An Improved Puzzle, also Useful as an Article of Jewellery, for Advertising, or for Teaching Purposes.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Apr., 1900-Accepted, 26th May, 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Puzzle, also Useful as an Article of Jewellery,
for Advertising, or for Teaching Purposes.
We, ALBERT GEORGE AUGUSTUS HARNESS, of 21, Baker Street, in the County
of London, Gentleman, and ROSCOE CHARLES SPURIN, of 121, Clacton Road,
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, Advertising Expert, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a permutation puzzle which may be employed for
the purpose of affording amusement or instruction or for advertising purposes.
According to our said invention, any desired number of rings, discs, balls,
beads or other bodies are arranged side by side or one above another in a suitable
frame or case or upon a rod, wire, string or the like in such a manner that they
can be rotated relatively to one another to expose or bring prominently into view
different portions of their peripheries or faces or one or other of a number of
faces formed on their peripheries. Upon the peripheries or faces of the said
rings, discs or other rotary bodies suitable letters, figures, or signs representing
letters or figures, or other characters are inscribed, painted or marked as may be
most convenient, so that, by turning the said rings, discs or other bodies
relatively to one another, the various letters or other characters thereon can be
brought into line with each other. The said letters or other characters are so
selected that, when the said rotary bodies are adjusted to one particular position
relatively to one another certain letters or characters will be brought into the
required order to form a word, expression, clause or sentence, which may be
an advertisement, greeting, motto, catch-phrase or the like. Rings, beads or
the like mounted and marked according to our invention can also be employed
as an abacus or for teaching children or others the alphabet or the order of the
natural numbers.
Our improved puzzle can be constructed in various ways; for example we some-
times mount a series of rings upon the outside of a box or a walking-stick or other
article of utility so that they can be rotated thereon relatively to one another,
and we mark the exposed surfaces of the said rings with letters or other characters
situated at equal distances apart, and so arranged that, when certain of them are
brought into line with one another by the relative rotation of the rings, they
will form a readable word or sentence, but in all other relative positions of the
said rings such word or sentence will not be formed. If desired more than one
row of letters or characters, when the latter are in the proper position to give a
solution of the puzzle, may similarly form words or sentences or parts of a
sentence.
If desired we can provide a series or group of rings arranged in this manner,
which can be readily applied to boxes such as are used for containing cocoa or
other substances.
In other instances, beads or the like marked with letters or other characters
as above mentioned are mounted to form bracelets, necklaces or the like, so that,
when the said beads are arranged in the intended relative position, the char-

page_text: acters thereon will form a motto or poetical quotation or other word or sentence.
The said beads may be of any convenient shape, for example, in the form of
spheres, cubes or prisms.
In other instances, we mount upon suitable rods, or in a suitable case, discs
of cardboard or any other suitable material the peripheries or the faces of which
are marked with letters or other characters or symbols. To increase the
difficulty of the puzzle, pictures or sketches, which can be arranged so that they
form a rebus, may be used in place of letters. The said discs may, if desired,
be made of soap, confectionery or other material which can be usefully employed
or can be eaten or otherwise consumed.
We sometimes arrange suitably marked blocks or balls in a frame or box
in one or more rows or columns, or in one or more annular channels.
Or we secure together any other kinds of rotary bodies marked as above-
mentioned and arranged side by side or one above another, in any convenient
manner for the purpose above specified.
TL
1000
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.
Agents for the Applicants.
An Improved Puzzle, also Useful as an Article of Jewellery,*
for Advertising, or for Teaching Purposes.
We, ALBERT GEORGE AUGUSTUS HARNESS, of 21, Baker Street, in the County
of London, Gentleman, and ROSCOE CHARLES SPURIN, of 121, Clacton Road,
Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, Advertising Expert, 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:―
This invention relates to a permutation puzzle which may be employed for
the purpose of affording amusement or instruction or for advertising, purposes.
According to our said invention any desired number of rings, discs, balls,
beads or other bodies are arranged side by side or one above another in a suitable
frame or case or upon a rod, wire, string or the like in such a manner that they
can be rotated relatively to one another to expose or bring prominently into view
different portions of their peripheries or faces or one or other of a number of
faces formed on their peripheries. Upon the peripheries or faces of the said
rings, discs or other rotary bodies suitable letters, figures, or signs representing
letters or figures, or other characters are inscribed, painted or marked as may be
most convenient, so that, by turning the said rings, discs or other bodies
relatively to one another, the various letters or other characters thereon can be
brought into line with each other. The said letters or other characters are so
selected that, when the said rotary bodies are adjusted to one particular position
relatively to one another certain letters or characters will be brought into the
required order to form a word, expression, clause or sentence, which may be
an advertisement, greeting, motto, catch-phrase or the like. If desired more
than one row of letters or characters, when the said rotary bodies are in the
proper position or positions, may similarly form words or sentences or parts of
a sentence.
'
Rings, beads or the like mounted and marked according to our invention can
also be employed as an abacus or for teaching children or others the alphabet
or the order of the natural numbers.

page_text: Our said invention moreover comprises other arrangements hereinafter described.
. In the accompanying drawing, we have shown how our said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical central section, showing one
form of our improved puzzle.
Figure 2 is a plan, and
Figure 3 a vertical central section showing another form or modification of
our improved puzzle.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, a, a are rings mounted upon the
outside of a box b so that they can be rotated thereon relatively to one another,
but are prevented from being displaced laterally by means of a fixed collar c
and flange d. If desired, however, the rings a can be held in position by a cap
at both the top and bottom of the box, or by other suitable means.
On the ex-.
posed surfaces of the rings are marked letters or other characters situated at
equal distances apart, and so arranged that, when certain of them are brought
into line with one another by the relative rotation of the rings they will form
a readable word, for example, the word "Female," or a sentence. This series
of rings can also be employed in other ways, for example, they may be used as
a puzzle, the object of which is to determine the greatest number of words having
the same number of letters as there are movable rings, that can be produced by
the letters available on the said rings, or other words having a less number of
letters, as desired.
In other instances beads or the like marked with letters or other characters
as above mentioned are mounted to form bracelets, necklaces or the like, so
that, when the said beads are arranged in the intended relative position, the
characters thereon will form a motto or poetical quotation or other word or
sentence. The said beads may be of any convenient shape, for example, in the
form of spheres, cubes or prisms.
In other instances, we mount upon suitable rods, or in a suitable case, discs of
cardboard or any other suitable material the peripheries or the faces of which
are marked with letters or other characters or symbols. To increase the diffi-
culty of the puzzle, pictures or sketches, which can be arranged so that they
form a rebus, may be used in place of letters. The said discs may, if desired, be
made of soap, confectionery or other material which can be usefully employed
or can be eaten or otherwise consumed.
In the form of our improved puzzle shown in Figures 2 and 3, a box e is pro-
vided in which the rings f are arranged in planes extending radially from the
centre of the said box at equal angles apart. The rings f are here guided ex-
ternally by the bottom of the box e, a perforated ring g, and the edges of aper-
tures in a top piece h. Each ring has such a number of letters or characters
on it that, when the letters or characters are in the middle of their respective
apertures h¹. only one of the said letters will be visible in each aperture. The
puzzle can be operated as follows:-Revolve the rings f by means of the point
of a pin or other suitable means until the letters are so placed that they form
part or the whole of a sentence, for example, "All's well that ends well." The
other letters on the several rings can be arranged in such order that, when they
are all turned outwards (or inwards) through the angle corresponding to one
letter, a continuation of the quotation will appear, and so on until the end of
the series. Or, if desired, the remaining letters can 'form other independent
sentences. A cap or cover j is provided for protecting the said puzzle.
The rings can be arranged with their planes at right angles to those shown.
Or, if desired, the letters or characters can be marked on discs arranged parallel
to the top-piece h beneath the same and adapted to be turned about pivots so as
to expose one letter at a time through the apertures h¹.
Or, in other cases, we arrange suitably marked blocks or balls in a frame or
box in one or more rows or columns, or in one or more annular channels.

page_text: Or we secure together any other kinds of rotary bodies marked as above-
mentioned and arranged side by side or one above another, in any convenient
manner for the purpose above specified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is ;-
1. A puzzle comprising a number of rings, discs, balls, beads or like bodies
mounted on a suitable support and bearing on their faces or peripheries a series
of letters, figures or characters capable of being arranged relatively to each other
so as to form one or more words, numbers, or sentences, substantially as described
2. The improved puzzle constructed substantially as described with reference
to Figure 1 or to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing, for the purposes
.specified.
1000
A. G. A. HARNESS.
ROSCOE CHARLES SPURIN.
D. Young & Co.,
11 & 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.