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Title: Trip lever guard means for reel spinning games
Claims: I claim: 1. Trip-lever guard means for reel-spinning mechanism of the type having a trip-lever oscillable between a starting and a trip-out position to initiate an operating cycle of said mechanism, together with a drive lever and cooperative handle means oscillable between limits in each cycle to impart advance to the trip-lever toward and to said trip-out position, and spring means urging the trip-lever back to starting position with triggerable coupling means operative to couple said drive lever with the trip-lever during travel of the latter from starting toward trip-out position and means operative to trigger the coupling means into decoupling action on movement of the trip-lever responsive to a predetermined approach to the trip-out position whereby to permit rapid spring return of the trip-lever to the starting position, said guard means comprising, namely: blocking means spring-urged to thrust behind a part of the trip-lever to prevent retrogressive movement thereof in its position of travel from said starting position to said trip-out position, said blocking means including further means interactive with said coupling means as a function of decoupling action thereof to effect movement of the blocking means out of the path of retrogressive movement of said part of the trip-lever substantially prior to start of the trip-lever back toward starting position. 2. Guard means according to claim 1 wherein said blocking means comprises a dog lever pivotally mounted adjacent the trip-out lever and includes a blocking part disposed to extend into blocking relation to said part of the trip-lever responsive to pivoting of the dog in a certain direction and to withdraw said blocking part from blocking relation to said trip-lever part when the dog is pivoted in the opposite direction, said dog being spring urged as aforesaid by spring means acting constantly to urge the dog in said certain direction. 3. Guard means according to claim 1 wherein said blocking means is a pivoted dog lever provided with spring means urging the same to dispose a blocking part thereof in blocking relation with the part of the trip-lever as set forth in claim 1, and said further interactive means comprises an extension of the dog lever projecting into the path of a part of said coupling means in a manner to be engaged and urged by the latter in decoupling action to pivot the dog in a direction to dispose said blocking part out of blocking relation to the trip-lever whereby the latter will be unimpeded by the guard means for rapid return to starting position as aforesaid. 4. Guard means as set forth in claim 3 further characterized in that said dog lever has a first radial extension constituting said blocking part, and a second radial extension constituting said further interacting means and projecting into a position to be engaged by a part of said coupling means when the trip-lever is substantially approached to the trip-out position and the coupling means is substantially in triggered position for decoupling action as aforesaid. 5. Guard means as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said blocking means comprises a pivoted blocking dog provided with pivotal support in the form of a holding member attached to said reel-spinning mechanism at a point adjacent said trip-lever, and said holding member holds a resilient buffer means disposed to be engaged by said trip-lever in said starting position. 6. In a reel-spinning mechanism having an actuating shaft operative to effect spinning of the reels, a trip-lever fast on said shaft, a drive lever floating on said shaft and provided with triggerable coupling means coupling and decoupling the same with said trip-lever for advance movement of the latter therewith from a starting into a trip-out position, spring means urging the trip-lever back to starting position, and trigger means operative to cause decoupling action of the coupling means as the consequence of movement of the trip-lever substantially into trip-out position, improvements in trip-lever guard means for preventing reverse movement of the trip-lever toward starting position during advance toward trip-out position, said guard means comprising: a blocking member and means mounting the same for turning movement radially outward of said trip-lever in said advance thereof, and spring means yieldingly urging the blocking member radially outward thereof against the trip-lever for the purpose aforesaid, said blocking member being movable angularly against the action of said spring means into a non-blocking angular displacement radially inward of the trip lever axis to permit reverse movement of the trip-lever back to starting position; said blocking member and coupling means being constructed and disposed for interacting engagement to cause angular movement of the blocking member in said non-blocking displacement responsive to a decoupling movement of said coupling means. 7. A method of guarding reel-spinning mechanism having a predetermined mandatory operating cycle initiated by operation of a manual operating lever drivingly coupled with and decoupled from a reel-spinning mechanism by a trip-lever which must move in each cycle from a starting to a trip-out position and rapidly back to starting position under control of trigger-released coupling and decoupling means, whereby to prevent undesired interference with the normal intended operation and completion of such operating cycle by unintended manipulation of the operating lever for the purpose of transmitting retrogressive movements into the trip-lever and associated reel-activating components, which method comprises, namely: causing a blocking means to follow the trip-lever in retrogression-blocking relation to said lever substantially throughout its travel as it progresses in advance from said starting position toward said trip-out position, and then substantially as the trip-out position is reached, applying a displacing force to such blocking means from the trigger-released means as a function of decoupling action of the latter and operative to displace the blocking means from blocking relation with the trip-lever and thereby permit intended and unimpeded full retrogressive movement of the trip-lever for rapid return to said starting position. 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the trip-lever pivots with a reel-spinning drive shaft and the intended retrogressive movement of said trip-lever back to starting position is arrested by resilient buffer means disposed in predetermined proximity to said starting position, and wherein said blocking means is a blocking dog supported by pivot means carried by a part of said buffer means, and the blocking means is spring-urged to turn behind a radially-offset part of the trip-lever during advance thereof as aforesaid, which offset part impinges upon said buffer means substantially concommitantly with arrival of the trip-lever at said starting position. 9. In apparatus of the class described, having a known type of pivoted trip-lever movable from a starting to a trip-out position and drive lever means for moving the trip-lever as aforesaid, together with triggerable means movable with said drive lever means for coupling the latter with the trip-lever and triggering means operative to trigger the triggerable means substantially on arrival of the trip-lever at said trip-out position whereby to free the trip-lever for flyback action to said starting position; the combination of improved guard means operative to prevent retrogressive movement of the trip-lever in travel between said starting and trip-out positions and comprising a pivoted dog having an arcuate portion which is spring-urged into engagement with an offset portion of the trip-lever which is radially remote from its pivot axis, said arcuate portion of the dog having at least one blocking tooth portion to engage behind the trip-lever at said offset portion in a manner such that the retrogressive thrust of the trip-lever thereagainst lies along a line of thrust which is approximately radial to the pivotal axis of the dog whereby to direct forces acting in a direction to throw the dog away from the trip-lever, responsive to retrogressive thrust of the latter lever, in a way to lessen the thrust of such forces, said dog having a release projection disposed to move into juxtaposition with said triggerable means substantially at the time of triggering action thereof for coaction therewith in a manner such that a resultant force is caused to act on the dog to displace the dog out of blocking relation with the trip-lever and wholly out of the return path thereof so as not to impede the flyback action thereof to starting position when tripped out. 10. The combination according to claim 9 further characterized in that said arcuate portion of the dog extends in a sense approximately radially of the pivot axis thereof and is provided with a plurality of blocking teeth operative to block retrogressive motion of the trip-lever as aforesaid, there being at least one such tooth closer to the pivot axis of the dog than the others which is pitched in a direction to accentuate the diversion of retrogressive thrust of the trip-lever in a sense toward the pivotal axis of the dog as aforesaid, whereby to cause such retrogressive thrust on the dog to act more nearly along a line radial to the pivotal axis of the dog for the purpose set forth. 11. The combination of claim 9 wherein said guard means is further characterized in that said release projection of the dog coacts with said triggerable means in a manner to cause the dog to move angularly away from the offset portion of the trip-lever and toward the pivotal axis of said lever. Other info: Inventors: Nicolaus, Frank G. (Chicago, IL, US) Application Number: 488916 Filing Date: 1974-07-16 Publication_date: 1976-08-24 Assignee: Bally Manufacturing Corporation (Chicago, IL) Primary Class(es): 74/17.5 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Scott, Samuel Assistant Examiner: Ratliff, Jr., Wesley S. Attorney: Livingston; Callard |
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