Improvements in Scoring Boards for Billiards and other Games.
Year: 1897

page_text: . PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Scoring Boards for Billiards and other Games.
I, HUGH ARTHUR ORMEROD LONSDALE of 25 Darlington Terrace Cheetham
Hill, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
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This invention relates to boards for indicating the score made by cach billiard
player or by persons playing other games in which a certain number of points has
to be made and consists in improvements in the construction or arrangement of such
boards. The boards ordinarily used for billiards are expensive and contain a large
number of small figures and a small pointer, that can be seen only at a short
distance from the board, and usually do not score up to more than one hundred.
The object of my invention is to obviate these defects and produce a cheaper board
arranged to score up to 1000 or more, the figures on which are comparatively
large and easily readable without increasing the size of the board.
-
In constructing a scoring board according to my invention I divide the board as
usual by vertical bars into two or more compartments according to the number of
players or teams in the game. In each compartiment I arrange, if the board is
intended to score up to 1000, three rows of 10 figures each; the top row
containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and each of the others 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
and the spaces occupied by each figure being equal.
In front of the figures I arrange an equal number of shutters sliding in grooves
or ledges and of the same width as the figure spaces, so as to cover them when
pushed together. Each shutter is provided with a knob and marked in front with
the figure it covers when pushed up. On the left of the figures a space is left in
the slides for one shutter.
On the board thus formed the bottom row of figures indicates units, the second
row digits and the top row hundreds. The score is marked by exposing the
respective figure in each line to view, by seizing the knob of the shutter marked
with the same figure and shifting the shutter to the left, whereby the other shutters
in front of it will likewise be shifted, and one figure in each line exposed, which
being large can be easily read at a considerable distance from the board.
By adding another line of figures and shutters the board will be arranged for
Scoring up to 10,000.

page_text: I HUGH ARTHUR ORMEROD LONSDALE of 25, Darlington Terrace, Cheetham
Hill, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Salesman, 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 :—
This invention relates to boards for indicating the score made by each billiard
player or by persons playing other games in which a certain number of points has
to be made and consists in improvements in the construction or arrangement of such
boards. The boards ordinarily used for billiards are expensive and contain a large
number of small figures and a small pointer, that can be seen only at a short
distance from the board, and usually do not score up to more than one hundred.
The object of my invention is to obviate these defects and produce a cheaper board
arranged to ecore up to 1000 or more, the figures on which are comparatively large
and easily readable without increasing the size of the board.
On the drawing appended hereunto,
Fig. 1, shows the improved board arranged for billiards and to score up to 1000
as seen before starting to score ;
Fig. 2, a section of the same;
Fig. 3, a view of the board in use.
In constructing a scoring board according to my invention, I divide the board as
usual by a vertical bar or division a into two compartments one for each player or
team in the game. In each compartment I arrange, if the board is intended
to score up to 1000, three rows of 10 figures each; the top row 6 containing 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and each of the other rows c and d, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
the spaces occupied by each figure being equal.
In front of the figures, I arrange an equal number of shutters e sliding in
grooves on intermediate bars for ledges and of the same width as the figure spaces,
so as to cover them when pushed together as shewn in Figure 1. Each shutter is
provided with a knob 9 and marked in front with the figure it covers when pushed
up. On the left of the figures a space is left in the slides for receiving one
shutter.
On the board thus formed the bottom row of figures indicates units, the second
row digits and the top row hundreds. The score is marked by exposing the
respective figure in each line to view, by seizing the knob of the shutter marked
with the same figure and shifting the shutter to the left, whereby the other
shutters in front of it will likewise be shifted, and one figure in each line exposed,
which being large can be easily read at a considerable distance from the board.
Figure 3, thus shows a score of 236 on the left and 372 on the right compartment
of the board.
By adding another line of figures and shutters, the board will be capable of
scoring up to 10,000.
If desired, additional small rows of figures and shutters may be arranged on the
ledges or intermediate bars f for indicating the number of lives in playing pool, or
similar small scores.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The improved construction or arrangement of scoring boards for billiards and

page_text: other games substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
drawings.
Dated the 5th day of Anril 1807
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 6, Clayton Square, Liverpool,.
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.