IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING TOPS, COMMONLY KNOWN AS WHIP TOPS AND PEG TOPS
Year: 1885

page_text: ARTHUR ALISON LEECH of N° 9 Bellott St Hightown Cheetham Manchester in
the county of Lancashire Cabinet Maker do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SPINNING TOPS, COMMONLY KNOWN AS WHIP TOPS
AND PEG TOPS to be as follows:-
The object and principal of the said invention is to produce a variety of
successive colour effects, on the horizontal face of the said tops during the act of
being rotated in the ordinary way. In order to effect this the said invention
consists of one or more circular discs, variously coloured in concentric circles or
segments of circles, being applied or affixed to the horizontal face of the top by
means of an adhesive paste or cement, or by means of a suitable pin, passing
centrally through the disc, or disc's, into the centre of the horizontal face of the
top, so as to allow the disc or disc's to revolve freely round the pin. Over the
variously coloured disc or discs, another disc is placed, moving freely round
the same pin, or fixed in position, coloured black and having a segment cut out of
about one fifth more or less of its circumferance, and through which the variously
coloured disc or discs may be seen during rotation and successive colour effects be
produced. All these said discs may be made of Wood, Metal, Paper, Card board or
any of these seperately and variously coloured in the manner above described so as
to produce in the act of rotation an almost endless series of colour effects. In the
case of more than one variously coloured disc being applied to the horizontal face
of the top, each disc with the exception of the one next to the face of the top would
have a segment cut out of about one fifth its circumferance more or less, same as
is done in the case of the aforementioned disc coloured black.
:

page_text: Improvements in Common Toy Spinning Tops.
ARTHUR ALISON LEECH of 9 Bellott St. Hightown Manchester occupation
Cabinet maker do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN COMMON TOY SPINNING, TOPS and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained'in and by the following statement :-
The object and principle of the said invention is to produce a variety of
successive color effects on the horizontal face of the said tops during the act of
being rotated in the ordinary way, In order to effect this, the said invention
consists in fixing to, the horizontal, face of the tops a variously colored disc,
by means of an adhesive cement, or the said disc may be allowed to revlove freely
round a pin or screw driven through its centre into the centre of the horizontal
face of the top, Over the variously colored disc, or discs; is placed another disc,
preferably colored black, which also revolves fréely and centrally round the afore-
mentioned pin or screw, The colors on the variously colored or lower disc, are
arranged in sections of concentric circles similar to the arrangement shown in
(Fig. 1) or in sections of circles eccentric, to the centre of the disc, The afore-
inentioned upper or black disc, has a portion cut out between the centre and the
rim, The said portion cut away, may be of circular or angular shape, as shown in
(Fig. 3, 4 5, 6 & 7). The object of this arrangement is, to allow a part or section
of the variously colored disc or discs below it, to be seen through the opening, so
that during the spinning of the top various color effects are obtained by the
apparent comingling of the colors, Thus when the whip top receives a stroke, or a
lashing, from the whip, to rotate it, the top itself will be driven or rotated in
advance of the loose discs; causing thereby a fresh section or portion of the
variously colored disc, or, discs, to appear through the opening in the upper or
black disc and consequently a fresh series of continuous rings of color to appear on
the face of the said black or upper disc, To increase the number of changes, one
or more variously colored discs can be placed between the horizontal face of the
top and the aforementioned upper or lack disc, each one revolving freely round its
centre,
Each of these variously colored discs has a portion of it cut away from between
the centre and the rim as shown in (Fig. 2) to allow the colors of the disc placed
next below, or beneath, it to be seen, The portion cut out may be circular or
angular as desired, The various color changes are obtained by the following
simple arrangements,
(Fig. 16) shows a variously colored disc either cemented to the face of the top or
allowed to revolve freely round the pin or screw, passed through its centre into the
centre of the face of the top, Above it is placed another disc colored black,
revolving freely round the same pin or screw, (Fig. 20) show another arrange-
ment, The colored discs are placed in the same order as those in (Fig. 16) but the
upper or black disc is of short cylindrical form (see Fig. 15) This arrangement
prevents the lash or string by which means the top is rotated from getting in
between the discs (Fig. 18) shows another arrangement to prevent the lash or
string from getting in between the discs, The top on which the discs are arranged
is hollowed out as shown in (Fig. 18) and any of the discs shown in (Figs. 1, to 7)

page_text: can be applied in this arranged, (Fig. 19) shows an arrangement that is without
the second shoulder being turned on the top as is done in arrangement of (Fig. 18)
In this case any of the discs shown in (Figs. 1, to 7) can be applied, (Fig. 8, 12
& 17) show an arrangement in which the black upper disc is permanently fixed in
position, and the variously colored disc or discs are allowed to revolve freely round
the centre pin, (Fig. 17) shows the discs applied, (Fig. 9 & 13) show a flushed
ring which can be placed round the discs in the arrangement shown in (Fig. 16)
and, which is also to prevent the lash or string used to rotate the top from getting
in between the discs, The ring is fastened by means of pins to the horizontal face
of the top, The upper edge of the ring projecting over the outside edge of the
black or upper disc, Fig. 10 shows a flat ring which can be used to further
protect the discs in the arrangements shown in (Fig. 18, & 19) The ring is
fastened by means of pins, The inside edge of the ring projecting over the outside
edge of the upper or black disc.
All the aforementioned discs can be made of tin, copper, lead, paper, card board,
brass, or anything of a sheet character, which will take colors.
All the aforementioned arrangements are equally applicable to the common
toy spinning top of the character known as peg tops as shown in (Fig. 21) The
changes are made when the said top is spun in the ordinary way or by touching
the discs whilst the top is revolving.
My object in using a screw for the centre pivot is to afford the means of readily
changing the variously colored discs, thereby extending or amplifying the number
of color effects attainable.
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,
1st A novel application of variously colored fixed or rotating discs, to the face of
the common toy spinning top of the character known as whip top, whereby various
color effects are made to appear on the horizontal face of the top whilst it is being
rotated or made to spin by whipping.
2nd A novel application of variously colored fixed or rotating discs, to the face of
the common toy spinning top of the character known as peg tops, whereby
variously colored effects are made to appear on the horizontal face of the said top,
whilst being rotated in the ordinary way or by touching the discs whilst the top is
spinning.