An Improved Game or Pastime and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Apr., 1889
Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1889
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Game or Pastime and Apparatus therefor.
We, JOHN RUCK of 5 Corpus Street Cheltenham in the county of Gloucester,
carpenter, and EDWARD HUBERT FERRABEE of Edgecombe House, Brimscombe, in
the county of Gloucester, manufacturer's agent, 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 :-
This invention consists in a game of skittles adapted for playing in parlours, halls,
and other rooms within a house, and in apparatus for use in playing at the same.
The apparatus may, with obvious modifications, also be employed as a bagatelle
board. At one end of the table which constitutes a part of the apparatus are arranged
in the usual figure and order the nine-pins or skittles.
At the other
This end of the table may be conveniently called the starting end.
end of the table is a platform which is capable of being tilted on pivots.
This platform normally lies, under the influence of a spring, tilted towards one side.
At each side of the table is a grooved rail inclined from above the starting end
downwards towards the platform.aforesaid. Extending longitudinally from the plat-
form are grooved guides, one at each side of the table. They are pivotted to the
table. By means of springs acting against levers connected to the guides the latter
are normally held approximately parallel to the sides of the table. The balls used for
displacing the pins are placed in succession on the playing end of either rail and rest
upon a stud and against a stop bar.
When ready to play a ball the player pulls at the knob or button of a slide arranged
at one side of the table and attached by a cord to the levers connected, as aforesaid,
to the pivotted guides. By this act the stud below the ball is forced upwards and
the ball thus raised rolls over the stop bar and, running down the rail, is delivered on

page_text: to the platform. By pulling at a knob placed at the side of the table opposite to the
starting knob, the player may tilt the platform from its normal angle to the opposite
angle. To whichever side the platform is tilted the ball is directed and is thereby
delivered to the grooved pivotted guide at that side. Simultaneously with starting
the ball the grooved guide is turned on its pivot to an extent dependent on the
player's will, and the ball runs back at the adjusted angle towards the starting end of
the table where the pins are arranged.
It will, therefore, be seen that a ball may be started from either rail and may be
directed by the platform to either grooved pivotted guide and be shot accordingly to
the nine-pins at the angle to which the player sets the guide.
To adapt the apparatus to playing at bagatelle the usual cavities are adopted
instead of the nine-pins or skittles.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 represents, in side elevation, our
improved apparatus arranged as for playing at skittles. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3 is
a plan with the pivotted platform removed and the rails broken off at the playing end.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the platform. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively
an end view and side view of part of the mechanism for starting the balls from the
playing end of the rails.
The skittles a are arranged at the playing end of the table. At each side of the
table is a grooved inclined rail b for conducting the balls to the platform c pivotted
at d and normally inclined towards one side of the table by the influence of the
spring e acting against it below, as seen more particularly at Fig. 4. By exerting a
backward pull on the knob f and slide f¹ connected by the cord g to the platform c
the upper limb of the spring e is depressed by drawing down the platform c which is
thus tilted to incline when required in the opposite direction to that normally taken
by it.
It can then be set by a pin passed through a hole in the slide f¹ and the side
of the table.
cclare stops to prevent tilting of the platform c beyond the proper height.
The table is grooved to receive the cord . Pivotted at each side of the table, at
the platform end thereof, are the inclined grooved guides h from which extend the
levers against which bear the springs j normally tending to maintain the guides
approximately parallel to the sides of the table, as shown. The levers are connected
by the cords k passed round suitable pullies to a slide m and knob m¹ at the playing
end of the table.
C
At the starting ends of the rails b are the studs fixed to the upper ends of the
rods which, at their lower ends, are connected to the lever o pivottei at o¹ below the
surface of the table, as seen at Figs. 5 and 6. This lever normally tends to keep
the studs in the position shown at Fig. 1. The game is played in the manner
following
A ball B is placed on either of the rails at the player's discretion and the platform
is inclined accordingly. The ball rests on the stud and against the stop bar s.
The player now draws the slide m backwards and the rear end thereof coming
into contact with the lever o tilts it on its pivot o' and thus the stud ? is raised
and the ball, dislodged from its position, rolls over the stop bar s and, running
down the grooved rail, passes round the semicircular end of the platform c and is
delivered to the grooved guide below the opposite rail.
By the act of drawing back the slide m the grooved guides are turned on
their pivots to any desired angle at the player's will, and the ball delivered from
the platform c to the guide runs to the pins a at an angle regulated by the adjust-
.ment of the guide.
For convenience, both of the studs and both of the guides h are actuated simul-
taneously. For independent actuation the mechanism would be added to and
complication would be introduced.
The game is decided in the usual manner appertaining to ordinary skittles.
It will be readily understood that by substituting the usual cavities for the nine-
pins the apparatus may be adapted for playing at bagatelle.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what wo
claim is
The combination of parts constituting the apparatus for playing at skittles (or,
with obvious modifications, at bagatelle) constructed, arranged and operating sub-
stantially as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying sheets of
drawings.