US1609026A - Billiard cue - Google Patents

Description

E. LINDLEY BILLIARD CUE Filed Jan. 24, 1923 How/18v.

Nov. 30 1926.

5 part.

Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

nDwAnn Iun EY, or CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

BILLIA'RD CUE.

Application filed January 24, 1923.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of billiard cue of metal which shall have all of the advantages of a cue made of wood, together with additional ad vantages which overcome the warping tend ency of wooden cues and embodying other advantages which are referred to hereinafter.

More particularly, my object is to con struct a billiard cue of a tapering'metaltube provided at the smaller end with a metallic mass, giving to it more or less weight and adjacent to which the tipis secured, the said mass providing the weight which is necessary to give to the cue the proper balance for accurate handling.

As a further improvement in respect to the balancing, the additional weight located near the tip end may be provided by introducing into the cue, adjacent to that end, shot" or other subdivided heavy material in metallic or compound form which may be held firmly in position by a suitable means such as felt or other wadding fastened in placewithin the tubular body.

My invention further consists of details of construction which, together with the features above specified, will be better understood by reference to the drawings in which: 7

Fig. 1 1s a side vlew of a billiardcue embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of my improved cue, corresponding toth'e handle end; Fig. 31s a similar sectional view corresponding to the tip end; Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the head and tip removed; and Figs 5 and 6 are sectional views corresponding to 3, showing modifications of my invention.

2 is the tubular body of the cue and comprises a tapering metallic portion which, at the handle end, may be of the largest diameter an'dsubstantially uniform to enable a firm grasp to be had upon the cue. The end of the handle part may be closed by a plug having a flanged end 5 which fits over the edge of the tubular handle 3 and said plug may be secured in place in any suitable n ian ner, but preferably by a transverse. pin 6. The handle part 3 connects with the tapering body part 2 by a gradual reduction in diameter, asindicated at 3, to reduce the diameter of the body at its largest end to something below the diameter of the handle The smaller end' of the body 2 is fitted With a solid head portion 7', prefer- Serial No. 614,536.

ably non-metallic, to which the. tip 13 is secured, the said head portion 7 having a shank 8 which fits into the small end of the body. Preferably, shank 8 is of uniform diameter and the interior of the end of the body is bored in cylindrical form, as at 9, to tightly receive the shank of the head portion, and the parts may be united by means of a transverse pin 10. The tip 13- may be of leather, cork or other suitable material and attached to the flat end 11 of the body by cement and, preferably, reinforced in its connection by means of the small projecting pins 12 extending from the head 7' into the tip to positively prevent shifting thereof in a lateral direction. The pins or prongs 12.

not only hold the tip 13 against lateral displacement, but also increase the attachment of the tip to the head 7 by providing the interengaging association, which is enhanced by making the pins or prongs l2 roughened or threaded and coated with glue or cement at time of applying the tip. The head 7 may be of metal and of more or less mass and operates as a counter-balance to the cue and provides the necessary weight adjacent to the operating end, which is de sirable to insure the proper balance" of the cue as an entirety, it being undesirable" that the handle end shall be materially heavier than the tip end.

lVhile it is manifest that the head 7 may be made in different sizes to secure different degrees of balance, I prefer to provide an adjustable mass for securing various degrees of balance to suit requirements of skilled billiardists, said means consisting of a loading of shot 15' located within the hollow body 2, adjacent to the shank 8 of the head 7, wherein it may be packed and held by a wadding 16 of felt forced in under pressure and secured in compressed condition by a cross pin 17 tlirough the body, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3'. Inplace of shot, the loading may be of a metallic substance in fine subdivision, or a heavy metallic compound, and I, therefore, do not restrict myself to the character of the loading; the essential feature of this leading residing in the capacity to varyits weight effect upon the cue and hence the balance thereof. It will also be understood that the metallic plug'5 at the handle end 3 provides weight at that end, the size of this weight affecting the heft of the cue at the handle end; and

where a heavy one is desired, the counterbalance weight at the tip end may be varied accordingly. In this way, there may be considerable weighting of the cue at both ends, the balancing being insured by having the weighted ends relatively proportioned as to weight to secure the desired results.

In the construction of Fig. 5, I have shown the shank 8 of the head 7 screwed into the end of the body 2 before being secured by the transverse pin 10; and instead of the tip 13 being secured directly upon the head 7, as in Fig. 3, it may be glued upon a cushion bed 1 1 of vulcanite fibre, hard wood such as lignum-vitae, or boxwood, or other hard fibrous or slightly yielding substance, as distinguished from the metallic head, in which case a tip of less thickness will sufiice and the action upon the billiard balls will correspond more fully to that resulting from the use of wooden cues.

In the finished article the body 2 is quite smooth adjacent the tip end and the handle end 3 may be roughened or polygonal in cross section to insure a positive grasp thereof when using the cue.

In Figs 6, I have shown another modification of my invention adjacent the tip end of the cue, the same consisting of pressing the end of the tapered body 2 into a tubular nipple 8 over which the head 7", having the socket 8 may be fitted and secured against disengagement by a transverse pin 10 or otherwise. This head 7 may be formed of celluloid, wood or other material,

I of a more or less slightly yielding character and upon which the tip 13 is secured by cement and, preferably, reinforced by the pins or prongs 12 secured to the head 7 and extending into the tip and cemented thereto, as before explained, if so desired. The tip and head, here shown, may be applied to the other forms of one bodies. To weight the small or tip end of the cue, I may employ the shot of Fig. 3, or, in lieu thereof, I may provide a solid weight 15 fitting within the one body adjacent to its small or tip end, the same being held therein by friction supplemented by the transverse pin 18. If it is desired to vary the mass of the weight 15, the same may be bored as at 19 to lighten it. In this case, the head should first be removed and then the drilling performed through the nipple 8*, until the specially desired balance is secured.

Where the head 7 of Fig. 3 or 7 of Fig. 6 is made of celluloid or other pyroxylin compound, the pins 12 may be molded in position; in cases where other material is employed the pins may be screwed in or driven in as preferred. In some cases, where the head 7 is made of metal, such as bronze. the pins 12 are fitted into holes and held therein by solder or friction. In Fig. 3, the head 7 may be of non-metallic material or metal, as desired, and used with or without the weight 15; in Fig. 5, the head 7 would be wholly relied upon for weight; and in Fig. 6, the head 7 is intended to be of celluloid or other non-metallic material and a weight l5 or its equivalent employed within the body of the cue. These variations are all within the scope of my general invention.

In construction, the body may be made of fine steel tubing heated and rolled on a tapered mandrel to approximate form and thereafter accurately finished by being spun, at a relatively high speed, upon a tapered mandrel and with a very slow longitudinal feeding of the spinning roller; and finally, the surface is ground and polished, plated or otherwise finished. The handle end 3 may be pressed by dies, knurled or otherwise finished, to insure a positive grip and definite handling in use.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable, and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that I do not restrict myself to the details, as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A billiard cue, comprising a tubular body having its largest cross section at one end to form a handle and its smallest cross section at the other or tip end, combined with a compact metallic mass wholly adja cent the tip end of the cue and consisting of a substance in a state of subdivision or comminution packed tightlywithin said tip end of the cue to provide additional predetermined balance weight of regulated quantity thereto, and compressed wadding secured within the cue at a distance from the small or tip end thereof for positively holding the metallic mass in position.

2. The invention according to claim 1.

wherein the metallic balance weight is of shot and the wadding is of felt material in compressed state upon the shot and held in position by a transverse pin in the one body.

3. A billiard cue, comprising a tubular body tapering toward the tip end and having therein means for weighting the tip end of the tube, combined with a head of solid material interengaging and fitted to the tip end of the cue, the inter-engaging connection between the tip end of the one and the head comprising a cylindrical portion of smallest diameter on one of the parts fittin with a recess on the other of the parts and securely attached thereto, and a tip pad of iii) yielding material secured to the end of the head by projecting pin portions.

4. The invention according to claim 3, wherein the head portion is formed of celluloid.

5. In a tip end structure for a billiard cue, consisting of a cylindrical head of solid molded celluloid material having a mass such that its longitudinal dimension is approximately equal to its diameter, the rear end of which is formed With an annular extension providing a central circular recess,

the annular surface presenting a large area to form a solid and extended bearing surface, and said head at its other end having 1 a flat surface for the entire diameter of the head and provided with fixed ointed projecting pins embedded in the ce luloi'd head, combined With a resilient tip of the same diameter as the celluloid head and resting 20 upon its end surface to the extreme outer edge thereof, said tip held in place by the projecting pins.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

EDWARD LINDLEY.

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