IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING BILLIARDS OR OTHER GAMES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hartley, of Leeds, in the County of York,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING
BILLIARDS OR OTHER GAMES."
Sealed the 8th April 1870, and dated the 13th October 1869.
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1869.
I, JAMES HARTLEY, of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
REGISTERING BILLIARDS OR OTHER GAMES," to be as follows :-
The nature of my Invention consists of certain improved arrangements
by means whereof the number of games are registered.
My improvements are particularly applicable to billiards, but may be
used in other games when the number of games are to be recorded.

page_text: Between two suitable plates of brass, iron, or other suitable materials I
place a worm wheel mounted on a shaft working in suitable bearings.
The front plate has a circular index marked on it which may be divided
into any required number of parts. The end of the worm wheel shaft
passes through the index or front plate to a sufficient length, and is
turned smaller to form a shoulder so as to admit of a finger or pointer
being placed on it, also a nut of suitable dimensions, a thread being cut
on the end of the worm wheel shaft to receive it. The finger or pointer
is made to move round with the worm wheel shaft by being pressed
against the shoulder by the nut; the nut being released the pointer
may be moved back to the starting point. Close to the face of the index
plate and between it and the pointer or finger I place a second finger or
pointer and secure it in such a manner to the index plate as not to
revolve with the worm wheel shaft. The second finger or pointer may
be placed at any division on the index plate so as to show the number
of
games that have been registered by the revolving pointers since the
previous examination. With the worm wheel I gear a worm mounted
on a shaft working in suitable bearings. The worm shaft is continued
to a suitable length and connected in such a manner with one of the
barrels on the marking board that they move simultaneously. To pre-
vent a return or backward movement I place a ratchet wheel on the
worm shaft with a catch or paul working into it. I would by preference
fix to each barrel a separate apparatus so that one dial would be a check
on the other.
I enclose the whole in a case or cases of wood or other suitable
material with a door or doors of glass or other suitable material. By
having the door or doors locked it would prevent the pointers being
moved by any one except those appointed.
I do not confine myself to any particular kind of scoring board.
The barrels may be divided as usual except that one division of the
circumference may be left blank the whole length of the barrel, so
that a movement of one division on the circumference of the barrels is

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said James Hartley in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 13th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HARTLEY, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said James Hartley, Her special licence that I,.
the said James Hartley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said James Hartley, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REGISTERING BILLIARDS OR
OTHER GAMES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Hartley, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patcut.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hartley, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists of certain improved arrangements as here-.
after described whereby the number of games are registered.
My improvements are particularly applicable to billiards, but may be
used in other games when the number of games are to be recorded:
Between two suitable plates of brass, iron, or other suitable materials
I place a worm wheel mounted on a shaft working in suitable bearings,

page_text: The front plate has a circular index marked on it which may be divided
into any required number of parts. The end of the worm wheel
shaft passes through the index or front plate to a sufficient length, and
is turned smaller to form a shoulder so as to admit of a finger or pointer
being placed on it, also a nut of suitable dimensions, a thread being cut
on the end of the worm wheel shaft to receive it. The finger or pointer
is made to move round with the worm wheel shaft by being pressed
against the shoulder by the nut; the nut being released the pointer
may be moved back to the starting point. Close to the face of the index
plate and between it and the pointer or finger I place a second finger or
pointer, and secure it in such a manner to the index plate as not to
revolve with the worm wheel shaft. The second finger or pointer may
be placed at any division on the index plate so as to show the number of
games that have been registered by the revolving pointers since the
previous examination. With the worm wheel I gear a worm mounted
on a shaft working in suitable bearings. The worm shaft is continued
to a suitable length and connected in such a manner with one of the
barrels on the marking board that they move simultaneously. To prevent
a return or backward movement I place a ratchet wheel on the worm
shaft with a catch or pawl working into it. I would by preference fix
to each barrel a seperate apparatus so that one dial would be a check
on the other.
I enclose the whole in a case or cases of wood or other suitable
material with a door or doors of glass or other suitable material. By
having the door or doors locked it would prevent the pointers being
moved by any one except those appointed.
I do not confine myself to any particular kind of scoring board.
The barrels may be divided as usual except that one division of the
circumference may be left blank the whole length of the barrel, so
that a movement of one division on the circumference of the barrels is
necessary before the commencement of another game.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood I will
proceed to describe the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings which
represent the arrangement complete and attached to a billiard marking
board, in order that the improvements may be clearly pointed out.
Sheet 1, Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying Drawings show the
arrangement of apparatus where two index plates are used according to

page_text: my Invention, Fig. 1 being a front elevation with a portion removed at
the bottom to show the inside, which is partly in section; Fig. 2 is a
side elevation of the same. a, a, are index plates having a circular index
marked on cach which may be divided into any number of equal parts;
in front of the index plates are mounted on the shafts b, b, the outer
fingers or pointers c, c. The shafts b, b, are turned smaller to receive
the pointers c, c, so as to form a shoulder against which the bosses of
the outer pointers c, c, are pressed by nuts d, d, on the screwed end of
cach shaft, whereby the fingers or pointers are made to revolve with the
shafts b, b. The nuts being released or slackened, the pointers c, c, may
be moved back to the starting point or to any other required position on
the index plates. Instead of the aforesaid nut the fingers or pointers
may be pinned to the shafts. Close to the index plate and between it
and the outer fingers or pointers c, c, are mounted the inner fingers or
pointers e, e, which are loose so as not to revolve with the shafts b, b,
but may be placed at any division on the index plates so as to show the
number of games that have been registered by the outer revolving fingers
or pointers c, c, since the previous examination. On the shafts b, b, arc
mounted the worm wheels f. f, gearing into the worms g, g, on the
shafts h, h, which are fixed into or in one with the rollers A, B. The
ratchet wheels i, i, and pawls J, J, are used to prevent the shafts h, h,
from being turned back. It will be understood that by causing the
rollers A and B to revolve the worm shafts h, h, will also be caused to
revolve and transmit their motion through the worms and worm wheels
to the shafts b, b, thence to the fingers or pointers c, c, denoting on the
index plates the number of turns of the rollers of which every revolution
as here assumed represents the game of 50 points.
Figs. 3 and 4 represents an arrangement whereby one dial only is
used. The index plate a, the fingers or pointers c and e, also the
worm wheelf, worm g, and worm wheel shaft b are of the same con-
struction as those in Figs. 1 and 2, but a connection is made between
the top and bottom rollers by means of the shaft and the bevel
wheels and m, of which gears into a bevel wheel n mounted on
the worm shaft o, and the bevel wheel m gears into a bevel wheel p
loose on the end of the shaft r; on the boss of the bevel wheel p is
mounted and fastened a ratchet wheel T, having only one tooth in
its circumference; the other end of the shaft r passes into the roller B,

page_text: and is pinned or otherwise fastened into it. The shaft r also carries
a lever s pinned or keyed on to it, on which a pawl t is held by a stud
so as to fall freely into the ratchet wheel T. The top roller is
provided with a shaft passing into and pinned or otherwise fastened
into it; the outer end projects so as to allow a lever s³ to be pinned or
keyed on to it, on which a pawl t is held by a stud so as to fall freely into
the ratchet wheel. Both top and bottom rollers are also provided with
ratchet wheels V, V, and pawls W, W, so as to prevent the worm being
turned back. By this arrangement of ratchet wheel T and pawl & the
most advanced roller causes the pointer to move and register on the index
plate, that is to say, if barrel A is moved half a revolution, while the
barrel B has only moved a quarter of a revolution, the barrel A will
cause the pointer to move and registor on the index plate. The barrel B
cannot give any motion to the pointor until it has overtaken A and then
only providing it is turned in advance.
"
The aforesaid arrangement of parts shewn in Slicet 1, Figs. 1, 2, 3,
and 4, is enclosed in a case provided with a lock and key and placed at
one end of the marking board, as shown on Sheet 2, Fig. 1, which also
shows the arrangement of the marking board, which is similar to those
now in use except that the barrels require differently numbering. The
numbering is more clearly shewn by Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5; Fig. 2
commences at 1 and goes up to 4, so that points cannot be scored say in
'pyramids " any higher than 4 without a turn of the barrel, and a fresh
game cannot be scored without an entire revolution of the barrel. The
rollers are only numbered up to 50. When a game of 100 is played the
slides a, a, may be drawn out with the number 50 marked on them, and
when required the barrels are turned to 1, as at the commencement of the
game. The door b should be kept locked so as to prevent the pointers
being moved by any one except those appointed, the door c may also be
provided with a lock and key under the control of the marker to prevent
any tampering with the rollers in his absence.
Fig. 6 represents an end elevation of a barrel.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which it is to be performed, I would remark in conclusion

page_text: without in any way departing from the nature of my Invention, but
what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,―
Firstly. The application of the mode of actuating the fingers or
pointers c, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
And, secondly. The combination of said pointers with the various
arrangements of parts substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hartley, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
JAMES HARTLEY. (L.S.)