An Improved Toy Puzzle Apparatus!
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 23rd Dec., 1890.
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Dec., 1890-Accepted, .28th Feb.,..1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Toy Puzzle Apparatus!
I, JAMES FISHWICK ZACHARY, of 23, Wyatt Street, Somerville, in the County
of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Brakeman,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED TOY PUZZLE
APPARATUS, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statements :--
This invention'is a'base-ball-toy or puzzle, the nature of which is below described,
the puzzle being to discover the combination by which a series of rings having the
names of base-ball clubs on their peripheries may be so arranged as to release the
figure of a ball-player supported therein.
In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate
like parts,
Fig. 1 is a front view of my device:
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, arranged so that one of the rings does
not register, and hence the figure of the player is locked in position.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the figure of the player and its
shank removed.
Figs. 4 and 5 are perspective views of detached rings.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line x, Fig. 2.
A is a base-plate supporting a central integral post A', provided on one side
with a vertical groove a, at the lower end of which is a coincident depression a¹
in the upper side of the base-plate A.
B, C, D, and E are four rings, each of which is provided with an internal notch s.
The lowest ring B is beveled on its under side at B. The next ring C is beveled
on its upper side at C¹. The next ring D is beveled on its under side at D', and
the upper ring E is beveled on its upper side at El. On the top ring E is laid a
H, which is secured by the screw to the top of the post A¹.
cap
represents the figure of a ball-player, from which a shank K extends down-
ward. A dowel I' prevents the figure from turning in its position. This shank K,
which is round in cross-section, extends down through the cap H and in the
groove a in the post A', its lower end resting in the depression a¹ in the base.
The diameter of the shank is of size to fill the groove a and a notch s; but it is
provided with two doubly-beveled notches K K It will readily be seen that ir
the notches s in the rings all register-i.e., are in a vertical line-the shank K can
be withdrawn and replaced at will; but should any ring be moved so that its notch
would not register, the inner or flanged portion of such ring would extend into one
of the notches K¹ K" of the shank and prevent it from being withdrawn. The
puzzle is to release the player I. With the device in the position shown in Fig. 2
this cannot be done, as the notch in the ring E is out of register, and hence the
inner edge of said ring lies in the notch K. In this figure all the other notches
register. By lettering the peripheries of the rings with names of different ball-
clubs a combination may be arranged, so that the player can be released only by

page_text: so arranging the rings that a certain arrangement of clubs in a vertical line will
cause the notches to register and release the player. In this instance the com-
bination is Chicago, Boston, New York, Cleveland.
The general principle of this device is not new in itself considered, it having
been applied to padlocks, (see Letters Patent No. 174,842,) and hence I do not
claim the broad principle of the construction; but in detail and as constructed
for a toy or base-ball puzzle it is believed to be new.
A special improvement consists in the doubly-beveled notches K' K" in the
shank, in connection with the beveled inner edges of the rings, which are placed
in pairs or back to back, so that one notch in the shank accommodates two rings,
locking two at a time when their notches are out of register.
Of course the printed matter on the rings may be varied at will.
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:-
The herein-described toy puzzle apparatus, consisting, essentially, of the fig
of the ball-player I, provided with the shank K, said shank being provided w
the doubly-beveled notches K¹ K", the base A, provided with the post A', grooved
at a, the rings B CD E, alternately reversely beveled at B C D E¹ and
provided with the notches s, and the cap H, all arranged and constructed as
described.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1890