Year: 1897

page_text: I, REUBEN JOHN COOPER COLLINS of 76 Church Street, Clapham Road S.W.
Surrey, Plumber do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in a puzzle made in two parts adapted to be engaged with
and disengaged from each other in a peculiar manner.
The one part consists of three parallel bars connected together at each end the
centre bar being divided and separated for a slight distance at some point along its
length and each bar being somewhat reduced in diameter at one end. This part is
preferably made to represent 3 cricket stumps with bails and a connecting piece for
the points of the stumps.
The other part consists of four arms radiating from a boss or centre and curved,
each arm carrying at its end a flattened plate having on one face near its outer end
a lateral projection or knob, this part may represent four bats, and the knobs afore-
said may represent four cricket balls adhering to the faces of the bats.
The arm or handle of one of the bats may be slightly longer than those of the
other bats.
These two parts are so proportioned that they may be engaged as follows:-The
longer armed bat is passed between two of the stumps (the ball passing by the point
of the stump) and the bats are turned on an axis crosswise of the stumps and slid
towards the other end when they are turned for a quarter turn in the plane of the
stumps so that the shoulder of the aforesaid bat lies closely outside the third stump
it being preferably recessed to engage therewith; in this position the bats are slid
back until the next bat will pass through the same space where the aforesaid bat was
passed, the bats are then slid back again to disengage the shoulder of the longer
armed bat from the third stump and the parts are thus engaged without leaving any
trace of the method of engagement. Disengagement is effected by reversal of the
above movements.
200
1005
I, REUBEN JOHN COOPER COLLINS of 76 Church Street, Clapham Road, S.W.
Surrey Plumber do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
5 and by the following statement:-
This invention consists in a puzzle made in two novel parts, for the purpose,
adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from each other in a novel puzzling or
Bouliar manner

page_text: I will describe my said invention with reference to the Figures in the accompanying
Drawings in which like letters and figures of reference indicate the same parts in all
the Figures thereof.
The one part, which is illustrated separately in side view and face view in
Figures 1 and 2 respectively of the accompanying Drawings, consists of three
parallel cylindrical bars a b c connected together at each end by cross pieces the
central bar bhaving a cut away part b'. Each of the bars a b c is tapered where the
same passes into one of the cross pieces and has, where the taper portion meets
the cylindrical portion, a small collar or projection which in the case of the bar b passes
completely around the said bar but in the bars a c only partially around them
having their inner sides plain as shown at a c¹ Figures 1 and 2. This part I prefer-
ably so shape as to somewhat resemble a wicket as illustrated and the said part is
hereinafter termed the wicket."
The other part is illustrated separately in Figures 3 and 4, Figure 3 being an
elevation taken in the direction of the arrow in Figure 4 and Figure 4 being an
elevation taken in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3. The said part consists of four
peculiarly shaped arms d ; e e¹; f f¹ ; g g¹ radiating from a centre. The said
arms have flat end portions d e f g and cylindrical curved portions d¹ e¹ f g and have
projections or protuberances d e f g (hereinafter termed the "balls ") near the
respective ends of the flat portions of the arms each of the flat portions of the arms
passing into the cylindrical portions by two curved or recessed shoulders. Thus this
part of the puzzle somewhat resembles four cricket bats with their handles connected
together and a ball on each of the said bats, and the said part is hereinafter termed
the "bats." The two bats d e with their handles d' e' are similar to one another and
both lie in one plane at right angles to the plane in which the bats f g both lie the
bats fg resembling each other and the bats d e. The handles f g of the bats f g
however are curved in a slightly different manner to the handles de¹ and the handle f
is slightly longer than the handle g for the purpose hereinafter mentioned all
which will be understood by an examination of Figures 3 and 4. The balls fd do
not project from the faces of the bats f d to so great a distance nor are the said balls
so large as the balls e2 g for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.
In manufacturing the said two parts I cast both the wicket and the bats in metal
each part being cast in one piece. The wicket may be cast in any metal but I prefer
to cast it in iron but the "bats" must be cast with all the arms thereof in one plane
or flat, two of the bats, preferably the bats fg being bent into position after casting.
For this purpose the bats must be cast in malleable iron and annealed and cleaned or
"barrelled "in the ordinary manner before bending the said two bats. Figures 5
and 6 represent respectively in face and edge views the hat part before the bats f
and thereof are bent into position. The broken lines in Figure 6 represent the
path and position of the bat f while being and when bent into position. The said
bat is first bent into a position at right angles to its original position and then bent
on the axis of its handle fat right angles to its first bent position so as to bring it
into the position indicated in Figure 6 and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. The bat g
is similarly bent but in an opposite direction as indicated in Figure 6. In bending
the bat finto position care must be taken that the distance between the shoulder of
the said bat and the inside of the bend in its handle is a little greater than the
distance between the outside of the bars a b of the wicket as will be hereafter
understood.
The bat I will hereinafter call the "long armed bat."
I will now proceed to describe the puzzling and peculiar method of engaging with
⚫each other the wicket and the bats with reference to Figures 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11
which represent the said two parts in various stages of their engagement.
Figure 12 represents in perspective the two parts engaged together and as put on
the market the puzzle being to disengage the two parts which disengagement is
effected by reversal of the movements of engagement.
The two parts are presented to each other as represented in Figure 7 and the
longer armed bat f is passed between the two bars bc of the wicket in the direction

page_text: indicated by the arrow in Figure 8 which represents a view taken at right angles to
the view Figure 7 with the parts in the same position. The ball f¹ projects just
enough to allow the bat f to pass between the two tapered ends of the said bars b c
and between no other portions of their length except perhaps where the space is
left in the bar b. Having passed the bat f between the bars bc it is turned on an
axis crosswise of the wicket and the bat part slid to the "bail" end of the space
between the bars be until the bat f has the position indicated by broken lines in
Figure 7. The said bat f is then so passed to the side of the bails that its shoulder
engages with the bar a of the wicket (the handle f being of just such a length as
to permit this) which position is indicated by broken lines y in Figure 7 and as
seen in Figure 9 which is an end view of the wicket with the hat thus engaged.
The bat is then slidden away from the bail end of the wicket until the bat d can
pass through the wicket in the same manner as the bat f had passed its ball d²
passing between the taper portions of the bars b c as represented in Figures 10
and 11 which represent views taken at right angles to one another of the parts
while passing the bat d through the wicket. When the bat d has passed through
the wicket as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 11 the bat f is slidden upward
as indicated by the arrows in Figures 10 and 11 so as to disengage its shoulder
from the bar a which being done it will be found that two hats are one side of
the wicket and two are on the other side. The balls e² g² being too large to pass
through the wicket at any part and the handle g¹ being not long enough to allow
the bat to pass over the bar a as the bat f had passed it becomes necessary to
reverse the described movements to disengage the two parts.
The cut away part 6 allows the bat part to be moved into the space between
the bars a bin order to adapt the parts to greater variety of movement in
discovering the method of disengagement.
Although in the accompanying Drawings, and in the description of the movements
necessary to engagement of the wicket and bats I have not throughout indicated
the position and movement of each one of the bats it must be understood that the
remainder of the hats follow the movements of the bat described, that is, all the
bats are quite rigid and in the same relative position to each other after
the bending of the bats f g has been effected.
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 I claim as
my invention of "
A new or improved puzzle'
-
First The part or element (herein termed the "wicket") shaped substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12
of the accompanying Drawings and adapted to be engaged with and disengaged
from another part or element, such as the part herein termed the "bats," in a
puzzling or peculiar manner.
Secondly The part or element (herein termed the "bats") shaped substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 of
the accompanying Drawings and adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from
another part or element, such as that herein termed the "wicket," in a puzzling or
peculiar manner.
Thirdly The new or improved puzzle herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings, consisting of two parts or elements (herein respectively
termed the wicket" and the "bats") shaped and adapted to be engaged with and
disengaged from each other substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.