Improvements in Duplicate Whist Boards.
Year: 1895

page_text: being date of first Foreign Application (in (6th May. 1895
United States of America),
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1898
Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 20th Sept., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1895-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1898
Improvements in Duplicate Whist Boards.
I, HUGH MITCHELL, of 327, W. Superior Street, Duluth, in the County of
St. Louis and State of Minnesota, United States of America, Gentleman, 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 improvements in duplicate whist boards and consists of a
board made of suitable material and provided with an elastic band attached at
intervals to said board so as to form a plurality of card retaining straps and means
for lifting the respective straps whereby the cards can be slipped beneath the
same.
It also consists of certain other novel constructions, combinations and arrange-
ments of parts all of which will be more particularly set forth and claimed.
In the accompanying drawing forming part of this Specification,
Fig. 1. represents a top plan view of a board embodying my invention; and
Fig. 2. represents a bottom plan view of the same.
A in the drawing represents the board proper, which is made of card board,
leather, wood, metal, or in fact any suitable material. The length of this board is
about three times as great as its width and it is provided longitudinally along the
middle of its upper surface with an elastic band B secured at each end, and at
suitable intervals along its length to the board by rivets or any other suitable
securing means. These rivets divide said elastic band into four equal parts or
sections C, ccc and the hands of a deck of duplicate whist are slipped under said -
respective sections. Each section of the elastic is provided with a ring or tab d
of metal, cloth, or any other suitable material by which the said sections of the
elastic can be readily raised to allow the cards to he slipped beneath the same.
An arrow or other indicating device D is arranged at any suitable place on the
board but at right angles to the length of the elastic B. I prefer to arrange it as
shown in the drawing at one end of the elastic. The arrow as shown in the drawing
indicates east and west and is so marked by the letters E and W placed at its
respective ends, the north and south indications N and S are placed at the sides of
the arrow in line with the elastic, or all the indications may be placed vice versa.
These indications are intended to inform the players which are the north and
south hands, and which the east and west hands. As shown in the drawing the
section c contains the north hand, the section c³ the south, and the sections c' and c³
the east and west hands respectively.
A hand is printed or otherwise attached to the base opposite the section cand
points eastward thus indicating that this is the east hand. A similar hand d³ is
opposite section c³ but points westward to indicate that this section contains the

page_text: west hand. The back of each board is numbered as at d³ and any desired number
of boards are used. Any suitable indicating letter or mark d' is placed in proximity
to the section containing the hand that is to lead.
In playing the players agree which of them are to first represent the north and
south ends of the table, and the board is then placed with the elastic running north
and south. The boards to any desired number are then used successively until
they have all been used in the same manner practically as is done with other
boards. Then the boards are turned so that the arrow points to the north and
south of the table and the elastic east and west, and the hands are played through
again; the boards being used successively as before.
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. In a duplicate whist board, the combination with a suitable board, of a single
straight integral elastic band attached at intervals to said board so as to form a
plurality of card retaining straps and rings applied on the respective straps for
lifting the same whereby the whist hands can be slipped beneath the said straps
and kept separated, substantially as described.
2. In a duplicate whist board, the combination with a suitable board, of a single
straight integral elastic band attached at intervals to said board so as to form a
plurality of card retaining straps for holding whist hands separate from each other,
rings applied on the respective straps for raising the same, and devices for indicating
which are the north and south, and which the east and west hands and also which
hand is to lead, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of September 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents.