Improvement. in Billiard Tables.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1896-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement. in Billiard Tables.
I, REGINALD HENRY RIMINGTON RIMINGTON-WILSON, of Broomhead Hall,
in the County of Yorks, J.P. for the West Riding of Yorks, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
Billiard tables have already been devised in which the bottom of the pockets are
open and communicate with a tram, rail or track on each side of the table and
which incline down from the top end towards the baulk end of same, so that when
a ball is "potted" it ruus down to the baulk end and is so within reach of the
player when he goes there for his next stroke.
This arrangement while being of great use with regard to the white and spot
ball has however the inconvenience that if it is the red ball which has been
"potted" it also travels to the baulk end and has consequently to be returned to
the top of the table for re-spotting.
The object of my invention is to overcome this inconvenience, and for this
purpose I employ a projection, tongue, or stop which can be made to project up in
the path of travel of the ball on its way down the tram, rail or track and so arrest
the ball, which can then be removed from the tram and be re-spotted. A similar
projection tongue or stop is provided for each tram, rail or track and the two are
mounted on a single rod or bar passing beneath the table and provided with means
for actuating same at each end, so that it will be unnecessary to pass from one side
of the table to the other when (as in playing the spot stroke for instance) the
intention is to pot the red ball in the pocket on the opposite side of the table.
from which the player stands.
Dated this 1st day of October 1895.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvement in Billiard Tables.
I, REGINALD HENRY RIMINGTON RIMINGTON-WILSON, of Broomhead Hall,
in the County of Yorks, J.P. for the West Riding of Yorks, 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 :-
Billiard tables have already been devised in which the bottom of the pockets are
open and communicate with a tram, rail or track on each side of the table and
which incline down from the top end towards the baulk end of same, so that when
a ball is "potted "it runs down to the baulk end and is so within reach of the
player when he goes there for his next stroke.
66
This arrangement while being of great use with regard to the white and spot
ball has however the inconvenience that if it is the red ball which has been
potted" it also travels to the baulk end and has consequently to be returned to
the top of the table for re-spotting.

page_text: The object of my invention is to overcome this inconvenience, and for this
purpose I employ a projection, tongue, or stop which can be made to project up in
the path of travel of the ball on its way down the tram, rail or track and so arrest
the ball, which can then be removed from the tram and be re-spotted. A similar
projection, tongue or stop is provided for each tram, rail or track and the two are
mounted on a single rod or bar passing beneath the table and provided with means
for actuating same at each end, so that it will be unnecessary to pass from one side
of the table to the other when (as in playing the spot stroke for instance) the
intention is to pot the red ball in the pocket on the opposite side of the table from
which the player stands.
But in order that my invention may be fully understood I will now proceed to
describe same by the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the top and bottom ends of a billiard table having
the arrangement above referred to for enabling the balls which are potted to pass
to the bottom end of the table, and also with my improvements applied thereto,
and
Fig. 2 is an end view of same.
In these drawings A is the tram, rail or track, one of which is placed on each
side of the table and is inclined from the spot end downwards to the baulk end.
Each pocket is open at the bottom so as to enable the ball entering therein to fall
upon the tram, rail or track A, the arrangement shown in the drawings consisting
in a pivotted trap secured to the bottom end of the pocket and which opens when
the weight of the ball rests thereon so as to direct such ball into the track A, in
which it will roll down to the bottom end of the table, so that it can be readily
removed by the player for making the next stroke.
It will however be readily understood that the stop or arrester to be used in
connection with the tram, rail or track may be applied to any other form of tram,
rail or track than that shown in the drawings.
In order to prevent the red ball passing to the bottom end of the table I provide
a stop or arrester B, which can be brought down upon the tram, rail or track A on
either side of the table so as to arrest the travel of the ball down such tram or
track. This stop or arrester B consists of a rod C extending under the table in
bearings attached to such table and in which it is capable of turning, and then
extends upwards on each side of the table in the form of a crank arm to which the
stop or arrester proper B is attached, and which extends over the tram, rail or
track A on either side, so that the stop or arrester B can be turned down on the
tram, rail or track from either side of the table and in either direction.
When the stop or arrester B is in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 it
presents no obstruction to the passage of a ball down the tram, rail or track A,
whereas when same has been turned to the position shown in dotted lines in such
fig., as will be seen, it will arrest the ball in its passage down such tram, rail or
track.
As will be seen the effect of turning the stop or arrester B down upon the
track A will be equally effective whether same is turned down to the right (as
shown in the drawing) or to the left.
It will be readily understood that instead of the arrangement of stop or arrester
above described and shown in the drawings, such stop or arrester might be
arranged so as to be either capable of being turned down in either direction from
above, within the tram, rail or track, or of being turned up from beneath in either
direction within such tram, rail or track, the effect in either case being to arrest
the ball in its travel down such tram, rail or track towards the baulk end of the
table, when such stop or arrester projects within the tram, rail or track, while when
the stop or arrester does not project within the tram, rail or track the ball will be
free to travel down the latter, as previously described.
It will be further understood that I might similarly fit a stop or arrester below
the middle pockets also, so that when same projects into the tram, rail or track it
will prevent the balls travelling along the latter, and thus practically convert the

page_text: table into an ordinary table, but with bottomless pockets, so that the balls could be
returned in the usual way by hand in case this is desired.
In order to enable my improvements to be applied to tables the under frame of
which may vary in width within certain limits, I preferably make the length of the
rod C adjustable by means of a central sleeve which can be clamped when the
length of such rod has been adjusted.
It will however be readily understood that any other suitable means for adjusting
the length of the rod C may be employed.
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 :-
The combination with a billiard table having a track or tracks arranged on each
side of same and inclined from the spot end down to the baulk end thereof, and with
which track the pockets of such table communicate so as to deliver the billiard balls
into such track or tracks when the balls enter the pockets, of a stop or arrester which.
can be turned so as to prevent the billiard balls travelling down said tram, rail or
track, all substantially as specified.
Dated this 1st day of January 1896
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant..