Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 28th May, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 13th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 28th Mar., 1896
I JOHN ROBERT NIXON of 32 Booth Street, Felling, R.S.O., in the County
of Durham, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to a game or puzzle, which is played, or performed, by
causing small balls to run from one end of a board to the other.
The board is long compared with its width, and it has a raised ledge arround it
to prevent the balls falling off. Obstructions to the progress of the balls, are
placed along each side of the board, the obstructions along one side, preferrably,
alternating with the obstructions along the other side, so that the balls must persue
a zig-zag course in order to avoid the obstructions, and so reach the other end of
the board.
The obstructions may consist of recesses built upon the board, and against the
ledge, or of depressions formed in the board, or they may consist of holes passing
right through the board. In this latter case I provide a box, into which the
board fits, and into which the balls fall when they drop through the holes. The
box is divided into compartments by cross partitions, each compartment, each
compartment corresponding with a hole in the board.
The recesses, depressions, or compartments, are numbered for the purpose of
scoring.
To play the game, you first place one, or more, balls, upon the board at one end,
then, by holding the board in the hands, and inclining it in various directions, you
endeavour to cause the balls to roll to the other end of the board, without being
stopped by any of the obstructions. When a ball enters a recess, depression, or
compartment, it is out of play, and when all the balls are out of play the numbers
of the recesses, depressions, or compartments, in which the balls are found, are
added together, the total going towards the score.
Dated this Twenty-coventh day of May 1905
A New Game or Puzzle.
I, JOHN ROBERT NIXON, 32 Booth Street, Felling on Tyne, in the County
of Durham, Engineer, 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 :--
My new game is played with balls upon a long, narrow, board, which has a
raised ledge around it to prevent the balls rolling off, and which is provided with
what I shall term, in this Specification, receptacles, into which the balls are free
to roll. The entrances, or inlets, to the receptacles, are located along each side of
the board, and are, preferably, arranged, so that those along one side, alternate
with those along the other side. Each receptacle is numbered for the purpose of
scoring.
To play the game, a convenient number of balls are placed upon the board at

page_text: one end. The board is then taken in the hands, and inclined so as to cause the
balls to roll towards the other end.
The object to be aimed at by each player, is to control the movements of the
balls, by inclining the board in various directions, so that, in their progress along
the board, the balls avoid the inlets into the first, and intermediate recepticles, and
find their way into the last one, if possible. The balls are thus caused to roll, to
and fro, in all directions until they have all left the surface of the board and have
entered one or other of the receptacles.
a game.
This constitutes "a turn," and a previously agreed upon number of turns constitute
After each turn the number of points gained by each ball are added
together, and the whole added to the previous score of the player. The number
of points gained by each ball is the number of the receptacle in which it is found
at the end of each turn, and as the numbers of the receptacles increase, from the
starting end of the board, the farther a ball progresses along the board before it
enters a receptacle, the greater is the number of points gained by that ball.
To make my invention clear I append hereunto three sheets of drawings shewing
three modifications of the apparatus which I use in playing, or performing, my
new game or puzzle. In all the figures similar letters denote similar parts.
A is the board, B the raised ledge, C the receptacles, D the entrances, or inlets
to the receptacles.
On Sheet I, one modification of my game is shewn, where the receptacles C are
formed in the thickness of the board. The position of the ball at the beginning of
each turn is shewn at E, and at F some balls are shewn in one of the receptacles,
as they might be at the end of a turn. Fig. 1 is an elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, aud
Fig. 3 a cross section through line X, X.
On Sheet II a second modification of my game is shewn, where the receptacles C
are built upon the board, and against the ledge. The bottom of the receptacles
here shewn is level with the surface of the board, but it may be sunk below that
level. The position of the balls at the beginning of each turn is shewn at E.
The numbering of the receptacles is shewn in Fig. 5. At F and G balls are
shewn within the receptacle Nos. 0 and 1, and at H and I balls are shewn upon
the board, in positions which they might assume during play. Fig. 4 is a
sectional elevation through line Y, Y, Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 is a cross section
through line X, X.
On Sheet III a third modification of my new game is shewn. In this modifica-
tion I employ a box B, the lower half of which is divided into compartments C by
cross partitions K. The board A which has notches D, cut in its edges, fits
loosely into the box, and covers four of the compartments as shewn at A Figs. 7
and 8.
The compartments form the receptacles in this modification, and the
notches in the edges of the board form the entrances to the receptacles. The
receptacles are numbered on the bottom of the box, one of the numbers only being
visible. At L and M balls are shewn within the receptacles Nos. 0 and 1, and at
N and P balls are shewn upon the board in positions which they might assume
during play. In this modification the balls are also placed, at the beginning of
each turn, in the positions shewn at E Sheets I and II. After each turn the
board must be removed from the box, for the purpose of recovering the balls, and
counting the score, and again replaced for the next turn. Fig. 7 is an elevation,
Fig. 8 a plan, and Fig. 9 a cross section through line X X.
The number of balls to be used by each player, during each turn, must be agreed
upon before beginning to play.
Of course it will be seen that the number of receptacles may be more or less
than the number here shewn.
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 game, or puzzle, played, or performed, with balls, upon a board provided

page_text: with receptacles, in the manner, and for the purpose, specified substantially as
illustrated and described.
2. An apparatus for playing, or performing, a game, or puzzle, with balls,
consisting of a board having a raised ledge around it, and having receptacles
formed in its thickness, for the purpose specified, substantially as illustrated and
described.
3. An apparatus for playing, or performing, a game, or puzzle, with balls,
consisting of a board having a raised ledge around it, and having receptacles
built upon it, or partly raised above it, and partly sunk in its substance, substantially
as illustrated and described.
4. An apparatus for playing, or performing, a game, or puzzle, with balls,
consisting of the combination of the board A, and the box B, as shewn on Sheet III
hereunto appended, substantially as specified and illustrated.
Dated this 14th day of February 1896
J. R. NIXON.