Patent Application
20120238373
The present invention is in the field of ping-pong pool tables.
The history of billiards has been described in detail in “A Brief History of the Noble Game of Billiards” by Mike Shamos who described how billiards evolved from a lawn game similar to croquet during the 14th century in Northern Europe. After the game was adapted to a table, players standardized the billiard table dimensions and adopted regulation play. Table Tennis originated in England in the 1880s and was previously called wiff-waff played with books and a golf balls. Celluloid balls were invented in 1901 and the following year, E.C. Goode invented the stippled rubber paddle. Table tennis and billiards have had standardized regulation play for decades. A variety of different convertible table tennis tables and ping-pong pool tables have been devised for maximizing space.
A Convertible Table Tennis Table Assembly described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,913 for inventors Melvin Zimmers & Gary A. Gerber issued Feb. 18, 1975 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference the abstract of which stating that “A convertible game table assembly has an elongated generally rectangular table member pivotally mounted on a base with spaced sidewalls for movement between a horizontal table position and a substantially vertical storage position. Means for aligning and coupling the table member of the assembly with the table member of a similar game table assembly is provided including connecting means movably mounted on the table member for movement between a storage position between the ends of the table member and a coupling position extending beyond an end of the table member when the table member is in the horizontal table position for coupling with the table member of an associated similar game table assembly. Two similar game table assembly having their table members pivoted into horizontal position may have their ends coupled together to provide a full size game table or they may have their table members perpendicularly disposed and abutting to provide a playback table. The bases included shelves for an attractive bookcase assembly with the table member pivoted into vertical position, and the forward surface in the vertical position may have a cork covering or a blackboard coating to provide a multiuse structure.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,745 to Mr. Richard B. Fahmie issued Jan. 2, 2007 for Combination Pool Table/Ping-Pong Table had a pool table which converted to a ping-pong table, the abstract of which states, “A combination pool table/ping pong table having height adjustment means for raising and lowering simultaneously the four corners of the game table. This allows the game of pool to be played at a proper regulation height and also allows ping pong table to be used at a proper regulation height. A ping pong table surface is formed from a plurality of panels that rest on the top edge of the game table. These panels can be removably connected to each other. There is a storage rack assembly positioned in a chamber beneath the playing surface of the pool table that allows the ping pong table panels to be stored out of sight when not in use. There are two different embodiments of height adjustment means for raising and lowering the height of the game table.”
The World Pool-Billiard Association has recognized the following table dimensions as the official size for tournament play: “The length of the pool tables may range from 7 foot to 9 foot and the height for the table bed may range between 29¼ inches (74.295 centimeters) and 31 inches (78.74 centimeters). The standard dimension of a 7 foot long table is 76 inches length and 38 inches in width (193.04 centimeters by 96.52 centimeters). 8 foot long tables are 92 inches in length and 46 inches in width. (233.68 centimeters by 116.84 centimeters). Finally, 9 foot long tables must be 100 inches in length and 50 inches in width (254 centimeters by 127 centimeters).”
The official Table Tennis dimensions recognized by ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation): “The height of the table must be 2 foot and 6 inches which is equivalent to 76 centimeters. The length of the table must be 9 foot (274 centimeters) and the height of the net must be 6 inches (15.25 centimeters). In addition, the width of the table must be 5 foot (152.5 centimeters) and the overhand of the net must be 6 inches (15.25 centimeters).”
The dimensions of a ping-pong table and the dimensions of a billiard table can be compared as follows. The officially recognized height of both of these tables are 76 centimeters equivalent to 29.921 inches. The ping-pong table is required to be 9 foot long and 5 foot wide which closely resembles the dimensions of the 9 foot model of a W.P.A. table (8⅓ foot by 4⅙ foot). The difference is about ⅔ of a foot by ⅚ of a foot. The pool table is somewhat smaller than the ping-pong table.
A ping-pong pool table includes a front panel having a rectangular shape. The front panel has a front panel table tennis position at 0° and a front panel billiards table position at approximately 270° or greater. The front panel has a table tennis playing surface on a front panel inside face when the front panel is in the front panel table tennis position. The rear panel has a rectangular shape, and the rear panel has a rear panel table tennis position at 0° and a rear panel billiards table position at approximately 270° or greater. The rear panel has a table tennis playing surface on a rear panel inside face when the rear panel is in the rear panel table tennis position. The game table frame has a billiards table bed, billiards table pockets, and a billiards table rail.
A front hinged connection connects and provides a front pivotal connection between a front side of the game table frame and the front panel. A rear hinged connection connects and provides a rear pivotal connection between a rear side of the game table frame and the rear panel. A game table leg supports the game table frame.
The rear panel table tennis position is 0° and the rear panel billiards table position is greater than 270°. The front panel table tennis position is 0° and the front billiards table position is greater than 270°. The table tennis mode table height is about 76 centimeters, but the billiards table mode table height is less than the table tennis mode table height. The billiards table mode table height is in between about 74.3 centimeters and 78.7 centimeters, but the billiards table mode table height is less than the table tennis mode table height.
Optionally, the front hinged connection and the rear hinged connection both allow pivotal movement. The front panel has a front panel connector located near a front panel bottom edge for connecting the front panel to the game table leg. The front panel has a front panel connector for connecting the front panel to the game table leg which can be a magnetic latch. Optionally, the front hinged connection and the rear hinged connection both allow pivotal movement, so that the rear panel table tennis position is 0° and the rear panel billiards table position is greater than 270°; and so that the front panel table tennis position is 0° and the front billiards table position is greater than 270°.
The present invention is a convertible game table that converts between billiards and ping-pong. The table converts between a pool table mode and a ping-pong table mode through an intermediate mode. The convertible game table 20 has a front panel 21 and a rear panel 25 connected to a game table frame 32. The front panel 21 is connected to the game table frame 32 at a front panel hinge 23. The rear panel is similarly connected to the game table frame and a rear panel hinge which has the same structure as the front panel hinge.
The front panel 21 in billiards table mode has a top edge which is connected to a side surface of the game table frame 32. The front panel 21 can be formed in sections which themselves have hinge connections as subpanels. The front panel may further include a front panel connector 22 which can be formed as a latch for connecting the front panel to the billiards table game table leg 31. The latch could be formed as a magnetic latch for retaining the front panel 21 at an obtuse angle which is more than 270° from an initial 0° table tennis angle. If the table tennis configuration requires a front panel initial angle of 0° and the billiards table configuration requires an angle of greater than 270°, the front panel 21 is rotated from the initial angle of the table tennis angle to the final angle of the billiards table angle. In this circumstance, the angle of rotation of the front panel is greater than 270°. The angle of rotation of the front panel should be similar to the angle of rotation of the rear panel and both are preferably greater than 270°.
The front panel connector 22 can also be formed as a latch connecting to a game table leg 31. The latch could be a magnetic latch such as a magnet mounted as the front panel connector 22 which magnetically retained against a ferrous exterior surface of the game table leg 31.
The front panel bottom edge 24 is preferably mounted to be above the surface of the ground so that a user may grasp the front panel bottom edge 24. Similarly, the rear panel 25 should have an offset from the ground. The rear panel 25 may have a rear panel outside face which is opposing a rear panel inside face 27. The rear panel inside face 27 preferably faces toward the game table leg 31. Similarly, the front panel preferably includes a front panel outside face 26 opposing a front panel inside face. The front panel inside face preferably faces toward the game table leg 31. The game table leg 31 supports the game table frame 32. Preferably, a game table leg foot 39 supports the game table leg 31 at a lower end of the game table leg. The game table frame 32 includes a billiard table which is formed as a billiard game table top 33 having a plurality of billiard pockets 34 and billiard rails 35. The billiard rails rise above the surface of the billiard game table top 33 and preferably are according to standard play regulations. The billiards rail 35 may also support the weight of the front panel outside face 26 when the front panel outside face is resting upon the billiards rail 35.
A billiard return opening provides access to a billiard ball retaining slot 54 which may retain a plurality of billiards balls including a first billiards ball 51, a second billiards ball 50, and a third billiards ball 53.
The table tennis mode uses the playing surface which is made of the rear panel inside face 27 and the front panel inside face to form a table tennis playing surface. The table tennis net frame retainer 43 retains a table tennis net frame 42 onto the game table frame 32. Table tennis mode also requires that the table tennis net frame 42 support the table tennis net 41. The table tennis net 41 extends horizontally across the game table frame 32.
In an intermediate mode, the game table front and rear panels are rotated to selectively cover and uncover the billiards table. During transformation, the game table front and rear panels are in an intermediate mode position also called a folding position 28. The front panel hinge 23 can be mounted at a top edge of the game table frame 32 or mounted lower such as below the top edge of the game table frame 32.
To achieve regulation dimensions, the game table front and rear panels can be connected by a hinge which allows both translation and rotation. Preferably, the game table is made according to only one of the regulation size of either the table tennis or billiards mode, but not made according to the regulation size of the other. Making the game table only according to one of regulation size allows greater flexibility in dimensional configuration. Therefore, the preferred embodiment would be that the convertible game table can be a regulation billiards table that converts to a non-regulation table tennis mode. Alternatively, another preferred embodiment would be that the convertible game table could be a regulation table tennis table that converts to a non-regulation billiards table.
Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the system has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims. For example, the table footing can be made to be adjustable in height so as to allow regulation dimensions for both the table tennis mode and for the billiards mode.
