Abstract:
A cue stick for use in the game of billiards having a one-piece ferrule-tip. The cue stick does not employ a conventional wood cue tip but rather has a modified ferrule-tip which serves as a resilient tip for striking a cue ball. The cue stick of the present invention has one embodiment for causing a struck cue ball to be jumped over an obstructing ball by elevating the handle of the cue stick to an appropriate height, which is lower than if a conventional cue stick were used, and striking the cue ball at an appropriate angle with an appropriate amount of force, which is less than if a conventional cue stick were used. The cue stick having a ferrule-tip of the present invention thus enables the player to strike a cue ball with a lower elevated angle and less force than with a conventional cue stick having a conventional tip, thereby facilitating the ball-jumping effect.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/334,626, filed Dec. 31, 2002, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/346,369, filed Jan. 7, 2002, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to pool cues. More particularly, the present invention relates to pool cues or jump/break cues having a ferrule-tip rather than a conventional, multi-piece ferrule. The invention is a pool cue with a one-piece ferrule tip for causing a pool ball to jump over an obstructing ball, as well as to break a rack of balls.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0003]     Cues, also called billiard cues or pool cues, are commonly employed in the popular games of billiards, pool and the like. Players of the games generally use the cue, which typically has a handle end and a striking end for shooting, or hitting, a cue ball into other balls for purposes of placing the other balls into pockets that are located on the pool table, or to be placed near other balls in the game of billiards. The striking end of the cue conventionally comprises a ferrule made of a phenolic, plastic or metal and having a tip made of leather or a comparable synthetic material, which often becomes worn or even breaks due to extended use or misuse. The assembly of a tip and a ferrule is constantly in need of repair, particularly with replacing the tip held in place by the ferrule.  
         [0004]     Often times during the course of play, the situation arises where the player desires to strike a particular ball that is being obstructed or blocked by the ball of an opponent, or by another ball of the player&#39;s own, that is not intended or desired to be hit. To avoid hitting the ball of the opponent, or any other obstructing ball, “jumping” the cue ball over the obstructing ball is sometimes practiced, thereby striking only the intended ball.  
         [0005]     Striking the cue ball with the cue&#39;s tip being angled appropriately by holding the handle end of the cue at an elevated angle generally causes the ball to jump. In other words, the cue stick strikes the cue ball (or other desired ball) at a relatively sharply elevated angle and with a simultaneous downward and forward motion and with an increased amount of force. Upon proper execution of this task, the cue ball will jump off the table, avoid contact with the obstructing ball, and successfully strike the desired ball. This, however, requires a considerable amount of skill and hours of practice to successfully perform. Because of the high level of skill involved, the player often times will run the risk of not hitting his own ball with the cue ball and will instead strike the obstructing ball, or even another ball on the table not intended to be struck. The player also runs the risk of mis-striking the cue ball with the cue and hitting the cue tip against the table. This of course can cause damage to the cue tip itself due to the tremendous force generated to cause the ball to jump. Additionally, hitting the table with the cue can rip or tear the delicate felt cloth material that traditionally covers pool tables.  
         [0006]     One method ofjumping cue balls is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,329 (Doss).  
         [0007]     Doss ‘329 describes a modified cue stick having a significantly shortened length, approximately one half that of standard cue sticks, and having a plurality of weights placed in the handle of the stick, and having a tip. However, the invention described in Doss ‘329 still requires the player to elevate the stick at approximately a forty five degree angle to the table and thrusting the cue stick downwardly. Therefore, Doss ‘ 329  does not solve the problem that the present invention seeks to solve.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,024 B 1 ( Summers et al.) describes a pool cue having a modified tip for purposes of jumping a cue ball over an obstructing ball. The tip of the pool cue of Summers et al. ‘024, which is made of a resilient material, comprises a concave depression. It is the combination of the concave depression with the particular shore hardness of the resilient material that serves to provide the control and performance characteristics of the invention of Summers et al. ‘024. The tip can also either be permanently placed on the cue stick or can be removable so that varying tips providing varying jumping ability and control can be employed, depending on the particular situation at hand.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the invention, there is provided a pool cue device or jump/break cue for use with the games of billiards, pool and the like, having a conventional shaft and having a modified and improved striking end region. The striking end region of the pool cue comprises a tipless end (i.e. not having a standard tip) or a non-compressible ferrule that is the tip in that it strikes a cue ball. In other words, the ferrule-tip itself serves the same function as a conventional tip. The ferrule-tip is a rounded tip for striking purposes. Unlike prior art cues, the ferrule-tip is not separate from the tip—it is the tip. Unlike conventional tips, the ferrule-tip does not suffer as much stress and thus, in most cases, will never need to be repaired, and in many cases never need to be replaced. The ferrule-tip is non-compressible, and transfers its energy to a cue ball upon striking the cue ball.  
         [0010]     The ferrule-striking end provides the player with an improved device for purposes of jumping cue balls over an opponent&#39;s ball or another obstructing ball during play. For example, the cue ball could be about  12  inches from the obstructing ball. Jumping would be accomplished by having the user elevate the handle end to no more than a forty-five degree angle and striking the cue ball with a relatively downward motion. Of course the closer the cue ball is to the obstructing ball, the greater the elevation the pool cue&#39;s handle would have to be. Conventional cues having standard tips necessitate a tremendous amount of force to be generated by the user to cause the ball to jump. The present invention requires much less force to be generated and requires a lower angle of elevation for the feat to be accomplished. In other words, when attempting to jump the cue ball over an obstructing ball at a given distance away from the cue ball, the player will need to strike the cue ball with less force and hold the cue stick of the present invention at a lower angle of elevation than if the player wanted to jump the cue ball over an obstructing ball at the same given distance and using a conventional cue stick. The ferrule-tip provides a more efficient energy transfer from the cue stick to the cue ball, and thus executes the jump in an easier manner due to a greater force being exerted onto the ball. The principal of applying a greater force on the ball also applies to the break (however, a standard angle of elevation for breaking still applies).  
         [0011]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a pool cue having a ferrule that is the striking tip.  
         [0012]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a pool cue having a tip that generally never needs to be repaired or replaced.  
         [0013]     Yet another object of the present invention to provide a pool cue modified to facilitate the jumping of a cue ball over an obstructing ball.  
         [0014]     Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a pool cue that generates a greater force on the cue ball which the pool cue is being used to strike.  
         [0015]     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a pool cue that provides a more efficient transfer of energy to the cue ball which the pool cue is being used to strike.  
         [0016]     It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a pool cue that allows a player to jump a cue ball over the obstructing ball by raising the handle of the cue to a lower degree of elevation than is traditionally used and striking the cue ball with a downwardly angled motion, the motion generating a lesser amount of force on the ball being struck than is traditionally used.  
         [0017]     Still yet another object of the present invention is to reduce the components of a cue stick by combining the ferrule with the head of the cue stick.  
         [0018]     Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description to follow and from the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the jump shot device of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the upper portion or shaft of the jump shot device as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the engagement or joint between the shaft of the jump shot device and the striking end or ferrule as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the jump shot device, being disengaged, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a side view of the butt and handle of the jump shot device, being engaged, as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the cue stick of the present invention during the course of play. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0025]     The present invention is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.  
         [0026]     Turning now to  FIG. 1 , the pool cue of the present invention is shown and referred to generally at numeral  10 . Cue  10  comprises a conventional, elongate, first member or shaft  14  having a striking end  15 , a conventional second, elongate member or butt  16  and a conventional third, elongate member or handle  18 . Shaft  14  is engaged with butt  16 , which in turn is engaged with handle  18  to form a single and contiguous device  10 . Of course the objects of the present invention can still be attained having device  10  comprise just two separate members, or be a single piece having no individual members, or even have more than three individual members. Device  10 , having all three members engaged, generally has a length of about  58  inches. However, it is noted that pool cues are often custom made to fit a particular player&#39;s individual needs and so device  10  can be of any length common in the art.  
         [0027]     Turning now to  FIG. 2 , a more detailed description of the pool cue device  10  is provided. Shaft  14  comprises generally about one-half, or about  29  inches, of the total length of device  10 . Shaft  14  is an elongate, annular member having a circular cross section and an annular outer surface  14   a,  which is standard in the art, and further having a longitudinal centerline  17 . Annular surface  14   a  of shaft  14  extends upwardly, as shown in  FIG. 3 , from butt  16  and has a slight inward slope so that shaft  14  is generally more narrow nearer to its end having a tip than at butt  16 .  
         [0028]     Shaft  14  comprises striking end region  15 , having a ferrule-tip  12  (i.e., a ferrule that is the tip), being a combined ferrule and tip with a rounded resilient hemispherical crown or end  40  for striking purposes. With respect to the present invention, a conventional tip made of wood, rubber or any other material is omitted. Cylindrical surface  12   a  of ferrule-tip  12  extends upwardly to form rounded end  40  (i.e. a striking tip). In other words, unlike a conventional cue stick, ferrule-tip  12  is the tip for striking purposes in the present invention. Ferrule-tip  12 , which includes rounded striking tip  40 , is a single piece with a rounded tip  40 . Ferrule-tip  12 , having a threaded screw  20  discussed below, has a threaded bore to be screwed onto screw  20 , as also discussed below. Ferrule tip  12  is a cylindrical member comprising a phenolic ferrule combination, such as a C-grade phenolic. Of course ferrule-tip  12  can alternatively comprise any other resilient material, which can be a plastic such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, acrylic, DELRIN®, acetal, TEFLON®, nylon, phenolic, such as C-grade phenolic, ABS, vinyl, PVC, VIVAK 200  , a hard, rubber, or leather, all of which are conventional in the art. The only time leather would work is if it were very thin and covers a hard ferrule so that the energy being transferred is from the ferrule underneath the leather. Ferrule-tip  12  comprises a cylindrical outer surface  12 a having a longitudinal centerline being in alignment with the longitudinal centerline of shaft  14 , thereby causing outer surface  14   a  and outer surface  12   a  to be aligned. Screw  20  is preferably ½ inch long with 5/16- 18 threads, and the bore of ferrule tip  12  has mating threads. Ferrule-tip  12  can be permanently affixed to shaft  14  without a threaded screw as well, such as by securing ferrule-tip  12  to a tenon extending upwardly from shaft  12  in the same manner as threaded screw  20  and stabilizing ferrule-tip  12  thereon by any manner conventional in the art, such as by glue. Such a method of permanently securing a ferrule to the shaft is known in the art and so a more detailed description thereof is herewith omitted for the sake of brevity.  
         [0029]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , as stated supra, shaft  14  comprises a first threaded screw or pin  20 . Threaded screw  20  extends upwardly out of shaft  14  and threadingly engages with ferrule-tip  12  to a depth of about 0.5 inch via a threaded bore  44  at the bottom end of ferrule-tip  12 , thereby allowing ferrule tip  12  to be engaged with shaft  14  for operation. Pin  20  can be made of any type of metal or plastic commonly used for such purposes in the art.  
         [0030]     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , shaft  14  is shown in alignment with butt  16  and handle  18 . Shaft  14 , butt  16  and handle  18  are typical of those found in this type of sport, such as having an annular outer surface  16   a  and  18   a,  both having a longitudinal centerline aligned with that of shaft  14  and being made of hard, finished wood such as maple, curly birdseye maple, or the like. Additionally, handle  18  or both handle  18  and butt  16  can include a wrap  38 . Wrap  38  can be threaded onto device  10  and provides a tight and secure grip for the player. Wrap  38  may be made of any material common in the art, such as leather, Irish linen or nylon, which can be tightly held and can accommodate the sweat of the player.  
         [0031]     Shaft  14  and butt  16  engage at first joint  46 , which is a flat-face connection ( FIG. 1 ). First joint  46  comprises a first phenolic ring  26  at the base of shaft  14  and a second phenolic ring  28  at the upper portion of butt  16 . Base of shaft  14  firther includes a hole  50  that is aligned with a hole  52  in the upper portion of butt  16 . Holes  50  and  52 , which are preferably threaded and include a phenolic insert  58  and  60  respectively, receive a second pin  22 , which is also preferably threaded thereby facilitating the engagement between shaft  14  and butt  16 . A variety of pins are employed in the use of joints of cues to provide different types of hits during use. Preferably, a ⅜- 10 pin is used, but any other type of appropriate pin can also be employed.  
         [0032]     Butt  16  and handle  18  are engaged at a second joint  48  ( FIG. 1 ) in the same manner as that described above for the engagement between shaft  14  and butt  16  at first joint  46 . Second joint  48  includes a third and fourth phenolic ring  30 ,  32 , a butt bottom end hole  54  with a phenolic insert  62  and a handle top end hole  56  with a phenolic insert  64 . A third pin  24 , which is preferably of the same type as that used in second joint  48 , is threadingly inserted into inserts  62  and  64  and engages butt  16  with handle  18  ( FIG. 5 ). Of course second joint  48  can be excluded so that device  10  comprises only a centrally located joint connecting shaft  14  to handle  18 .  
         [0033]     Device  10  may further include a fifth phenolic ring at the base of handle  18  and a rubber bumper  34  on the underside of handle  18 , both of which are commonly employed in the art.  
         [0034]     Turning lastly now to  FIG. 6 , cue stick  10  of the present invention is shown being used to jump a cue ball  70  over an obstructing ball  72  during the course of play. As is shown in  FIG. 6 , the player (not shown) holds cue stick  10  at an advantageous angle  80 , which is the angle created at the intersection of longitudinal centerline  17  with the plane of the top of the billiard table. Angle  80  created when using cue  10  to jump cue ball  70  is represented as Θ 1 . The player strikes cue ball  70  with cue stick  10  at angle  80  with an advantageous amount force (F 1 ) in a simultaneous downwardly and forwardly direction. Upon striking cue ball  70 , cue ball  70  “jumps” over obstructing ball  72  and strikes a target ball  74  thereby ideally causing target ball  74  to be moved into a target pocket  76  or elsewhere on the table.  
         [0035]     This is shown in contrast to using a conventional cue stick, illustrated in ghost form at numeral  78 . When using conventional stick  78  to “jump” cue ball  70  over obstructing ball  72  in the same given situation, stick  78  necessitates a greater angle of elevation  82  (Θ 2 ) and a greater amount of force (F 2 ). Although using conventional stick  78  rather than stick  10  of the present invention may accomplish the same ultimate goal of placing target ball  74  into pocket  76  (or at another desired location), the chance of doing so is decreased by using stick  78  due to the more difficult shot having a greater elevated angle. In addition, the chance of damage caused to either the table or the stick itself, or both, is increaesd. Both decreased force employed and decreased elevated angle for causing cue ball  70  to jump over obstructing ball  72  are due to stick  10  employing a striking end  50  having ferrule-tip  12 .  
         [0036]     The invention has been described with particular reference to cues for playing pool. The features of the invention could also be used for similar games such as billiards, snooker, bumper pool and the like. What has been described above are preferred aspects of the present invention. It is of course not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the present invention, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present invention are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alterations, combinations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.