Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

Billard cue with a cushion ferrule

Billard cue with a cushion ferrule description/claims

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to billiard cues, more particularly, to a billiard cue with a cushion ferrule.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 5,725,437 discloses a billiard/pool cue having a ferrule with a bore, and a shaft with a tenon inserting into the bore in such a way that a hollow portion is formed in the ferrule (especially shown in FIG. 8 of the patent). Such a structure will absorb a portion of the impact forces so as to permit easy outward flexure of the tip end of the shaft. This outward flexure of the tip end of the shaft minimizes inward buckling of the tip end of the shaft on off center hits and results in less deflection of the cue ball from the line of stroke of the cue.

However, the billiard/pool cue mentioned above has a disadvantage that the shaft and the ferrule engaged with each other only by an annular shoulder formed on the shaft and an annular end portion formed on the ferrule so that the ferrule would be easily cracked or depart from the shaft of the cue.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide a billiard cue having a shaft and a ferrule durably engaged with the shaft of the cue while forming a buffer space therein to absorb the impact forces generated during the impact of the cue on a ball.

To achieve the desire, the present invention discloses a billiard cue which comprises a shaft, a ferrule engaged with the shaft, and a tip mounted on the ferrule. The shaft includes a tenon at one end thereof defining an outward annular shoulder. The ferrule includes an opened end, an opposed closed end, and an interior bore extending longitudinally from the opened end for a predetermined length toward the closed end. The bore has a front portion with a first diameter, a rear portion with a second diameter. The first diameter of the front portion is larger than the second diameter of the rear portion such that an inward annular shoulder is defined therebetween. The tenon of the shaft is snugly received in the front portion of the bore of the ferrule in such a way that the top surface of the tenon snugly leans against the inward annular shoulder and the bottom surface of the ferrule at the opened end thereof is snugly seated against the outward annular shoulder of the shaft.

According to the combination disclosed above, the ferrule can be durably engaged with the shaft and the rear portion of the bore of the ferrule defines a buffer space therein to absorb the impact forces generated during the impact of the cue on a ball.

The various features, advantages and other uses of the present invention will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of a billiard cue according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 2 but showing a cross sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of a billiard cue according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 2 but showing a cross sectional view of a third preferred embodiment of a billiard cue according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 2 but showing a cross sectional view of a fourth preferred embodiment of a billiard cue according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 2 but showing a cross sectional view of a fifth preferred embodiment of a billiard cue according to the present invention.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws