Improvements in Appliances for Use in Playing a Game of Skill or Chance.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 17th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Use in Playing a Game of Skill or
Chance.
We, HERBERT ERNEST SKINNER, of 2, Hutton Street, Sunderland, Electrical
Engineer, and JAMES NICHOL, of 1, Kinfauns Terrace, Low Fell, Gateshead,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to improvements in appliances for use in playing a
game of skill or chance.
The appliances consist of a shallow box or tray suitably shaped men and a
loose piece.
The tray is preferably square and consists of a thin flat metallic plate resting
on and connected to a preferably wooden board of similar size and held in a
suitable frame which raises the board a little distance from the table or other
surface on which it rests. The plate is perforated with preferably equidistant
small holes, a convenient number being 100 but any other number will do. In
the board underneath are corresponding larger holes. The men are made of
any suitable material and shape suitable for holding, and each is provided with
a comparatively long pin on the underside which fits loosely into the small holes
in the plate. The loose piece is made preferably of wood and fits into any of
the holes in the wood under the plate. It must therefore be put in from the
bottom. A flange about the thickness of the distance between the underside,
of the board and the surface on which the frame rests prevents the loose piece
projecting too far into the hole in the board. When the tray is in its normal
position on the table and the loose piece in one of the holes in the board it is
impossible to see where it is when looking on the surface of the plate, the holes
being too small. The plate may be painted, enamelled, or otherwise decorated
with any suitable pattern or design. Two or more persons may play at the game
which can be greatly varied. The way in which it may be played is as follows:-
each player is allow an equal number of men. One player unseen by the
others puts the loose piece into a hole in the board from the underside and then
puts the tray, on the table, each player in turn takes a man and tries to find
under which small hole the loose piece is concealed by pushing the pin of the
man into one of the small holes. The players agree before commencing how
many holes shall be tried by each man. Failing to find the loose piece at the
end of the number of tries the player leaves the man in the last hole tried. The
next player then takes his turn and so on until the loose piece has been found,
then the player who hid the loose piece receives all the men on the tray. The
finder then hides the loose piece, and the game proceeds as before, the object
It is easily seen that
being for one player to obtain possession of all the men.
the game can be varied to suit the players.
Instead of making the tray as described above it may be made without the
board under the plate, but with another plate a little above the underside of
the frame, and with holes corresponding to those in the top plate, and into which
a pin on the loose piece fits. This bottom plate may be hinged to the frame or
it may be arranged to slid in, or be fixed in the same, the holes in it being large

page_text: enough to pass the loose piece through, and shaped so that when the piece has
been passed through and partly turned it will be held in place; or the edges of
the plates may be made to come together and formed to take the place of the
frame. They may be made to hinge together of one may slid within the other.
Their surfaces may be formed with squares or other shapes in relief, both being
stamped the same but only one having the small holes through the middle of
the squares. These squares being opposite. each other, it is only necessary to
separate the two plates insert the loose piece in a square, close the plates, and
the piece cannot move out of the square.
Dated this 17th date of Luna 1808
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances for Use in Playing a Game of Skill or
Chance.
,
We, HERBERT ERNEST SKINNER, of 2, Hutton Street, Sunderland, Electrical
Engineer, and JAMES NICHOL, of 1, Kinfaun's Terrace, Low Fell, Gateshead,
Electrical Engineer, both in the County of Durham, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: —
This invention relates to improvements"in appliances for use in playing a
game of skill or chance. The appliances consist of a shallow box or tray suit-
ably shaped men and a loose piece. The tray is preferably square and consists
of a thin flat metallic plate resting on and connected to a preferably wooden
board of similar size and held in a suitable frame which raises the board a little
distance from the table or other surface on which it rests. The plate is perfor-
ated with preferably equidistant small holes, a convenient number being 100
but any other number will do. In the board underneath are corresponding
larger holes. The men are made of any suitable material and shape suitable for
holding, and each is provided with a comparatively long pin on the underside
which fits loosely into the small holes in the plate. The loose piece is made
preferably of wood and fits into any of the holes in the wood under the plate.
It must therefore be put in from the bottom. A flange about the thickness of
the distance between the underside of the board and the surface on which the
frame rests prevents the loose piece projecting too far into the hole in the
board. When the tray is in its normal position on the table and the loose piece
is one of the holes in the board it is impossible to see where it is when looking
on the surface of the plate, the holes being too small. The plate may be painted,
enamelled, or otherwise decorated with any suitable pattern or design. Two or
more persons may play at the game which can be greatly varied; the way in
which it may be played is as follows. Each player is allowed an equal number
of men.
One player unseen by the others puts the loose piece into a hole in the
board from the underside, and then puts the tray on the table. Each player in
turn takes a man and tries to find under which small hole the loose piece 'is
concealed by pushing the pin of the man into one of the small holes. The
players agree before commencing how many holes shall be tried by each man.
Failing to find the loose piece at the end of the number of tries the player
leaves the man in the last hole tried. The next player then takes his turn and
so on until the loose piece has been found, then the player who hid the loose
piece receives all the men on the tray. The finder then hides the loose piece

page_text: and the game proceeds as before, the object being for one player to obtain posses-
sion of all the men. It is easily seen that the game can be varied to suit the
players.
Instead of making the tray as described above it may be made without the
board under the plate, but with another plate a little above the under side of
the frame and with holes corresponding to those in the top plate into which
holes in the lower plate a pin in the loose piece fits. This bottom plate may
be hinged to the frame or it may be arranged to slide in or be fixed in the same,
the holes in it being large enough to pass the loose piece through and shaped so
that when the piece has been passed through and partly turned or moved it will
be held in place; or the edges of the plates may be made to come together and
be formed to take the place of the frame. They may be made to hinge together
or one may slide within the other. Their surfaces may be formed with squares
or other shapes in relief, both being stamped the same but only one having the
small holes through the middle of the squares. These squares being opposite
each other, it is only necessary to separate the. two plates, insert the loose piece
in a square close the plates and the piece cannot move out of the square.
In another form the board under the plate may serve as the bottom of the tray
and have in it recesses opposite the holes in the top plate. The loose piece may
be of the form of a marble or ball which fits loosely in the recesses in bottom and
the space between the top plate and the bottom is a little larger than the diameter
of the ball, so that by inverting the tray the ball can be changed from one recess
to another. Preferably the ball stays permanently in the tray.
This invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings in which:-Fig. 1 is
a plan view. Fig. 2 a section showing plate resting on or connected to an under
board. Fig. 3 is a half section showing a hinged plate instead of an under
board. Fig. 4 is a half section showing a fixed under plate with specially shaped
holes for inserting the loose piece. Fig. 5 is a section having the top and
bottom plates hinged together and with their surfaces stamped to suit the loose
piece. Fig. 6 is a section showing the under board separated from the top
plate by a space sufficient to allow the loose piece in the form of a marble or
ball to pass between them. A is the top plate. B the frame, C the under
board or bottom plate, D a man or marker, E the loose piece. Findicates the
holes in the top plate. F¹ holes in the bottom plate. Ha hinge. J recesses in
bottom plate. J recesses in top plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is;-
The combination with a plate having a plurality of perforations of an under
board or plate having a plurality of receiving spaces for receiving and holding
a loose piece so that the latter may be placed or caused to lie in any position
under one of the perforations in the top plate without being visible through
said top plate and men having pins or tongues adapted to be inserted in the
perforations of the top plate and adapted to come noticeably in contact with the
loose piece when inserted in that perforation beneath which the loose piece is
situated.
Dated this 17th day of Hami 1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicants,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London.