GB2479902A - Billiards apparatus for automatically tallying a player's score - Google Patents

Abstract

Billiards apparatus 10 comprises a table 12 having a raised perimeter edge 14, a plurality of ball holders 20 provided beneath respective openings 18 formed in spaced relationship around the raised perimeter edge 14, electronic monitoring means 22 at or adjacent to each opening 18 and/or ball holder 20, and electronic counter means 24 for totaling values associated with colours of standard unmodified balls 16 and for applying the total to a player's score. The monitoring means 22 includes detection means (28, see figure 2) for detecting a ball 16 passing through the opening 18 and/or into the ball holder 20 and colour recognition means (30) for determining a colour of the ball 16. The detection means (28) includes a camera imaging device (36).

Description

Billiards Apparatus The present invention relates to billiards apparatus for automatically tallying a player's points, the billiards apparatus relating particularly but not necessarily exclusively to snooker.

Snooker and other billards games are popular around the world. However, these games have used and continue to use manual scoring systems, typically involving a slider being moved by each player along a counter as they score points. This potentially leads to inaccuracies and mistakes during the totalling and applying of scores.

The present invention seeks to provide a solution to or at least mitigate these problems.

According to the present invention, there is provided billiards apparatus comprising a fabric-covered table having a raised perimeter edge, a plurality of standard unmodified balls, a plurality of ball holders provided beneath respective openings formed in spaced relationship around the raised perimeter edge, at least one cue for striking one said unmodified ball, electronic monitoring means at or adjacent to each opening and/or ball holder, the monitoring means including detection means having a camera imaging device for detecting an unmodified ball passing through the opening and/or into the ball holder and colour recognition means for recognising a colour of the unmodified ball, and electronic counter means for totalling values associated with recognised colours of the unmodified balls and for applying the total to a player's score.

Preferable and/or optional features of the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 17, inclusive.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of billiards apparatus, in accordance with the present invention; Figures 2 shows an enlarged view of an imaging device fomñng part of the billiards apparatus; Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of counter means, again forming part of the billiards apparatus; and Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of selection means which forms part of the billiards apparatus.

Refening now to the drawings, there is shown billiards apparatus 10 which comprises a rectangular fabric-covered table 12 having a raised elastic perimeter edge 14 for rebounding a ball, a plurality of standard unmodified balls 16, and at least one cue for striking a standard unmodified cue ball.

The table 12 includes a plurality of openings 18 spaced around the raised perimeter edge 14. The openings 18 are provided at the corners and midway along the longitudinal sides of the table 12.

A ball holder 20 is provided beneath each opening 18. In this case, the ball holders 20 are flexible mesh or net pockets, but they may be of any suitable arrangement. For example, the ball holders 20 may be rigid runners for holding the balls 16 in a row.

The table 12 shown in Figure 1 is a snooker table, but the present invention can be applied to any form of billiards using pockets or openings to receive standard unmodified balls in order to score points, such as pool.

The billiards apparatus 10 further comprises electronic monitoring means 22, electronic counter means 24, and electronic selection means 26. The monitoring means 22 includes detection means 28 and colour recognition means 30. The detection means 28 is provided at each ball holder 20, but may be, either alternatively or additionally, provided at each opening 18, for example, embedded or recessed within the raised perimeter edge 14.

The detection means 28, in this embodiment, includes an imaging device 32 in or on a housing 34, having a camera 36 and onboard processor with movement detection software and/or hardware within the housing 34, and a bracket 38 for mounting the housing 34 adjacent to the ball holder 20. The hardware may include a photodiode 37 and receiver 39 such that, when a ball 16 passing into the ball holder 20 reflects a beam of light emitted by the photodiode 37, the receiver 39 sends a suitable detection signal back to the processor.

The colour recognition means 30 is preferably colour recognition software provided onboard with the processor so that, once movement of the standard unmodified ball is detected and an image is taken by the camera 36 of the imaging device 32, the colour recognition software determines the colour of the potted ball 16.

A wireless transmitter, utilising any suitable wireless signal transmission protocol, such as infra red, radio frequency, microwave, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth RTM, is also provided in the housing 34 of each imaging device 32. A colour dependent signal is thus outputted to the counter means 24 based on an output of the colour recognition software.

Preferably, each imaging device 32 is battery operated. However, additionally or alternatively, each imaging device 32 may be mains powered.

Furthermore, although intended to be permanently attached to the table 12, the detection means 28 may be removable, and this is facilitated due to the wireless connection with the counter means 24 and, optionally, the selection means 26.

The counter means 24 is a large unit which is suspendable over the table 12, and includes a slim counter housing 40 having a light emitting device 42. In this case, the light emitting device 42 is a rectilinear array of light emitting diodes, which offer reduced power consumption whilst providing high luminous intensity.

Display means 44 is also incorporated into the counter housing 40. The display means 44 includes three discreet spaced displays 46, 48, 50, preferably being LCD or LED displays, provided within or on main side surfaces of the counter housing 40. Two of the displays 46, 48 relate to players scores, and may include an image of the players.

The third display 50, which in this case is provided intermediate the players displays 46, 48, shows a points total of the current player. The displays 46, 48, 50 may be viewable from either side of the counter housing 40, or corresponding separate displays may be incorporated on the other main side surface.

A wireless receiver is provided within the counter housing 40 to receive signals from the monitoring means 22 and the selection means 26. An electronic counter circuit, provided within the counter housing 40, totals a current score determined by the monitoring means 22 and the selection means 26 when necessary and controls the tally display 50 to show a real time tally.

The selection means 26 is a smaller unit, preferably provided on a side of the table 12, and includes a selection housing 52 having a user-interface 54 thereon. The user-interface 54 comprises first and second selectors 56 for selecting first and second players, and a plurality of fowl selectors 58 for selecting different fowl scores.

The selection housing 52 also includes a wireless transmitter for wirelessly communicating with the counter means 24. Preferably the selection means 26 is also battery operated, although it may, alternatively or additionally, be mains powered similarly to the counter means 24 and the monitoring means 22.

As a user pots a standard unmodified ball 16, the imaging device 32 of the monitoring means 22 detects the ball 16 and the colour recognition software determines the colour.

The processor outputs via the wireless transmitter to the counter means 24 the score value associated with the colour. The tally display 50 thus totals and displays an on-going points score for the current player's break.

Once the break is over, the culTent player presses their designated first or second selector 56 on the user-interface 54 of the selection means 26, and the counter means 24 then applies the score tallied by the tally display 50 to the player's ongoing score displayed by the respective player's display 46, 48. The tally display 50 is then automatically cleared ready for the next break.

If a fowl is committed, then the appropriate fowl selector 58 relating to the fowl score is pressed. The tally display 50 updates with the fowl score. The player then presses the first or second selector 56 as necessity dictates to apply the fowl score to the correct player's ongoing score.

When the player selector 56 is pressed, the corresponding first display 46 or second display 48 illuminates to indicate the application of the tallied break score.

In this embodiment, the monitoring means and the selection means both communicate wirelessly with the counter means, but do not communicate with each other. However, the monitoring means and the selection means may electronically communicate with each other, dependent on necessity.

It is thus possible to provide billiards apparatus which makes it simple and automatic to determine values of potted balls and to keep an accurate real time tally of a break. It is also possible to provide billiards apparatus which, through the manual operation of one button, applies a break score to a player's ongoing score. The billiards apparatus is cost-effective to produce, since it uses low-cost wireless components, and is straightforward to retro-fit to existing tables, such as snooker tables and pool tables. The billiards apparatus can thus be provided as a kit of parts, and is particularly beneficial since it does not require any modification to the standard balls used when normally playing the game.

The embodiments described above are provided by way of examples only, and various other modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. Claims 1. Billiards apparatus comprising a fabric-covered table having a raised perimeter edge, a plurality of standard unmodified balls, a plurality of ball holders provided beneath respective openings formed in spaced relationship around the raised perimeter edge, at least one cue for striking one said unmodified ball, electronic monitoring means at or adjacent to each opening and/or ball holder, the monitoring means including detection means having a camera imaging device for detecting an unmodified ball passing through the opening and/or into the ball holder and colour recognition means for recognising a colour of the unmodified ball, and electronic counter means for totalling values associated with recognised colours of the unmodified balls and for applying the total to a player's score.
2. 2. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the colour recognition means includes a recognition circuit for receiving an output of the detection means and for outputting a determined value to the counter means.
3. 3. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the counter means is remote from the monitoring means.
4. 4. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the counter means includes a wireless receiver and the monitoring means includes a wireless transmitter for wireless communication with the wireless receiver of the counter means.
5. 5. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the counter means is suspendable over the table.
6. 6. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the counter means includes display means for displaying a score of the or each player.
7. 7. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the display means can also display a real time total of a current player.
8. 8. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the display means includes a discreet display for each player.
9. 9. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the counter means includes a rectilinear array of light emitting diodes for lighting the table.
10. 10. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising selection means for selecting a player to which the total should be applied.
11. 11. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the selection means includes a wireless transmitter for wireless communication with the counter means.
12. 12. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the selection means is mountable on the table.
13. 13. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the selection means includes fowl means for adding a fowl score via the counter means to a player's score.
14. 14. Billiards apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the fowl means includes a plurality of discreet user-operable elements, each relating to a different fowl score.
15. 15. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the table is a snooker table, and the balls are snooker balls.
16. 16. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ball holders are pockets.
17. 17. Billiards apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in the form of a kit of parts.
18. 18. Billiards apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.