Toy Game or Puzzle.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 3rd Nov., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Toy Game or Puzzle.
I, WILLIAM WALTON, of Murton House, Bishopwearmouth, in the Borough and
County of Sunderland, Schoolmaster, formerly Engineer Student in Her Majesty's
Naval Service, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The invention is a means of, and apparatus for, imitating on a small scale,
Association football, Rugby football, cricket, and lawn tennis; the apparatus being
similar in the four games, with modifications to represent the number and relative
positions of the men, and the part of the board or "field" they traverse.
6:
In all four games played with this apparatus there is one ball," upon the
movements of which depends the score of each side playing, or the interest of the
person who uses the apparatus merely as a puzzle, for which it is well adapted.
The 30 men in play at the same time in Rugby football, become 22 in Association
football, become 13 or more in cricket, and become 4 at lawn tennis. The "two
goal posts" at each end for football, become "three stumps" towards each end for
cricket, and become "two net-poles" in the middle for lawn tennis.
I propose to make the length and breadth of the ground in the imitation of
football and lawn-tennis proportional to the sizes actually used, as also all such
measurements as the distance between goal-posts, between net-poles and the like.
I propose to make the "ground" of wood or of sheet-metal or of other suitable
material and generally flat.
Two exceptions to the flatness may be mentioned as examples.
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The ground may be slightly hollowed or dished, in two or three places to
facilitate the representation in the Rugby football of the scrimmage or serummage.
The ground may be raised in parts across its middle, to facilitate the representation
of the net in lawn-tennis. The players or
conveniently be represented
men may
by small marbles or by large shot which may or may not be of different colours to
represent the sides, and the ball may be conveniently represented by a marble or a
shot of smaller size than those used to represent the men.
In order that the men may stay on the ground, and in order that each man may
stay in the part of the ground allotted to him to defend, 1 arrange in small models
a cover of transparent glass having on its under side threads or ridges of the same
material, which project downwards a little way towards the board or field of play.
These threads or ridges limit the motion of the marbles or shot representing the
players, but leave the marble or shot representing the ball free to move all over
the field of play, and even to go out of bounds, and by this means to allow for the
various events called "fault," "bye," "overthrow," "corner," "touch," "touch in
goal."
In larger models where the glass cover would be inconvenient or too liable to be
broken, a cover of wire or of sheet metal, or of other suitable material may ha
substituted, the different parts of which may serve for the boundaries of the ground
In models of all sizes the boundaries of the
and of each player's part thereof.
ground, the touch-line, the creases the service-lines, and all similar markings may
be conveniently made on the board or field of play itself, those within bounds being
merely printed or stamped on the surface, so as not to interfere with the movements
of the marbles or shot, while those out of bounds may be either printed on the
surface or depressed. The goal-posts and the wickets may conveniently be
represented by pins or pegs fastened into or to the ground.
At the beginning of each game the ball will start from an appointed place, and
its movements, as also the movements of the men in their respective districts may
be caused and regulated by "canting" or inclining the "board," the degree or

page_text: delicacy of which is meant to exercise the skill, the judgment, and the steadiness of
hand of the player or players. In large models an arrangement will be made for
fixing the slope of the board in any direction and at any angle for each move of a
player. The method of moving the ball by means of a suitably shaped cue will
also be given. Other methods of moving the ball and the men will also be arranged.
The games played with this apparatus will be regulated by rules as similar as
possible to the rules of the real games.
I do not restrict myself to the details and arrangements herein shown and
described as the same may be varied and the apparatus modified in various ways
according to circumstances without departing froin my invention.
Dated this 21st den of Tenue 1900
WILLIAM WALTON.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Toy Game or Puzzle.
I, WILLIAM WALTON, of Murton House, Bishopwearmouth, Sunderland, in the
County of Durham, Schoolmaster, formerly Engineer Student in Her Majesty's
Naval Service, 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 :-
My invention relates to a method or methods of imitating football, cricket, lawn-
tennis, base-ball, and such kindred games, in which each player has apportioned to
him a part of the field to protect, or, in other words, where each player has assigned
to him a position on the field, having a definite relation to the positions of the other
players. In real lawn-tennis the parts of the field are clearly and definitely marked
off on the ground. In real base-ball some of the positions are clearly and
definitely marked off, while the relative localities of the others are well known.
In real foot-ball the only fixed positions are the touch-lines, the goal-lines, the
goals, and the centre, yet the positions of the players are definitely related to each
other, and to the fixed positions. In real cricket the only fixed positions are the
wickets and the creases, yet the positions of all the men on the field are definitely
related to each other and to the fixed positions. In imitating these and kindred
games, the chief object has been to limit the locality of each player to his proper
relative position and proportion of the field, at the same time leaving the ball free
to pass through each player's ground, and to traverse the whole of the field. To
do this, I arrange that the players are represented by marbles, balls, metal shots,
round sweets, or similar objects, of a convenient size, and of different colours to
represent the players on the different sides, whereas the "ball" in each game is
represented by a marble, a ball, a metal-shot, a round sweet, or a similar article of
a smaller size. It is remarked, that whereas in foot-ball, Association Fig. 1
Rugby Fig. 3 cricket Fig. 5 lawn-tennis Fig. 8, base-ball, and kindred games the
number of players is various, yet in each game only one ball is in play at any
particular time. By making the marble, ball, metal shot, round sweet, or such
article, which represents the "ball," of a smaller size than those representing the
players, the "ball" is allowed to move all over the field, while the "players" are
limited in their movements by obstacles or projections. These obstacles or pro-
jections may be arranged either that the ball is never hindered by them, d or that
it is hindered by them only when beneficial, the players being always stopped by
them. The general and better method is that, which will never hinder the ball
but will always stop the players d. It is obtained by fixing, at a suitable height
above the board or field of play, a web of metal strips d Figs. 3. 4 fastened together,
having the meshes or spaces between them of suitable size and number for the
players. The height suitable for fixing this above the board, is a distance rather
greater than the diameter of the football, Figs. 2. 4. 11 so that it is always free to
pass beneath. The players, being of larger size than the ball, are prevented

page_text: leaving their parts of the ground by the lower edge of the web. Instead of the web
being made of strips of metal, it may be made of narrow strips of wood, or of any
other suitable substance.
As it is only the lower edge of the web that is needed, the strips of metal, or of
wood, or other suitable substance, may be made as narrow as possible consistent
with strength. Thus, the web may be formed of fine wires d. Figs. 1. 2. pulled very
tight upon a frame of strong wire, or of wood, or of other suitable substance.
Instead of the fine wires just mentioned, threads or fibres of india-rubber, or of some
other elastic substance, may be used.
The board representing the field of play may conveniently be made with sides and
ends c of sufficient height to support the web of metal, wood, india-rubber, or other
suitable material, in its proper place. If the web is made of strips of metal or wood
fastened together, the free ends of the strips may conveniently be slipped into slots
in the material of the sides and ends, before these are fastened together Figs. 3. 4.
If the web is made of wires, or of fibres of india-rubber stretched upon a frame, the
frame may conveniently he slipped into a groove in the material of the sides and
ends, before these are fastened together Fig. 2. The web, or the frame of the web,
may be fastened to the sides, or to the ends, or to both sides and ends, in any other
suitable manner. The web for each toy may be made all in one piece, or in two or
more pieces.
When made in more than one piece, it may be convenient to arrange that one or more
parts of the web can slide, so that the players belonging to it, or to them, may have
their positions changed relatively to the other players Fig. 11.
These sliding
pieces of the web can be operated by the living players, from the sides or ends of
the board. Each toy may conveniently have a lid of wood, or of sheet glass, or of
any other suitable material, to protect the web. If it be arranged to have a glass
lid, so that it need not be removed when the toy is in use, this lid can be used to
support the web thus:-the web itself can be made of glass stamped or pressed or
cast on the underside of the glass-lid so that the web and the glass lid are all in
one Fig. 11. It may be convenient to make this glass lid with web attached in two
or more pieces, either for greater ease in manufacture or to allow of part or parts
of the lid sliding as above explained. When wires or elastic fibres are used to form
the web they may conveniently be fastened to the sides and ends of the board by
nails or pins or other suitable attachments or by passing through holes in the
material of the sides and ends, or in any other manner. The web may also be of
cast or pressed metal or of any other suitable substance made in any convenient
manner.
In addition to the general method just explained in which the ball is never
hindered, is another, mentioned above according to which the ball is hindered by
the projections only when beneficial e Figs. 5. 9. 10. In this method the projections
do not form a web, nor are they elevated above the board.
They are fixed to the board or field of play itself so that the spaces between
every two consecutive projections are large enough to allow the "ball
to pass.
If these projections are meant to stop the players, the spaces between every two
must be less than the diameter of the marbles, balls shots or sweets representing
them, but if the players are to be stopped by the web as explained in the first
method these projections may be at a greater distance apart.
The projections just mentioned may be of any suitable material and of any
convenient shape. One convenient shape is similar to the letter T Figs. 9. 10. the
lower part or stalk to drive into the board like a nail, and the upper part above the
board remaining straight and horizontal Fig. 9, or remaining horizontal and being
curved like the arc of a circle Fig. 10, so that when the ball comes against this
upper part it will be stopped.
Instead of this shape, two pins or nails driven into the board near each other
have the same effect and are counted as one projection. This second method of
projection is useful in the imitation of cricket Fig. 5. to indicate the runs gained by
one side against the other. A toy may be made with either method or with both

page_text: methods of projection. In imitating the bowling at cricket or the feeding at base-
ball a catapulta may be used, but a better method is the following.
At or near the position occupied by the bowler, I affix the lower end f Fig. 14
of a trough or shoot, of semicircular, or rectangular, or other suitable section. The
lower end of the trough is curved so that the ball rolling down it is fairly projected
towards the batsman. By sloping the trough at a greater or less inclination to the
board the ball is delivered at a swift or slow pace. Holes are left at the corners g.
Fig. 5. or at other suitable positions to recover the ball. The board or field of play
may be of wood or sheet metal or any other suitable material. It may be of any
convenient size and of any proportions suited to the game imitated. It is generally
flat and smooth so that by gently sloping or canting it the players and the ball
move freely. To imitate the scrimmage or serummage in Rugby football I make
the board slightly depressed . Figs. 3. 4. or dished in one or more places so that the
ball and several of the players may come together.
These depressions are not so great as to allow the players to leave their compart-
ments by rolling under the web.
In imitating Rugby football Fig. 3. it may be convenient to put two players in
each of several compartments. To imitate the net in lawn-tennis i Fig. 8 I make
some parts of the ground near the middle of the board slightly raised Figs. 7. 13.
sloping up and down and the rest level. If the ball gets on the raised part it can
cross from one end of the ground to the other, if it keeps on the level it strikes
the net.
Instead of the raised part and the level part, it may be convenient to substitute a
level part and a depressed part Figs. 6. 12, the level part allowing the ball to pass
over the net, the depressed part causing it to strike the net.
In using this toy to imitate any of the games mentioned the players are moved in
their several compartments by sloping or canting the board. The ball also is
generally operated in the same way. Exceptions to the latter are the bowling at
cricket, and feeding at base-ball as already explained Fig. 14. It is also convenient
to allow a living player to move or impel the ball in a certain direction at other
times, as in football, when it crosses the goal-lines or touch-lines.
I do not restrict myself to the exact details and arrangements herein shown and
described as the same may be varied and the apparatus modified in various ways
according to circumstances without departing from my invention, but,
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 what 1
claim is :-
:-
1. The method or methods of imitating football, cricket, lawn-tennis, base-ball
and kindred games as herein described and explained.
2. In imitating football, cricket, lawn-tennis, base-ball and kindred games, the
web made of strips of metal or wood or other suitable substance; made of wires or
of clastic fibres made of glass or of metal, cast or pressed; or of any other suitable
substance, made in any convenient manner as herein explained.
3. The method of using the web to limit the range or ground of each player,
whether the said web be fixed to the board or be arranged to slide in part or parts
as herein explained.
4. In imitating cricket, base-ball and kindred games the apparatus for bowling
or feeding, consisting of a trough or shoot curved or bent at the lower end whether
the same is or is not capable of being sloped at a greater or less inclination for swift
and slow delivery.
5. The method of imitating the scrimmage or scrummage of Rugby football by
depressing or dishing the ground in one or more convenient places as herein
explained.
6. The method of imitating the net in lawn tennis by raising or by depressing the
ground as herein explained.
7. The method of limiting the range or ground of each player while leaving the

page_text: ball free to traverse the whole ground, by using marbles, balls, metal shots round
sweets or similar articles of two distinct sizes, the smaller representing the ball.
8. The method of using stops affixed to the board to limit the range of the ball
when beneficial as herein explained.
9. The method of using stops fixed to the board to limit the range of the players.
WILLIAM WALTON.