Improvements in or appertaining to Billiard Tables and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 12th May, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or appertaining to Billiard Tables and the like.
I, SAMUEL THOMPSON, of Cross Roads, near Keighley, in the County of York,
Oil Importer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows,
that is to say:
-
It relates to improvements in or appertaining to billiard tables and
the like and consists in the application of means thereto whereby the
balls used in the playing of games on such tables may, on falling within the
pockets mounted to receive them, he conducted or returned to the position in
which the player usually stands, or to to what is well known as the "baulk" end
of the table.
In carrying my invention into effect, I mount a guide or conduit of suitable
shape in cross section beneath the pockets on each side of the table and extending
the full length of same, the pockets being formed so that the balls may readily
pass through them, and into the conduit beneath. Leading from the pockets
mounted at the upper end and at the centre of the table are supplementary
inclined guides down which the balls travel and are guided into the conduits
above described, said inclined pieces also serving to give the necessary impetus
to the balls to carry them to suitably formed pockets at the front or "baulk'
end of the table formed for their reception, and which are mounted directly
beneath the pockets at the front of the fable so that any balls passing into such
pockets will fall therein. The supplementary inclined guide pieces mounted in
contiguity with the centrally disposed pockets are so formed that the balls being
returned from the pockets at the upper end of the table may readily pass there-
under.
"
"
Instead of allowing the balls to pass into the pockets at the end of the con-
duits above described, I may mount detachable or hinged stop-pieces (preferably
formed of india-rubber) in close proximity therewith, so that the balls coming
from the central and upper pockets will be stopped thereby and will lie in the
channels or guides. This is tound to be very desirable in games such as pyra-
mids" wherein a comparatively large number of balls are employed and wherein
it is often necessary to be able to easily distinguish which of the balls has last
been played into the pockets. The guides or conduits are preferably inclined
for a short distance from the stop-pieces above described, or the bottoms of the
conduits may at this part be formed somewhat lower than at their other parts
so that the balls will be kept in their proper positions against said stop-pieces.
1000

page_text: Improvements in or appertaining to Billiard Tables and the like.
I, SAMUEL THOMPSON, of Cross Roads, near Keighley, in the County of York,
Oil Importer, 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, that is to say:-
It relates to improvements in or appertaining to billiard tables and
the like and consists in the application of means thereto whereby the
balls used in the playing of games on such tabies may, on falling within the
pockets mounted to receive them, be conducted or returned to the position in
which the player usually stands, or to what is well known as the "baulk" end
of the table.
In order that my said invention may be readily understood, I have hereunto
appended sheets of drawings illustrative thereof, to which, by figures and letters
reference is made in the following description.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a billiard table to which my
improvements are applied.
Fig. 2 is an end view of parts illustrated by Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 are similar views to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, but illustrate
a slight modification of my said invention.
Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a part hereinafter explained.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the
several views.
In carrying my invention into effect, I mount a guide or conduit w, of suit-
.able shape in cross section, and lined with india-rubber, felt or the like, beneath
the pockets and c on each side of the table and extending the full length of
same, the pockets 6 and having openings at their lower extremities so that
any balls which fall therein may readily pass therethrough. Leading from
the pockets and are supplementary inclined guide-pieces f and y respectively,
of suitable shape in cross section, down which the balls e travel and are guided
into the conduits beneath, said inclines f and g also serving to give the neces-
sary impetus to the balls to carry them to the front or baulk" end of the table
and into suitably formed pockets for their reception, These pockets h are
mounted directly beneath the pockets d at the front of the table so that any
balls which drop into said pockets d may readily pass through openings in their
lower ends and into said pockets h. The guide-pieces f are so formed that the
balls e travelling along the conduits a may readily pass thereunder, as shown
by Fig. 2. The guide-pieces may, if desired, be formed of tubular pieces of
india-rubber or the like, as illustrated at f, g, in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, these being
preferably fixed to the pockets and c (through which are formed openings for
the passage of the balls) respectively and held in position by the clips mand,
or these guide pieces f and may be firmly fixed to the framework of the table.
Instead of allowing the balls e to pass into the pockets at the ends of the
conduits w, I may mount in close proximity therewith stop-pieces
which may
and
be detachable, but which are preferably hinged at o' (see Figs. 1 and 2) and are
also formed of or covered with india-rubber or the like, said stop-pieces abut-
ting against projections when moved across the conduits a, in order that the
balls coming from the pockets and c will be stopped by said stop-pieces
will lie in the channels or guides a This is found to be very desirable in
games such as "pyramids" wherein a comparatively large number of balls are
employed and wherein it is often necessary to be able to easily distinguish which

page_text: of the balls has last been played into the pockets. Or I may, if desired, not
make use of pockets, but mount projecting parts or stops covered with
india-rubber or the like at the ends of the conduits a for the balls e to come into
contact with, and so lie in said conduits a, in this case the pockets d are of
ordinary construction.
The guides or conduits a are preferably inclined for a short distance from
the stop-pieces o or p, or the bottoms of said conduits may at this part be
formed somewhat lower than at their other parts, so that the balls will be kept
in their proper positions against said stop-pieces o or p.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is:
In billiard tables and the like, means for returning the balls which pass
within the various pockets to the front or "baulk" end of the table, the same
being constructed and arranged substantially as herein specified, and as illus-
trated by the accompanying sheets of drawings.
Dated this 10th day of February 1900.