Pool-Table Attachment (Thomas Walter Griffin, No. 626,902)
The patent by Thomas Walter Griffin describes a Pool-Table Attachment (Patented 1899). The main goal was to make playing pool easier and less tiring by having the table automatically collect the balls and raise them so the player didn’t have to walk around or bend over to retrieve them.
Inventor Background: Thomas Walter Griffin
Thomas Walter Griffin was an inventor focused on improving fun and convenience. His device addressed the simple inconvenience of manual ball retrieval in pool halls, improving the game’s flow and reducing physical fatigue for players.
Invention and Mechanism (Simplified)
This attachment is a system that uses gravity to return the balls and a foot pedal to lift the collection basket.
- Automatic Ball Return:
- Raceways: The invention adds metal channels (raceways) along the sides and under one end of the pool table.
- Pockets: All six pockets on the table are fitted with openings so that any ball sunk falls into the nearest channel and rolls by gravity down to a single collection point at the end of the table. This eliminates the need to walk around the table to clear pockets.
- The Lifting Basket (The Elevator):
- Receiver: A netting or tray, the receiver, is mounted on guides under the table.
- Foot Pedal: The receiver is connected to a system of folding bars (toggle-links) and a foot lever on the floor.
- Function: When the player steps on the foot lever, it straightens the folding bars and lifts the basket almost to the tabletop level. The player can then retrieve all the balls without bending down. When the foot is removed, a spring pulls the basket back down.
- Self-Operating Gate:
- Gate: A small door or gate is placed where the balls drop into the receiver.
- Triggers: Small nubs (tappets) are attached to the receiver frame.
- Function: As the receiver moves: when it goes up, the nubs hit the door and force it closed, preventing new balls from dropping while the player is reaching in. When the receiver goes down, the nubs hit a release arm, opening the door to accept the next shot.
Concepts Influenced by This Invention
Griffin’s pool table attachment influenced subsequent leisure equipment and mechanical handling systems by pioneering automated, user-triggered elevation for collected items.
- Foot-Actuated Elevation: The core concept of using a foot pedal and hinged bars to rapidly lift a container (the basket) to an ergonomic height influenced the design of adjustable work platforms, lift tables, and golf ball dispensers.
- Self-Cycling Gate Control: The idea of using the reciprocating motion of the receiving container itself to mechanically open and close the supply gate influenced the design of industrial feeders and metering systems where the movement of the receiving vessel controls the output flow.
- Ergonomic Automation in Leisure: The design philosophy of automating repetitive tasks (bending down to retrieve balls) to improve the user’s experience influenced the design of modern arcade games and automated leisure equipment.
