Page:Federal Reporter, 1st Series, Volume 2.djvu/214

 COLLBNDEB r. QBIFFITH. 207 �George Harding and H. D. Donnelly, for plaintiff. �Dickerson e Beaman, for defendant. �Blatohfoed, C. J. This suit is brought on re-issued let- ters patent granted to the plaintiff June 1, 1875, for an "im- provement in billiard tables, " the original patent having been granted to him, as the inventer, December 23, 1873. The specification says : �"Previous to my invention it has been customary, in the construction of billiard tables, to form the body of the table "with vertical sides, extending downwards from Unes a short distance within the outer edges of the cushion rails, or with •what are generally designated as straight or vertical side rails ; and, previous to my invention, nearly aU billiard tables manufactured and used in this country have been made according to this plan. A great variety of designs in the finish and omamentation, and in the shape of the legs, have been devised and carried into use, and many and great im- provements, in the past few years, have been made in the construction of the beds, cushions, and details of the table, for whieh numerous patents have been granted to me and to other billiard table makers, until nearly ail the requisites of a perfectly working and unique apparatus, or machine, appeared to have been attained ; but one serions inconvenience and dis- advantage still remained, in the shape" of the body of the ta- ble. It was necessary, on account of the-weight of the bed, and to provide for a sure and lasting support of the same, to have the side rails, or the body of the table, of considerable depth ; and their arrangement in vertical planes, extending downr ward the requisite distance, has proved a source of great dis- advantage to the player, in preventing him from assuming a position with his leg nearest the table, by which he might be enabled to place and conveniently hold his bridge hand as far over on the bed table, or as far away from the cushion, as possible, in the execution of shots in which the eue bail rests far from the cushions, and thus avoid the use of the bridge, which, to most players, is objectionable, and which it is of great advantage to dispense with as much as possible. �"It had also been customary, previous to my invention, to ����