Improvements in Coin-released Apparatus for Operating a Game of Skill.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1896-Accepted, 23rd May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Coin-released Apparatus for Operating a Game
of Skill.
We, JAMES GEORGE GALLEY, Engineer FREDERICK GEORGE GALLEY
Engineer and GARNET THOMAS GALLEY Engineer, all of No. 181 Neville Road,
Upton Park in the County of Essex do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to certain improvements in coinfreed apparatus for operating
a game of skill, consisting in knocking over small pins or skittles by means of a
ball or the like propelled by the force of a spring, and has for its objects, firstly,
the arrangement of the skittles or pins so that they cannot be damaged through
any derangement of the other parts of the apparatus, secondly; the simplification
of the pistol or spring mortar, and also reducing the loss occasioned by fraudulent
operators to a minimum; and thirdly, the construction of the coinfreed device in
such a manner that the coin cannot be defaced or mutilated.
In carrying our invention into we employ a table or plain surface upon which a
certain number of small skittles or pins may rest in a vertical or other position.
Each is placed over a coned or trumpetted hole, through which a chain or similar
flexible connection may pass, this being attached to the base of the skittle or pin
in such a manner as to cause it to assume an erect position when the chain or the
like is drawn tightly downwards, yet leaving it free to fall upon the impact of the
ball or the like, when released. All the chains are attached to a suitable bell
crank mounted upon a spindle, to which is attached a lever, which, when depressed
tightens the chains or the like and raises any of the skittles or pins that may have
fallen, and is immediately returned to its original position by a spring or counterpoise,
so that, normally the skittles or pins are always free, and cannot be damaged by
the ball as would be the case if they were normally rigid.
The pistol or mortar consists of a barrel and handle fixed upon a suitable pivot,
80 that a missile or ball may be aimed at, and projected upon the skittles or
pins,
when a trigger and lock is freed by the introduction of a coin, to be hereinafter fully
described. A suitable cage or netting surrounds the skittles to prevent the ball
from leaving the table, which is slightly inclined to enable the ball to return to
the operator after each shot. When the hammer of the pistol or spring mortar is
withdrawn, a spring piston is also withdrawn into the barrel, the spring being
compressed. The trigger, of ordinary construction, retains said hammer and piston
against the action of the spring. Within the body of the pistol or mortar is
mounted a double sector, the teeth upon each face being unequally pitched. A pawl
is attached to the piston or the hammer upon one side of it, so that said pawl may
engage with the coarse pitched sector, and the withdrawal of the hammer feeds it
tooth by tooth. Fixed catches regulate the engagement of the pawls with the
teeth of their respective sectors, and by the introduction of one coin, one or more
shots may be obtained, according to the predetermined scale of the apparatus.
A tail piece on the double sector is caused at a certain period of the semi-revolution
thereof, to engage with a stop, and either by means of a spiral spring in tension,
or a coiled spring in torsion, (extended or compressed by the movement of the
sectors) said sectors may be restored to the starting point, to be again released
when another coin is introduced. The pitch of the teeth of one sector, equals

page_text: the travel of the hammer, and that of the other is preferably in the ratio of 2 to 1..
In such coinfreed machines as hitherto made and used, the hammer and piston may
be partially withdrawn continuously without the insertion of another coin, to a
sufficient degree to propel the ball or missile. But according to our invention, the
action of the fine pitched sector checks the motion after double the proper number
of shots have been thus fraudulently obtained, and the loss by such practice is thus
minimised.
The coin freed device may be described as follows;
The coin when passed into the slit prepared for it, is conducted into a hollow
disc mounted upon the spindle carrying the bell crank aforesaid. Said disc is
eccentric, and the stop catch which controls the pistol projects into the slot in the
disc, so that when no coin is inserted, the handle or lever operating the bell crank
may be moved freely without interfereing with the stop catch. But when a coin is
in position, the movement of said handle or lever, causes the edge of the coin to
impinge upon the stop catch, the pistol is released, and said coin fulls into the
receptacle prepared for it. The coin is always kept upon its edge, and any force
applied to it is from edge to edge diametrically, therefore there is no danger of
defacing or mutilation.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise details in the arrangement of the
mechanism, but may vary these according to different conditions of adaptation,
without departing from the essential features of our said invention as hereinbefore
set forth.
Dated this 12th day of August 1895.
FREDK. WALKER,
73 St. Stephen's Road, Upton Park, London, E.,
Agent for the Applicants.
DI BUITIVATION.
Improvements in Coin-released Apparatus for Operating a Game
of Skill.
We JAMES GEORGE_GALLEY, Engineer FREDERICK GEORGE GALLEY
Engineer, and GARNET THOMAS GALLEY Engineer all of 181 Neville Road
Upton Park, in the County of Essex 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 :-
Our invention relates to certain improvements in coinfreed apparatus for
operating a game of skill, consisting in knocking over certain pins or skittles by
means of a ball or the like, propelled by means of a spring and has for its objects
the simplification of the apparatus generally relatively to similar appliances as
heretofore made and used and further rendering the same more reliable by
preventing fraudulent practice on the part of the operator.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood we have appended the
accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation showing the mechanism of the pistol which
propels the ball.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of the end of the table A and
Figure 3 is a section of the pistol lock.
These two last views are drawn to a larger scale, and similar letters of reference
are used to denote corresponding parts in the several views.
In carrying our invention into effect we employ a table A upon which is a number
of small skittles s. Each is placed over a coned or trumpetted hole, through which
a chain c or other flexible connection may pass, the upper end being fixed to the
bottom of the skittle. All these chains c are coupled by springs a to the rider r of

page_text: a bell crank C upon the spindle S. A lever L is fixed upon the other end of the
spindle S outside the case, which when moved so as to operate the bell crank C
causes all. the skittles to assume an absolutely vertical position independently of
the angle of the table A, by reason of the addition of a small platform i which is
oppositely inclined relatively to said table A, and thus maintains the perfectly
upright position required. In other machines as heretofore made and used, the
skittles s or the like have presented an angle inclining towards the ball, but with
the arrangement aforesaid these dis-advantages are entirely obviated, the elasticity
When the
of the springs preserving the chains c from injury due to strain.
lever L is released, the second position of the bell crank C raises the rider r and
the chains care then sufficiently slack to allow the skittles to fall upon impact..
The said skittles s are thus always free when erect, and cannot be damaged by an
improper use of the ball, or by the introduction of a stick or the like.
A pistol or spring mortar B is attached to the table A by means of a swivel R..
When the hammer H of the pistol B is withdrawn, a spring a sliding block P which
is attached to it is also withdrawn within the lock, the spring being thus compressed..
The trigger T is of the ordinary construction and retains the hammer H when.
withdrawn. A ball n being placed in the breech of the barrel B is projected
against the skittles & by the impact of the hammer H when released, and is
prevented from rolling off the table A by means of a cage surrounding it, as
shown, a by reason of a slight inclination of said table A it is caused to roll back,
towards the operator, passing into the channel W, which is protected by a hood h,
and eventually resting in the pocket y. Referring now to Figure 2 the spindle S is
provided with a cam Z which is slotted so that when a coin is placed in the slit.
provided for it, it slips into the slot in Z and slightly projects as shown. When
no coin is in, the movement of the spindle S by the lever L has no effect beyond
raising the skittless but the coin, by reason of its projecting slightly beyond the cam
causes said cam Z to raise a lever w against the tension of a spring a, which lever
Said
lifts a rod which performs a double function hereinafter to be explained.
rod z passes up into the body of the pistol, and raises a stop pawl and also a
sliding pawl u which is carried by the sliding block, thus releasing a sector V,
Figure 3, which has a number of teeth equal to the number of shots that are to be
fired for a single coin. Said sector may be double, and have the teeth unequally
arranged thereon so that pawl v may engage with one set and pawl u with the
other, or the like is employed to rotate the sector in the direction of the arrow,.
until the stop tooth t reaches the pawl v. Now each time the hammer H is drawn
back the sliding block P carrying the pawl u causes the sector V to advance one
tooth until the stop tooth t rests against the stop o when the hammer H cannot.
again be withdrawn, until the sector V is released by the introduction of another
coin. A coiled or other spring may be put into tension by the action of feeding.
the sector V, returning it to its place when released.
The second function of the releasing gear herein before referred to is to release
the ball n Figure 2. After the last shot, said ball n rolls down the channel W, and.
is checked by the cam m. The coiled spring g is fixed to the cam m and a chain
or cord is attached to one end of said cam m Figures 1 & 2 and the other end to
sector V Figure 3; thus, when the sector V is released the cam m flies out of the
channel W allowing the ball to roll into pocket y until the last shot is fired when
it assumes the position shewn in Figure 2. The sector V, when provided with a
coiled spring upon its arbor, as aforesaid, may operate the cam m by the cord or
the like or the coiled spring g may similarly operate both the sector V and
cam m. The first movement of the handle L upon the spindle S, causes the coin.
to raise lever w releasing sector V and ball n as described, said coin afterwards.
falling out, the lever W and handle L then returning to their normal positions, the
former by means of a spring x and the latter by a spring b.
In constructing the pistol or spring mor:ar according to our invention, we do not.
employ any piston or extension, but provide an opening in the breech of the
barrel B into which the ball n may be dropped, when the hammer H is withdrawn,

page_text: but which cannot pass said opening after the action of said hammer is checked as
aforesaid. The propulsion of the ball n is affected by the impact of the hammer H
alone, by means of the stud fixed thereto, which enters the barrel B when said
hammer is in its normal positions and closes the breech until it is released by the
coin freed mechanism.
We do not confine ourselves to the precise detail of the arrangement of the
coinfreed mechanism, the essential features of our invention being the method. of
and means for raising the skittles or pins, and also simplifying the locking and
releasing devices of the pistol or mortar and minimising the risk of loss by
fraud.
Another advantage is in the fact that the coin, when passed into the slot, is
always kept upon the edge, and held by the sides of said slot, whereby it is
impossible for it to become disfigured or mutilated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is :-
First. In coinfreed apparatus for games, the combination of parts, substantially
as and for the purposes and herein described and shown by the drawings.
Second. In coinfreed apparatus for games, the combination of a coinfreed pistol
or spring mortar with a set of skittles s, which are set up when down by means of
a lever L acting upon a bell crank A and depressing chains c which are attached
by springs to the rider r substantially as and for the purposes as herein described
and shown by the appended drawings.
Third. In coiufreed apparatus for games the combination of a pistol or spring
mortar with a toothed sector V, the step by step revolution of which coils a spiral
or other spring, so that when a predetermined number of shots have been fired, the
last or stop tooth effectually checks the mechanism until another coin has been
deposited substantially as herein described.
Fourth. In coinfreed apparatus for games the arrangement of a spring pistol
and mortar having a slotted breech k so that the ball n may only enter when
the projections jupon the hammer H is released, when said ball is fired substantially
as herein described.
Fifth. In coinfreed apparatus for games the arrangement of returning the ball
to the outer socket, until the last shot freed by the coin has been fired when said
ball is held back by the cam m substantially as herein described and shown by the
drawings.
Sixth. In coinfreed apparatus, the construction and employment of a slotted
cam Z, where the coin is deposited, and by the projection of its edge beyond the
cam releases the pistol or mortar for another series of shots substantially as herein
described, and shown.
Seventh. In coinfreed apparatus, the combination of a spring and sliding block
which actuates a pawl u on each stroke thus turning the sector V and blocking
said motion directly the last shot is being fired substantially as herein described
and shown by the drawings.
Eighth. In coinfreed apparatus for games, the combination of a chain A with a
supplementary table i arranged at opposite angles so as to present a horizontal
base for the skittles substantially as herein described and shown by Figure 1 of
the appended drawings.
Dated this 21st day of February 1896
FREDK.
WALKER,
73 St. Stephen's Road, Upton Park, E.,
Agent for the Applicants.