Bumper rail cover and method of installing the same

A cover for a bumper rail for a pool table or the like and a method of installing the same wherein the cover includes a sleeve of fabric at least a portion of which is of elastic material wherein the sleeve may be expanded slightly and slipped over the outer surface of the rail into a position so as to extend throughout the length of the rail in overlying, tight-fitting engagement with the rail outer surface, the sleeve being of a length so as to provide end portions extending past the ends of the rail which end portions are folded back behind the rail and secured thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
In the construction of a typical game table and, in particular, a billard 
or pool table a "bumper rail" is provided along the inner marginal edges 
of the table, against which the balls impinge during the playing of the 
game. In the well known construction, such bumper rails have an inwardly 
directed resilient portion formed of rubber or the like so that the proper 
degree of bounce or ricochet is obtained by the ball. Such bumper rails 
are generally covered with a cloth of suitable textile material which 
completely surrounds projecting portions of the rail. 
This cloth is usually installed on the rail by stretching a suitable fabric 
into a taut condition over the exposed face of a rail and the edges of the 
cloth which extend over the rear surface of the rail is stapled to the 
rail. The excess fabric after stapling is then trimmed. As can be 
understood, the installation of this cloth or fabric on a bumper rail 
under present day techniques requires a high degree of skill and is quite 
time consuming adding materially to the production costs of such game 
tables. Furthermore, under the best of conditions, uniformity in tautness 
throughout the fabric is not always obtained so that the quality standards 
desired for such pool tables falls short of the desired degree. 
The following U.S. patents are representative of the prior art to which the 
subject invention is directed: Nos. 
Moffett 655,503 
Acland 1,323, 516 
Hoskin 1,652,671 
Allman 2,755.088 
Nielsen 3,733,072 
The Moffett patent discloses the use of a tubular sleeve for overlying a 
bumper cushion in a game table wherein the fabric of the sleeve is 
tensioned by a screw mechanism. In the Hoskin patent a block is utilized 
to tension the tubular sleeve in a taut condition over the bumper rail. 
The Acland, Allman and Nielsen patents are substantially different from 
that of the subject invention and are considered to be not particularly 
pertinent. All of the installation techniques used in the prior art 
patents for covering a bumper rail are quite complicated and expensive and 
do not necessarily provide a uniformly taut sleeve on the bumper rail. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to provide a new and 
novel cover for the bumper rail of a game table such as a billard or pool 
table. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel method of 
installing a cloth cover on the bumper rail of a game table such as a 
billard or pool table. 
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and novel method of 
installing a cloth cover on a pool table bumper rail which may be carried 
out in a simple and easy manner at a high production rate by relatively 
unskilled personnel. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel cover 
for a pool table bumper rail which is inexpensive in cost and which in the 
installed position provides a highly uniform covering for the bumper rail 
throughout. 
Still another object of this invention is to provide a new and novel cover 
for a pool table bumper rail and a method for installing same in which the 
cover is maintained in tight fitting engagement throughout the exposed 
surfaces of the bumper rail and in which the cover is installed by means 
which are invisible in the finished construction. 
Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following 
specification when considered in light of the attached drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings and to FIG. 1 in particular there is shown a 
bumper rail for a game table such as a billard table or a pool table which 
is designated generally by the letter R. The bumper rail R is of 
conventional construction and includes a base member 11 preferably of wood 
or the like having a portion of resilient material such as rubber or the 
like of substantially triangular configuration and designated by the 
reference number 12. 
As is well known, the bumper rail R is arranged to be mounted along the 
sides and at the top of a pool table so that the rubber portion 12 
projects inwardly over the playing surface of the table. In the usual 
construction, the base member 11 is provided with bores 13 arranged in 
longitudinally spaced relationship along the length of the rail R for 
accommodating mounting bolts 14 which engage in suitable recesses provided 
in the frame of the pool table for attachment to the table by means of 
nuts (not shown) or the like. 
In the assembled form, the bumper rail R includes an outer surface 16 a 
rear surface 17 and end walls 18. Prior to installation of the bumper rail 
R on the pool table, the rail R is covered with a cloth covering which in 
the illustrated embodiment includes a sleeve 19 of textile sheet material 
at least a portion of which is formed of elastic textile material. In the 
preferred embodiment, the sleeve 19 is formed entirely of elastic material 
which may be a blend of fibers. By way of example, a suitable blend of 
fibers to impart some elasticity to the sleeve 19 may be acrylic and nylon 
fibers in a proportion of 65% acrylic and 35% nylon fibers. 
In the installation of the cover 19 in accordance with the novel method of 
the invention the elastic sleeve 19 is expanded slightly and the bumper 
rail R is inserted within the interior 19a of the sleeve 19 so that the 
sleeve may be drawn over the rail R in covering relationship with the rail 
outer surface 16. The expansion of the sleeve 19 to accommodate the bumper 
rail R may be carried out by the use of metal tube or the like which is 
withdrawn after the sleeve 19 has been installed in overlying relationship 
with the bumper rail R. The sleeve 19 is then permitted to contract so 
that it moves into overlying, tight fitting engagement throughout the 
outer surface 16 of the bumper rail R. 
In the preferred embodiment, the length of the sleeve 19 is selected so as 
to provide end portions 19b which extend outwardly from each end of the 
bumper rail R past the end walls 18 in the installed position of the 
sleeve 19. The installation of the sleeve 19 is then completed in 
accordance method of the invention by folding over these end portions 19b 
over the bumper rail end walls 18 and stapling or otherwise securing the 
end portions 19b to the rear surface 17 of the bumper rail R as shown best 
in FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, staples 21 are utilized for 
stapling the sleeve end portions 19b to the bumper rail surface 17. 
As can be understood, the bolts 14 projecting rearwardly from the bumper 
rail R must penetrate the sleeve 19 in the installed position and this 
penetration can be provided by punching a plurality of longitudinal spaced 
openings 22 in the sleeve 19. In an alternate arrangement, the projecting 
portions of bolts 14 may be simply pushed through the sleeve 19 so as to 
project rearwardly thereof for securing the covered bumper rail R to the 
associated frame of the pool table. 
FIG. 3 shows a modification of the bumper rail cover of the invention which 
is designated generally by the reference numeral 19'. In the modification 
of FIG. 3, the sleeve 19' may be made of conventional non-stretchable 
textile fabric and produced in the form of a split tube having 
longitudinally extending edges 23 forming a gap 24. The modified sleeve 
19' is then provided with a longitudinally extending strip 26 of elastic 
material such as the material of the sleeve 19 which is secured to the 
longitudinally extending side edges 23 of the sleeve 19' by suitable means 
such as stitches 27 thereby bridging the gap 24. The method of the 
installation of the sleeve 19' would therefore be the same as installation 
of the sleeve 19 in that it is expanded slightly, inserted over the bumper 
rail R and permitted to contract into overlying, tight fitting engagement 
with the bumper rail outer surface 16. The projecting edge portions of the 
sleeve 19' are then suitably secured to the rear surface 17 of the bumper 
rail R. It should be understood, however, that the longitudinally 
extending strip of elastic material may be formed integrally with the 
non-stretchable portion of the sleeve 19' and installed in the same 
manner. The advantages of the novel cover and method of installing the 
cover in accordance with the invention can be easily understood. The 
sleeve 19 (or sleeve 19') may be produced in a supply roll of 
indeterminant length which may be stored on reels or the like. The 
resulting cover for the bumper rail R in easily installed and completely 
grips the outer surface of the bumper rail R in a highly uniform manner 
and is maintained thereon in such an installed position without risk of 
becoming slack or the like. 
Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention it should 
be understood that numerous structural modifications and adaptations may 
be restored to without departing from the spirit of the invention.