Abstract:
A billiard ball racking system including a rack housing light emitting means to project a pair of 180 degrees separated light beams into at least one light receiver means housed adjacent the side rail of a billiard table so as to assist the racking player in consistently producing a square rack which, when achieved, is visibly evident to the breaking player.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/786,303 filed Mar. 28, 2006. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Technical Field 
   The invention relates to pocket billiards equipment and the practice of racking the balls to begin a game. When introducing a new element to the game, the device should be compatible with the spirit and intent of the game. This invention positions the rack properly without adding any additional time or effort, yet enabling both players to quickly determine if the rack is positioned square to the table. The device of the present invention accomplishes this objective with all of the necessary components incorporated into the base member of the rack and beneath a presently unused part of the billiard table playing surface. The device makes use of a light source, power supply and switching all incorporated into the rack base member to precisely align the rack. The light beam activates two light absorbing receivers that glow at opposed lateral sides of the table and are visible at both the head and foot ends of the table when the rack is accurately aligned thus assuring both players that a perfect rack has been achieved. 
   2. Background Information 
   Most billiards games require the billiard balls to be racked at the foot side of the table. A rack is typically a grouping of balls in a triangle or diamond shape that is squared to the table with the lead ball positioned directly over the foot spot. In the past, the rack was positioned and aligned by hand and eye judgment of the player racking the balls. The player breaking the rack does not know for certain if the rack is perfectly square to the table. The rack device of the present invention conveys to both players when the rack is properly positioned, i.e., squared to the table, without distractions such as noises or bright light eye contact thus fitting into the spirit of the game. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A rack for a billiard table which includes a power supply, two light beams 180 degrees apart with a momentary button that, when activated projects two light beams at two receivers that incorporate light absorbing material portions visible from at least the head rail of the table and preferably from both table ends, i.e., the head rail and foot rail table ends. If the rack is properly aligned, the light beam shines upon, into or through the light absorbing material. The light absorbing material glows at both ends of the receiver allowing both the player racking the balls and the player breaking the rack to see if the rack is properly aligned thus simplifying the racking and breaking process with one small laser assembly positioned in the base member of the rack and two receivers. The two receivers are located in a space on the billiard table that is not utilized during normal competition and therefore do not interfere with such play. The present invention enables each player to rack better and more consistently for their opponent thus assuring a level playing field for both players without changing the spirit and intent of the game. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
       FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a billiards table; 
       FIG. 2  is a top plan view of a billiards rack with balls; 
       FIG. 3  is a top view of a billiards table with the rack system of the present invention and two players; 
       FIG. 4  is a foot rail side sectional view along the line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3  showing the rack and the receiver in relation to the table; 
       FIG. 5  is a partial perspective view of a table side rail portion with a light receiver positioned there against; 
       FIG. 6  is a receiver side sectional view along the line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5  showing a light receiver; 
       FIG. 7  is a stylized top plan view of the receiver showing the light path; and 
       FIG. 8  is a stylized top plan view of the rack and light receivers with portions of the rack base member removed for clarity. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Turning now to the drawings and particularly  FIG. 1 , a typical billiard table  10  is depicted that includes a playing surface  12 , the top of the table  14 , two side rails  16 , a foot rail  18  and a head rail  20 . The table  10  also includes a plurality of pockets  22  with alignment markers  24  aligned and equally spaced between the pockets  22  on billiard tabletop  14 . Alignment markers are a means to aid the player racking the balls  26 . The player  30  racking the balls and positioning the rack at the foot rail side  18  of the table places the balls  26  in the rack  28 . After the balls  26  are racked, the player  30  moves or slides the rack  28  so as to position the forward ball  32  over the foot spot  34 . The foot spot  34  is utilized as the front pivot point of the rack  28 . To finish squaring the rack  28  to the table  10 , the player  30  can use alignment marks  24  to create an imaginary line to square the base member of the rack  28  to the table, that is, position the back member of the rack in a parallel position to the table foot rail. 
   The problem associated with positioning the rack visually by the human eye as above described is that such prior art procedure does not eliminate or remove the many variables between different players. Although player  30  is racking the billiard balls, it is the breaking player  36  that requires a consistently square rack. If the rack  28  is not consistently square to the table  10 , player  36  will obtain different results each time. The breaking player  36  cannot consistently judge the results of his/her first breaking shot of any game accurately when these variables exist. 
   The embodiment of the billiard rack two-player visual indicator system of the present invention is indicated in  FIGS. 3-8  and comprises a rack  28  including two side members  60  and a base member  62 . The base member houses a switch  66  and a power supply  68  as well as a light source  70 . Generally, these components are housed in pockets or recesses formed in the base member  62 . Such base member is preferably formed of two pieces of wood or other suitable material either removably or permanently assembled together once the power supply, light sources, switching, etc. are positioned therein. It should be pointed out that the side members  60  may also extend below the base member should other shaped racks, e.g., a diamond-shaped rack, be desired. 
   The light source is preferably a pair of light emitting diodes to create laser type light beams or similar light beam creating devices that are generally coupled with a focusing lens  72 . If the player racking the billiard balls  30  pushes the momentary switch  66 , two light beams  74  project two parallel laser beams (dots) at the beam absorber  78  housed in the receiver body  76 . The switch  66  can be mounted so as to be accessible from the top surface of the rack as by manual activation by the racking player or mounted so as to include an activation button that projects below the bottom surface of the rack such that when the rack is placed on the table the switch is activated automatically during the racking process. The receiver housing  76  is mounted under an unused portion of the table side rails  16  as depicted in  FIG. 4 . 
   The light receiver housing  76  is adjusted by first squaring the rack  28  with a rule or similar gauge to table  10  then positioning the receiver housing  76  under side rail  16  in the proper position which corresponds to the distance between the foot spot and the base member of the rack as will be more evident below. The beam absorber  78  may be a tube, that is, hollow in the center, and including a light absorbing exterior. The beam absorber  78  can be constructed of soft plastic tubing or other similar material including polyurethane. Satisfactory results where achieved with ¼ inch O.D. polyurethane tubing of 0.062 wall thickness provided by Freelin Wade Co. under the brand name Fre-Thane. Such Fre-Thane material was colored red and created bright glowing red signals of annular shape visible to both players at the respective ends  79  and  80  of the tube  78 . Tubes or even solid rods of light absorbing material of other colors can be utilized as can laser light beams of varying colors as well. When the light beam  74  is perfectly centered in the entry beam absorber end  79  as depicted in  FIG. 5 , the outside of the tube glows brightest at such end  79  and at the beam absorber head rail or exit side  80 .  FIG. 6  depicts the light path in receiving receiver housing  76 . When the beam absorber  78  glows brightest at the ends  79 ,  80  thereof, this simultaneously confirms to both players that the rack  28  is perfectly aligned to the table  10 . This system thus assures a more even playing field every game for both the player racking the balls  30  and the player breaking the balls  36 . The back cover  64  encloses and seals the base member of the rack  28  as depicted in  FIG. 7 . 
   Accordingly, this improved two-player racking system is simple because players normally look left to right on the table at the alignment markers to square the back of the rack to the foot rail. By providing a light source in the same direction keeps the players&#39; perspective the same. Moreover, the device of the present invention is considered a two-player system since the breaking player is really the player expecting a consistently square rack since he/she has the first breaking shot of the game and the manner the game unfolds is determined by that initial breaking shot. By primarily absorbing the light beam rather than projecting the light beam provides for a more pleasant and safe atmosphere although it should be pointed out that some light projection could accomplish a visible signal to the players should aesthetics not be a primary concern. It should also be noted that in some cases it may advantageous to modify the resultant L-shaped configuration of the tube  78  (in essence created by inserting two shaped pieces of tubing  78  into a pair of perpendicularly oriented bores provided in the housing  76  such that those tubing pieces contact each other to form such L-shaped light path configuration) to a T-shaped configuration where a part of the exit portions of the tube extends to the outer surface of the housing facing the foot rail side of the table such as shown by the dotted lines in  FIG. 7  which would form a second annular shaped light path exit end  81 . Additionally since the light and power assemblies are mounted in the base member of the rack, the rack&#39;s general appearance and/or balance remain unchanged. This improvement, which achieves all the enumerated objectives set forth above, adds a new dimension to the art by providing both players the same consistent starting point. 
   Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described. 
   While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.