GB2289227A

GB2289227A - Tiddlywink snooker or pool

Info

Publication number: GB2289227A
Application number: GB9513046A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Graham Brightmore
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-06-30
Filing date: 1995-06-27
Publication date: 1995-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 2015-06-27
Also published as: GB2289227B; GB9513046D0

Abstract

Apparatus for playing a game which simulates snooker or pool, which apparatus comprises: a board or table marked or configured to simulate a snooker or pool table; flicking means which may comprise a tiddlywink; and a plurality of tiddlywinks, and a set of rules which dictate game play, said rules dictating that suitably coloured or otherwise identified tiddlywinks respectively represent black or coloured snooker or pool balls which are flicked, during game play by said flicking means to be displaced into that part of the board or table simulating the pocket of a snooker or pool table. The board or table may be marked to simulate a snooker or pool table. Alternatively or additionally, receptacle means, e.g. egg cups may be provided at the locations on the board which represent the positions of the pockets. <IMAGE>

Description

APPARATUS FOR PLAYING A BOARD GAME Field of the Invention The present invention relates to apparatus for playing a board game and, more particularly, to a board game which simulates snooker or pool.

Background to the Invention Snooker and pool are very popular games which are widely enjoyed by television viewers and by those participants who can access a table in a public house or other public forum or who can afford to have a table in their own home. Notwithstanding the cost of the equipment. however, the space which a snooker or pool table occupies is prohibitive to many acquiring the apparatus for their own homes.

It is a general objective of the present invention to provide a board game which simulates snooker or pool but which does not require the expensive and voluminous equipment for those games.

Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for playing a game which simulates snooker or pool, which apparatus comprises: a board or table marked to simulate a snooker or pool table; flicking means which may comprise a tiddly wink; and a plurality of tiddly winks, and a set of rules which dictate game play, said rules dictating that suitably coloured tiddly winks respectively represent black or coloured snooker or pool balls which are flicked, during game play by said flicking means to be displaced into a simulated snooker or pool table pocket on said board.

Suitably the pockets are demarcated by printed lines marked upon the board at positions on the periphery of the board which simulate the respective positions of the pockets of a snooker or pool table. Alternativelv or additionally, receptacle means such as for example, egg cups may be provided at the locations on the board which represent the positions of the pockets.

Preferably the rules which dictate game play dictate that firstly a tiddly wink which simulates the cue ball is flicked to land upon one of said coloured/black ball-representing tiddly winks and that then the latter tiddly winks are flicked to attempt to land them in a respective said pocket.

The order of landing upon respective coloured or black ball representing tiddly winks is suitably the same as is dictated by the normal rules for playing of snooker or pool.

Similarly, the rules for game play are effectively the same as those for snooker or pool in that scoring is achieved by flicking the ball-denoting tiddly wink into a pocket and if the player misses, the turn passes to the other participant in the game.

As a variant upon the order of playing the game, the flicking means need not necessarily be used to flick a tiddly wink to land upon one of the colour or black ball representing tiddly winks first prior to flicking those latter balls in an attempt to land a respective one in a pocket, instead the flicking means may be used directly to flick one of said latter tiddly winks toward a pocket.

This later option makes game play somewhat simpler although it reduces the verisimilitude of the game.

A board layout suitable for playing the game is illustrated in the single Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings on which tiddly winks representing the coloured balls are indicated. Around the periphery of the board there is a margin 2 which if a tiddly wink is flicked to land therein or therebeyond constitutes flicking of the tiddly wink out of play and as with genuine snooker or pool is equivalent to hitting the ball from the table.

The pockets 1 around the periphery of the board within the margin are located at the ends and intermediate region in relative positions just as they are in the genuine table. They do not, however, comprise holes with nets.

Instead, they may simply comprise holes or may comprise line marked zones to represent holes or may comprise receptacles such as for example egg cups placed at the respective positions.

Any tiddly wink landing outside on a line or outside of the playing area is placed back in the triangle or on the correct colour spots marked on the board.

The score of the game may be kept by using a score board or clip board.

The initial positions of the tiddly winks representing the balls are suitably marked upon the board in the conventional positions, viz: a triangle of red ball-indicating tiddly winks 3 with pink 4 and black 5 ball-indicating tiddly winks respectively forward and behind the triangle of reds 3. The blue ballindicating tiddly wink 6 being positioned forward of the pink 4 and the yellow 7, brown 8 and green 9 representing tiddly winks being positioned along the line at the opposing end of the board.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention the board is a table which may, for example, be a miniaturised snooker or pool table or may be a table that doubles as a general purpose table as well as being a snooker or pool table for the purposes of the invention. The pockets may comprise recesses, apertures or any other receptacle means in or on the board or table.

Claims

1. Apparatus for playing a game which simulates snooker or pool, which apparatus comprises: a board or table marked or configured to simulate a snooker or pool table; flicking means which may comprise a tiddlywink; and a plurality of tiddlywinks, and a set of rules which dictate game play, said rules dictating that suitably coloured or otherwise identified tiddlywinks respectively represent black or coloured snooker or pool balls which are flicked, during game play by said flicking means to be displaced into that part of the board or table simulating the pocket of a snooker or pool table.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the apparatus is apparatus for playing a board game and comprises a board marked to simulate a snooker or pool table.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the playing surface of the board or table is marked with the starting positions for each tiddlywink representing a respective coloured snooker or pool ball.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the rules which dictate game play dictate that firstly a tiddlywink which simulates the cue ball is flicked to land upon one of said coloured/black ball-representing tiddlywinks and that then the latter tiddlywinks are flicked to attempt to land them in a respective said pocket.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the order of landing upon respective coloured or black ball-representing tiddlywinks is the same as is dictated by the normal rules for playing of snooker or pool.

6. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5, wherein scoring is achieved by flicking the ball-denoting tiddlywink into a pocket and if the player misses the turn passes to the other participant(s) in the game.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the tiddlywinks are numbered or otherwise marked to alter the manner in which scoring is calculated.

8. Apparatus as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.