GB2196867A - Cue rest for a snooker, billiard or pool cue - Google Patents

Abstract

A cue rest comprises a first member 14 having a guiding formation 16 to receive a cue, a support structure 12 for engagement with the playing surface of a table, and an elongate shaft carrying the first member and support structure, the first member being adjustable relative to the support structure in such a manner that, in use, with the support structure resting on the table, the position of the guiding formation above the table surface can be varied for a given angle of the shaft relative to the table surface. The first member 14 may move up and down on a pivot pin 26 on a second member 18 which is fixed to the shaft and rotatable in the support structure 12 controlled by a friction screw 28. Pivotal movement of the first member may be controlled by a spring-urged ball or friction washers. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved cue rest suitable for a snooker billiard or pool cue THIS INVENTION relates to an improved rest for a cue, and in particular for a snooker, billiard or pool cue, intended to facilitate shots which cannot be made satisfactorily in the routine manner.

The use of cue rests is, of course, well known as a means of making possible shots which could not otherwise be made satisfactorily, but the known cue rests nevertheless have disadvantages in that they are not always suitable for the particular shots which a player may wish to make. Thus, for example, in order to impart back-spin or topspin to the ball to be struck using a conventional cue rest it is generally necessary to angle the cue substantially with respect to the shaft of the cue rest and to have a substantial portion of the cue extending over the end of the cue rest, so that it is difficult to make accurate shots. Furthermore, the positions of the balls on the table may not permit positioning of the supporting feet of a conventional cue rest in what would otherwise be the best position so that the shot becomes awkward even with the use of the cue rest.In particular, because of the spread of the feet of a conventional cue rest, it can be difficult to play satisfactorily shots close to the cushions of a snooker, billiard or pool table.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved cue rest suitable for snooker, billiard or pool cue which avoids or mitigates the above-noted disadvantages of known cue rests.

According to the invention there is provided a cue rest, including a first member having at least one guiding formation to receive a cue, a support structure for engagement with the playing surface of a table, and an elongate shaft carrying said first member and said support structure, wherein said first member is adjustable relative to the support structure in such a manner that, in use, with said support structure resting on the playing surface of the table, the position of said guiding formation above the table surface can be varied for a given angle of said shaft relative to the table surface.

An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a cue rest embodying the invention; FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view, partly in section, of the novel part of the cue rest of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the part of Figure 2, FIGURE 4 is a front elevation view of the part of Figures 2 and 3, FIGURE 4a is a partial front elevation view of a variant, and FIGURES 5 to 8 are perspective views showing the cue rest in various adjusted positions.

Referring to Figure 1, a rest for a snooker, billiard, pool or the like cue comprises a conventional elongated shaft 10, a supporting structure 11 comprising two legs 12 intended to rest on the surface of a snooker, billiard, pool or the like table and, extending forwardly from the supporting structure 11, an elongate member 14 having a V-shaped fork 16 at its free end to locate and guide a snooker, billiard or the like cue, in use. As will appear from what follows, the member 14 is adjustable angularly relative to the shaft 10. However, in the position shown in Figure 1, the member 14 forms an axial extension of the shaft 10.

Referring to Figure 2, the member 14 is pivotally connected, at its rear end, with the front end of a mounting element 18 which extends entirely through a bearing bush 20 forming part of the supporting structure 11 and which boss is integral with the legs 12.

The mounting element 18, which, like the member 14 and the structure 11, is preferably made of a suitable metal, is formed at its rear end with a socket receiving the front end of the shaft 10, which, conventionally, is of wood. In principle, of course, the shaft 10 and element 18 may be formed as one integer in a suitable material. As shown in Figure 3, the rear end of the member 14 is formed as a central tongue 22 which fits into a corresponding recess defined at the front end of the element 18, between two lugs 24. The pivotal connection between the member 14 and the element 18 incorporates pivot pin 26 passed through aligned bores in the lugs 24 and the tongue 22, the axis of the pin 26, in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3, lying horizontal and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 10 and element 18.

As a result of this pivotal mounting, the member 14 is able to pivot upwardly and downwardly from the position shown in Figure 2, about the axis of pin 26, between the positions shown in Figures 8 and 7 respectively.

Furthermore, by rotational movement of the element 18 and shaft 10, together with the member 14, about the axis of the shaft 10, within the bearing bush 20, it is possible, with the member 14 pivoted relative to the shaft axis, to displace the fork 16 laterally to one side or the other of the axis of the shaft 10 as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

It will be appreciated that it is necessary for the rest to be able to maintain a position to which it is set without being displaced therefrom by the forces exerted in use by the weight and movement of the cue, etc. and to this end means is provided for retaining the member 14 in its desired angular position about the axis of pin 26 and preferably means is also provided for maintaining the element 18 in its desired angular position, about the axis of shaft 10, within the bearing bush 20.

Such retaining means may comprise, for example, friction washers or mutually engaging serrated washers located between the tongue 22 and the lugs 24, or a nylon friction screw 28 screwed into a transverse bore in the bearing boss 20 and pressed frictionally against the peripheral surface of the element 18 within the boss 20. Alternatively, more positive locating means may be provided, such as a spring-urged ball carried by one of the members to be locked with respect to the other and engageable within an appropriate one of a plurality of recesses provided on the other member. Figure 2 illustrates an arrangement of the latter sort applied to the connection between member 14 and element 18.

It has been found that, with the vertex of the fork 1 6 displaced transversely from the axis of the shaft 10 in a direction also transverse to the axis of pivot pin 26, rotational movement of the shaft 10 about its axis provides a most convenient means of fine adjustment of the height of the support surface afforded by the fork for the cue, so that the player, having angled the member 14 relative to the shaft axis to the desired degree, can effect fine adjustment of the position of the fork by slight rotational movement of the shaft 10 by the hand which is holding the same, whilst holding his cue, guided in the fork, in his other hand in the normal way, and setting up his shot.To this end, it is preferred that the mounting element should be merely a light frictional fit in the bush 20, with the friction being provided by some means affording a uniform, non-binding, frictional resistance to rotation, such as a plastics, e.g. nylon, friction collar.

To facilitate use in this way, the two arms of the fork 16, instead of being straight, may be curved so as to be concave on their sides facing one another, or may have their free ends so curved, whereby, even when the member 14 and element 18 have been rotated substantially in the bush 20, one or other of the arms of the fork will still provide reliable support and guidance for the cue. Indeed, instead of the fork 16, the member 14 may have a cueguiding formation in the form of a closed loop or ring through which the end of the cue may be passed with substantial clearance, the ends of the "fork" in this case having been, in effect, curved inwardly to unite with one another.

It will be understood that the possibility of horizontal transverse movement and vertical movement of the cue-guiding formation by rotation of the shaft also makes it possible to dispiace the cue guiding formation substantially to one side of the supporting structure, making it possible to place the cue adjacent and substantially parallel with the cushion of a snooker or the like table despite the finite width of the support structure needed to present a firm supporting base.

In a variant, not shown, the rotational movement of the shaft 10 about its axis may present the only means of adjustment of the cue-guiding formation, the member 14 being effectively made integral with the element 18.

It will be appreciated that many variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. In particular, other pivotal connections between the parts may be adopted. For example, the support structure 11 may be formed integrally with the mounting element 1 8 secured to the end of the shaft 10 and the member 14 may be adjustably connected with the mounting element by means of a universal or ball-and-socket joint instead of by the pivotal connection shown. Indeed, the provision made for adjustment of the cueguiding formation need not involve pivotal mounting at all. Translational adjustment or flexural adjustment may be provided for instead.Whilst, in the arrangement shown, the free end of the member 14 is provided with a fork afforded by two prongs, an arrangement may be adopted providing three or more prongs and thereby affording a choice of locations for the cue. For example, an arrangement such as illustrated in Figure 4a may be adopted.

The support structure, likewise, may take various forms. The legs 12 are preferably fairly long, to hold the bush 20, etc., clear of the playing surface of the table, but the legs 1 2 may be straight and relatively inclined, or arcuate as shown or may even be duplicated on the upper side of the bush 20 so as to present an 'X' configuration. It is contemplated that in some cases, the legs 12 may be adjustable relative to the remainder of the device, for example being individually pivotable with respect to the bush 20 to allow the height at which the latter is supported above the playing surface of the table to be adjusted.

In the interests of stability the forward part of the cue rest, i.e. in the preferred embodiment, the support structure 11, member 14 and element 18 are preferably fairly heavy in construction and made of metal, for example solid brass. However these parts of the cue rest could be hollow, e.g. tubular, or could even be of plastics material such as nylon, either solid or hollow. Where hollow plastics is employed, it is desirable to fill the cavities with an appropriate ballast, such as lead.

The member 14 may take various forms, and, in particular, may be long or short according to the precise mode of use intended.

Claims (11)

1. A cue rest, including a first member having at least one guiding formation to receive a cue, a support structure for engagement with the playing surface of a table, and an elongate shaft carrying said first member and said support structure, wherein said first member is adjustable relative to the support structure in such a manner that, in use, with said support structure resting on the playing surface of the table, the position of said guiding formation above the table surface can be varied for a given angle of said shaft relative to the table surface.

2. A cue rest according to claim 1 wherein said first member is also adjustable relative to said support structure in such a manner that the position of said fork or other guiding formation transversely of said shaft can be varied.

3. A cue rest according to claim 1, wherein said first member is pivotable, relative to said support structure about an axis corresponding at least approximately with that of said shaft.

4. A cue rest according to claim 1 wherein said first member is an elongate member having said fork or other guiding formation at one end and being pivotally connected at its other end with a mounting element, carried by said shaft, whereby said fork or other guiding formation can be pivoted relative to the mounting element for pivotal adjusting movement about an axis transverse to the axis of said shaft.

5. A cue rest according to claim 4 wherein said mounting element is pivotable, relative to said support structure about an axis corresponding at least approximately with that of said shaft,

6. A cue rest according to claim 5 wherein said shaft mounting element is provided by an end portion of said shaft or by an element secured to said shaft and forming an axial extension thereof, and wherein said mounting element extends through a bearing fixed with respect to said support structure, the pivotal adjustment of the mounting element about the shaft axis being effected by rotation of the mounting element with the shaft and said first member, in said bearing.

7. A cue rest according to any preceding claim incorporating retaining means for holding the relatively movable parts in a selected adjusted position.

8. A cue rest according to claim 7 wherein said retaining means comprises friction means.

9. A cue rest according to claim 7 wherein said retaining means comprises detents engageable in recesses in the selectable adjusted positions.

10. A cue rest substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

11. Any novel feature or combination of features described herein.