GB2138306A - Pocketed games table - Google Patents

Abstract

The table 10 is of regular polygonal shape, has pockets 21-26 at each corner and has a central marking 30 for a pack of balls 20. Free play areas 31-36 are provided next to the central marking. The table has ball runways, a packing mechanism (Figure 4) and is coin freed. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pocketed table game The invention relates to games tables with cushions and pockets relative to a playing surface on which ball games are played with cues.

As well as the conventional rectangular tables for billiards, snooker and pool with pockets at corners and in longest straight sides, there have been other prior proposals for other shapes of table, though such appear not to have enjoyed much, if any, real success, possibly owing to inadequate variations from "normal" games on conventional rectangular tables to justify a change of shape etc. on the one hand, or wholesale changes too much for retention of basic game attractions on the other hand, and/or relative restrictions on numbers of pockets and opportunities to score.

Thus, it seems to me to be important not to reduce scoring opportunities, in fact to allow for enhancing same at least via rules of play, but to make sufficient basic changes to the table to vary application of basic skills and enlarge the scope of certain conventional aspects, e.g. starting/restarting after a foul.

To that end, it is proposed herein that a regular five or more sided table be provided with pockets one at each corner or apex, preferably also marking for a central arrangement for a pack of balls, preferably also free-play positions or areas one per side or apex, or per alternate sides or apices.

In one embodiment of this invention, the table is a regular straight-sided hexagon with six pockets, i.e.

one at every corner, and the central marking may include a hexagon demarcating limits of a pack of balls, though usually a tight pack, say based on equilateral triangles, preferably a single such triangle or a diamond. Usefully, such central hexagon can contribute to delimiting free-play areas outside that hexagon, say as areas subtended exteriorly by those sides and of a suitable shape, for example a circle-segment or a triangle, which could go to the points of a star-shape centred on the hexagon.

Other proposals and features hereof concern construction of such a table.

Thus, it is preferred for ball runways from each pocket to lead to a common collection tray preferably itself having or feeding balls to a holding rack and thence, but only at operation of a coin-freed mechanism, to a ball retrieval tray accessible through a side of the table. The collection rack may be adjacent a window in the table to view balls potted into pockets, preferably in order of potting, and/or may betippable in order to release balls to go to the retrieval tray.

An entire table top and ball collection system is preferably built as a unit complete with coin-freed mechanism and associated counter all enclosed and accessible separately from a coin collection station that may conveniently be in a plinth system for the table unit rather than a separate compartment of the latter.

Specific implementation of embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of a table with balls; Figure 2 is a plan view of a table with its top removed; Figure 3 is a side view; and Figure 4 shows details of a preferred ball release system.

In the drawings, referring first to Figure 1, a table 10 having sides 11-16, corner pockets 21-26, and a diamond pack of balls 20 in a central regular hexagon outline 30 which substendstriangular free-plap areas 3136. The central hexagon outline 30 generally follows the outline of the table in a harmonious manner and effectively cuts off the free-play triangular 31-36 from points of an area then within a six-point start shape outline 38. Some embodiments hereof may omit alternate ones of the triangular areas.

The drawing should not be taken as necessarily representative of relative sizes of table, central hexagon, free-play areas and balls. However, some advantage is seen in having the free-play areas spaced from the side cushions 1 1A-16A of the table, otherwise potting might be rather easy after an opponent's foul stroke, at least early in the game.

However, localised free-play areas adjacent and from the cushions are not ruled out, nor are free-play areas, even spots, at positions in between what is shown and the cushions, though a regular array is definitely preferred.

it will be noted that the illustrated triangular free-play areas have end spots 31A-36A, and such may be required as game-start positions for a cue ball (not shown), preferably requiring disturbance resulting in at least one ball leaving the hexagon if not also the star shape, and prescribed or optional re-start areas or positions after fouls.

As to the pack of balls 20, the illustrated diamond shape will have twenty-five balls, and one specific envisaged game combines features of pool and of snooker in having red, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black balls ranging in value from 1 to 7, respectively. As shown, there is one black ball at the centre of the pack and four of each of the other colours, the reds being outermost at corners of the pack.

Then, a satisfying game results from potting the balls in ascending order of value, all of a lower value being potted before any of the next higher value.

Then,the level of skill required is greater than for pool, at least in terms of clearance breaks. If it is desired to avoid the likely high potential for "snook ers", one or more of the free-ball areas may be used if such occurs, at least early in the game. Scoring may generally resemble snooker, i.e. with a minimum of four points for a foul shot (miss, cue ball pocketed, hit wrong ball, pot wrong ball), but could be more punitive, perhaps especially if played on a coin-operated table with no return of object balls.

Typically, both of cue ball and object ball can be counted in a foul.

A pool-resembling game could be played using balls where half of each set belongs to each player, and bears markings accordingly, the black ball being to finish a game.

Another interest-enhancing feature could be the use of one or more double-scoring pockets, typically two and marked as such. In the drawing, such pockets may be the ones pointed to by the long diagonal of the diamond, i.e. 23 and 26.

Other arrangements of balls may be used, for example with appropriate sizing of hexagon 30 and balls 20, a diamond set between opposite parallel sides of the hexagon 30. Alternatively, of course, a conventional triangle arrangement of balls could be employed, say for a shorter game.

A particular interesting variant on the illustrated diamond arrangement is to reorganise the short diagonal to have '5' balls (blue using snooker balls) at the corners and '6' balls (pink using snooker balls) between each and the central '7' ball (black), and to replace the other '5' and '6' balls "inside" each half of the diamond by '1' balls (red). Then, there will a total of eight '1' balls (reds), four of each of '2' (yellow), '3' (green) and '4' (brown) balls, two each of the higher ranking '5' (blue) and '6' (pink) balls, and a single '7' (black) ball. Moreover, truncation to a shorter game is readily achieved as a triangle resembling half the diamond but complete with full short diagonal.

In another diamond variant using the same number of balls, the two '6' (pink) balls are, effectively, swapped with the two inner '1' (red) balls on the long diagonal. Then the '7' (black) ball is surrounded by six '1' (red) balls, i.e. in a hexagon that will be a match for the table shape, especially if oriented with its diagonal between mid-points of sides of thecentral hexagon shape.

It will be evident that the described six-sided, six-pocket table has good scoring prospects comparable with a conventional rectangular table and much improved compared to a six or other number sided table with pockets missing from some corners.

Turning to the construction of the table 10 and other Figures ofthe drawings, Figure 2 shows a ball collection tray 40 with sloping ball-retention sides and an overall sloping of its bottomto a single ball exit provision 41. A rectangular tray 40 is shown located substantially centrally of the table between parallel bearers 42,43 with short radial ball runways 44,45 from two opposed pockets and longer nearradial ball runways 46,47 and 48,49 from pockets to each side of the tray 40. Splaying of the pairs of runways 46,47 and 48,49 from true radial allows appropriate spacing of feed-in positions to the tray 40. Conventional open-topped troughs are suitable for the runways 44-49, and it will be appreciated that elongation of the tray 40 is mainly to afford a substantial collection area and to tie-in with subsequent holding and release provisions.

The illustrated holding and release provisions are associated with a coin-freed mechanism 50 and involve a ball-exit track 41 to a holding rack 52. The latter could be associated with a gate temporarily retracted by a linkage from the coin-freed mechanism 50, or, as is shown, be bodily tiltable to unload balls into a ball retrieval tray 54 or a feed track 56 thereto (as shown). In practice, U-shaped holding rack can reduce the length of space required and further facilitate dropping the held balls into a retrieval tray adjacent the same side of the table as the coin freed mechanism..

Sloping of the bottom of the ball collection tray 40 can be seen in Figure3,actuallyfrom backtofront and from right to left as shown. twill further be evident from Figure 3 that the table top and its ball collection, holding retrieval systems comprise a closed unit, shown mounted on a plinth unit 60 to which it is conveniently boited. That allows separation of access to a coin collection box 62 via the plinth, and to the ball collection, holding and retrieval systems as well as the coin freed mechanism and its customarily associated counter via the table unit Both may be locked to require different keys and thus reduce the possibility of fraudulent activity.

Access to the interior of the table unit can be by removal of the table top, or its hinging upwards about hinges 64.

Accurate location of the table top relative to the table unit frame and its support thereby is aided by shelves such as 66 at each side of the table and locaters 68 for each shelf, say apertures or indents to take pegs or the like on the table top, or vice-versa.

Turning to Figure 4, the ball rack is shown with a tipping mechanism 53 operated directly (or via a further link) by the coin-freed mechanism, typically a coin-entry slide thereof.

It will be noted that Figure 1 shows dashed lines indicating a shorter, more or less square ball collection tray and extended ball runways 44, 45, so that all ball runways from pockets are substantially the same length. In practice, a ball collection tray with a feed-out trough in its bottom will be preferred, see Figure 5 for a view from the left hand side of Figure 1 with the nearest end omitting, so as clearly to show sloping into the trough 64 and from backto front of the drawing.

Such trough 64 will feed through a right-angle bend via a delivery trough 66, with a cue ball return slot 67, to a doubled ball holding rack 68, see Figures 6 to 8 capable, as aforesaid, of fitting within the length on one side, specifically the front of a table, see Figure 9. There is a gentle slope on such rack 68 and balls can be viewed via window 70. The whole rack can be tipped by lever 72 to empty its balls into a sloping surface 74 into a trough 76 and hence to a ball retrieval tray 78.

An internal cover 80 serves a duai purpose in preventing anyone manually reaching the rack 68 via the retrieval position, and in sending the cue ball to theretrieval position via the trough 76.

Claims (12)

1. A pocketed games table of regular polygonal shape with pockets one at each corner or apex.

2. A pocketed games table of regular polygonal shape with pockets one at each corner or apex and marking for a central disposition of a pack of balls.

3. A pocketed games table of rectangular hexagonal shape with pockets one at each corner or apex and a central marking related to the hexagonal shape and demarcating limits for a part or parts of a pack of balls.

4. A pocketed games table of regular hexagonal shape with pockets one at each corner or apex and a central hexagonal marking disposed similartothe overall table shape.

5. A pocketed gamestable according to any one of claims 2 to 4, having additional free-play areas demarcated at least one per alternate side of the table.

6. A pocketed games table of regular hexagonal shape with pockets one at each corner or apex, a central hexagonal demarcation for setting up a pack of balls, and demarcation of free ball areas substended from each side of said central demarcation.

7. A pocketed games table according to any preceding claim, comprising ball runways from each pocket to a common collecton tray, diversion gating for one ball return, and coin freed means for transferring collected balls to a retrieval tray accessi blethrough a side of the table.

8. A pocketed games table according to claim 7, wherein the collection tray or a holding rack for collected balls is visible through a window in a or said side of the table.

9. A pocketed games table according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the holding rack is tipped at operation of the coin-freed mechanism.

10. A pocketed games table according to any preceding claim, further comprising a counter associated with the coin-freed mechanism, and a coin collection station accessible separately from the rest of internal table parts.

11. A pocketed games table according to claim 10, wherein the coin collection table is within a plinth system partitoned from a top comprising said table as a tip to an enclosure for said rest of internal parts.

12. A pocketed games table substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.