GB2401323A

GB2401323A - Shaft for billiards cue

Info

Publication number: GB2401323A
Application number: GB0310352A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jung-Shih Chang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-05-06
Filing date: 2003-05-07
Publication date: 2004-11-10
Also published as: CA2427979A1; GB0310352D0

Abstract

A shaft of a billiards cue has an elongated skeleton 20 having a core 22 and one or more ribs 24 transversely projecting from the core 22 and a shaft body having an axial receiving space 36 which is complementable to the skeleton for receiving the skeleton. The shaft body of the shaft is preferably formed by two or more wooden sections 30 compassing the skeleton therebetween. The ribs 24 may be isometrically arranged about the core 22 and there are preferably the same number of ribs 24 and sections 30. The distal ends of the ribs 24 may be exposed through the sections 30. Preferably, the core is hollow (Fig 11).

Description

2401 323

AN IMPROVED SHAFT FOR BILLIARD CUE

BACKGROUND OF TIlE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a billiard cue and, more particularly, to an improved shaft for billiard cues, which is free from warping and deformation.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional billiard cue made of wood, particularly to a shaft of the cue, has a superior performance in flexibility and ductility. The wooden billiard cue however has some drawbacks, such as the shaft will be deformed or bent specially under moist cnvironrnents.

In addition, the orientations of fibers in natural wood are nonhomogeneous causing the fact that the hitting force of a billiard cue with a shaft made of the natural wood can not concentrate on the axis thereof. As a result, the player is unable to hit the ball with precision.

There were billiard cues with a shaft made of composite material or a wooden shaft covered by a layer of composite material. Such billiard cues can be prevented from warping or deformation and have homogeneous fiber orientations therein. The composite billiard cue, however, is viscous on the surface. It is conceivable that a sticky billiard cue gives its user an uncomfortable feeling and hinders its user to hit the balls smoothly.

SUMMARY OF TINE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a shaft of a billiard cue with the physical property of a wooden material without the drawback of warping caused by moisture.

The secondary object of the present invention is to provide a shalt of a billiard cue enabling a player to hit the balls with a greater precision.

The third object of the present invention to provide a shaft of a billiard cue, which is free from the problem of stickiness.

According to the objects of the present invention, a shaft of a billiard cue comprises an elongated skeleton having a core and at least one rib transversally projecting from said core, and a shaft body having an axial receiving space which is complementable to said skeleton for receiving said skeleton therein. Wherein the shaft body is preferably assembled by a plurality of sections that compass around the skeleton.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention under a combined condition; FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention under an exploded condition; FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a second preferred embodiment the present invention under a combined condition; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a third preferred embodiment the present invention under a combined condition; FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a fourth preferred embodiment the present invention under an exploded condition; FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the fourth preferred embodiment the present invention under the combined condition; FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a fifth preferred embodiment the present invention under the combined condition; FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a sixth preferred embodiment the present invention under the combined condition; FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a seventh preferred embodiment the present invention under the combined condition; FIG. 12 is a sectional view of an eighth preferred embodiment of the present invention under an exploded condition; FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the eighth preferred embodiment of the present invention under a combined condition; and FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a ninth preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, the first preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a billiard cue having a shaft 10, a butt 14, a ferrule 16 and a tip 18. The shaft is substantially a taper-like column with 740 mm in length. The shaft 10 has a butt end 11 Wit}l 20 mm in diameter (the diameter of the butt end 11 might be in the range of 20 mm to 22 mm) and a tip end 12 with 13 mm in diameter (the diameter of the tip end 12 might be in the range of 9 mm to 14 mm). The butt 14 is coupled with the shaft I O at the butt end I I of the shaft, and the ferrule 16 and tip 18 are sequcutially secured at the tip end 12 of the shalt 10.

As shown in FlCS. from FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the shalt I O includes an elongated skeleton 20 and a shaft body which is fonned of four wooden sections 30. When the four wooden sections 30 are assembled with one another to form the shaft body, an axial receiving space that is complementable to the skeleton is formed inside the shaft body for receiving the skeleton. The skeleton 20 is made of graphite-fber reinforced plastic material in the present preferred embodiment, of course, it also can be made other materials like plastic, metal or proper wood materials (other than the wood material of sections 30) and so on The skeleton 20 is 740 mm in length that is equal to or shorter than the length of the shaft 10. The skeleton 20 has an elongated core 22 and four ribs 24 transversely radially projecting from the core 22 along diameter orientations thereof in an isometric distribution. The thickness of each rib 24 is about 2 mm and the length thereof, i.c. the distance between a center of the core 22 and a distal end of the rib 24, is smaller than the radius of the shaft 10. In other words, the diameter of the skeleton 20 (the distance between the distal ends of two opposite ribs 24) is smaller than the diameter of the shaft 10. In the present embodiment, the diameters of the butt end and the tip end of the shaft 10 are 20 mm and 13 mm respectively and the diameters of the corresponding ends of the skeleton 20 are 17 mm and 10 mm. In other words, the skeleton 20 is tapering from the relatively wider butt end to the relatively smaller tip end.

The sections 30 compassing around the skeleton can be made of a known wood material that makes the conventional billiard cues, such as maple, mahogany or walnut etc., and the lengths of the wooden sections 30 are equal to or longer than the length of the skeleton 20. Each wooden section 30 is a sector, and more precisely, is a 1/4 circle in the cross-section having an arched face 32 and two symmetrical lateral faces 34. The wooden section 30 further has two recesses 36 respectively on the lateral faces 24 thereof.

The wooden sections 30 are disposed in the spaces between each pair of the ribs 24 of the skeleton 20 with the arched faces 32 orientating outwardly such that the ribs 24 are received in the recesses 36 of corresponding wooden sections 30. The wooden section 30 has parts of the lateral faces 34 which are directly attached to that of the neighboring section 30. Glue is added between the skeleton 20 and the wooden sections 30 to firmly combine them together. When the skeleton 20 and all of the wooden sections 30 are combined together, the arched faces 32 of the wooden sections will form the rounded surface of the shaft 10.

Basically, the shaft of the present invention includes a skeleton and a shaft body composed of a plurality of wooden sections. The amount of the wooden sections is identical to that of the ribs of the skeleton in the above-mentioned embodiment. The shape and size of the wooden sections correspond with the space between each two of the ribs for receiving the wooden sections therein. With the same concept, the shaft of the present invention may have many alternate structures, and which will be described hereunder.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a shaft 40 including a skeleton 41 and three wooden sections 42.

The skeleton 41 has a core 43 and three ribs to form a Y-shape in a crosssection thereof. Each wooden section 42 is a sector of 1/3 circle in a cross-section thereof. it is similar to the first preferred embodiment, each wooden section 42 has two lateral faces 45 which radial lengths are larger than the lengths of the ribs 44 of the skeleton 41 and s each lateral face 45 has a recess 46 thereon for receiving the ribs 41 therein.

FIG. 6 shows a shaft 50 of the third preferred embodiment of the present invention having a skeleton 51 with eight ribs 52 and eight wooden sections 53 of 1/8 circle in a cross-section thereof. The wooden sections 53 are received in spaces S between each pair of the ribs 52 respectively.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 shows a shaft 60 of the fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention, similar to the first preferred embodiment, having a skeleton 62 with four ribs 61 and four wooden sections 63. The diameter of the skeleton 62 is as same as the diameter of the shaft 60 and the wooden sections 63 provide no recess thereon. Distal ends of the ribs 61 are exposed outside after the wooden sections 63 being coupled with the skeleton 62 and no wooden section 63 is attached with the other.

The shaft 60 of the fourth preferred embodiment has four ribs 61 of the skeleton 62 extending along an elongated orientation of the shaft 60 from a perspective view (not shown).

I S The amounts of the ribs and the wooden sections of the shaft described in the fourth preferred embodiment can be set to three or eight as shafts 70 and 80 shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10. Of course, the amounts of the ribs and the wooden sections other than the shafts as described above are accepted.

As shown in FIG. 11, the seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a shaft 90 including a skeleton 91 having a core 93 and four ribs 94 and four wooden sections 92. The shaft 90 of the seventh preferred embodiment is similar to the shafts described in above preferred embodiments, except that the core 93 of the skeleton 91 is a hollow column, in other words, the core 93 has a an elongated hole. The shaft 90 of the seventh preferred embodiment has a<lvantages of weight reducing and less material being used.

As shown in I;IGS. 12 and 13, the eighth preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a shaft 100 including a skeleton 101 having a core 1()2 and four ribs 103, and two wooden sections 104 receiving the skeleton 101 therein.

As shown in FIG. 14, the ninth preferred embodiment of the prcscut invention provides a shaft 110 including a skeleton 111 having a core 1 12 and one rib 113 transversely extending from the core 1 12, and two wooden sections 1 14 receiving the skeleton 111 therein.

The advantages of the present invention arc: 1. The shaft of the present invention still keeps the physical property of a wooden material and has an appearance of a wooden shaft. The skeleton that is made of composite material (FRP), plastic, metal or proper wood providing the shaft of the present invention a superior capacity of preventing from deformation and warping.

2. To compare with the conventional composite material shaft or the shaft covered by a layer of composite materia;, the present invention is free from the stickiness problem of the conventional billiard cue.

3. Typically, the isometric ribs of the skeleton are arranged in the shaft that makes the shaft having a homogeneous stress distribution. The shaft of the present invention, therefore, can enable a player to hit the balls with a greater precision and controllability.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: I. An improved shaft of a billiard cue comprising: an

elongated skeleton having a core a rid at least one rib transversally projecting front said core; a shaft body having an axial receiving space which is complementable to said skeleton for receiving said skeleton therein.

2. The shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shaft body is formed by at least two wooden sections compassing said skeleton therebetween.

3. The shaft as claimed in claim 2, wherein the elongated skeleton has a plurality of said ribs projecting from the core of the elongated skeleton in an isometric distribution.

4. The shaft as claimed in claim 3, wherein the amount of the wooden sections is identical to that of said ribs, and each of the wooden sections is disposed in a space between each two of said ribs.

5. The shaft as claimed in claim 4, wherein said wooden section is a sector having two symmetric lateral faces; wherein each of said lateral faces has a recess, and at least a part of each said rib is received in the recess of the respective wooden section.

(I. 1 he shaft as claimed in claim 4, wherein said wooden section is a sector x having two symmetric lateral faces, and said ribs of the skeleton are attached directly with the lateral faces of said wooden sections; wherein each of said ribs has a distal end exposed outside.

S 7. The shalt as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shaft has two of the wooden sections, and the elongated skeleton is absolutely encompassed by the wooden sections.

S. The shaft as claimed in claim 3, wherein the shaft has two of the wooden sections, and each of said ribs has a distal end exposed outside.

9. The shaft as claimed in claim 2, wherein each said wooden section respectively has a length substantially equal to or longer than the length of the skeleton.

10. The shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core of the skeleton is a hollow column.

11. The shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skeleton is made of a material selected from a group consisting of fiber reinforced plastic, plastic and metal.

12. The shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the skeleton is made of a wood material other than the wood material of said sections.

13. An improved shaft of a billiard cue comprising: an elongated skeleton having a core and at least one rib transversely projecting from said core; at least two wooden sections compassing said skeleton therebetweeil.

14. The shaft as claimed in claim 13, wherein the elongated skeleton has a plurality of said ribs projecting from the core of the elongated skeleton in an isometric distribution.

IS. The shaft as claimed in claim 14, wherein the amount of the wooden sections is identical to that of said ribs, and each of the wooden sections is disposed in a space between each two of said ribs.

16. The shaft as claimed in claim 15, wherein said wooden section is a sector having two symmetric lateral faces; wherein each of said lateral faces has a recess, and at least a part of each said rib is received in the recess of the respective wooden section.

17. The shaft as claimed in claim 15, wherein said wooden section is a sector having two symmetric lateral faces, and said ribs of the skeleton are attached directly with the lateral faces of said wooden sections; wherein each of said ribs has a distal I end exposed outside.

18. The shaft as claimed in claim 14, wherein the shaft has two of the wooden sections, and the elongated skeleton is absolutely encompassed by the wooden 2 ' SCCtiOlIS.

19. The shaft as claimed in claim 14, wherein the shaft has two of the wooden sections, and each of said ribs has a distal end exposed outside.

20. Talc shaft as claimed in claim 13, wherein each said wooden section respectively has a length substantially equal to or longer than the length of the skeleton.

21. The shaft as claimed in claim]3, wherein the core of the skeleton is a hollow column.

22. A shaft of a billiard cue, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, Figure 5, Figure 6, Figures 7 and 8, Figure 9, Figure 10, Figure 11, Figures 12 and 13 or Figure 14. it.