A New or Improved Toy.
Year: 1896

page_text: A New or Improved Toy.
I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of Elm Bank Place, Kingston-on-Thames, in
the County of Surrey, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
This invention relates to a toy which consists of a hoop formed of an endless
screw on which various objects can be mounted and caused to rotate automatically
by turning the hoop round its own plane when placed vertically. Such objects
may consist of sound-producing devices such as reeds, whistles, pan-pipes and so
forth, which are caused to sound chords, tunes, or harmonies by the passage of air
through such devices as they revolve, much in the same manner as in what are
known as musical tops. Or, such objects may consist of colour-changing devices
whereby the colours of certain designs are caused to change as the object revolves,
after the manner of what are known as Chameleon tops. Or, such objects may
consist of various figures, optical devices and so forth.
The endless screw-hoop may conveniently be made by taking two or more wires
of suitable size and twisting them together like the strands of a rope, until the
required pitch of screw or helix is obtained, then bending the wires so twisted
together into the hoop form, and finally joining the ends of the wires together in
such manner as to form a continuous screw-thread all round the hoop. Or, instead of
forming the hcop of wires twisted together to form the endless screw, it may be formed
of a strip of metal, or other suitable material of flat, square, cross or other suitable
section twisted axially so as to form the screw, then bent round into the hoop form,
and the ends connected together in such manner as to make the screw-threads
continuous.
The object mounted on the hoop is provided with a disc or other part furnished
with a hole or opening corresponding in shape to the cross section of the hoop, and
the latter is passed through the said hole or opening; the said disc or other part
with the hole or opening in it forms a kind of die or nut, which when moved round
the periphery of the hoop is constrained to rotate thereon by the screw-threads of
the hoop acting on the sides of the said hole or opening.
It will now be understood that when the hoop is held in a vertical plane, with the
die or nut-like fitting of any given object threaded on to it, and is turned round
in that plane there will be a tendency for the object to be raised up by the hoop in
opposition to gravity, by reason of the friction of the hoop in the die or nut; but
as the weight or gravity of the object is always drawing the latter downwards, its
die or nut slides along the screw threads of the hoop, and is thereby caused to
revolve in a helical plane round the part of the hoop which is at any given time
passing through the die or nut. The speed of rotation of the die or nut is
dependent, within certain limits, on the speed with which the hoop is turned in its
own plane.
It is obvious that the aforesaid die, or out-like part, may have attached to it
any object the revolution of which will produce a musical or other sound, a change

page_text: of colour in some part of the object, curious or grotesque movements of the object
or of figures on, or connected with it, or will otherwise produce pleasing effects.
The hoop may be rotated by hand or by any suitable mechanical devices.
Dated this 15th day of January 1896.
I, MARSHALL ARTHUR WIER, of Elm Bank Place, Kingston-on-Thames, in
the County of Surrey, England 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 relates to a toy which consists of a hoop formed of an endless
screw on which various objects can be mounted and caused to rotate automatically
by turning the hoop round in its own plane when placed vertically. Such objects
may consist of sound producing devices such as reeds, whistles, pan-pipes and so
forth, which are caused to sound chords, tunes, or harmonies by the passage of air
through such devices as they revolve, much in the same manner as in what arc
known as musical tops :-Or such objects may consist of colour-changing devices,
whereby the colours of certain designs are caused to change as the object revolves,
after the manner of what are known as Chameleon tops. Or, such objects may
consist of various figures, optical devices and so forth.
The accompanying drawings illustrate this invention,
Figure 1 showing the endless screw hoop with a musical or tune playing device
applied thereto, Figures 2 and 3 the same with humming devices,
Figures 4 and 5 an elevation and plan respectively showing a pair of pan-pipes
applied to the hoop,
Figures 6 and 7 an elevation and plan respectively of a colour changing
arrangement, and
Figure 8 a snake like device applied to the hoop.
A is the endless screw hoop which can be conveniently made by taking two or
more wires of suitable size and twisting them together, like the strands of a rope,
until the required pitch of screw or helix is obtained, then bending the wires so
twisted together into the hoop form and finally joining the ends of the wires
together in such manner as to form a continuous screw-thread all round the hoop
as shown in Figure 1. In Figure 1, B is a hollow case or shell of sheet metal or
other suitable material, shown in vertical section in the figure, and preferably
circular in plan. C is a circular tune or harmony plate provided with reeded
openings in the usual way. This tune plate C is provided at its centre with an
opening corresponding in shape to the cross section of the hoop A, but of such a
size that the said hoop can pass easily through it in the direction of its own
circumference, the said opening forming a kind of die or nut to the endless screw.
D is a plate fixed in the case or shell B and having a hole D₁ in its centre of such
a size as will allow the hoop A to pass freely through it. The case B is provided
with an internal conical tube B¹ to give free passage of the hoop A through the
said case B.
It will now be understood that when the hoop is held in a vertical plane the
weight of the case or shell B and tune plate C will cause them to fall downwards
in the direction of the arrow E; but in doing so they will be caused to rotate
by the action of the screw thread of the hoop A on the sides of the opening in

page_text: the tune plate C. If now as the case or shell B and tune plate C tend to fall the
hoop A is turned in the direction of the arrow F the friction of the die or nut on
the screw threads of the hoop A tends to prevent the said case and tune plate
from falling; but they are kept in more or less rapid rotation by the action of the
screw threads of the hoop A on the sides of the die or nut like opening in the tune
plate C, and air is drawn in through the open bottom B2 of the case or shell B
through the reed plate C, and through a corresponding hole or holes D2 in the
disc D, and is ejected by centrifugal force through the openings G in the case or
shell B. As the tune plate C is heavier, bulk for bulk, than the case or shell B it
tends to fall, and consequently to rotate, quicker than the latter the inertia of which
tends to cause it to lag behind; not being connected, however, to the hoop in such
a manner as to be turned thereby, but only by its frictional contact with the tune
plate C this tendency to lag behind causes the tune plate C to turn on the hoop
faster than the case or shell B, and the consequence is that the reed plate openings
are brought successively below the opening D2 in the plate D, and consequently
the sound emitted is that of the pre-arranged chord, tune, or harmony.
In the modification shown in Figure 2, H is a hollow case of metal or other
suitable material, shown in section in the figure, I is a disc forming part of the
case H and provided with a hole in its centre corresponding to the cross-section of
the hoop A, which latter passes freely through a hole J in the upper part of the
case H. K are holes in the side of the case H. As the hoop A is turned round
in the direction of the arrow F the case H tends to fall but is caused to rotate hy
the action of the screw threads of the hoop A acting on the sides of the hole in the
disc 1 in the same manner as described in reference to Figure 1. The rapid
rotation of the case H causes a humming sound to be produced like that produced
by a humming top.
In Figure 3, L, L are two hollow spheres coupled together by a connecting
piece M provided with a hole corresponding in shape to the cross section of the
hoop A. The spheres L are each provided with a hole or holes at the side which
causes them to give forth a humming sound as they revolve on the hoop A, as the
latter is turned in the direction of the arrow F.
In Figures 4 and 5, N is a disc or plate of any suitable shape provided with a
hole P corresponding to the section of the hoop A which passes through it, and
Qare a pair of pan-pipes or whistles fixed on the disc or plate N and which are caused.
to sound by the rapid passage of their open ends through the air, as they, and
their supporting plate N'are revolved by the rotation of the hoop A in the direction.
of the arrow F.
In Figures 6 and 7, R is a disc of cardboard or other suitable material attached
to a metal plate S provided at its centre with a hole T corresponding to the section
of the hoop A, which passes through it. The upper surface of the disc R has
painted on it a parti-coloured design, over which is placed, so as to rest on the
dise R, a disc U having segmental spaces cut from it, which leave parts of the
design visible through them. The disc U has a hole in its centre through which.
the hoop A can pass freely. The discs R and U can be placed in position round
the hoop A, and on to the plate S by means of radial slits made in them for that.
purpose such as that shown at U' for example.
It will now be understood that as the hoop A is rotated in the direction of the
arrow F the disc R is caused to rotate by the action of the threads of the hoop A
on the sides of the hole T in the plate S, and carries the disc U with it, but as the
disc U is lighter than the disc R it tends to lag behind, and allow the latter to
rotaté faster than' it, and the consequence is that various parts of the design of the
dise R become successively exposed through the segmental spaces in the disc U,.
whereby the coloured design seen as the discs revolve is kept continually changing
so long as the hoop A is kept in rotatory motion.
In Figure 8, A is the endless screw hoop as before, and V is a piece of metal or
other suitable heavy material adapted to act as a die or nut on the screw thread of
the hoop A, and having connected to it a flexible object W wound round the

page_text: hoop A and adapted to represent the body of a snake. The nut like piece V
rotates as it slides down on the hoop A as the latter is revolved in the direction of
the arrow F, and draws the part W after it thereby producing a curious sinuous
rotatory motion of the entire serpentine object.
It is obvious that a great variety of objects may be adapted to the endless screw
hoop and be rotated thereby in the manner above described, by simply applying
thereto a suitable part forming a die or nut provided with a hole corresponding to
the cross section of the hoop A, care being taken to so balance the object that its
weight does not cause the hole in the nut like part to jam in the threads of the
hoop.
Instead of the hoop being formed by two or more wires twisted together to form
the endless screw it may be formed of a strip or wire of metal or other suitable
material of flat, square, cross or other suitable section twisted axially to form the
screw, then bent round into the hoop shape, and the ends connected together in
such manner as to make the screw threads continuous.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have it
understood that I am aware that it is not novel to employ as a toy a hoop consisting
of a single wire wound into a helical form like a helical spring, and having mounted
on it certain objects which are caused to rotate by falling down the helical path
formed by the wire as the hoop is revolved, and that I make no claim generally to
any such arrangement; but that what I do claim is :-
First. The new or improved toy which consists of a hoop formed as an endless
screw, and having mounted thereon sound producing, or colour changing devices
adapted to be rotated by the endless screw-thread of the hoop as the latter is
rotated substantially as described with reference to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of
the drawings.
Second. The new or improved toy which consists of a hoop formed as an endless
screw, and having mounted thereon a flexible object adapted to slide down and to
rotate on the said hoop as the same is rotated, substantially as described with
reference to Figure 8 of the drawings.
Third. The new or improved toy which consists of a hoop formed of an endless
screw, and a sound producing or colour changing device combined and operating
substantially as described.
Fourth. In a toy of the kind herein described constructing the hoop of two or
more wires twisted together and united at their ends so as form an endless screw
substantially as described.
Fifth. In a toy of the kind herein described constructing the hoop of a strip or
wire of metal, or other suitable material, of flat, square, cross, or other suitable
section twisted axially so as to form an endless screw, substantially as described.
Sixth. In a toy of the kind herein described constructing the sound producing or
colour changing device in two parts, one part so arranged and constructed that it
is constrained to rotate on the endless screw hoop, and the other so that it rests on
the first but is adapted to lag behind the same as it rotates, whereby the position
of the two parts with relation to each other is caused to change continually as they
are rotated by the said hoop, substantially as described and for the purposes
specified.
Dated this 20th day of March 1896