Improvements in Billiard Tables and Cannon or French Bagatelle Tables or Appliances for Attachment to the same.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 26th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 7th Sept., 1888
Improvements in Billiard Tables and Cannon or French Bagatelle
Tables or Appliances for Attachment to the same.
I, JOHN WARBY of 6 Little Sutton Street, Goswell Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Brass Finisher, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has for its object the construction of billiard tables, and cannon or
French bagatelle tables or appliances for attachment to such tables so that when a
ball or balls are driven into a pocket or pockets they shall automatically deliver them-
selves into a receptacle near the point at which the marker is stationed and thus save
the attendant the trouble and fatigue of going to the various pockets to withdraw the
balls, and further to enable him to return the ball to the player without passing it
over the table.
'
According to the first plan the invention consists in making the pockets bottomless
and in forming an inclined tube or channel attached on each side of the table beneath
the pockets, the said tube or channel having openings therein immediately under the
pockets to receive the balls. Each tube or channel is curved round one end of the
table and is inclined to and converges towards a receptacle common to both, from
which the balls may be abstracted by the marker or attendant without leaving the
head of the table or other point at which he is stationed.
In the second plan, a tube or channel is placed immediately under each pocket,
and is inclined towards a central tube or channel placed beneath and extending nearly
the whole length of the table. The central tube is also inclined, its lower end leading
to a receptacle such as before described.
It will be understood that the receptacle before mentioned is not necessarily placed
in the centre of the head of the table, as circumstances may render it desirable that
it should occupy some other position. In that case it is only requisite that all the
tubes or channels before mentioned should incline to and converge to it.
4

page_text: In addition to the tubes already mentioned there is another tube which leads from
the head and inclines to the balk end of the table, so that on the ball being withdrawn
by the marker it may be placed in the latter tube, when it will roll to a receiver at
the balk end of the table from which it may be withdrawn by the player.
These tubes or channels and receptacle may be supported from the frame of the
table, or from the floor as found most convenient, and may be made of suitably lined
wood or metal, or any other appropriate material.
It will hardly be necessary to say that when a ball falls into a pocket it will at once
enter one of the tubes or channels and by its own gravity roll down the inclined tube
to the receptacle, from whence it may be withdrawn by the attendant. The ball may
then be conveyed to the player by the attendant in the manner before described.
New billiard tables inay he constructed in accordance with these improvements, and
the invention may be applied to existing tables without difficulty, thereby rendering
them far more convenient than those now in use.

page_text: Tables or Appliances for Attachment to the same.
I, JOHN WARBY of 6 Little Sutton Street, Goswell Road, in the County of
Middlesex, Brass Finisher 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 has for its object the construction of billiard tables, and cannon or
French bagatelle tables, or appliances for attachment to such tables, so that when a
ball or balls are driven into a pocket or pockets they shall automatically deliver them-
selves into a receptacle near the point at which the marker is stationed, and thus save
the attendant the trouble and fatigue of going to the various pockets to withdraw the
balls, and further to enable him to return the ball to the player without passing it
over the table.
In order that the invention may be easily understood drawings are attached hereto
of which the following is a description. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a billiard table,
the end to the left being the spot end of the table, and that to the right the balk end,
or where the player stands at starting. Fig. 2 is the spot end elevation of the same,
and Fig. 3 is a plan of one half of the table showing the arrangement applicable to
existing tables, the tubes or channels being drawn in dotted lines, while Fig. 4 is a
plan of one half with the arrangement adapted for new tables.
According to the first plan Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the invention consists in making the
pockets A, A, bottomless, and in forming an inclined tube or channel B attached on
each side of the table beneath the pockets, the said tube or channel having openings
therein immediately under the pockets to receive the balls. Each tube or channel B
is curved round the spot end of the table and is inclined to and converges towards a
drawer or receptacle C common to both, from which the balls may be abstracted by
the marker or attendant, without leaving the head of the table or other point at which
he is stationed.
In the second plan Fig. 4. a tube or channel D is placed immediately under each
pocket, and is inclined towards a central tube or channel E placed beneath and
extending nearly the whole length of the table. The central tube is also inclined, its
lower end F leading to a drawer or receptacle C such as before described.
It will be understood that the receptacle before mentioned is not necessarily placed
in the centre of the head of the table, as circumstances may render it desirable that
it should occupy some other position. In that case it is only requisite that all the
tubes or channels before mentioned should incline to and convorge to it.
In addition to the tubes already mentioned there is another tube G which leads
from the head or spot end and inclines downwards to the balk end of the table, so that
on the ball being withdrawn by the marker it may be placed in the latter tube G,
when it will roll to a receiver H at the balk end of the table, from which it may be
withdrawn by the player.

page_text: These tubes or channels and receptacles may be supported from the frame of the
table, or from the floor, as found most convenient, and may be made of suitably lined
wood or metal, or any other appropriate material.
It will be hardly necessary to say that when a ball falls into a pocket it will at
once enter one of the tubes or channels and by its own gravity roll down the inclined
tube to the receptacle from whence it may be withdrawn by the attendant. The
ball may then be conveyed to the player by the attendant in the manner before
described.
New billiard tables may be constructed in accordance with these improvements, and
the invention may be applied to existing tables without difficulty, thereby rendering
them far more convenient than those in use.
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,
1. The construction of billiard tables and cannon or French bagatelle tables
with tubes, gutters, or channels arranged as herein described and shown on the
drawings, and
2. The construction and application of tubes, gutters or channels to existing tables
as herein described and shown on the drawings.