An Improved Support for Arches and the like used in Playing Croquet and other Games and for analogous purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 17th June, 1899
An Improved Support for Arches and the like used in Playing Croquet
and other Games and for analogous purposes.
I, Sir ALBERT ALTMAN, of 64, Aldersgate Street, London, E.C., Knight, 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 means of providing additional support to the arches
and the like employed in playing various games, such as croquet, and has for its
object improvements whereby this purpose is carried out in a satisfactory manner
that insures that the legs of such arches are the proper distance apart while
admitting of the use of more than one sized arch, and this without alteration to
or removal of the said support.
My improved support consists of two or more bosses, each of which is provided
with one or more holes and is coupled to its neighbour by means of a yoke, the
whole being provided with one or more pegs, spikes or analogous parts, by which
it is held rigidly in the ground.
These bosses taper to approximately a knife-edge on their under sides, around
the hole or holes they accomodate, as do also the yokes, the object being to facilitato
their entry into the ground, into which they are driven flush.
The holes, which form sockets for the legs of the arch, are so located with
relation to each other that by selecting a suitable pair, different sized arches may
be accomodated without damaging the lawn, while the fact that these sockets are
open at both ends obviates any disadvantage which might otherwise arise from
dirt or stones getting in, which in this case are driven through when the legs
of an arch are inserted.
I will now more particularly describe my invention, reference being made to
the accompanying drawings in which like letters indicate corresponding parts
throughout:-
In one form of my said invention, illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, in which it is
shown, respectively, in plan, elevation and section on line - in Fig. 2, a, a, are
two bosses, each of which is in the form of two inverted truncated cones joined
along their adjacent sides and provided with holes b, and c, along the axes of
such cones, these bosses a, a being united to each other by a yoke, d, occupying
a vertical plane and having a knife edge at its underside. Spikes e, having suit-
able cutting edges (see Fig. 1) are also provided, by which the whole is rigidly held
in the ground.
In. using this form, one sized arch may be supported by using the holes b, b,
another by using holes c, c, while a third size may be accomodated by using the
hole, b, on one side and c, on the other.
In Figs. 4, 5 & 6, which are respectively a plan, side elevation and end view,
is shown a modified form of support in which one of the bosses, a*, is provided
with only one hole, 6, and the other with two holes, b and c, while the yoke, d,

page_text: is made in the form of a knife-edged plate or spade. This form will accomodate
two different sized arches by using the holes, 6 and b, or 6* and c.
In Figs. 7 and 8 are shown a plan and side elevation of another form of my
invention, having three bosses, a, a, a, two yokes, d, d, and two spikes c, .
The bosses, a, in this form (as is also the boss a³, in Figs. 4, 5 and 6) are each
in the shape of a single inverted truncated cone, having one hole, 61, 63 and 63
respectively, and support one sized arch when the holes 6 and are used, another
when the holes 6 and 63 are used and yet another if the holes and are
employed.
Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 12, which are respectively a plan, underside view, front and
end elevation, show a slightly modified construction of the form illustrated by
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 in which the spikes e, e occupy a vertical plane at right angles
to the yoke, d, to which they are united by the bridge pieces f, f.
And, lastly, Fig. 13 is a plan of a support adapted to accomodate two sizes of
crossed arches, its construction underneath being substantially the same as that
shown in Fig. 10. For one size, the holes b, b, g, y, are used, while for another
size the holes c, c h, h, may be employed.
The form of the yokes d, the spikes e, and equivalent parts is in all cases flat
so as to secure the greatest possible resistance to the support and an arch being
put out of the vertical.
I may, in some cases further modify the construction of my improved support
by using the arrangement of bosses and holes shown in one figure with any or
all of the remaining parts as shown in other figures or their equivalents, without
departing from the spirit of my invention.
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:-
1. A support for arches and the like consisting of two or more bosses united
by yokes and having one or more pegs, spikes or equivalent parts, the said bosses
being provided with holes so located with relation to each other as to accomodate a
clifferent sized arches by the selection of suitable holes, substantially as described
in the specification.
2. A support for arches and the like consisting of two or more bosses having
suitably located holes and united by flat yokes, the whole being provided with
one or more flat pegs, spikes or equivalent parts all of which are provided with 3
tapering or knife-edges adapted to facilitate their being driven into the ground,
substantially as described and for the purposes set forth in the specification.
3. The combinations and arrangements of parts constituting a support for arches
and the like constructed substantially as described in the specification with refer-
ence to the various figures of the drawings.
Dated this 28th day of March 1899.
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