Improvements in or connected with Billiard Scoring or Marking Apparatus.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct.. 1889
Complete Specification Left. 6th Dec., 1889-Accepted. 25th Jan., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Billiard Scoring or Marking
Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM ROBINSON of 122 Botchergate Carlisle in the county of Cumberland
Hosier and Outfitter do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with billiard scoring or
marking apparatus and consists for the most part in the construction of marking
apparatus which when used shall mechanically check the number of games played and
thus acquaint the proprieter in hotels and the like of the amount of money the billiard
marker or other attendant ought to have received. To effect my purpose I firstly
provide locking mechanism so as to lock the marking slides constructed as herinafter
described at zero by fixing a lock within a more or less specially constricted casing
and hanging a hand operated bent lever so that when the latter is in its downward or
equivalent position the turning of the lock prevents the lever being raised and
vice versa.
The marking slides which run in grooves as usual are provided with back plates
the upper ends of which are fitted with rocking levers free to swing in one direction
but rigid in the other the lower ends being likewise furnished with swinging stops or
pawls.
The latter are arranged so that when the slides are moved in a progressive direction
along the scoring board the lower ends of the stops or pawls engage successively a
series of teeth resembling a rack so that the backward motion of the marker is arrested
until it reaches the end of the board and rack where the stop is allowed to hang freely
and reverse its position for the return of the marker to the starting point. At either
end the stop is allowed to swing clear of the rack teeth so as to permit of its position
being reversed. Thus far the description has related principally to the marking slides
and means for locking reversing and preventing back movements of same but I now
propose to describe how I check the number of games played.
At or about the centre and behind the board I arrange a registering device con-
sisting of a system of wheels resembling clock work communicating with a dial facing
the room and this dial can be arranged to register each game played up to say a
hundred when if desirable a second dial will commence to register the hundreds of
games though it is of course optional as to the particular numbers or graduations of
the dial alterations therein being easily effected by corresponding alterations in the
gearing of the wheelwork.
I operate the device as follows: As the game proceeds the marking slides proceed
in the usual way until at any convenient point though preferably at the centre of the
scoring board the rocking lever mounted on the back plate of the marker comes in
contact with a star wheel, lever, or the equivalent thereof of the registering device the
marker is pushed past this in opposition through gearing to the pressure of a spring
which actuates a bent lever or its equivalent so as to keep it in gear with the teeth of
the spur wheel operating the dial pointer and thus prevent more than one game or unit
being registered at a time a like device being arranged to regulate the second dial.
Thus each time each marker passes the registering device and it must do so every
game the pointer is actuated and when the rocking lever reaches the end or other part
of the board which may mean the end of the game its upper end engages the lever of
an alarm bell which rings and thus gives notice to the next player. The rocking
levers on their return journey are inerely depressed by their contact with the mechanism
of the registering dial.
Dated this 16th day of October 1889.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Billiard Scoring or Marking
Apparatus.
I, WILLIAM ROBINSON of 122 Botchergate, Carlisle, in the county of Cumberland,
Hosier and Outfitter 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:
This invention relates to improvements in or connected with billiard scoring or
marking apparatus and consists for the most part in the construction of marking
apparatus which when used shall mechanically check the number of games played and
thus acquaint the proprietor in hotels and the like of the amount of money the billiard
marker or other attendant ought to have received. To effect my purpose I firstly
provide locking mechanism so as to lock the marking slides constructed as hereinafter
described at zero by fixing a lock within a more or less specially constructed casing
and hanging a hand operated bent lever so that when the latter is in its downward or
equivalent position the turning of the lock prevents the lever being raised and
vice-versa.
The marking slides which run in grooves as usual are provided with back plates
the upper ends of which are fitted with rocking levers free to swing in one direction
but rigid in the other the lower ends being likewise.furnished with swinging stops or
pawls. The latter are arranged so that when the slides are moved in a progressive
direction along the scoring board the lower ends of the stops or pawls engage
successively a series of teeth resembling a rack so that the backward motion of the
marker is arrested until it reaches the en.1 of the board and rack where the stop is
allowed to hang freely and reverse its position for the return of the marker to the
starting point.
At either end the stop is allowed to swing clear of the rack teeth so as to permit of
its position being reversed. Thus far the description has related principally to the
marking slides and means for locking reversing and preventing back movements of
same but I now propose to describe how I check the number of games played. At
or about the centre and behind the board I arrange a registering device consisting of
a system of wheels resembling clock work communicating with a dial facing the room
and this dial can be arranged to register each game played up to say a hundred when
if desirable a second dial will commence to register the hundreds of games though
it is of course optional as to the particular numbers or graduations of the dial altera-
tions therein being easily effected by corresponding alterations in the gearing of the
wheelwork. I operate the device as follows: As the game proceeds the marking slides
proceed in the usual way until at any convenient point though preferably at the centre
of the scoring board the rocking lever mounted on the back plate of the marker
comes in contact with a star wheel, lever, or the equivalent thereof of the registering
device the marker is pushed past this in opposition through gearing to the pressure
of a spring which actuates a bent lever or its equivale at so as to keep it in gear with
the teeth of the spur wheel operating the dial pointer and thus prevent more than one
game or unit being registered at a time, a like device being arranged to regulate the
second dial. Thus each time each marker passes the registering device and it must do
so every game, the pointer is actuated and when the rocking lever reaches the end or
other part of the board which may mean the end of the game its upper end engages
the lever of an alarm bell which rings and thus gives notice to the next player. The
rocking levers on their return journey are merely depressed by their contact with the
mechanism of the registering dial.
I will now fully describe my invention with reference to the accompanying drawings
in which Figs. 1, 1ª and 1° are back elevations showing the details of my improved
apparatus, Fig. 2 being a section on line A. B in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front elevation
on a reduced scale and throughout this description like letters indicate like parts in the
specification and in the drawings.

page_text: Referring to the latter a. a. a. a is a wood casing or frame furnished with
grooves a a² for the billiard markers a³ a to work in and be operated in the
usual way. To the back face of each marking slide, I attach by screws a back
plate as a the upper ends of which are fitted with rocking levers a pivotted at a³
free to swing in one direction but prevented from swinging in the other direction
by the tail-stop 2 thereon coming into contact with the side of the plate on which
the rocking levers are mounted. The upper ends of these rocking levers are shaped
and arranged to gear with the teeth of the star wheels 3, 4 mounted on spindle 5
on which are also mounted pinions 6, 7 gearing into spurs 8, 9 mounted on
spindles 10, 11 actuating dial pointers 10, 11".
Once in a revolution pins 12, 13 fixed one in the side of each of the spur
wheels 8, 9 come into contact with the teeth of the star wheels 14, 15 mounted
on spindles 16, 17 actuating dial pointers 18, 19. The movements of the star
wheels 3, 4 pinions 6, 7 and spurs 8, 9 by marking slides 3, 4 are controlled by
projections N, N on levers N₁ mounted on spindles N2 pressing into the teeth of
spurs 8, 9 so as thus to ensure each passage of the rocking levers a' of the
marking slides a³ or a past the star wheels 3, 4 of the registering device being
accurately recorded on the dial pointers 10" 11" and similarly as the star wheels 14, 15
are actuated by projections 12, 13 on spurs 8, 9 the projections O, O on levers 01 01
mounted on spindles 02 effect in regard to them precisely similar results.
Both N, N and O, O are held in gear with their teeth by springs S¹ acting on their
backs as shown in the drawings. The whole of this mechanism may be mounted on
a simple iron bracket 20 securely attached to an iron plate 21 screwed to woodwork
of a. The lower ends of the plates as a fit into the double eyes of the pauls 22, the
lower ends of the latter working in the teeth of the racks 23, 24 formed in the
oaken strips C, D attached to the casing. E are small rollers carried in lugs of
bracket E attached to a for the purpose of guiding and maintaining the perpen-
dicularity of the latter.
F is an ordinary dial face the pointers 10" 11" therein registering through the
mechanism above described and illustrated the number of times (a) the markers a³, a³
are caused to pass any desired point on the billiard scoring board while the
pointers 18, 19 may be set to register the number of hundreds of times (or 100 a)
such occurrence may have taken place.
K is an ordinary lock operated by key from the front of the apparatus the bolt K¹
of which (in position shown in Fig. 1") prevents end L of bent lever L' being turned
into vertical position (shown in dotted lines) by finger piece L2 and thus the
cranked or gibbed end L serves to prevent the markers a³ a being moved from zero
on the board until the key has been obtained to unlock the bolt K and thus enable
the cranked end L to be turned by L2 into vertical position.
It will be observed that by this arrangement both marking slides are effectively
locked at zero until the proprietor or person in charge shall have unlocked the
apparatus in the manner above described.
Both at the zero and at the termination of the racks a space S is cut out to enable
the pauls 22 to hang vertically and by this means the marking slides can be reversed
and returned to zero but they can not be thus returned or brought back at all without
first having reached the outward extremity of the racks before which time this fact
must have been duly registered through the intervention of the registering mechanism
above described and illustrated in the drawings.
Moreover before either marking slide can be reversed in the space S at the outward
extremity of the rack, (which point may coincide with the numeral 50 or 100 on the
scoring scale) the upper end of the rocking lever a strikes the lever M of the alarm
bell M and thus gives notice of the game having either reached a certain point or of
its having been completed. M² is a steadying piece for a³ and M³ are supporting
brackets to M² and D.
The operation of my invention is such that
improved marker without the key having been
which of course notifies the attendant that a
firstly a game cannot be scored on my
first obtained to unlock the lever LE¹
game is going to be played; secondly

page_text: a person cannot commence to score and then go back to the commencement with a
view to defraud the proprietor of money due for play had, the pauls 22 effectually
preventing any such retrograde movement. Having commenced to score, the player
must proceed and have the play duly registered. When play is over the attendant
pushes the markers a3 a' along to zero, (on line Z Z) he then gives L a quarter turn,
bringing L into horizontal position and locks the bolt K¹, thus preventing L being
raised by L2 and effectually keeping the markers at zero.
The whole frame or casing a and apparatus is enclosed at the back with a suitable
backboard Y which may likewise be locked in position if deemed necessary and by
the removal of this board access is obtained to the mechanism of the apparatus.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :
1) In billiard scoring or marking apparatus the combination with the marking
slides as a of back plates as a with rocking levers a' and pauls 22 acting respectively
on star wheels 3 and 4 of registering device and racks 23, 24 substantially as and for
the purposes herein set forth.
2) In billiard marking or scoring apparatus the combination with the parts a³, a*,
a³, a, 22, 23, 24 all arranged substantially as herein shown of the registering device
for ensuring the registration on the dial face F of the number of games played
through the mechanism of star wheels 3, 4, pinions 6, 7, spurs 8, 9, projections 12, 13,
and star wheels 14, 15 all arranged and disposed in respect of one another operating
and being operated substantially as and for the purposes herein described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
3) In billiard marking or scoring apparatus the combination with the marking
slides, back plates, rocking levers and pauls thereon arranged as herein set forth of a
bent lever L L arranged to be operated manually at L' and to be locked by bolt K
of lock so that when the arm L is in the horizontal position shown in the drawings
the forward movement of the marking slides a³ a' is effectually arrested until the
bolt K¹ has been withdrawn substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein
set forth.
4) In billiard marking or scoring apparatus .the combination with the marking
slides and back plates theron arranged as herein set forth of the means of forewarning
the arrival of the game at a certain point or of the termination of the game by the
provision of an alarm bell the lever M of which is arranged so as to be struck by the
rocking levers a so as to ring the bell substantially as herein set forth.
5) In billiard marking or scoring apparatus the combination with the marking
slides a³ a, back plates as a arranged as shown aud pauls 22 of the method of
preventing the return of the marking slides by means of racks 23, 24 and of effecting
the return, at the required point, by the provision of the reversing spaces S substan-
tially as herein set forth.
6) The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the improve-
ments in billiard marking or scoring apparatus substantially as herein described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of December 1889.
:
A. CRAWHALL CHAPMAN,
2, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Patent Agent for Applicant.