Improvements in Dice.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dice.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the
County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
(a communication to me from Victor Mapes, Litterateur, of No. 143, Liberty
Street, in the Borough of Manhattan, City, County and State of New York,
U.S.A.), and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention relates to improvements in dice adapted for amusement, and
the essential object of the invention is the production of dice with which various
games of cards may be played. To this end the invention consists of a series
of preferably five dice having thereon the representations or designations of the
fifty-two cards comprising a pack. The representations or designations are
so disposed that one may be clearly disclosed at any position which the dice may
take, and the dice are therefore preferably provided with opposite facets on which
the representations or designations are placed. The preferable form for each die
is a dodecahedron, and on four of the dice ten of the facets, and on the other one
twelve of the facets, may be occupied. This will leave four dice each with two
unoccupied facets, and one die with no unoccupied facet. In order to prevent the
dice from disclosing an unoccupied or blank facet during the game, the same
is preferably provided with a device or means for preventing the dice from rest-
ing with a blank facet uppermost. This may be accomplished by rounding the
facet opposite each blank, or by providing each of said opposite facets with a
stud or projection, as will be explained. The representations or designations
of the fifty-two cards are so placed on the dice as to enable different combinations
to be secured. To effect this result a duplication of a card or its designation
should not occur on any die, and the several suits should be divided between
the dice as evenly as possible.
In order that the invention may be better understood, attention is directed to
the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a die embodying the invention; Figure 2 a
section thereof; Figure 3 a section of a modification; and Figure 4 a diagram-
matic view illustrating a convenient arrangement of the five dice.
In all the above views corresponding parts are represented by the same letters
of reference.
A represents one of the dice, made preferably in the form of a dodecahedron.
These dice are made of any suitable material, such as wood, ivory or celluloid,
and are imprinted with or carry the representations or designations of the cards
in any desired way. As stated, a convenient arrangement is to place on four
of the dice designations or representations of teu cards, and on one die, of twelve
cards. In order to prevent the unoccupied surfaces from being disclosed during
the game, the facets opposite of each unoccupied surface may be rounded, as at a
Figure 2, or be provided with a projection, such as 6, Figure 3, by either of
which means the same result is secured. The actual representations of the cards

page_text: may be imprinted or affixed on the die facets, but preferably the cards are desig-
nated by the more convenient methods, the ace of diamonds being indicated, for
example, by a diamond having the letter A upon it. In Figure 4 is illustrated
a convenient arrangement for the five dice, the latter being designated A, B, C, D,
and E, and wherein the cards are so arranged that duplicates in number do not
occur on any die and the suits are distributed as evenly as possible. On A there
are ace, nine, and four of hearts;-king, five, and three of spades; queen, seven,
and two of diamonds; ten, eight, and six, of clubs. On B there are ace, seven,
and two of spades; king, eight, and three, of hearts; queen and four of clubs;
jack and six of diamonds. On C there are ace, nine, and five of diamonds; king
and three of clubs; jack, seven, and two of hearts; ten and six of spades. On D
there are ace, five, and two of clubs; queen and six of hearts; jack, nine, and
four of spades; ten and eight of diamonds. On E there are king, four, and three
of diamonds; queen and eight of spades; jack, nine, and seven of clubs; ten and
tive of hearts.
Other arrangements may be adopted, but that indicated is considerably pre-
ferable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1: An improved set of five dice for playing games, each preferably in the form
of a dodecahedron or other even-sided solid having at least twelve facets of uniform
area, said dice carrying together the representations or designations of the fifty-
two cards.
2. Means for preventing the exposure of a blank or unoccupied facet consisting
in providing the blank or facet diametrically opposite thereto with a rounded
surface or its equivalent.
3. The set of dice recited in Claim 1 and characterized by the particular
arrangement of the fifty-two cards on the facets thereof, whereby each die will
contain no duplicate representation and will contain the representations of at
least two cards of each suit.
Dated this 27th day of December 1899
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.