Patent Application
20100075769
Multi-purpose tools for shaping and conditioning tips of cue sticks.
The many tools that have been suggested for shaping and conditioning the tips of cue sticks all suffer from shortcomings. They do one or two jobs, but fail to do everything that cue stick users desire. For example, they lack satisfactory tools for trimming side edges of cue tips without scuffing the cue tip ferrule. They also lack a quick and effective way of forming indentation holes to better retain chalk on the cue tip. Even when previously suggested tools do some of the operations that are desired, they often fail to work as well as users would prefer. They also need improvement in packaging all the necessary tools compactly in a belt clip holster.
The invention aims at meeting all the needs that are not fully satisfied by the previously suggested variety of cue tip tools. The invention also aims at accomplishing this in a multi-purpose tool that is high quality, durable, convenient, compact, and also affordably inexpensive.
The invention packages several tool components compactly into a belt clip holder. The components include a side shaper that guides a cue tip into contact with abrasive material so that a side of the tip can be trimmed without risk of scuffing the cue tip ferrule. Another component has a generally cylindrical and concave surface formed with upstanding spikes that can be rolled over the cue tip to indent tiny cavities to hold chalk. Other components of the tool include arcs to measure the curvature of a cue tip, and a conical burnishing surface for burnishing the side of a cue tip. All of these, and some additional components, are packaged compactly into a belt clip holder that includes a chalk block and talcum powder.
The several components of the invention are preferably packaged compactly as shown in
At an opposite end 26 of holder 20 is a shaper 30 that is preferably retained on holder 20 by a snap fit connection. Shaper 30 accomplishes several tip processing operations, and shaper 30 is readily available for these purposes, simply by unsnapping it from holder 20.
Shaper 30 is preferably a hollow body as best shown in
This configuration allows a cue tip to be shaped to whichever radius a user prefers, simply by selecting the proper axial end opening 51 or 52. Such shaping is illustrated in
A rim 55 of shaper 30 preferably has a groove 56 that facilitates a snap fit between shaper 30 and holder 20. Rim 55 also affords a convenient place for gauge arcs 23 and 24 to measure the curvature of a cue tip. This arrangement is shown in
Shaper 30 can also trim and shape a side of cue tip 70 without scuffing ferrule 71. This is done with a specially configured tip guide 40, as illustrated in
Guide 40, wherever located, is contoured to engage cue tip 70, and ferrule 71 as tip 70 moves toward engagement with abrasive 50 for trimming a side of cue tip 70. Guide 40 has an entry approach surface 42 aimed to bring tip 70 into contact with abrasive material 50 in opening 41. Before the tip 70 reaches opening 41, the guide has a differently inclined working surface 43, which lifts tip 70 into contact with abrasive material in opening 41. This leaves ferrule 71 engaging entry surface 42 and lifted clear of abrasive material 50 in opening 41. This prevents ferrule 71 from getting scuffed as a side of tip 70 rotates against abrasive 50. Working surface 43 also includes an end stop surface 44 which limits the extent of cue tip 70 and its ferrule 71 into guide 40. These shapes and arrangements allow the side of tip 70 to be trimmed without any danger of scuffing ferrule 71 against abrasive material 50, which is confined within opening 41.
Prior art references such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,122 and U.S. Publication No. 2008/0113595 propose abrasive surfaces that can trim a side of a cue tip, but these references do not provide any security against scuffing ferrule 71. They lack the lead in and guide surfaces that can hold ferrule 71 clear of scuffing while a side of tip 70 gets trimmed.
Another operation preferably performed by the inventive tool is indenting a cue tip with tiny holes or cavities that help it retain chalk. A previous suggestion for such an operation occurs in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,122, which suggests an array of spikes on a flat surface. Since the cue tip 70 is an approximately spherical surface, a flat array of spikes requires tapping or pressing the spike array into the cue tip at different angles and different positions to distribute the holes or cavities irregularly over the cue tip.
The invention proposes accomplishing this with a generally cylindrical and concave recess having a radius approximating the spherical radius of the cue tip. Forming a spike array on a cylindrical concavity is more difficult than forming a spike array on a flat surface, but the cylindrical shape of a spike array works much better in indenting chalk-holding cavities into the cue tip. The cylindrically spiked recess can be formed in any convenient portion of the components included in the inventive tool, but using a side of shaper 30 for this is preferred. A generally cylindrical recess can be formed in a side wall of shaper 30 and then grooved both radially and axially to form a grid of upstanding and pointed spikes. As the radial and axial grooves intersect, they leave pointed spikes formed between the grooves.
As best shown in
Other operations are also preferred for the inventive tool. These also can be arranged on different components. One operation is performed by a burnisher 29 preferably arranged on holder 20, as best shown in
All the above operations are made available within a compact package that includes canister 25 for a chalk block and a talcum powder dispenser. Everything that a wielder of a cue stick requires for trimming, shaping, burnishing, chalking, and stroking a cue stick is available in a package about the size of a cell phone.
