proof of origin of game

[anne]

I have a game called Alernado which is basically the same as Escalado.
My great uncle invented the horseracing game of Alternado in 1920's or 30's and patented it. He then sold it to Chad Valley.
The ganme Alternado by Chad Valley is basially the same game but is credited to Arthur Gueydan in 1928. I have his original game, the patent and letter relating to sale. How do I prove he invented it and what do I do about it?
Also will my game be of any value?
Anne

[greenacres]

Was there a patent? I don't know if they did that back then. If so you would have to contact the patent office in Washington, D.C. A patent only lasts 17 years and I don't think there's anything you can do. You would have to contact a lawyer and check if you coud sue.

[mart]

Wouldn`t make any difference  !! If he sold the game and all rights to it,, they can say whatever they want !! Not much you can do !! You would have to have the papers agreed on and signed by both parties and see if your uncle retained any rights !!

[anne]

Yes I have original letters and the patent.
I am in UK so I do not know Patent rules although I agree, he sold any rights.

What I thought was odd was the fact that Google says "
Escalado is a horse racing game created in the United Kingdom. It was invented and patented in 1928 by Swiss inventor Arthur Gueydan. ... "
and this is not really true.
It seems unfair that someone else is being given the credit for the invention.
Also Escalado sells on ebay. One seller is asking £99 although others are much less.
I wondered if,with the paperwork would my Alternado (I cannot find the game right now so do not know exact spelling) would be of any value. I cannot find the name anywhere on the internet. I know it existed because I have a copy of the game.

[mart]

Since you are in the UK, you might ask an attorney since laws are different than here !!  But if your main interest is to sell it on ebay,, sell the story of its invention along with it !!  What I mean is,, people on ebay love the history behind the items they buy !!  Photocopy the letter, (keep the original) and if you are a good enough storyteller, list the game and copies of the paperwork, tell the history in the description and see what it sells for !!  You might want to put a reserve price on it in case it doesn`t bring what you think it should !! And be sure and tell everyone that you are keeping the original paperwork since they are part of your family history !!

[greenacres]

You can contact Google and give them your information and the could add that to their search engine or correct the info. I'm sure Google is unaware of your problem.

[lindasguy]

That's a cool story. I don't know about UK patents but the US started patent numbers in 1836. There were 9.957 patents before that but that's when they started numbering them. Cool story though, keep us updated.

[anne]

  Thanks everyone for your help.
I have googled Arthur Gueydan and found reference to him as an artist and inventor of game Escalado. Also seen a diagram of his game on his patent granted 28 Dec 1928.
I have two copies of my great uncles patent specification headed improvements in or relating to Race Game Apparatus ( Horse-cards and Course-Cards) dated 30 March 1933. It looks like his patent was completed 30 March 1933.
I am not sure if the two games are the same because I do not know the full details of Escalado.

My uncle William R Cullimore was a prolific inventor, writer and painter but has had no recognition for anything. I have a carrier bag of 20-30 invention with patents and letters. It looks like the game was the only one which made him a small amount. I have samples of his inventions which he made in cardboard and I have loads of his paintings in the shed, where they have been for nearly 30 years !
What to next ?
I will try and get him the credit for Alternardo because on the designer and artist it says unkown.
I know he would be delighted to have his name on it.
After that - well maybe I will take a look at some of the other things.
He seems to have invented flip-flops and the baby changing table (although he called it a hygiene table) in the 1940's as well as a fold-away steel chair and loads of fiddly things.
I believe he wrote a book relating to UNRA, but the only one I could find does not mention him. I have a hand-written copy of an unpublished book about bombs.

The game Also Ran is the follow-up ame from Alternardo created by Chad Valley in 1946, when they gave several different tracks.

[mart]

Good luck and keep us updated !!

[snowflake]

Wonderful news! You might find this article about being able to look up patents and see if it is there:
http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/blog/2006/12/google_launches_patents_databa_1.shtml

Then search Google patents:
http://www.google.com/patents

I know there is another place to search for them but can't remember off-hand. Have it saved somewhere.

It's a shame many people didn't get credit for theirs. Tesla didn't get credit for many of his inventions.