Poker chip patent madness! (1 Viewer)

[Taghkanic]

While researching some patents my grandfather got back in the 1960s and ’70s, on a whim I started searching on various poker chip terms.

The U.S. Patent Office’s search engine is like something out of the mid-1990s, so this was a bit frustrating, but I turned up a few curiosities. Someone else might find better stuff. But below are some screenshots and links.

I thought this might be of interest because some of the patents get into great detail about how certain types of chips are constructed.

For example, here is a GPI patent from 2015 for “Secure Value Tokens”:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=...&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

 

[Taghkanic]

Here is the link to the Advanced Search page:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-adv.htm

Brush up on your Boolean operators! There are some instructions on how to get what you want, but they appear to be written by the same people who wrote instruction manuals for TVs 30 years ago.

 

[Taghkanic]

Here’s one for Trend Plastics, Inc. in 1997, for an “Easy Handling Gaming Chip”:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=...&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

 

[Taghkanic]

Here's one for Modern Faucet Manufacturing (??) for a “Composite Gaming Chip”:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=...&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

 

[Taghkanic]

Some of the patents contain more detail than others. If you click on Drawings or Full Pages, you get more than the initial link provides.

 

[Taghkanic]

The drawings on some of the older devices which cropped up are more elaborate, and might make a good poster series for the wall of a game room. This one is a 1942 chip holding box:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=...&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

 

[Taghkanic]

Here’s one from the 1950s, for a poker chip holder with vertical racks which rotated out from the body of the holder:

 

[Taghkanic]

Here’s the guy responsible for those damned interlocking plastic chips:

 

[Taghkanic]

Here’s a 1981 chip rack patent drawing:

 

[Taghkanic]

Aieeeeeeeee:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=D0515147&homeurl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2%26Sect2=HITOFF%26u=%252Fnetahtml%252FPTO%252Fsearch-adv.htm%26r=22%26p=1%26f=G%26l=50%26d=PALL%26S1=(poker.TI.%2BAND%2Bchip.TI.)%26OS=ttl/poker%2Band%2Bttl/chip%26RS=(TTL/poker%2BAND%2BTTL/chip)&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

 

[Taghkanic]

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=...&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

 

[Taghkanic]

Here’s someone in Maine (from ASM, maybe?) who more recently patented a new chip shape:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=D0796582&SectionNum=2&IDKey=746B9CD685DE&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2%26Sect2=HITOFF%26u=%252Fnetahtml%252FPTO%252Fsearch-adv.htm%26r=12%26p=1%26f=G%26l=50%26d=PALL%26S1=poker.TI.%26OS=ttl/poker%26RS=TTL/poker

 

[Taghkanic]

This is a “Poker Chip Stacking Tool,” if your hands aren’t up to the task, I guess:

 

[Taghkanic]

 

[Taghkanic]

There’s a lot more, but I need to... stop. I’d like to understand their search methodology better, and try to find earlier stuff from Burt, et al.

 

[BGinGA]

Here's one for Modern Faucet Manufacturing (??) for a “Composite Gaming Chip”:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=05676376&homeurl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%26Sect2=HITOFF%26p=1%26u=%252Fnetahtml%252FPTO%252Fsearch-bool.html%26r=1%26f=G%26l=50%26d=PALL%26S1=5676376.PN.%26OS=PN/5676376%26RS=PN/5676376&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

View attachment 160905

View attachment 160906

Recycling old washers and related components, I guess.

 

[Taghkanic]

Looks like maybe that’s the patent for these things:

 

[BGinGA]

While researching some patents my grandfather got back in the 1960s and ’70s, on a whim I started searching on various poker chip terms.

The U.S. Patent Office’s search engine is like something out of the mid-1990s, so this was a bit frustrating, but I turned up a few curiosities. Someone else might find better stuff. But below are some screenshots and links.

I thought this might be of interest because some of the patents get into great detail about how certain types of chips are constructed.

For example, here is a GPI patent from 2015 for “Secure Value Tokens”:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=09213933&homeurl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2%26Sect2=HITOFF%26u=%252Fnetahtml%252FPTO%252Fsearch-adv.htm%26r=10%26p=1%26f=G%26l=50%26d=PALL%26S1=(poker%2BAND%2Bclay)%26OS=poker%2Band%2Bclay%26RS=(poker%2BAND%2Bclay)&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

View attachment 160902 View attachment 160903

This one is particularly interesting, as it shows the construction features of their latest 'hybrid' clay/jeton material chip. Clears up several questions that were raised in an earlier discussion thread. Thanks for posting.

 

[Taghkanic]

OK, one more... This is a “Chip Pusher”:

 

[Taghkanic]

This one is particularly interesting, as it shows the construction features of their latest 'hybrid' clay/jeton material chip. Clears up several questions that were raised in an earlier discussion thread. Thanks for posting.

The lengthy narrative in the Specifications section gives about as much detail as even the most pedantic chippers could ever want...

 

[One Eyed Dollar]

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This one belongs on www.pockerchipforum.com

 

[Taghkanic]

Pöçker... That was the Bosnian precursor to poker, right?

 

[David O]

While researching some patents my grandfather got back in the 1960s and ’70s, on a whim I started searching on various poker chip terms.

The U.S. Patent Office’s search engine is like something out of the mid-1990s, so this was a bit frustrating, but I turned up a few curiosities. Someone else might find better stuff. But below are some screenshots and links.

I thought this might be of interest because some of the patents get into great detail about how certain types of chips are constructed.

For example, here is a GPI patent from 2015 for “Secure Value Tokens”:

http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=09213933&homeurl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2%26Sect2=HITOFF%26u=%252Fnetahtml%252FPTO%252Fsearch-adv.htm%26r=10%26p=1%26f=G%26l=50%26d=PALL%26S1=(poker%2BAND%2Bclay)%26OS=poker%2Band%2Bclay%26RS=(poker%2BAND%2Bclay)&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+page

View attachment 160902 View attachment 160903

Very interesting. This appears to be the patent for the Paulson Premium Décor Chip

Thank you for finding and sharing this info.

Like these! Picture credit to @sleepypiggly

 

[Taghkanic]

I’m guessing there are many other goodies to be found at the patent site, but as I said, their search engine is kind of kludgey. Hoping some others will dive in.

 

[Taghkanic]

I did searches on Paul-Son, Paulson, etc., but either got too many results or none. At some point I’ll go back and try Burt Company, Portland Billiard Ball Company, etc.

I gotta find one of those chip pushers... Just to carry my buy-in to the table, flip it over on the table, and lift it up like an upside-down cake pan.

 

[Taghkanic]

Very interesting. This appears to be the patent for the Paulson Premium Décor Chip

I just noticed, looking more fully at the PDF I downloaded, that they also planned this design for plaques and pentagonal chips... Maybe that’s common knowledge, but I wasn’t aware of it.

 

[Shaggy]

I have found using Google Patents to be a much easier method of searching. Here is an image of Bernard B Jones' 1987 patent.

In addition to searching patents, you can find older patents that the current patent references.

 

[Taghkanic]

I have found using Google Patents to be a much easier method of searching.

Awesome! I did not know about that. Thanks.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Here’s the guy responsible for those damned interlocking plastic chips:

View attachment 160909

Asshole.

 

[Mental Nomad]

For the record, I think this thread is awesome. I also love the idea of doing a set of prints as poker room decor.