GB2235880A - Cue rest - Google Patents

Abstract

A cue rest for use in snooker comprises a head part having two support legs which are splayed apart at approximately 115 degrees and where each leg has a cue guide 111, 116 or (29, 31), Figs 1-3 (not shown). The arrangement is such that, in use, either of the legs may be positioned on top of table cushion or rim part with the other leg on the table playing surface to present for use the guide of the leg positioned on the cushion. The head may have further cue guides 113, 118. The various positioning of the cue guides provide a rest which can guide a cue from the region of over the playing surface to directly over the cushions. <IMAGE>

Description

Title: CUE REST DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to a cue rest.

Cue rests are used as a means of guidance for snooker cues on snooker tables. The rests are used when it is not possible, or difficult, to use both hands to execute a shot with a cue without infringing the rules of the game being played.

Most of the commonly available cue rests are designed for assisting a player where the cue ball is in a position where the player cannot conveniently form a bridge with his hand. Such cues cannot always assist with taking shots where the cue ball is close to the cushion.

One designed cue rest which attempts to address this problem is described in British Patent publication No. 2151932A and shows a rest having a head with two limbs disposed at 90 degrees to one another with one serving as a support leg for contact with the table playing surface, and the other having cue guides and carrying a foot extending parallel to the support leg, but much shorter, to contact the top of the cushion so that in use said other limb is substantially horizontal with one or more of the cue guides positioned over the cushion. Such a design is only suitable for use with its support leg on the playing surface and the foot on the cushion.Furthermore the rest is handed and requires either the provision of the opposite handed rests to facilitate directing the cue ball in the clockwise and anticlockwise directions or means for mounting the head the other way round on its associated shaft.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a cue rest which is suitable for rest shots over the cushion and which avoids the disadvantages of the known design of cue rest for that purpose.

It is a further aim to provide a cue rest which has other more general purposes.

Accordingly the present invention provides a cue rest for use in snooker or the like, comprising a head part having two support legs each having a cue guide, the arrangement being such that, in use, either of the legs may be positioned on top of a table cushion with the other leg on the table playing surface to present for use the cue guide of the leg positioned on the cushion.

The cue rest according to the invention allows guidance for a snooker cue to be varied. This variation is from over the playing surface of the table and near the edge of the cushion, to over the cushions. This direction of guidance for a cue, when using the cue rest, may be taken in either general direction around the playing surface of the table i.e., clockwise or anticlockwise. The cue guidance provided by the rest is especially for use when during play on a snooker table, the object, and particularly the cue ball, are both near to the same cushion or cushions on one of the four sides of a snooker table.

In the preferred embodiment the two legs are splayed apart by at least 90 degrees and more preferably are splayed at between 110 degrees and 140 degrees. A particularly effective angle is 115 degrees.

Accordingly, the more preferred splaying between the legs is in the range 115 degrees + 5 degrees.

The cue rest further comprises a shaft and the head is connected at the end of the shaft and disposed in a plane normal to the axis of the shaft. It is particularly advantageous for the head to be constructed with the two legs as a mirror image of one another, say about a plane passing through the axis of the shaft.

An advantageous construction results from having a further cue guide disposed between the two guides and useful positioned centrally with respect to the head i.e. straddling a plane which divides the angle between the two legs. It is further preferred to have the ends of the further cue guide formed as a pair of legs for supporting the cue rest in an inverted position.

Advantageously, the angle between the two support legs constitutes an additional guide when the rest- is inverted. The support legs and the pair of legs can each be used to support the rest on the playing surface and it is preferred that the further cue guide is positioned at a greater distance from the playing surface than the additional cue guide when in their respective positions of use. The further guide can be used for applying "top" and the additional guide for applying "bottom" by virtue of the heights relative to the playing surface.

Thus the cue rest has numerous uses.

The head may be fabricated from such as brass tubing or produced as a casting. The ends of the legs may be provided with suitable rounded insets especially when formed from tubing. Alternatively the head may be formed from plastics.

The present invention will now be described further, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which: Figure 1 is an end elevation of one embodiment of head; Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates an elevation view of the rest of Figures 1 and 2 (without handle) in a position of use with respect to the playing surface and cushion of a snooker table; Figure 4 is an end elevation view of another embodiment of cue rest head; Figure 5 is a sectional plan view of Figure 4 on line AA; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cue rest head of Figures 4 and 5.

Referring to the accompanying drawings of Figures 1 to 3, the cue rest comprises of brass tubing pieces 10 to 15 and a brass ferrule 16 which are silver soldered together. Plastic inserts 17 and 22 fitted to the open ends of the brass tubing. The wooden handle (not shown) should be firmly fitted into 16 and secured by a screw through the side of 16. Alternative securing methods for the handle in the rest and the inserts 17 to 22 into the tubing pieces such as suitable adhesives, or screw threads, may be used.

The tubes 10, 11 form two support legs which are splayed apart by approximately 115 degrees which allows for supporting the rest either with both legs on the playing surface or with one on the top of the cushionas illustrated in Figure 3. The angle between the two support legs at 35 provides an additional cue guide.

Each leg has a cue guide 29,31 provided respectively by tubes 12, 13 and 14,15. Tips 19, 20 can serve to support cue rest in an inverted position.

Referring to the drawing Figure 3, 23 is a part cross-section of the playing surface of the table, and 24 is a part cross-section of a snooker table cushion.

The cloth covering is omitted for convenience. A part cross-section of the table frame is shown at 25. With the cue rest in a position as shown in Figure 3 the point of guidance for the cue would be between 14 and 15. In the illustration the general direction of cue guidance, with respect to the snooker table playing surface, would be anticlockwise. In order to provide clockwise cue guidance, the position of the rest would be such that insert 22 would be resting on the playing surface of the table and insert 17 would be resting on a cushion. The point of guidance for the snooker cue would now be between 12 and 13. Thus the rest can be used for both directions of shot and the handle can be securely fixed by way of ferrule 16 to the head part.

The described rest is used in assisting to guide a snooker cue to strike a cue ball which, during the process of a game on a snooker table, is touching or near a cushion and or that the object ball is also, as well as the cue ball, near or touching the same cushion or cushions which border one of the four sides of a snooker playing surface.

Referring now to Figures 4 to 6, a cue rest is shown having two support legs splayed at approximately 115 degrees with contact for support at ends of limbs 110, 177, and having a respective cue guide 111, 116. A further guide is provided at 113. The guides 111, 116 are formed by a respective limb 125, 126 extending from the respective leg, and by the sides 127, 128 of a body part 129. The sides 127, 128 merge with limb parts 131, 133 of the further guide 113. The rest is shown with 115 being the means by which a short wooden handle would be fitted into the rest. The handle would be fixed to the rest by means of a screw or a screw thread (not shown).

In order to provide cue guidance to strike a cue ball in its upper region, with reference to Figure 4, 110 and 117 would be resting on the playing surface of the table, and the cue guidance would be via 113. In order to provide cue guidance to strike a cue ball in its lower region, with reference to Figure 4 the rest should be rotated through 180 degrees so that 112 and 114, are resting on the playing surface of the table.

The cue guidance would be provided via 118.

In order to provide cue guidance from within the region of over the playing surface of the table and near the edge of the cushion, to directly over the cushion, with a cue rest, reference is made to Figure 6 where the rest is shown tilted at an angle. In this tilted position 110 would be resting on one of the cushions of the table and 117 would be resting on the playing surface of the table. The cue guidance is via 111, and the general direction of guidance for the cue around the playing surface, would be clockwise. In order to provide cue guidance as in the latter instance but, in an anticlockwise general direction around the playing surface of the table, the rest would be tilted so that 117 would be resting on a cushion of the table, and 110 would be resting on the playing surface of the table.

The cue guidance would then be via 116.

The cue rest when fixed to a handle provides a combination of guidance for a snooker cue, on a snooker table. One guidance is provided for striking a cue ball in its upper region via 113, when 110 and 117 are resting on the playing surface of the table. The cue ball may be struck in its lower region via 118, with 112 and 114 on the playing surface. With 117 on the playing surface and 110 on the side cushion, guidance for the cue is via 116. These latter two means of guidances are provided for when, in particular instances, the position of the cue and object balls forces the direction of the shot by the cue to be in line with and close to a cushion, or at an acute angle to a cushion. The cue guidance via 111 and 116 can be moved from over the playing surface to over a cushion.

Claims (13)

1. A cue rest for use in snooker or the like comprising a head part having two support legs and each leg having a cue guide, the arrangement being such that, in use, either of the legs may be positioned on top of a table cushion with the other leg on the table playing surface to present for use the cue guide of the leg positioned on the cushion.

2. A cue rest as claimed in claim 1 in which the two legs are splayed apart by at least 90 degrees.

3. A cue rest as claimed in claim 1 in which the legs are splayed between 110 degrees and 140 degrees.

4. A cue rest as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the legs are splayed at 115 degrees + 5 degrees.

5. A cue rest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a shaft and wherein the head is disposed at the end of the shaft and aligned in a plane normal thereto.

6. A cue rest as claimed in claim 5 in which the head is constructed with the two legs as a mirror image of one another.

7. A cue rest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the head has a further pair of legs extending in a direction opposite to the above mentioned support legs.

8. A cue rest as claimed in claim 7 in which the two support legs are arranged to act as an additional cue guide when the head is inverted and supported on the further pair of legs.

9. A cue rest as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 comprising a further cue guide disposed intermediate the cue guide of each leg.

10. A cue rest as claimed in claim 9 when appendant to claim 7 in which sides of the further cue guide are extended to provide the further pair of legs.

11. A cue rest as claimed in claim 9 when appendant to claim 8 in which the further cue guide is arranged to be disposed further from the playing surface than said additional cue guide.

12. A cue rest as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the support legs are arranged so that, in use, both legs may be positioned on the table playing surface to present one or other of the cue guides for use.

13. A cue rest constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings of Figures 1 to 3 or 4 to 6.