solution and/or name of the puzzle

Can't be done, because that is not the objective of the puzzle. There is and big ring missing (green in the picture) which has to be removed. I guess that is already happened and then lost.
http://www.creativepuzzels.nl/spel/speel1/images3/ ringAsol.jpg

AS Jan has already answered your question - just one more point: not a 'bad drawing' - a great use of asci art.

Yes, I recognized the puzzle immediately.

Thanks for the praise for the ascii art! I guess you are right, it's not that bad.

However, the game has a solution. There is nothing missing... it never had a green ring. It's an old puzzle that I found after years of not using it. I just can't solve it again. Pretty depressing.

If it's exactly like the puzzle at the URL above, I don't see how you could possibly 'separate the string (with the rings and balls) from the 'key'.'

The simple presence of a ball on each side of the string should be enough to convince you that you're never getting that string to go all the way through either side of the hole in the key.

Dgates schrieb:

The rings fit over the loop; they don't fit over the whole key.

Passing the rings over the key gives you more futile moves to try, thus making the puzzle more difficult.

Cheers