CERTAIN NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN FITTING TOPS TO BILLIARD COES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Fuller, of Longcrofts, New Shoreham,
in the County of Sussex, Doctor of Medicine, for the Invention of
**CERTAIN NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN FITTING TOPS TO
BILLIARD COES"
in the County of Sussex, Doctor of Medicine, for the Invention of
**CERTAIN NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN FITTING TOPS TO
BILLIARD CHES"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Fuller at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the .
15th January 1873.
I, THOMAS FULLER, of Longcrofts, New Shoreham, in the County of
Sussex, Doctor of Medicine, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "CERTAIN NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED IN FITTING
TOPS TO BILLIARD Cues," to be as follows:-
The top or striking point of a billiard cuo is usually glued or
cemented to the cue, and the two surfaces brought together in forming
the joint must be plane surfaces or the cuo will be imperfect. These
tops are often struck off or required to be renewed, and the object of my

page_text: Invention is to enable any person to replace an old top or substitute a
new one. with the greatest facility and in the most perfect manner.
The main difficulty in fitting a top to a cue is to obtain a perfectly
equal pressure of the glue or cementing material between the two
surfaces forming the joint, and the essential feature of my Invention
consists in the application of mechanical pressure on the cue top in such
a manner as to ensure a perfect joint.
I propose to make an apparatus suitable for fitting a top to a single
cuc, and also an apparatus on the same principle by which several cues
may be fitted with tops at one time.
In the first case I propose to take a tube.or cylinder of metal or other
suitable material, tapering from one end to the other; in one end of this
tube, and longitudinally therewith, I set a screw having at the end within
the tube a flat or a cupped plate. I cut out a portion of the tube and make
a longitudinal slit or slits, or otherwise weaken it at the end opposite that
carrying the screw above mentioned in such wise that this end will yield
and its diameter lessen by pressure on the outside, for which purpose
.I I propose to surround it with a collar having lugs through which I pass
an adjusting screw to draw them together and thereby compress the
tube, or I adopt any suitable means of obtaining pressure at this point.
In fitting a top on to a cue the glue, cement, or other material used
to make the joint being in a soft state, the top is placed on the cuc and
the point of the cue passed into the tube until it meets the flat or
cupped plate, the collar is then tightened by its screw until the cuc is
firmly gripped in the tube, and the flat or cupped plate then screwed
down on to the cue top with a degree of pressure which will cause the
'adhesive material to spread evenly and ensure a perfect joint. When
sufficient time has clapsed for the proper drying of the glue or cement,
the lug screw is loosened and the cue withdrawn.
If preferred the top to be fitted might be first laid on the flat or
cupped plate, and the glued head of the cue be brought on to it in this
position.
The apparatus by which I propose to permit the fitting at one time of
several cucs with tops, will consist of a frame one side of which will be
pierced with holes for the introduction of the upper part of the cues, and '
the opposite side of which will be tapped. to receive a corresponding

page_text: number of screws, each screw having at its lower end a tube or cap to
receive the top of the cue upon which pressure will then be brought,
and maintained precisely as in the apparatus hercin-before described.
It will be evident that many variations may be made in the arrange-
ment of these apparatus while retaining the essential characteristic of my
Invention, namely, an application of mechanical pressure in a direct line.
with the axis of the cue to ensure a perfectly level joint between top
and ouo.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Fuller in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th July 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FULLER, of Longcrofts, New Shoreham, in the County of Sussex, Doctor
of Medicine, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Fuller, Her special licence
that I, the said Thomas Fuller, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Fuller, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and 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 "CERTAIN NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN FITTING TOPS TO BILLIARD CUES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Fuller, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and scals, 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,

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Fuller, 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:-
The top, tip, or striking point of a billiard cue is usually glued or
cemented to the cue, and the two surfaces brought together in forming
the joint must be plane surfaces, or the cue will be imperfect. These
tops or tips are often struck off or required to be renewed, and the
object of my Invention is to enable any person to replace an old tip or
substitute a new one with the greatest facility and in the most perfect
manner.
The main difficulty in fitting a tip to a cue is to obtain a perfectly
equal pressure of the glue or cementing material between the two
surfaces forming the joint, and the essential feature of my Invention
consists in the application of mechanical pressure on the cue tip in such
a manner as to ensure a perfect joint.
f
My Invention comprises not only apparatus suitable for fitting a tip
to a single cue, but also apparatus on the same principle by which
several cues may be fitted with tips at one time.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawing is an elevation of a
cue tip fastener embodying my Invention suitable for operating upon
one cue at a time, and Figure 2 is an elevation showing a modification
thereof.
a, tube or cylinder cut out to form a guide with two branches a¹, a¹¹;
b, vertical screw having at its lower end a plate or cap c; b' (Fig. 2), 1
plain stem carrying cap c; d, collar attached to the branch a' of the
guide a, the branch a" playing freely therein; e, horizontal screw; f, cue
tip; (Fig. 2), spiral spring substituted in place of screw tapping on
stem b¹.
The operation is as follows:-In fitting a top or tip on to a cue the
gluc, cement, or other material used to make the joint being in a soft
state, the tip is placed on the cue and the point of the cue passed into
the tube a from the bottom until it meets the flat or cupped plate c, the
branch a of the guide a is then pressed against the cue by tightening
its screw e until the cuc is firmly gripped in the tube between a¹ and a";
the flat or cupped plate c is then screwed down on to the cue tip by

page_text: turning screw with a degree of pressure when will cause the adhesive
material to spread evenly and ensure a perfect joint. It will be evident
that at Fig. 2 this pressure is obtained by the spiral spring 9. When
sufficient time has elapsed for the proper drying of the glue or cement the
screw e is loosened and the cue withdrawn.
If preferred the tip to be fitted might be first laid on the flat or cupped.
plate c, and the glued head of the cuc be brought on to it in this
position.
The apparatus by which I propose to permit the fitting at one time of
several cues with tops or tips will consist of a frame, one side of which
will be pierced with holes for the introduction of the upper part of the
cues, and the opposite side of which will be tapped to receive a corre-
sponding number of screws or spring arrangements, each screw having at
its lower end a tube or cap to receive the tip of the cue upon which
pressure will then be brought and maintained precisely as in the
apparatus herein-before described.
It will be evident that many variations may be made in the arrange-
ment of these apparatus while retaining the essential characteristic of
my Invention, namely, an application of mechanical pressure in a direct
line with the axis of the cue to ensure a perfectly level joint between top
or tip and cuc; for example, instead of the long vertical screw a small
plunger might be fitted in the top of the cylinder a, and be raised and
lowered by a set screw travelling in it; or again, instead of obtaining
pressure on the tip by means of the spring 9 (Fig. 2) an india-rubber
band may be passed over the top of the stem of the cap c, as shown in
red at Fig. 2.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is or may be performed, I
would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the use of any
particular metal or material in the manufacture of my cue tip fastener,
nor to any particular dimensions, nor do I limit myself to the precise
details herein-beforo set forth and illustrated on the accompanying
Sheet of Drawing as such may be greatly varied while retaining the
essential characteristic of my Invention, and I claim as secured to me
by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, the use of apparatus
arranged substantially as hercin-before described for the purpose of
applying mechanical pressure on the top of a cue top or tip in a direct

page_text: line with the axis of the cue, in such a manner as to ensure a perfect
joint between the cue and its top or tip.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Fuller, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
E