BAYKO Patents
BAYKO's concepts, though simple, still warranted a patent - or, to be more accurate, two patents. |
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Bases have a matrix of holes at 3/8-inch centres to take… |
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…Rods, 75 thou in diameter, forming the model's framework. |
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Panels (grooved along both edges) representing walls, windows, doors, etc., slide between the Rods. |
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Some parts have a hole to slide over a Rod. |
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A few parts are topped with a row of holes for more Rods, allowing building to continue above them. |
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Roofs, topping pieces or Floors finish off the model. |
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C.B. Plimpton first applied to patent BAYKO on November 20th, 1933, with a further submission on June 23rd, 1934. |
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The drawing [left] gives a good general idea of BAYKO functionality. |
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Patent #422,645 was granted on January 16th, 1935. |
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The second patent was different. |
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It was applied for on July 2nd, 1946... |
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...with further supporting documents on June 4th and 21st, 1947... |
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...and finally granted on December 2nd, 1948, days before C.B.'s death. |
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Very few of the ideas in this second patent, which included a modular roofing system, ever came to fruition. |
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No more patents were sought - perhaps proof of the loss of the innovation drive following C.B.'s death. |
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The new BAYKO parts introduced by MECCANO were obviously not innovative enough to warrant a third patent... |
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...or perhaps MECCANO didn't bother to apply. |
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Well, that's just about it for BAYKO patents... |
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...or so I thought, until I visited the Liverpool Maritime Museum... |
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...where I found these! |
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The image opposite is the front page of French patent #794,985... |
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...for BAYKO!!! |
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Clearly Plimpton put a lot more effort into their export drive than I had expected. |
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This patent was granted at 14:42(!) on August 17th, 1935, just 7 months after the first UK patent. |
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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... |
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...and there's more, as Jimmy Cricket would say : - |
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I have to confess I'd never even heard of a 'Registered Design' until I carried on searching through the Liverpool Maritime Museum archives. |
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The image [right] shows one of the six registered designs in the archive... |
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...and other documents in the archive refer to 3 more... |
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...actually there are 4 more! |
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The purpose of registering a design is to protect the item concerned from being copied by competitors. |
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These restrictions are primarily focused on appearance, rather than relying on technical innovation, which would generally be covered by a patent. |
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The 10 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! |
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...and there's even more, as Jimmy Cricket didn't say... |
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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 : - |
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► Australia |
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| ► Belgium |
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| ► Canada |
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► The Irish Republic
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It is highly likely that there were other countries and other applications, but, unfortunately, no record of them. |
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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! |
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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...
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Below here are links to related info : - |
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Click on any of the links below for related information.
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Latest update -
July 28, 2008
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