A New or Improved Coin-freed Scoring Board for the Game of Billiards.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 4th May, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Coin-freed Scoring Board for the Game of
Billiards.
I, ERNEST BROOK of Dean Street, East Farleigh near Maidstone, Gentleman,
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:-
My invention relates to a new or improved coin-freed scoring board for the game
of billiards more particularly intended for use at working men's clubs and similar
institutions. The scoring board is so arranged as to be freed by the weight of the
coin or coins inserted which then allows a game of say 50 up to be scored, but it
can be arranged for games of other lengths such as 100 or more up, at the
termination of the game the pointers or indicators being pushed back and becoming
locked until again released by further coins being inserted, which coins are intended
to pay for the use of the billiard table.
In carrying my invention into practical effect I provide a rectangular case of
wood or other suitable material furnished with a removable lid and provided with
two parallel slots through each of which projects a pin carrying the pointer or
indicator. Within the case is arranged two parallel rods or bars of iron or other
suitable material carrying sliding frames to which the pointers or indicators are
attached, and to the rear of each pointer or indicator is placed a double rack the
teeth of one of which are inclined in an opposite direction to the teeth of the other.
To each sliding frame is pivoted a lever one end of which is bent back at right
angles so as to readily engage with either of the racks, while the other end is
furnished with a coin receptacle or carrier. The first mentioned or bent end of the
lever is furnished with a counter-weight so that in the normal condition of the
device the bent end of the lever is drawn down and engages with the lower rack,
the teeth of which are so inclined as to prevent the indicator from being pushed
forward, but allowing only a back motion by the bent end of the lever sliding over
the teeth, when however a coin or coins is inserted the weight is sufficient to raise
the bent end of the lever which then engages with the upper rack the teeth of which
are so arranged as to only allow the pointer or indicator to travel forward, while
upon reaching the end of the board the coins drop and allow the bent end of the
lever to fall and engage with the lower rack so that it is then only possible to push
the said pointer or indicator back to the starting position, and all forward movement
is prevented until a coin or coins is again inserted to raise the bent end of the lever,
so as to engage with the upper rack.
In order that my invention may be more fully understood I will now proceed to
describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved billiard scoring board with part of the
cover broken away showing the mechanism of one of the pointers or indicators.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the mechanism attached to one of the pointers or
indicators drawn to an enlarged scale.
Fig. 3 is a view at right angles of some of the parts of the mechanism shown in
Fig. 2.
My improved billiard scoring board consists of a rectangular case of wood or
other suitable material e provided with a cover c' secured by means of screws or in
any other suitable manner and having two parallel slots s, sl, and two pointers or
indicators p, p'. Within the case I arrange two longitudinal bars of iron or other
suitable material b, b', carrying the sliding frames to which the pointers or indicators
are attached.

page_text: As the mechanism of each pointer or indicator is exactly similar in every respect
only one of them will be described.
The sliding frame f has a lever 7 pivoted to the rear of same, one end of which
lever is bent at right angles, the other end being furnished with the coin carrier a,
while to the bent arm of the lever a counter-weight w is attached and a guiding
plate or strip g is provided to prevent the weight from swinging to and fro.
To the rear of each pointer or indicator is arranged a double rack r, r¹, between
which the bent arm m of the lever is free to rise and fall so as to engage with
either of the racks as herein before described.
The device is operated in the following manner.
The pointer is first drawn back to the end of the slot as shown at pl (Fig. 1)
the coin carrier a being then opposite the opening o formed in the plate d which
allows the coin to be inserted. The lower part of the coin carrier slants backward
which causes the coin to roll towards the back of the case which is sufficiently close
to the coin carrier to prevent the coin from falling out. The weight of the coin
causes the arm mn of the lever I to rise so as to engage with the upper rack r which
allows the pointer or indicator to be pushed forward for scoring the game, by
reason of the arm sliding over the teeth of the rack, but prevents any backward
movement by reason of the end m catching against the teeth of the rack. When
the game has been scored and the pointer or indicator reaches the other end of the
case the coin is allowed to fall by reason of the back of the case k being at this
part cut away as shown at n (Fig. 3) so as to form a shoot down which the coin
may pass to the box or receptacle B. When the coin falls the counter-weight w
draws down the arm m of the lever so as to engage with the lower rack which
then allows the pointer or indicator to slide back to the starting position.
In order to prevent a coin from being inserted when the coin carrier is not in a
position to receive it, such for instance as when the indicator is partly along the
board, I prove a bell crank lever pivoted to the under surface of the cover of the
case and shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the pointer or indicator is away
from the starting position the two arms of the bell crank are in the position j, j,
one of the arms crossing the opening in the plate d and preventing a coin from
being inserted, a catch or stop q being provided so as to prevent the arm of the
lever from falling too far down, when however the pointer or indicator is drawn
back to the starting position the sliding frame comes into contact with the upper
arm of the bell crank raising the arms into the position j', j', when the opening o in
the plate dis quite free to allow of a coin or coins being inserted, and upon the
pointer or indicator being pushed forward the bell crank drops into its former
position j,j, again barring the entrance o in the plate d.
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 I
claim is :-
:-
1. The new
or improved coin-freed billiard scoring board arranged and
constructed substantially as herein described and shown in the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a billiard scoring board such as above claimed the operating mechanism
consisting of sliding frame f, pivoted lever l, coin carrier a, balance weight w, rod b,
and double rack r, r¹, arranged, constructed and operating substantially as herein
described and shown.
3. In combination with the billiard scoring board such as above claimed the bell
crank-lever and stop q, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 20th day of March 1005
F. G. CASSELL,
Of Cassell & Co.,
22, Glasshouse Street, Regent Street, London, W.,
Ageut for the Applicant.