An Improved Toy.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1899-Accepted, 25th Nov.,
1899
An Improved Toy.
I, ERNST PAUL LEHMANN, of Brandenburg-on-the-Havel, in the Empire of
Germany, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved toy comprising figures that represent
men holding a tossing or jumping cloth which being suddenly pulled causes any
article laid thereon to dart upwards. The men are set in motion through the
medium of a cam disc by a clockwork concealed below the bed plate.
In a modification the clockwork is dispensed with, the tossing or jumping cloth
being attached to figures or levers actuated by depressing a key under the action
of a spring.
Referring to the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved toy and
Figure 2 an under plan of the same.
Figure 3 is a side elevation showing a modified arrangement of this toy, of
which
Figure 4 represents an under plan.
In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the figures a which repre-
sent men stand at the corners of a square bed plate. These figures, made pre-
ferably of sheet metal, are adapted to swing with the upper part of their body
about an axis in the region of the socket of the upper part of the thigh. The
upper part of the body is connected with a lever c which extends through a slot
in the bed plate. The figures hold with their hands a square cloth d in the same
manner as firemen hold a cloth to catch persons leaping from buildings.
At its lower end the lever c is connected with a square plate f by means of
rods which on the one hand are hooked into the bent corners of such plate and
on the other hand into the ends of the aforesaid levers c. If thus the plate f is
turned the upper parts of the bodies of all the four figures perform simultaneously
the same motion so that the cloth which they hold is either lowered in the
middle or drawn tight. For an article placed in the middle of the cloth to be
darted upwards this cloth after having been relaxed must suddenly be drawn
tight, therefore the upper parts of the bodies of the figures must return quickly
from the inclined to the upright position. This is effected by a pin or a little
roller on the square plate f bearing against the periphery of a cam disc h and
pressed against such disc with the aid of a spiral spring k. The cam disc h is
turned by a clockwork m, and by its recess imparts to the square plate f a jerky
movement whereby the cloth is drawn tight and the article laid thereon is caused
to dart upwards. Of course the cam disc h may possess several bulges so that
the figures holding the cloth have a life-like motion. In lieu of four figures
holding the cloth, I may of course have only two or three or more than four
without departing from the scope of the invention. Instead of the cam disc h and
the plate fuse may also be made of other mechanism for the simultaneous jerky
movement of the figures. Moreover, instead of the upper part of the body the

page_text: whole figure or only parts of the same, such as the arms, may receive the jerky
movement.
In Figures 3 and 4 I have shown a modification wherein, instead of clockwork
operating the tossing or jumping cloth by figures, I make use of levers actuated
by hand through the medium of a key. This key n is pivoted at n¹ underneath
the bed plate, its free extremity passing through a slot in the side thereof and
being furnished with a knob or push button n². In the middle the key n possesses
two discs o leaving between them an annular space designed for the reception of
the ends of the horizontal arms of bell-crank levers p pivoted at 21 underneath
the bed plate and whose vertical arms pass through slots m in the top of the bed
plate and hold the tossing or jumping cloth d at their upper ends. This cloth d
is normally held tight by means of a spring r attached to the key n and bearing
upon a bar r¹ secured to the bed plate, so that on the key being depressed the bell
crank levers 7 will turn about their axes and relax the tossing or jumping
cloth, and on the key being then suddenly released the said cloth will be pulled
tight again under the action of the spring r and cause any article placed thereon
to dart upwards.
It will of course be understood that the vertical arms of the bell crank levers
may constitute figures.
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:―
First. A toy consisting of figures holding a tossing or jumping cloth, which
figures incline their body or parts of the same and return suddenly to the upright
position, thereby causing any article laid on the cloth to be darted upwards.
Second. A toy consisting of figures or levers holding a tossing or jumping
cloth, wherein the simultaneous movement of the figures or levers takes place
by a
plate f to which jerky movements are imparted by a clockwork m furnished
with a cam disc h.
Third. A toy consisting of figures or levers holding a tossing or jumping cloth,
wherein the simultaneous movement of bell-crank levers p is effected by means of
a keyn under the action of a spring r.
Fourth. A toy constructed and operating substantially as set forth with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
1900
J. LINCOLN & Co.,
75, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.