IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THE GAME CALLED 'POOL,' OR OTHER GAMES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hartley, of Leeds, in the County of York,
"
for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REGISTERING
THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THE GAME CALLED 'POOL,' OR OTHER GAMES."
Sealed the 14th February 1871, and dated the 15th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hartley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th August 1870.
I, JAMES HARTLEY, of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THE GAME CALLED POOL,' OR
OTHER GAMES," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists of certain improved arrangements
by means whereof the number of players is recorded or registered; my
Invention is particularly applicable to "pool," but may be used in
other games where the number of players are to be recorded, thereby
preventing fraud by markers.

page_text: '
On the exterior of a case of wood or other suitable material I mount
a number of loose slides or slips similar to those ordinarily used in the
game of pool, by preference radiating from one centre, but not
necessarily so. In front of these slides or slips I place a disc working
in suitable bearings, by means whereof all the slides or slips may be
covered, so that no game can be marked until the disc is removed from
the front. of as many slides or slips as there may be players. In the
interior of the case I arrange one or more catches, and in the slips or
slides recesses are made to receive them; each is so placed as to drop
into its recess as soon as one "life" or point of a player is lost and
covered by a slip. The aforesaid catches are moved out of their
respective recesses by means of another disc or arm in the interior of
the case, which is actuated by the movement of the outer disc. The
aforesaid catches cannot be moved from the outside except by moving
the exterior disc over, the required number of slides; by this movement
the interior disc or arm is brought in contact with the aforesaid catches,
and lifts them out of the recesses, thereby releasing the slips. In the
interior of the case suitable gearing may be used, by preference I mount
a worm, and worm wheel on the worm wheel shaft. I place a ratchet
wheel and a paul or catch working into it. This paul or catch is
carried by the interior disc and moves the ratchet wheel in one direction
only and simultaneously with the movement of the disc. On the return
of the discs the catch or pawl rides over, the teeth of the ratchet wheel
without giving any motion to it. The motion given to the ratchet wheel
is transmitted through the worm and worm wheel to a hand or pointer
placed in front of an index plate, which is divided into any required
number of parts, each part denoting one player. If the outer disc be
moved from the front of any desired, number of slides or slips that
movement is given simultaneously through the paul to the ratchet
wheel and worm wheel, and through the worm wheel shaft to the hand
or pointer, thereby registering the number on the index plate. Close
to the face of the index plate, and between it and the hand or pointer,
I place a second hand or pointer, and secure it in such a manner as not
to revolve with the worm wheel shaft. The second hand or pointer may
be moved on the index plate to any point so as to shew the number of
players that have been registered by the revolving pointer since the.
previous examination.
I cover the dial or index by means of a glass door. By having this
door locked the pointer is prevented from being moved. by any one

page_text: except those appointed. Underneath the case I also have an opening
provided with a door, which also must be kept locked; by this the
interior is easily got at for repairs or cleaning.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Hartley in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 15th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HARTLEY, of Leeds, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said James Hartley, Her special licence that I, the
said James Hartley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Hartley, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
REGISTERING THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS IN THE GAME CALLED 'POOL,' OR OTHER
GAMES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Hartley, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
FOR
NOW, KNOW YE, that I, the said James Hartley, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters of reference marked thereon, that is to say:-
The nature of my Invention consists of certain improved arrange-

page_text: ments by means whereof the number of players is recorded or registered.
My Invention is particularly applicable to "pool," but may be used in
other games where the number of players are to be recorded, thereby
preventing fraud by markers.
On the exterior of a case of wood or other suitable material I mount
' a number of loose slides or slips similar to those ordinarily used in
the game of pool, by preference radiating from one centre, but not
necessarily so. In front of these slides or slips I place a disc working
in suitable bearings, by means whereof all the slides or slips may be
covered so that no game can be marked until the disc is removed from
the front of as many slides or slips as there may be players. In the
interior of the case I arrange one or more catches, and in the slip or
slides recesses are made to receive them. Each is so placed as to drop
into its recess as soon as one "life" or point of a player is lost and
covered by a slip. The aforesaid catches are moved out of their
respective recesses by means of another disc or arm in the interior of the
case, which is actuated by the movement of the outer disc. The
aforesaid catches cannot be moved from the outside, except by moving
the exterior disc over the required number of slides, by this movement
the interior disc or arm is brought in contact with the aforesaid catches
and lifts them out of the recesses, thereby releasing the slips. In the
interior of the case suitable gearing may be used, by preference I mount
a worm and worm wheel, on the worm wheel shaft I place a ratchet
wheel and a pawl or catch working into it. This pawl or catch is
carried by the interior disc and moves the ratchet wheel in one direction
only and simultaneously with the movement of the disc. On the return
of the discs the catch or pawl rides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel
without giving any motion to it. The motion given to the ratchet
wheel is transmitted through the worm and worm wheel to a hand or
pointer placed in front of an index plate which is divided into any
required number of parts, each part denoting one player. If the outer
disc be moved from the front of any desired number of slides or slips
that movement is given simultaneously through the pawl to the ratchet
wheel and worm wheel and through the worm wheel shaft to the hand
or pointer, thereby registering the number on the index plate. Close
to the face of the index plate and between it and the hand or pointer I
place a second hand or pointer, and secure it in such a manner as not to
revolve with the worm wheel shaft. The second hand or pointer may
be moved on the index plate to any point so as to shew the number of
%

page_text: players that have been registered by the revolving pointer since the
previous examination.
I cover the dial or index by means of a glass door. By having this
door locked the pointer is prevented from being moved by any one
except those appointed. Underneath the case I also have an opening
provided with a door, which also must be kept locked; by this the
interior is easily got at for repairs or cleaning.
In order that my Invention may be more completely understood I
annex and proceed to describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in
which Fig. 1 represents a front elevation; Fig. 2, a cross section; and
Fig. 3, a side elevation.
but not necessarily so.
working in a bearing d
b
On the exterior of a case a, by preference made of wood as shewn, I
mount a number of loose slides or slips 6 similar to those ordinarily used
in the game of "
pool," by preference radiating from one centre as shewn,
In front of these slides or slips I place a disc c
by means whereof all the slides or slips 6 may be
covered so that no game can be marked until the disc is removed from
the front of.as many slides or slips as there may be players. In the
interior I arrange one or more catches e fitted so as to work freely in
the carriers f. In the slides or slips 6 recesses 9 are made to receive the
projecting part of the catches e. Each catch is so placed that its
projecting part h drops into its recess as soon as one "life" or point of a
player is lost and covered by a slide or slip b. The catches e have their
projecting part / moved out of their respective recesses g by means of
another disc or arm i in the interior, which is bevelled so as to raise the
catches e from position shewn at j, Fig. 4, and in dotted lines in Fig. 2,
to position shewn at e, Fig. 2. The catches e cannot be moved from the
outside except by moving the exterior disc c over the required number of
slides or slips 6; by this movement the interior disc or armi is brought in
contact with the catches e, and lifts their projecting parts out of the
recesses g, thereby releasing the slides or slips b. In the interior of the
case suitable gearing may be used, by preference I mount a worm k on a
shaft running in bearings m, also a worm wheel n on the shaft o. On
the worm shaft I place a ratchet wheel p. On the interior disc i and
secured by the stud y I fit a pawl r which gears into the teeth of the
ratchet wheel p. This pawlr being carried as shewn by the interior
disc i moves the ratchet wheel p in one direction only, as shewn by
arrows at Fig. 1, and simultaneously with the movement of the outer
disc c, which is coupled to the inner disc by screws as shewn. On the

page_text: return of the discs the pawl r rides over the teeth of the ratchet wheel P
without giving any motion to it. The motion given to the ratchet
wheel P is transmitted through the worm k and worm wheel n to a hand
or pointer s fitted on the worm wheel shaft o and placed in front of an
index plate t, which is divided into any required number of parts, each
part denoting one player. If the outer disc c be moved from the front
of any desired number of slides or slips b, that movement is given simul-
taneously through the pawl to the ratchet wheel p and worm k, thence
through the worm wheel n and shaft o to the hand or pointers, thereby
registering the number on the index plate t. Close to the face of the.
index plate t and between it and the hand or pointer s, I place a second.
hand or pointer ", which I secure to the plate t so as not to revolve with
the shaft o. The second hand or pointer u may be moved on the index
plate t so as to shew the number of players that have been registered
by the revolving hand or pointer s since the previous examination. I
cover the dial or index plate t by means of a door v, which may be of
glass. By having the door locked the pointer is prevented from being
moved by any one except those appointed. Underneath the case a I
also have an opening provided with a door w, which also must be kept.
locked by this means the interior is easily got at for repairs or cleaning.
The star slips or slides are shewn at x, and the discs representing the
"lives" at y. These are of ordinary construction.
v
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark in conclusion that I
do not limit myself to the exact details and configuration of the parts
explained and shewn, as the same may be varied or modified without in
any way departing from the nature and principle of my Invention; but
what I do claim and desire to be secured to me by Letters Patent are, the
arrangement, construction, and application of apparatus substantially as
and for purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hartley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one