IMPROVED APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR PLAYING A NEW OR IMPROVED GAME
Year: 1884

page_text: I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR PLAYING A NEW OR
IMPROVED GAME, to be as follows:-
The object of the invention is to provide a game to be played upon a lawn with
balls placed on a support, other balls struck and a striking-instrument, as a mallet;
and the implements used in the game are primarly "stakes" constructed of sockets
let into the ground or floor, the stakes proper, inserted into or onto the sockets and
the cups applied to the upper ends of the stakes; and the balls are supported in
the cups.
Or the stakes proper may be dispensed with and the sockets and cups may be
jointed together and the balls supported similarly but closer to the ground.
In carrying out the invention I provide a series of sockets, made preferably of
wood, having cavities made in their upper ends, and which may have outlets at
their lower ends to let out water which might otherwise collect therein; and the
lower ends of the stakes may be each in form of a tenon, and loosely fitted into the
cavity of each socket, and the upper end of each stake is provided with a cavity,
into which is loosely fitted the lower end of a cup, whose upper end is concave or
provided with a recess, and of such size that a bali, carefully placed in said cup or
in the recessed part at the upper end will there remain; but a slight blow against
the stake or the cup, or against the ball itself, will cause the ball to fall out.
The sockets are driven into the ground so that the top of the socket is on
substantially the same horizontal plane as the top of the ground, and if the game is
to be played with stakes the lower end of each stake is placed in the cavity of the
socket, the latter all being collectively arranged in the ground in any desired way,
preferably in three longitudinal rows two stakes in each outer row and five in the
central row the stakes of the outer row being equidistant from the centre stake and
inter-spacing with those of central row. The cups are then placed in the cavities
in the tops of the stakes, and a ball is placed in each cup, according to any

page_text: predetermined system of arrangement, the first ball at each end being numbered 2,
the next 4, the next to the left G, the next to the left 8, and the middle one 10, or
according to other predetermined arrangement.
The game may be played by any desired number of players on each side-say
two with the players' balls (say ordinary croquet-balls) on one side painted of one
color, and those of the other side painted of another color; and the first striker
places his ball at a peg, or at a certain distance from the first stake, and strikes his
own ball with a mallet against the first stake, which knocks or jars the balls in its
cup which is marked 2-to the ground. This counts two on his score, and he
proceeds to strike his own ball against the stakes as the balls are numbered in
succession, as long as he can hit the stakes and knock off the balls therefrom
in succession, counting upon or adding to his score the number marked on each ball
successively knocked off. When he misses or fails to knock a ball to the ground
from the stake aimed or played for, he ceases to play, and one of the players on the
other side plays in his turn, and plays as long as he hits the stakes with his own
ball and knocks the balls therefrom; but when he misses or fails to knock a ball
from the stake, the next player on the other side plays, and so on, the balls being
replaced as fast as they are knocked off, and the side which makes the circuit of
the stakes from the starting-point and return is the winner, and of course will
make the highest score.
-
When played as above described, children may play the game, and in keeping
each his own score will learn to calculate, or to practice mental arithmetic, in the
addition of each successive strike to the preceding ones, and, if desirable, it may be
predetermined that for each miss the player making it shall lose any certain
number from his score, or any certain number in proportion to the ball aimed at,
and in that way will learn subtraction also, so that the game will be a practical aid
in teaching children the simple methods of mental arithmetic.
It is of course evident that the game may be used or played in a variety of ways.
For example, instead of using the stakes, the cups may be placed in the cavities
of the sockets, so that the balls when placed in the cups will be just above the
top of the ground, instead of above the stakes, and may be placed in the same
relative position, and the game may then be to see who shall make the highest
score in ten (or any desired number of) strikes. The first player then strikes his
own ball from the starting-point, striking his own ball with a mallet into any
position he desires, or against any ball in the system or circuit, without any
reference to the balls as numbered in succession.
Of course in this arrangement he may play his own ball into a good position to
strike a ball at the next play or any after play, or he may play his own ball against
any opponent's ball, to prevent that opponent from scoring at his next play. In
short, he may strike his own ball into any position and in any direction he
chooses, only he is limited to a certain number of strikes-say ten. The one or
the side who scores the highest number, as indicated by the sum of the numbers
on the balls knocked from the cups in each ten strikes, wins the gaine.
It is of course obvious from the above as examples that a variety of interesting
games may be played on a lawn in this manner and with this apparatus, according
as it may be predetermined and agreed for the time by the players participating in
the game, and by any desired number of players. In many of the games disputes
often arise as to whether a score has been made-as, for example, in croquet, it is
often a matter of dispute as to whether or not a ball is through a wicket or arch,
and it seems almost impossible to decide; but in this game there can be no dispute,
as no score is made unless the ball is knocked from its cup to the ground, and this
each player can readily see. The sockets having an opening through the lower end
to the ground can be used to receive the wire wickets or arches used in the game
of croquet, and as the water which would otherwise collect in them is free to escape
they will last much longer than the ordinary sockets, and cost little or no more.
I have described only one or two of the games which may be played upon a
lawn with these implements; but the kind of games which may be played

page_text: therewith may be varied according to the fancy of the players, and each game
as to its peculiarities may be decided upon by the players upon the ground at the
time of playing.
It is evident that instead of the concave recess to form the cup at the top a
vertical hole may be made in the top of such size that when a ball is placed thereon
carefully it will remain in that position, but a slight blow against the stake or
against the cup or the ball will jar or knock the latter off, or cause it to fall upon
the ground.
The cups may by a slight modification be adapted to be set up on a floor, each cup
being provided with a wire or slender projection at the lower end, and holes or
vertical cavities may be made in the floor at the proper points, and the wires or
projections on the lower ends of the cups are set into these holes or cavities, by
which the cups are held substantially in a vertical position, so that the balls, when
placed in position on the upper ends of the cups, may be easily displaced therefrom
by contact of a rolling ball, either with the cup or with the ball placed thereon.
As thus arranged the games may be played in a parlor in rainy weather, or when
the lawn is unfit for use.

page_text: •
I ALFRED GEORGE BROOKES of 55 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVED APPARATUS OR APPLIANCES FOR PLAYING A NEW OR
IMPROVED GAME and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of the invention is to provide a game to be played upon a lawn with
"balls each place on a support, other balls struck and a striking instrument as a
mallet and the implements used in the game are constructed substantially as
"hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure I is a perspective view of the stakes and balls as arranged on a lawn for
playing. Figure II is a vertical section of the socket stake and cup with a ball in
place in the cup. Figure III is a vertical section of the socket and cup, with a ball
in place in the cup. Figure IV is a vertical section of the cup. Figure V is a
vertical section of the stake and Figure VI represents a modification illustrating the
cups as adapted to be placed in position on a parlor floor or other suitable surface.
In the drawings (1) represents a socket of which a series are let into the ground
or floor and these sockets made preferably of wood, have each a cavity, as 7, made
in its upper end, and which may have at the lower end an outlet to let out any
water which might otherwise collect therein and (2) represents a stake of which
as of the sockets for them there are a series, and these stakes are each at its lower
end, as 10 formed as a tenon and loosely fitted into the cavity 7 of the socket, and
the upper end of each stake is provided with a cavity, as (3) into which is loosely
fitted the lower end 8 of a cup 4 whose upper end is concave or provided with a
recess and of such size that a ball as 5 carefully placed in said cup or in the recessed
part at the upper end will there remain but a slight blow against the stake or the
cup or against the ball itself will cause the ball to fall out.
Suppose the line 12 to represent the top of the ground. The sockets are driven
into the ground so that the top of the socket (1) is on substantially the same
horizontal plane as the top of the ground, and if the game is to be played with
stakes, the lower end 10, of each stake is placed in the cavity 7 of the sockot, the
latter all being collectively arranged in the ground in any desired way preferably as
shown in Figure 1. that is to say in three longitudinal rows two stakes in each
outer and five in the central row the stakes of the outer row being disposed
equidistant from the central stake and interspacing with those of the central row.
The cups 4 are then placed in the cavities 3 in the tops of the stakes 2 and a ball
as 5 is placed in each cup, according to any predetermined system of arrangement
but preferably as shewn in Fig 1. the first ball at each end being numbered 2 the
next (4) the next to the left (G), the next to the left (8), and the middle one (10,).
The modes of supporting the balls may be varied by the stakes proper being
dispensed with and the sockets and cups being jointed together and the balls
supported similarly but closer to the ground.
The game may be played by any desired number of players on each side-say
two with the players balls (say) ordinary croquet balls, on one side painted of one
color and those of the other side painted of another color, or otherwise and the first
striker places bis ball at a peg, A, or at a certain distance from the first stake, and
strikes his own ball with a mallet against the first stake which knocks or jars the
ball which is marked 2 in its cup to the ground.
This counts two on his score and he proceeds to strike his own ball against the
stakes as the balls are numbered in succession, as long as he can hit the stakes and

page_text: knock off the balls therefrom in succession counting or adding to his score the
number marked off on each ball successively knocked off. The arrows indicate the
direction of the players ball from stake to stake.
}
When the player misses or fails to knock a ball to the ground from the stake
aimed at or played for, he ceases to play and one of the players on the other side.
plays in his turn, and plays as long as he hits the stakes with his own ball and
knocks the ball therefrom; but when he misses or fails to knock a ball from the
stake, the next player on the other side plays and so on, the balls being replaced as
fast as they are knocked off, and the side which makes the circuit of the stakes
from the starting point and return is the winner and of course will make the highest
score.
When played as above described children may play the game, and in keeping.
each his own score will learn to calculate or to practice mental arithmetic in the
addition of each successive strike to the preceding ones and if desirable it may be
predetermined that for each miss the player making it shall lose any certain number
from his score or any certain number in proportion to the ball aimed at and in that
way will learn subtraction also, so that the game will be a practical aid in teaching
children the simple methods of mental arithmetic. It is of course evident that the
game may be used or played in a variety of ways.
For example instead of using the stakes the cups may be placed in the cavities of
the sockets as shown at H so that the balls when placed in the cups will be just,
above the top of the ground, instead of above the stakes, and may be placed in the
same position relatively as is shewn in Fig. 1, and the game may then be to see who
shall make the highest score in ten (or any desired number of) strikes. The first
player then strikes his own ball from the starting point at A, striking his own ball
with a mallet into any position he desires, or against any ball in the system or
circuit, without any reference to the balls as numbered in succession.
Of course in this arrangement he may play his own ball into a good position to
strike a ball at the next play or any after play, or he may play his own ball against
any opponents' ball to prevent that opponent from scoring at his next play. In
short he may strike his own ball into any position and in any direction he chooses,
only he is limited to a certain number of strikes-say ten. The one or the side
who scores the highest number, as indicated by the sum of the numbers on the balls
knocked from the cups in each ten strikes, wins the game.
It is of course obvious from the above as examples that a variety of interesting
games may be played on a lawn in this manner and with this apparatus, according
as it may be predetermined and agreed for the time by the players participating in
the game, and by any desired number of players. In many of the games disputes
often arise as to whether a score has been made-as, for example, in croquet, it is
often a matter of dispute as to whether or not a ball is through a wicket or arch;
but in this game there can be no dispute, as no score is made unless the ball is
knocked from its cup to the ground, and this each player can readily see.
The
Bockets having an opening through the lower end to the ground can be used to
receive the wire wickets or arches used in the game of croquet, and as the water
which would otherwise collect in them is free to escape they will last much longer
than the ordinary sockets, and cost little or no more.
I have described only one or two of the games which may be played upon a lawn
with these implements; but the kinds of games which may be played there with
may be varied according to the fancy of the players and each game as to its
peculiarities may be decided upon by the players upon the ground at the time of
playing.
It is evident that instead of the concave recess to form the cup at the top a
vertical hole may be made in the top of such size that when a ball is placed thereon
carefully it will remain in that position but a slight blow against the stake or
against the cup or the ball will jar or knock the latter off or cause it to fall upon
the ground.

page_text: The cups shewn in Fig VI are adapted to be set up on a floor, each cup being
provided with a wire or slender projection at the lower end and holes or vertical
cavities may be made in the floor at the proper points, and the wires or projections
on the lower ends of the cups are set into these holes or cavities, by which the cups
are held substantially in a vertical position so that the balls when placed in position
on the upper ends of the cups may be easily displaced therefrom by contact of a
rolling ball, either with the cup or with the ball placed thereon.
As thus arranged the games may be played in a parlor in rainy weather, or when
the lawn is unfit for use or in other suitable place.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination of improved apparatus or appliances for playing a game,
consisting of a series of sockets each provided with a cavity in the top, a series of
stakes each having its lower end adapted to be loosely inserted into said cavity in
each socket and with a cavity in its upper end, a series of cups each adapted to be
inserted in the cavity in each stake and recessed at the top, and a series of balls,
substantially as described.
2. The combination of a series of sockets each provided with a cavity in the top,
a series of cups each having a recess in the top and adapted to be inserted into the
cavity in said socket, and a series of balls, substantially as described.
3. The general combination of the improved appliances for playing a new or
improved game substantially as herein described and shewn by the drawings.