Improvements in Toys for Making Imitation Mosaic Work.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 18th Feb., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Toys for Making Imitation Mosaic Work.
A communication by WILHELM KÖNIG, of 7, Bukowerstrasse, Berlin, S., in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, 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:-
It has not hitherto been possible in flat mosaic toys, in which small blocks of
stone are placed side by side to form designs, pictures, etcetera, to place these blocks
in such a way that, when one of them is withdrawn, the blocks adjacent thereto
shall remain unmoved.
This difficulty arises mainly from the hitherto customary arrangement of the
blocks by which one block is held up by the others, so that the movement of the
whole of the blocks has to be taken into account.
In order to remove this drawback, in this invention, the old principle is entirely
abandoned, and an entirely new system is employed.
In this case, each separate block of the composite plate is made independent. In
consequence of the peculiar construction of the plate, as well as of the blocks
themselves, a block, when once placed in a position, must remain there, it being
immaterial whether other blocks stand adjacent to it or not.
On the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 shows the composite plate partially with the blocks inserted and
partially without.
Figure 2 shows a section of this plate without any blocks inserted.
Figure 3 shows the form of construction of a block.
Figure 4 shows a section of a plate in which the blocks are partially inserted.
The setting (composing) plate a is provided with quadratic holes coc which are
all equal in size, for instance, on the accompanying drawing, four_millimetres
square. These holes c c c taper conically downwards as may be seen in Figures 1, 2
and 4.
The composing blocks balso taper conically downwards, the upper surface ƒ of
these blocks, which forms the picture surface, is equal in size to the upper part of.
the opening of the holes c c c, plus the upper thickness of the walls of these
holes.
The blocks b therefore, when inserted in the holes c, project a little over the
plate a. This is necessary so that the separate blocks shall fit tightly together.
If the surface of the blocks was exactly even with that of the plate, a picture would
be obtained which would be intersected by the dividing walls e e e of the holes c c c
of the plate a, in other words, an incomplete picture with lines on the same not
belonging thereto. If, on the other hand, the blocks project somewhat over the
surface of the plate a, and each side of a block be of the length of an opening plus
the thickness of the wall of the opening, the edges of the stones will fit tight against
one another and an uninterrupted picture will be produced not intersected by any
parts not belonging thereto.
In consequence of the conical form of the blocks bbb in combination with the
conical holes c c c in the plate a, it is also possible for each individual block to
remain stationary where it is once placed, without any further assistance, and thus
each block is entirely independent of the others. In this system, therefore, there
is not the least difficulty, if a wrong block has been inserted, in changing the same

page_text: for a correct one, and, whilst doing this, the adjacent blocks remain firm in their
places and do not fall against one another.
The blocks may be of any suitable form angular, circular etcetera.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
The improvements in toys for making imitation mosaic work consisting of a
composing or fixing plate a, which is provided with conical holes c c c tapering
downwards, and of conical blocks bbb the upper surfaces of which are equal to
the upper openings i of the holes e ce in the plate a, plus the upper thickness e of
the side walls of these holes c c c so as to allow the individual blocks to be fixed
independently of one another, and also to obtain a close fitting together of the
separate blocks.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1892.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.