Short Subjects
The History of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 6
The History of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 7
Presentations
Skee-Ball History Presentation at California Extreme 2017
Travels
Austin Skeeson 25 Brewskee-Ball Championship
Author: thaddeuscooper
JFS | The Search For Simpson’s Grave • Part 2
In 2014, I located the cemetery where Simpson was buried, hoping to get more information about him and the location of his grave. Sometime later I actually went to the cemetery with high hopes and high expectations of actually visiting the gravesite. Unfortunately, on my first trip I was unable to locate it. But I was undeterred and decided that on my next trip to the Vineland, NJ and the East Coast I would return and resume the hunt.
About a month before that next trip to Vineland, I returned to thinking about finding Simpson’s grave in earnest. My co-author and I had been deep into the research about Simpson as we began drafting the book. We had access to his professional letters, business papers, as well as his personal correspondence and photographs. Reading and re-reading these, I was immersed in the very real struggles, hopes, frustration and occasional joy and optimism of his life—as well as his sadness and loss of those things dear to him, right up until his death in 1930. I was somehow more motivated and determined to find his final resting place, and anything else it could tell us.
I had been doing some genealogy research for other subjects using FindAGrave.com and decided to look up Simpson. I could not find him, but I was able to locate his brother Gardiner and his mother, Josephine. Knowing that Simpson was buried in the same plot, I was encouraged that I would be able to use the information that was in their database. I pulled up the record and the plot information was notated somewhat differently. It was shown as H92-94 N1/2. A lightbulb went off in my head. I was looking in the wrong place. The grave was not in Section N, but in Section H, and N was the plot designator.
It reminded me of that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indy is in the desert looking for the ark and realizes that the Germans are “digging in the wrong spot.” Well I’m no Indiana Jones, and I certainly did not have a Staff of Rah with a headpiece with writing on two sides and an offset crystal in the center, but I did have a new insight and a new place to look. I also reminded myself that almost all archaeology is done in the library and X never marks the spot. Well as I said, I’m no Indiana Jones, but I went back to New Jersey and eventually the cemetery, I had no idea how prophetic that statement would be.
This time I went directly to the H section of the cemetery and found the area where lots 92-94 were supposed to be located. Key phrase: Supposed to be. I looked everywhere for a marker or headstone or sign. It was hot, there was no shade and I was getting frustrated. Standing in the midst of the monuments was confusing. You could look in most any direction and see nothing other than grave markers and the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in the distance.
Like Simpson, I’m no quitter, and wouldn’t give up. As with my last trip I found a couple of people to help me and we went looking in earnest. As much as time was standing still for those interred there, time was flying by for me. I did not want to admit defeat, but it was clear that I was not going to find Simpson’s grave this time either. I left feeling frustrated and somewhat dejected. Not only did I fail to find the grave, but now I did not have a plan that would significantly improve the odds of finding his grave the next time around. I needed time away from this little project and I needed to regroup.
Time passed…
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
JFS | The Search For Simpson’s Grave • Part 1
I was reminded over the weekend of our impermanence on this small planet. In a matter of but a few years we can go from well-known and recognized, to forgotten, and in short order, to utter obscurity. If there is no marker of our existence, however small but tangible, we will move from obscurity to complete invisibility. It has given me a moment of pause about how I would like to be remembered. All of this reflection was brought about by my search for the grave of Joseph Fourestier Simpson. As his biographer, I felt the deep seated need to find his grave and spend a few moments with him; to acknowledge to the world that someone had indeed remembered him; and to leave a mark behind so that other people might know that someone cared enough to visit.
It all began in 2010, when I was looking to get back into shooting video, and I set out to create a 10 minute YouTube piece about the origins of the now 110 year old game of Skee-Ball. Digging into the history, I unexpectedly discovered the long forgotten inventor, and his papers that gave a fascinating picture of his life, his drive to create, and his challenges and struggles. He had been long forgotten, but I was determined to change all that, and share his contribution with the world.
While working on the research, I got the opportunity to read and re-read Simpson’s letters, and study the drawings of his inventions, speculating about what they might be. My co-author and I spent endless hours debating the finer points of his life and Skee-Ball’s history to the point where Simpson almost became a member of the household—the fascinating uncle everyone wanted to spend time with. We quoted passages from the letters and and made references to photographs of him. To me, even though I had never met him in person, he was as much a part of my life as anyone else I know today.
One last thing on my list of discoveries was to locate his grave and anything else it would tell us. Simpson lived and died in the Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey area, while I live on the West Coast, so my opportunity to get back to that area was limited, to say the least.
My first opportunity to search for his grave came in 2014. I contacted the cemetery where Simpson was buried and asked for information about him. At that point I was mostly interested in family details that might have been provided to the cemetery as part of his interment. We were about two years away from writing our first book about him, “Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball” and I was very much focused on the research. I sent a letter requesting whatever information the cemetery might have and in September 2014 I received a reply with information about the gravesite, who was buried there, and a map. I decided that on my next trip to Vineland, I would go to the cemetery in Philadelphia and find the grave. How hard could this be? After all I had the lot number, a map, and an afternoon.
Had I only known.
The first time I went to the cemetery, I have to admit I was wholly unprepared for what I was getting into. If you have not been to a cemetery before let me give you some context. First even the smallest cemetery is large. The cemetery I was at was not only large, it was huge.
Now imagine a city with obscure addresses like N 1/2-H92-94 and no street signs to guide you. Additionally there may or may not be a structure at the address, so you could walk past the “house” you are searching for none the wiser.
At any rate, I jumped in with both feet and dutifully made my way to the part of the cemetery where I understood Simpson was buried, Section N. The cemetery office had provided a map, and I drove to the section with high spirits and high expectations.
I began looking. A half an hour passed quickly, then an hour. I was keenly aware of the limited time I’d have to devote to hunting. So I began asking strangers for help. Soon, I had half a dozen people helping me search, including a random dog-walker who happened to be using the nearby path. Everyone was having a great time working on the hunt, but at the end of the day I was back where I started. Standing in the N section of this large city of monuments to the deceased, generations of relatives whose deaths caused untold grieving, I was no closer to finding Simpson. I knew this would not be my last visit, but it would be a while before I would be able to come back.
After flying back to the west coast, I continued to work on the research for the book, but my interest in finding his grave kept nagging at me. I decided that the next trip out to Vineland would be a good excuse to go back to the cemetery to try and find Simpson again.
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
If It’s Summer It Must Be Skee-Ball
The last school bell has rung for the year, and as families re-orient themselves to the fact that it’s summer, they are finalizing their vacation plans. And if you’re anywhere near the Jersey Shore that means a trip there, be it for a day, a week or longer.
And if you’re going to the Shore then you’re definitely going to be playing Skee-Ball on the boardwalk. Again this summer another generation will be introduced to this fascinating game by their brothers and sisters, parents, grand parents or aunts and uncles. Whoever it is that makes the introduction will put them in front of an alley show them how to roll the ball and then wait patiently for the new inductee to follow suit.
The machines will clang, the balls will clank their distinctive sound, the tickets will burp out and another generation will know the thrill of the ball flying over the ski-jump, holding their breath, and waiting to see which ring it will fall in. And that will be the beginning of their best memories at the Boardwalk—playing Skee-Ball.
At the end of it all, they’ll take their modest number of tickets and redeem them for a small trinket. The more seasoned will horde their tickets until they have enough to cash them in for something more substantial, like the ginormous teddy bear.
Have a great summer, roll some balls and collect those tickets. And if you feel just a bit nostalgic while doing it, give a nod to Joseph Fourestier Simpson, the man who invented the game and gave the world our first taste of Skee-Ball in 1909.
Happy rolling and have a great summer!
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
SB Tokens | Skee-Ball Alley Co.
After Joseph Fourestier Simpson invented and then received his patent for Skee-Ball on December 8, 1908, he made a deal with John W. Harper and William Nice Jr. to build, sell and promote the game. Harper and Nice set up a company named the “Skee-Ball Alley Company,” which initially operated out of an office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harper built and marketed the alleys, while Nice was supposed to be the “deep pockets” investor. These original alleys came with a scoring device and coin box. The coin box took nickel sized coinage, including tokens. Harper had tokens made specifically for the Skee-Ball Alley Company.
Although the token has the name of the company as the “Skee-Ball Co.” on the token, the address is the same as Harper’s corporate address in Philadelphia, 533 Chestnut Street. Presumably they couldn’t fit the full name of the company on the token and abbreviated it, as they did with the city name, “Philada.”
On the back of the token, it states the obvious: “Good For One Game Skee-Ball.”
The coin box feature was terrific for operators and revolutionary for the arcade games at the time time, eliminating the need for an attendant to hand out balls and take coins. But Harper had no end of trouble setting up the coin box. In August of 1910, he wrote in a letter to Simpson:
Dear Simpson,
I enclose you 2 different kind of keys for coin boxes. I am sure 1 opens the box I set out to put on alley. I do not think you will have any trouble in adjusting box as I have had all the trouble a person could have adjusting it when it was first placed. When they come to move [the] alley, remember the screw into the floor at tapered end of trough.
And this coin box, along with the integrated ball release, was about to make history.
Token Specs.
- Size: 21mm
- Composition: Brass
- Shape: Round
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
SB History | The History of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 12
Simpson waited breathlessly. He had sent his response to the Patent Office on May 4 stating:
In the matter of my application for patent on Game No 401,786,filed November 12,1907 and in answer to Examiners [sic] letter dated April 20, 1908,I hereby amend my specification by striking out Claim 1.
He could only imagine what Townsend, the irascible Patent Examiner had in store for him this time.
On May 16, the Patent Office rendered their final decision in the matter and mailed it to Simpson. This was the letter that would make or break his application.
If the Patent Office decided that it was not going to grant the patent would the game of Skee-Ball exist today?
The letter from the Patent Office arrived a few days later and Simpson was greeted by the following:
SIR: Your APPLICATION for a patent for an IMPROVEMENT IN
Game apparatus,
filed Nov. 12, 1907, has been examined and ALLOWED.
The final fee, TWENTY DOLLARS, must be paid, and the Letters Patent bear date as of a day not later than SIX MONTHS from the time of this present notice of allowance.
The letter went on to detail the details of what needed to be done in addition to paying the fees and the penalties for not meeting those dates. But, this meant that Simpson would receive the patent for Skee-Ball later that year and that he was on his way to fulfilling his dream of bringing the game to market.
It was as good as done! Simpson had his patent, now all that remained was that he pay the fees, provide the drawings and wait for it to be published. In the meantime that gave him ample time to work on the next steps to bring the game to market. One can only hope that Simpson celebrated this victory with at least a smile. He may have lost many battles, but ultimately he won the war. The game of Skee-Ball was that much closer to coming to market!
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
SB History | The History of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 11
Simpson received Townsend’s letter of April 20, 1908 and seems to have been stunned into silence.
Whether he perceived Townsend’s attempt at humor it was clear that claim 1 was not going to be granted no matter what he did to try and rewrite it. Townsend was not having it.
Simpson had started the patent process back in November 1907 with great hope and seven claims:
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to travel, an obstruction upon said board for causing said projectile to be projected into the tair in a direction which will be a continuation of its original movement, and a target in the line of the trajectory of said projectile.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to travel, an obstruction for trajecting said projectile, and a perforated target in the line of the trajectory of said projectile.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a ball is adapted to be rolled, an obstruction for trajecting said ball, a target in the line of the trajectory of the ball, and an inclined base or floor for returning the ball to the player after it has been played.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a ball is adapted to be rolled, an obstruction for trajecting said ball, a target in the line of the trajectory of said ball, and an indicator for showing the part of said target engaged by the ball.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to travel, an obstruction for trajecting said projectile, a target in the line of the trajectory of said projectile, screens for limiting side movements of said projectile, and an inclined base for returning said projectile to the player.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which said ball is adapted to be rolled, an obstruction for trajecting said ball, inclined gutters to the sides of said board, an inclined base to the rear of and leading to said gutters, a target, and screens for limiting side movements of said ball.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to be rolled, an obstruction for trajecting said projectile, a perforated taget in the line of the trajectory of said projectiles, pivoted levers connected with said perforations adapted to be engaged and depressed by the projectile after passing through said perforations, and an indicating device adapted to be operated by the movement of said levers.
By April 1908, those claims were whittled away at until Simpson only had two claims left, The ski jump obstruction, and the lever in the target to register the score.:
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to travel, an apertured target at the rear of and above said board, in front of and spaced from said target, adapted to cause said ball to leave said board and continue its flight towards said target in the air.
- In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to be rolled, an obstruction for trajecting said projectile, an elevated apertured target at the rear of and spaced from said obstruction, pivoted levers arranged in said apertures adapted to be engaged and operated by the projectile after passing through said apertures, and an indicating device adapted to be operated by the movement of said levers.
It is reasonable to believe that Simpson would be angry and depressed at this point. It was clear that the Patent Office did not understand the brilliance of the invention and how all the pieces fit together to make a game that would fascinate players. And, it was even more obvious that he was not going to be able to change their minds, no matter how adamant he was.
Simpson finally came to terms with the situation and decided a patent with some form of protection was better than no patent and he finally gave up. He wrote his response on May 4, 1908, stating:
Sir:-
In the matter of my application for patent on Game No 401,786, filed November 12, 1907 and in answer to Examiners [sic] letter dated April 20, 1908, I hereby amend my specification by striking out Claim 1.
Very respectfully
Joseph F. Simpson
And once again, Joseph Fourestier Simpson waited.
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
SB History | The History of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 10
Simpson’s letter of April 7 arrived at the US Patent office and as usual wended its way through the mailroom, then down the majestic columned halls of the Patent Office until it came to rest in the pile of patent applications on Senior Patent Examiner, William Wilder Townsend’s desk.
Townsend had shown no sense of humor with respect to Simpson’s application for a mere game. It is possible that he thought games were beneath him, and the Patent Office, especially when there were so many more important patents to be granted.
He did however go through Simpson’s response and wrote one of the shortest responses ever to Simpson, possibly showing that he may actually have had a sense of humor. On April 20th he wrote:
Applicant’s statement that claim 1 has not been amended as suggested is not understood, unless it refers to the retention of the comma in line 4 of the claim, which could not possibly define a distinction over the references. The claim is still held to be substantially met in Miller, of record, and is again rejected.
For want of a comma a patent was almost lost!
One would hope that Simpson would see the humor in the rejection, however slight that might be.
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
SB History | The History of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 9
In what had to be one of the quickest turn-arounds possible, Simpson received the letter that Townsend had written on April 4 and responded on April 7, 1908. Simpson was either incredibly well prepared for what he knew was coming or more likely spent several long days drafting and finalizing his response.
In an attempt to not antagonize Townsend too much he made all of the changes to claims two and three and one of the suggested changes to claim 1, and responded to Townsend:
1st. by striking out word “to” line 3 – claim 1, and by substituting at.
2nd. by striking out in line 3 – claim 2 words “to” and by substituting word at, and by striking out in same line and claim words “and spaced from”,
3rd. by inserting in front of words “said target”, line 4 – claim 2 words and spaced from,
4th. By inserting in front of word “apertured” line 3 – claim 3 word elevated.
5th. by striking out word “to” line 3, claim 3 and by substituting word at,
6th. by striking out in line 4, claim 3, words “and above”.
He goes on to say:
…claim 1 has not been amended as suggested as it is believed that to do so would clearly put the claim in shape to be met by Miller, of record.
Attention is called to the fact that in Miller the targets, which are ordinary ten pins, are carried upon a board that is not spaced from the ball track but which is a continuation of this track.
In the Miller game the pins are not “elevated targets”, in the sense that my target is elevated, they are carried by the pin table and the ball is adapted to strike their tops so that it may not be impeded by the pins and the cords attached thereto. In my case the target is separate and distinct from the table or board along which the balls are rolled. Broadly speaking this target might not be perforated but it should be elevated above the leve of the ball table and entirely separate therefrom and it is this construction that I claim.
An exhausted Simpson sent the letter, hoping this time would be the final time–again–and that Townsend would finally understand that the ski obstruction and the elevated target were the key and uniquely related features of the game. Something that up until 1908 no one else had done, and something that would fascinate the players and be timeless. Something anyone who has played the game today knows, as do all of the imitators of the game.
Letter from Joseph Fourestier Simpson to US Patent Office, April 7, 1908, pg. 1. 
Letter from Joseph Fourestier Simpson to US Patent Office, April 7, 1908, pg. 2.
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.
SB History | The Story of the Skee-Ball Patent • Part 8
It took a little less than three weeks for Townsend to read, research, and respond to Simpson’s letter of March 17, 1908. On April 4, 1908 he rendered his decision, following his usual format of first giving guidance about wording changes that he wanted Simpson to make.
He gave Simpson detailed changes to all three claims:
In claim 1, line 3, at should be substituted for “to” and the words “and spaced from”, canceled; line 4, the comma between “board” and “in” should be canceled and the words and spaced from inserted after “front of”.
In claim 2, line 3, at should be substituted for “to”, and the words “and spaced from”, canceled, and the words and spaced from, should be inserted before “said target”.
In claim 3, line 3, elevated, should be inserted before “apertured”; and, line 4, “and above” should be canceled.
Simpson had rewritten claim 1 to read:
In a game apparatus, in combination, a board along which a projectile is adapted to travel on an elevated target to the rear of and spaced from said board, and an obstruction upon said board, in front of said target, adapted to cause said ball to leave said board and continue its flight towards said target in the air.
After the nit-picking about the wording of the claim, Townsend delivered what could only be considered bad news for Simpson, rejecting the claim for the elevated target:
Claim 1 defines no invention over and is substantially anticipated by Miller, of record. Claim 1 is accordingly rejected.
There was a glimmer of hope for claims two and three. For those Townsend stated:
Claims 2 and 3, if amended as indicated, may, as at present advised, be allowed.
While it was still an uphill battle, it was possible that Simpson and Townsend were finally coming to some agreement about the claims for the patent. The ball was squarely in Simpson’s court. The question was, could he convince the irascible Townsend of their merits even if he made the changes?
About the author:
Thaddeus Cooper is the co-author of Seeking Redemption: The Real Story of the Beautiful Game of Skee-Ball, a deep dive into the history of the game. You can find more information about Thaddeus, and his co-author, and their book, at: http://www.nomoreboxes.com/.