US953908A - Puzzle. - Google Patents

Description

R. L. HICKS.

PUZZLE.

vmrmonxou FILED MAY 24, 1909.

953,908. Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

EJNITEI) STATES PATENT FFIE RUFUS LEE HICKS, OF SINCLAIR, TEXAS.

PUZZLE,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Burns LEE HICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sinclair, in the county of Jones and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Puzzle, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a puzzle of that type consisting of variously shaped wire elements detachably linked together.

The invention has for its object to provide a puzzle of this character in which the parts thereof are variously shaped, and so designed that one of the parts can be engaged or disengaged through a series of steps which, if not understood, are extremely difficult to work out.

The invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the parts of the puzzle in initial position. Figs. 2 to 6 are similar views, showing the various stages or steps in the solution of the puzzle.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates the holder or body element; B, the ring; C, the keeper; and D, the bail or handle thereof.

The holder or body element A consists of a piece of wire bent into the shape of a ring of more or less irregular polygonal form, with one side thereof bent into a U-shaped rentrant portion 1, and one end of the wire is shaped to form an eye 2, while the other end is shaped into a finger 3 passing approximately centrally through the eye, whereby the eye forms a gate through which the keeper is passed around the finger during a certain stage in the solution of the puzzle. The ring B is of such diameter as to freely encompass the reent-rant portion or arm 1 of the holder, and is normally retained thereon by the keeper O which is a U-shaped piece of wire, the arms l of which are terminated in eyes 5 to which the bail D is attached, the keeper and hail constituting together a ring retaining device. This bail consists of an open wire link doubled on itself to form a U-shaped structure, and the arms 6 thereof are connected with the eyes Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 24,

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

1909. Serial No. 497,931.

keeper is shifted from the position shown in Fig. l to that shown in Fig. 2, by allowing the keeper to drop down out of the arm and through the ring, the bail being at the same time swung downwardly at an angle to the keeper, as shown in Fig. 2. The ring is next raised off the arm 2 to the dotted line position a, Fig. 3, and the ring and keeper manipulated so that the ring can assume the position shown by the broken lines o. The bail is then thrown upwardly to lie in line with the keeper and both are moved to the dotted line position shown in Fig. l, so as to pass the divergent extremities of the keeper over the eye 2 of the holder C, so that the parts can be moved to the position shown in Fig. 5. The movement is continued as indicated by the arrow, Fig. 5, so that the keeper 0 will assume a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 6, the nose of the keeper being brought into alinement with the eye 2 for insertion through the latter, as indicated by dotted lines Fig. 6, whereupon the keeper can be disposed to pass over the finger 3. After the keeper is in this position, it is brought backwardly through the eye 2 so that the ring, which is during these movements suspended on the keeper, can be released therefrom simply by being passed ofi the nose of the keeper while the latter is disposed between the arm 1 and eye, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 6. Obviously, by passing through the foregoing steps in the reverse order, the parts can be re-assembled.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, I have disclosed what I consider now to be the best embodiment of the invention, but I desire to have it understood that the construction and arrangement of the parts are merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what Cir I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

l. A puzzle comprising a holder formed with a U-shaped reentrant arm and having an eye with a finger passing therethrough, a ring adapted to surround the arm, and a ring retaining device having a portion forming a keeper normally engaging the arm for retaining the ring thereon and movable to disengage the ring from the arm and adapted to pass through the said eye and over the finger to disengage the ring from the keeper.

2. A puzzle comprising a holder formed with a U-shaped reentrant arm and having an eye with a finger passing therethrough, a ring adapted to surround the arm, a keeper normally engaging the arm for retaining the ring thereon and movable to disengage the ring from the arm and adapted to pass through the said eye and over the finger to disengage the ring from the keeper, and a hail connected with the keeper.

3. A puzzle comprising a holder formed of a single piece of wire bent into the general form of a ring with a reentrant U- .shaped arm portion and having one end formed into an open eye through which the other end projects, a ring adapted to engage the said reentrant arm, and a ring retaining device including a U-shaped keeper interlocked with the holder and adapted to enter the eye to pass over the said finger for releasing the ring.

4. A puzzle comprising a holder consisting of apiece of wire of irregular form shaped with a reentrant U-shaped arm and provided with a terminal eye, and a finger passing through the eye, a ring surrounding the said rentrant arm, a U-shaped keeper engaging the arm and straddling the side of the holder, said keeper having its extremities formed into divergent eyes, and a. bail hingedly connected with. the eyes of the keeper to form a handle and to form a bridge between the free ends of the arms thereof.

5. A puzzle comprising a holder having a terminal eye and a terminal finger extending therethrough, a keeper engaging the holder and movable through the eye to pass over the finger, a handle connected with the keeper, and a device detachably held on the holder by the keeper.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

RUFUS LEE HICKS. Witnesses W. R. TArLoR, C. C. MATTHEWS.

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