GB2578130A

GB2578130A - Aiming device

Info

Publication number: GB2578130A
Application number: GB1816933.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Hooper Daron
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-10-17
Filing date: 2018-10-17
Publication date: 2020-04-22
Also published as: GB2578130A8; GB201816933D0

Abstract

A device 100 and method for aiming a first object to drive a second object to a desired target at a selected angle α, the device, in use, is configured to be hand-held by a user. The device comprises a first member 20 representing the first object, and a second member 40 representing the second object, wherein; the first and second members 20, 40 are pivotally connected such that they are rotatably movable relatively to each other to an angle being defined by the rotational position of the first member relative to the second member. The first and second members operatively cooperate to whereby provide a visual indication of where to hit the second object and of a target path for the second object to move to the desired target after being struck at the selected angle α. The device is particularly, but not exclusively, a device for billiard sports such as snooker.

Description

AIMING DEVICE

The present invention relates to an aiming device and method, particularly but not exclusively to an aiming device and method for billiard sports or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A challenge with billiard sports is determining the necessary shot line for the cue ball to hit and deflect the object/target ball to a desired target path e.g. a pocket or another ball.

There are various known devices and methods for aiming pool shots. For example, there are several aiming metrics to determine a cut (deflection) angle while aiming such as contact point-to-contact point and ball fractions. Personal choices and abilities would normally lead a player to choose a preferred device or method.

A problem with these aiming devices is that they generally require to be placed on (in direct contact with) a billiard table or a ball, therefore they may not be suitable for use in the course of a game. These devices typically provide a guess of a fractional ball contact. In addition, once they are taken from a playing table/surface there is nothing providing a cross reference to the required cut angle and ball-hit fraction. This would therefore require a player to visualise mentally the cut angle and ball contact fraction to be aimed for.

An aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a device and method that serve to address the above problems.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a device for aiming a first object to drive a second object to a desired target at a selected angle, -2 -the device, in use, is configured to be hand-held by a user, the device comprises a first member representing the first object, and a second member representing the second object, wherein: the first and second members are pivotally connected such that they are rotatably movable relatively to each other to an angle being defined by the rotational position of the first member relative to the second member, and the first and second members operatively cooperate to provide a visual indication of where to hit the second object and of a target path for the second object to move to the desired target after being struck at the selected angle.

The first member preferably comprises a window forming an extension/projection of the representation of the first object whereby upon rotating the first member relatively to the second member and superimposing the window at least partially over the representation of the second object the window is configured to visually define an overlapping portion of the representation of the second object which represents a fraction/slice of the second object that should be aimed for. Preferably, the device is configured to measure the width of said portion.

The first member is preferably designed to show a representation of the first object, and the second member is designed to show a representation of the second object. Preferably, the first and second objects are either spherical, or circular, or annular in shape. Preferably, the representations of the first and second objects are respectively the cross-sections of the first and second objects. A first circle may represent the first object and the second circle may represent the second object. A semicircle or a portion of a circle may be shown instead of the 'full' first and/or second circle(s).

The representations of the first and second objects may be shown in/on the first and second members. The representations of the first and second objects may -3 -be marked or printed on/in the first and second members. Optionally a representation of the desired target is shown at an end of the second member.

Preferably, the overlapping portion/area is defined geometrically as a circular segment and the width of said portion is the height of said circular segment.

The window is preferably transparent to enable the overlapping portion to be visible when the window superimposes the representation of the second object. The window may be suitably coloured to highlight the portion. A transparent material such as plastic, glass or the like may be used.

The window may comprise a grid scale to measure the width of the portion.

The representation of the first object may show a first reading scale to determine the selected angle, and/or second reading scale to determine the width of the portion.

The representation of the second object may show at least one cross-line indicating a corresponding fraction/slice of the second object, preferably showing two cross-lines for each of 'A, 1/2, and % portions of the representation of the second object.

The first reading scale, the grid scale, and cross-sections may be marked, stamped or printed.

The first and second members are preferably panels being substantially flat and generally rectangular in shape. The first and second members may have rounded end corners for safety. Preferably, the first and second members are substantially congruent. The first and second members may be resiliently deformable, preferably formed of plastic (such as clear Polyvinyl Chloride, PVC) or the like, although other suitable materials including wood or metal may be used. -4 -

The first and second members may be pivotally connected by a fastening means, optionally by a pivot or hinge means, preferably by a binding means, more preferably by a binding rivet, screw, or clip. Such a means may be made of metal or plastic or other suitable material.

The device may be designed for billiard sports, such as pool or snooker. The device may also be suitable for other games/sports including bocce, air-hockey, curling or the like.

Although the device can be used on (in contact with) a pool, or snooker, or air-hockey table, preferably the device, in use, is not placed thereon.

Preferably, the representation of the first object is a cross-section of a cue ball (the ball, usually a white one, that is to be struck with a cue in billiards sports.) and the representation of the second object is a cross-section of an object/target ball (the ball being hit by the cue ball). The first and second objects may have different sizes depending on the sport/game. The desired target may /5 be a pocket, another ball or a desired location on the playing surface.

The object ball may be hit using any cue sports techniques that aim to have the cue ball and/or object ball in new appropriate positions after the shot.

The first and second members are preferably arranged such that the representations of the first and second objects are tangential to each other at a point representing the point of contact of the first and second objects whilst rotating the first member relatively to the second member.

A pivot may be located at the centre of the representation of the first object, more preferably wherein the representation of the first object defines a 'ghost-ball' position of the cue ball being in direct contact with the object ball.

In use, the aiming device is held by a user, but it could be also placed on a table or adjacent an object/ball at least temporarily. It will be appreciated that this -5 -invention provides a hand-held device that, in use, does not interfere during the course of a game.

The device may also comprise a laser pointer or the like, preferably with a visible laser beam, to help a shooter to better estimate the desired target path (parallel line aiming). The laser pointer may be removably attached or integrated to the device.

The device may also be an electronic device comprising digital display means. The device may comprise a digital protractor to measure angular displacement between the first and second members. A digital window may also be used to visualise the fraction of the ball to be aimed for.

The device may also be designed for computer software or applications. The device may be digitally represented in a software application. The device may be pocket-sized, for example it may be reproduced as a credit card version or even a smaller keyring version.

The present invention also provides a method for aiming a first object to drive a second object to a desired target, the method comprising a device as described above, the method comprising: positioning the second member relatively to the first member at a selected angle for the second object to move to the desired target after being struck by the first object; measuring the selected angle; and visually determining the point of contact and fraction/slice of the second object that should be aimed for to drive the second object to the desired target by measuring the width of the portion that is defined by the window when is at least partially overlaying the representation of the second object; -6 -wherein the method further comprising holding the device in hand whilst using it during the course of a game or for training.

Preferably, the method assists in training a user's mind to know the width of the portion against any selected angle whilst holding the device in hand and without necessarily requiring a pool or snooker table.

The method may comprise: * measuring the selected angle by means of a first reading scale being shown in the representation of the first object; and/or * determining the width of the portion to be aimed for by means of: -a grid scale being shown in/on the window; and/or - a second reading scale being shown in/on the representation of the first object; and/or - a cross-line being shown in/on the representation of the second object and indicating a corresponding fraction of the second object.

The method may comprise orienting the first member towards the centre of mass of the second object.

Equally, the device may also be used for training purposes to train a user's brain to know at a chosen angle the width/cross-section of the second object to be aimed for. Such a training activity can be done without necessarily requiring a billiard table or the like.

Preferably, the present invention discloses a combination of at least the following features: a device comprising a pair of hinged members rotating relatively to each other; in use the device being hand held; the device being configured to determine 'angular' measurement (cut angle); the device being also configured to provide a visual indication and 'linear' measurement of the -7 -necessary aiming contact ball fraction by means of a transparent 'highlighting' window feature.

Knowing exactly where to hit an object ball at any given angle is beneficial, nonetheless to actually hit a ball with accuracy in the order of millimetres would, of course, require shooting proficiency. This is of course beyond the scope of protection sought by this patent. However, it will be readily evident to a skilled person that the present device/method provides clear and effective visualisation and quantification on where to hit an object ball correctly to achieve a desired deflection. It also helps visualisation the target path the object ball will travel when struck at a chosen direction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of a first member of the aiming device according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of a first embodiment of a second member of the aiming device according to the present invention; Figure 3 is a top view of an embodiment of the aiming device in an assembled configuration according to the present invention; Figure 4 is a top view of the aiming device of Figure 3 in use in a first orientation; Figure 5 is a top view of the aiming device of Figure 3 in use in a second orientation; Figure 6 is a top view of a second embodiment of a first member of the aiming device according to the present invention; -8 -Figure 7 is a top view of a second embodiment of a second member of the aiming device according to the present invention; Figure 8 is a top view of a third embodiment of a second member of the aiming device according to the present invention; Figure 9 is a bottom view of the second member of Figure 7 or Figure 8; and Figure 10 is a top view of the aiming device of Figures 6 and 7 in an assembled configuration in use according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings represent different embodiments of a device which is preferably, but not exclusively, designed for pool (8 or 9 ball) and snooker sports.

Figure 1 shows a top view of a first member 20. The first member is generally rectangular in shape with an equal radius curved end. In this embodiment a first circle 7 is printed at one end of the first member. The first circle 7 represents a cross-section of the first object; the first object being spherical, circular or annual. In this embodiment the first object is a ball, more specifically a cue ball i.e. the white ball to be struck with a cue stick. The centre of the first circle 7 is indicated in Figure 1 with the numeral 6.

The first member 20 comprises a window 1. extending away from the first circle 7 along the length (i.e. along the longitudinal axis 21) of the first member as shown in Figure 3. The window 1 represents a projection of the first circle over the second circle. In particular, the window 1 represents an extension of the ghost ball moving over the second circle which represents an object ball as discussed below). The window 1 therefore acts as an extended ghost ball, so when the desired angle is chosen, the extended ghost ball at least partially covers the second circle 9 and shows the correct contact point where the cue ball is to strike. The window 1 and the first circle 7 are made of a transparent, -9 -and preferably flexible, material such as plastic or the like, e.g. clear Polyvinyl Chloride, PVC (500-750 [am).

Figure 2 shows a top view of a second member 40. In this embodiment, a second circle 9 is printed at a first end of the second member. The second circle 9 represents a cross-section of the second object; the second object being spherical, circular or annual. The second object is a ball, more specifically an object ball to be struck by the cue ball. The second circle 9 is preferably coloured in a highlighted colour (e.g. yellow) to improve visibility. The window 1 is preferably, but not exclusively, coloured (e.g. in orange) to further improve contrast and hence visibility.

A third circle 11, tangent to the second circle 9 (at the point 10 as indicated by the arrow), is also printed on the second member. The third circle 11 is preferably coloured in white. The centre of the third circle 11 is indicated in Figure 2 with the numeral 12. The first circle 7 should be clear so when laid over the top of the third circle 11 (as described below in Figure 3) it would appear to be white like a cue ball.

The remaining part of the second member (other than the second and third circles) is indicated with the numeral 8 as shown in Figure 2. Additional information may be shown in that part 8. A representation of a pocket may also 20 be shown at one end of the second member.

The first and second members are congruent. In this embodiment, the first and second members are of the approximate size and shape of a credit card (albeit rounded at one end), although 'elongated' versions are available as shown, for example, in the embodiments below. The overall length of the first and second member in these embodiments is approximately 110 mm, but other sizes are possible.

The overall width of the first and second members corresponds respectively to the diameter of the cue and object balls which depends on the type of sport/ -10 -game. In this embodiment, the device is specifically designed for snooker. The first and second circles both have the same diameter (2") as they represent an actual 2" cue ball and 2" object ball. It will be appreciated that the cue and object balls may have different sizes (diameters). For example, British 8 Ball Pool comprises a 2" object ball and a 1A" cue ball, and 9 Ball Pool comprises a 2%" object ball and a 2%" cue ball. The first, second and third circles may reflect such size variations accordingly.

Figure 3 shows the device 100 in an assembled configuration. The first member and second members 20, 40 are connected by a binding rivet 13 which enables the first and second members to rotate relatively to each other. The binding rivet 13 constitutes a pivot point around which the device rotates. The device 100 is assembled such that the first circle 7 overlays the third circle 11 and the binding rivet 13 is applied through the centres 6 and 12. This arrangement allows the first circle (cue ball) to be always in direct contact with the second circle (object ball) in the 'ghost-ball' position regardless of the relative rotational positions of the first and second members. The point of contact of the cue ball and object ball is shown by the point 10 indicated by the arrow in Figure 3.

An angle a is formed between the longitudinal axis 21 of the first member and the longitudinal axis 41 of the second member. In the embodiment of Figure 4, 20 the first and second members are rotated at the desired (cut) angle a, which in this case is approximately 55°.

A first reading scale 4 is depicted on the first circle to measure a selected angle a based on a desired target path. The scale 4 essentially functions as a protractor displaying angles a spanning from 0° to 180°. The scale 4 is designed such that the origin 0° is set along the centreline of the first member. Conveniently, this allows measuring angles ranging from 0° to 90° notwithstanding whether the first member is rotated clockwise or anti-clockwise, which depends on the position of the desired target.

-11 -Of course, if the first member is aligned with, and points to the same direction of, the second member (i.e. aiming direction A corresponds to target path B), then the cue ball should hit the object ball fully and straight, meaning that the point of contact is exactly at the middle point of the object ball.

As it can be seen, the window 1 has a pair of longitudinal edges 14 and 14' extending along the length of the first member. These edges extend normal to the diameter being defined along the 90°-90° cross-section.

Once the device is set at the desired angle a, the fraction/slice of the object ball that should be aimed is visually provided by means of an overlapping portion/area 15 that is defined by the window 1 over/on the second circle 9, as shown in Figure 3. Upon superimposing the window 1 over the second circle 9, one of the edge 14 or 14' (depending of course on the orientation of the first member relatively to the target) defines a secant/chord or diameter over the second circle. This results in a circular segment being formed between said edge 14 or 14' and the arc having its endpoints defined by said chord/secant. The highlighted area/portion 15 visually defines said circular segment (or semi-circle). The length/width 22 of said portion 15 is the height of that circular segment (or the radius of the semi-circle).

The length/width 22 may also be measured by means of a grid scale 3 that is shown on the window 1. The grid scale 3 is designed such that the width 22 is measured inwardly from each of the longitudinal edges 14 and 14'. That is, the centreline of the first member corresponds to half diameter of the cue ball, which in this case (snooker) is 25.4 mm (1"). The grid scale essentially operates as a ruler measuring length/width over the second circle 9. The ruler points 3 are set at 5 mm intervals. If the device was scaled down in size, say for a pocket keyring version, the 5 mm intervals gaps would be then scaled down appropriately, but the point numbering would remain the same. In this embodiment, the width 22 is approximately 9 mm. Either metric or imperial units may be used.

-12 -A second reading scale 5 is also provided on the first circle in correspondence to the angles a being defined by the grid 4. This scale 5 provides a supplementary or alternative measurement (to the grid scale 3) of the length/width of the slice/fraction of the object ball to be aimed for.

For example, from a shooter's perspective, to deflect the object ball a selected angle a of 30°, the shooter should hit half of the object ball. Equally, to achieve a deflection of 60° the object ball should be hit such that the width 22 is approximately 6 mm.

For convenience, when the cut angles are ranging from 0° and about ±30° (over half ball contact) the "slice of ball" measurements are taken from the opposite edge 14 or 14' depending on the sense of rotation -see negative values -9 mm and -17 mm as shown by the scale 5.

Figure 4 shows a device being held, in use, over a snooker table. As described above, the first and second members cooperate to provide a visual indication of a target path B for an object ball 90 to move to a desired pocket 80 after being struck by a cue ball 70 at a selected angle a. The device 100 may be oriented as shown in Figure 4 by aligning the longitudinal axis 41 of the second member along the target path B at the selected angle a of 55°.

Once the angle a has been determined, the device may be turned around as shown is Figure 5 to visualise the actual contact point of the ball and aiming direction A for the cue ball 90 to hit the abject ball 90 to the pocket 80. As it can be seen, in this configuration the device is oriented such that the window 1 heads on the object ball while the second circle to the pocket 80. However, the device could be used in any orientations without necessarily requiring a billiard table. For example, the device can be used merely as learning tool for training.

Figure 6 shows a different embodiment of the first member 20. This embodiment differs to that of Figure 1 because the length of the first member is extended. As shown in Figure 6, the elongated first member 20 comprises an -13 -extended portion 17. A representation of the final section of a cue stick 16 is depicted on the top surface of the first member whilst hitting the cue ball represented by the second circle 9. Further, the second circle 9 is positioned about two-thirds of the whole length of the second member. The grid scale 3 is provided in inches (see numeral 2). The second reading scale 5 is not shown.

Figure 7 shows another embodiment of the second member 40. Similarly to the embodiment of Figure 6, the embodiment of Figure 7 differs to that of Figure 2 in that the length of the second members is extended. The overall length of each of the first and second member in these embodiments is approximately 216 mm, but other sizes are possible. The overall width of each of the first and second members corresponds respectively to the diameter of the cue and object balls which in turn depends on the type of game. A representation of a target pocket 18 is shown at an end of the elongated second member 40. The remaining part 8 of the second member 40 may be coloured in green or blue to match the colour of the baize of a billiard table. Other useful information may also be provided in said part 8.

Figure 8 shows another embodiment of the second member 40, which differs from that of Figure 7 in that three cross sections 19 (corresponding to three fractions e.g. %, 1/2, 1/4 of the object ball) are shown in the second circle 9. The 20 number of cross-sections 19 may vary.

Figure 9 shows a bottom/rear surface of the second member 40 on which a 'legend' visualises several ball cut configurations corresponding to 1", ±1/4", ±1/2" and ±%" ball contact. The legend is provided for ease of use. Of course, other or different information may be displayed thereon.

Figure 10 shows a top view of an embodiment of an assembled aiming device 200 when in use. The device comprises the first and second member of Figures 6 and 7. The device is initially held over a snooker table such that first member is oriented towards the actual centre of mass 71 of the object ball 70 and the -14 -second member 40 is oriented along the target path B towards the desired pocket 80. A shooter standing in front of the cue ball 90 in line of the object ball 70 would tilt the second member 40 at the desired estimated angle a. The device 200 is designed to measure the angle a and provide a visual indication and quantification (measurement) of the fraction of the object ball to be aimed for. The actual aiming path A and point of contact are therefore provided once the selected angle a is set. A shooter will perform a shot accordingly thereafter.

The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above and it will be understood that features disclosed as part of one embodiment can, if appropriate, be used in combination with other embodiments. Alternative arrangements and suitable materials will be apparent to a reader skilled in the art.

Claims

-15 -CLAIM S1. A device for aiming a first object to drive a second object to a desired target at a selected angle, the device, in use, is configured to be hand-held by a user, the device comprises a first member representing the first object, and a second member representing the second object, wherein: the first and second members are pivotally connected such that they are rotatably movable relatively to each other to an angle being defined by the rotational position of the first member relative to the second member, and the first and second members operatively cooperate to whereby provide a visual indication of where to hit the second object and of a target path for the second object to move to the desired target after being struck at the selected angle.
2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first member comprises a window defining an extension/projection of the representation of the first object whereby upon rotating the first member relatively to the second member and superimposing the window at least partially over the representation of the second object the window is configured to visually define an overlapping portion of the representation of the second object representing a fraction/slice of the second object that should be aimed for, the device is configured to measure the width of said portion.
3. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first member is designed to show a representation of the first object, and the second member is designed to show a representation of the second object, wherein: the first and second objects are either spherical, or circular, or annular in shape and the representations of the first and second objects are respectively the cross-sections of the first and second objects; the representations of the first and second objects are shown in/on the first and second members; -16 -optionally, a representation of the desired target is shown at an end of the second member.
4. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the portion is defined geometrically as a circular segment and the width of the portion is the height of said circular segment.
5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the window is transparent to enable the portion to be visible when the window superimposes 10 the representation of the second object.
6. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the window is suitably coloured to highlight the portion.
7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: * the window comprises a grid scale to measure the width of the portion; * the representation of the first object shows: - a first reading scale to determine the selected angle, - a second reading scale to determine the width of the portion; * the representation of the second object shows at least one cross-line indicating a corresponding fraction/slice of the second object, showing two cross-lines for each of %, 1/2, and 'A portions of the representation of the second object.
8. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second members are panels, preferably being substantially flat and generally rectangular and being substantially congruent.
9. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and 30 second members are pivotally connected by a fastening means, preferably by a pivot or hinge means.
10. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device is designed for billiard sports.
11. A device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the representation of the first object is a cross-section of a cue ball and the representation of the second object is a cross-section of an object/target ball.
12. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first and second members are arranged such that the representations of the first and second objects are tangential to each other at a point representing the point of contact of the first and second objects whilst rotating the first member relatively to the second member, wherein: a pivot is located in the centre of the representation of the first object, and/or the representation of the first object defines a Ighost-ball' position of the cue ball being in direct contact with the object ball
13. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device 20 comprises a laser beam pointer to help a shooter to better estimate the desired target path.
14. A method for aiming a first object to drive a second object to a desired target, the method comprising a device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the method comprising: holding the device in hand whilst using it during the course of a game or for training; positioning the second member relatively to the first member at a selected angle for the second object to move to the desired target after being struck by the first object; measuring the selected angle; -18 -visually determining the point of contact and fraction/slice of the second object that should be aimed for to drive the second object to the desired target by measuring the width of the portion that is defined by the window when is at least partially overlaying the representation of the second object.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14, the method assists in training a user's mind to know the width of the portion given any selected angle whilst holding the device in hand and without necessarily requiring a billiard table.
16. A method as claimed in claim 14, the method comprising positioning the first member towards the centre of mass of the second object.