IMPROVED METHODS OF CONSTRUCTING, CONVERTING, AND USING BILLIARD AND OTHER TABLES
Year: 1869

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Robert Jekyll Westley at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th August 1869.
I, ROBERT JEKYLL WESTLEY, of 62, Camden Road, Camden Town, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED METHODS OF CONSTRUCTING, CONVERTING,
AND USING BILLIARD AND OTHER TABLES," to be as follows, that is to say:-
I construct an expanding & contracting frame of wood or sheet metal
of a sectional form that will conform to & embrace the rim or edge of
& thus combine with any common dining or similar table for tem-
poraly converting any such table into either a billiard or bagatelle
table, and which I denominate a convertible dining billiard table.
I construct the frame into longitudinal & transverse sections or
lengths, & connect them by screw dowels and pins so as to join and
lengthen or contract them or shorten the sections of the frame by
turning the pins on which are screw threads acting in the screw dowels
to elongate when required the sections to fit a table, & I fill up the inter-
stices between the ends by slipping over the screw dowels short pieces

page_text: alike to such frame & having female screw threads. The sections of
frame so formed will constitute when connected a compound frame of
six lengths, and the method of connecting them will be by strong curved
metal braces permanently attached to one end of each section of frame
and fitting into a metal dowel or bracket fixed on one end of the alternate
end of end of next section & held temporarily by a thumbscrew. The com-
pound section of frame will thus for a table be in six parts united by the
six curved metal braces, to each of which the common billiard ball pockets
will be suspended, the inside edges of the sections of frame well shaped
so as to conform to the curved or bevelled edge of any dining or like
table. To the under side of each section of the frame a flat metal pin or
screw bolt will be attached to take into a flat metal socket or female
screw permanently attached to the under side of the table or the move-
able leaf thereof. The cross section of this frame will be of the form of
the upper edge of a common billiard table, & to form the cushion of the
frame a deep groove of half a circle or groove of elliptical form must be
formed on the inner face of the sectional frame. This cushion may be
made by drawing a vulcanized caoutchouc tube over a soft cylindrical
or eliptical rod, the rod being first covered by a surface of woolen cloth.
When it is desired to elongate the sections of the frame or to shorten or
to contract it to fit any one or different common dining tables to elongate
the sections, such rod may be inserted into each vulcanized caoutchouc
tube, or to shorten or to narrow the frame may be taken out, & when
thus made to fit a table the cushion may be fixed to the said groove of
the frame by screws from the outside of the frame to permanently fix
the cushion. In connecting the billiard frame with any such dining or
other table or any temporary surface if for a dining table the ordinary
baize or other cover is laid on and stretched tightly under the edges of the
frame, the flat or round pins or bolts are inserted into the slots or fixed
brackets, or screw bolt holes on the under side of the tables or its move-
able leaves, when the table will be then in a condition to be used for
performing the game of billiards; & also dining tables may be specially
constructed so as to be combined with any of my aforesaid billiard
frames with elongating leaves or segments, or may be specially con-
structed so as to introduce also an indented section or leaf for receiving
balls, and that may on occasion be turned down side up & formed into
a bagatelle board when in combination with my aforesaid sectional
billiard frame. In order to raise or lower any such table as described to
any desirable height, or to place it on a proper level, the castors of each

page_text: leg must be attached to screw bolts, which bolts should be inserted into-
female screw apertures made in the legs or feet of said table so as to be
turned by a spanner to lift or depress the table.
In order to convert any dining table into a bagatelle table it should
be constructed near to one end with a detachable moveable leaf, on one
side of which the common indentations or receptacles for balls should
be made, so that by turning such leaf upside down it may serve either
as a bagatelle or billiard or dining table; & and for a raised curved end
a detachable metal or wooden curved piece may be placed on to it &
connected with the frame.
In order to construct a similar convertible table as to form it into
either a curved or square end dining table the base frame & attached legs
may be constructed in the manner of a common elongating table; but
the end leaves, if curved, made to turn on a fixed centre piece connected
with the base frame, so that by turning each curved leaf towards the
centre of the table & then laying on a sectional leaf with a concave
curved edge to fit one or both ends of a table it may be rendered square
or curved.