Score counter for billiards game

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6315675
  • Patent Number
    6,315,675
  • Date Filed
    Monday, March 13, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 13, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Inventors
  • Examiners
    • Chapman; Jeanette
    • Aryanpour; Mitra
    Agents
    • Baxley, Esq.; Charles E.
Abstract
A score counter includes a bar having two spheres on two ends thereof so as to fix the bar by engaging the two spheres with relative members. A plurality of retaining members each have a score marked therein and extend from an outside of the bar. A plurality of blocks are slidably mounted to the bar and each block is separated by the retaining members on the bar. The hole is sized that the user can move the block over the retaining members by force. The blocks on the bar are separated by the retaining members.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a score counter for billiards game and includes a bar with ridges extending at a predetermined interval so that the score blocks movably mounted to the bar and can be positioned by the ridges.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




A conventional score counter device


1


for billiards is shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2

and generally includes a bar


11


with two positioning spheres


10


on two ends of the bar


11


. Each of the sphere


10


has a passage


101


defined therethrough so as to be cooperated with relative fixture of the billiard appliance. A plurality of score blocks


2


are slidably mounted on the bar


11


and each block


2


has a score marked on the block


2


. Score counting persons slide the blocks


2


to illustrate scores that players own. Although the bar


11


is installed in horizontal, the blocks


2


each have a hole


20


through which the bar


11


extends, the hole


20


in each block


2


is slightly larger than the bar


11


so that the blocks


2


tend to slide along the bar


11


when a force is applied to the blocks


2


. It is not convenient for the score counting persons to position the blocks


2


.




The present invention intends to provide a score counter for billiards wherein the bar has ridges extending from an outside of the bar and the blocks each have a hole through which the bar extends. The size of the hole allows the blocks to a pass over the ridges by force and each block is positioned between ridges.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a score counter comprising a bar having two spheres on either ends thereof so that the bar is fixed by the two spheres. A plurality of retaining members extend from an outside of the bar and a plurality of blocks are slidably mounted on the bar. Each block has a hole defined therethrough for the bar extending through the holes. The blocks are separated by the retaining members on the bar and the blocks can be slid along the bar by moving the blocks over the retaining members with force.




The object of the present invention is to provide a score counter for billiards wherein the bar has retaining members on an outside of the bar so that the blocks cannot slide along the bar freely.




These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view to show a conventional score counter wherein a section of the bar is removed for illustrative purpose;





FIG. 2

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the conventional score counter;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view to show a score counter of the present invention wherein a section of the bar is removed for illustrative purpose;





FIG. 4

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the score counter of the present invention wherein the blocks are separated by the retaining members and one of the blocks is moved over the retaining members;





FIG. 5

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the score counter of the present invention wherein the blocks are separated by the retaining members;





FIG. 6

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of another embodiment of the score counter of the present invention wherein the bar has convex portions and annular recesses, and





FIG. 7

is a side elevational view, partly in section, of yet another embodiment of the score counter of the present invention wherein the bar has notches and the blocks has bosses which are to be engaged with the notches.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring to

FIGS. 3

to


5


, the score counter in accordance with the present invention comprises a bar


31


(having two spheres


30


on two ends of the bar


31


and each sphere


30


has a passage


301


defined therethrough so as to be connected with relative fixtures to be fixed to the bar. The bar


31


has a rectangular cross section and a groove


310


is defined in a side of the bar


31


. The retaining members


311


extend, from two opposite sides of the bar


31


. The retaining members


311


can be a ridge extending transversely from the bar


31


. A plurality of blocks


41


are slidably mounted on the bar and each block


41


has a hole


40


defined therethrough so that the bar


31


extends through the holes


40


of the blocks


41


. Each block


41


has a score


410


illustrated on an outside thereof. The hole


40


of each block


41


is sized that the blocks


41


can be moved over the retaining members


311


by force as shown in FIG.


4


. As shown in

FIG. 5

, the blocks


41


are separated by the retaining members


311


on the bar


31


and the blocks


41


cannot move over the retaining members


41


if a force applied to the blocks


41


is not large enough. Accordingly, the blocks


41


can be positioned at a position where the score counting person shifts them to and will not slide even if the bar


31


is hit unintentionally.





FIG. 6

shows another embodiment of the bar


31


wherein an annular recess


312


is defined between two adjacent retaining members


311


′ and the retaining members


311


′ are annular convex portions extending from the outside of the bar


31


. When the blocks


41


move over the convex portions, the score counting person should use a larger force.





FIG. 7

shows yet another embodiment of the score counter of the present invention wherein the bar


31


has notches


313


defined in an outside thereof and the blocks


41


each have a boss


401


extending from an inside of the hole


40


defined through the block


41


. The bosses


401


are to be engaged with the notches


313


. The bosses


401


are disengaged from the notches


313


by pushing the blocks


41


along the bar


31


. Therefore, when the bosses


401


are engaged with the notches


313


, the blocks


41


are positioned until the score counting person moves them again.




While we have shown and described various embodiments in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.



Claims
  • 1. A score counter comprising:a bar having two spheres on two ends of said bar, each sphere having a passage defined therethrough, a plurality of retaining members extending from an outside of said bar, and a plurality of blocks slidably mounted on said bar and each block having a hole defined therethrough, said bar extending through said holes of said blocks, said blocks being separated by said retaining members on said bar.
  • 2. The score counter as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bar has a rectangular cross section and said retaining members extend from two opposite sides of said bar.
  • 3. The score counter as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said retaining members is a ridge extending transversely from said bar.
  • 4. The score counter as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an annular recess defined between two adjacent retaining members.
  • 5. The score counter as claimed in claim 4 wherein said retaining members are annular convex portions extending from said outside of said bar.
  • 6. A score counter comprising:a bar having two spheres on two ends of said bar, each sphere having a passage defined therethrough, a plurality of notches defined in an outside of said bar, and a plurality of blocks slidably mounted to said bar and each block having a hole defined therethrough, said bar extending through said holes of said blocks, said blocks each having a boss extending from an inside of said hole and said boss disengagably engaged with said notch.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Number Name Date Kind
D. 322465 Beck Dec 1991
596665 Porter Jan 1898
1122894 Fisher Dec 1914
1265761 Ehrenhardt et al. May 1918
1792166 Horstmann Feb 1931
3633287 Squires Jan 1972
3674905 Collins, Sr. Jul 1972
4123853 Dickensheet Nov 1978
4171807 Lamlee Oct 1979