US296136A - collendeb - Google Patents

Description

4(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2 Hl. W.' GOLLBNDER. P001. BACK; No. 296.136. Patented- ,Apr. l, 1884.

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" j l balls from one shelf to the next below and so UNITED STATESv PATENT @Erica HUGH W. coLLENDEE, or NEW YoEx, N. Y.

`POOL-RAGK.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 296,136, dated April l, 1884.

Application filed February 13, 1884. (No model.) 4 l To all?, whom it may cul/werft:

Be it known that I, HUGH W. GOLLENDEE, of New York city, in the county of New York, andState of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements `in Pool-Racks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in that classortype of l pool-ball racks in which the contrivance is adapted to automaticallydischarge the con- Q l tents of all the contained balls, when required, .l 15

` the game kceperor marker carries the col into any suitable receptacle or tray in which lected balls to the pool-table for replacement,

and to that speciesof said class of pool-racks in which this end is accomplished by the roll` ing of the balls from one shelf down onto the next below, and` thence so on down from the lowermost shelf into thewtray or receptacle.

` Previous to my invention pool-racks of this species have been devised in which, however, in order to` effect the discharge thus of the on down through the medium of connecting passage-ways from` one shelf to another arrangedat the 'sides of the rack, ithas been necl 30 essary to have all the shelves pivoted so as to tip endwise to acquire the necessary Obliquity to set the balls rolling and to bring theend of the shelves into communication with the latteral passage-ways and `to provide the apparatus with a more or less complex mechanism for effecting and controlling the tipping of the shelvesand their replacement in a horizontal position for reuse, Ste.

I propose by my invention to provide for use an automaticallyfdischarging pool-rack in which, while the discharge `of the balls `shall beeffected by their rolling from one shelf to the next below and soon down, the construction shall be exceedingly simple, economic of manufacture, efficient in operation, and not at all liable to get out of order; and to these main ends and objects my invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with a suitable frame provided with vertical passage-ways at each side, of a set of shelves having the bal1 supporting4 surfaces inclined alternately in opposite directions and adapted to be moved up and down bodily, so as to bring the lowermost end of each shelf into proper communication with the lateral passage-ways, so as to permit the balls to` roll down over the series of inclined surfaces, the combination and arrangement of the parts being such that when the set of shelves is in its lowermost position the balls cannot escape from any ofthe shelves into thelateral passageways or com'- munications extending from each shelf to the next one below it, allI as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make `and use my invention, I will now proceed to illustrated my invention as carried out in that s form which is the best now` known to me and in which I have so far successfully practiced it.

In thedrawings, Figure 1 is a front view; Fig. 2, a vertical section at the line m x of Fig. l; Fig. 3, a horizontal section at the line y y of Fig. 1,'and Fig. 4 a vertical cross-section taken in a plane represented by the line e zat Fig. 3.

In the several :figures the same parts will be found designated by the same letters of reference, and while at Figs. 1 and 2 the set of shelves is illustrated inv its lowermost or normal position, in` Fig. 4 I have represented the shelves as raised up to their highermost position and that in which the balls on any or all of the shelves will roll down over the series of shelf-surfaces and discharge themselves at the bottom of the rack. e

The main frame or frame-work of the contrivance is composed, as clearly shown, of a back board, A, a base board or bottom, B, a top or cap, C, and two hollow side portions or pilasters, D D, each of which has openings or perforations at its inner side communicating with the spaces between the shelves of the ball-rack. The rack of movable shelves is composed, as shown, of a series of shelf-like boards or supports, E, connected together at their two front corners by vertical strips or bars a, and at their back edges, near their ends, by vertical barsor strips b, so that all the shelves `E IOO must move together. Preferably the contrivance is provided with a sort of eccentric but-- ton or lifter, c, arranged as shown, and provided with a Tlshaped handle, d, by which the operator can conveniently raise them and let them fall.

E/ are two stops, arranged, preferably, as shown, the function of which is to stop the ascent of the set of shelves, when the latter may be lifted at just the proper elevation to bring theshelf-surfaces into proper relationship with the apertures or openings communicating with the hollow pilasters D, in a manner and for a purpose to be presently explained.

As will be clearly seen, each one of the shelves E has its top surface dished out at e, the depression or dishing being greatest at one end and least at the other, so that in longitudinal section (as seen at Fig. 4) the surface on which the balls rest in each shelf .is gradually inclined downwardly from one end of the shelf to the other, and the arrangement of these inclined surfaces in the series of shelves E is such (as will be seen at Fig. 4) that the balls will tend to roll along on or settle toward one end of the shelves successively in op posite directions. The set'or gang of shelves thus constructed and framed together is held in place within the frame-work, preferably, by means of the overlapping moldings or fillets G, arranged at either side of the contrivance.

By reference now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the apertures or openings in the left-hand pilaster D come alternately above a shelf having the lowermost portion of its ball-supporting surface adjacent to one of said openings and a shelf having its highermost ball-supporting surface adjacent to one of said openings 5 and by reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen that a sort of inclined or chute-like roadway, h, which is preferably padded or cloth covered, extends in a sloping direction from the outermost portion ofthe passage-way in the pilaster, at a point about level with the bottom of the uppermost ball-opening, downwardly in an inclined or curved direction to the lowermost edge ofthe next aperture or opening below, and that by this means a ball which may pass into the uppermost aperture can fall or descend only to and must pass out of the pilaster again at the next opening below. In this manner a ball or balls passing, for instance, from the second shelf into the topmost aperture (seen at Fig. 2) will descend therefrom and make its exit from the next aperture below onto the higher portion of the inclined ball-surface of the shelf, communicating with said lower aperture. (See Fig. 4.) Thence the said ball or balls, should it or they descend onto the lastnamed shelf toward its opposite end, would enter an aperture in the other pilaster substantially opposite to that at which it or they entered, from which the ball or balls would descend one step to the next lower aperture,

*and thence out onto the highermost portion of an opposite end of the next shelf, and so on, assuming, of course, the shelves to be in the proper relative position with the apertures in the pilasters to permit this operation.

At Fig. 4 the arrows on the drawings indicate the line of travel which the ball or balls must take in passing fromthe topmost to the lowermost shelf of the gang, and thence out from the rack into any suitable receptacle or tray. In escaping from the rack, all the balls of course make their exit from the lowermost aperture in the right-hand pilaster, and onto a cushioned or cloth-covered inclined surface or roadway, H. From this point of discharge they may descend immediately into any suitable tray, triangle, or other collecting device, which may be properly constructed to prevent th possibility of any ball falling on the door; or, if deemed expedient, the lower portion of the rack, in the vicinty of the discharge-surface H, may be provided with some suitable fender or guard-like device.

From what has already been explained, together with the. drawings, it will be understood that in, the use of my improved contrivance it is only necessary, after the recepon any or all of the shelves will pass from the latter in opposite directions into the respective passage-ways forming communications between the adjacent ends of the successive shelves, and, descending through the entire series, will -all make their exit through the lowermost apertureof the right-hand pilaster, and thence into the tray or receptacle.

Of course, the arrangement as to the communicating passage-ways, and as to the alternate Obliquity of the ball-supporting surfaces of. the shelves, might be reversed and many changes or modiiications might be made in the details of the structure shown, and without materially changing its principles of construction and mode of operation, and hence without departing from the essence of my invention.

The lifter device is applied merely for convenience, and the gang of shelves might be conveniently operated by hand in the absence of any such device.

Of course, the lowermost part of the poolrack, instead of being devised as shown, may be so modified in form and structure as to adapt it tothe reception, or to the use in connection with it, of any sort of approved or improved combined tray and triangle or other ball-collecting contrivance that it may be desired to use in connection with my invention. I do not therefore wish to limit my claim of invention either to the precise details of construction shown and described, nor to the precise construction of the pool-rack in any particulars which are not essential to the essence or distinguishing feature of my invention,

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which, it will be understood, `consists in the use together of a set of lifting'ball-shelves adapted to cause the balls to settle or roll toward opposite ends of the successive shelves of suitable connecting passage-ways arranged adjacent to the ends of the shelves and communicating therewith `only when the shelves are placed in the position in which it is de signed they shall be emptied of their contents. This end could of course be accomplished in substantially the same manner by having the obstruction to the exit of the balls froinany one shelf located at the upper part of the ballspace, instead of at the lower part, by having the shelves in such case lowered when desired to discharge their contents, instead of elevated, as shown in the present oase.

Having `now so fully explained the principle and *operation of my invention as to enable those skilled in the art to practice the 2o of which are inclined toward opposite ends of 25 the successive shelves, side passages or conduits forming communications between the adjacent ends of alternate pairs of shelves only when said shelves are set in aproper position designed to effect the automatic discharge of 3o their contents, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof -I have hereunto set my hand this 2nd day of February, 1884.

H. W. COLLENDER. In presence of- JACOB FELBEL, L. F. SiLvoX.

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