 and it is
so located that the coin as it passes down goes in between these two parts and it
is preferable to groove the end of the arm and one face of the downward
projection 7 so that the edges of the coin will be received into these grooves and
rest against O and 7 as shown in Fig. 5 and when there is a coin in the position
shown in Figs. 1 2 3 & 5 and pressure is applied to the lever handle M the coin a³

page_text: that intervenes between 0 and 7 causes the movement given to the lever M to be
communicated through the arm O, .coin, downwardly projecting fork 7 toothed
sector L and pinion K to the central shaft E and by the ratchet wheels and pawls
to the number or character wheels F and according to the rapidity of movement
given to the lever handle M so all of the wheels F will be rotated with greater
or less rapidity and will continue to rotate until stopped by friction and by the
action of the pawls upon the ratchet teeth as before mentioned. It is preferable
to allow the lever handle M to return immediately to a normal position while the
wheels F are rotated and as soon as the pressure upon the lever handle M is
released the arm O draws back from the coin sufficiently to allow such coin to drop
away from between the respective parts and should an effort be made to rotate the
wheels F when there is no coin between 7 and O the same will not succeed because
the arm will pass in between the parts of the fork 7 without giving motion to
the same or to the toothed sector L.
We have represented five of the wheels F and each of these wheels is adapted
to the reception of eleven numbers or characters, but we do not limit ourselves in
this particular.
The machine may be placed so that the shaft E stands either horizontal or
vertical and any suitable connections may be made between the sector lever L and
the shaft E in place of gear teeth.
The wheels F are represented as adapted to eleven characters, designs or
numbers; and there are two lines of openings 2 & 3. There may only be one
opening, or there may be more than two and the spring pawis I that act to bring
the wheels so that the characters are in line or nearly so with the openings may
be applied in any convenient manner.
The revolving wheels upon the shaft receive their motion from the rotation
of the shaft and stop in one of several positions in consequence of the action of
the pawls, hence the apparatus may be used when the shaft is rotated by any
suitable means and it is not necessarily limited to the coin actuated devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
:
:-
First The combination with an enclosing case, of a central shaft E wheels F
upon such central shaft, a ratchet wheel G connected with each of said wheels F,
an arm and pawl permanently connected to the central shaft and acting with the
ratchet wheels, the pinion upon the central shaft, a toothed sector and a lever
handle adapted to give motion to the toothed sector when a coin is introduced
between the respective parts, substantially as set forth.
Second: The combination with the actuating lever handle M of the incline P
having flanges 12 & 13 and adapted to receive the coin that is passed in through
the slot in the case, the toothed sector L pinion K and central shaft E and the
number or character wheels F upon such shaft E and pawl and ratchet connections
to the same whereby the wheels are revolved when a coin intervenes between the
lever handle and the lever of the toothed sector, substantially as set forth.
Third: The enclosing case having two lines of openings 2 & 3 in combination
with the central shaft E the wheels F upon such shaft, ratchet and pawl con-
nections between the wheels and the shaft, coin actuated mechanism for rotating
the shaft and giving motion to the number or character wheels, and a stop acting
in connection with the ratchet wheels and pawls to ensure the proper position of
the numbers or characters upon the wheels in relation to the openings in the case,
substantially as set forth.
Fourth: The combination with an enclosing case having an opening, of a shaft
and number or character wheels free to revolve upon such shaft, and ratchet
wheels and pawls and a hand lever and coin actuated mechanism between the hand
lever and the shaft for rotating such shaft, substantially as set forth.
Fifth The combination with the hand lever, of an arm having a notch at the
5

page_text: end, a shaft to be rotated, a lever for rotating such shaft, having a fork with a
notched surface for receiving the coin edgewise in giving the movement to the coin
actuated mechanism, substantially as specified.
:
Sixth The combination with the shaft and means for rotating the same, of a
range of cylinders loose upon such shaft and having numbers, characters or designs
on their peripheries, and ratchets and pawls connecting the cylinders with the
shaft and means for causing such cylinder to stop at regular positions, substantially
as set forth.
Seventh The combination with the shaft and means for rotating the same, of
a range of cylinders loose upon such shaft and having numbers, characters or
designs on their peripheries, and ratchets and pawls connecting the cylinders with
the shaft and means for causing such cylinders to stop at regular positions, and a
case surrounding the cylinders and having a longitudinal opening in the same,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 11th day of July 1891.
ERNEST DE PASS,
78, Fleet Street, London, and 6, Victoria Street, Nottingham,
Agent for the Applicants.