BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally concerns a rack for positioning pocket billiard balls. Pocket billiards normally utilizes a plurality of standard billiard balls having a diameter of 2.250 inches±0.005 inches. The terms “billiards” and “pool” are commonly used interchangeably to describe a variety of games played on a table having a flat rectangular surface and six pockets using a plurality of standard pocket billiards/pool balls. In general, the rules and equipment such as tables and ball sizes used for pocket billiards/pool games different substantially from the tables and balls used for English billiards and snooker.
A traditional eight-ball game of pool is played on a pool table with fifteen balls including seven solids, seven stripes, an eight-ball and a cue ball. At the start of a game of eight-ball, the solids and stripes are confined in a triangularly-shaped rack. A separate diamond-shaped rack is used to play nine-ball. The billiard rack has an inner perimeter that allows all fifteen billiard balls to be placed loosely therein. Once the balls are placed inside the rack, a player typically uses his or her fingers to push the balls forward and close together so that all adjacent balls are in contact with one another. Ideally, when the rack is lifted, the balls remain uniformly and snugly packed together with all adjacent balls in contact with one another. However, oftentimes, the balls are not uniformly packed together because the player did not uniformly pack them or because the rack inadvertently contacts one or more of the balls as the rack is lifted away from the balls. Furthermore, with varying applications of force by the player's various fingers, the balls may be in close contact with adjacent balls or in no contact at all. If the balls are not properly packed, it is difficult for a player to properly break the billiard balls at the beginning of a game. In general, loose packing of the balls greatly reduces the motion of at least some balls at the break. It is also difficult to achieve consistency with the contact between each individual billiard ball in a rack. Other billiards games having differently-shaped billiard racks, such as nine-ball, suffer from the same non-uniform technique of manually packing the balls before the break.
Consequently, a billiard ball rack that uniformly applies force to the billiard balls and provides for racking different ball formations is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A billiard ball rack includes a support structure defining a triangle-shaped ball-receiving space for positioning fifteen billiard balls to rack the balls for a game of eight-ball. A rear pusher bar along a rear side of the ball-receiving space is biased rearwardly by one or more resilient members such as springs or the like. One or more push rods extend rearwardly, and the support structure includes a pair of outwardly extending handles adjacent rear corners of the support structure to provide a grip for a user pushing forward on the pusher bar. The billiard ball rack includes one or more adapters configured to change the size and/or shape of the billiard ball-receiving space to rack billiard balls for games of six-ball, seven-ball, nine-ball, and ten-ball. A nine-ball adapter includes a V-shaped bar that is pivotable between a non-use position, and a use position. In the use position, the nine-ball adapter provides a diamond shaped ball-receiving space for racking nine balls for a game of nine-ball, or for racking seven balls for a game of seven-ball. In the use and/or non-use positions, the nine-ball adapter provides a low profile such that the billiard ball rack can be stored in a conventional rack storage cavity of a billiard table. The nine-ball adapter may be removed from the support structure, and a six-ball pusher bar may be installed to the support structure to provide a triangle-shaped ball-receiving space that receives six balls in a triangle configuration. A ten-ball adapter bar may be pivotably connected to the pusher bar for movement between a use position wherein the ten-ball adapter bar defines a rear side of a ball-receiving space configured to receive ten balls in a triangle formation. The ten-ball adapter bar can be pivoted to a non-use position, or it may be detached from the pusher bar.
These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a billiard rack according to one aspect of the present invention wherein fifteen billiard balls are positioned in the rack;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the billiard ball rack of FIG. 1 with the pusher bar in the retracted position;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the billiard ball rack of FIG. 1 wherein the pusher bar is in a forward position wherein it pushes against the billiard balls;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX-IX; FIG. 7;
FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the billiard ball rack of FIG. 1, showing adapter bars for racking ten billiard balls, nine billiard balls, seven billiard balls, six billiard balls, and three billiard balls;
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the billiard ball rack of FIG. 1 showing the ten-ball pusher bar in a use position;
FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the billiard ball rack of FIG. 1 showing the ten-ball pusher bar in a use position with ten billiard balls positioned in the billiard ball rack;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the billiard ball rack with the ten-ball adapter bar in a disengaged position;
FIG. 9 is a plan view of the billiard ball rack with the ten-ball adapter bar in an engaged position;
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the billiard ball rack with the nine-ball adapter bar in a use position, with nine billiard balls in the billiard ball rack;
FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the billiard ball rack with the nine-ball adapter bar in a use position, with seven billiard balls in the billiard ball rack;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XII-XII; FIG. 9;
FIG. 13 is an isometric view of the billiard ball rack with a six-ball adapter bar in a use position;
FIG. 14 is an isometric view of the six-ball adapter bar of FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a billiard ball rack according to another aspect of the present invention; and
FIG. 16 is an isometric view of a nine-ball adapter bar according to yet another aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, it is to be understood that the invention may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
A billiard ball rack 1 according to one aspect of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1. Ball rack 1 includes a support structure 2 made of a polymer or other suitable material. Support structure 2 includes first and second side members 3 and 4, and a rear member 5 that together define a ball-receiving space 6 (see also FIGS. 2 and 3) that is generally triangular in shape to receive a plurality of billiard balls 7. Although the billiard ball rack 1 may be made in a variety of sizes, in the illustrated example, the ball-receiving space 6 is sized to receive standard pocket billiard balls 7 having a diameter of about 2.25 inches. Also, as described in more detail below, the billiard ball rack 1 includes a nine-ball adapter bar 8 that allows the billiard ball rack 1 to be used for racking nine or seven billiard balls for games of nine-ball and seven-ball. Also, a ten-ball adapter bar 9 may be utilized to rack ten billiard balls 7 for games of ten-ball.
With reference to FIG. 2, billiard ball rack 1 includes a pusher bar 10 that may be shifted from a retracted position shown in FIG. 2 to a use position shown in FIG. 3 to push against fifteen pocket billiard balls 7 to thereby position the billiard balls 7 for a game of eight-ball wherein fifteen billiard balls 7 are positioned in a triangle shape. Nine-ball adapter bar 8 is removable to provide the configuration of the billiard ball rack 1 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Ball rack 1 includes a pair of push button members 15 that can be pushed forward by a user's thumb or other fingers to shift the pusher bar 10 from the rearward position illustrated in FIG. 2 forward to the position illustrated in FIG. 3. When the pusher bar 10 is in the rearward position, a gap is created between the balls 7 and the pusher bar 10. This gap is substantially larger than a gap formed in a conventional one-piece triangle-shaped ball rack. The larger gap ensures that ball rack 1 can be easily removed from around balls 7 by shifting rack 1 forward, followed by lifting rack 1 from that table surface. The support structure 2 may include a pair of protrusions 16 extending outwardly adjacent rear corner portions 17 of support structure 2. The protrusions 16 include forward surfaces 18 providing a grip surface that a user can utilize when pushing forward on push button members 15 to prevent inadvertent shifting of rack 1 on the surface of the pool table. Although pusher bar 10 could be made of many different materials, a polymer material is preferred.
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, each pusher button member 15 is preferably made of a polymer material or the like, and includes a cylindrical wall 19 that is received in a cylindrical cavity 22 formed by rearwardly protruding cylindrical walls 21 of rear member 5 of support structure 2. An elongated inner cylindrical portion 23 of push button member 15 extends through a cylindrical opening 24 in rear member 5, and abuts side surface 25 of pusher bar 10. A screw 26 is threadably received in a nut 27 to thereby interconnect the pusher bar 10 and push button members 15. A spring 28 biases the push button members 15 outwardly, and also thereby bias the pusher bar 10 to the retracted position shown in FIG. 2. A plug 29 or the like closes off bore 30 in push button member 15 to provide a finished appearance and form a smooth surface upon which a user can push. In use, a user may position one or more fingers on the forward surfaces 18, and pushes forward against push button members 15 with his or her thumbs to thereby move pusher bar 10 forward without shifting the position of support structure 2.
With reference to FIG. 5, ten-ball adapter bar 9 includes an elongated crossbar portion 31, and a pair of arms 32 that extend transversely from the ends 33 of crossbar 31. Arms 32 include openings 34 that receive pins 35 on opposite ends 36 of pusher bar 10 to thereby pivotably connect the ten-ball adapter bar 9 to the pusher bar 10. Ten-ball adapter bar 9 is preferably made of a polymer material that is somewhat flexible, such that the arms 32 can be manually grasped and flexed apart to engage and disengage pins 35 with openings 34 to attach or detach adapter bar 9 from pusher bar 10.
With reference to FIG. 3, rear member 5 of support structure 2 includes a shallow recess 37 that receives pusher bar 10 when it is in the retracted position illustrated in FIG. 2. When pusher bar 10 is in the retracted position, adjacent pins 35 are positioned directly adjacent opposite end surfaces 38 of recess 37. If adapter bar 9 is connected to pusher bar 10 and pusher bar 10 is in the retracted position, the end surfaces 38 prevent arms 32 of adapter bar 9 from being flexed outwardly. Thus, adapter bar 9 cannot be attached or detached from pusher bar 10 unless pusher bar 10 is pushed forward away from recess 37 as illustrated in FIG. 3. The configuration of the opposite end surfaces 38 of recess 37 thereby prevent inadvertent detachment of adapter bar 9.
With reference to FIGS. 6-9, adapter bar 9 can be pivoted to a use position to define a billiard ball-receiving space 40 configured to retain ten standard billiard balls 7 in a triangle-shaped configuration for a game of ten-ball. The adapter bar 9 can be shifted forward by pushing on the push button members 15 while grasping protrusions 16.
With further reference to FIG. 10, billiard ball rack 1 also includes an adapter bar 8 that can be flipped or rotated from a storage or non-use position (FIG. 1) to a use position as shown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIG. 5, adapter bar 8 includes a pair of arms 41 forming a V-shape, with pins 42 extending outwardly from the ends of arms 41. Pins 42 are pivotably received in openings 43 in upwardly extending portions 44 of support structure 2 to pivotably connect bar 8 to support structure 2. When the adapter bar 8 is in the use position illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, corner portion 46 of adapter bar 8 rests on top surface 47 (FIG. 5) of pusher bar 10. In this way, arms 41 are positioned to extend horizontally to provide a properly shaped diamond ball-receiving space 45. Adapter bar 8 is preferably made of a polymer material that is somewhat flexible, such that the arms 41 can be flexed towards one another to remove pins 42 from openings 43 to thereby remove (or install) adapter bar 8 to support structure 2. When the adapter bar 8 is in a use position illustrated in FIG. 10, the adapter bar 8 and side members 3 and 4 of support structure 2 define a diamond-shaped ball-receiving space 45 to hold nine billiard balls 7 in position for a game of nine-ball. As illustrated in FIG. 11, adapter bar 8 can also be utilized to position a group of seven billiard balls 7 for a game of seven-ball.
With reference to FIG. 12, billiard ball rack 1 may optionally include one or more spring loaded pins 50 extend through openings 51 in adapter bar 8. Pins 50 have a shape that is somewhat similar to a thumb tack, with a head 52 that is received in a cylindrical portion 43 of openings 51. A spring 54 is retained in cylindrical cavity 53 by an Allan head set screw 55 or the like. Rotation of set screw 55 increases or decreases the amount of preload (i.e. compression) of spring 54 to thereby adjust the amount of force “F” required to retract pin 50. Three pins 50 on adapter bar 8 push against billiard balls 7 when positioning the billiard balls 7 as illustrated in FIG. 10. When positioning seven billiard balls 7 as illustrated in FIG. 11, only two of the pins 50 contact billiard balls 7. In both configurations, the force generated by the pins 50 provides for a tightly packed ball configuration.
With further reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, an adapter bar 60 may be utilized to position six billiard balls 7 for a game of six-ball. Adapter bar 60 is made of a polymer material or like, includes an elongated crossbar portion 61 and a pair of transverse arms 62A and 62B having pins 63 that are received in openings 43 (FIG. 5) of support structure 2. The arms 62A and 62B are somewhat flexible, such that pins 63 can be removed or installed from openings 43 by flexing arms 62A and 62B. A forward surface 64 of crossbar 61 bears against billiard balls 7 positioned in a triangular billiard ball-receiving space 65 defined by adapter bar 6 and side members 3 and 4 of support structure 2. A J-shaped flange 66 at an end 67 of first arm 62A ensures that adapter bar 60 is installed to base structure 2 in the proper orientation. The J-shaped flange 66 interferes with upwardly extending portions 44 of base structure 2 if installation of adapter bar 60 in an improper orientation is attempted. Adapter bar 60 may be rotated about pins 63 from the position illustrated in FIG. 13 to a forward position (not shown) wherein surface 68 of crossbar portion 61 extends between side members 3 and 4 to define a triangular-shaped ball-receiving space sized to receive three billiard balls 7 for games of seven-ball.
With further reference to FIG. 15, support structure 2A of ball rack 1 may include slots 43A in extensions 44A instead of openings 43 (FIG. 5) in extensions 44. Pins 42 of adapter bar 8 are received in slots 43A to provide, in addition to pivoting, fore-aft movement of adapter bar 8 for pushing on balls 7 to provide for close positioning of balls 7 in contact with one another for games of seven-ball and nine-ball. Similarly, pins 63 of adapter bar 60 are received in slots 43A to provide pivoting and fore-aft movement of adapter bar 60 to provide tight positioning of balls 7 for games of six-ball and three-ball. Also, the adapter bars 8 and 60 may be shifted rearwardly away from balls 7 after the balls 7 are positioned. The rack 1 can then be shifted forward slightly and lifted off the table surface without bumping the balls 7 and disturbing the position of the balls 7. It will be understood that various other pivotable and slidable connection arrangements may be utilized according to other aspects of the invention. For example, with reference to FIG. 16, slots 56 could be located on end faces 57 of adapter bar 8, with pins on support structure 2A. Adapter bar 60 could also have slots 56 that slidably and pivotably engage pins on the support structure 2A.
The billiard ball rack 1 of the present invention can be quickly and easily configured to provide for positioning of billiard balls in a number of different configurations for different billiard ball games. A spring-loaded pusher bar permits the balls to be tightly positioned quickly and easily, and the rack 1 has a compact, low profile design that allows the rack to be stored in conventional rack storage spaces in pool tables.
In the foregoing description, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims, unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
Patent Grant
7785209
