Abstract:
A cue having a hollow cylindrical handle and a hollow cylindrical shaft with a constant external diameter. A tip member fixed to one end of the shaft and a connector fixed to the other end of the shaft. A butt member fixed to one end of the handle and a connecting member fixed to the other end of the shaft to connect the handle to the shaft. An adjustable weight is located in the hollow handle and a bridge sleeve surrounds the shaft. The bridge sleeve has a bushing at each end with an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the shaft so that the shaft can slide through the bridge sleeve to cause a steady movement of the cue.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a billiard cue or a pool cue and more particularly to a cue which is provided with an adjustable weight in the handle and a bridge sleeve slideably mounted on the shaft. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Multipart billiard cues and pool cues have a shaft with an end connected to an end of a handle by a threaded connecting arrangement. A butt member is located at the distal end of the handle and a replaceable tip for contacting a ball is located at the distal end of the shaft. A slideable bridge sleeve may be located around the shaft of the cue to permit movement of the shaft relative to the sleeve. The player holds the bridge sleeve in a stationary position with one hand and grasps the handle of the cue with the other hand to slide the cue laterally along its axis through the stationary bridge sleeve. The bridge sleeve provides a straight and steady movement of the cue and enables the player to contact a ball with greater accuracy than is possible when the player&#39;s hand is used to form the bridge. A cue may have a weight in the handle which is adjusted for the individual player when the cue is purchased. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a metal or plastic cue having a hollow cylindrical handle which has one end threadedly connected to an end of a hollow cylindrical shaft. The shaft has a substantially constant outer diameter throughout its length and an annular flange is located at each end of the shaft. A bridge sleeve is slideably mounted on the shaft to permit relative sliding movement between the shaft and the sleeve. The diameter of the bridge sleeve is greater than the outer diameter of the shaft and a bushing is located within each end of the sleeve to contact the outer surface of the shaft and provide for smooth movement of the shaft through the sleeve. The bushings may be made of a hard synthetic material to provide for easy sliding movement of the shaft and to resist wear caused by the movement of the shaft through the bridge sleeve. The substantially constant outer diameter of the shaft is important since the bushings in the ends of the bridge sleeve have a constant inner diameter and the full length of the shaft must slide coaxially through the bushings. 
     The bridge sleeve forms a more efficient bridge than a player&#39;s fingers since it does not change in shape during a cue stroke. Also, perspiration has no effect on a shot when the bridge sleeve is used since the shaft does not stick during a stroke. The bridge sleeve causes the cue tip to contact a ball with improved accuracy which results in a more accurate shot such as when the player imparts a spin to the ball. 
     An adjustable weight is provided in the hollow handle of the cue. The amount of the weight and its location along the axial length of the handle are selected in accordance with the desire of the player. 
     A bridge bracket is provided to support the bridge sleeve on a rail of a pool table or a billiard table. 
     The above as well as other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent when reference is made to the detailed specification set forth hereinafter when read with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an elevation of a cue according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through a connecting member on one end of the cue handle; 
     FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section through a modified connecting member as shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section through the connector on an end of the cue shaft; 
     FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section through a bushing for the bridge sleeve; 
     FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through a modified bushing for the bridge sleeve as shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a longitudinal section through a modified bridge sleeve; 
     FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section through the butt member on an end of the cue handle; 
     FIG. 9 is an elevation of adjustable weight discs in the hollow cue handle; 
     FIG. 10 is a rear view of a bridge sleeve support bracket; and 
     FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the bracket shown in FIG. 10. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the cue 1 of the invention has an elongated hollow cylindrical handle 2 with a rubber butt member 3 fixed at one end. The other end of handle 2 receives a connecting member 4 as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings which is held therein by a friction fit between the inner wall of the hollow handle and the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 5 of the connecting member. An internally threaded blind bore 6 having a chamfered entrance end and a stepped interior 7 is located in one end of connecting member 4 and a second internally threaded blind bore 8 is located in the other end of connecting member 4. The chamfered entrance end of blind bore 6 in the connecting member is formed at a 2° angle 9 with a cylinder having an axis on the longitudinal axis of the connecting member. 
     The modified connecting member shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings has a 6° angle 9&#39; with a cylinder having an axis on the longitudinal axis of the connecting member. 
     The butt member 3 shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings has an elongated axial bore 15 to receive one end of an externally threaded weight support rod. The entrance end of bore 15 is chamfered at 16 to guide the end of the rod into the bore. The end 17 of butt member 3 opposite chamfer 16 is smoothly rounded. A reduced diameter portion 18 is formed on the one end of butt member 3 to fit into an open end of handle 2. A plurality of annular ridges 19 are formed on the exterior surface of reduced diameter portion 18 to firmly retain the butt member in handle 2. 
     The cylindrical shaft 10 of cue 1 is hollow and has substantially constant inner and outer diameters throughout its length. A connector 11 shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings is fixed in one end of hollow shaft 10 by a friction fit between the inner surface of the shaft and the outer surface of a cylindrical contact portion 12 of the connector. Connector 11 has an externally threaded portion 13 on the side of an annular flange 14 opposite contact portion 12. The external threads on extension 13 thread into the internal threads in the lower end of blind bore 6 in connecting member 4 and flange 14 on connector 11 fits into stepped entrance end 7 of blind bore 6 in connecting member 4. A resilient cue tip 20 is held on the distal end of shaft 10 in a blind bore in a tip member 21 fixed on the shaft. The tip is a purchased item well known to those skilled in the art and forms no part of the present invention. Tip member 21 has an annular flange 22 for a purpose to be described hereinafter. 
     The cue handle and shaft can be made of a metal such as aluminum or of a synthetic material such as high-density polyethylene, styrene-butadiene copolymers, cast or molded epoxy resins, acrylic acid polymers such as polymethylmethacrylate or injection-molded polyurethane. 
     A cylindrical bridge sleeve 25 surrounds shaft 10 of cue 1 as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The bridge sleeve has a cylindrical bushing 26, as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings, at each end. Each bushing has a collar 27 which is located exteriorly of and in contact with an end of bridge sleeve 25 shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings and a reduced diameter portion 28 which extends into the bridge sleeve. A taper having a 2° angle 29 is formed between the outer surface of collar 27 and a cylinder having an axis on the longitudinal axis of the bushing for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The outer surface of the reduced diameter portion of each bushing 26 fits tightly within the bridge sleeve to hold the bushing in place by means of a friction fit and extends a substantial distance along the axial length of the bridge sleeve to permit shaft 10 of cue 1 to slide along the inner annular surfaces of the bushings while maintaining the coaxial position of the shaft within the bridge sleeve. The bushings 26 may be made from Delrin which is the trade name for a polyoxymethylene-type acetal resin having good strength and wear resistance. The inner surface of each bushing is smooth to permit the shaft to slide through the bridge sleeve without binding. 
     A modified bushing 26&#39; is shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings. Bushing 26&#39; has a collar 27&#39; located exteriorly of and in contact with the end of a bridge sleeve 25 as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings and a reduced diameter portion 28&#39; which extends into the bridge sleeve and holds the bushing in place by a friction fit between the outer surface of portion 28&#39; and the inner surface of the bridge sleeve. Bushing 26&#39; has longitudinal slots S radially spaced 90° around the periphery of collar 27&#39; to permit the collar to collapse inwardly radially by a small amount when force is applied to the outer surface of the collar for a purpose described hereinafter. 
     A modified bridge sleeve 25&#39; is shown in FIG. 7 of the drawings. This bridge sleeve has an inner taper at each end. The taper forms a 2° angle between the outer surface of the bridge sleeve and a cylinder having its axis on the longitudinal axis of the bridge sleeve. The bridge sleeve 25&#39; is utilized with the connecting member 4 shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The reason that bridge sleeve 25&#39; is used with the connecting member shown in FIG. 2 is that the 2° external taper on the connecting member cooperates with the 2° internal chamfer 9 on the entrance end of blind bore 6 on bridge sleeve 4 to firmly hold the bridge sleeve in the connecting member when the person using the cue does not want to use the bridge sleeve. 
     Bridge sleeve 25, shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, is used with slotted bushings 26&#39; shown in FIG. 6 of the drawings when connecting member 4&#39; shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings is inserted in an end of handle 2. The reason that bushings 26&#39; are used with connecting member 4&#39; is that the 6° chamfer at the open end of threaded blind bore 6&#39; receives the end of the slotted bushing and continued longitudinal force on the bridge sleeve in the direction of handle 2 will cause the slotted end of collar 27&#39; to collapse inwardly until a force fit is achieved between the exterior surface of the collar and the chamfered end of blind bore 6. 
     A rod 30 having external threads 31 throughout its length is located coaxially in the hollow cylindrical handle of cue 1. One end of rod 30 is threaded into the internal threads in blind bore 6 in connecting member 4 or 4&#39; and the other end of rod 30 is fitted into axial blind bore 15 in butt member 3 of the cue. As shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings, a plurality of separate weight discs 32 having centrally located holes therethrough are aligned along rod 30 and are held in place by adjustment nuts 33 threaded on threads 31 at opposite sides of the aligned weight discs. The number of weight discs and their location along rod 30 are selected according to the comfort of the player using the cue. After the end of rod 30 is threaded into internal threads 7 in connecting member 4, butt member 3 is placed on the end of handle 2 and the free end of rod 30 is received in blind bore 15. Should it be desirable to change the location of the weight discs or to add or remove weight discs, the butt member is removed from the end of the handle and rod 30 is unscrewed from threaded blind bore 8 in the connecting member. Rod 30 is removed from handle 2 to expose the weight discs and the adjustment nuts. 
     FIGS. 10 and 11 of the drawings show a bridge sleeve support bracket 40 having a member 41 adapted to lie over a rail of a pool table or a billiard table. A kidney-shaped end plate 43 with cutouts 45 is attached to a vertical leg 42 of bracket 40 by set screws or rivets 44 or other attachment means. Set screws or rivets 48 attach the base 47 of a spring clip 49 to the leg 41 of bracket 40. The upwardly extending arms of spring clip 49 receive a bridge sleeve when bracket 40 is placed over a rail of a pool table or a billiard table. Thus, the spring clip replaces the player&#39;s hand to support the bridge sleeve. 
     In operation, the bridge sleeve is held in the player&#39;s hand or, alternatively, is positioned in the clip of the bridge sleeve bracket shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 of the drawings. When the bridge sleeve is held in a stationary position by the player or the bracket, the player pulls back on the handle and the bridge sleeve supports the shaft of the cue. The player then moves the handle of the cue forwardly to move tip 20 toward the ball to be struck by the tip. The flange 14 on connector 13 serves as a stop against which the end of the collar of the rear bushing of the bridge sleeve will come to rest when the handle is in the forward position. The end of the collar of the forward bushing contacts flange 22 on tip member 21 when the handle is in the rearward position. 
     The foregoing describes preferred embodiments of the invention and is given by way of example only. The invention is not limited to any of the specific features described herein, but includes all such variations thereof within the scope of the appended claims.