BAYKO Patents

This section of the website deals with some of the more formal, legal aspects associated with both the development, and protection of an innovative toy such as BAYKO.
First BAYKO patent front cover
 
2nd patent front page
BAYKO's concepts, though simple, still warranted a patent…
…or, to be more accurate, two patents.
 
The basic concepts are as follows : -
Bases have a matrix of holes at 3/8-inch centres to take…
…Rods, 75 thou in diameter, forming the model's framework.
Panels (grooved along both edges) representing walls, windows, doors, etc., slide between the Rods.
Some parts have a hole to slide over a Rod.
A few parts are topped with a row of holes for more Rods, allowing building to continue above them.
Roofs, topping pieces or Floors finish off the model.
 
C.B. Plimpton first applied to patent BAYKO on November 20th, 1933, with a further submission on June 23rd, 1934.
First patent page 6 - the drawing
 
The drawing [left] gives a good general idea of BAYKO functionality.
Patent #422,645 was granted on January 16th, 1935.
 
The second patent was different.
It was applied for on July 2nd, 1946
…with further supporting documents on June 4th and 21st, 1947
…and finally granted on December 2nd, 1948, days before C.B.'s death.
Sadly, very few of the ideas in this second patent, which included a modular roofing system, ever came to fruition.
2nd patent page 6 - the drawing
No more patents were sought - to my view, absolute proof of the loss of the innovation drive following C.B.'s death.
The new BAYKO parts introduced by MECCANO were obviously not innovative enough to warrant a third patent…
…or perhaps MECCANO didn't bother to apply.
Just for the record, that's not said to denigrate them, I actually quite like most of the MECCANO era new parts.
Front page of French patent #794,985
Well, that's just about it for BAYKO patents…
…or so I thought, until I visited the Liverpool Maritime Museum
…where I found these!
The image[left] is the front page of French patent #794,985
…and it's for BAYKO!!!
Clearly Plimpton put a lot more effort into their export drive than I had expected.
This patent was granted at 14:42(!) on August 17th, 1935, just 7 months after the first UK patent.
I'm afraid that I've no idea whether or not BAYKO patents were granted for any other markets. Common sense certainly points in that direction, but I'd love to know more…
Although this page is intended to be BAYKO related, I must mention that C.B. Plimpton was also granted an earlier patent for “Improvements in Clocks and Clock Movements”, which was no mean achievement…
…and there's more, as Jimmy Cricket would say : -
I have to confess I'd never even heard of a 'Registered Design' until I carried on searching through the Liverpool Maritime Museum archives.
Diagram page of the Dome Design Registration document
The image [right] shows one of the six registered designs in the archive…
…and other documents in the archive refer to 3 more…
…actually there are 4 more!
The purpose of registering a design is to protect the item concerned from being copied by competitors.
These restrictions are primarily focused on appearance, rather than relying on technical innovation, which would generally be covered by a patent.
The ten BAYKO 'Registered Designs' were all confirmed on the same date, May 4th, 1949, even though some of the parts concerned had been launched more than 10 years earlier!
…and there's even more, as Jimmy Cricket didn't quite say…
Belgian copyright document
The Liverpool Maritime Museum archives also contain applications, or references to applications, for registration of the BAYKO trade mark and / or copyright of manuals in : -
Canadian copyright document
Australia
Belgium
Canada
The Irish Republic
It is highly likely that there were other countries and other applications, but, unfortunately, no record of them.
Perhaps the key learning from these documents is just how highly Plimpton regarded their export markets and just how much effort they put in to securing and supporting them!
 
If you have more information about any of these legal aspects of the BAYKO market, particularly any export examples, then I'd love to hear from you…
 
Below here are links to related info : -
 
Click on any of the links below for related information.


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Latest update - August 11, 2022
The BAYKO name and Logo are the Registered Trade Mark of Transport of Delight.
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WEBMASTER - PETE BRADLEY.