U.S. patent application number 13/373216 was filed with the patent office on 2012-07-26 for method and apparatus for playing pool.
Invention is credited to Stewart C. Gardner, Joseph E. Tucker.
Application Number | 20120190466 13/373216 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46544566 |
Filed Date | 2012-07-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120190466 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gardner; Stewart C. ; et
al. |
July 26, 2012 |
Method and apparatus for playing pool
Abstract
A method and apparatus for playing pool on a pool table is
disclosed. A raised stand is located on the pool table and pool
balls are hit into an indentation on the raised stand. For example,
a plurality of pool balls is arranged in a starting position on the
playing surface of the pool table. The plurality of pool balls is
comprised of an object ball and a plurality of different sets of
pool balls. Players alternate turns wherein each player attempts to
hit balls from a set of pool balls assigned to that player into
pockets in the pool table using a pool cue and a cue ball. The game
ends when the object ball is hit into an indentation on a top level
of the raised stand once a player has hit all of their assigned
balls into the pockets
Inventors: |
Gardner; Stewart C.;
(Chappaqua, NY) ; Tucker; Joseph E.; (Warwick,
RI) |
Family ID: |
46544566 |
Appl. No.: |
13/373216 |
Filed: |
November 8, 2011 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12798085 |
Mar 29, 2010 |
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13373216 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/20 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63D 15/006 20130101;
A63D 15/005 20130101; F21V 1/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/20 |
International
Class: |
A63D 15/00 20060101
A63D015/00 |
Claims
1-30. (canceled)
31. A gaming device to be used on a playing surface of a pool table
for playing a game of pool, comprising: a raised stand located on
the playing surface of the pool table, the raised stand having
sloped sides that lead from the playing surface up to a top level,
wherein the top level comprises an indentation in which a pool ball
can come to rest after advancing up the sloped sides.
32. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the
indentation takes up a portion of the top level of the raised
stand.
33. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the
indentation takes up substantially all of the top level of the
raised stand.
34. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the raised
stand can have any number of sides and shapes.
35. The gaming device according to claim 34, wherein the shape of
the raised stand is substantially similar to a circle, triangle,
square, hexagon or a pentagon.
36. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the at least
one indentation is a dip with sloping sides.
37. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the at least
one indentation is a substantially circular hole with substantially
vertical sides.
38. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the raised
stand is placed approximately in the center of the pool table.
39. The gaming device according to claim 37, wherein the raised
stand is approximately 4 inches in diameter and the indentation is
approximately 2.75 inches in diameter.
40. The gaming device according to claim 37, wherein the raised
stand is approximately 5.5 inches in diameter and the indentation
is approximately 4 inches in diameter.
41. The gaming device according to claim 37, wherein the raised
stand is approximately 7 inches in diameter and the indentation is
approximately 5.5 inches in diameter.
42. The gaming device according to claim 37, wherein the raised
stand is approximately 13.5 inches in diameter and the indentation
is approximately 12 inches in diameter.
43. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein a plurality of
raised stands are located on the playing surface of the pool
table.
44. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the raised
stand is comprised of at least one of metal, metal composite,
plastic, wood, glass, resin, rubber or stone.
45. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the raised
stand has multiple levels with multiple ramps and at least one
indentation on a top level of the raised stand.
46. The gaming device according to claim 45, wherein the raised
stand has at least one indentation on multiple levels.
47. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the top
surface of the raised stand has a plurality of indentations.
48. The gaming device according to claim 47, wherein the plurality
of indentations have different sizes.
49-95. (canceled)
96. The gaming device according to claim 33, wherein the
indentation is bottomless.
97. The gaming device according to claim 96, wherein the raised
stand is shaped like a ring with sloping sides that slope up toward
the middle of the raised stand.
98. The gaming device according to claim 37, wherein the raised
stand is approximately 4.5 inches in diameter and the indentation
is approximately 3 inches in diameter.
99. The gaming device according to claim 37, wherein the raised
stand has a diameter between 3.25 inches and the indentation has a
diameter between 1-4 inches.
100. The gaming device according to claim 44, wherein the raised
stand has a durometer value greater than 10.
101. The gaming device according to claim 44, wherein the raised
stand has a durometer value greater than 25.
102. The gaming device according to claim 44, wherein the raised
stand has a durometer value greater than 37.
103. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the sloping
sides have a slope between 5.degree.-70.degree..
104. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the sloping
sides have a slope between 15.degree.-45.degree..
105. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the sloping
sides have a slope between 25.degree.-30.degree..
106. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the sloping
sides have a slope of approximately 26.87.degree..
107. The gaming device according to claim 33, wherein the
indentation has a depth of at least 0.125 inches.
108. The gaming device according to claim 33, wherein the
indentation has a depth of at least 0.26 inches.
109. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the raised
stand has a height of at least 0.125 inches.
110. The gaming device according to claim 31, wherein the raised
stand has a height of at least 0.37 inches.
Description
[0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part application of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/798,085, filed on Mar. 29,
2010, and entitled "Method and Apparatus for Playing Pool", and
this application expressly claims priority to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/798,085, and is incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a method and
apparatus for playing new pool (billiard) games, and more
particularly, to new pool games which incorporate a raised stand
located on the playing surface of a pool table.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The origination of pocket billiards can be traced back to
Europe in the 1500's. Typically, pocket billiards is played on a
rectangular table with a plurality of drop pockets arranged around
the playing surface. For example, the pool table 10 can have six
pockets 12 arranged around the periphery of the playing surface 24,
one in each corner and two on the sides, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Standard pool games use a plurality of pool balls including a cue
ball, wherein a player strikes the cue ball with a pool cue in an
attempt to hit one of the pool balls into a pocket.
[0004] Over the years, several pool games have become very popular,
namely 8-ball and 9-ball. In 8-ball, the pool balls are divided
into two sets, 7 low numbered balls or "solids" and 7 high number
balls or "strips". In addition, there is a an object ball, i.e.,
the 8-ball. The basic format of this game is that each player is
assigned either solids or strips and the player attempts to hit all
of his/her assigned balls into the pockets of the pool table. Once
a player has successfully hit all of his/her assigned balls into
the pockets, the player attempts to hit the 8-ball into a
previously selected pocket. The game continues until a player
successfully makes the 8-ball in the selected pocket.
[0005] 9-ball uses 9 balls numbered 1 through 9. The balls are hit
in rotation, meaning that they must be hit in numerical order
starting with the 1-ball. However, the balls do not need to be
pocketed in sequence. As long as the cue ball hits the ball with
the correct number first, any ball including the 9-ball may be sunk
and the player is allowed to continue their turn. A player wins by
legally sinking the 9-ball into a pocket at any point during the
game.
[0006] After playing 8-ball and 9-ball over and over again, some
players will want some variety in the games they play so they will
look for new games to play. Over the past decades, people have
devised many variations of known pool games. One problem with many
of these new games is that pool players consider the games to be
too gimmicky or introduce too much luck into the game which goes
against the basic principles of pool which require skill and
concentration.
[0007] Thus, there is a need for new pool games and apparatus which
overcomes the problems cited above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is therefore a feature and advantage of the present
invention to provide new pool games and apparatus to be used in
these games which require skill and strategy.
[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, a method for
playing a game on a pool table is disclosed. The method is
comprising of the steps of: placing a plurality of pool balls in a
starting position on the playing surface of the pool table, wherein
the plurality of pool balls is comprised of an object ball and a
plurality of different sets of pool balls; alternating turns
between a plurality of players, wherein each player attempts to hit
balls from a set of pool balls assigned to that player into pockets
in the pool table using a pool cue and a cue ball; and hitting the
object ball into an indentation on a top level of a raised stand
located on the playing surface of the pool table once a player has
hit all of their assigned balls into the pockets, wherein the game
ends when the object ball comes to rest in the indentation on the
raised stand.
[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, a gaming
device to be used on a playing surface of a pool table for playing
a game of pool is disclosed. The gaming device comprises: a raised
stand located on the playing surface of the pool table, the raised
stand having sloped sides that lead from the playing surface up to
a top level, wherein the top level comprises an indentation in
which a pool ball can come to rest after advancing up the sloped
sides.
[0011] According to another aspect of the invention, a pool table
is disclosed. The pool table comprises: a substantially flat
playing surface; a raised bumper system surrounding the flat
playing surface; and at least one raised stand on the playing
surface, wherein the at least on raised stand has sloping sides
that lead up from the playing surface to a top level, wherein the
top level comprises an indentation in which a pool ball can come to
rest after advancing up the sloping sides
[0012] According to another aspect of the invention, a method for
playing a game on a pool table is disclosed. The method is
comprised of the steps of: placing a plurality of pool balls in a
starting position on a playing surface of the pool table; and
alternating turns between a plurality of players, wherein each
player attempts to hit a ball from the plurality of pool balls into
an indentation on at least one raised stand located on the playing
surface of the pool table by hitting a cue ball with a pool
cue.
[0013] According to another aspect of the invention, a computer
readable medium storing code for simulating a pool game is
disclosed. The code comprises: code for placing a plurality of pool
balls in a starting position on the playing surface of the pool
table, wherein the plurality of pool balls is comprised of an
object ball and a plurality of different sets of pool balls; code
for alternating turns between a plurality of players, wherein each
player attempts to hit balls from a set of pool balls assigned to
that player into pockets in the pool table using a pool cue and a
cue ball; and code for hitting the object ball into an indentation
on a top level of a raised stand located on the playing surface of
the pool table once a player has hit all of their assigned balls
into the pockets, wherein the game ends when the object ball comes
to rest in the indentation on the raised stand.
[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, a computer
readable medium storing code for simulating a pool game is
disclosed. The code comprises: code for placing a plurality of pool
balls in a starting position on a playing surface of the pool
table; and code for alternating turns between a plurality of
players, wherein each player attempts to hit a ball from the
plurality of pool balls into an indentation on at least one raised
stand located on the playing surface of the pool table by hitting a
cue ball with a pool cue.
[0015] There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more
important features of the invention in order that the detailed
description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in
order that the present contribution to the art may be better
appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the
invention that will be described below and which will form the
subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
[0016] In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment
of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the
invention is not limited in its application to the details of
construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in
the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The
invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced
and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that
the phraseology and terminology employed herein, as well as the
abstract, are for the purpose of description and should not be
regarded as limiting.
[0017] As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be
utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods
and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present
invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded
as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not
depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The invention will now be described, by way of example, with
reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art pool table;
[0020] FIGS. 2(a)-(c) illustrate a perspective view of raised
stands according to several embodiments of the invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a raised stand according to
one embodiment of the invention;
[0022] FIGS. 4(a)-(b) illustrate a side view of raised stands
according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates a raised stand with a plurality of
indentations according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates a multilevel raised stand according to
another embodiment of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates a pool table with a raised stand
according to one embodiment of the invention;
[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates a pool table with a raised stand
according to another embodiment of the invention,
[0027] FIG. 9 illustrates a pool table with a raised stand
according to another embodiment of the invention,
[0028] FIG. 10 illustrates a large raised stand according to
another embodiment of the invention;
[0029] FIG. 11 illustrates a pool table according to one embodiment
of the invention;
[0030] FIG. 12 illustrates a pool table according to one embodiment
of the invention,
[0031] FIG. 13 illustrates a computer system according to one
embodiment of the invention;
[0032] FIG. 14 illustrates a computer readable medium according to
one embodiment of the invention;
[0033] FIG. 15 illustrates a computer readable medium according to
one embodiment of the invention;
[0034] FIGS. 16(a)-(d) illustrate a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention;
[0035] FIGS. 17(a)-(d) illustrate a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention;
[0036] FIGS. 18(a)-(d) illustrate a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention;
[0037] FIGS. 19(a)-(d) illustrate a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention;
[0038] FIGS. 20(a)-(d) illustrate a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention;
[0039] FIGS. 21(a)-(d) illustrate a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention; and
[0040] FIG. 22 illustrates a raised stand according to one
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0041] According to one embodiment of the invention, at least one
raised stand is placed or attached to the playing surface of a pool
table. The goal of the new pool games described below is to hit one
or more pool balls into an indentation on the raised stand or
stands. The specifics of the raised stands will now be described
followed by a description of some of the new pool games which can
be played using the raised stand or stands.
[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the raised stand 20 has sloping
sides 22 which lead up from the playing surface of a pool table 24
to a top level 26. The top level 26 has an indentation 28 in which
a pool ball moving at the correct speed may come to rest. FIG. 3
illustrates the raised stand 20 as viewed from above and FIGS.
4(a)-(b) illustrate the raised stand 20 as viewed from the side
according to several different embodiments. As illustrated in FIG.
2, the raised stand can be substantially circular in shape, but the
invention is not limited thereto. For example, the raised stand can
have a shape that is substantially similar to a circle, triangle
(illustrated in FIGS. 16(a)-(d)), square (illustrated in FIGS.
17(a)-(d)), hexagon (illustrated in FIGS. 18(a)-(d)), pentagon
(illustrated in FIGS. 19(a)-(d)), heptagon (illustrated in FIGS.
20(a)-(d)), octagon (illustrated in FIGS. 21(a)-(d)), or any other
shape.
[0043] The indentation 28 can be a dip in the top level 26 with
sloping sides or the indentation 28 can be a hole with
substantially vertical sides as illustrated in FIGS. 2(a)-(b). The
hole may be substantially circular or square, but the invention is
not limited thereto. In addition, the indentation 28 may take up a
portion of the top level as illustrated in FIG. 2(a) or the
indentation can take up substantially all of the top level as
illustrated in FIG. 2(b). In addition, the indentation 28 may not
have a bottom surface in which case the raised stand 20 would be
shaped like a ring with sloping sides which slope upwards toward
the middle of the raised stand as illustrated in FIG. 22.
[0044] The raised stand 20 may be constructed with various
diameters and height. Furthermore, the indentations can have
various diameters and depths, wherein the larger and deeper the
indentation, the easier it is for a ball to come to rest in the
indentation. According to one embodiment of the invention, the
raised stand 20 has an outer diameter of approximately 4 inches
with a substantially circular hole approximately 2.75 inches in
diameter. According to one embodiment of the invention, the raised
stand 20 has an outer diameter of approximately 4.5 inches with a
substantially circular hole approximately 3 inches in diameter.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the raised stand 20
has an outer diameter of approximately 5.5 inches with a
substantially circular hole approximately 4 inches in diameter.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the raised stand 20
has an outer diameter of approximately 7 inches with a
substantially circular hole approximately 5.5 inches in diameter.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the raised stand 20
has an outer diameter of approximately 13.5 inches with a
substantially circular hole approximately 12 inches in diameter.
The raised stands 20 described above can have heights ranging from
0.125 to 1.5 inches but the invention is not limited thereto.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the height of the
raised stand 20 is approximately 0.38 inches and the depth of the
indentation 28 is approximately 0.26 inches. According to one
embodiment of the invention, the slope of the sloping sides 22 is
between 5.degree.-70.degree., and preferably between
15.degree.-45.degree., and more preferably between
25.degree.-30.degree., but the invention is not limited thereto.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the slope of the
sloping sides is approximately 28.87.degree..
[0045] The raised stand 20 can be constructed out of many materials
comprising at least one of metal, metal composite, plastic, wood,
stone, glass, resin and/or rubber, but the invention is not limited
thereto. Regardless of the material used, the stand must have a
durometer value of at least 10, and preferably have a durometer
value of at least 25, and more preferably have a durometer value of
at least 37. The raised stand 20 can also comprise lights and/or
sound making devices, wherein the lights flash and/or the sound
making devices make sounds when a ball comes to rest in an
indentation on the raised stand 20. For example, the weight of the
ball (or composition of the ball) can close a switch which
completes a circuit which activates the lights and/or sound
devices, but the invention is not limited thereto. The lights
and/or sound devices can be arranged in any pattern and can be
composed of any number of lights and/or sound devices.
[0046] According to another embodiment of the invention, the raised
stand 20 may have a plurality of indentations 56, 57, 58 on the top
level 26, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The indentations can be of the
same size or shape or can have different sizes or shapes. For
example, the indentations 56, 57, 58 can have different diameters
as illustrated in FIG. 5. Furthermore, a raised stand may have 2 or
more levels, wherein sloped sides lead up from one level to the
next. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the raised stand 40 has two levels
42 and 44. A first sloped side 46 leads up from the surface of the
pool table to the first level 42 and a second sloped side 48 leads
up from the first level 42 to the second level 44. In this
embodiment, the raised stand has at least one indentation and one
or more indentations can be located on one of the levels or a
plurality of levels, but the invention is not limited thereto. In
addition, a multilevel stand can be created by stacking single
level stands of different size on top of each other, but the
invention is not limited thereto.
[0047] The raised stands described above can be used to play a
variety of new pool games. Some of these new pool games will now be
described below but the invention is not limited thereto.
[0048] According to one embodiment of the invention, a single
raised stand is used and is located on the playing surface of a
pool table. For example, a raised stand 20 is placed approximately
in the middle of the pool table 10 as illustrated in FIG. 7.
Different sized raised stands can be used to change the difficulty
of the game, wherein the difficulty of the game generally increases
as the dimensions of the raised stand and the indentation are
reduced.
[0049] The first set of games to be described are a variation of
8-ball with the incorporation of the raised stand into the game. To
begin the game, a plurality of pool balls are placed (racked) in a
starting position on a first spot 50, but the invention is not
limited thereto. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the game begins with 15
balls and a cue ball. The 15 pool balls are racked using a
triangular rack on the first spot 50. Alternatively, the game can
begin with 9 balls racked with a diamond shaped rack on the first
spot 50 as illustrated in FIG. 8. Alternatively, the game can begin
with 7 balls racked by a circular rack on the first spot 50 as
illustrated in FIG. 9. It will be understood by one skilled in the
art that the balls can be racked in any location on the table in
any configuration and the invention is not limited thereto.
[0050] For example, the pool balls may be racked in such a manner
that one or more of the pool balls are located on the raised stand
20.
[0051] In all of the versions of the game described above (using
15, 9 or 7 balls), the pool balls are divided into a plurality of
sets. First, an object ball, for example, the 8-ball, is
designated. The remaining even number of balls are then divided
into two sets, for example, solids and strips. The object of this
first set of games is to hit the object ball onto the raised stand
with the correct speed so that the object ball comes to rest in the
indentation on the raised stand. If the object ball is legally hit
onto the raised stand and the object ball comes to rest in the
indentation on the raised stand, the player who hit the object ball
is declared the winner of the game.
[0052] To begin play, a player is selected to take the first shot,
wherein the player hits the cue ball with a pool cue from behind
the second spot 52 to break apart the racked pool balls. If one of
the pool balls goes into a pocket during the first shot, the first
player is awarded that set of balls and the other player is awarded
the other set of balls. If more than a single ball is pocketed, the
player is awarded the set of balls corresponding to the set with
the most balls that went in the pockets. If no ball are pocketed or
if the same number of balls from each set are pocketed, no set is
awarded until the next ball is hit into a pocket. In the
alternative, one of the sets of balls can be assigned to each
player before play begins. If the object ball is hit into a pocket
on the break, the object ball is placed on the first spot 50 and
the game continues. If the object ball ends up in the indentation
on the raised stand on the first shot, that player is declared the
winner.
[0053] The players alternate turns hitting the cue ball in an
attempt to hit their assigned balls into the pockets of the pool
table. When a player hits one or more of their assigned balls into
a pocket, the player receives another turn. Once the player has hit
all of their assigned balls into the pockets of the pool table, the
player then attempts to hit the object ball into the indentation in
the raised stand 20. According to one embodiment of the invention,
the player can hit the object ball directly with the pool cue when
attempting to hit the object ball into the indentation.
Alternatively, the player must hit the cue ball into the object
ball to hit the object ball into the indentation in the raised
stand. The first player to legally hit the object ball into the
indentation on the raised stand is declared the winner of the
game.
[0054] According to one embodiment of the invention, a player may
attempt to hit the object ball onto the raised stand using the cue
ball at any time during the game. If the player is successful in
hitting the ball into the indentation in the raised stand, the
player is declared the winner of the game.
[0055] According to one embodiment of the invention, any balls
other than the object ball hit into the indentation in the raised
stand can be considered as a scratch and the ball is placed on the
first spot 50 and that player loses his turn. In the alternative,
any ball hit into the indentation in the raised stand can be
considered as pocketed and the ball is placed in a pocket and the
player receives another turn.
[0056] According to another embodiment of the invention, when a
player is attempting to hit the object ball into the indentation on
the raised stand after pocketing all of their assigned balls, the
object ball must come into contact with the raised stand or else
the player is penalized. For example, the player may lose the game
if the object ball does not hit the raised stand. Alternatively,
the player must place one of their pocketed balls back on the first
spot 50 if the object ball does not hit the stand. According to
another embodiment of the invention, a player loses the game if the
object ball is pocketed at any time during their turn.
[0057] According to another embodiment of the invention, a
variation on the 9-ball game is disclosed incorporating the use of
a raised stand. In regular 9-ball, players attempt to hit the balls
in rotation, that is they must be targeted in numerical sequence
starting with the one ball. It is important to note that the balls
do not necessarily need to be pocketed in numerical sequence. As
long as the correct ball is truck first by the cue ball, any ball
can be pocketed and the player is awarded another turn. The game
continues until a player pockets the 9-ball. According to this
embodiment of the invention, instead of pocketing the 9-ball to win
the game, the players must hit the 9-ball into the indentation in
the raised stand to win the game. As in the traditional game, a
player can win at any point in the game by successfully hitting the
9-ball into the indentation in the raised stand so long as the cue
ball strikes the correct ball first. In another embodiment of the
invention, the 9-ball can be stuck directly with the pool cue if
all of the other balls have been pocketed.
[0058] According to another embodiment of the invention, all of the
pool balls must be hit into a single indentation in the raised
stand. The traditional 8-ball and 9-ball game rules can be used
except that the balls must be hit into the indentation on the
raised stand rather than the pockets of the pool table. In one
embodiment of the invention, the raised stand has an indentation
102 which is large enough to hold all of the pool balls 104 and the
pool balls are not removed from the raised stand when they are
successfully hit onto the raised stand as illustrated in FIG.
10.
[0059] According to another embodiment of the invention, the above
described games can be played with a plurality of raised stands
located on the surface of the pool table. The raised stands can
have the same shape and size or have different shapes and sizes. In
addition, raised stands may be placed near or on top of the pockets
12 of the pool table. In this embodiment, pool balls must be hit
into the indentations on the raised stands rather than in the
pockets 12. Furthermore, the object ball can be hit onto any of the
raised stands or only onto a specific raised stand to win the
game.
[0060] According to another embodiment of the invention, players
can play a game where they are awarded points for successfully
hitting pool balls into indentations on one or more raised stands.
The raised stand 20 can have a plurality of different sized
indentations as illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein a player receives
different point values for hitting a pool ball into different sized
indentations. For example, a player may receive 1 point for hitting
a ball into the large indentation 56, 2 points for hitting a ball
into the medium sized indentation 57, and 5 points for hitting a
ball into the small hole 58. The players take turns hitting the
pool balls using the cue ball into the indentations on the raised
stand and the first player to total a predetermined number of
points is declared the winner of the game. Alternatively, the same
game can be played with a plurality of different sized raised
stands with single or multiple indentations.
[0061] According to another embodiment of the invention, all of the
games described above and obvious variations thereof can be played
with a multilevel raised stand as illustrated in FIG. 6.
Furthermore, the multilevel raised stand can have one or more
indentations.
[0062] According to another embodiment of the invention, a new pool
table design will now be described. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a
pool table 110 has a base or a set of legs 112 on which a playing
surface 114 is supported. The playing surface is surrounded by a
series of bumpers 116 to keep the pool balls on the playing surface
114. The playing surface and the bumpers can be covered in felt but
the invention is not limited thereto. A plurality of pockets 118
can be optionally located around the periphery of the playing
surface 114, but the invention is not limited thereto. A raised
stand 120 with at least one indentation 122 is provided on the
playing surface 114. The raised stand 120 can be permanently
attached or be detachable from the pool table 110, wherein the
detachable raised stand is mounted in a mounting bracket in the
playing surface 114. The raised stand can be screwed into or
snapped or otherwise secured to the mounting bracket but the
invention is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment
of the invention, the pool table 110 can have a plurality of raised
stands attached to the playing surface 114. The pool table and the
playing surface can have any shape and size. For example, the pool
table 110 can be rectangular in shape as illustrated in FIG. 11 or
have a circular shape as illustrated in FIG. 12.
[0063] According to another embodiment of the invention as
illustrated in FIG. 13, the pool tables, pool games and raised
stands described above can all be simulated on a computer system
130, wherein players can play virtual pool on the computer system
130. The players communicate with a computer 131 using a user
interface 132, such as a game controller, joystick or keyboard but
the invention is not limited thereto. The players will use their
user interfaces 132 to aim their shots and to control how hard the
pool balls are hit. A list of the pool games mentioned above can be
displayed on a display screen 134 of the computer system 130. The
players can then select a game form the list using the user
interface 132. Furthermore, the players can select the level of
difficulty of the game. In the alternative, the game can begin at a
simple level and advance to harder levels of play once the present
level has been successfully completed. In addition, the players can
be able to set various variables in the game. For example, the
players can be able to select the size and shape of the playing
surface, the size and shape of the raised stands, the size and
shape of the indentations on the raised stands, and even the
location of optional obstacles on the virtual playing surface and
the invention is not limited thereto.
[0064] In another embodiment of the invention according to FIG. 14,
a computer-readable medium 140 is illustrated schematically. The
computer-readable medium 140 has embodied thereon a computer
program 142 for simulating a pool game, for processing by a
computer 144. The computer program comprises a code segment 146 for
placing a plurality of pool balls in a starting position on the
playing surface of the pool table, wherein the plurality of pool
balls is comprised of an object ball and a plurality of different
sets of pool balls; a code segment 147 for alternating turns
between a plurality of players, wherein each player attempts to hit
balls from a set of pool balls assigned to that player into pockets
in the pool table using a pool cue and a cue ball; and a code
segment 148 for hitting the object ball into an indentation on a
top level of a raised stand located on the playing surface of the
pool table once a player has hit all of their assigned balls into
the pockets, wherein the game ends when the object ball comes to
rest in the indentation on the raised stand.
[0065] In another embodiment of the invention according to FIG. 15,
a computer-readable medium 150 is illustrated schematically. The
computer-readable medium 150 has embodied thereon a computer
program 152 for simulating a pool game, for processing by a
computer 154. The computer program comprises a code segment 156 for
placing a plurality of pool balls in a starting position on a
playing surface of the pool table; a code segment 158 for
alternating turns between a plurality of players, wherein each
player attempts to hit a ball from the plurality of pool balls into
an indentation on at least one raised stand located on the playing
surface of the pool table by hitting a cue ball with a pool
cue.
[0066] The many features and advantages of the invention are
apparent from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended
by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of
the invention which fall within the true spirits and scope of the
invention. Further, since numerous modifications and variations
will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired
to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation
illustrated and described, and accordingly, all suitable
modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within
the scope of the invention.
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