A Puzzle Apparatus.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1892-Accepted, 18th June, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Puzzle Apparatus.
We, THOMAS DORGAN, of 85 Barkly Street, Carlton, in the Colony of Victoria,
Manufacturer, and ALFRED BRIDGES, of 15 Grosvenor Street, South Yarra,
Manufacturer, in the said colony, 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 puzzle apparatus formed in the shape of a block or
base having a number of vertical pins or projections arranged thereon. These are
placed in a seemingly irregular manner. A number of rings or loops of rigid
material such as metal are also used these being of various irregular shapes. The
rings are placeable over the pins in many different ways and each ring will embrace
more or less pins according to its placing, but it will be found that it is a matter
of some difficulty to discover in what way the rings can be so placed that they
collectively enclose the whole of the pins. The latter can however be done, and
to do so constitutes the puzzle. We so place the pins as to lead those who attempt
to solve the puzzle to fall into a trap. The ring which for example should be so
placed as to cover only 3 pins will in actual trial cover a larger number as six, and
the ring which ought to be placed to enclose a certain five pins is capable of
enclosing a larger number as eight. These erroneous positions are easy to discover
and the consequence is that persons trying to solve the puzzle persistently fall into
the trap and thus there is an endless amount of amusement produced in their efforts
to place the remaining rings so as to enclose the pins which however are so placed
as to render this impossible.
We have examined the features of many other patented puzzles but have found
none in which the features of ours are contained. We do not confine ourselves to
any special number or placing of pins or number or form of rings but use such
as embody the aforesaid "trapping" principle in a puzzle by means of rings
and pins.
We shall now describe our puzzle apparatus more particularly by reference to
the attached sheet of drawings showing by Fig. 1 a plan of the block or board from
which the pins project and also showing the rings and by Fig. 2 the same plan view
as before but with the rings placed over the pins in the manner necessary for the
solution of the puzzle.
A, A are pins springing from the base block W. B, C, D, E, are rings of
irregular and unlike forms.
Cand E¹ indicate by dotted lines how the rings C and E could be placed, so
as to enclose a much larger number of pins than they really should enclose in
order to solve the puzzle.
We arrange the grouping of the pins within the positions indicated by E¹ and C¹
specially so as to constitute a deliberate trap to mislead those endeavouring to
solve the puzzle. There might be various variations made in position and number
of the rings and shape and size and number of the pins without departing from
the spirit of the invention, the essential of which is to so place the pins that the
player shall be likely to fall into a trap as indicated, in which case the positions of
the other pins shall be such that they cannot be enclosed by any arrangement of
the remaining rings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A nuzzle annaratus consisting of rings of irregular unlike shanes and of ning

page_text: fixed irregularly in a base, wherein the puzzle consists in so placing the rings as to
enclose all the pins, and wherein in order to retard the solution of the puzzle, a
trap or traps are set substantially as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of May 1892.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicants.