Improvements in Tops and the like Spinning Toys.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 31st Jan., 1898-Accepted, 19th Mar., 1898
Improvements in Tops and the like Spinning Toys.
I, MICHAEL STEPHENS, of 23, Nottingham Street, Rotherham, in the County of
York, Gas Stoker, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as
follows:
The object of my invention is to produce a top which shall be caused to spin
whilst suspended in the air, by means of a string or strings, such string or strings
being employed to give rotary motion as well as to suspend the top.
I effect this by making the top similar to an ordinary spin or humming top, or,
in some cases, I construct it in the form of a disc for the chromographic or other
display of colours. The top or disc I provide on its upper surface with two eyes or
loops, such eyes or loops being placed either equidistant from the axis of the said
top or disc and opposite to each other, or, they may be placed both on the same
side of the axis, or in any other convenient position which will allow of the top
being suspended and revolved at a high velocity. Through the loops last described
I pass a piece or pieces of string, twine, cord, wire or other suitable material of
sufficient length so that when the two ends are brought together and held by the
fingers or otherwise secured, the top can then be caused to gyrate by twirling it
in the desired direction until the material by which it is suspended becomes con-
siderably twisted. By then taking the two ends of the said material, one in each
hand, and drawing them asunder, the material may be caused to rapidly untwist,
thus causing the top to revolve, the momentum given to the top being sufficient to
cause the material by which it is suspended to become twisted in the opposite
direction to that given by the initial twisting, so that by a succession of twisting
and untwisting operations, the gyrations of the top may be continued in opposite
directions either for the colour or musical displays as the case may be.
In some cases separate pieces of material may be employed and attached from
each loop for suspending the top instead of one piece being passed through both
loops. In either case the action will be similar, as any increase in the velocity of
the top will be caused by accelerating the untwisting of the material, by which it
is suspended, by drawing asunder the ends of the said material as herein before
described.
As a modification of the above, in some cases I employ only one eye or loop
instead of two, the said eye or loop being placed either concentrically or eccen-
trically with the axis of the top or disc, and in some cases I employ one piece of
string, twine, cord, wire, or other suitable material for suspending the top or disc
of sufficient length that when passed through the loop the two ends may be brought
together and held as herein previously described, or two separate pieces of suspend-
ing material may be attached to the same loop.
In combination with the spin top or disc herein described I sometimes employ
a two armed or forked handle by which the top or disc may be suspended, one of
The arms of this
the ends of the suspending material being attached to, each arm.

page_text: forked handle I so construct that they may be opened or closed by compressing or
relaxing a spring which forms a part of the said handle.
As a further modification I sometimes employ with one or more loops either
placed concentrically or eccentrically with the axis of the top or disc, a piece or
pieces of elastic suspending material, both ends of which may be held close together 5
during the operation of twisting and untwisting and spinning, without the
necessity of drawing the ends asunder as herein previously described.
Dated this 30th day of Anril 1897
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in Tops and the like Spinning Toys.
I, MICHAEL STEPHENS, late of 23, but now of 36, Nottingham Street, Rotherham,
in the County of York, Gas Stoker, do hereby declare the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and 'ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of my invention is to produce a top which shall be caused to spin
whilst suspended in the air, by means of a string or strings, such string or strings
being employed to give rotary motion as well as to suspend the top.
I effect this by making the top similar to an ordinary spin or humming top, or
in some cases, I construct it in the form of a disc for the chromographic or other
display of colours. As the principle of my invention will be the same irrespective
of the form of top to which it is applied a description of it as applied to a top in
the form of a disc will suffice.
The nature of my invention will be better understood on reference to the accom-
panying sheet of drawings in which the same letters refer to similar parts through-
out the several views.
The top or disc, a, I provide on its upper surface, with two eyes or loops, b, b, as
shewn in Figs. 1, 2, 3 & 5, such eyes or loops being placed either equidistant from
the axis of the said top or disc and opposite to each other, or, they may be placed a
both on the same side of the axis, or in any other convenient position which will
allow of the top being suspended and revolved at a high velocity. Through the
loops last described I pass a piece or pieces of string, twine, cord, wire, or other
suitable material, c, c, of sufficient length so that when the two ends are brought
together and held by the fingers or otherwise secured, as shewn in Fig. 1. The top 3
can then be caused to gyrate by twirling it in the desired direction until the
material by which it is suspended becomes considerably twisted, as shewn in Fig. 2.
By then taking the two ends of the said material, one in each hand, and drawing
them asunder, as shewn in Fig. 3, the material may be caused to rapidly untwist,
thus causing the top to revolve, the momentum given to the top being sufficient 4
to cause the material by which it is suspended to become twisted in the opposite
direction to that given by the initial twisting, so that by a succession of twisting
and untwisting operations, the gyrations of the top may be continued in opposite
directions either for the colour or musical displays as the case may be.
In some cases separate pieces of material may be employed and attached from 4
each loop for suspending the top instead of one piece being passed through both
loops. In either case the action will be similar, as any increase in the velocity
of the top will be caused by accelerating the untwisting of the material, by which
it is suspended, by drawing asunder the ends of the said material as hereinbefore
described.

page_text: As a modification of the above, in some cases I employ only one eye or loop
instead of two, as shewn in Fig. 4, the said eye or loop being placed either con-
centrically or eccentrically with the axis of the top or disc, and in some cases I
employ one piece of string, twine, cord, wire or other suitable material for suspend-
ing the top or disc of sufficient length that when passed through the loop the two
ends may be brought together and held as herein previously described, or two
separate pieces of suspending material may be attached to the same loop.
As a further modification I sometimes employ with one or more loops either
placed concentrically or eccentrically with the axis of the top or disc, a piece or .
pieces of elastic suspending material, both ends of which may be held close together
during the operation of twisting and untwisting and spinning, without the
necessity of drawing the ends asunder as herein previously described.
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. In tops and the like spinning toys the combination of parts and appliances
comprising one or more eyes or loops secured to the upper face or end of such top
or toy and one or more pieces of string, twine, cord, wire, or other suitable
material, elastic or otherwise, by means of which the said top or toy may be
suspended in the air and made to rotate or gyrate alternately, first in one direction
and then in an opposite direction in the manner and for the purposes substantially
as herein described and illustrated.
Dated this 29th day of January 1898.
R. HEBER RADFORD,
Agent for the Applicant.