Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Jan., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Oct., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1896
I, HOWARD FLETCHER, of 42 Jeffreys Road, Clapham S.W. Gentleman, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The requisites for playing this game, comprise a board or its equivalent, a
number of discs or equivalents of bone or any other suitable material, and a "trap
or equivalent for throwing the discs.
The board or equivalent is preferably divided into sixteen squares, but I do not
restrict myself to that number. These sixteen squares are numbered from 20 to 100
by tens, and from 12 to 2 by twos. One of the squares is marked X.
The game can be played by any number of persons who sit round the table and take
it in turns to play. The board is placed on the centre of the table, with the highest
numbers on it farthest from the player who commences the game, and it must be
turned sufficiently to bring it into the same position for each succeeding player.
The "trap" is to be placed about 18 inches from the board, and six small discs are
discharged one after the other from the trap by the player whose turn it is,
who places in succession the discs on the lever of the trap, and by a smart tap
with the finger on the end of the lever causes the discs to be thrown forward.
The object of the player is to obtain as large a score as possible by lodging the
dises on any of the squares he chooses.
When a disc falls on a line or on lines of any of the squares or even when it
simply touches a line, it does not count at all. In order to count, the discs must
fall and lie within the squares perfectly clear of the lines dividing the squares.
When a disc falls and lodges on the square, it cancels any score made during
that turn by the player, and also ends the players turn.
A modification of the game consists in coloring pairs of the squares in different
colors, numbering all the squares, and dispensing with the X square. In this
modification of the game, if the player shoots his counters on to a square of
different color to his own, he forfeits the number of points marked on the square
to the player whose square he has invaded, but if he sends the disc on to his own
colored square he scores the number of points marked thereon.
The game might be modified so as to play it as an outdoor one, with requisites.
of increased dimensions.
Dated this 7th day of January 1896.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23 Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.
1, HOWARD FLETCHER of 42, Jeffreys Road, Clapham, S.W. Gentleman, 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:-
The requisites for playing my improved game comprise a board or its equivalent,

page_text: a number of discs or the like hereinafter called "shots" made of ivory or other
suitable material and colored red and white or some other distinctive colors; and a
trap or equivalent for throwing the "shots." The board is divided into any number
of squares each marked by a numeral or other distinguishing sign. The trap may
be of any ordinary kind, but preferably has a flat base and two upstanding sides,
between which is pivotted a lever or "tappet." One end of each of the upstanding
sides is made parallel with the base of the trap so as to form a ledge somewhat lower
than the centre on which the lever turns. The trap is used by placing a shot on
the ledge just mentioned, one end of the lever being down so as to be below the
shot. On smartly tapping the upward end of the lever the shot will be thrown
up and projected on or towards the board. In playing the game the hoard is
placed at about the centre of the table and equidistant from all the players. The
game is played by any number of persons, who compete individually or in teams
of two or more, one team playing the shots of one color against the other team
having shots of a different color. There may also be a banker in which case the
game becomes a triple one. When there is a banker he only pays and receives, no
shots are allotted to him, consequently he does not shoot. A number of cardboard or
other discs or the like are provided as counters or forfeits. There are several ways of
playing the game, of which I shall mention three, but it is open to modification by the
players themselves. In the three I mention one is played with a banker and two
without. In the first game, all the odd numbers on the board may belong to the
banker and the even ones the common property of the other players or vice versa.
The banker takes half the forfeit counters and the other half is distributed equally
between the other players. The shots are also equally divided between the players.
When playing individually no notice is taken of the colors, but when there are
partners those of one side take the shots of one color (say red) equally between them
and those of the other side the shots of the other color (say white). As before
mentioned the banker receives no shots. Partners sit and play alternately. Each
player in turn discharges a shot from oue of the traps, placed at the edge of the table,
and endeavours to land it in a square bearing an even number, if he succeeds, the
banker has to pay the player the number of counters indicated by the number on
such square. If, however the shot settles in any of the bankers squares, the player
has to pay him counters equal in value to the number on the bankers square. If the
shot does not fall completely within a square, but on any of the lines between the
squares, or on the edge of the board resting partly on the table the banker is entitled
to one counter from the player, and if the shot gets into the centre square, the banker
must pay six counters to the successful player. The following is a mode of playing the
game without a banker. The shots are equally divided among the players, those
having the same color being partners. The partners sit alternately round the table
and play in turns. Those having red shots should endeavour to get them on the
squares having odd numbers, and those having white shots should try to place
them on the even number. If a shot is made contrary to this rule, it must be
removed from play before the game is proceeded with. Two shots of the same
color on the same square ouly count as one. Shots falling on lines dividing the
squares do not count. The shots properly played are allowed to remain on the
board until all shots have been made. All shots on the odd numbers are first
alded together, and then those on the even numbers. The side first scoring one
hundred wins the game.
In the second of the games without a banker which I shull describe, the players
have an equal number of shots, and partners shoot alternately, the endeavour being
to get their shots on any numbers irrespective as to their being odd or even. If
a shot is thrown on to a square already occupied, the first one does not count
and must be removed from the board. Shots falling on a line are left there and
do not count, but if during the course of play they are knocked off the line by
another shot, they are considered as just shot and count accordingly. When all
the shots have been thrown once, the number of points scored by each side are
added up and the number of the one color over that of the other color is the

page_text: score. If both score the same, nothing is registered to either side. The shots
are then removed from the board and again distributed among the players and
play proceeds again and so on until the game is won. The side that first get
fifty or any other number to be arranged among the players before starting, wins
the game.
The accompanying drawings show a view of the trap when in use, aa are the
upstanding sides between which is the lever or tappet ò pivotted at c. d is a shot
ready to be projected from the ledge e by the players finger f smartly tapping
on the end of the lever b.
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 I
claim is :-
(1.) An improved game provided for by a board divided into numbered squares;
a trap or equivalent for throwing differently colored "shots," and a number of
counters for paying forfeit; the said game being played by throwing the shots
from the trap and endeavouring to place them within the numbered squares into
which the board is divided, the whole substantially as described in the above
specification.
(2.) The use of a trap for playing games substantially as described in the above
specification and exemplified in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 2nd day of October 1896.
HUGHES & YOUNG,
23, Coleman Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.