GB2202454A - Foldable or rollable playing surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for playing a ball game comprises a flexible sheet 10 of a size comparable to that of a conventional snooker table. Rigid boundary members 14 are provided in a releasable manner around the edges of the flexible sheet 10. The game can be played on a table top as a snooker game. Alternatively the game is played on the ground with a plurality of balls similar to golf balls but coloured as in the game of snooker. The balls are struck with golf putters, but generally following the rules of snooker. The boundary members can be fastened to the sheet by means of dove tails, clips or fabric hook-and-loop fasteners. <IMAGE>

Description

A GAME This invention concerns a game. More specifically, this invention relates to a game base for use in the playing of a game, to apparatus for playing a ball game, and also to a ball game per se.

Snooker, billiards and similar ball games currently are extremely popular, but have the disadvantage that a full-sized snooker or billiard table requires a room of relatively large dimensions, if the players are to have adequate access all around the table. Relatively few homes have a room which can be dedicated to the purpose of accommodating a full-sized snooker or billiard table, and so use is often made of a smaller table, or players have to visit premises where tables are provided expressly for the purpose of playing such ball games.

A principal object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a game base which, whilst simulating the playing area of a conventional fixed structure of a relatively large size (such as a billiard or snooker table), is nevertheless adapted to permit a reduction in the overall size thereof when not in use, for the transportation or storage of the game base.

According therefore to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game base comprising a flexible sheet having an upper playing surface suitable for the rolling of a ball thereover and of a shape and size appropriate for a ball-rolling game to be played thereon, said sheet being foldable or rollable to reduce the effective area thereof when not in use, a plurality of boundary members, and releasable means to attach the boundary members to the upper surface of the sheet so as to define the boundaries of the playing surface, each boundary member being detachable from the sheet but when attached thereto each boundary member upstands from the playing surface by an amount sufficient to allow a ball to rebound thereagainst.

It will be appreciated that the game base of this invention may have a size for example comparable to that of a conventional full-sized snooker table, but the flexible sheet may be folded or rolled into a relatively compact volume for storage or transportation purposes.

However, when a game is to be played, the flexible sheet may be unfolded or unrolled on to a suitable support surface (for example, two juxtaposed tables), whereafter the boundary members are attached to the sheet. The game base may then be used for playing a game, such as snooker or billiards. Instead of unfolding or unrolling the flexible sheet on a raised surface, as just mentioned above, the sheet may be unfolded or unrolled on to a floor or, out of doors, on to the ground, before the boundary members are attached thereto. In this case, the use of a snooker cue would not be particularly convenient, though in this case a game may still be played on the game base by using suitable clubs, such as golf putters, for striking the balls. In this way, it is possible to play a game on the game base which combines the interests and skills of both snooker and golf putting.

Accordingly, a further aspect of the present invention comprises apparatus for playing a ball game, which apparatus comprises a game base as defined above, in combination with a plurality of balls at least some of which may be distinguished from others, and at least one putter for striking the balls when placed on the upper playing surface of the game base.

Most preferably, the balls used in the apparatus are the same as or substantially the same as conventional golf balls, but appropriately cqloured in substantially the same manner as the colouring of balls used for playing the game of snooker. Thus, there may be 15 red balls and one each of the following colours: green, brown, yellow, blue, pink, black and white.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball game comprising, in combination, a game base of this invention as defined above, a plurality of coloured balls at least some of which may be distinguished from others, at least one putter for propelling balls over the upper playing surface of the game base, and a set of rules governing the manner in which the balls are propelled over the playing surface.

The flexible sheet used in the various aspects of this invention should have an upper playing surface which offers relatively little resistance to the rolling of a ball thereover. For example, a sheet of natural or synthetic rubber or rubber-like materials may be employed, provided that such materials have a relatively smooth upper surface. Another possibility would be to use a flexible material having a relatively short pile or felt-like upper surface, such as that material marketed under the Trade Mark Tuf turf. Other carpetlike sheet materials or even carpet underlay sheet materials may be found suitable for forming the flexible sheet of the game base.

The releasable means for attaching the boundary members to the upper surface of the sheet may take any suitable form, provided that such means do not significantly affect the flexibility of the flexible sheet and so do not significantly restrict the foldability or rollability of the flexible sheet. For example, the releasable means may comprise, for each boundary member, a plurality of aligned blocks attached to and spaced apart along the surface of the flexible sheet where a boundary member is to be provided, the boundary member being interengagable with those blocks.

To permit the boundary member securely to be attached to those blocks, it is preferred for the boundary member and the blocks to be capable of entering into a keying engagement, preferably by providing each block with a dovetail vertical section, the boundary member having an elongate undercut recess of a complementary form, so permitting the boundary member to be slid along the plurality of aligned blocks to engage with the dovetails thereof.

An alternative form of releasable means for attaching the boundary members to the flexible sheet may comprise spring clips engageable into recesses provided in the outer side wall of each boundary member and also engageable under the lower surface of the flexible sheet. Yet another possibility is to provide suitable elongate strips of two part hook-and-loop fasteners with one part disposed on the under-side of the boundary member and the other part on the upper surface of the flexible sheet, along the line where the boundary member is to be provided. Depending upon the nature of the flexible sheet itself, and provided that the hook-part of the hook-and-loop fastener is disposed on the boundary member, it may be possible to dispense with the loop part on the upper surface of the flexible sheet: in this case the boundary member may directly be secured to the flexible sheet merely by pressing the hook-part on the boundary member into engagement with the sheet, so simultaneously engaging the hooks of the hook-part with the pile or other surface of the flexible sheet.

Each boundary member preferably is formed of a relatively rigid material. For example, each boundary member may be of wood which advantageously may have an angled or curved inwardly-facing surface, so as to give better rebound characteristics when struck by a ball rolling on the playing surface.

The boundary members most preferably are configured so that the game playing surface is substantially rectangular in overall shape, with a gap formed between adjacent boundary members at each corner so as thereby to define a pocket for receiving a ball.

Most preferably two similar boundary members are provided along each long side of the rectangular playing surface, with a gap between the two members so as thereby to define a further pocket, midway along each long side of the playing surface. Preferably, retention means are provided to maintain a ball substantially in the vicinity of the pocket, in the event of a ball rolling through the gap defined between adjacent boundary members.

In order that the invention may better be understood, one specific embodiment of a game arranged in accordance with this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of the game base with parts cut away for clarity; Figure 2 is a part sectional view, taken on the line II II shown on Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, but of an alternative arrangement.

The game described hereinafter is intended to permit one or more players to simulate the playing of the game of snooker, whilst incorporating therein various aspects of golf putting, so combining in one game two of the most popular games currently played in the United Kingdom.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a substantially rectangular sheet of rollable or foldable material10 which is intended to be placed on a floor or carpeting of a room, for indoor use, or on any other flat level support, such as on a patio. The overall dimensions of the sheet 10 are not critical, but it is preferred substantially to adhere to the regulation size for a conventional snooker table, and so the playing area available within the boundary members (to be described below) should be approximately 2m x 3.5m. The nature of the sheet 10 should be selected so as to permit a golf ball to roll easily thereover, and two materials which have been found to be especially convenient and effective in practice are those commercially available under the names 'Dunlop Carpet Underlay' and 'Tufturf'.

Though the sheet 10 is substantially rectangular, each corner area is cut away as shown at 11, and midway along each long side 12 of the sheet 10, further cut-out portions 13 are provided.

In order to define the boundaries of the playing area and to form "cushions" similar to those provided on a conventional snooker table, there are provided six substantially rigid elongate members 14 each of which is releasably attached to the upper surface of the sheet 10. Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a vertical section through such a member, and it can be seen that the member 14 has a cross-section which is curved adjacent its upper surface 15, with the side walls 16 lying at an angle to one another so that their lower edges are closest together. Attached to the lower surface of the member 14 is an elongate strip 17 of the hook-part of a hook-and-loop fastener, that strip 17 extending for substantially the whole of the length of the member 14.Dependent upon the nature of the upper surface of the sheet 10, the strip 17 may engage directly with the pile 18 of that sheet 10, as shown in Figure 2. In the alternative, an elongate strip of the loop-part of the hook-and-loop fastener may be attached to the upper surface of the flexible sheet, for example by means of an adhesive, or by stapling. Such loopparts are also shown in Figure 1.

The members 1 4 are made to have such a length that there is a gap between adjacent members at each corner, aligned with the cut-out 11. The ends of the members 1 4 should appropriately be shaped, so as to define a pair of jaws permitting the entrance of a ball into the cutout 13. In a similar way, a gap should be provided between the members lying along the long sides 12, which gap is aligned with the cut-outs 13, again to give access to those cut-outs 13.

Any suitable retainer may be provided between the ends of adjacent strips, as shown at 19. Such retainers may comprise a shallow boundary wall typically faced with leather and provided with a net therebelow, somewhat in a manner similar to that used with a conventional snooker table, but not having any depth below the sheet 10. An audible indicator, such as a bell, may be provided in or near each pocket area, to signal the successful potting of a ball into the pocket.

Figure 3 shows an alternative arrangement for securing the members 14 to the sheet 10. Here a plurality of spaced-apart blocks 20 are suitably secured to the sheet 10, each block having a vertical dovetail shape, and each member having a complementary formed recess in its underside, whereby each member may be slid axially into engagement with the blocks, so as to secure the members to the sheet 10.

The base 10, before attachment of the members 14, can readily be rolled or folded to have a relatively small area, for storage or transportation. However, once the sheet 10 has been unfolded or rolled out and the members 14 have been engaged therewith, at least the edge areas of the sheet 10 become relatively stiff and rigid. The base thus defined so provides the possibility of having a playing surface of a comparable size to that of a conventional snooker table, but which when not required can be folded or rolled and put away.

In addition to the game base described above, for the playing of a game similar to that of snooker, there should be provided a suitably coloured set of balls, together with at least one golf putter. As with snooker, preferably 15 red balls and one each of green, brown, yellow, blue, pink, black and white are provided.

Such balls advantageously are standard golf balls but coloured, as mentioned above. The upper surface of the sheet 10 should be marked in the same manner as that employed with a conventional snooker table, to define where the balls are to be positioned, and so on.

The rules for playing a game on the game base and using golf balls and putters as described above should very closely resemble the rules of snooker, save in the following three respects: 1. A player may be allowed two successive hits on the cue ball, one after the other, but if a successful pot is achieved on the first hit, then the pocketed ball will score double the normal point value for that ball.

2. At least for an early stage of the game, when the cue ball must hit and pot a red ball before a coloured ball may be potted, the cue ball may strike any red ball on each of the two successive hits of a turn, presuming that no ball is potted on the first hit. As play progresses and the number of reds remaining on the playing surface is reduced, then the cue ball must strike the same ball on the second hit as the cue ball struck on the first hit, presuming that that red ball was not potted on the first hit. A typical number of reds for this transition to take place might be when only six red balls are left on the playing surface.

3. Unlike the game of golf, no "fresh air" shots should be permitted prior to actually making a hit on the cue ball.

Apart from the above three variations, the rules for playing a game of this invention should very closely follow the conventional rules of snooker - and if the players so agree, the above three variations need not be enforced.

Claims (19)

1. A game base comprising a flexible sheet having an upper playing surface suitable for the rolling of a ball thereover and of a shape and size appropriate for a ball-rolling game to be played thereon, said sheet being foldable or rollable to reduce the effective area thereof when not in use, a plurality of boundary members, and releasable means to attach the boundary members to the upper surface of the sheet so as to define the boundaries of the playing surface, each boundary member being detachable from the sheet but when attached thereto each boundary member upstands from the playing surface by an amount sufficient to allow a ball to rebound thereagainst.

2. A game base according to claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet has an upper playing surface which offers relatively little resistance to the rolling of a ball thereover.

3. A game base according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the flexible sheet has an upper surface provided with a relatively short pile or felt-like finish.

4. A game base according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the releasable means for attaching the boundary members to the upper suface of the flexible sheet may comprise, for each boundary member, a plurality of aligned blocks attached to and spaced apart along the surface of the flexible sheet where a boundary member is to be provided, the boundary member being interengageable with those blocks.

5. A game base according to claim 4, wherein each boundary member may enter into a keying engagement with each block associate therewith.

6. A game base according to claim 5, wherein each block has a dovetail vertical section, the boundary member having an elongate undercut recess of a complementary form, so permitting the boundary member to be slid along the plurality of aligned blocks to engage with the dovetails thereof.

7. A game base according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the releasable means for attaching the boundary members to the flexible sheet comprises spring clips engageable into recesses provided in the outer side wall of each boundary member and also engageable under the lower surface of the flexible sheet.

8. A game base according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the releasable means comprises elongate strips of two part hook-and-loop fasteners, one part thereof being attached to the under-side of the boundary member and the other part being attached to the upper surface of the flexible sheet, along the line where the boundary member is to be provided.

9. A game base according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the releasable means comprises the hook-part of an elongate hook-and-loop fastener, which hook-part is attached to the underside of the boundary member, engageable with the upper surface of the flexible sheet.

10. A game base according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each boundary member is formed of a relatively rigid material.

11. A game base according to claim 10, wherein each boundary member has an angled or curved inwardly-facing surface.

12. A game base according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the boundary members are configured so that the game playing surface is substantially rectangular in overall shape, a gap being formed between adjacent boundary members at each corner so as thereby to define a pocket for receiving a ball.

13. A game base according to claim 12, wherein two similar boundary members are provided along each long side of the rectangular playing surface, with a gap between the two members so as thereby to define a further pocket, midway along each long side of the playing surface.

14. A game base according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein retention means are provided to maintain a ball substantially in the vicinity of a pocket, in the event of a ball rolling through the gap defined between adjacent boundary members.

15. A game base substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 or in Figures 1 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

16. Apparatus for playing a ball game, which apparatus comprises a game base according to any of claims 1 to 15, in combination with a plurality of balls at least some of which may be distinguished from others, and at least one putter for striking the balls when placed on the upper playing surface of the game base.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein each ball is the same as or substantially the same as a conventional golf ball.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein 22 balls are provided, there being 15 red balls and one each of green, brown, yellow, blue, pink, black and white.

19. A ball game comprising, in combination, a game base according to any of claims 1 to 15, a plurality of coloured balls at least some of which may be distinguished from others, at least one putter for propelling balls over the upper playing surface of the game base, and a set of rules governing t-he manner in which the balls are propelled over the playing surface.