An Improved Apparatus for Marking the Games Played upon a Billiard Table, for Registering the Number of Games Played, and the Time Occupied in Playing them, also Applicable to other like Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left. 25th July, 1890-Accepted, 30th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Marking the Games Played upon a
Billiard Table, for Registering the Number of Games Played,
and the Time Occupied in Playing them, also Applicable to
other like Purposes.
I. GEORGE FREDERICK HOWARD, of No. 34, Walbrook, in the City of London,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an apparatus specially adapted for use with billiard tables,
whereby the game of pool can be more easily and accurately marked than hitherto,
and the number of games of pool, billiards, etc. played, as well as the time occupied
in playing them, can be registered.
In carrying out my invention I find it advantageous to construct the rollers that
carry the figures in a marking board in such a manner that the marking board
cannot be put into use without setting a time-keeper going, and the said time-
keeper cannot be stopped so long as the board is in use, thereby registering the
time the table is occupied; the act of turning the rollers also moves an index or
indexes and thereby registers the number of games played.
In order to stop the time-keeper I advantageously employ an oscillating bar which
can be brought into contact with the balance wheel or other suitable part of the
works; this bar is operated by a strip or block which by moving the bolt of a lock
can be brought against the squared ends of the rollers so as to prevent the rollers from
being moved. When the bolt is withdrawn within the lock by means of a suitable
key the block is moved by a spring away from the rollers and the bar releases the
balance wheel of the time-keeper.
It will be obvious that in place of rollers as described dials may be employed
for marking the games.
The marker for the game of pool can have its rollers constructed with an index
or indexes and a time-keeper as hereinbefore described, and one roller is employed
for each colour, it is made with four sides, one of which is blank and is turned
outwards when the marking-board is not in use; the other three sides are marked
preferably with the figures 3, 2 and 1 respectively to represent three lives, two lives
and one life.
When a game is commenced that side of each roller marked with three lives
must be turned outwards and when a life is lost, the roller is turned one quarter
of a revolution so as to bring the side of the roller indicating two lives to the
front, and so on.
In practice I find it advantageous to connect the rollers with a bell, a wire or
other sound producer, so that each time any roller is turned, upon a life being lost,
a sound is produced thereby calling the players' attention to the fact, thus reducing
to a minimum the risk of a life being improperly taken off, whether by intention
or by accident.
I also find it advantageous to combine a series of money receptacles with the
marker, one of the receptacles being provided for each marking roller.
Dated the 25th day of September 1889.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Marking the Games Played upon a
Billiard Table, for Registering the Number of Games Played,
and the Time Occupied in Playing them, also Applicable to
other like Purposes.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK HOWARD, of No. 34, Walbrook, in the City of London,
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:-
This invention relates to an apparatus specially adapted for use with billiard tables,
whereby the game of pool can be more easily and accurately marked than hitherto,
and the number of games of pool, billiards, etc. played, as well as the time occupied in
playing them, can be registered.
In carrying out my invention I find it advantageous to construct or arrange the
rollers that carry the figures in a marking-board in such a manner that the marking-
board cannot be put into use without setting a time-keeper going, and the said time-
keeper cannot be stopped so long as the board is in use, thereby registering the time
the table is occupied the act of turning the rollers also moves an index or indexes
and thereby registers the number of games played.
:
The marker for the game of pool can have its rollers constructed with an index or
indexes and a time-keeper as herein before described, and one roller is employed for
each colour, it is made with four sides, one of which is blank and is turned outwards
when the marking-board is not in use; the other three sides are marked preferably
with the figures 3, 2 and 1 respectively to represent three lives, two lives and
one life.
I also find it advantageous to combine a series of money receptacles with the.
marker, one of the receptacles being provided for each marking roller.
In order to enable any invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can
be carried into practice by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents, as an example, a front elevation partly in section of an
apparatus for registering the number of games of billiards played upon a billiard table
and the time occupied in playing them according to my invention; and,
Figure 2 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus with the end of the
case removed.
Figure 3 is a front elevation, partly in section, of my improved apparatus for
marking the game of pool and for registering the number of games played and the
time occupied in playing them:
Figure 4 is a transverse section on line A B of figure 3:
Figure 5 is a horizontal. section on line CD of figure ; and,
Figure 6 is a horizontal section of a portion of the apparatus:
Figure 7 is a front elevation of part of the apparatus shewing how it can be
combined with a series of money receptacles; and,
Figure 8 is a vertical section of the same, partly in elevation.
Similar letters in all the figures indicate similar or corresponding parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to figures 1 and 2.
a is the case of the apparatus; b, & are the slots therein and e, e are
sliding along the said slots as in ordinary billiard-marking boards.
the pointers
d, d are the rollers which are advantageously of hexagonal shape in cross section, as
shewn in figure 2, one side being marked with figures from 0 to 20, the next from 21
to 40, and so on up to the fifth side which is marked from 80 to 100. The sixth side
is plain.
The rollers d, d are made square at one end, as shewn at e, e and are provided with
knobs, figure 1, to allow of their being rotated.
g is the time-keeper in connection with the balance wheel h of which, for the
purpose of my invention, I find it advantageous to employ two springs i and j carried

page_text: by an oscillating bar k operated by a movable strip or block / provided with arins m, m
sliding in guides n, n.
The strip or block I can be moved into contact with one of the sides of the square
part e of the rollers d, d by shooting the bolt o of a lock p by means of a key-intro-
duced through the case of the apparatus in which position (indicated by the full lines
in figure 2 of the drawing) the block not only prevents the rollers from being moved
but also causes the springs i and to embrace the balance wheel hand stop the time-
keeper g. When the bolt o is withdrawn within the lock p, the block is moved by a
spring away from the rollers and the oscillating bar is therefore caused to remove
the springs and j from the balance wheel h, as indiented by the dotted lines in the
said figure 2, when the rollers d, d will be free to be rotated and the clock will be set
going, the spring i giving the balance wheel an impetus to insure its action.
From this construction it will be evident that, in order to be able to make use of
the rollers d, d to mark the scores of the game, the attendant or markers must by
means of a key free the block from contact with the rollers thereby setting the
time-keeper g going, and that the proprietor of the billiard table, having previous to
the latter being used, set the time-piece to a-given hour, he will be able at any time
to check the amount of money paid to the marker for the use of the table.
When the use of the table is discontinued, the marker moves back the block 7 to
stop the time-piece.
r
For registering the number of games played, I provide a series of dials r, r, r,
marked with suitable figures. Over these dials move indexes or hands s, s, 8, 8,
actuated by the rollers d, d through suitable gearing shewn in dotted lines in figure 1.
Referring now to the marker for the game of pool illustrated in figures 3 to 6,
d, d are the four-sided rollers, one of which is employed for each colour which is
marked or indicated on or near the roller, the sides being respectively blank and
marked with the figures 3, 2 and I as hereinbefore described. The rollers d are
mounted vertically behind openings in the case a of the apparatus and are provided
with knobs whereby they can be rotated. The spindle of each roller d is provided
with a pin engaging with pins u, u on a roller r, marked with figures from 0 upwards,
so that the said roller will be moved forward one figure at each revolution of the
marking roller d, thereby indicating through glazed openings of the case a the
number of games played.
"
"
A pin is located underneath each of the figures on the roller except the highest
figure, so that, when the latter is exposed, the roller cannot be further rotated until
the proprietor has taken cognizance thereof.
To enable each roller r to be put into position to be operated by its roller & the
front part of the case is provided with a door '.
The balance wheel of the clock g is acted upon by an oscillating bar as in figures 1
and 2, operated by a vertical strip which, however, does not in this case constitute a
block as it does in figures 1 and 2. The strip is carried by a sliding shutter a²
having openings w, figure 4, and which can be operated by means of a knob,
figure 3 so as to expose the rollers d through the openings in the case, or cover them.
The spindles of the rollers d are also each provided with three projections or teeth y
adapted to bear against a tooth on a sliding spring bar a connected with suitable
mechanism for sounding a bell 6, so that each time the rollers are moved a quarter of
a revolution one of the teeth y acis upon the tooth to move the bar a and cause the
bell to ring, except when the blank side of the roller is caused to disappear and
the figure 3 is brought to view.
The spindles of the rollers dare each fitted with a ratchet-wheel c', figure 6, in
which engages a pawl d' on the case a to prevent the rollers from being moved
backwards.
el is the usual pointer for indicating the player who "stars."
The rollers being turned with their blank sides opposite the openings w and the
shutter a being closed and the clock y consequently stopped; to make use of the
marking board the shutter a must be moved in order to uncover the openings in
the case thereby setting the clock going. When a game is commenced as many

page_text: rollers as there are players must be turned a quarter of a revolution so as to present.
the figure 3, signifying three lives, to view. When a life is lost, the roller corre-
sponding to the player's colour must be turned another quarter of a revolution so
as to bring the side of the roller indicating two lives to view and so on, the bell
Sounding each time a life is taken off, thereby calling the player's attention to the
fact and thus reducing to a minimum the risk of a life being improperly taken
off whether by intention or accident. As the third life is taken off and the blank
side of the roller d is consequently again brought to view the pin on the spindle
of the roller d will rotate the roller to the extent of one figure thereby indicating
the fact that one game has been played and so on for all the other rollers of the
various players. When another game is completed it is similarly indicated on the
rollers thereby allowing of the proprietor at any time ascertaining the number of
games which have been played.
When the table is no longer in use the attendant or marker stops the clock y by
sliding back the shutter a² thereby putting the marking board out of use.
By this construction of pool-marker a twofold check is provided upon the attendant
or marker, as it not only indicates the number of games played but also the time
occupied in playing them.
In figures 7 and 8, are the money-receptacles which I sometimes find it
advantageous to combine with my improved pool-marking apparatus; g, glare the
money-slots, and is a drawer for the reception of the money. The fronts of the
receptacles are glazed, so that the money paid for each game can be seen, and
the top of the drawer is made with a ledge on which the money rests until the
drawer is pulled out at the end of a game, when the money slides off the ledge into
the drawer from which it can then be withdrawn.
It will be obvious that in place of the rollers herein before described with reference
to figures 1 and 2, and to figures 3 to 8, a dial or dials can be employed for marking
the scores.
It will also be obvious that my improvements in billiard-marking boards are
applicable with certain unimportant modifications for registering the time occupied in
playing other games than that of billiards and the number of such games played.
Also any other suitable arrangement than that herein described for putting in
action and stopping a time-keeper can be employed for the purpose of my invention
in combination with rollers or dials.
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. The combination with the rollers or dials of a billiard or other game marking-
board of a tiine-keeper so connected therewith as to be set in motion before the
⚫ marking-board can be put into use and that it cannot be stopped so long as the board
is in use, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The improved apparatus for registering the number of games played upon a
billiard table, and the time the table is in use, also applicable to other like purposes,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 1 and 2 of the
accompanying drawings.
3. In a board for marking the game of pool, the use of a number of four sided
rollers (or their equivalents) one of which rollers is employed for each colour, and
one of the sides of the rollers being blank and the other three sides marked with
figures or other signs or words signifying three lives, two lives, and one life
respectively, substantially as herein before described.
4. The improved pool marking board hereinbefore described with reference to
figures 3 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 25th day of Jul 1800
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.