An Improved Toy.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 17th Dec., 1892
B
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Toy.
I, PAUL HERMAN HILLARD, of Westerly, in the County of Washington, and
State of Rhode Island, United States of America, 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 :-
I prepare a small structure which may to promote the effect be in the form of a
fish or animal, coloured or printed, as desired, and equip it with an inclosed
spherical support, as a shot, allowed to protrude sufficiently through a hole in the
bottom to bear on the floor or supporting surface below, which latter should be
movable as a game board. The interior of the structure being made smooth, and
as far as practicable frictionless, as by rubbing liberally with black lead, and one
part of the device-the hinder part when it represents an animal or fish-being
allowed to drag on the floor and induce more friction at that point than at other
points, the device may be made not only to move in different directions as the
support is moved by concussion or is inclined, so that gravity may act, but also to
turn itself partially around at each change of direction, imitating the action of a
living creature, as a bird, animal, or fish. In what I esteem the most complete
form of the invention I provide more than one shot or corresponding spherical
carrier arranged so that one of true form will carry most of the weight and others
of slightly irregular contour may be made to support a portion and impart a peculiar
wriggling motion.
One use of the invention is to serve in a game in which a number of my devices
shall be placed on a board, the board being worked by the successive players to
collect the several devices under a shelter in the centre or at other point, which
may be, for example, in the form of a mother bird, turning easily on a pivot
and being held at sufficient height to allow the movable devices to be collected
under it.
•
:1
The accompanying drawings form a part of this Specification, and represent what
I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.
Figure 1 is a plan view.
Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1.
: The remaining figures show portions on a larger scale.
Fig: 3 is a plan or top view.
Fig. 4 is a corresponding view from below.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5 5 in Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 6 6 in Fig. 4.
Fig. 7 is a vertical section showing a modification.
Fig. 8 is a corresponding section on a larger scale, and
Fig. 9 is a corresponding section showing the single central ball spheroidal.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where
they appear.
A. is the movable board, the upper surface of which is mainly plane, but with a
portion near the centre slightly domed, as indicated by A'. In the centre of this
domed portion is a post A, on the top of which is a smaller pin A'. On this is
pivoted a device B, resting on an offset at the upper end of the stout post A' and
kept in position by the thinner portion or pin A³. This may be in the form of a
mother bird. The board should have a raised margin A'.
I will designate each of my movable devices by the letter D, using super-
numerals to designate special parts of each, D¹ being the top and D' the bottom.
I have in my experiments made the top of well sized muslin with a lining of paper,
the latter liberally coated on its under face with black lead. This upper-portion
.

page_text: may be rounded like a turtle back. The bottom may be plane. The top and
bottom may be secured permanently all around by glue. There is a circular hold d
in the bottom D. The height of the top D' above the bottom D' is important and
should be carefully determined and permanently maintained.
M is a spherical ball or shot inclosed within the device over the central hole and
allowed to protrude downward through it to bear on the floor A and form the main
support for the device. This ball is set sufficiently forward of the centre of gravity
of the device to allow the hinder portion D' to bear by its gravity on the board A
and induce sufficient friction to promptly turn the device as soon as the direction
of its motion is changed in any case. The device should always move with the
same point or side foremost. In case it is made to imitate a bird, fish, or animal,
the point which moves forward should be the head. There should be greater
friction between the ball M and the floor A than between it and the inner surface
of the top D'. I have discovered that it is practicable to thus mount the device
and have so little friction between the shot M and the top and also so little friction
between the shot and the margin of the hole in the bottom in which it rolls that
it will turn freely in all directions and allow the device to be supported by a rolling
contact of this spherical support on the floor A. On each side of the main central
support M is a smaller shot 1, which is only approximately round. Each bears
nearly frictionless against the inner face of the top, which part may be something
lower at this point. Each protrudes through a hole p in the bottom and is capable
of rolling with its slightly irregular form on the support A. The parts are so
proportioned that only one of the side balls P will bear at any given time. The
tendency of the irregular form is to oscillate the structure on the central spherical
support M and cause the side balls to bear alternately, giving a peculiar wriggling
effect to the motion as the device is traversed in various directions on the board A.
It may be made to traverse either by quick movements, concussions imparted to
the board, or by slightly tilting the board or by dexterously combining these modes
of imparting and controlling motion. The rims or edges of the holes d may be
specially touched with black lead to reduce the friction.
Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing
the advantages of the invention. I can obviously vary the number of the movable
devices D. Their forms may be varied. The shelter B in the centre can have
various forms. What I have termed "shot" may be made of any material which
will conform to the conditions. I can use balls of glass or marble. I can use
accurately finished steel balls. I use the word "balls" to refer to either spheres
or spheroids.
The surface D³, which makes a friction on the board A, may be coated with
rubber cement to increase the frictional quality; but I believe such coating to be
not generally necessary or useful.
Parts of the invention may be omitted. I can omit the balls P. I can make the
central ball of irregular form, so that a wabbling or wriggling motion will be
imparted as the device travels on it.
The swell A' in the board A and the shelter B and its support may be dispensed
with. A perfectly plane board or plate of glass may serve for the support A.
Figs. 7 and 8 show such a modification with the central ball M, spherical, and
Fig. 9 shows the same spheroidal.
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. A toy device having a hollow shell with a ball inclosed and protruding
through the base adapted to support the shell by rolling on a surface below and to
allow it to move easily in all directions, as herein specified.
2. A toy device having a hollow shell with a ball inclosed and protruding
through the base adapted to support the shell by rolling on a surface below and
allowing it to move easily in all directions. and having: a surface D in its base

page_text: allowed to bear frictionally on the floor or surface below and to effect the turning
of the device axially with each change in the direction of its motion, as herein
specified.
3. A toy device composed of hollow shell with its interior prepared to offer
but slight friction and inclosing one or more spheroids allowed to protrude through
the bottom, so as to impart a wriggling motion as it moves by the rolling of such
support or supports on a surface below, as herein specified.
4. The board A, with its dome A', central post A², pin A, and rim A', in com-
bination with a set of movable devices composed each of a hollow shell with a
spheroid inclosed and protruding through the base adapted to support the shell by
rolling on a surface below and allowing it to move easily in all directions and
having a surface P' in its base allowed to bear frictionally on the floor or surface
below and to effect the turning of the device axially with each change in the
direction of its motion, as herein specified.
Dated this 28th day of October 1892.
F. W. BARKER,
Applicant's Agent.