IMPROVE- MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BILLIARD TABLES, AND IN MARKERS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Glover, of Prestwich, near Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Composer of Music, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BILLIARD TABLES, AND IN MARKERS FOR THE
SAME
"
Sealed the 5th April 1878, and dated the 16th January 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Glover at the
Office of the Cominissioners of Patents on the 16th January 1878.
WILLIAM GLOVER, of Prestwich, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Composer of Music. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BILLIARD TABLES, AND
IN MARKERS FOR THE SAME."
"
My improvements in or applicable to billiard tables consist in the addition thereto
of certain apparatus to return the balls to "balk" after they have been pocketed.
The apparatus consists of a slanting gutter placed under the table and provided
with branches to the pockets, which are open to allow the balls to pass through
and into the slanting gutter which terminates in a bowl or net placed under the
balk end of the table.
The pockets can all be closed to retain the balls if required by means of an
endless cord carried round the table acting upon rings or levers or other equivalents.
A swivel lever is attached to the cord, which when pulled in one direction closes
the pockets, and opens them when pulled in the other. Or the pockets at one side
can be opened or closed independently of the others by having separate cords at each
side.
My improvements in billiard markers consist in making the numerals on both
sides of the board which is suspended above the table; the pointers are connected
to endless bands passing around pulleys at each end of the board, so that when the
pointer at one side is moved to a certain figure the pointer at the other side marks

page_text: the corresponding figure, thus enabling the players to read or mark the score from
either side of the table.
The pointers are provided with two guides or segmental projections to prevent
the finger or cue by which the marker is moved from slipping.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Glover in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th July
1878.
WILLIAM GLOVER, of Prestwich, near Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Composer of Music. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO BILLIARD TABLES, AND
IN MARKERS FOR THE SAME."
"
My improvements in or applicable to billiard tables consist,―
First. In the addition thereto of certain improved apparatus to return the balls
to "balk" after they have been pocketed.
Secondly. In closing the pockets to retain the balls if required by means of an
endless cord carried round the table acting upon rings or levers, or other
equivalents.
Thirdly. In making the numerals on both sides of the marking board, which is
suspended above the table, and in connecting the pointers to endless bands passing
around pulleys at each end of the board.
And, Fourthly. In providing the pointers with two guides or segmental pro-
jections to prevent the finger or cue by which the pointer is moved from slipping.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to
describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
Fig. 1 is an elevation; Fig. 2, a plan; and Fig. 3 is an end view of a billiard
table to which my improvements for returning the balls to "balk" when they have
been pocketed are applied.
The apparatus consists of a slanting gutter a, provided with branches b. The
pockets c are open to allow the balls to pass through and drop into the slanting
gutter which terminates in a bowl or net d, placed under the "balk" end of the
table, or the balls may rest at the lower end of the gutter.
The pockets can all be closed to retain the balls if required by means of the
endless cord e, carried round the table over the pulleys f, and attached to the
rings g, through which the lower ends of the pockets c pass, as shewn in Figs. 4 and
5. The lower ends of the pockets are fastened at one side to the branch gutter b,
or to the table by a wire loop h, or otherwise, and at the other side to the rings g,
and when the endless cord e is pulled in one direction it draws the sides of the
pockets, which are attached to the rings,. against the sides, which are fastened to
the table or branch gutters b, thus closing the pockets, and when the cord is pulled
in the opposite direction it opens the pockets. A swivel lever m, on which an arm
may be fixed to block the gutter is attached to the cord e to ensure the pockets
being either open or closed, which is effected by a spring n acting on one end of the
lever m.

page_text: In some cases a pendant lever o is hinged to the table and attached to the cord e
to stop the passage of the gutters, as shown in Fig. 4.
Figs. 4 and 5 are an elevation and plan of a billiard table shewing a modification
of my Invention.
The gutters a are placed partly outside the table and partly underneath, and are
united in the bowl or net d, as in the arrangement above described.
In Figs. 1 and 4 I shave shewn bowls d, to catch the balls which may be applied
to any or all of the pockets.
My improvements in billiard markers are shewn in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, and consist
in making the numerals on both sides of the marking board, which is suspended
above the table; the pointers i and j are connected to endless bands k, passing
around the pulleys at each end of the board, so that when the pointer i at one
side is moved to a certain figure the pointer; at the other side marks. the corre-
sponding figure, thus enabling the players to read or mark the score from either side
of the table.
The two sets of numerals may be on two boards placed any distance apart, as
shewn at Fig. 8, so that they may be brought as near to the sides of the table as.
is found convenient for the players to mark the game.
The pointers are provided with two guides or segmental projections, as shewn
best in Fig 6, to prevent the finger or cue by which the pointer is moved from
slipping.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Glover, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of June, One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
WILLIAM GLOVER. (L.S.)