Abstract:
A billiard cue including: a wood shaft including a hollow portion and a solid portion, the hollow portion having a central bore extending a predetermined distance along a length of the shaft; and an hollow inner rod, wherein a length and outer diameter of the hollow inner rod correspond to a length and inner diameter of the central bore, the hollow inner rod being disposed in the central bore.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE  
       [0001]     This present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/740,731 filed Nov. 30, 2005 entitled “Billiard Cue And Method For Making The Same”, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a billiard cue, and more particularly to a billiard cue with an improved shaft.  
         [0003]     Currently, billiard cues are made of natural wood due to the elasticity and stiffness of the natural wood. While billiard cues have been made from natural wood for years, the cues do suffer from some disadvantages such as warping due to moisture. Additionally, the weight distributed in a natural wood may be varied in different parts of the cue, which causes the hitting force of the cue to not be concentrated on the axis of the cue. As a result, the player is unable to hit the ball with precision.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     Embodiments of the invention include a billiard cue including: a wood shaft including a hollow portion and a solid portion, the hollow portion having a central bore extending a predetermined distance along the length of the shaft; and an hollow inner rod, wherein a length and outer diameter of the hollow inner rod correspond to the a length and inner diameter of the central bore, the hollow inner rod being disposed in the central bore.  
         [0005]     Embodiments of the invention also include a method for making a billiard cue including: creating a hollow portion by removing wood from the center of a wooden billiard cue; inserting a hollow metal rod into the hollow portion; and securing the hollow metal rod in the hollow portion.  
         [0006]     Other systems and methods according to an exemplary embodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon review of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems and methods be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     Referring now to the drawings wherein like elements are numbered alike in the several Figures:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a billiard cue;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates another exemplary embodiment of a billiard cue;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a hollow metal tube; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary embodiment of a method for constructing a billiard cue. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a billiard cue  10 . The exemplary billiard cue  10  illustrated by  FIG. 1  includes a shaft portion  18 , a butt portion  20 , and a tip  16 . The shaft portion  18  and the butt portion  20  are fastened end to end together at a joint  24 , as is commonly known in the art. In a first exemplary embodiment, the shaft portion  18  includes a hollow portion  12  and a solid portion  14 . The solid portion  14  of the shaft portion  18  may be made of a nature wood, such as maple. A hollow metal tube  30  is disposed in the hollow portion  14  of the shaft portion  18 . The hollow metal tube  30  may have an outer diameter such that the hollow portion  12  of the shaft portion  18  tightly receives the hollow metal tube  30 .  
         [0013]     Referring still to  FIG. 1 , in another exemplary embodiment, the butt portion  20  includes a hollow portion  26  and a solid portion  28 . The solid portion  26  of the butt portion  20  may be made of a nature wood, such as maple. A hollow metal tube  30  is disposed in the hollow portion  26  of the butt portion  20 . The hollow metal tube  30  may have an outer diameter such that the hollow portion  26  of the butt portion  20  tightly receives the hollow metal tube  30 .  
         [0014]     In a particular exemplary embodiment, the hollow metal tube  30  is made of titanium and has an outer diameter of approximately 0.25 inches and a wall thickness of approximately 0.02 inches. In another exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter of the hollow metal tube  30  is between about 0.125 inches and 0.04 inches, and the wall thickness is between about 0.01 inched and 0.05 inches. In a further exemplary embodiment, the weight of the hollow metal tube  30  in the shaft portion  18  is approximately equal to the weight of the wood removed from the shaft portion  18  to create the hollow portion  12 . In another exemplary embodiment, the weight of the hollow metal tube  30  in the butt portion  20  is approximately equal to the weight of the wood removed from the butt portion  20  to create the hollow portion  12 . In other words, the overall weight of the billiard cue  10  is the same weight as a traditional wooden cue. In a further exemplary embodiment, the hollow metal tube  30  is made of a titanium alloy, which for example may be AMS 4943 or AMS 1260, among others. It is also contemplated that other metals, including for example titanium alloys could be used in the construction of the hollow metal tube  30 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  depicts an alternative exemplary embodiment of a billiard cue  110 . The billiard cue includes a shaft  112 , and a tip  116 . Unlike the exemplary cue of  FIG. 1 , the illustrated cue  110  does not separate into halves, but is instead unitary along the bulk of its length. The billiard cue  110  includes a hollow portion  126  and a solid portion  128 . The solid portion of the shaft portion  112  may be made of a natural wood, such as maple. A hollow metal tube  130  is disposed in the hollow portion  126  of the shaft portion  112 . The hollow metal tube  30  has an outer diameter such that the hollow portion  126  of the shaft  112  tightly receives the hollow metal tube  30 .  
         [0016]     In a particular exemplary embodiment, the hollow metal tube  130  is made of titanium and has an outer diameter of approximately 0.25 inches and a wall thickness of approximately 0.02 inches. In another exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter of the hollow metal tube  130  is between about 0.125 inches and 0.04 inches, and the wall thickness is between about 0.01 inched and 0.05 inches. In an additional exemplary embodiment, the weight of the hollow metal tube  130  is approximately equal to the weight of the wood removed from the shaft  112  to create the hollow portion  126 . In other words, the overall weight of the billiard cue  110  is the same weight as a traditional wooden cue.  
         [0017]      FIG. 3  depicts a cross sectional view of the hollow metal tube  30 . In an exemplary embodiment, the outer diameter  32  is between about 0.22 inches and 0.35 inches, and the wall thickness  34  is between about 0.01 inched and 0.05 inches. The hallow metal tube  30  may be constructed of titanium, which for example may be AMS 4943 or AMS 1260, among others. It will be appreciated that the hallow metal tube  30  may be constructed of various other metals or alloys that have roughly similar properties (e.g., hardness). Additionally, the hollow metal tube  30  may be any desired length depending upon the type of cue and the length of the opening inside of the cue. Furthermore, in a two piece cue construction, rather than only incorporating a tube in one piece, e.g. the shaft portion, two hollow metal tubes may be utilized, one in each piece of the cue.  
         [0018]      FIG. 4  is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary method  200  for making the billiard cue  10 . A similar method can also be used to make the billiard cue  110 , which is a single piece cue. The method for making the billiard cue  200  includes removing wood from the center of a standard wooden billiard cue to create a hollow portion. The method for making the billiard cue  200  also includes inserting a hollow metal rod inside the hollow portion of the billiard cue. The metal rod is secured inside the hollow portion. In an exemplary embodiment, the hollow metal rod has approximately the same weight as the wood removed from the billiard cue.  
         [0019]     In exemplary embodiments, removing wood from the center of a traditional billiard cue and inserting the hollow metal tube  30  into the cue provides an improved billiard cue  10 . The improved billiard cue  10  provides a more solid strike of the ball as compared to the traditional cue due to its composition. Additionally, the improved billiard cue  10  may be designed such that the overall weight of the improved billiard cue  10  is identical to that of a traditional billiard cue. Furthermore, the hollow metal tube  30  provides additional benefits over the traditional cue, such as the reduction of warping of the improved billiard cue over time.  
         [0020]     While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed for carrying out this invention.