US1172457A - Pocket-iron for billiard-tables and the like. - Google Patents

Description

F. C. HOBBS.

POCKET IRON FOR BILLIARD TABLES AND THE LIKE.

APPLlCATION FILED Aue.31.1914.

1,172,457. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH .50., WASHINGTON, D. c.

F. c. HOBBS.

POCKET IRON FOR BlLL'lAfiD TABLES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I, 1914.-

1,172,457. I Patented Feb. 22,1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. C. HOBBS.

POCKET IRON FOR BI LLIARD TABLES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.31, 1914.

1,172,457. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

i I und I: 5:

F. C. HOBBS.

POCKET IRON FOR BILLIARD TABLES AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.3|, 1914.

1,172,457. Patented Feb. 22,1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4- THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

F. 0. H0888. POCKE-T IRON-FOR BILLIARD TABLES AND THE LIKE.

-APPL|CATION FILED AUG.3I| 1914.

Till C Ql-UMIIQ PLAN-DORA? C0" WASHINOTUN, D- C Patented Feb. 22,1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5L UNITED STATES PATENT orrion.

FRANK G. HOBBSpOFMUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO BRUNSVVICK-BALKE- COLLENDER 60., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

POCKET-IRON- FOR BILLIAR-D-TABLES AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatenteclFeb. 2 2, 1916.

Application filed August 31, 1914. Serial No. 859,397.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, FRANKC. Hones, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Muskegon, in the county of Muskego-n and State of Michigan, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Pocket-Irons for Billiard-Tables and the like; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheets of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention, therefore, consists in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction as hereinafter first duly set forth and described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Pocket irons for billiard tables, heretofore,

generally have been made of cast iron or.

malleable iron. As these irons are received from the foundry they are of rough exterior, full of burs, humps, and sand spots, requiring a large amount of grinding, polishing, and fitting to convert the same into a usable form in a billiard table. Besides, a leather outside covering is necessary being affixed thereto to avoid possible injury to the ivory or composition billiard balls impacting thereagainst, making the cost of a complete set of six pocket irons run'into a considerable sum, relatively speaking.

The aim of my invention therefore is the' production of side and corner pocket irons from flat sheet metallic blanks of proper contour formed. to the desired shape in dies under suitable presses in the process of stamping or drawing. By this method of construction the blanks. may be of a very light or thin gage of sheet metal, producing a very light weight device of hollow interior, of great strength because of its being drawn or stamped to shape, and an article which maybemade from sheet steel, brass, or other sheet metallic material, highly polished and buffed, at a lesser cost than the present irons.

In addition to the foregoing my invention includes new and novel means for attaching the usual knitted, netted, leather, or other type of pocketsto the pocket iron, so that such pockets may be readily removed or replaced.

Another novel element of my invention reinvention is the fact that the device is consides in means whereby a cushion leather may be quickly snapped into the pocket iron, and as rapidly removed therefrom. Andone of the most important points of my structed from'thin, springy, sheet metal, having an arcuate curved portion of V shaped cross section, against the inner alls of which curved portion, a billiard ball is intendedto strike when a pocket shot is made. The arcuate portion with its inner wall, being springy in nature, the force of impact of a ball striking the said inner wall is practically expended in creating a yielding of the said wall at the instant of impact, so that the reaction will be slight and the reboundlng tendency rofthe ball reduced to a minimum. Andit is to be understood that the ball strikes the outwardly declined 'face of the inner wall, so that what reaction exists pocket.

In the drawings already referred to,

will project the ball downwardly into the which serve to illustrate my said invention Fig. & is a cross section on an" enlarged scale in line M of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of'Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a transverse section in line 6- 6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a side eleva-.

tion of a net, or other pocket attaching device employed in connection with my invention, and Fig. 8 is a plan thereof. 1 Fig. 9 is a transverse section in line 99 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a plan of a completedjso called corner pocket iron, employed at the corners of pocket billiard tables, constructed in .accordance with my invention. Fig.1l is a plan of said pocket with the cover removed; Fig. 12 is a horizontal fragmental section in'line 12-12 of- Fig. 6. Fig. 13 is a transverse section in line l313 of Fig. 12. Fig. 14 is a plan of a blank'for sheet metallic fastening clip employed in my invention. Fig. 15 is an elevation thereof as formed up. Fig. 16 a perspective view of the same. Fig. 17 is asection similar to Fig. 12, showing the prefer-red form of a fasteningclip. Fig. 18 is a transverse section on line 1818 of Fig. 17 Fig. 19 is a plan of the blank for the said preferred form of the'clip. elevation of the completed clip, and Fig. 21 a perspective view of the same.

Like parts are indicated by corresponding characters or symbols of reference in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, A, Fig. 1, denotes a side pocket iron as it is produced by the dies necessary to shape the same. In plan it comprises two like rectangularzend members 10 and 10 of open top, flat bot tom, box-like cross-section, integrally connected by a more or less semi-circular :mem ber 11 of V-shape cross section. The flat bottoms 12 and 12 of end members 1 and 10 gradually merge into the V-shaped member 11 as seen at 13 and 13, this being accomplished in the process of-sheet metallic drawing Or stamping. Along the upper,

outer edges of the end members 10 and 10 r curled head 15, Figs. 1 and 5, along the upper, inner edge of the V-shaped member 11 and a declining flange .16 extending outwardly from the upper edge of said member 11. In the face of this flange 16 is produced a continuous depression 17, through the bottom of which are punched, at spaced intervals, ob-- wardly pending loops 18, the latter being.

adapted to project through the openings 17 of the said depression; it being understood that the wire 18 1S lodged in, said depresslon and is flush with the upper surface of the flange 16, as seen in Fig. 6. The purpose of thiswire and its loops is the provision of neat and efiicient means for attaching the.

pocket proper to the pocket iron, which pocket proper may be of any desired type or design.

Located about medially of the length of the flat bottoms 12 and 12 of the end members 10 and 10 are provided depressions l9 and 19 each of which has a central aperture or opening 20 and 20 theformer lodg ments for threaded nuts 21, Fig. 9, and the latter passages for suitable bolts adapted to be threaded into said nuts, whereby the pocket iron is fastened to the usual bed rail of a pocket billiard table. Over these nuts 21 is placed a yielding washer 21, Fig. 9, which when a cover A is placed in position, as hereinafter described, is slightlycompressed, thereby maintaining said. nuts firmly in position and preventing any rattling thereof.

Through the inner Wall of the V-shaped member 11, about medially of the height thereof and equally spaced apart, are punched or drilled a series of circular open- Fig. 20 is an.

'26 are bent downwardly as at 27. V prongs, however, have theirbendmg line of ings22, Fig. 1, for the reception of spring fasteners 23, Figs. 13, 14, 15, and 16, at

vtached to a leather cushioningstrip 2i extending around. the inner wall of the said V- shaped member, to provide yielding means to deaden the force of impact of a billiard ball and preventing contactthereof with the metallic structure.

The strip 2% is possessed of a light metallic backing strip 24, Figs. 5 and 6, to insure the maintenance of shape of said yielding strip, and said metallic strip has punched or drilled therethrough a series of holes 25,- Fig. 13, corresponding, in spacing to the apertures 22 in V-shaped member 11. Spring fastener 23 is comprised of a flat blank of sheet metallic material .26, of generally star shaped contour, as illustr-atedin Fig. 14, andconsisting of four members 26 radiating from a common center at angles of ninety degrees and possessed of rounded outer ends, and four prongs 26 radiating from the same center but disposed. at angles of fortyfive degrees to the respective members 26 These latter members 26 are bent upwardly into dome shape as at 27, while the prongs These smaller diameter than that of the members 26 so that there is formed ,a shoulder 28,- Fig. 15. The outside diameter. of theprongs is the same as theholes 25 inthe backing strip 24;, while the dome shaped portion 27 is quite a snug fit in :the openings 22 of the. V-shaped member 11. The prongs, of these-x fasteners are passed through the openings 25 and driven: into theyielding material (preferably leather) 24. In the process of driving the prongs deflect from a true course and clench, as it were, in the. leather, as

. clearly indicated in, Fig. 13. The driving in of these prongs is continued until theshoulder 28 is driven tightly against the backing, plate 24 and the latter in rigid contact with the leather 241. It will thus be seen that, the

fasteners 23 serve the double purpose of fixedly uniting the back ng plate andthe leather, and also of removably attaching this structure to the inner wall of the V-shaped member 11 in a manner readily compre-- hended.

The flat blank of the cover plate AYalready referred to and shown in Fig.2 is of the same general. contour of the shaped up pocket iron A, except that it is greater in 10 and 10 and are. curledaround the bead 15 and flange 16 of the V-shaped member 11 and ti htly squeezed down soas to securely fasten the said cover to the iron proper in a manner clearly indicated in Figs. 4-, 5, 6, and 9. v I

In Figs. 10 and 11 is illustrated a corner pocket iron constructed in accordance with my invention. The only difierence between the side and corner pocket iron is that the end members 10 and 10 are disposed at right angles to each other, with the connecting V-shaped member slightly more than a semi-circle in the latter instance, instead of the end members being in alinement as in the former case.

In Figs. 17, 18,19, and 21, I disclose the preferred form of the spring fastener or clip indicated as 23, which is comprised of a blank of sheet metallic material 52 of generally star shaped contour, consisting of four members 26 radiating from a common center at angles of ninety degrees and four prong shaped members 26* of slightly greater length and breadth, radiating from the same center but disposed at angles of forty-five degrees to the respective members 26. All of these members are bent downwardly to produce a cup shaped structure as clearly seen in Fig. 20, but the members 26 have their lower ends 28 bent outwardly, to form shoulders adapted to rest upon and be pressed into backing strips 24-2 as indicated in Fig. 18. The cup shaped structure comprising the clip 23 is a snug fit in openings 22 in the V-shaped members 11, while the prong shaped members 26" are adapted to pass through the holes 25 in thebacking strip 24 and to be forced into the'leather strip 24. In the process of forcing, the prongs are deflected from a true course and clench, as it were, within the leather. This forcing process is continued until the shoulders 28 are pressed into the backing strip 24* until the same are flush with the outer surface thereof.

I now wish to emphasize the advantages of my present invention over the usual pocket iron. When this device is fabricated in the punch press from bright sheet steel or brass, it is of a perfectly smooth and shapely defined outline, both outside and inside, and free from burs or humps, thereby eliminating the heavy grinding necessary as in the cast pocket iron. A light application of the polishing wheel places the pressed structure in readiness for the nickeling or silver plating process. Again, the cover for the pocket iron is not a necessary appendage. The various flanges 1i and 14 may be turned inwardly andclosely against the walls of the end members10 to produce a finished appearance. The bead 15 will retain the same functions i. e., that of increasing the elastic limit of the metal of the walls of theV- shaped groove 11, as at present, while yet maintaining the springiness of the structure as a whole, in which resides the importance of my invention.

It is well known that the present cast, rigid. pocket iron is disastrous to the surface of a billiard ball when the average thickness of cushion layer is employed, because the sharp, solid unyielding impact of the ball against the iron results in dentingthe periphery of the ball or balls and soon renders it or them inaccurate. To avoid this vdefect of the cast pocket irons; billiardists, particularly those in public parlors use a thick, heavy. cushion lining to avoid the sharp, solid impact of the ball, against the iron, but in so doing,'this thick, heavy, lining, being of relatively soft material, is considerably indented, whereby a-sufiicient rebound of the ball is created and the angle of reflection of the ball so altered, that a large portion of what should have become pocket shots, result in misses. In my invention, however, the curved walls of V-shaped cross section are of thin springy. material, and the inner wall thereof, .when struck by a ball gives, yields, or springs back 'as it were, to dissipate the force of impact of the ball, and it is only necessary to employ the thin leather backing member 24, to prevent metallic contact of the ball. This thin leather material is not 'sufiicient in thickness to influence the angle of reflection of the ball, though the angular position of-the V-shaped wall is, and, a pocket shot is the result whenever properly directed, by reason of the fact that the force of the ball is greatly lessened and its speed checked by the yielding, springy nature of the wall. It maybe added that Vshaped construction of the arcuate portion of my device performs several new and novel functions. If the wall were perpendicular, the force of impactof the ball would create a direct bending moment against the wall, at the point of impact, which bending moment would be greatly increased at the lower jointure of said wall with its connecting wall, according to the well known laws of bendingmoments, thereby cheating a strong a tendency to deflect said perpendicular wall away from its normal position. But, by declining the wall away from the point of I impact, the liveliness of the wall or its facility to deflect and return will be maintained for an indefinite length of time.

The other important function of the out wardly declining or V-shaped wall, is its tendency to cause a well directed shot to enter its pocket, rather than to rebound therefrom. It is well known that the angles of'incidence-and of reflection of a billiard to a perpendicular erected from the point rection the reaction causes the entrance of the ball into the pocket :already referred to.

While herein I have disclosed the preferred mode of practising my invention, I may make such changes and alterations therein as may suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic or permitted by the doctrine of equivalents.

Having thus fully disclosed myinvention I claim as new and desire to secure to myself by Letters Patent of the United States 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a sheet metal pocket iron, comprising a main body, a part of said main body being curved, a cover on said main body, said cover being secured to said main body, there being retained between said body and cover, means for suspending a pocket net therefrom.

As a new article of manufacture, a billiard pocket iron, comprising a main body formed of sheet metal, said main body having end members and an arcuate middle member, and a cover for said main body, said cover being likewise formed of sheet metal, said cover being secured to said main body, there being means retained. between said cover andbody, and projecting through said body, for suspending a pocket net therefrom.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a billiard pocket iron, comprising a main body formed of sheet metal, said main body having end members of substantially rectangular cross section, a medial arcuate member, said arcuate member being of substantially veshaped cross section, said members having marginal flanges, and a sheet metal cover for said main body, said cover havlng marginal flanges constructed to engage the marginal flanges of said main body, there being means retained between said cover and body, and projecting through said body, for suspending a pocket net therefrom.

el. As a new article of manufacture a flat sheet metallic blank formed to shape, with end members of rectangular cross section.

and a curved middle member of V-shaped cross section, which blank when so formed constitutes a pocket iron for billiard tables and the like, and cushioning means removably attached to the inner wall of said curved middle member.

5. As a new article of manufacture a flat sheet metallic blank formed to shape, with end members of rectangular cross section:

and a curved middle member of V--'shaped cross section, which blank when so formed constitutes a pocket iron for billiard tables and the like, and pocket attaching meansin connection with the outer wall of said mid dle member.

6. A billiard pocket iron comprising an:

end members and a curved middlemember, said endmembers being of rectangular. cross.

section and said middle member of V-shaped cross section, there being marginal flanges around said members, a sheet metallic cover having inturned edges embracing said marginal "flanges, and devices within said end members whereby said :iron may be fixed to a billiard table and thelike.

8. A pocketiron comprising an integral,

hollow, sheet metallic structure possessed of end members and a curved middle member, there being marginal. flanges around.

the exterior of said members, a depression in the flange around the convex portion of said middle member, having openings in the bottom thereof, a. curved wire having,

loops projecting through. said openings, lodged in said depression, and a cover locked to said marginal flanges retaining;

said wire in place.

9. In a billiard pocket iron, the combination. of a main body, said main body having a curved medial portion, there being openings in the inner wall of said curved portions, a backing strip, a yieldable material exterior to said backing strip, said backing strip and said yieldable material being curved to correspond to the curvature of. the medial portion of said main body, fastening means constructed to secure the yieldable material to said backing stripand to engage sa1d openings 111 the inner wall of the medial portion of the main body, to

removably retainsaid backing strip and yieldable material imposition on said main body.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a billiard pocketiron' having two ends and an arcuate medial portion, the whole being an integral sheet metallic structure formed to the contour described, said medial por-' tion being composed of upwardly diverging walls forming a structure of V-shaped cross section, whereby. when one of said walls is struck the same will yield to the force of said impact and partially dissipate the same.

11. A sheet metallic pocket iron comprising a curved medial body and ends nontangent thereto, there being marginal flanges around said body, the outer of said flanges being possessed of openings therethrough, a cover for said body covering said openings, and means lodged in and depending from said flanges for the suspension of a pocket net.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a billiard pocket iron, comprising a main body formed of sheet metal, said main body having end members and an arcuate middle member, and a cover for said main body, said cover being likewise formed of sheet metal, said cover being secured to said main body, said middle member being of V-shaped cross section comprising diverging side walls, whereby when the inner wall thereof be impacted as by a billiard ball, said wall will yield to the force of said impact and partially dissipate the force thereof;

13. As a new article of manufacture, a sheet metallic blank formed to shape, which blank when so formed constitutes a pocket iron, substantially semi-circular in plan and of V-shaped cross section, the latter comprising diverging side walls, said walls being constructed to yield to the force of impact when struck by a ball.

14. As a new article of manufacture a flat sheet metallic blank formed to shape, with end members of rectangular cross section and a curved middle member of V-- projecting therefrom, the inner face of said curved section comprising a wall of a thin and yielding nature, and being downwardly and outwardly inclined, whereby when said wall be impacted, as by a billiard ball, the same will yield to the force of said impact and will project said ball through said pocket iron.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- FRANK C. HOBBS. In the presence of F. J. LOEWE, M. J. WHELAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

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