US465147A

US465147A - Puzzle

Info

Publication number: US465147A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1891-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1908-12-15

Description

(No Model.)

W. TRUMBULL. PUZZLE.

No. 465,147. Patented Dec. 15; 1891.

mith/mom 8140 mm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

lVILLIAM TRUMBULLOF NEWV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,147, dated December 15, 1891.

Application filed June 23, 1891. Serial No. 397,209. {No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM TRUMBULL, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to puzzles; and it consists of a board having two main grooves united by a transverse groove, a short lateral groove communicating with each main groove, and a set of blocks bearing letters or figures sufticient in number to fill either of the main grooves, the puzzle being to so move the blocks as to transfer them from one main groove to the other and have them arranged in the same order in the second groove as they occupy in the first.

The drawing illustrates such a board A, the blocks B being eight in number and bearing the letters C O L U M B U S. These suffioe to fill the eight spaces in the upper groove a, each block filling one space. The transverse groove Z) also has eight spaces, and so likewise has the lower groove 0. The transverse groove 19 connects the first space in the upper groove with the first space in the lower groove. From the sixth space in each main groove leads ofi a lateral groove 0. c, the former containing two spaces and the latter three.

The board maybe suitablyornamented, preferably byhaving the Word Europe and the date 1492 near the upper groove and the word America and the date 1892 near the lower groove. The points of the compass may be represented near the middleof the board.

The puzzle may be called Columbus Discovering America, the object being to trans fer the blocks 13 to the groove 0 by sliding them along the groove 1) and in and out of the lateral grooves a 0', so that they may spell the word Columbus in the groove 0. The

object of making these lateral grooves of the length stated is that there may be altogether at both ends of the puzzle a clear working space sufficient to hold nine blockst'. (2., four in the upper right-hand corner and five in the lower, with room for egress at each place.

In solving the puzzle the first two blocks C O are slid down-to the lower end of the groove 0 and the next two L U into the groove c, leaving four blocks above. The letters are to be transposed. Therefore the first one to be manipulated is the S. Drop U into groove a, then S. Then slide M B to the right, leaving S free to come down into the vacant space in groove 0. O and C are then slid to the left, permitting S to be moved to the end of groove 0, its ultimate position. 0 is then moved into groove 0' and C is thus free to be brought up to the upper right-hand part of the board. By thus keeping only four blocks at this point it is easy to manipulate them, so as to free any one and allow it to be brought down. Having brought down S, U, and B, the critical point in the puzzle is reached. Move L U out of groove 0 and run U S up into it, the S being uppermost. Then run U L to the right and placeB in the groove 0'. Take the U of U L back to the top of the board and bring down M. To get it past L, run B temporarily to the left and put L in its place. Then slide M B to the end of groove 0 and L is free to go and join C O Uup above. Now put M B U S in orderin groove 0. The other four letters are then easily brought down in proper order and the transposition is accomplished.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A puzzle consisting of a board containing two main grooves, each adapted to hold the same number of blocks, a transverse groove uniting the corresponding ends of said main grooves, lateral grooves leading off from near the unconnected ends of the main grooves and adapted to contain less than the whole number of blocks, and a set of movable blocks adapted to fill one of said main grooves, substantially as described.

2. The board A, having thegrooves a 0, each containing eight spaces, the groove 1), connectspectively, the letters .0 O L U M B U S, subing the first space in the groove a with the stantially as set forth. l0 first space in the groove 0, the lateral groove In testimony whereof Iaifix my signature in a, leading off from the sixth space in the presence of two Witnesses.

5 groove a and containing two spaces, and the VILLIAM TRUMBULL.

lateral groove 0, leading off from the sixth Witnesses: space in the groove 0 and containing three TALOQTT H. RUSSELL,

spaces, and the eight blocks B, bearing, re- ISAAC WOLFE.