Improvements in Time Checking Apparatus for Billiards.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Aug., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Time Checking Apparatus for Billiards.
We, FRANZ LEBER, and GUSTAV FUCHS, both of 11, Ammerlingstrasse, Vienna,
Austria, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
.
Our invention relates to improvements in time checking apparatus for billiards
and has for its object to register the time the billiard balls are in use.
It consists of a horizontally hinged board or plate under the influence of a
spring which is pressed down through the weight of the billiard balls placed, thereon
and which arrest the works of the clock which shows the, time on a dial in the
usual way and therefore registering the time intervals during which the board or
plate is not weighted or the time the balls are in use.
The apparatus is enclosed in a casing having a glass door at the front, the upper
and back part being connected to a horizontally fixed partition made of transparent
material and jointed to. the latter in the middle of the casing reaching to the top
of the same and being separate from the other parts and therefore not accessible
even when the case is open. At the bottom and narrowest side of the casing. is a board
or plate placed the whole length and width of the casing hinged at one end and
under the influence of a spring at the other end.
One side of the casing carries a clock the dial pointing inwardly, the arbor end of
the fingers and spring barrel respectively are only accessible by means of a door.
The free end of the hinged board or plate is connected by a link to a vertically guided
rod its upper end being bent at right angles downward having a spring tongue
protruding through a slot into the clock case and engaging a wheel of the said
clock in such a manner that at the moment the hinged board or plate is weighted the.
said tongue is moved tangentially over the wheel in the clock and at the moment the
weight is taken off it moves in the opposite direction from the said wheel and
gives the latter through the tangential movement a small impulse and sets the clock
going.
To distinguish the time the fingers of the clock have travelled during the night
from that of the day, a special finger is arranged, which is carried by a tooth rim
mounted on the clock case, the said rim being geared with a pinion keyed on a
square shaft, the latter end being also only accessible by the side door.
To be able to see the dial of the clock from, the front side of the casing an
inclined mirror is arranged at 45 degrees against the plane of the dial in the casing
by means of which the dial can be distinctly seen.
The functions of the apparatus are as follows;-
In starting the door is opened and the hour and minute fingers are set at 12,
the clock if required wound up and the hinged board or plate with the billiard
balls weighted, so that the clock is stopped and afterwards the door is locked. In
course of the day the billiard balls are only taken from the casing when used for.
game and when finished at once returned to the casing.
་
At the beginning of the night the additional finger is set so as to coincide with
the hour finger so that the time travelled by the additional finger during the day
time may be distinguished from the one travelling during the night.
Dated this 4th day of Anoust 1896.
'
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicants.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Time Checking Apparatus for Billiards.
We, FRANZ LEBER, and GUSTAV FUCHS, both of 11, Ammerlingstrasse, Vienna,
Austria, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the sanie is to be performed, to he particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to improvements in time checking apparatus for billiards
and has for its object to register the time the billiard balls are in use.
. It consists chiefly of a horizontally hinged board or plate under the influence of
a spring which is pressed down through the weight of the billiard balls placed
thereon and which arrest the works of.the clock which shows the time on a dial in the
usual way and therefore registers the intervals during which the board or plate is not
weighted or the time the balls are in use.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood we have caused
to be appended hereunto one sheet of drawings marked with letters of reference
indicating like parts in the various figures, Fig. I being a front view of the apparatus
closed, Fig 2 a plan in section at line x-x of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 a side view, Fig. 4 a
cross section at line y-y of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 a cross section at line -z of Fig. 2.
In carrying out our invention the apparatus is enclosed in a casing N having
a glass door N¹ at the front and to render the upper and back part of the same,
Figs. & 5, inaccessible even when the door N' is open it is completely separated
from its other part, by means of a horizontal and a vertical partition n & n
respectively which latter fits against the former, reaches to the top of the casing
and in the middle is formed transparent. At the bottom 2 a hoard a is hinged
to one end of the casing which extends across its whole length and width and
the free end of which is under the influence of a spring a fixed to the bottom
of the casing, the full lines in Figs. 4 & 5, showing the said board when depressed
and the dotted lines when raised by the spring a. To the side n³ of the casing
is secured a clock A, Figs. 2, 4 & 5, the dial of which points inwardly and the
arbors of the fingers and spring barrel b & c respectively, being only accessible
by means of a door n', which covers the side n³ of the casing. The said clock is
so constructed that the fingers move in a reverse direction to what is usual and the
dial being marked correspondingly.
The free end of the hinged board a is connected to a vertically guided rod a
the upper end of which is bent at right angle and carries a spring blade a
which protrudes through a slot into the clock case a and is adapted to retard the
movement of the clock wheel a the moment the hinged board a is weighted by
coming tangentially into contact with the said wheel and to move clear of and
give the latter a small impulse which sets the clock going, the moment the weight is
taken off the said board and the latter moves in the opposite direction.
To distinguish the time the clock finger B has travelled during the night from
that during the day, a special finger D, Fig. 4, is fixed to a toothed rim d
mounted on the clock case, which rim gears, with a pinion d¹ keyed on the square
part of an arbor d², the latter being also only accessible by the side door n', like the
arbors & c.
To be able to see the dial of the clock A from the front of the casing an
inclined mirror or reflector M fixed at 45 degrees is employed in the latter by
means of which the dial can be distinctly read.
The apparatus works as follows:-
In commencing to check each period of play, the door n is opened and the hour
and minute fingers are set at 12, the clock A if required wound up and the hinged
board a weighted with the billiard balls K and thus the clock stopped, after which
the door n' is locked again. During the day the billiard balls K are only taken from

page_text: the casing when used for a game and when the game is finished at once placed back:
into the casing.
At the beginning of the night, the additional finger D is set to coincide with the-
hour finger so that the time travelled by the additional finger during the day time.
may be distinguished from that travelled during the night.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what.
we claim is :--
1st. A time checking apparatus consisting chiefly of a hinged board a placed.
under the influence of a spring, which board on being weighted by the billiard.
balls descends and arrests a clock A, adapted to record the time during which the-
board a has been released from the weight of the billiard balls whilst they have-
been in use, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2nd. In an apparatus constructed as specified in the preceding claim, the-
employment of a rod a guided vertically and connected to the free end of the said.
board the upper end of which rod has a spring blade at which, when the said board
descends contacts tangentially with the clock wheel a and when the said board is.
released from the weight of the billiard balls ascends and moves clear of the said.
wheel, for the purpose of retarding the movement of the said wheel and of starting
the same respectively, all substantially as described.
3rd. In an apparatus constructed as specified in Claim 1, the employment of a clock A
in which the fingers run in a reverse direction and the time is indicated on a dial.
numbered conform therewith, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4th. In an apparatus constructed as specified in Claim 1, the employment of the
clock A specified in Claims 2 & 3, by fixing it to the side with its dial facing the inside
of the casing in connection with a reflector M inclining equally towards the front of"
the casing and clock dial, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 19th 'dare of An 1907
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicants..