Apparatus for Scoring and Recording Games, for Exhibiting Notices, and for other purposes.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Dec.. 1894
Complete Specification Left. 2nd Sept., 1895-Accepted, 26th Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Scoring and Recording Games, for Exhibiting Notices,
and for other purposes.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE BROWNE, of The Limes, Staines, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to an instrument for marking the points at whist so that
at the end of a game or rubber the player may be able to mark on the instrument
whether he has won or lost, and also to what extent he has won or lost; the
instrument is also so arranged that a regular player may use it time after time, and
at any time by consulting it he can tell his exact position as to the number of
points won or lost, at that particular time or at that time as from a certain
previous date. The details may be greatly varied without departing from the
spirit of the invention, but I will describe one or two ways in which it may be
carried into effect. Its use is not confined to whist and it may be used for a variety
of other purposes and for notifications in public places it may be of large size and
for example like a notice-board.
For whist I prefer to make the instrument somewhat similar in appearance to a
small watch and to operate the indicating mechanism by a button similar to those
employed with stem-winding watches, although the operation may be effected in
other ways if desired.
Two things chiefly are wanted for the indications, first numbers to indicate the
number of points, and secondly a plus and minus sign or the equivalent thereof, so
as to indicate whether these points have been won or lost. In a simple form I
provide openings in the face of the instrument through which the plus or minus
sign and the numerals may be seen, and I operate these as previously described by
the winder upon the stem. The numerals may be carried upon separate wheels or
discs operated by one of the well-known indicating or enumerating devices, such
for example as are in common use on gasmeters, the positions of the wheels and the
figures they bear being arranged according to convenience.
As these instruments may be used to indicate for a long term it is sometimes
desirable that the plus and minus indication should be operated automatically by
the train of wheels or other indicating mechanism but where it is not desired to so
connect it it may be operated by independent means as for example by pushing the
button inwards, so as to cause it, or a wheel or other connection upon it, to engage
with the plus and minus mechanism and thus operate it either at the same time that
the other mechanism is moved or not. Or an entirely independent device may be
employed such as a small projecting button from the edge of the instrument for
operating the plus and minus indication.
In another form the face may be marked with figures up to ten and have
openings through which may be seen higher numbers; in this case I provide an index
hand which would travel round the face when the button or other mechanism was
operated to indicate the units and may be directly connected with the mechanism
for indicating the bigher numbers or not as preferred. This hand may be
operated independently of the higher numerals or not as required, and the plus and
quivalent mechanism may also as before be operated automatically or
minus cr

page_text: Where this hand and dial plate are employel they may be used to indicate the
markings for a particular day.
In all cases the whole of the mechanism may be arranged to work backwards as
well as forwards.
In operation, to start with the mechanism would be set at zero, then at the end
say of the first rubber the player would indicate the number of points he had won
or lost, say five plus or minus as the case might be. Then as he played on, these
figures might be increased or diminished, as for example, he might begin with
minus five and at the end of subsequent rubbers, end at plus 7, and so on.
If desired further mechanism may be introduced to indicate the exact figures at
particular periods and this as well as all the rest of the mechanism may be provided
with special stop devices so that the figures cannot be altered by accident. As
these instruments may be made to hang at the watch chain or to be worn in the
pocket some such arrangement is desirable.
Conveniently the general form of the apparatus would be similar to that of a
small watch but other shapes or arrangements may be adopted; the instrument
may be made of any desired metal or other material.
Where the apparatus is used for indicating the points won or lost by a number of
players at whist or some other game the mechanism would be substantially the
same although there might be one complete mechanism for each player or the
mechanism might be combined, places being provided for the names of all
the players.
Dated this 29th day of November 1901
Apparatus for Scoring and Recording Games, for Exhibiting Notices,
and for other purposes.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE BROWNE, of The Limes, Staines, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, 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:-
1117
This invention relates to an instrument for marking the points at whist so that
at the end of the preme or rubler the player may be able to mark the intent
whether he has won or lost, and who to what extent he has won or lot: the
instrument is also so pred that a regular player may use it time after time, and
at any time by consulting it he can tell his exact position as to the number of oints
won or lost, it that particular time or at that time as from a certain previous date.
The details may be gruntly varied without departing from the Spirit of the
invention, but I will describe one or two ways in which it may be carried into
effect. Its use is not confined to whist al it may be used for a variety of other
purposes and for notifications in public places it may be of large size and for
exemple like a notice-board for announcing cricket scores, or the state of the poll
at an election.
For whist I prefer to make the instrument somewhat similar in appearance to a
small watch and to operate the indicating mechanism by a button similar to those
employed with stem-winding watches, although the operation may be effected in
other ways if desired.
Two things chiefly are wanted for the indications, first numbers to indicate the
number of points, and secondly a plus and minus sign or the equivalent thereof, so
as to indicate whether the-e points have been won or lost." In a simple form

page_text: I provide openings in the face of the instrument through which the plus or minus
sign and the numerals may be seen, and I operate these as previously described by
the winder upon the stem. The numerals may be carried upon separate wheels or
dises operated by one of the well-known indicating or enumerating devices, such
for example as are in common use on gasmeters, the positions of the wheels and
the figures they bear being arranged according to convenience. As these instru-
ments may be used to indicate for a long term it is sometimes desirable that the
plus and minus indication should be operated automatically by the train of wheels
or other indicating mechanism but where it is not desired to so connect it, it may
be operated by independent means as for example by pushing the button inwards,
so as to cause it, or a wheel or other connection upon it, to engage with the plus
and minus mechanism and thus operate it either at the same time that the other
mechanism is moved or not. Or an entirely independent device may be employed
such as a small projecting button from the edge of the instrument for operating the
plus and minus indication.
In another form the face may be marked with figures up to ten and bave
openings through which may be seen higher numbers; in this case I provide an
index hand which would travel round the face when the button or other mechanism
was operated to indicate the units and may be directly connected with the
mechanism for indicating the higher numbers or not as preferred. This hand may
be operated independently of the higher numerals or not as required, and the plus
and minus or equivalent mechanism may also as before be operated automatically
or independently.
Where this hand and dial plate are employed they may be used to indicate the
markings for a particular day.
In all cases the whole of the mechanism may be arranged to work backwards as
well as forwards.
In operation, to start with the mechanism would be set at zero, then at the end
say of the first rubber the player would indicate the number of points he had wou
or lost, say five plus or minus as the case might be. Then as he played on, these
figures might be increased or diminished, as for example, he might begin with
minus five and at the end of subsequent rubbers, end at plus 7, and so on.
If desired further mechanisin may be introduced to indicate the exact figures at
particular periods and this as well as all the rest of the mechanism may be provided
with special stop devices so that the figures cannot be altered by accident. As
these instruments may be made to hang at the watch chain or to be worn in the
pocket some such arrangement is desirable.
Conveniently the general form of the apparatus would be similar to that of a
small watch but other shapes or arrangements may be adopted; the instrument may
be made of any desired metal or other material.
Where the apparatus is used for indicating the points won or lost by a number of
players at whist or some other game the mechanism would be substantially the
same although there might be one complete mechanism for each player or the
mechanism might be combined, places being provided for the names of all
the players.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a face view of one form of the whist point recorder.
Fig. 2 is a similar view with part of the front of the casing broken away to show
the internal mechanism.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line - of Fig. 2.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The recorder comprises a casing A the back of which A' may be removable while
the face has four openings or wickets in it A2 A3 A4 A5; three indicator
wheels B C D having the numbers from 0 to 9 inscribed round their one face are
so pivoted in bearings in the casing A A' that the numbers on them may appear
successively at the openings A3 A4 A5.
A spindle E, one end of which terminates in a milled button or head E¹

page_text: projecting outside the casing, while the other end rests in a suitable bearing A 6 on
the back A of the casing, has a worm E2 cut on it, this worin engages with a
worm wheel 13' fixed on the spindle of the indicator wheel B. This spindle also
carries a disc B2 fixed to it, this disc has a single tooth B3 cut at a suitable point
on its periphery. At each revolution of the wheel B, brought about by the rotation
of the milled head E' and worm E 2, the tooth B3 engages with a toothel disc C2
carried by and fixed to the spindle of the indicator wheel C, the arrangement being
similar to that commonly known as the "Geneva stop" mechanism.
The spindle of the wheel C also carries a disc C¹ similar to B2 with a single
tooth C3 which engages at each revolution with a toothed disc D' on the spin lle
of the third wheel D. Thus it will be seen that each revolution of the wheel B
moves the disc C2 one tooth, and each revolution of the wheel C moves the
disc D one tooth. Hence if the discs C2 and D' have each ten teeth the relative
movements of the three indicator wheels B C and D will be such that by rotating
the head E the units, tens and hundreds may be successively recorded at the several
openings A 3 A 4 A 5.
The plus and minus signs appear at the opening A2 and are inscribed on a
suitably shaped plate F pivotting about a point F¹ on the case A, and having an
arm F 2 projecting through a slot in the casing whereby the plate F may be moved
independently of the recording mechanism and the signs presented at the opening A 2
changed.
It will be obvious that instead of plus and minus signs other convenient means
for indicating whether the user has won or lost may be employed in connection with
a recording apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. A recorder substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
2. The employment in combination with a recorder for the purpose described of
a plus or minus indication which can be set or used independently of the indicating
mechanism.
3. A recorder for the purpose described adapted to be moved in either direction
so as to indicate increase or decrease.
4. The combination with a recorder of an arrangement for exhibiting a plus or
minus sign.
5. In a recorder for the purpose described the combination with a Geneva stop
mechanism of a worm and worm wheel for operating it.
6. A recorder for the purpose described to arranged that the user may mark
thereon whether he has won or lost and also to what extent he has won or lost.
7. The combination with a recorder for the purpose described of means for
indicating whether the user has won or lost.
Dated this 2nd day of September 1890.
T
יזים
H.
W. G. BROWNE.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.