Clock to Register and Time the Game of Billiards.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Clock to Register and Time the Game of Billiards.
We, JAMES NEWMAN, of 37, Jane Street, Hetton Downs, Hetton le Hole, R.S.O.,
County of Durham, Miner, JAMES NEWMAN, Junior, of 37, Jane Street, Hetton
Downs, Hetton le Hole, R.S.O., County of Durham, Shoemaker, and JOHN
ANDERSON,
of John Street, Hetton le Hole, County of Durham, Clock and Watch-
maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The object of this invention is a sort of counter intended to mark the duration
of games of billiards and to enable a person at any moment to see the number of
games played and consequently the sums of money paid.
In order that our invention may be more fully understood reference is made
to the annexed drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a front view of a clock provided with our system of counter.
Fig. 2 is a view of the mechanism of the clock and of the system of counter
on a larger scale than Figure 1.
Fig. 3 is a hind view, likewise on a larger scale than Figure 1, of the
mechanism for setting the clock going or stopping it.
In all these figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is a lever clock of ordinary mechanism. Its dial B displays an outside
circle C divided into 32 equal parts, then two circles concentric to the circle C,
the one for the minutes and the other for the hours. Inside at the bottom of the
hour circle, there is a small circle D divided into four equal parts, each quarter
being itself divided into four parts, this little dial is supplied with a hand and
the large dial has ordinary hour and minute hands, it has also a much larger
hand for marking the divisions of the circle C.
The hand moves forward only one degree during the time that the hour hand
has made two revolutions, that is 24 hours, likewise the hand of the small dial D
makes a complete revolution while the hour hand makes 96 hours, that is-S
revolutions.
The clock is set going only when it is necessary to show the time employed
by the billiard players and it goes on continually if the lever F has been pushed
and held towards the right, or it goes only 20 minutes if the lever has been
pushed to the right and then at once drawn to the left as will be hereafter
explained.
This clock, then, does not mark the hour but only shows how long the billiard
table has been in use.
This is effected in the following manner. If games of only 20 minutes are to
be registered the lever F Fig. 2 is caught and pushed to the right then
immediately drawn to the left, this lever F is joined by a rod G to the lever H
This lever H (see Fig. 3) has a projection I at one of its extremities intended
to run into one of the three notches J in a disk K. The movement towards the

page_text: right of the lever F has for its object to draw the lever H downwards by means
of the connecting rod G and to eject the projection I from the notch J, and at
the same time to free the balance roller L of a stop-rod M which being fixed
on a lever N, worked by the lever H is raised and put out of contact with the
balance roller.
The balance roller L being freed starts moving at once and immediately actions
the whole mechanism of the block. Now the disk being fixed on the axle of the
minute hand it follows the movement of the hand.
The three notches J of the disk K are placed so as to correspond to a lapse of
20 minutes.
Between every two notches J the projection I of the lever H is kept raised by
a support which is pivoted at its lower extremity at 0' and at the other extremity
with the lever H.at I'. The support is composed of two parts firmly allied
together, which are placed at the front and back of the disk K. The front part of
the support acts as a cam and is held by one of the three pins P fixed on the
disk K. In the revolution of the disk K, one of the pins P rubs against the interior
edge of the support and maintains it in the position necessary to keep the
lever H raised, but the length of this front part of the support is calculated so
that the pin P gets to the extremity of this part and consequently abandons it,
leaving it to return to its former position under the action of the spring O at
the moment there is a notch below the projection I thus allowing the latter
to run into the notch at the end of 20 minutes, for the lever H has been freed
from the rod G by the movement towards the left of the lever F and can con-
sequently fall freely in its falling movement the lever H. which has a hammer Q
raises the latter which strikes a bell R so as to warn those interested in the
game that the 20 minutes are up and that the clock has stopped.
In fact by the fall of the lever H, the stop-rod M has stopped the balance
roller and consequently the movement of the clock.
To set it going again the manner already described is employed, by acting on
the lever F and the same results are obtained.
The way in which the clock-counter points out each 20 minutes is thus seen.
In case it is not desirable to stop the counter every twenty minutes it suffices
only to push the lever F to the right, in this case the connecting rod G will
hold the lever I continually raised and consequently the projection I not being
able to penetrate the notches J and the stop rod M being no longer in contact
with the balance-roller L, the clock will not stop.
.
In order to stop it, it is necessary to draw back the lever F towards the left
thus freeing the lever H and allowing the projection I to fall into the first notch J
which. it meets and will consequently allow the stop-rod M to stop the movement.
It now remains to explain how all the games of billiards are registered.
The hand of the small dial D is set going by a 32 toothed-wheel S, this wheel S
gears with an S toothed pinion T keyed on the same axle as a 24 toothed
wheel Y and this wheel Y gears with a 12 toothed pinion X which is keyed on
the axle of the hour hand.
So when the hour hand has made a complete revolution, that is 12 hours, the
pinion X will likewise have made a complete revolution and caused the 24
toothed-wheel Y to go forward 12 teeth either half a revolution, and conse-
quently the pinion T keyed on the same axle as the wheel Y will likewise have
made half a revolution and consequently gone forward 4 teeth and will likewise
have made the wheel S go forward 4 teeth or the eighth of a revolution thus the
hand of the small dial D will have advanced half a degree or the 8th of the
ilial.
From what precedes it will be understood that when the hand of the small
dial has made a complete revolution, it shows that play has gone on for 96 hours.
The hand E of the large dial works in the following manner: this hand E
is actuated by an independent 32 toothed wheel U which is set going by a
pin Z fixed on the toothed-wheel Y actuated by the 12 toothed-pinion keyed

page_text: on the axle of the hour hand. When the hour hand has made two revolutions
that is 24 hours, the pinion X has made two revolutions and has consequently
gone forward twice 12 teeth, then the 24 toothed wheel Y has made a complete
revolution and the pin Z has caused the wheel to advance 1 tooth and con-
sequently the hand a degree, therefore each degree of the dial C corresponds
to 24 hours.
On Fig. 2 will be seen a system of unbreaking to prevent the wheel U from
advancing more than 1 degree, the moment it is actioned by the pin Z.
This unbreaking consists in a spring arm a, having a projection b which gets
among the teeth of the wheel U and prevents it from advancing.
This projection b is drawn out of the tooth of the wheel U the moment the
pin Z strikes the wheel by means of a came keyed on the wheel Y which throws
aside the spring arm at the necessary moment.
Now, let us suppose, in order to explain the manner of using this counter that
at the end of 15 days it has been in use during 125 hours and 20 minutes.
The hand E will be on the 5th degree which makes 120 hours, the remaining
5 hours 20 minutes are indicated by the hour-hand which will be at 5 o'clock and
by the minute hand which will be at 20 minutes, and by the hand of the small
dial D which will be on the first division of the second quarter it will therefore
be easy to calculate the amount of expenses, according to the price fixed for a
20 minute game.
For instance if the 20 minutes cost 1d., the hour will be 3d.,
31/4d.
and 125h. 25m. =
We shall now explain the use of the small dial. This small dial D serves to
mark the time in the 24 hours. The hand E advancing brusquely every 24
hours, if the clock marks 5h. 20m., for instance it cannot be ascertained if it
has moved 5h. 20m. or 17h. 20m. with the hand of the little dial, what is marked
becomes quite clear, since the hand of the small dial, making a quarter of a
circle in 24 hours, if this hand is in the first half of this quarter, it indicates
5h. 20m. and in the 2nd half 17h. 20m. The master of the establishment will then
know that he has to receive 3d. multiplied by 17 51d. 1d. for 20 minutes
making 52d. or 4/4.
=
It will consequently be understood that the large hand indicates 24 hours
for each degree, the small hand of the dial D the time between each 24 hours,
and the ordinary hands the exact duration of this time.
This clock is completely closed and it is impossible to set it going or to stop
it except by the lever F. This lever, in order that it may not move from the
position in which it has been placed is frictionally held in a piece / actuated
by a springe and when the lever is drawn towards the right, it is maintained
by a spring f actuated by a screw cock g.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1st. A new or improved counter for games of billiards or others actuated by
an ordinary elock, set going at will, comprising besides the hour and minute
circles, an exterior circle divided into 32 degrees and a small interior circle
divided into 4 degrees, each degree of which represents 24 hours, substantially
as above described.
2nd. A new or improved counter for billiards or other games actuated by an
ordinary clock set going at will and having the hour and minute hands working
in the usual way and a third hand E advancing a degree, on the exterior dial,
each 24 hours, and a hand on the small dial advancing likewise a degree each
24 hours, the object of which is to show whether the ordinary hour hand is
in the first or second revolution, each 24 hours, which would not be indicated
by the hand E of the 32 degrees which moves brusquely one degree each 24 hours,
substantially as above described.
3rd. A new or improved counter for billiards or other games actuated by an

page_text: ordinary clock set going at will by a lever F by means of which the clock may
be kept going indefinetely or stopped at will or further, be allowed to stop auto-
matically at the end of 20 minutes as above described for the purpose set forth.
Taal Lith Doomben 1800
H. C. FOWLER,
11, Furnival Street, Holborn, London,
Agent for Applicants.