JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
I would not have made the intuitive leap to what this "game apparatus" would become from the simple reading of the opening two paragraphs of the patent description for it by its creator, J. Brunot:
"This invention relates to apparatus for playing board games and more particularly to apparatus designed to facilitate scoring procedures in connection with the playing of such games. In many board games playing pieces are placed on certain contiguous or successive areas marked out on the board and the placing of the playing piece on certain predetermined areas results in an adjustment of the score of a player either by adding a bonus to the score or subtracting a penalty therefrom."
"Usually the predetermined areas which result in adjustment of the score are marked in a characteristic way in order to show how the score is to be adjusted. However when a playing piece is placed on one of the predetermined areas it covers this marking and it has been found that frequently the playing piece has subsequently to be lifted in order to discover how the score should be adjusted. The object of the present invention is to provide board game apparatus in which the occasions for such subsequent lifting of a playing piece are eliminated or substantially reduced..."
[Patent 2,752,158 GAME APPARATUS James Brunet and Helen Brunot Newtown Conn Application October 28 1954 Serial No 465,222 priority application Great Britain June 11 H54 5 Claims Cl 273 135]
The patent drawing offers a much better visual clue, but it still really doesn't bear a great witness to what the apparatus would become:
And the story on the answer to what this is can be found at the SCRABBLE Association history section.
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