A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CHECKING AND REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF GAMES OR DEALS PLAYED AT CARDS AND THE A APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER GAMES."
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Frederick Howard of N° 397 Holloway Road,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman for an Invention of "A NEW
OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CHECKING AND REGISTERING THE NUMBER
OF GAMES OR DEALS PLAYED AT CARDS AND THE A
APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER GAMES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Frederick Howard
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th May 1883.
GEORGE FREDERICK HOWARD, of N° 397 Holloway Road, in the county of
Middlesex, Gentleman "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CHECKING AND
REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF GAMES OR DEALS PLAYED AT CARDS AND THE
AMOUNT PAID THEREFOR APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER GAMES
"
This invention relates to the construction of an apparatus for checking and
registering the number of games, deals or hands played at cards and the amount
paid therefor and is specially applicable for use where a certain sum has to be
paid for each game, deal or hand, but the invention is also applicable for other
games.
A suitable arrangement for carrying out my invention is as follows:-
I provide a box or receiver divided into two compartments, one for containing
the principal part of the mechanism and serving also as the money till, the other
for receiving the cards as hereinafter described.
The card receiver is provided with a lid or cover having a slit or opening
through which the cards may be dropped and is so arranged that when the lid is
opened it operates or releases a lever working on a suitable fulcrum one end of the
lever when in its normal position keeps closed a flap placed under a slit in the
top of the box or receiver through which slit the money paid for the game or
deal is passed; the said flap carries a suitable pawl so constructed and arranged

page_text: that when the flap is released as hereinafter described it operates a register or
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
counter.
The game or deal being finished the cards are dropped into the card receiver,
and the amount to be paid for the game is passed through the money slit and will
rest on the herein before described flap; to play the next game or deal, the cards
must be taken out of the card receiver, and for this purpose the lid or cover must
be opened which operation will operate or release the hereinbefore described lever,
whereby the flap will be allowed to fall and in falling will by means of the pawl
operate the register or counter, and at the same time discharge the amount paid
for the game or deal into the receptacle provided for it; the lid or cover being
closed, the parts will recover their normal position ready for the next operation
and so on.
By this arrangement it will be evident that each opening of the hereinbefore
described lid or cover will be registered on the counter, so as to register the
number of games or deals played, and consequently allow of checking if the proper
amount has been placed in the till.
Suitable stop mechanism is provided to prevent the backward movement of the
apparatus.
I have described the apparatus as constructed when used in card playing but it
will be readily understood that with slight modifications it may be used for
checking and registering the numbers of other games played, such for example as
billiards.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said George Frederick Howard in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th November 1883.
GEORGE FREDERICK HOWARD of N° 397 Holloway Road in the county of
Middlesex, Gentleman "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CHECKING AND
REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF GAMES OR DEALS PLAYED AT CARDS AND THE
AMOUNT PAID THEREFOR APPLICABLE ALSO FOR OTHER GAMES
"
This invention relates to the construction of an apparatus for checking and
registering the number of games, deals or hands played at cards and the amount
paid therefor, and is specially applicable for use where a certain sum has to be paid
for each game, deal or hand, such as in playing at the game of baccarat, but the
invention is also applicable for other games.
A suitable arrangement for carrying out my invention is as follows:-
I provide a box or receiver divided into two compartments, one for containing
the principal part of the mechanism and serving also as the money till, the other
for receiving the cards as hereinafter described.
The card receiver is provided with a lid or cover having a slit or opening
through which the cards may be dropped and is so arranged that, when the lid is
opened, it operates or releases a lever working on a suitable fulcrum; one end of
the lever when in its normal position keeps closed a flap placed under a slit in the
top of the box or receiver, through which slit the money paid for the game or deal
is passed; the said flap carries or operates a suitable pawl so constructed and
arranged that when the flap is released as hereinafter described, it operates a
register or counter.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a plan of
an apparatus constructed according to my invention; figures 2 and 3, are side
elevations of the apparatus; figure 4, is a longitudinal section on the line A B, of
figure 1, shewing the parts of the apparatus in the position they occupy when the
apparatus is opened; figure 5, is a transverse section on the line CD, of figure 1,
and figure 6, is a plan of the apparatus with the top part removed. Similar letters
in all the figures represent similar parts.
A, is the box or receiver which is screwed or otherwise suitably fixed under the
top of a table, the top plate B of the apparatus being level with the top of the
table; a, is a compartment forming the card receiver which is shewn removeable
but which may be fixed; b, is the lid of the card receiver a, hinged in an opening
in the top plate B, of the apparatus; c, is the slit or opening in the lid b, through
which the cards are dropped into the card receiver a; d, is the lever working on a
fulcrum at e; b, is a spring for depressing the lever d, when released; f, is the
flap placed under the slit g, in the top plate B of the apparatus the said flap being
hinged at h, as shewn and being placed above the lever d; i, is a rod or lever one
end of which is jointed at j, to the upper end of the lever d, the other end being
slotted at k, to receive a pin l, on the outer end of a lever or arm m, the inner end
of which arm or lever m, is fixed to the underside of the lid b, of the card receiver a,
and serves to operate the lever d, by means of the slotted rod or lever i, so as to
close the apparatus as shewn in figures 2, and 3, and keep the flap f, in the
horizontal or closed position; m', is a stop for limiting the backward movement of
the lever d; the counter consists of a cylinder C, and a dise D, the cylinder C,
turning with the shaft E; the disc D, turns with the vertical shaft ; the periphery
of the cylinder C, is numbered from 0, to 9, and serves to represent the units; the

page_text: upper face of the disc D, is numbered from 1 to 9 with a blank between the 1 and
the 9 and serves to represent the tens; the axis of the cylinder C, carries a ratchet
wheel o, having a pawl p, pivotted to the arm q, connected by the link r, to the
arm 8, fixed on the shaft of the flap f; this arrangement of ratchet and pawl allows
of the said cylinder and disc being rotated as hereinafter described; t, is a catch
for preventing the backward movement of the cylinder C; u, is a pin or projection
on the side of the cylinder C, which when the cylinder C, has completed one
revolution will move the disc D, one division by coming against one of the pins v,
thereon; w, is a toothed wheel on the axis of the disc D, into which takes a
catch, for preventing the backward movement of the disc D; y, is an opening in
the top plate B, and is filled in with glass through which may be seen the number
or numbers on the counter below; 2, is an opening also glazed, through which may
be seen the coin a', resting on the flap f; I, is a drawer or till to receive the money
falling from the flap f. The lid or cover b, is held closed by a suitable spring lock;
F, is another slit communicating with a slide G, in the flap f, to receive a ticket or
tablet for the purpose hereinafter described.
:-
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The amount of money to be paid for the deal (or game or hand as the case
may be) is passed through the slit g, and will rest on the flap f, as shewn in
figures 1, and 2, and upon the deal being finished, the cards are dropped through
the slit c, in the lid b, and will fall into the receiver a; to play the next deal the
cards must be taken out of the said receiver a, and for this purpose the lid or
cover b, must be raised into the positions shewn in figure 4, the raising of the
said lid or cover b, releases the lever d, by means of the rod i, and arm m, and the
spring b¹, will carry the said lever d, into the position shewn in figure 4, the flap f,
also falling as shewn whereby the coin a', thereon will be discharged into the
drawer I; the flap f, in falling moves the pawl p, which thereby rotates the
cylinder C, one tenth of a revolution so as to bring the next figure on its periphery
under the opening y, and thus register the deal or game; on the lid or cover b,
being closed the parts will be carried back to their normal position.
At the tenth opening of the lid or cover b, the pin u, will move the disc D, one
division or one tenth of a revolution so as to bring its first figure 1, under the
glazed opening y, and the counter will thus register 10, and so on.
By this arrangement it will be evident that each opening of the herein before
described lid or cover b, will be registered on the counter so as to register the
number of games or deals played and consequently allow of checking if the
proper amount has been placed in the till.
In cases where the amount to be paid for each game or deal varies with the
amount played for, I provide a number of tablets marked with the amount
played for; one of such tablets H, is passed through the slit F, (for each game
or deal) and will rest in the slide G, on the flap f, and will be visible through the
glazed opening over the slide G, and which tablet will when the lid b, is opened as
herein before described fall with the coin or coins on the flap f, into the drawer I,
so that there will be in the drawer a number of tablets corresponding with the
number of games or deals played and as each tablet is marked with the amount
played for they will serve as a check to ascertain if the proper amount has
been paid.
I have described the apparatus as constructed when used in card playing, but
it will be readily understood that with slight modifications it may be used for
checking and registering the number of other games played, such for example as
billiards.
It will be obvious that some of the parts may be varied without departing from
the principle of the invention for example, the lid or cover b, instead of being
hinged may be made to slide so as to release or operate the lever d, and other
constructions of counter may be employed, but I have described the construction
of apparatus which I have found to answer well in practice.

page_text: Having now described my invention and the manner of performing the same
I wish it to be understood that what I claim is :-
:-
Firstly. A checking and registering apparatus having a lid or cover, the opening
of which serves to operate a counter so as to register the number of games or
deals played at cards and thereby allow of checking whether the proper amount
has been paid substantially as hereinbefore described the said apparatus being
also applicable for other games.
Secondly. The combination of parts forming the improved apparatus for
checking and registering the number of games or deals played at cards and the
amount paid therefor, applicable also for other games, the said apparatus operating
substantially in the manner bereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying drawing.
Thirdly. In a checking and registering apparatus for the purposes specified, the
combination with a lid
or cover such as b, of a lever d, flap f, and counter
operating as above described.
In witness whereof I the said George Frederick Howard have bereto set my
hand and seal this twenty fourth day of November in the year of our Lord one
thousand eight hundred and eighty three
G. F HOWARD (L.S.)