IMPROVE- MENTS IN PARTS OF BILLIARD TABLES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THURSTON, of Catherine Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of March, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, tho said
John Thurston, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Thurston, my
exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Thurston,
my exors, adiiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN PARTS OF BILLIARD TABLES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso, that I, the said John Thurston, shall cause a particular description
of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to bo inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters l'atent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will moro fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Thurstor, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
My Invention consists of improvements in constructing those parts of
billiard tables called the cushions. And in order that my Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the means pursued by me.
In the construction of billiard tables it is important that the cushions should
be so formed as to offer uniform elasticity in all parts, and that the same
should not be liable to be changed by variations of temperature, and various
means have been resorted to by me and other manufacturers for improving the
construction of the cushions, and of late years india-rubber has been applied as
a means of obtaining the desired elasticity; but india-rubber, as is well known,
is liable to become hard if subjected to low temperatures, and is otherwise
affected by changes of temperature, which is highly prejudicial to retaining an
uniform elasticity of the cushions of billiard tables when more or less com-
posed of india-rubber. Now the object of my Invention is to apply a peculiar
preparation of india-rubber in the construction of thoso parts of billiard tables
called the cushions. Within a few years it has been discovered, that by com-
bining india-rubber with sulphur, and submitting it to high degrees of heat,
that india-rubber becomes more permanent in its elasticity, and is not affected
to any injurious extent by changes of temperature, and such manufacture of
india-rubber is now known under the name of "valcanized india-rubber," and
is sold by the manufacturers, Messieurs Macintosh and Company, of Man-
chester, such manufacture of india-rubber being secured by Letters Patent
granted to Mr. Thomas Tancock in One thousand eight hundred and forty-
three, and I mention this circumstance in order to state that I make no claim
to the preparation of india-rubber herein mentioned, my Invention consisting
in adapting and applying such preparation of india-rubber in the constructing
of the cushions of billiard tables.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
The Drawing represents a full size section of part of a cushion of a billiard
table constructed according to my luvention. A is the wood part of the,
cushion; B is a deal blocking screwed to the part A. At the upper part of
the blocking there is a groove C to receive a slip of deal, which secures the
upper edge of the cotton tick or swan skin covering F, in the manner hereto-
fore practised, the lower edge of the tick or swan skin covering being nailed to

page_text: the under side of the capping D before the cushion is fixed to the bed E of the
table, and the workman should be careful in applying the tick or swan skin
covering F so as not to strain it unequally over the elastic cushion or surface
produced by the prepared india-rubber G. Over the tick or swan skin
covering F is to be applied the covering of superfine woollen cloth, as hereto-
fore, and thus will be produced cushions of a superior character for billiard
tables to those heretoforo made, the prepared or vulcanized india-rubber
offering an unvarying and a superior elasticity under all circumstances of tem-
perature, to which billiard tables are liable.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the details shewn; but what I claim is the adaptation
and application of the prepared india-rubber herein mentioned to the
constructing of the cushions of billiard tables.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thurston, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.