Patent Publication Number: US-11383152-B2

Title: Apparatus for displaying and supporting pool cues

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/999,472, filed Feb. 28, 2014, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/851,099, filed Feb. 28, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to pool tables, and more particularly, to an apparatus for displaying pool cues and a pool ball on a pool table, while simultaneously illuminating the pool table. 
     2. Background Art 
     It is estimated that there are approximately between 1.75 and 3 million home pool tables in the United States alone. This estimate is based on the number of pool tables sold annually in the United States, and may not include tables include in establishments such as bars, taverns, and recreation centers. 
     Most pool tables are covered when not in use, and accessories such as cues and balls may be stored on separate tables, wall-mounted racks, canopies above the table, or various other fixtures. While many of these fixtures are adequate for their purposes, they are rather plain in design and do not accentuate or complement the elegance of the pool table. This and other shortcomings of existing pool cue holders are addressed by the present disclosure as discussed below. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A pool cue holder according to the present disclosure includes a housing having a set of four, circumferentially spaced-apart openings configured to receive the distal end of a pool cue. The dimension, position, and shape of the openings are selected such that when the proximal end of each pool cue is positioned in a different corner of the a table and the corresponding distal end of each pool cue is inserted through a different one of the one of the four openings in the housing, the housing will be supported directly over the center of the pool table. Thus, the housing and the cues together form an eye-pleasing and inviting teepee-like structure that draws the viewer&#39;s attention. 
     In one aspect of the invention, the housing has the shape of a truncated dome, and the openings are formed in a curved side wall having a circular bottom edge. The dome includes a top wall having a circular indentation configured to receive and support a pool ball. 
     In another aspect of the invention, the interior portion of the housing includes a plurality of radially extending, circumferentially spaced-apart partitions, each partition defining a side of a chamber configured to receive a pool cue. Each partition may extend at an oblique angle to an adjacent partition so that each chamber defined by the two adjacent partition is pie-shaped, with an apex that is narrower in width than the distal end of a pool cue. The partitions may be six in number. 
     In another aspect of the invention, each opening may be located between two adjacent partitions. The openings may be oval in shape, with a width that is wider than the distal end of a pool cube, and a length that is at least one and a half times as large as the width. 
     In some embodiments, the bottom end of the housing may be open. One or more small LED light sources may be placed in the inner surface of the side wall, to illuminate the pool table when the cues are not in use. A hook may be provided on the underside of the top wall of the housing to allow users to hang decorative items below the housing. 
     In some embodiments, a base receptacle having a side wall and a bottom wall may be secured to the bottom end of the housing. The base receptacle may contain an LED light, and the bottom wall may include openings allowing light from the LED light source to illuminate the table. The openings may be arranged in a manner allowing the light to illuminate the table in and interesting and decorative way. In one embodiment, the openings may be arranged in a stars and stripes pattern. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing a cue holder supported above a pool table. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view taken from the front and bottom of a cue holder housing. 
         FIG. 3  is perspective view taken from the front and top of the cue holder housing of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the cue holder housing of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view taken from the front and top of a base receptacle attachable to the cue holder housing of  FIGS. 2-4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom view of the receptacle shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view taken from the front and bottom, showing the receptacle of  FIG. 5  containing a light source. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a cue holder  10  according to the present disclosure is shown supported above a pool table  12  having two short sides  13 ,  14 , two long sides  15 ,  16 , and four corners  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 . The pool table  12  may be any standard size. For instance, it may be a seven foot table measuring 7′ by 3′, an eight foot table measuring 8′ by 3.5′, or a nine foot table measuring 9′ by 4′. 
     The cue holder  10  includes a housing  22  that receives the distal ends of four pool cues  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 , the proximal ends of which are received in the corners  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  20 . The cues may be any standard size. For instance, they may measure  48 ,  52 , or  58 ″ in length. Each cue is tapered, with a distal end having a smaller diameter than its proximal end. A ball, preferably a regulation cue ball  32  having a diameter of 2¼″, is mounted on top of the housing  20 , and an ornament  34  is hung from the bottom of the housing  22 . 
     The housing  22 , best seen in  FIGS. 2-4 , is a truncated dome-shaped structure including a top wall  36  and a curved side wall  38  having a circular bottom edge  40 . The top wall  36  defines a hemispherical indentation having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a cue ball. A set of four openings  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48  for receiving the ends of the cues is formed in the side wall  38 . The openings are not evenly spaced around the circumference of the housing  2 ; rather, two openings  42 ,  44  are located on one side of the housing  22  facing one of the short sides of the pool table, and the other two openings  46 ,  48  are located on the opposite side of the housing facing the other short side of the pool table. The dimensions, position, and shape of the openings are selected such that when the proximal end of each cue is positioned in one of the corners of the pool table  12  and the corresponding distal end of each pool cue is inserted through a different one of the one of the four openings  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 , the cue holder  22  will be supported directly over the center of the pool table  12 . Each opening may be generally oval. The width of each opening must be greater than the diameter of the distal end of a cue, and less than the diameter of the proximal end of a cue. The length of each opening should be at least one and a half times the width of the opening. This arrangement and configuration of openings allows the cues to form a teepee-like configuration when inserted into the housing  22 . If the table and/or cues are short (for instance, a 7′ foot long table and/or 48″ inch long cues), the height of the “teepee” (ie. the distance between the pool table and the housing) will be relatively low and the distal ends of the cues will be supported in or near the bottom of each opening  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 . If the table and/or cues are long, (for instance, a 9′ foot long table and/or  58 ″ inch long cues), the height of the “teepee” is greater, and the distal ends of the cues will be supported near the top of each opening. 
     As best seen in  FIG. 4 , the interior portion of the housing includes a plurality of radially extending, circumferentially spaced-apart partitions  54 ,  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  58  that divide the interior into pie-shaped chambers  60 ,  61 ,  62 ,  63 ,  64 ,  65 . Four of the chambers  61 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65  are relatively narrow and are each aligned with a different one of the openings  42 ,  44 ,  46 ,  48 . Each of these narrow chambers  62 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65  has an apex that is narrow enough to securely retain a cue inserted through the corresponding opening. The remaining chambers  60 ,  63  are not aligned with any openings and may be wider than the narrow chambers  61 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65 . In the embodiment shown, there are six partitions defining six chambers. The partitions defining the sides of the narrow chambers  61 ,  62 ,  64 ,  65  extend at an angle of approximately 50° to one another, while the partitions defining the sides of the remaining chambers  60 ,  63  extend at an angle of approximately 80° to one another. 
     The partitions  54 ,  55 ,  56 ,  57 ,  58  intersect a central hub  66  in the center of the housing  22 . A hole  68  formed in the hub  66  allows the attachment of a hook  70 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The hook  70  may be used to suspend decorative items such as the ornament shown in  FIG. 1  from the housing  22 . In some embodiments, one or more small LED lights may also be embedded in the interior of side wall  38  to illuminate the ornament and/or the pool table itself. 
     Returning to  FIG. 4 , the bottom edge  40  of the side wall  38  may be provided with a plurality of small holes  72  for receiving fasteners to allow the housing  22  to be detached to a base receptacle, as will now be discussed with reference to  FIGS. 5-7 . 
     The base receptacle, identified in  FIGS. 5-7  by the reference numeral  74 , is cylindrical in structure, and includes a bottom wall  76  and a curved side wall  78  having a circular top edge  80 . A plurality of small holes  82  may be formed in the top edge  80 . These holes may be aligned with the holes in the bottom edge of the side wall of the housing of the cue holder, and may receive fasteners such as screws or pins that detachably secure the base receptacle  74  to the housing. A light source such as an LED light  84  may be mounted in the base receptacle  74 . A plurality of cut-outs  86  provided in the bottom wall  76  of the base receptacle  74  allow light from the light source  84  to travel out of the receptacle to illuminate the table. The cut-outs may be arranged in a decorative pattern such as the stars and stripe pattern shown, thus creating an interesting and attractive interplay of light and shadow on the surface of the pool table. 
     While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.