US226430A - walsh - Google Patents

Description

2Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. WALSH.

- Billiard-Table;

Patented April 13,1880.

Jaye afar.

",PETERS, PHOTWUTHDGRAPMER. WA

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JOHN WALSH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HUGH, W. COLLENDER, OF SAME PLACE.

BlLLlARD-TABLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,430, dated April 13, 1880. Application filed December 15, 1879.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WALSH, of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Billiard-Tables and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Previous to myinvention it has been customary to employ cushion-blocks or supplementary removable cushion portions for the purpose of transforming a pocket-table into a carrom-table; but in all cases that I know of the removable cushion-pieces have been held in place on the table by means such that there was more or less tendency to deflect either portions of the supplemental cushion or of the main cushion (or of both) from the true line by the enforcement of the removable portion to and its retention in its proper workin g position. The removable pieces are necessarily so shaped as to form at the planes of their junction with the pocket-openings in the permanent portions of the cushions flaring unions-that is to say, the planes of union between the sides or ends of the removable cushion-piece and the adjacent ends of the main cushions run in slightly convergent directions, (being nearer together at the portions farthest from the face of the cushion.) This conformation of the parts is necessary in order to insure, as far as possible, a perfect jointure of the parts at the points nearest the working-face of the cushion, it being most important that the permanent and removable cushion portion of the table shall be held so solidly together at these points as to present the same facilities for correct playing that would arise in the use of a regular carrom-table and it will be understood that in the use of a contrivance involving this principle of construction not only must any securing devices that operate to force the cushionbloek home bodily into its wedge-shaped seat tend to wedge apart or deflect from their true lines the end portions of the permanent-cushion portions; but, more than that, the concussion of the balls upon the temporary portions of the cushions will tend to produce the same undesirable effect.

My invention hasforits main object to overcome the'difficulty explained, and to'this main end and object it consists in the use, in combination with the removable cushion blocks or pieces, of means for clamping such blocks at each end to the main or permanent cushion portions, respectively, so as to draw together the parts in a manner equivalent to splicing each main-cushion portion to a cushion-piece disconnected with any other portion of the cushions, thus avoiding any tendency toward any deflective strain on the cushion-faces, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to more fully describe it, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partial top "iew of abilliardtahle, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the cushion-rails and corner-pocket of so much of the table as shown at Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same,(at the lineman ofFig. 2;) and Fig.4 is a view ofthe removable cushion-piece and clam ping devices detached.

In the several figures the same part will he found designated by the same letter of reference.

A is the table-bed, and B 0 portions of a side and end cushion-rail of an ordinary four or six pocket table. E and F are respectively portions of the side and end (permanent) cushions, of the usual form, and the adjacent ends of which terminate, as shown, in flared surfaces, constituting the passage-way to the pocket G, which is of the usual shape and arrangement, and depends from the cutaway in the corner of the table-bed and from the usual pocket-iron D.

As all these parts are made and operate in the customary manner, no further description of them seems necessary.

H is a removable corner-pocket cushionblock, or removable and attachable cushionpiece, which is of about the usual shapethat 5 is, formed so as to fill up the cut-out in the permanent cushions, and adapted, when in working position, to fill up this gap and produce an effect equivalent to continuing the end and side cushions so as to meet in a miter-joint at the corner of the bed, for the purpose of transforming the table from a pocket to a carrom table; but this corner block or cushion-piece H is provided with a sort of bifurcated metallic base-frame, or sort of angle iron or frame, I, which has projecting ends 11, which protrude beyond the extremities of the piece H, and are adapted to fit snugly in the crotches formed at the bases of the cushions E and F, and between the lowermost portions of their faces and the table-bed. This angle iron or frame I, which carries the cushionpiece H, has a screw-shank, as seen at j, which lies in the plane of the miter of the cushions, and is provided with a thumb-nut, 7t, as illustrated.

I] is a yoke-shaped clamping-bar, through the center of which passes the threaded portion j of shank I, and the ends of which take bearings, as shown, on the exterior surfaces of the vertical portions of the cushion-rails B and U.

When the cushion-block is placed in position for use, as shown at Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the screw-threaded shank I j protrudes through the clamping yoke-piece L,and has applied to itthe thumb-nut 7c, in the manner illustrated, and the projections t iof the angle plate or frame I come to hearings at the roots of the cushions E and F, and as seen at points or localities about opposite to the points of hearing'of the ends of the clznnping-plate L on the outer surfaces of the cushion-rails. (See Fig. 3.)

By tightening up the thumb-nut the end of each cushion-rail and its cushion will be griped firmly between one of the portions t and one end of the yoke-plate L, and the cushion-piece H (securely attached at its root to the angle-iron I) will thus be firmly held in place with its working-faces in perfect line with the faces of the side and end cushions, E F, respectively.

It will be observed that while the cushionpiece I is permitted to center itself in its seat and come perfectly to the proper position, the elampingof it to the cushions E and F (and their rails) is eifected at each end in a manner about equivalent to separately bolting the said ends to the said cushions, respectively, and that therefore, in screwing up the nut 7c and drawing home the parts with never so much force,

there is practically no strain exerted which operates to spread apart or deflect from their true positions the ends of the permanent cushions.

It will be understood, of course, that the straight (instead of angular) cushionblocks designed for closing up side pockets in the conversion of a six-pocket to a carrom table have the base frame or iron I and the yokeplate L made straight in lieu of respectively angular and curved, as seen in the drawings, and that variations may be made in the details of construction in either case without departing from the principle of my invention, the gist of which lies in having applied to the parts to be united and disconnected at pleasure means for clamping them together in the manner shown and explainedthat is, so that the securing-togeth er devices operate to splice each permanent cushion out toward the corner or miter and prevent any spreading-apart strain on either of said cushions, and incidentally prevent, also, the concussive action of the balls from tending to produce any such spreading action.

Having fully explained the nature and operation of my improved means for the attachment of the removable cushion-blocks used for transforming pocket-tables temporarily into carrom-tables, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the cushion-block or supplemental cushion-piece, of a base-frame or cushion-supporting piece having portions adapted to take bearings at the roots of the permanent-cushion portions, a plate or bar hearing at its ends on the outer portions of the cushion-rails, and means for effecting the clamping of the ends of the said permanent cushion portions and their rails between the bearing ends of the said plate or bar and those portions of the said base-frame that come to bearings at the roots of the permanent cushions in substantially a horizontal direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 10th day of December, 187 9.

JOHN WALSH.

In presence of- JAMES J. DYRNES, SAMUEL J. SMITH.

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