US117995A - Improvement in billiard-cushions - Google Patents

Description

/Mezaey 2mm @www PATENT@ AUG 151871 UNITED STATES MATHEW DELANEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BILLIARD-CUSHIONS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,995, dated August 15, 1871.

To all whom it may concern: a

Be it known that I, MATHEW DELANEY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Billiard-Cushion, and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art tofmake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective View of my improved billiard-cushion, showing its mode of application. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail top view of the same, showing the manner of cushioning at the pockets. Fig. 4isa detail end view, partly in section, of the pocket end of the cushion.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspond ing parts.

This invention relates to improvements on the billiard-cushion for which Letters Patent No. 97,057 were granted to me November 23, 1869; and has for its object to improve the mechanism. for stretching the wire or cord to increase the elasticity of the cushion and provide an elastic end for pocket-billiards. My invention consists in two improvements upon my patent No. 97,057. The first consists in combining with the ordinary elastic cushion an auxiliary piece of a different character at the pockets. This is a substance which will not admit of the reaction and rebound of the ordinary rubber', but which at the same time will not be rigid and unyielding as the brass specified in the said former patent. Brass, wood, or any other substance which is practically unyielding causes a very rapid wear ofthe expensive cloth used upon billiard-tables. Especially is this the, case on the sharp angle of the pocket. To avoid this di'iiiculty I place at the pocket a hard-rubber block, as hereinafter described. The second improvement consists in arranging the tension-spindle in a way to produce a valuable effect. In my old patent I describe a tension-spindle placed within the rail; but it has been found, in practice, extremely inconvenient to take off the rail whenever it is desired to tighten the wire. This difficulty I have overcome by arranging the spindle so that it can be operated without removing the rail, as hereinafter described.

placed into the corner ofthe billiard-table.

A in the drawing represents the elastic billiard-cushion, made of rubber properly vulcanized, of three or more sided prismatic form, and suitable size. Through it is drawn a string or wire, a., substantially as described in my aforesaid Letters Patent. I prefer to use a spun wire, as it imparts greater strength to the cushion without reducing elasticity than can be obtained from any other kind of wire or cord. The ends of the string are wound upon vertical strainingpins B, which ha-ng in the frame C of the billiard-table, and carry ratchet-wheels b near their lower ends, as shown. Springpawls (l fit into these ratchet-wheels and lock the pins so as to prevent the strings from unwinding. The string, before passing to the post B, is laid over a bridge, D, made of wood or other rigid materia-l, and For billiard-tables which are provided'with pockets the cushion is interrupted, and an elast-ic end at every interruption provided. This end E is made of rubber, somewhat harder than the main cushion A, of triangular form, and the wire or string a is laid against its face and finally secured to the frame U, in the manner clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The corner-piece E must be stronger than A, because it has to sustain the direct strain -of the wire, and is still required to be elastic.

It is at its face, together with the wire, covered with elastic fabric e, whereby the wire is 'concealed from view and the elasticity of the cushion augmented.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The arrangement of the spindle B within the wood-work of the table, and projecting vertically below the same, to enable the wire to be readily and conveniently tightened without removing any part.

2. The arrangement at the pocket of a billiard-table of a block of hard rubber, E, which shall not possess the elasticity of the ordinary cushion A,the rigidity of metal or wood, and which will yet yield to a small extent, thereby saving the rapid wear on the cloth.

MATHEW DELANEY.

WVitnesses GEO. W. MABEE, T. B. MosHER.

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