A New or Improved Toy or Puzzle Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 15th Oct., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Toy or Puzzle Apparatus.
I, CHARLES HALL HENKELMAN, of 2304, Eutaw Street, Baltimore, in the
County of Baltimore and State of Maryland, United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement: ―
My invention relates to games and toys, and particularly to a puzzle, the object
in view being to provide a device of this class which, while of simple construction,
involves a problem somewhat difficult of solution, and requiring an exercise of
skill and ingenuity in the accomplishment thereof.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following
description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in
the claims appended.
In the drawing
Figure 1 is a plan view of a device constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section.
Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures
of the drawing.
1 designates a box or casing consisting of a block having a cavity or receptacle
bounded by a curved wall, the curvature preferably being continuous, or unbroken
by angles, and, in the construction illustrated, being elliptical. The interior of
the casing, or the cavity or receptacle, is preferably flat, with approximately or
perfectly parallel front and rear walls, of which the former is preferably trans-
parent, and may consist, as indicated in the drawing, of a sheet of glass properly
fixed at its edges in the box or casing.
Fixed to the back or bottom wall or floor of the cavity, wholly out of contact
with the side and front walls, is an elongated pocket 2, having its longitudinal
center or axis arranged approximately parallel with the front and rear walls of
the receptacle, and having a reduced mouth or inlet 3, located contiguous to,
although out of contact with, the side wall of the cavity at one end, or at a
point at the extremity of the major diameter of the ellipse. A desirable pocket
is formed of bottle-shape, with the inlet opening formed at the end of the neck,
and being, proportionately to the pocket, of a size similar to that of the neck of
a bottle. Arranged in the cavity or receptacle, and adapted to be deposited in
the pocket, is a movable object 4, preferably of a divisible character, such as
mercury.
Inasmuch as the pocket which is closed, except at the extremity of its neck,
is arranged approximately parallel with the front and rear walls of the cavity or
receptacle, it is obvious that the object can be deposited therein only by moving
in a direction parallel with said front and rear walls. In other words, the inlet-
opening of the pocket is accessible only in a direction parallel with the front. and
rear walls of the receptacle, and when a divisible object, such as mercury, is
employed, it is preferably of a size exceeding that of the inlet opening of the

page_text: pocket, whereby the object must be introduced piecemeal into the pocket,
or must be allowed to flow thereinto from a point contiguous to one end of the
major axis of the ellipse. In order that the difficulty of flowing the object
into the neck of the receptacle may be increased, I preferably dispose the bore of
the neck of the pocket, of the inlet end thereof, slightly removed from the plane
of the back wall of the receptacle, as shown in Figure 2, whereby said inlet-
opening is surrounded by a circular wall or collar, which is offset at its rearmost
point from the plane of the back wall of the receptacle. Furthermore; inasmuch
as the pocket is preferably approximately circular in cross-section, it will be seen
that the neck of the pocket will be in contact with the back wall of the receptacle at
only one point.
Thus, in practice, the elongated pocket is preferably arranged coincident with
the major diameter of the ellipse, with a terminal inlet-opening which is arranged
between the planes of the parallel front and rear walls of the receptacle, and also,
in practice, it is preferable, as above indicated, to employ a semi-fluid divisible
object, such as mercury. This puzzle, while difficult is possible of solution by
causing the object, by a quick movement of the box or casing, to traverse the
continuous curved wall of the receptacle from the lowest point of said wall to a
point contiguous to the inlet-opening of the pocket, said inlet-opening being held
uppermost; but it is obvious that unless the object is caused to leave the wall of
the receptacle at a point contiguous to the inlet-opening of the pocket and drop
upon the latter, it will continue to follow the wall of the receptacle, and thereby
pass beyond the inlet-opening. By repeatedly causing the object to thus traversé
the curved wall of the receptacle, and leave the latter at the proper point to drop
upon the mouth of the pocket, it may be introduced gradually into the pocket,
but it will be seen that an excessive movement of the box or casing, in an effort
to cause the portion of the object outside of the pocket to properly traverse the
wall of the receptacle, will be liable to dislodge the portion of the object which
has already been introduced into the pocket, and in this resides the difficulty of
locating the object wholly within the pocket.
Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction
may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the
advantages of this invention.
3.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. A game or toy having a receptacle bounded by a curved side wall, and an
elongated pocket arranged coincident with a diameter of said curved wall and
having a terminal inlet spaced from said wall, substantially as specified.
2. A game or toy having a receptacle bounded by a continuous curved side wall,
and an elongated pocket arranged coincident with a diameter of said curved wall
and having a terminal inlet spaced from said wall, substantially as specified.
3. A game or toy having a receptacle bounded by an elliptically-curved side
wall, and an elongated pocket arranged coincident with a diameter of said curved
wall and having a terminal inlet spaced from said wall, substantially as specified.
4. A game or toy having a receptacle bounded by an elliptically-curved side
wall, and an elongated pocket arranged coincident with the major diameter of
said curved wall and having a terminal inlet spaced from said wall, substantially
a's specified.
5. A game or toy having a receptacle provided with an elliptical side wall
and approximately parallel front and rear walls, the former being transparent,
and an elongated pocket arranged coincident with the major diameter of the
elliptical wall, and having a terminal inlet end arranged out of contact with said
side wall and between the planes of the front and rear walls, substantially as
specified.
6. A game or toy having a receptacle provided with an elliptical side wall
and approximately parallel front and rear walls, an elongated pocket arranged

page_text: coincident with the major diameter of the elliptical wall with a terminal inlet
end spaced from said walls, and a divisible object of a size in excess of the inlet
opening of said pocket, substantially as specified.
7. A game or toy having a receptacle provided with an elliptical side wall,
an elongated bottle-shaped pocket arranged coincident with a diameter of the
elliptical wall, and having a terminal inlet-opening at the extremity of its neck,
and a movable object, of mercury, located in the receptacle, substantially as
specified.
Dated this 15th day of August 1908
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.