An Appliance for Educational Purposes
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1898
An Appliance for Educational Purposes,
CHARLES ASHTON, Iron Turner, 38, Albert Road, Preston, Lancashire, and
ROBERT ASHTON, Iron Turner, 16, St. George's Road, Preston, Lancashire, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
The children's counting table is a flat piece of wood or any other material either
plain or fancy after the style of a battledoor, with a piece notched out at the top with
a cord running through the handle attached to a block with written or printed
numbers thereon and on the battledoor being thrown up the block will appear on
the flat surface showing a number.
ROBERT ASHTON.
CHARLES ASHTON.
CHARLES ASHTON, Iron Turner, 38, Albert Road, Preston, Lancashire, and
ROBERT ASHTON, Iron Turner, 16, St. George's Road, Preston, Lancashire, 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:-
This appliance for educational purposes, is intended for the use of children.
The most popular form of present day childrens' education, has been found in
the shape of toys, with which games can be played, that combine amusement with
instruction; the said toys being constructed in such a fashion, that the educational
part does not appear with undue prominence.
Our invention is designed, in accordance with this understanding.
The invention may be understood from the following description, reference being
had to the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is an elevation shewing complete toy with block B swinging.
Fig. 2 is also an elevation of complete toy which shews the block B after being
caught by the operator on the battledore A, as hereinafter described. Fig. 3 is
a plan.
To a battledore or other shaped article A, a cubical or other shaped block B, is
attached with a cord C or other attachment, to any suitable part of battledore, as
T
1

page_text: Then by moving the battledore A in a direction in line with the handle D and
the vee piece cut out at E, the block B (which has been left swinging as shewn in
Fig. 1) can have a momentum imparted to it, which will cause it to go sufficiently
high, to allow the operator to catch the block B on the upper side of the
battledore A.
.
One side of the block must be uppermost, and if this block be a numeral block
as shewn at B, Figs. 1, 2, 3, then the operator who gains the largest or smallest
(as may be arranged) total, in a given number of trials, would be considered the
winner.
This would be found a ready method, of inducing and teaching children to learn
simple addition.
If the children are too young for this, then a block can be arranged with for
instance, a lion on one side, a ship on another, a fish on another, and the like,
corresponding to the number of sides on the block.
Then the game would be, which of the children could get, say 6 ships (or any
other figure as arranged) on the upper portion of the block on the top of the
battledore, in the smallest number of tries.
Other games and other blocks can be easily arranged, so that a young child would
become familiar, with the names, and shapes of beasts, birds, fishes, ships and the,
like all learned whilst in the act of playing these games.
The battledore A. can be carved or decorated, or prints (colored or otherwise)
gummed, pasted or otherwise fixed on, giving illustrations of suitable objects, or
printed or written information, of a kind useful for educational purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:
1. For educational purposes, a battledore and swinging block attachment sub-
stantially as described.
2. The battledore or other shaped article, with a vee or other shaped piece cut
out at the opposite end to the handle, to receive the string or other attachment,
when the block is caught on the top of the battledore. The battledore may be
plain or carved or mounted with prints of animals, or any other kind of decoration,
useful for educational purposes, or with general information either printed or
written.
3. A block with six or eight or any number of sides the said sides being decorated
with numerals, figures of men, fishes, ships, or any other kind of decoration, and
attached to the battledore by a string or other attachment, at a suitable place to
allow of the block being swung forward and upward and caught by the operator
on the upper side of the battledore or other shaped article.
4. The general combined arrangement or construction of parts substantially as
described and shewn on the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 15th dox of Anauct 1909
CHARLES ASHTON,
ROBERT ASHTON,
(Applicants.)