US20080015040A1 - Racking balls on a pool table - Google Patents
Racking balls on a pool table Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080015040A1 US20080015040A1 US11/785,936 US78593607A US2008015040A1 US 20080015040 A1 US20080015040 A1 US 20080015040A1 US 78593607 A US78593607 A US 78593607A US 2008015040 A1 US2008015040 A1 US 2008015040A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- rack
- balls
- ball
- pool
- view
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63D—BOWLING GAMES, e.g. SKITTLES, BOCCE OR BOWLS; INSTALLATIONS THEREFOR; BAGATELLE OR SIMILAR GAMES; BILLIARDS
- A63D15/00—Billiards, e.g. carom billiards or pocket billiards; Billiard tables
- A63D15/005—Ball-spotting racks, i.e. frames for positioning the balls in pocket billiards or pool
Definitions
- This invention relates to racking balls on a pool table.
- pool balls falling into the pockets of a pool table during a game are fed through primary conduits below the table and then passed one at a time through the field of view of a camera which identifies the colour and/or markings on the ball and forwards each ball through an appropriate secondary conduit to a rack located in a receiving position adjacent one end of the table.
- the rack is mounted on a carriage pivotally secured to the table at one end thereof so that, when the rack is full, the carriage can be pivoted from the receiving position to a discharge position over the table so that the balls can then be discharged from the rack in the correct formation on the table.
- Releasable retainers are provided to retain the balls in the rack during the pivoting movement and until the rack is in position over the table.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pool table provided with apparatus for racking balls in accordance with the invention and showing the rack in the receiving position,
- FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the conduits which the balls from the pockets to the rack,
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the carousel and the camera
- FIG. 4 is a side view thereof
- FIG. 5 a shows the mirror arrangement for providing the camera with more than one view of each ball
- FIG. 5 b shows typical views of the ball received by the camera
- FIG. 6 is a side view of the table showing the mechanism for feeding a ball to the correct secondary conduit
- FIG. 7 is a side view of the feeding mechanism
- FIGS. 8 a and 8 b show the balls as fed to the rack
- FIGS. 9 a and 9 b are side views showing the balls in the rack
- FIG. 9C is a side view of the rack showing the ball retainers
- FIG. 10 is a front view of the rack and associated mechanism in the receiving position
- FIG. 11 is the plan view thereof
- FIG. 12 shows mechanism associated with the rack
- FIG. 13 a is a side view of the mechanism
- FIG. 13 b is a side view of the cam
- FIG. 14 is a side view of the guide plate and parts associated therewith
- FIG. 15 is a similar view showing how the guide plate moves away from the rack when the rack is raised
- FIGS. 16 a , 16 b , 16 c and 17 show the actuation and function of the retainer pins
- FIGS. 18 a , 18 b , 18 c and 19 a , 19 b and 19 c show the actuation and function of the pivoted rear wall of the rack
- FIGS. 20 a and 20 b show further mechanism associated with the operation of the retainer pins and rear wall of the rack.
- FIG. 1 shows a pool table 10 has an upper portion 12 with a playing surface 14 and pockets 16 .
- the upper portion 12 is supported by end supports 18 , 20 .
- Pool balls 22 are shown on the playing surface 14 in the conventional starting position.
- primary conduits 24 extend below the table from each pocket 16 to a carousel 12 which feeds the balls 16 one at a time along a conduit 28 past the field of view of a camera 30 .
- mirrors 32 are positioned to provide the camera with 3 images of each ball 16 from different angles.
- the camera 30 is programmed to distinguish between the different kinds of balls 16 downstream of the camera 30 , a conduit 28 has a series of longitudinally spaced trap doors 34 , see FIGS. 6 and 7 . As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the trap doors 34 are pivotally mounted portions of the conduit 28 .
- Each trap door 34 has an upper position aligned with adjacent portions of the conduit 28 and a lower position in which a ball 16 in the trap door 34 is fed to one of five secondary conduits 36 over to a further secondary conduit 38 . Pivoting of each trap door 34 is effected by an actuator 40 which is controlled by the identification of which ball 16 has just been sensed by the camera 30 .
- the five secondary conduits 36 feed respective balls to a guide plate 42 adjacent one end of the table 10 and the secondary conduit 38 feeds the white ball to a trough 44 at the opposite end of the table 10 .
- the guide plate 42 guides the ball 16 into a triangular rack 46 . While the balls 16 are being fed to the rack 46 , the rear side ball 48 of the rack 46 is pivoted to a flat position as shown in FIG. 9 a . When the rack 46 is full, a rack 46 is then swung upwardly as will be described in more detail later. At the commencement of such upward movement, the guide plate 42 swings away from the rack 46 and the rear side ball 48 is pivoted to an upright position, as shown in FIG. 9 b , at the same time, retainer pins 50 move upwardly into the rack 46 to retain the balls therein, as will also be described in more detail later.
- the rack 46 is secured to a carrying plate 52 mounted on the leading ends of two arms 54 , 56 .
- the rear ends of the arms 54 , 56 are secured to a shaft 58 mounted in bearings 60 , 62 secured to adjacent end of the table 10 .
- An electric motor 64 also secured to the table 10 is operable to pivot the arms 54 , 56 , rack 46 and associated mechanism from the loading position shown in FIG. 10 to a discharge position above the table as shown in FIG. 13 a.
- FIGS. 14 and 15 show how the guide plate 42 swings away from the rack 46 when the rack 46 begins its upward swinging movement.
- the guide plate 42 is carried by a support arm 66 pivotally mounted on the end support 20 .
- a cable 68 passes from the guide plate 42 over a pulley 70 on the end support 20 and then downwardly therefrom, with a weight 72 at its lower end.
- the weight 72 biases the guide plate 42 to an upper position above the rack 46 .
- a lower end 69 of the support arm 66 engages mechanism associated with the rack 46 , and upward movement of the rack 46 permits upward movement of the guide plate 42 .
- adjacent portions of the secondary conduits 36 are flexible.
- FIGS. 16 a , 16 b , 16 c and 17 the retainer pins 50 have an expandable head portion 70 actuated by movement of a central pin member 72 .
- the opposite ends of the pin member 72 are secured to an actuating plate 74 which has a threaded aperture through which a rotatable screw actuator 76 passes. Rotation of the actuator 76 is effected by a motor (which will be described later)
- FIG. 16 shows the retainer pins 50 in a retracted position
- FIG. 16 b shows the retainer pins 50 in a raised position between the balls 16
- FIG. 16 c shows the retainer pins 50 with their head portions 70 expanded to retain the balls 16 in the rack 46 .
- FIGS. 18 a , 18 b , 18 c and 19 a , 19 b , 19 c show a further screw actuator 70 which operates to effect the necessary movement of the sidewall 48 of the rack 46 .
- FIGS. 20 a , 20 b show a chain drive 80 with a motor driven gear 82 which operate gears to which the screw actuator 76 , 77 are attached.
Landscapes
- Pinball Game Machines (AREA)
Abstract
Pool balls falling into the pockets of a pool table during a game are fed through primary conduits below the table and then passed one at a time through the field of view of a camera which identifies the color and/or markings on the ball and forwards each ball through an appropriate secondary conduit to a rack located in a receiving position adjacent one end of the table. The rack is mounted on a carriage pivotally secured to the table at one end thereof so that, when the rack is full, the carriage can be pivoted from the receiving position to a discharge position over the table so that the balls can then be discharged from the rack in the correct formation on the table. Releasable retainers are provided to retain the balls in the rack during the pivoting movement and until the rack is in position over the table.
Description
- This application claims priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application 60/794,138 filed Apr. 24, 2006. - This invention relates to racking balls on a pool table.
- As is well known, it is conventional to start a game of pool by arranging the balls in a specific triangular formation on a pool table. A triangular frame known as a rack is used to enable the balls to be manually placed in the required formation. However, this manual procedure is somewhat time consuming and tedious.
- It is therefore an object of the invention to provide apparatus for racking balls on a pool table.
- According to the invention, pool balls falling into the pockets of a pool table during a game are fed through primary conduits below the table and then passed one at a time through the field of view of a camera which identifies the colour and/or markings on the ball and forwards each ball through an appropriate secondary conduit to a rack located in a receiving position adjacent one end of the table. The rack is mounted on a carriage pivotally secured to the table at one end thereof so that, when the rack is full, the carriage can be pivoted from the receiving position to a discharge position over the table so that the balls can then be discharged from the rack in the correct formation on the table. Releasable retainers are provided to retain the balls in the rack during the pivoting movement and until the rack is in position over the table.
- One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying descriptive drawings, of which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pool table provided with apparatus for racking balls in accordance with the invention and showing the rack in the receiving position, -
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the conduits which the balls from the pockets to the rack, -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the carousel and the camera, -
FIG. 4 is a side view thereof, -
FIG. 5 a shows the mirror arrangement for providing the camera with more than one view of each ball, -
FIG. 5 b shows typical views of the ball received by the camera, -
FIG. 6 is a side view of the table showing the mechanism for feeding a ball to the correct secondary conduit, -
FIG. 7 is a side view of the feeding mechanism, -
FIGS. 8 a and 8 b show the balls as fed to the rack, -
FIGS. 9 a and 9 b are side views showing the balls in the rack, -
FIG. 9C is a side view of the rack showing the ball retainers, -
FIG. 10 is a front view of the rack and associated mechanism in the receiving position, -
FIG. 11 is the plan view thereof, -
FIG. 12 shows mechanism associated with the rack, -
FIG. 13 a is a side view of the mechanism, -
FIG. 13 b is a side view of the cam, -
FIG. 14 is a side view of the guide plate and parts associated therewith, -
FIG. 15 is a similar view showing how the guide plate moves away from the rack when the rack is raised, -
FIGS. 16 a, 16 b, 16 c and 17 show the actuation and function of the retainer pins, -
FIGS. 18 a, 18 b, 18 c and 19 a, 19 b and 19 c show the actuation and function of the pivoted rear wall of the rack, and -
FIGS. 20 a and 20 b show further mechanism associated with the operation of the retainer pins and rear wall of the rack. - Referring to the drawings,
FIG. 1 shows a pool table 10 has anupper portion 12 with aplaying surface 14 andpockets 16. Theupper portion 12 is supported by end supports 18, 20.Pool balls 22 are shown on theplaying surface 14 in the conventional starting position. - In accordance with the invention and referring now also to FIGS. 2 to 4,
primary conduits 24 extend below the table from eachpocket 16 to acarousel 12 which feeds theballs 16 one at a time along aconduit 28 past the field of view of acamera 30. As shown inFIGS. 5 a and 5 b,mirrors 32 are positioned to provide the camera with 3 images of eachball 16 from different angles. Thecamera 30 is programmed to distinguish between the different kinds ofballs 16 downstream of thecamera 30, aconduit 28 has a series of longitudinally spacedtrap doors 34, seeFIGS. 6 and 7 . As shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 , thetrap doors 34 are pivotally mounted portions of theconduit 28. Eachtrap door 34 has an upper position aligned with adjacent portions of theconduit 28 and a lower position in which aball 16 in thetrap door 34 is fed to one of fivesecondary conduits 36 over to a furthersecondary conduit 38. Pivoting of eachtrap door 34 is effected by an actuator 40 which is controlled by the identification of whichball 16 has just been sensed by thecamera 30. The fivesecondary conduits 36 feed respective balls to aguide plate 42 adjacent one end of the table 10 and thesecondary conduit 38 feeds the white ball to atrough 44 at the opposite end of the table 10. - Referring now to
FIGS. 8 a, 8 b and 9 a, 9 b, 9 c, theguide plate 42 guides theball 16 into atriangular rack 46. While theballs 16 are being fed to therack 46, therear side ball 48 of therack 46 is pivoted to a flat position as shown inFIG. 9 a. When therack 46 is full, arack 46 is then swung upwardly as will be described in more detail later. At the commencement of such upward movement, theguide plate 42 swings away from therack 46 and therear side ball 48 is pivoted to an upright position, as shown inFIG. 9 b, at the same time, retainer pins 50 move upwardly into therack 46 to retain the balls therein, as will also be described in more detail later. - As shown in
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, therack 46 is secured to a carrying plate 52 mounted on the leading ends of twoarms arms bearings arms rack 46 and associated mechanism from the loading position shown inFIG. 10 to a discharge position above the table as shown inFIG. 13 a. -
FIGS. 14 and 15 show how theguide plate 42 swings away from therack 46 when therack 46 begins its upward swinging movement. Theguide plate 42 is carried by asupport arm 66 pivotally mounted on theend support 20. Acable 68 passes from theguide plate 42 over a pulley 70 on theend support 20 and then downwardly therefrom, with a weight 72 at its lower end. The weight 72 biases theguide plate 42 to an upper position above therack 46. A lower end 69 of thesupport arm 66 engages mechanism associated with therack 46, and upward movement of therack 46 permits upward movement of theguide plate 42. To permit such upward movement of theguide plate 42, adjacent portions of thesecondary conduits 36 are flexible. - As shown in
FIGS. 16 a, 16 b, 16 c and 17 the retainer pins 50 have an expandable head portion 70 actuated by movement of a central pin member 72. The opposite ends of the pin member 72 are secured to an actuating plate 74 which has a threaded aperture through which arotatable screw actuator 76 passes. Rotation of theactuator 76 is effected by a motor (which will be described later)FIG. 16 shows the retainer pins 50 in a retracted position,FIG. 16 b shows the retainer pins 50 in a raised position between theballs 16, andFIG. 16 c shows the retainer pins 50 with their head portions 70 expanded to retain theballs 16 in therack 46. -
FIGS. 18 a, 18 b, 18 c and 19 a, 19 b, 19 c show a further screw actuator 70 which operates to effect the necessary movement of thesidewall 48 of therack 46.FIGS. 20 a, 20 b show achain drive 80 with a motor drivengear 82 which operate gears to which thescrew actuator - The operation of the apparatus described above will now be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art. Other embodiments of the invention will also be readily apparent.
Claims (2)
1. A method of racking balls on a pool table, said method including:
feeding pool balls falling into the pockets of a pool table during a game through primary conduits below the table and then passing the balls one at a time through the field of view of a camera which identifies the color and/or markings on the ball and forwards each ball through an appropriate secondary conduit to a rack located in a receiving position adjacent one end of the table and mounted on a carriage pivotably secured to the table at one end thereof, and
pivoting the carriage from the receiving position to a discharge position over the table and discharging the balls from the rack in the correct formation on the table.
2. A method of racking balls on a pool table, said method including:
feeding pool balls falling into the pockets of a pool table during a game through primary conduits below the table and then passing the balls one at a time through the field of view of a camera which identifies the color and/or markings on the ball and forwards each ball through an appropriate secondary conduit to a rack located in a receiving position below the table.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/785,936 US20080015040A1 (en) | 2006-04-24 | 2007-04-23 | Racking balls on a pool table |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US79413806P | 2006-04-24 | 2006-04-24 | |
US11/785,936 US20080015040A1 (en) | 2006-04-24 | 2007-04-23 | Racking balls on a pool table |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20080015040A1 true US20080015040A1 (en) | 2008-01-17 |
Family
ID=38949930
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/785,936 Abandoned US20080015040A1 (en) | 2006-04-24 | 2007-04-23 | Racking balls on a pool table |
Country Status (1)
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US (1) | US20080015040A1 (en) |
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2479902A (en) * | 2010-04-28 | 2011-11-02 | Christopher Mark Southworth | Billiards apparatus for automatically tallying a player's score |
JP2012502559A (en) * | 2008-09-03 | 2012-01-26 | ソニー株式会社 | 3D video distribution |
CN103537094A (en) * | 2012-07-17 | 2014-01-29 | 饶涛 | Billiard table capable of automatically placing balls |
CN103638675A (en) * | 2013-11-20 | 2014-03-19 | 上海交通大学 | Continuous identification device and method for panchromatic billiards and bi-color billiards |
CN104258560A (en) * | 2014-09-18 | 2015-01-07 | 青岛科技大学 | Fully automatic billiard ball placement machine |
CN104784920A (en) * | 2015-04-21 | 2015-07-22 | 上海交通大学 | Ball placing device of automatic billiard machine |
CN106474723A (en) * | 2016-12-16 | 2017-03-08 | 福建工程学院 | Billiard ball automatic swing ball machine |
-
2007
- 2007-04-23 US US11/785,936 patent/US20080015040A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2012502559A (en) * | 2008-09-03 | 2012-01-26 | ソニー株式会社 | 3D video distribution |
GB2479902A (en) * | 2010-04-28 | 2011-11-02 | Christopher Mark Southworth | Billiards apparatus for automatically tallying a player's score |
CN103537094A (en) * | 2012-07-17 | 2014-01-29 | 饶涛 | Billiard table capable of automatically placing balls |
CN103638675A (en) * | 2013-11-20 | 2014-03-19 | 上海交通大学 | Continuous identification device and method for panchromatic billiards and bi-color billiards |
CN104258560A (en) * | 2014-09-18 | 2015-01-07 | 青岛科技大学 | Fully automatic billiard ball placement machine |
CN104784920A (en) * | 2015-04-21 | 2015-07-22 | 上海交通大学 | Ball placing device of automatic billiard machine |
CN106474723A (en) * | 2016-12-16 | 2017-03-08 | 福建工程学院 | Billiard ball automatic swing ball machine |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |