GB2131303A - Ball guide and sorter in a pool table - Google Patents

Abstract

In a table of the type wherein balls are lead to a storage rack 26 after potting, a large collection area 28 is provided to eliminate jamming of balls beneath the playing surface. Balls travel to the area 28 down inclined feed channels 27 and run down sloping side regions 36,37 to a central sloped pathway 38. From here the balls pass through an opening in a wall 32 of the area 28 and are guided by various means 40, 42 back to the rack 26 for subsequent release. A smaller diameter cue ball passes through an aperture 43 end thus to an outlet, where it may be retrieved, instead of to the rack. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A table for playing pool and similar games This invention relates to a table for playing pool and similar games, such as snooker and billiards, and is particularly concerned with a table having a coinpperated ball release mechanism.

Pool tables are nowadays frequently found in public houses, hotels and amusement arcades. They are for the most part coin-operated to release balls to allow the game to be played. As the balls fall down the pockets during play they are channelled to a central collection point and thence to a rack for storage, usually behind a transparent strip in one side of the table. The balls are released when the coined mechanism is operated at the beginning of the next game. The ball collection system must be constructed so as to retain the object or coloured balls while releasing the cue ball for retrieval by a player and return to the playing surface.This is accomplished by providing a cue ball having a smaller diameter than the other balls and an aperture through which the cue ball can pass but the other balls cannot in'a passageway between the central collection point and the storage rack. The cue ball then falls through this aperture to a secondary system of channels which lead to an outlet from which the cue ball may be retrieved.

With the known collection systems there is a risk that a number of the object or coloured balls may lodge against each other in the main passageway between the collecting point and the rack thereby rendering it impassible. In such circumstances, the balls remain beneath the playing surface and cannot travel to the storage rack and can only be freed by l-ifting off the playing surface. This is both time consuming and difficult due to the weight of the slate slab which provides the playing surface.

An object of the present invention is to provide a table for playing pool etc., having an internal collection area which is so formed as to obviate jamming due to object or coloured balls lodging against one another.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a table for playing pool and similar games comprising a housing having a base and four side panels extending upwardly from the base so as to support a top providing a playing surface, pockets disposed around the edge of the playing surface, feed channels extending at a downwardly inclined angle from the base of the pockets to a large well or collection area which is located substantially centrally beneath the playing surface and has a floor formed with side regions sloping downwardly to a central pathway which in turn inclines downwardly to an opening in one wall of the well or collection area, guide means arranged so as to guide balls emerging from said opening along a predetermined track to a storage rack, said track having an aperture therein of a size permitting passage therethrough of a cue ball but not of an object or coloured ball, and a passageway leading from said aperture to an outlet in one side panel of the housing.

Advantageously, the well or collection area has opposing end walls which extend transversely between opposing end panels of the housing and provide additional support for the playing surface.

The feed channels preferably have apertures formed therein, the size of the apertures being so selected that all the balls roll over the apertures while smaller foreign objects fall therethrough.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a pool table in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the same pool table from which the table top has been removed, a portion of one feed channel being broken away so that the track to the storage rack is visible; Figure 3 is a cross-section along the line Ill-Ill shown in Figure 2 but additionally the slate slab which provides the playing surface is shown in broken lines and the legs have been omitted; Figure 4 is a cross section along the line IV-IV shown in Figure 2, again with the slate slab shown in broken lines and the legs have again been omitted; and Figure 5 is a cross-section through a feed channel along the line V-V shown in Figure 2.

The illustrated embodiment of the table of the invention is a pool table of generally standard design having a horizontal top 10 including a rectangular playing surface 11 composed of a sheet of slate 12 (Figures 3 and 4) covered by green baize. The top 10 is supported by and extends between the upper edges of four side panels 13, 14, 15, 16 which extend upwardly and slightly outwardly from a base 17 thereby forming a housing 18 which is supported above the ground by legs 19 of known type.

The playing surface 11 is bounded by cushions 20 and has six pockets 21 disposed around its edge, one at each corner of the playing surface 11 and one mid-way along each of the opposing longer sides thereof.

A ball outlet 22 is disposed in one of the longer side panels 14, as shown in Figure 1, and adjacent thereto is a coin box mechanism 23 which is operable to release the balls to the outlet 22. ALso provided in this side panel 14 is a transparent strip or window 24 through which balls 25 located in a storage rack 26 within the housing 18 may be viewed.

The base of each pocket 21 is formed by the rounded end if a respective feed channel 27 which leads downwardly at an angle beneath the playing surface to a large central well or collection area 28 also of generally rectangular configuration. The feed channels 27 are formed of moulded plastics and have a stepped symmetrical cross-section, as shown in Figure 5. In other words they are generally curved or trough-shaped in cross-section but have an outward projection 28 adjacent each side edge as well as an outwardly turned rim 29. In the base of each feed channel 27 a short distance from the respective pocket 21 is an elongate aperture 30, which is smaller in one dimension cross wise of the channel 27 than the diameter of the smallest ball (cue ball) used with the table.

The well or collection area 28 is formed with a floor 31 bounded by opposing end walls 32, 33, which extend upwards from the base 17 transversely of the housing 18 in the same direction as the shorter side panels 13, 15 and between the longer side panels 14,16, and by opposing side walls 34, 35 which merely extend between the walls 32, 33 in the upper region of the housing 18, as shown in Figure 3.

The end walls 32,33 enhance the rigidity of the housing 18 and with their upper edges provide additional support for the slate 12, which is, of course, heavy and is liable to impact damage and other stresses. The floor 31 of the well or collection area 28 is formed in three distinct parts, namely opposing longitudinal side regions 36,37 which slope slightly downwardly from the side walls 34,35 to a central pathway 38 formed by the surface of a thin strip of wood supported on a central cross wall 39 extending up from the base 17 longitudinally of the housing 18 between the walls 32,33. The pathway 38 in turn slopes slightly downwardly from the end wall 33 to an opening in the opposing end wall 32.

Guide means firstly in the form of wood blocks or walls 40 defining a channel upon an intermediate level surface 41 within the housing 18 and subsequently in the form of a pair of rods 42 are provided and are appropriately spaced to guide in a predetermined track from the opening in the wall 32 to the storage rack 26. The latter is a space within the housing 18 between the side wall 35 of the well or collection area 28 and the side panel 14. At the transition between the aforesaid guide means there is an aperture 43 in the track which is of a size to permit passage therethrough of the cue ball which is of smaller diameter than the remainder of balls 25 used for playing the game of pool on the playing surface 11. A further passageway with a downwardly sloping floor 44 is provided between this aperture 43 and the outlet 22 (see Figure 3).

When a player or players wish to play a game of pool on the above-described table, one of them actuates the coin box mechanism 23 to release all the coloured or object balls from the storage rack 26 to the outlet 22. The cue ball (white) is always available at the outlet 22 and as previously mentioned it is of smaller diameter than the remaining coloured or object balls. The balls are retrieved from the outlet 22 and placed in appropriate formation on the playing surface 11. During the course of the game, when each coloured or object ball is potted, i.e. drops into a pocket 21, it runs down the relevant feed channel 27 into the well or collection area 28.All the feed channels 27 lead out onto one of the side regions 36,37 of the well or collection area 28 and the ball continues to run down the sloping side region 36 or 37 onto the central pathway 38 and thence down to the opening in the wall 32. From this opening, the ball, moving underthe momentum gained by the previous slopes is guided by the blocks or walls 40 and the bars 42 around two bends and back into the storage rack 26 (see Figure 2).

Whenever the cue ball is potted (usually by mistake) it follows the same path but instead of passing back to the storage area whence balls 25 are only released by actuation of the coin-release mechanism, it falls through the aperture 43 and down the passageway 44 to the outlet 22 so that it can be retrieved by a player and the game can continue.

The provision of a collection system, particularly the large collection area, ofthe above described nature eliminate any possibility of jamming of balls beneath the playing surface. Any foreign object which falls down or is inserted intentionally or otherwise into one of the pockets 21 will also pass down the respective feed channel 27, and provided it is not too large it (the object) will fall through the respective aperture 30 so that the channel 27 itself is not blocked. Due to the selected size of the apertures 30 and the stepping of the channels 27, the balls readily pass over said apertures.

It will, of course, be appreciated that within the scope of the invention the table need not conform in all respects to the details of the above-described example and minor variations may occur in shape, dimension and materials of the various parts.

Moreover, of course, tables within the scope of the invention may be adopted or intended for the playing of games other than pool, such as snooker or billiards, which also involve the potting of balls into pockets arranged around the playing surface.

Claims (5)

1. A table for playing pool and similar games comprising a housing having a base and four side panels extending upwardly from the base so as to support a top providing a playing surface, pockets disposed around the edge of the playing surface, feed channels extending at a downwardly inclined angle from the base of the pockets to a large well or collection area which is located substantially centrally beneath the playing surface and has a floor formed with side regions sloping downwardly to a central pathway which in turn inclines downwardly to an opening in one wall of the well or collection area, guide means arranged so as to guide balls emerging from said opening along a predetermined track to a storage rack, said track having an aperture therein of a size permitting passage therethrough of a cue ball but not of an object or coloured ball, and a passageway leading from said aperture to an outlet in one side panel of the housing.

2. Atable as claimed in claim 1 wherein the well or collection area has opposing end walls which extend transversely between opposing side panels of the housing and provide additional support for the playing surface.

3. A table as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein apertures are formed in the feed channels, the size of these apertures being so selected that all the balls roll over the apertures while smaller foreign objects fall therethrough.

4. A table as claimed in claim 1,2 or 3 wherein the feed channels are stepped in cross-section.

5. A table for playing pool and similar games substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.