AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR KEEPING ACCOUNT OF THE USE OF PUBLIC BILLIARD TABLES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
and Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR KEEPING ACCOUNT OF THE USE
OF PUBLIC BILLIARD TABLES." A communication from abroad by Heinrich
von Leesen, of Itzehoe, Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th September 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED AUTOMATIC APPARATUS FOR
KEEPING ACCOUNT OF THE USE OF PUBLIC BILLIARD TABLES." [A communication
from abroad by Heinrich von Leesen, of Itzehoe, Germany.]
This Invention has for its object to provide an apparatus designed to accurately
and automatically register or record the length of time public billiard tables are in
use, so that the exact amount in money which is to be paid for the use of the said
billiard tables may be indicated by the said apparatus. My apparatus thus provides
means whereby the proprietor of a public billiard table may have an accurate
account of the amount duo for the hire or use of the table without having to
calculate it himself, this record being kept automatically by the mechanism
hereinafter described according to the length of time the table may be in use.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide mechanism which is driven
by ordinary clock-work, a detailed description of which is unnecessary, as its
construction is well understood.
In all ordinary clockwork there is an arbor, upon which as a rule the minute
band is mounted, which arbor makes one revolution in every hour. Now, according
to my Invention, I key or otherwise mount securely upon the said arbor a fixed
disc, and I also mount upon this arbor another disc which is toothed and is loose
or free to move thercon. A stem or rod and a lever together with another rod
which is at its top jointed to a second lever, shift by their joint action the movable
or loose disc upon the main-arbor in the following manner, that is to say :—By the

page_text: weight of the second rod and the levers connected therewith the tooth, movable or
loose disc upon the main arbor, is pressed against the fixed disc on the same arbor.
Both these discs are faced with rough cloth on the faces, which are turned towards
each other, so that the loose disc. is compelled to rotate with the main arbor when
pressed against the fixed disc. A button or stud is placed in a bowl or cup which
serves for holding a billiard-ball whilst the table and consequently the ball are not
in use. The stud in this bowl is actuated as follows, that is to say-By the weight
of the ball placed in this bowl or cup and upon the said stud the movable or loose
dise upon the main arbor is put out of contact with the fixed disc, as the weight of
the ball acting upon the stud, and so upon the first lever bercinbefore mentioned,
counteracts the weight of the second rod, and therefore the loose disc remains
stationary notwithstanding the rotation of the arbor carrying it. Now, as this disc
sets the entire counting or registering mechanism in motion, as will be hereinafter
explained, it is clear that the counter mechanism must also remain at rest as long
as the billiard-ball is in place, that is to say, as long as it presses upon the button
in the cup or bowl through which, by means of the lever-arrangement herein before
described, the loose disc is shifted; and the counting mechanism will commence its
action as soon as the ball is removed. The number of teeth on tho loose disc will
be regulated according to the nature of the coinage in which the amount is to be
expressed and according to the amount to be charged for a given period of time.
This disc boing mounted on an arbor making one revolution each hour, as stated,
will when thrown into gear move with a corresponding speed. Against this disc a
catch presses, and the latter being free to rotate upon a pivot at its end will riso
and fall as it rides upon the teeth of the loose disc, or falls into the spaces between
them.
Upon a separate axle there are mounted three arms; the first of these is connected
with-a-catch, hereinafter-described-;-the-second-arm_has_its_end_bent_into_a_hook_
and is connected with a coiled spring which is attached to the framework of the
clock-mechanism; the said spring presses the third arın upon this axle, which arm
is likewise hooked against a disc nounted at the end of a roller which forms one of
a pair carrying a strip of linen or other material. By means of the coiled spring the
catch in connection with the loose disc is pressed against the latter by means of the
first arm upon the three-armed axle.
Upon one of the rollers there is a strip of linen, paper, or other flexible material,
of convenient length, which is wound up by means of the square end of the roller
axle, and this strip is then, by means of a spring suitably arranged for the purpose,
unwound from this roller and wound upon the other roller when the counting-
mechanism is in motion. This strip is marked with figures indicating the amount
payable for the use of the billiard table for given periods, and as when being
unrolled it passes by a glazed opening or aperture in a case containing the
clock work it will shew the amount according to the time the ball has been out of
the bowl or cup and the counting mechanism has been at work, as hereinbefore
explained.
To prevent the aforesaid strip being unrolled in a continuous manner, which
would be unsuitable for the purpose, as to cause it to move so as to expose the
whole of a figure or amount at once I proceed as follows, that is to say:-It has been
hereinbefore stated that one of the rollers upon which the strip with the figures is
wound has a disc mounted upon its end. This disc has upon its periphery two
studs and two cams; now, when the loose disc revolves with the main-arbor, the
catch bearing against the said disc is raised and lowered, as previously described,
and with this catch the second and third arms upon the three-armed axle also make
a to and fro movement, for the reason that when the bent end of the last named
catch is in the deepest part of the recess between two of the teeth upon the
periphery of the loose disc, and this disc revolves, the said catch is gradually lifted
by the edge of the disc-tooth, against which it presses at the time; by means of
its first arm the threc-armed axle receives motion from the catch, and thereby the
second and third arms upon the last named axle aro also operated.

page_text: The loose disc in due course arrives into a position in which it causes the hook
of the third arm to release the disc upon the roller carrying the elastic strip, which
up to that time by means of one of the cams on its periphery, has been held in
position by the third arm aforesaid. This last named disc will however only
advance very slightly, namely, until one of the studs on its periphery is brought
into contact with the short arm of a lever provided for the purpose of arrosting it.
This lever would allow the stud to pass if, at the instant when the second arm on
the three-armed axle releases the disc upon the roller, it did not retain the arresting
lever. It continues to do so until the catch bearing against the loose disc has
passed the highest point of the tooth upon this disc. Now the three-armed axle
impelled by the coiled spring attached to the frame recedes the second arm upon
the three armed lever releases the arresting lever, this latter releases the stud upon
the periphery of the disc mounted upon the roller, and this last named disc is
rotated 180° around its axis, that is to say, till its cam is caught by the hook of
the third arm on the threo armed axle, and thus a portion of the flexible strip being
wound upon the roller connected with the disc a higher figure than before is shewn
at the apertures.
gear
To ensure that by taking the billiard-ball from its place in the bowl the
counting-mechanism is not only actually thrown into gear, but also that the
shifting of the linen or other strip really takes place punctually after the lapse of
the first period the loose disc is in one piece loaded or weighted with lead. As
soon as the counting or registering mechanism is thrown out of in consequenco
of the ball being replaced within the bowl at the end of the game, for example,
the weight of lead causes the loose disc to revolve until the loaded part arrives at
the lowest position. The part to be weighted is so chosen than when the
mechanism is thrown into gear the catch bearing against the loose disc shall
stand exactly in the deepest part of the recess between two of the tooth of the
said disc.

page_text: Figure 6 is an elevation drawn to a reduced scale of the entire apparatus, the
front of the ball-box being broken away to shew the interior of the same.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
My improved apparatus is actuated by any suitable clockwork which forms no
part of my Invention, and therefore need not be particularly described herein.
In all ordinary clockwork there is one arbor which makes one revolution in
every hour. Now according to my Invention I key or otherwise fix securely upon
the said arbor, which is shewn at a, a disc s, and also place thereon a loose or
movable toothed disc s'; this loose disc s' is free to slide to and fro upon the
arbor a when shifted by a lever b, which is connected with the stem d of a button
or stud c (placed in a bowl g) by means of a rod ƒ and a connecting lever e, as
shown in Figure 3.
The weight of the rod causes the loose disc s¹ to be pressed against the disc 8
upon the arbor a. Both of these discs 8 and 8' are as indicated in Figure 5,
provided with rough cloth on their contiguous faces or sides, so that the loose
disc 8' is compelled to rotate with the arbor a when pressed against the fixed
disc 8.
This position of the disc 8' is represented in Figure 3.
The aforesaid button or stud c is placed in the central one of the three bowls
9. g. g, which are shewn in Figure 6, and which serve for holding the billiard-balls
when the same are not in use.
By the weight of the ball placed in the middle bowl and upon the button or
stud c as aforesaid, the said button is depressed, the loose disc s¹ is thereby moved
out of contact with the fixed discs and remains stationary, although the arbor a
revolves. Figure 5 shows the said disc in the last described position. Now as the
loose disc & which is toothed actuates the counting-mechanism as hereinafter
explained, it is obvious that this counting mechanism must also remain at rest as
long as the billiard-balls are in place, that is to say, whilst the middle ball presses
upon the stud c in the cup or bowl.g, and that the counting mechanism will

page_text: commence to operate as soon as the ball is removed from the central cup, and leaves
the rod and the levers connected there with free to press the loose disc 8' against
the fixed disc 8. This loose disc makes one revolution per hour when in motion,
being mounted upon an arbor moving at this rate, as herein before stated. Upon
this disc &¹ presses the catch i, which is free to move upon a pivot h and rises and
falls, its upward movement being effected by the teeth upon the periphery of tho
loose disc s¹. Upon an axle & thero are fixed three arms l, m, and n, the arm lis
connected with a catch, and the arm n, whoso end is bent or forms a hook, is
connected with a spiral spring o which is attached to the frame of the clockwork
and presses the bent or hooked end of the arm m against a disc p mounted upon
the end of the roller A, hereinafter more fully described. By means of the said
spring o the arm is caused to press the catch i against the loose disc 8¹. The
roller A is connected with a second roller B by a strip Z of linen, paper, or other
suitable flexible material; this strip is wound upon the roller A by means of a key
applied to the square end q of the axle of the roller A, and when the apparatus is
in operation the said strip is re-wound upon the roller B by a spiral spring
attached to the latter.
Upon the strip Z figures are marked in any suitable manner; these figures
indicate sums of money, say, amounts increasing at the rate of two pence, if the
amount payable at the end of a game is to be shown in English coinage. The
disc p upon the roller A is provided with two cams or shoulders t and two studs u
arranged at suitable distances apart, as shewn in Figure 3. These cams and
studs are provided for the purpose of effecting the shifting of the strip Z by
sudden intermittent movements at suitable intervals, as its continuous progross
would not be suitable for the purpose of my Invention.
This periodical or intermittent shifting or moving of the strip is effected in the
following manner, that is to say :-
When the loose disc s¹ revolves the catch i is raised and lowered, and the arms
m and n upon the axle receive a to-and-fro motion. In Figure 3 the disc pis
shown as held by the hook of the arm m engaging with one of its cams t, and the
bent ond of the catch i is represented as at the deepest part of one of the notches
of tho disc a' against which the said catch bears. If the disc 8' continues its
movement, the catch i is gradually lifted, and by means of the arm / rotates the
axle and consequently the arms m and n attached to the said axle.
When the loose toothed disc s' arrives at the position illustrated in Figure 4 the
hook of the arm m releases the cam t of the disc p. The disc p now advances till
the stud u presses against the short arm of a lever v. This lever would allow the
stud to pass, if, at the instant in which the arm m releases the disc p, the arm n
did not retain the lever v; this lever continues to be so held until the catch i passes
the highest point of the tooth upon the loose disc 8. Then the axle k with its
arms being acted upon by the coiled spring o recedes; the arm n then releases the
lever v and the latter releases the stud or pin uupon the disc p, and the said disc
(and by it the roller A to which it is attached) is rotated to the extent of 180°,
that is to say, till the second cam t on the said disc is caught by the hook or end
of the arm m.
In consequence of the above described action of the various parts after one
amount has been shewn, the next higher amount marked upon the strip Z is shewn
at the glazed sight-hole or opening of the case enclosing this apparatus.
In the apparatus illustrated in the Drawing, the strip Z is shifted once in every
6 minutes, and if properly marked with figures indicating sums differing to the
extent of two pence from each other, would indicate one shilling and eight pence
per hour. If it is desired to cause the apparatus to show a different amount, or to
indicate the amount in a different coinage, the marking upon the strip Z, or the
number of teeth of the disc s', or both, will have to be altered in a manner well
understood by persons conversant with mechanism of this class.
To ensure the counting mechanism (when the balls are taken out of the bowls g)
being thrown properly into gear, and the shifting of the strip Z punctually at the

page_text: lapse of the first interval, the loose disc 8² is at one part loaded or weighted with
lead or otherwise. As soon as (by replacing the balls at the end of the game) the
counting mechanism is thrown out of gear, this weight causes the loose disc a' to
revolve till the loaded part arrives at its lowest position. This mechanism is so
arranged that the catch i will stand exactly at the lowest part of the notch
between two teeth of the disc s¹ when the counting mechanism begins to act.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,―
First. For automatically keeping a record or account of the use of public billiard-
tables, the apparatus which is actuated by clockwork combined with shifting-
mechanism for throwing the two discs into and out of contact with each other, and
which indicates the amount to be paid by a periodically or intermittently shifting
or moving strip suitably marked with figures indicating the amount, the whole
constructed, combined, and arranged substantially as shewn in the Drawings, and
operating as set forth.
Second. The shifting apparatus, consisting of the rod f, the levers b and e, with
the stud and the bowl, the said shifting apparatus being combined with the flat
discs 8 and 8' and the arms upon the axle k, for the purpose of automatically
imparting motion to the counting mechanism when the ball is taken from the bowl,
all substantially as set forth.
Third. The roller A with the disc p attached thereto, the roller B, the flexible
band or strip Z wound on the said rollers in combination with the clockwork and
-the-shifting-mechanism, as-and-for-the-purpose-set-forth...
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal. this Fifth day of March. in the year of our Lord One