USRE2510E - Improvement in billiard-table cushions - Google Patents

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@uitrit tetes gat-rat @fitta HUGH' GOLLENDER, oraNEW Yo-RK, N. Y.

Letters Pater-tt No. 18,805, dated December 8, 1857;*reis'sue No. 799, dated August 23, 1859i; reissue Nb.- 2,51,

dated M'arch 19, 1867. i

IMPROVEMENT In BILLIARD-r-ABLB cosmoNs.

To ALL wHoM rr MAY concerns:

Be it known that I, HUGH W. OOLLENDER, of' the city, county, and StatoA of New Yorkhave invented a' new and useful Improvement in Billiard-Table Cushions; and I do hereby declare that thc following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, reference boing hadto the specification, in whichj Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a portion of a billiard table with my said improved combination cushion applied, but without the cloth covering, the better to represent the construction; and

i' Figure-2 isavertical section of the same with the cloth covering puton,4

The same letters indicatclike parts in both iigures. p

My invention relates to an improvement on that class of billiard-table cushions known, as combination cushions, the principle' of which is described in Letters Patent granted to Michael Phelan, bearing date the 19th day of February, 1856; and my said invention consists of cushions for billiard tables composed of vulcanized India rubber or allied gum, having a layer rendered less oompressible than the back or body by fibrousl subL stances, o? equivalent therefor, the compressible elastic back and the less comprcssible portion having been united while in the green or plastic state, and together vulcanized.

In the accompanying drawings, Arepresents the bed of-thc table, which may bd of any known or suitable constluction; B, the cushionshelfror bed; and C theelastic body oi' back of the cushion, made of what is known as the soft compound of vulcanizcdlndia rubber or allied gum, with a thin facing, D, of the same conn accompanying drawings, making part of this' pound rendered less compressiblc by fibrous or equivalent substances; and the cloth covering a is then stretched over the India rubber, and attached inthe usual or any'other suitable manner. What I prefer for thc comparatively incompressible portion is that preparation of thesoft compound of vuleanizablc India rubber or allied gum known to those acquainted with that branch of the arts as India-rubber belting or packing, and which is' composed by thoroughly incorporating withV the preparation of gum thel clippings or shearings of brous substances,- The vulcanizablc compound thus prepared is rolled into a sheet of uniform'thickncss, and whilein the green or plastic state iti/s applied to the outer face of thesoft compound which is to form the elastic body or back, and while that is also in the plastic state, and thus united, subjected to the usual yillcanizing process by heat. It is well known that the soft. compound ofvulcanized India rubber, by reason of its great, uniform and pcrmaneutmlasticity,is superior to all otherknown substances for billiard-table cushions; but when applied to this purpose it was very soon obscrvcdthat the ball was not repelled at an angle from the line of the cushion the rcverseof the angle at which it was moving at the moment of impingement, and Vthat this defect or devi- Aation from the true angle of reflection increased as the angle ofrincidence of the ball was rendered more acute; and it soon became evident that this defective Aaction resulted from theeompressible elasticity of the India rubber, which permitted thc ball to embed itself the cushion, and hence to 'berepelled at an imperfectangle. To avoid this defect, and at the same time'to retain the reacting property possessed in so high a degree by vulcanized India rubber, itwas proposed to face the India-rubber backv or body with steel, whalebone, corkand other substances less c'ompressiblcithan vulcanized India rubber, andsuch cushions wereo made, but all of them' were found to be more or less defective. Steel was injurious to the balls and to the cloth covering, and gave a.'

disagreeable sound or bang, and after a short time became indented or bent. Whalcbone and cork could not `be obtained of uniform texture, and at every junction of two pieces presented an imperfect placc,and could not for any length of time endure the frequent and violent 'blows to which cushions are unavoidably exposed; and these and all other substances whichwerc tried prior to my said invention produced imperfect cushions.

-By the use of India rubber, rendered less compressibleA and less flexible by the incorporation of brousor equiyalent substances, and by the union thereof with the India-rubber back or body while both are in the green or plastic state, and vulcanizing them together, they become as perfectly unitcdas if made of one single piece of vulcanized Ilndia rubber, and I have been 'able thereby to produce cushions far superior to any known prior to my said invention.

I elaimas my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A .Billiardstable cushions composed of vulcanized India rubber or allied gum, with a layer rendered less comprcssible than the body or bi1- ck by the incorporationof librous or equivalent substances, the said layer and back or body having been united in thc 'green or plastic state, and together vulcanized, as and for the purpose specified. HUGH W. COLLENDER.

Witnesses: l A vvr\ Wn. H. Bisi-lor, A.l Dn LACY.

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