Apparatus for a Game of Skill.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1891-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for a Game of Skill.
I, FREDERICK EDWARD VERNEY TAYLOR, of Evington House Derby, in the
County of Derby, Captain Derbyshire Regiment, 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 apparatus for a game of skill and in order that the nature
of my said invention may be clearly understood I will first describe the apparatus
and next the game which may be played by means thereof.
The said apparatus comprises two shallow trays preferably. hinged together and
having sides so arranged that the said trays when closed or folded together form a
box conveniently applicable for containing discs or counters which are hereinafter
referred to. The two trays are preferably quadrangular, and similar in size and
shape, each having a raised edge or wall at right angles with its floor, the said
raised edges or walls being arranged so that when the box is opened out or the two
trays are otherwise placed in the same plane, one tray shall be in contact with the
other, but separated therefrom by the adjacent edges or walls of each, which will
form a division between them: The raised edges or walls at each side of the tray
make in this example a right angle with each other.
On or in the floor of one of the trays are preferably two stations which may
consist of circles or discs marked in colour or otherwise upon the floor or may
consist of depressions in the said floor or may be constituted in any other distinctive
manner. These stations are placed close to the wall at opposite sides of the tray,
and both lie near to the angles formed by the said sides and the side forming part
of the division aforesaid.
Upon or in the floor of the second tray are say five stations similar to the above
or formed by cups or the like small receptacles one in the centre of the tray and
the other four in the angles thereof or otherwise distributed as may be desirable.
Each of these five stations is numbered or coloured distinctively or is numbered and
coloured distinctively, to correspond with one of five discs or counters of light weight
hereinafter referred to.
The game may be played by placing the five discs or counters at haphazard in
the first tray no further manipulation being permitted by the laws of the game.
The said discs or counters are then to be dealt with in numerical or other pre-
determined order, and blown one by one, by the breath of the player onto or into
the stations of the first tray. The player should next endeavour by blowing upon
the disc or counter which is at any of the said stations, to cause it to rise over the
division before referred to and descend into its proper station in the adjoining tray
which contains five stations.
I wish it to be noted that the placing of the stations of the first tray at opposite
sides of the said tray and near to the angles formed by the said sides and the side
forming part of the division above referred to decreases the difficulty of blowing the
discs or counters away from the said stations in the desired direction and I there-
fore consider the said arrangement of the said stations to be an important feature of
my invention. Provided that this feature be retained the number of stations in
each tray and the arrangement of other parts of the tray may be varied as may be
considered desirable.
As an alternative arrangement there may be more than two stations in this first
tray arranged along the floor at opposite sides and, near to the side walls which
make a right angle with the division between the two trays. In this case the
stations are numbered or coloured distinctively or are numbered and coloured dis-
tinctively to correspond with one of the five discs or counters of light weight similar

page_text: to those hereinbefore referred to and which may be numbered or coloured distinc-
tively, or both. On the walls of the tray thus arranged are placed marks which
correspond with the individual stations, but each mark is not placed immediately
behind the station to which it corresponds, but is situated to one side thereof away
from the division between the two trays. Each of the said marks indicates the
point towards which the player should blow from the opposite side of the tray in
order that he may displace the corresponding disc or counter in the desired direction
in playing the game.
The player must endeavour to blow each disc or counter which has descended
into the second tray outside the stations so that it moves onto or into the one of
the five stations with which the individual disc or counter corresponds. The
successful transference of the whole of the five discs or counters from the first tray
to their proper stations in the second tray, in the manner above described, com-
pletes the game.
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:
First. An apparatus for playing a game of skill, comprising two shallow trays
each of which trays is provided with stations, those of one tray of of both trays
being distinctively indicated, as and for the purpose specified.
Second. The combination with the shallow trays having stations formed therein
of discs or counters of light weight and distinctively marked, substantially as
described for the purpose specified.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1891
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.