AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL - Toy
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph John Perry, of Red Lion Square, in the
County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MECHANICAL
-
Toy." - A communication from abroad by T. Alexander, of
Washington, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th November 1873, and dated the 12th September 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph John Perry at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 12th September 1873.
I, JOSEPH JOHN PERRY, of Red Lion Square, in the County of
Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN
IMPROVED MECHANICAL TOY," a communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a mechanical toy, so constructed that by
blowing or otherwise forcing air through or into a tube the image of
some animal or other desired object is made to advance with opened
jaws towards a shaped receptacle on which is placed a small coin or
similar article. This coin or other article lies in such a position as to
be between the jaws when the latter come to it, and upon exhausting

page_text: from the tube by the same aperture at which it was blown in, the jaws
are caused to close upon and seize the said coin, and the image retires
to the place whence it started. I thus combine an interesting game
with an amusing toy.
In carrying my Invention into effect an oblong rectangular box is
constructed with a deck on which the image performs, and above the
deck there is a sort of coupé top at one end into which the image retires
and remains until propelled from it by the pneumatic force applied by
means of the tube as herein described; the upper jaw of the image is
hinged and carries a rigidly attached stem projecting downwards through
the under jaw and through a slot in the deck into the interior of the
box beneath. The lower end of this stem is hinged or pivoted to one
end of a rod extending horizontally throughout the length of the tube
which is fixed horizontally in the box at the coupé top end. The other
end of the said rod carries a plunger disc nearly fitting the interior of
the tube. The outer face of this disc sufficiently closes the tube to
receive the impulsion of the air blown or forced into the said tube,
which projects sufficiently for that purpose beyond the end of the box.
This force propels the plunger disc and the rod carrying it through the
length of the tube, and by means of the rod communicates motion to
the pivoted stem, which being firmly attached to the hinged upper jaw
acts as a lever and throws the jaw up on its hinges to its bearings, then
the motion is communicated to the entire image itself and propels it
forward the length of the remaining throw of the rod end in the tube.
Upon applying suction to withdraw the air from the tube the disc is
drawn back by the pneumatic force thus produced, pulling with it the
rod and the lever stem, and the reverse action takes place, the upper
jaw closes upon the under jaw with a grip sufficient to hold a coin or
other similar object between them, and the image thus carrying it
retires to its original position. The projecting exterior end of the
pneumatic tube serves as a mouth piece for blowing or inhaling
through the tube, and a number of covering tubes of glass, india-
rubber, or other suitable material to slip over and upon the mouth
piece may be provided to furnish each one of a number of players with
a separate mouth piece for his or her individual use when playing a
A hazard game may be played with this toy by a pool of, say
halfpennies, of one up by each player who stakes one upon the aforesaid
game.

page_text: receptacle for the image to seize it in its jaws, if he succeeds in causing
the image to seize hold and retire quite into its cover without dropping
the coin he wins the pool, if the coin is dropped on the way, he saves
his stake, if he fails to cause the image to seize and bring the coin from
its place he loses it to the pool.
filed by the said Joseph John Perry in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th November 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
JOHN PERRY, of Red Lion Square, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph John Perry, Her
special licence that I, the said Joseph John Perry, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph John
Perry, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for “AN
IMPROVED MECHANICAL TOY," a communication to me from abroad by
T. Alexander, of Washington, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph John Perry, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph John Perry, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification:-
This Invention relates to a mechanical toy so constructed that by
blowing or otherwise forcing air through or into a tube the image of
some animal or other desired object is made to advance with opened
jaws towards a shaped receptacle on which is placed a small coin or
similar article. This coin or other article lies in such a position as to be
between the jaws when the latter come to it, and upon exhausting by
inhaling or in any other convenient manner withdrawing the air from
the tube by the same aperture at which it was blown in, the jaws are
caused to close upon and scize the said coin, and the image retires to
the place whence it started.
This Invention is capable of considerable variety of applications in
mechanically moving toys. In that herein adopted for its illustration
the image of an animal is made to advance with opened and wagging
jaws in an amusing manner towards the said receptacle on which is
placed a coin or other suitably shaped article in such a position as to lic
directly between the opened jaws when the image arrives at the receptacle,
by reversing the application of the pneumatic force and consequent
mechanical action, the jaws are caused to close upon and seize the
said coin, and the image carrying the coin in its jaws is caused to retire
to the place whence it started on its forward movement. As more or
less skill and practise on the part of the player are requisite to do
this unerringly, an interesting game may thus be combined with an
amusing toy.
The manner of carrying this Invention into effect will be readily under-
stood from the following description, and the Drawings referred to. The
frame of my improved mechanical and pneumatic toy is an oblong,
rectangular box constructed with a "deck on which the image performs.
The sides of this box are so shaped as to provide above the deck a coupé
top at one end, to serve as a chamber or covert, into which the image
retires and remains until propelled from it by the pneumatic force
applied by means of the tube and plunger disc as hercin-after described;
the upper jaw of the image is hinged and carries a rigidly attached stem
projecting downwards through a slot in the under jaw and through a
slot in the deck into the interior of the box or chamber beneath. The
lower end of this stem is hinged or pivoted to one end of a rod extending

page_text: lengthwise within the said tube which is fixed horizontally in the frame.
work of the box below the said coupé top. The other end of this rod
carries the aforesaid plunger disc which nearly fits the interior of the
tube. This disc sufficiently closes the tube to receive and obey the
impulsion of the air blown or forced into the said tube at its outer end.
This end of the tube projects beyond the end of the box in such a
manner that it may be blown into by the mouth of the person operating
the toy, or may have a pressure of air forced into it by any other con-
venient or preferable means. The force exerted by the air pressure upon
the disc propels the plunger and the rod carrying it through the length of
the air chamber of the tube, and by means of the said rod communicates
motion to the above mentioned pivoted stem which being firmly
attached to the hinged upper jaw combines with the latter to act as a
lever and throw the jaw up on its hinges until arrested by coming to its
bearings, when the motion of the plunger disc rod is communicated to
the entire image and propels the said image the length of the remaining
throw of the plunger disc rod. Upon applying suction to the outer end of
the tube to exhaust or withdraw the air from the plunger chamber, or
part of the tube behind the disc face, the disc is drawn back by the
reversed pneumatic force thus obtained, of course pulling with it the rod
and the lever stem pivoted to the rod, when the reverse action takes
place, that is to say, the upper jaw closes upon the under jaw of the
image with a grip sufficient to seize and hold a coin or other suitably
shaped object between them, and the image thus carrying the coin
retires to its original position; the projecting exterior end of the pncu-
matic tube may serve without a separate mouth piece for blowing or
inhaling by the mouth of the operator through the tube, but when a
number of persons are playing at one game with the toy it may be
desirable for each one of them to be furnished with a separate piece for
his or her individual use, to introduce into the mouth. For this purpose
additional external separate mouth pieces are provided, so made as to
slide, but not too freely, on and off over the external projecting end of the
pneumatic tube.
A sort of hazard game can be played with this toy by a set of players
starting a pool of, say halfpennies, one up by each player, who then
stakes one, which is placed on the aforesaid receptacle for the image to
seize it in its jaws. If he succeed in causing the image to seize hold
and retire quite into its covert without dropping the coin he wins the

page_text: longitudinal section.
Figure 2 is a top view of the said toy with the roof of the upper
chamber removed.
Figure 3 is an end view of the same, the dotted lines shewing
the interior spaces, and the position of the image when in the
chamber.
Figure 4. represents in longitudinal section one of the additional
covering mouth pieces in position upon the tubo end.
Figure 5 shews a mouth piece of a different form.
Figure 6 is a section in the line X, X, looking towards the shelf end
of the box, and showing the shelf or shaped piece for receiving the
coin, the said coin being placed in position to lie between the opened
jaws of the image when the latter has arrived at the said receptacle.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
A represents the framework of the box, which may be made of wood,
papier maché, or any other suitable material, preference being given to
such as shall not be sonorous, the said box is fitted with the deck B.
This deck has a longitudinal slot B¹, and it may be said to divide the box
into upper and lower chambers, the upper an open chamber furnishing a
retreat for the image, the lower is again divided by the partition C
placed to sustain and hold the inner end of the pneumatic tube D; the
remaining portion of the lower space forms the air chamber F, an aper-
ture E in the bottom of the box and the slot B' in the deck affording free
access to and a constant equipoise with the external air through the slot B¹
in the deck, and through the slotted under jaw of the image plays the
lever stem G operated by the plunger disc rod H, having at its other
end the plunger I, to which is fastened the disc K. At the opposite
end of the box is fixed upon the deck the shaped piece L in which is
chamfered out (as shown in plan Figure 2) a shelf N open through its
middle part to receive the jaws of the image, but with sufficient shelf
space at each side to serve as a receptacle which can sustain the coin

page_text: in the proper place (represented by the dotted circle P in Figure 2).
The position of the upper jaw when raised to its bearings by the first
forward movement of the plunger disc, and thus thrown open, is shewn
by the dotted lines above the head of the image, and that of the entire
head, when by the continuance of the movement this arrives at the coin,
is again shown in dotted lines at the shelf end of the box in Figure 1.
The supplementary mouth pieces may be made in a variety of materials,
such as glass, wood, and in infinite variety of shapes, or porcelain or
india-rubber tubes may be employed.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same,
I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. The improved mechanical toy constructed and operating sub-
stantially as herein set forth.
Second. The application and use of separate mouth pieces in com-
bination with a pneumatic apparatus, substantially in the manner and
for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph John Perry, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.
Witness,
JAMES EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
JOSEPH J. PERRY. (L.S.)