IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCORING OR MARKING AT BILLIARDS OR OTHER SIMILAR GAMES
Year: 1868

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Wetherilt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
April 1868.
I, JAMES WETHERILT, of Chapel Street West, Mayfair, in the
County of Middlesex, Ironmonger, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SCORING OR MARKING AT
BILLIARDS OR OTHER SIMILAR GAMES," to be as follows:-
The apparatus which forms the subject of this Invention has for its
object to prevent the score from being tampered with by the marker
or any other person, and also to enable the number of games played
within any given time to be ascertained with accuracy and facility..
The Invention consists in adapting to the moveable rollers which
carry the numbers or spots (as the case may be) for marking the game.
gearing for driving index wheels, which wheels are marked with numbers.
corresponding to the games to be recorded. Stationary fingers or:
pointers are set over the faces of the index wheels to show their progress..
of rotation, and a stop arrangement is adapted to these wheels to prevent..
them from being turned back.

page_text: .In adapting the Invention to the game of billiards two rollers (one
for the "spot" and the other for the "plain" ball) are mounted on a
board one over the other, having a thumb piece or milled head by which
they may be readily turned. These rollers are severally provided (at
their middle by preference) with a worm which takes into a worm wheel
on the face of which are marked consecutive numbers, say, from 1 up
to 100 for example, each of which numbers indicates the completion of
a game consisting of 100 points. The roller being provided with, say,
four rows of figures each marking 25 points the axial motion of the
roller to the extent of one quarter of a revolution will bring the next
row of figures into view on the board and advance the index wheel, say,
one tooth, and another quarter revolution will bring a graduation inter-
mediate between the two figures under the fixed pointer and indicate,
say, 50 points. Of course this arrangement might be modified so as to
cause the advance of the wheel one tooth to indicate 100 points or any 1
other number, according to the game to be played. The travelling
pointers which mark the score on the figured rollers I also propose to
move along the rows of figures either by a worm and travelling nut or
to provide them with a spring pawl which enters the teeth of a rack
to prevent the pointers being returned when once moved forward until a
they arrive at the end of the row, when they may be re-entered in their
grooves.
"
In pool boards the rollers carrying the usual number of spots to
indicate the "lives" held by the players are provided with worms at
their inner extremities, which take into small worm wheels also carrying
numbers and operating as above described, and as these wheels are set
one above the other it will only be necessary to add. together the row of
figures opposite the index fingers or pointers to arrive at the sum total
of the "lives" paid for and games played.
A similar arrangement of roller geared to an indicating wheel is a
provided for registering the game of "pyramids," the only difference
being that in this instance the moveable pointer is allowed to be moved
backwards when one or more balls are lost by the player, the full game
being indicated by the wheel when the roller has been completely turned
on its axis. All these indicators may, if desired, be set in one frame in 3
any, approved manner, for instance, those of or billiards and pyramids at
top and bottom, and those for pool at the sides, or they may be adapted
to separate boards according to requirements and convenience. Apertures

page_text: are made in the front of the board to allow of the numbers on the index
wheels being seen, and which apertures are covered with glass to prevent
the apparatus from being tampered with. The index wheels are provided
with a stop, which when they have completed onc revolution will prevent
them from being moved any further until access to the interior is
obtained by unlocking the frame.
As a modification of the above arrangement instead of causing the
index wheel to travel under a stationary pointer an index hand may be
made to point to the numbers on a dial after the manner of a clock, the
moveable hand being for that purpose mounted on the axle of the index
wheel.