A New Game of Skill.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Feb., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Apr., 1898
:
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
A New Game of Skill.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MACERS, of No. 7, Harcourt Road, Bexley Heath, in the
County of Kent, Commission 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 has reference to that class of games in which balls aro projected
by means of a spring or by any other form of projection.
The game which constitutes the present invention consists of the use of a cloth or
other suitable material upon which is marked two circles a triangle and three spots;
a screen with two apertures; two circular enclosures with apertures round the
bases, and a baffle, the whole being arranged for play as shewn in Fig. 6. on
drawings.
In combination with the above I employ any number of balls, preferably four,
and a spring or elastic medium for projecting the balls also preferably of the kind
illustrated in Fig. 5, and which I call the spring cue.
The object of each competitor in this game of skill is to project the ball with the
spring cue through any of the apertures in the circular enclosures, or the screen, or
to " cannon "an opponents ball in either of which cases certain points are counted
in accordance with the rules of the game, the desire being to score the highest
number of points, and whoever does so wins the game.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 shews the cloth upon which is marked the two circles A, A, the triangle B
and the three spots C, C, C, these markings being for the purpose of determining
the exact positions for placing the circular enclosures, the baffle and the balls used
in the game.
Fig. 2 shews the plan and elevation of-the screen, hinged at D, D, for fitting
round the cloth in Fig. 1. The hinge at D' is for the convenience of folding into
a small compass when not in use. E, E, are the apertures for the balls to pass
through.
Fig. 3 shews the plan and elevation of one of the circular enclosures with the
apertures round the base; the other enclosure being similar.
Fig. 4 shews the baffle; F being the plan, G the side elevation and H the section
through the dotted line.
Fig. 5 shews the spring cue.
Fig. 6 shews a perspective view of the complete arrangement of the apparatus
set up on a table ready for play.
It is claimed for this invention that it may be made of any suitable material and
of any size either for table use with the spring cue or for outdoor use on a lawn or
other smooth surface in which case the cloth is dispensed with and in lieu thereof
a playing space is marked with whiting, upon the grass or other surface upon which
the game is to be played and a croquet mallet and balls could be used in place
of the spring cue and small balls used for the indoor game,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
A new toy game of skill, consisting of a cloth or marked playing space; a screen
with two apertures; two circular enclosures with apertures round the bases, a baffle 5
for diverting the course of the ball, any number of balls and a spring cue for
projecting the same substantially as and in the manner described and illustrated.
Dated this 10th day of February 1898.