US450962A - Game-counter - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

B. S. HUBBARD.

GAME COUNTER.

No. 450,962. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

Fly 6 Inventor I wilnesses A UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ERVIN S. HUBBARD, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

GAME-COUNTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,962, dated April 21, 1891. Application filed November 1, 1890. Serial No. 370,016. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERVIN S. HUBBARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game-Counters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The design of the counter as here shown is preferably that of the ace of clubs, and the counter is used to register the points and games in euchre, or other games at cards, or for games other than cards and for other purposes where a tally or account expressed in numbers is kept; and to these ends the invention consists in the construction, substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front or face view of the face-plate or part of the counter, showingits construction and appearance before being made up with the other parts. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the back plate or part of the counter alone. Fig. 3 is a face view of what may be termed the tens dial. Fig. 4 is a face view of the socalled games or hundreds dial,and Fig. 5 a face view of the units-dial. Fig. 6 shows a front View of the counter complete, with figures exposed as in counting, and Fig. 7 isa View of the back of the counter complete.

The counter herein described and claimed consists of two corresponding plates or parts A and B, forming, respectively, the front and rear thereof. These parts or plates may be made of any suitable material-such as cardboard, celluloid, ivory, or any other material that taste or utility may dictate-and, as here shown, are trefoil in shape, wit-l1 equal circular wings 1, 2, and 3, united on a common center. This produces a circularly-scalloped edge, which is the most convenient for manipulating the dials. The two plates A and B have holes a, through which they are fastened together by eyelets (Z or their equivalent, and the dial-plate A has in addition three holes I), through which the characters on the three dials are exposed to view. Between each of the three circular or diskshaped portions 1,, 2, and 8 of the casing thus formed are secured separate circular or diskshaped dials (J, D, and E. These dials are of the same size, and when pivoted centrally on the eyelets (Z, as here shown, extend a slight distance beyond the edge of the casing, so that they can be conveniently rotated without bringing the fingers in contact with the edge of the casing. In putting the parts together the disks should be brought closely against the front and rear plates,so as to produce friction and not leave them liable to be easily turned except by the fingers. This will cause each dial to stay where it is placed. The edges of the dials may be milled, if preferred.

On the units and tens dials the figures run in opposite directions, so that they will stand in the right positions when they come to the openings 7). They are not, therefore, interchangeable, and the figures would be inverted at opening 5 if they were exchanged. On the game-dial, so called, at the top of the counter, the opening 1) comes below the center, so that the figures all have their axes on parallel lines, as seen in Fig. 6.

In use the points in the game may be variously counted, according as they run to high or low figures. Take, for example, sixhanded euchre, with, say, twenty-one points in the game. Five points would be counted on the units-dial by exposing figure 5, and so on up to ten points, which would call for ure 1 on the tens-dial, with the units-dial at zero. Then the units-dial would be used up to the next ten, which would be recorded on the tens-dial by figure 2, and so on. The tens in turn after passing the ninety-point are recorded on the game or hundreds dial. Of course in games where the numbers run into high figures, say from tens up into the hundreds, the units and tens dials can make combinations up to ninety-nine, and the hundreds be completed on the hundreds-dial. Thus, suppose one hundred and twenty-three points have been played, the hundreds-dial would show figure 1, the tens-dial 2, and the units-dial 3. Then, if nine more points or scores were made, the tens would be moved round to 3 and the units to 2. The same operation and advantage would occur in counting anything else than games, and the counter is convenient to carry in the pocket,

ICO

and takes the place of a pencil in keeping a record.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. A count-er for games and the like, consisting of back and front plates constructed with three circular Wings of corresponding size and shape united on a common center, a disk-shaped dial in each Wing extending beyond the edge thereof and pivotally supported at its center between the said back and front plates, characters 011 said dials, and openings in the front plate to expose said characters, substantially as described.

ERVIN S. HUBBARD.

Witnesses:

WM. P. \VEAVER, WM. II. TUTTLE.

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