Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the art of billiard games and more particularly to ground-level or floor-type billiard games.
Numerous floor-type billiard games have been proposed. Examples of such prior art floor-type billiard games are found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: Messinger (55,149), Buzby (83,759), Kelly (278,341), Hawks (1,150,517), Terry (1,845,531), Small (1,856,117), Buckler (1,918,179), Buckler (1,950,221), Strickler, et al., (2,014,788), Michel, et al., (3,138,387) and Skully (3,578,321). In addition, floor-type billiard games are disclosed in 1907 British patents to Johnson, Nos. 9,410 and 15,506.
The playing surfaces of most prior art floor-type billiard games have dimensions which are greater than those of normal billiard tables in order to accommodate players walking thereacross and striking balls thereon with mallets. This increased playing-surface size, plus the fact that mallets are used rather than cue sticks, usually makes it more difficult for players to drive balls into pockets than for normal billiard games. In this regard, the dimensions of most prior-art floor-type billiard games are increased proportionately to normal billiard tables. When this is done the length dimensions thereof are often so long that they detract to some degree from the enjoyment of the game by making many shots too difficult. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a floor-type billiard game having a playing surface size and shape which is convenient for players to walk across and strike balls thereon, but yet which does not have dimensions which are so great that they significantly detract from enjoyment of the game.
Similarly, in most prior-art floor-type billiard games, pocket positions, pocket densities and pocket sizes are not designed to compensate for the increased playing-surface sizes. Again, this detracts from overall enjoyment of the games. Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a floor-type billiard game wherein pocket positions, pocket densities and pocket sizes are adjusted to compensate for increased size of the playing surface.
Some prior art floor-type billiard games employ spotting racks which are similar to spotting racks of normal billiard games; thus, balls are racked in tight triangular configurations. Again, due to the increased size of playing surfaces, the tight rack concept of normal billiards is sometimes undesirable for floor-type billiards. Therefore it is yet another object of this invention to provide a spotting rack which racks balls in a manner suitable to be used with a floor-type billiard game having dimensions greater than normal billiard games.
In view of the fact that floor-type billiard games have playing surfaces which are relatively large, it is desirable that a means be provided for using smaller areas thereof for children's games or for modified adult billiard games. Thus, it is another object of this invention to provide a floor-type billard game having a means for partitioning its playing surface into smaller playing surfaces.
Yet another difficulty with some prior art floor-type billiard games is that their playing mallets are not designed with the proper weights, shapes and sizes to bring out the full enjoyment of floor-type billiards. Therefore, it is another object of this invention to provide a floor-type billiard mallet which has a desirable weight, shape and size for playing floor-type billiards.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the principles of this invention the playing surfaces of a floor-type billiard game has a length dimension range of from 8 to 12 feet, a width dimension range of from 6 to 8 feet, and a length-to-width ratio of less than 2. Standard size billiard balls are used with the game.
To compensate for a size which is greater than the playing surfaces of normal billiard tables, two opposite off-center side pockets are provided closer to a spotting end of the playing surface, and two side-by-side end pockets are provided at a scratch line end of the playing surface.
A spotting rack has separate compartments which hold balls in parallel separated rows.
A removable boundary is provided which engages the two off-center side pockets so that, when it is employed, a smaller playing area is partitioned off on the playing surface.
A relatively small mallet is provided which is made of steel. One end of the mallet provides a flat striking surface and the other end provides a small tip striking surface. The tip end of the mallet has a resilient covering thereon. The flat striking surface also has a covering thereon to protect a struck cue ball from damage. The mallet has an aiming edge positioned over the tip striking surface so that players can align the tip striking surface with balls to be struck. A removable spin peg is mountable on the mallet head for use to impart additional spin to a struck cue ball. The mallet's shaft has an adjustable length.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on illustrating the principles of the invention in a clear manner.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a playing board, balls, and a spotting rack of a floor-type billiard game employing principles of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the elements shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the game board of FIG. 1 with a removable boundary mounted thereon;
FIG. 4 is an isometric detailed view of the spotting rack shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5--5 in FIG. 4 when the spotting rack is in a "closed" configuration;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view also taken on line 5--5 in FIG. 4 when the spotting rack is in a open configuration;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7--7 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8--8 in FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a mallet employing principles of this invention;
FIG. 10 is a side view of the mallet of FIG. 9 and also includes a portion of a mallet shaft; and
FIG. 11 is a side view of the mallet of FIG. 9 having a removable spin peg mounted therein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a playing board 11, balls 13 and a spotting rack 15 of a ground or floor-type billiard game employing principles of this invention.
The balls 13 are solid composition balls which are used with standard billiard tables. These balls are normally 2-1/8 inch in diameter.
The playing board 11 has a playing surface 17 which is bounded by side boundaries 19 A and B and end boundaries 21 A and B. The boundaries 19 and 21 have breaks therein and there-between which cooperate with openings 22 to form pockets 23 A-H.
A hollow subsurface 25 supports the boundaries 19 and 21. There are subsurface runways (not shown) in the hollow subsurface 25 beneath the side and end boundaries 19 A and B and 21A to direct balls falling in pocket openings 22 to a return-ball rack 27.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the playing surface 17 is constructed of a concrete base independently of the boundaries 19 and 21. Subsurface elements forming the hollow subsurface 25, and the runways mentioned above, are then attached to the sides of the concrete playing-surface base. The boundaries 19 and 21 are next screwed to the top of the subsurface elements by means of screws 28 (all of these screws are not shown for the sake of simplicity). Not only does this method of building the floor-type billard game of this invention simplify and speed construction, but it also allows easy access to the runways (not shown) in the subsurface 25. In this regard, the boundaries 19 and 21 can be removed by loosening screws 28.
The side and end boundaries 19 and 21 not only limit the size of the playing surface 17 but also provide standing room for players to hit balls positioned close to the cushions.
In the preferred embodiment of this invention the playing surface 17 has a length dimension of approximately 10 feet and a width dimension of approximately 7 feet. In this regard, according to principles of this invention, the length dimension falls within a range of from 8 to 12 feet and the width dimension falls within a range of from 6 to 8 feet. The reasons for these ranges are as follows. It is desirable to have a playing surface upon which players can conveniently walk and maneuver, accordingly, I have found that the playing surface should not have a horizontal dimension that is less than 6 feet. Thus, I specify that my width measurement should not be less than 6 feet. On the other hand, it is not desirable to separate corner pockets by unduly great distances because decreased pocket density can detract from game enjoyment. In this regard, I have discovered that it is desirable to have horizontal measurements which do not exceed 12 feet. Thus, I specify that my length measurement should not be greater than 12 feet. In addition, in order for the game to resemble normal pocket billiards, the playing surface should be rectangular; thus, my length dimension range is of a higher magnitude than the width dimension range, and, I have found that 8 feet serves best as the border dimension between my length and width ranges. Thus, I specify 8 feet as my maximum width dimension and minimum length dimension.
Further, I have found through experimentation that a 2:1 length-to-width ratio, as is normally used for billiard tables, is unsatisfactory for floor-type billiard games because of their inherent characterisitics (large sizes, employ mallets, players walk on playing surfaces, etc.). In this regard, I have found that a 1:1 length-to-width ratio is actually preferably to a 2:1 ratio. Thus, I specify that the length-to-width ratio must be less than 2.
Another feature of the playing surface 17 and associated pockets 23 is the arrangement of off-center side pockets 23C and H. It should be noted that these pockets are positioned closer to the spotting-end boundary 21B than to the scratch-line-end boundary 21A. In this manner, there are relatively numerous pockets 23A, B, C and H at the spotting end of the table, where there is usually the highest concentration of balls 13. This relatively high density of pockets provides players with increased opportunities to drive balls into pockets upon and after the "break" of spotted balls. In this manner, the increased distances between most of the pockets on the playing surface 17 are compensated for to some extent. In this regard, the off-center side pockets 23 C and H are positioned adjacent to spotting lines 40 on the playing surface 17, which will be described in more detail below.
Center-end pockets 23E and 23F are provided at a scratch-line-end boundary 21A to offset or balance the off-center side pockets 23C and H. These center-end pockets increase pocket density at the scratch-line end of the playing surface 17. In addition the center end pockets 23E and F provide ideal targets for "scratch" shots. In this respect, the rules for normal pocket billiards must be changed somewhat. That is, in normal pocket billiards, on a shot following a scratch shot (a shot where a cue ball has been driven into a pocket or knocked off the playing surface) a player normally must place the cue ball behind a scratch line, similar to scratch line 29, and is allowed to shoot at balls only on the other side of the scratch line 29. When playing the floor-type billiard game shown in FIG. 1, a player similarly places the cue ball behind the scratch line 29 but is then allowed to drive balls behind the scratch line 29 into the center-end pockets 23E and F as well as other balls into pockets 23A, B, C, and H located at the other end of the playing surface 17. Such a free shot can also be used to provide a penalty for players allowing balls to strike their feet.
The distance between the scratch line 29 and a ball rack position is proportionately reduced as compared to conventional billiards (see FIG. 2). The scratch line 29 evenly divides the playing surface between the center-end pockets 23 E and F and the off-center side pockets 23C and H. This even division enables a player to hit a break shot more accurately and provides room for the free (or scratch) shot behind the scratch line mentioned above. The comparatively shorter distance on the "spotting" side of the scratch line to the side and corner pockets enables one to make free shots into these pockets more easily. This evenly divided surface works well with a larger playing surface and the off-center side pockets 23C and H.
The free shot at balls behind the scratch line also compensates for the fact that shots on this larger surface are more difficult to make.
The four corner pockets 23 A, B, D, and G have 5-3/4 inch boundary breaks. The two off-center side pockets 23C and H have 5 inch boundary breaks. And, the center-end pockets 23E and F have 4 inch boundary breaks. The distance between end pockets is also 4 inches, the same as the end pocket size.
A playing-area-boundary marking 24 merely delineates a cue-ball playing area. In this regard, when a cue ball comes to a stop between the playing-area-boundary marking 24 and a boundary, it can be placed immediately adjacent to its position on the other side of the playing-area-boundary marking 24. This makes it possible for players to position the mallet between the cushion and the ball to properly strike the cue ball with a mallet.
It should be noted that the spotting rack 15 defines three elongated, parallel compartments 31A-C. These compartments are separated by separator bars 33. Thus, the rack 15 arranges balls 13 in parallel, separated rows. Such an arrangement of balls allows players to more easily knock individual balls out of a pack.
The spotting rack is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4-6 wherein it can be seen that slats 26 A-C lie at angles on separator bars 33 are pivotally attached thereto at points 30. The slats 26 combine with the separator bars 33 to form grooves in which the balls 13 are supported in parallel lines. A rod 32 fits loosely in holes 34 at the ends of the slats 26 to pivot the slats 26 in unison and also to help hold the slats 26 in a desired position.
It should be noted that the spotting rack 15 has spotting marks 38 on the sides and front thereof which are brought in registration with spotting lines 40 (see FIG. 2) on the playing surface 17 to bring the spotting rack 15 into the spotting position.
In use, balls are loaded from the return ball rack 27 (FIG. 1) into the grooves formed between the separator bars 33 and the slats 26 when the spotting rack 15 is in a closed configuration as seen in FIG. 5. The spotting rack, with the balls, is carried to the spotting end of the playing surface 17 and placed in a spotting position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Rod 32 is then lifted and rotated to the left, as seen in FIG. 6, thereby releasing the balls 13 in a spotted arrangement. Such a combination carrying and spotting rack is desirable for the floor-type billiard game described herein because the relatively great distance between the return ball rack 27 and the ball spotting position makes it desirable to carry the balls.
The boundaries 19 and 21 have resilient cushions 35 which repel balls 13 toward the center of the playing surface 17. These cushions can be clearly seen in FIG. 8 wherein it should be noted that seams 36 at which the resilient cushions 35 are attached to boundary frames 37 are protected by coverings 39. In the preferred embodiment the coverings 39 are strong tape. The coverings are important in floor-type billiard games to protect such seams from player's feet.
In FIG. 7 it can be seen that a resilient tubularly shaped deflector 41 is mounted in each of the pockets 23 above pocket openings 22 to deflect balls which are driven into the pockets downwardly through the pocket openings 22.
With reference to FIG. 3, there is shown a removable boundary 43. The removable boundary 43 has a cushion 35 which is similar to the cushion 35 on the regular boundaries 19 and 21. The removable boundary 43, when employed, engages the off-center side pockets 23H and C. Thus, the removable boundary 43, along with the side boundaries 19A and B and the end boundary 21A, define a playing surface of reduced size 45. This feature adds to the versatility of the floor-type billiard game described herein; however, it should be emphasized that games which are played on the reduced size playing surface 45 resemble standard pocket billiards to a lesser degree than games played on the entire playing surface 17 of FIG. 1. In this regard, the reduced-size playing surface 45 is almost square in shape. In the illustrated embodiment there are two openings 44 along the removable boundary which can serve as pockets. These openings can be closed or opened to suit particular games.
Turning next to the mallet shown in FIGS. 9-11, the mallet comprises a mallet head 47 which includes mainly a steel portion 28. At one end of the mallet head there is a flat front striking surface 49. In one embodiment, the flat front striking surface 49 is covered with a material to prevent damage to struck cue balls. At the opposite end of the mallet head 47 is a resilient member 51 which defines a smaller tip striking surface 53. Inasmuch as the resilient member 51 is relatively light weight most of the weight of the mallet head is at the flat front surface end of the head. Above the tip striking surface 53, and centered thereon, is a relatively sharp aiming ridge 55 which a player can use to line up the tip striking surface 53 with a ball to be struck. Sides 56 of the steel head 47 are relatively flat so that they can also be used to strike balls. I have found that a predominately steel mallet head provides a desired weight in an appropriate size.
In addition, a removable spin peg 57 is insertable into a spin peg hole 59. The resilient member 51 serves to hold the spin peg securely in the spin peg hole 59. In the preferred embodiment, a peg tip 61 is made of steel, however, other materials could also be used.
The removable spin peg 57 allows a player to hit a cue ball more accurately and thereby apply spin in a more accurate manner. The resilient tip 53 can be used to apply the spin to the cue ball when the cue ball is fairly close to the ball at which it is directed, and a great degree of accuracy is not necessary. In this situation the player can hit the shot and not be bothered with putting the spin peg 57 in place and removing it. The spin peg 57 and the resilient tip 53 probably can apply equal amounts of spin depending on how a ball is hit or how hard it is hit.
A curved aspect 62 of the mallet head allows a player to "top" a cue ball, thereby producing "roll" on the cue ball. The spin peg 57 is removable to allow such shots to be made.
It should also be noted in FIG. 10 that the mallet has an adjustable shaft 63 comprising a hollow upper shaft 65 and a lower shaft 67. The upper shaft 65 is preferrably made of tubular aluminum and the lower shaft 67 is constructed of tubular steel. The lower shaft 67 is held in a bore 69 of the hollow upper shaft 65 by means of rubber gaskets 71. The rubber gaskets 71 and the lower shaft 67 can be slid within the bore 69 so as to lengthen or shorten the adjustable shaft 63. The rubber gaskets 71 hold the lower shaft 67 in stationary positions relative to the upper shaft 65 once adjustments have been made.
In overall operation of the game described herein, balls 13 are racked in separated rows with the spotting rack 15 as shown in FIG. 1. In this regard, the rack 15 is positioned on the playing surface 17 by lining up the spotting marks 38 (FIG. 4) on the rack 15 with spotting lines 40 on the playing surface 17. The spotted balls are "broken" by a cue ball which is motivated by the mallet head 47 from behind the scratch line 29. Many of the balls may be knocked into pockets 23A, B, C and H, either upon the "break" or thereafter; however, other balls may drift to the other end of the table and eventually be knocked into pockets 23D, E, F, and G.
When a player gets a penalty shot such as a scratch shot he shoots with his cue ball from behind the scratch line 29 as in normal billiards; but unlike normal billiards, he is also allowed to shoot balls lying behind the scratch line 29 into the center-end pockets 23E and F.
When striking a cue ball with the mallet head 47 a player can use either the front flat striking surface 49 or the smaller tip striking surface 53. In this regard, when the player desires to hit the cue ball with no "English" he will normally strike the ball with the flat surface 49, and when he desires to to strike the cue ball with "English" he will strike it with the smaller resilient tip 53.
If the player strikes balls with the smaller tip 53 he can line up the tip by employing the aiming ridge 55. In addition, in close shots, where there is little room for maneuvering the steel head 47, the player may desire to use the head's sides 56 to strike balls. If the player desires relatively high accuracy and wishes to impart "English" to a cue ball, he inserts the removable spin peg 58 into the spin peg hole 59 and strikes the cue ball with the tip 61.
The fact that the playing surface has a length dimension range from 8 to 12 feet; a width dimension range from 6 to 8 feet; and a length/width ratio of less than 2 adds considerable to the enjoyment of playing the game by providing a playing surface which is large enough so that a full complement of balls does not overcrowd players standing on the playing surface, but yet has small enough dimensions so that shots from various locations or angles can be conveniently made.
It should be noted that the off-center side pockets 23C and H concentrate balls at the spotting end of the playing surface 17 and thereby make it easier for players to knock balls into holes at this end of the table. This feature of the invention tends to offset large dimensions required for floor-type billiard games. The two center end pockets 23E and F balance the playing surface 17 against the off-center side pockets 23C and H. Likewise, the spotting rack 15, which racks balls in parallel separated rows, makes it easier for players to separate individual balls from a spotted pack without scattering the balls to the same degree as in normal billiards. In this respect, the off-center side pockets 23C and H, the center-end pockets 23E and F, the rack arrangement and the penalty shot all tend to complement one another and thereby add to the enjoyment of the game. These changes help compensate for the oversized surface area and the loss of finesse in the transition from a cue stick to a mallet.
In addition, the removable boundary 43 adds a degree of flexibility to the game described herein.
Further, the mallet shown in FIGS. 5-7 is particularly useful when used in this game.
While this invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege are claimed are defined as follows: