Snooker pocket rail

Abstract

A snooker pocket rail system (10) that provides an atmospheric control system (24) for heating the atmosphere in a region adjacent the rails (14) where one or more balls (18) are supported in use. This maintains the temperature of the balls (18) when not in playso as to reduce adverse playing effects, such as kick, when the balls (18) are placed back onto the snooker table. The snooker pocket rail system (10) has a ball ring (12) from which the pocket rail (14) is suspended, in use, below a pocket by a net; an end stop (20); a plurality of rails (14) affixed at one end to the ball ring (12) and at their opposite ends to the end stop (20); and suspension means (26). The atmospheric control system (24) can be a heated air supply which directs (80, 84) heated air onto the balls (18) when suspended on the rails (14), or heated rails (14).

Claims

1. A snooker pocket rail system comprising: a ball ring from which the pocket rail is suspended, in use, below a pocket by a net; an end stop; a plurality of rails affixed at one end to the ball ring and at their opposite ends to the end stop; and suspension means that suspends, in use, the end stop below a table, wherein the snooker pocket rail further comprises an atmospheric control system for heating the atmosphere in a region adjacent the rails where one or more balls are supported in use.

2. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric control system comprises means for heating the rails.

3. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 2, wherein the means for heating the rails comprises the rails being manufactured from tubes with heating elements located within the interior bore of the tubes.

4. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 2, wherein the atmospheric control system comprises a housing containing a fan and a heater and wherein at least one rail is tubular, a downstream side of the fan being in fluid communication with the bore of the tubular rail, so as to direct heated air inside the rail so as to heat it.

5. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 4, wherein the tubular rail is perforated or apertured to as to direct heated air inside the rail towards and/or over a ball supported by the rail.

6. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric control system comprises a housing containing a fan and a heater, a downstream side of the fan being in fluid communication with one or more apertures in a wall of the housing, the apertures being arranged to direct heated air towards and/or over a ball supported by the rails.

7. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 4, wherein the housing further comprises a receptacle for retaining a quantity of desiccant, for drying the air.

8. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric control system comprises a heater coil located within or around a rail.

9. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, wherein atmospheric control system comprises a cover surrounding the rails where balls are supported on the rails in use.

10. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 9, wherein the cover comprises a thermally insulating material.

11. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 9, wherein at least part of the cover is transparent.

12. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 11, wherein the transparent part of the cover is manufactured from transparent, insulating glass.

13. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 9, wherein the cover is slidingly or hingedly connected to the housing.

14. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, wherein the atmospheric control system comprises a thermostatic controller for controlling the temperature of the atmosphere in the region of the rails where a ball is supported, in use.

15. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, comprising two rails.

16. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, comprising three rails.

17. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 1, wherein the suspension means comprises a flexible strop affixed to the end stop.

18. A snooker, pool or billiards table comprising one or more snooker pocket rail systems according to claim 1.

19. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 5, wherein the housing further comprises a receptacle for retaining a quantity of desiccant, for drying the air.

20. The snooker pocket rail system of claim 6, wherein the housing further comprises a receptacle for retaining a quantity of desiccant, for drying the air.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pocket rail in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a side view of the pocket rail shown in FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pocket rail shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with its cover retracted;

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pocket rail shown in FIG. 3, with the cover removed and the drawer withdrawn;

(5) FIG. 5 is a perspective, partial cross-sectional view of the pocket rail of FIGS. 1 to 4 showing an embodiment of its internal workings; and

(6) FIG. 6 is a schematic showing airflow of the system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) Referring firstly to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a pocket rail system 10 in accordance with the invention comprises a ball ring 12, which is suspended below a snooker table pocket (not shown) by a net (not shown for clarity). Suspended from the ring 12 are three rails 14, on which the snooker balls 18 are supported, once pocketed during play. Thus far, the construction of the pocket rail is largely conventional.

(8) However, it will be seen, in particular from FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5 that each of the rails 14 is tubular (rather than being formed from metal rod), and has perforations 16 providing a fluid passageway from the exterior of the rail 14 to the internal bore 18. Once pocketed, the balls drop through the ring 12, are caught on the rails 14 and due to the slight incline of the rails 14, come to rest at the far end thereof, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5. Further potted balls simply line-up on the rails 14 as will be well understood by the skilled reader.

(9) To stop the balls 18 from falling off the rails 16, an end stop 20 is provided. The end stop 20 is formed as the end wall of a hollow housing 24 as shall be described in greater detail herein below. The tubular rails 16 penetrate the end wall 20 of the housing 24 and a fluid passageway is thus formed between a hollow interior volume of the housing 24, the tubular rails 14 and the perforations 16.

(10) A D-ring 30 is affixed to the housing 24, and this enables the housing 24 to be suspended below a snooker table (not shown for clarity) in the usual way, using a leather strop 26. By supporting the rail system 10 by the net (not shown) attached to the ring 12 and by the strop 26 attached to the D-ring 30, the impact of the balls 18 as they drop onto the rails 14 and/or collide with the end wall 20 of the housing 24 is absorbed somewhat.

(11) The object of the invention, as previously described, is to maintain the balls 18 in an as environmentally-controlled manner as possible. This is accomplished, in the embodiments shown by providing a cover 40, which at least partially encircles the balls 18 when they are retained by the rails 14. As can be seen, most clearly in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the side walls of the housing 24 have outwardly projecting ribs 42, which slidingly engage with complementary elongate grooves 44 of the cover 40. This means that the cover 40 can be moved between a ball storage position as shown in FIG. 2, in which the cover 40 encloses the balls 18; and a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 3, whereby access to the balls can be obtained, for example to re-rack them on the snooker table.

(12) During normal play, the cover 40 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 2, but when a ball 18 needs to be recovered, the cover 40 can be slid so it is retracted to facilitate access to the balls 18 as and when needed. It will be appreciated that the provision of the cover 40 shields the balls 18 somewhat from drafts, dust, heat sources and the like.

(13) In addition to the foregoing, the housing 24 also contains a heating/air control system.

(14) Referring, in particular, to FIG. 5 of the drawings, the housing 24 has hollow interior volume, which houses a fan 50, which is arranged to direct airflow in the direction of arrow 52. The fan 50 is preferably battery powered. Air is drawn in through a grille formed on an upper wall of the housing 24, through a tray/drawer 56 containing a quantity of dehumidifying crystals such as silica crystals (not shown for clarity), through a secondary grille 58 at the bottom of the tray 56, through the fan 50, through a heater grille 60 and into a plenum chamber 62 located at the bottom of the housing 24. This arrangement creates a positive air pressure within the plenum 62, which is filled with pressurised, warm, dried air. The only escape route for the pressurised air is thus through the bores 22 of the rails 16, and so warmed, dried air is blown through the tubular rails 14 and out through the perforations 16 thereof. As can be seen from the drawings, the arrangement of the perforations 16 is such that they direct a curtain of warm, dried air over the balls 18. This serves to maintain them at a desired temperature.

(15) A further function of the cover 40 is that it minimises heat loss and contains, somewhat, the warm, dried air thus helping to maintain the balls 18 at a constant temperature and/or humidity.

(16) When it is desired to replenish the silica crystals (not shown) the tray 56 can simply be retracted, as shown in FIG. 4 and its contents replaced/replenished as need be. The tray 56 can then simply be pushed back in for re-use and the cover 40 slid back over the housing 24 so that the device 10 is ready again for use.

(17) In order to ensure that the balls 18 are kept under optimum conditions, various temperature and/or humidity sensors may be provided. Locations for these could be within the plenum chamber 62, within the cores 22 of the rails 14, within the housing 40 etc. A thermostatic control system is suitably provided, which controls the operation of the fan 50 and the heater coil 60 so as to ensure that the balls 18 are maintained as a desire temperature.

(18) Referring now to FIG. 6 of the drawings, it can be seen how the perforations 16 in the tubular rails 14 permit warm, dried air to be blown out 80 over the balls 18 supported on the rails 14. In addition, the end stop wall 20 of the housing 24 also comprises through apertures 82 in fluid communication with the plenum 62 of the housing 24. This permits further warm dried air 84 to be blown out over the balls 18 supported on the rails 14. This air wash, in particular, in conjunction with the shielding provided by the cover 40 (not shown in FIG. 6 for clarity) provides a reliable environment control system for the balls 18 when they are not in-play.

(19) The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments, which are merely exemplary.