IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHESS BOARDS AND CHESS MEN."
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Walker Guillod, of No. 15, Park Place
Terrace, in the Parish of Paddington, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHESS BOARDS AND CHESS MEN."
ments in the Manufacture of Chess Boards and Chess Men."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Walker Guillod
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 7th August 1868.
I, THOMAS WALKER GUILLOD, of No. 15, Park Place Terrace, in the Parish
of Paddington, do hereby declare the nature of tho Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHESS BOARDS AND CHESS MEN," to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of chess
boards and chess men, and the Invention consists in forming chess men flat
and of considerable width as compared with their thickness, in order, on the
one hand, that the flat sides which when in use are presented to the two
players shall offer broad and readily distinguishable outlines of the different
men to the persons playing, whilst on the other hand such flat men will pack
more closely than the chess men heretofore made. In order that such chess
men may stand safely and securely on the squares of a chess board made
suitable to receive them, each man is formed with a projecting tongue at its
foot of a proper form to enter freely into a slot or long hole made in each

page_text: square of a chess board. The projection on the foot or base of each man
and the holes in tho board are so formed, that the two flat and widest sides of
each man will, when the man is in its place on a square of the chess board, of
necessity be placed opposite the two players, and in this respect the chess
board and the men will differ from those heretofore made, where projecting
pins of a cylindrical form have been applied to the men, such pins being
suitable to fit circular holes in the squares of the chess board used with such
In order also to hold the men more securely, I place around each
socket or hole in the board a lip of vulcanized india-rubber; the india-rubber
has a hole in it corresponding with the socket, but somewhat smaller than the
tongue of the chess man, so that it has to yield when this is introduced, and
the tongue is notched at the root, so that the india-rubber by springing back
into the notch may retain the tongue securely, even should the board be turned
upside down.
The chess board is made to fold in two parts which are hollow, so that when
folded there is an enclosed space between the two parts, as is the case in
respect to some chess boards at present made, but for chess men constructed as
above described the space is only required to be equal to the thickness of two
of the flat chess men when placed flat one on the other, and the interior of the
board is divided by ridges to form cells for the flat chess men. When the men
are packed in the recesses, and the two parts of the chess board folded
together, the board and men will occupy a comparatively small space.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Walker Guillod in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WALKER GUILLOD, of No. 15, Park Place Terrace, in the Parish of Pad-
dington, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas Walker Guillod, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Walker Guillod, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Walker Guillod, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and

page_text: at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF CHESS BOARDS AND CHESS MEN," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Walker Guillod, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Walker Guillod, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of chess
boards and chess men, and the Invention consists in forming chess men flat
and of considerable width as compared with their thickness, in order on the
one hand that the flat sides which when in use are presented to the two players
shall offer broad and readily distinguishable outlines of the different men to
the persons playing, whilst on the other hand such flat inen will pack more
closely than the chess men heretofore made. In order that such chess men
may stand safely and securely on the squares of a chess board made suitable
to receive them, each man is formed with a projecting tongue at its foot of a
proper form to enter freely into a slot or long hole made in each square of a
chess board. The projection on the foot or base of each man and the holes
in the board are so formed that the two flat and widest sides of each man will,
when the man is in its place on a square of the chess board, of necessity be
placed opposite the two players, and in this respect the chess board and the
men will differ from those heretofore made, where projecting pins of a cylin-
drical form have been applied to the men, such pins being suitable to fit
circular holes in the squares of the chess board used with such mon.
In some
cases, in order to hold the men more securely, I place around each socket or
hole in the board a lip of vulcanized india-rubber; the india-rubber has a hole
in it corresponding with the socket, but somewhat smaller than the tongue of
the chess man, so that it has to yield when this is introduced, and the tongue
is notched at the root, so that the india-rubber, by springing back into the
notch, may retain the tongue securely, even should the board be turned upside
down.

page_text: The chess board is made to fold in two parts, which are hollow, so that
when folded there is an enclosed space between the two parts, as is the case
in respect to some chess boards as at present made, but for chess men con-
structed as above described, the space is only required to be equal to the
thickness of two of the flat chess men when placed flat one on the other, and the
interior of the board is divided by ridges to form cells for the flat chess men.
When the men are packed in the recesses, and the two parts of the chess
board folded together, the board and men will occupy a comparatively small
space.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 of the Drawings shows a plan view of a chess board constructed
according to my Invention, each of the squares of the board having formed
through it an oblong hole or slot a, a, as is shown. The board I prefer to
make of papier maché or millboard, though other materials may be used:
Figure 2 shows a transverse section of the board taken through the line A, B,
Figure 1; this view also shows a front view of some of the chess inen.
Figure 3 shows a transverse section of a portion of the board and of some of
the men, the section being taken through the lines C, D, Figure 1. The
board is made in two parts to fold together and form a box, as is shown at
Figure 4, which represents a section of the board when closed and with the
men packed within it.
The chess men shown at Figures 2 and 3 are, as above described, formed of
considerable width as compared with their thickness; each choss man is also
formed with a projecting tongue b at its foot to fit into the holes a on the
board. It will be seen by the Drawings that when the oblong tongue b at the
foot of either of the men is caused to enter one or other of the holes a in
the board the broadest sides of the men will always be towards the players.
Figure 5 shows a section of a portion of a board formed with sockets, each
socket having placed around it a lip of vulcanized india-rubber that is to enter
a recess formed in the tongue of each chess man; this I by preference do by
cementing over the upper surface of the board a sheet of vulcanized india-rubber
that is on its upper surface divided into squares in the manner requisite for a
chess board; such a sheet is shown at c, c, Figure 5. Through the sheet c
holes are pierced of smaller diameter than the holes in the board, as is shown,
so that the edges of the india-rubber project beyond the edges of the holes in
the board, and when the tongues 6 of the chess men are forced into these holes,

page_text: the projecting portions of the vulcanized india-rubber sheet enter into notches
in the tongues b, as is shown.
Although I have shown this arrangement for holding chess men more
securely on a chess board, as applied to chess men that are made flat, as above
described, I would state that the arrangement is also applicable when circular
chess men are employed.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Thomas Walker Guillod, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
my
T. W. GUILLOD. (LS.)