Ball return control apparatus
First Claim
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1. Pool ball control apparatus for selectively disabling and enabling delivery of one or more of said balls to a ball retrieval compartment, said apparatus comprising means forming a compartment of such capacity as to accommodate a plurality of said balls at the same time;
- means forming a ball-supporting pathway leading to said compartment;
a gate;
means mounting said gate upstream of said compartment for engagement by each ball traversing said pathway and for movements between first and second positions in the first of which none of said balls can pass said gate and in the second of which all of the balls on said pathway successively may pass said gate and move along said pathway to said compartment;
movable latch means operable in one position to exert a latching force on said gate and releasably retain the latter in said first position; and
operating means coupled to said latch means for moving the latter from said one position to another position in which said gate is movable to its second position.
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Abstract
A pool table having a playing surface with which ball accomodating pockets are associated. Pocketed balls are conveyed by a runway system via a trap toward a compartment at one end of the table that is accessible to a player. The trap has a gate operable to prevent passage of the object balls into the compartment. The operation of the gate is controlled by a latch which is movable between a first position in which it latches the gate in ball-blocking position and a second position in which it enables balls to pass the gate. The position of the latch is responsive to operation of a latch driving motor.
21 Citations
17 Claims
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1. Pool ball control apparatus for selectively disabling and enabling delivery of one or more of said balls to a ball retrieval compartment, said apparatus comprising means forming a compartment of such capacity as to accommodate a plurality of said balls at the same time;
- means forming a ball-supporting pathway leading to said compartment;
a gate;
means mounting said gate upstream of said compartment for engagement by each ball traversing said pathway and for movements between first and second positions in the first of which none of said balls can pass said gate and in the second of which all of the balls on said pathway successively may pass said gate and move along said pathway to said compartment;
movable latch means operable in one position to exert a latching force on said gate and releasably retain the latter in said first position; and
operating means coupled to said latch means for moving the latter from said one position to another position in which said gate is movable to its second position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
- means forming a ball-supporting pathway leading to said compartment;
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13. Apparatus for selectively enabling and disabling delivery of a complement of pool balls to a pool ball retrieval compartment, said apparatus comprising means forming a compartment of such capacity as to accommodate a plurality of said balls at the same time;
- means forming a pathway leading to said compartment;
a gate athwart said pathway upstream from said compartment and past which gate balls that are to be admitted to said compartment must move;
means mounting said gate for engagement by each ball traversing said pathway and for movements between a first position in which said gate obstructs said pathway and disables said balls from entering said compartment and a second position in which all of the balls on said pathway successively may pass said gate and enter said compartment;
movable latch means;
means mounting said latch means for movement from a first position in which said latch means latches said gate in said first position to another position in which said gate is enabled to move to said second position; and
drive means coupled to said latch means for moving the latter from its first position to said another position, and return. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
- means forming a pathway leading to said compartment;
Specification
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Current AssigneeValley-Dynamo LP (Brunswick Corporation)
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Original AssigneeKidde Recreation Products, Inc.
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InventorsBrejcha, Robert J., Kunnecke, Ullrich K. A., Allen, Bruce D., Miguel, Edward K., Shelton, Richard B.
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Primary Examiner(s)Coven, Edward M.
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Assistant Examiner(s)Passaniti, Sebastiano
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Application NumberUS07/388,768Time in Patent Office511 DaysField of Search273/10, 273/11 C, 273/11 R, 273/14, 273/125 R, 273/125 A, 273/121 A, 273/121 D, 273/123 A, 273/124 A, 273/122 A, 273/29 A, 124/50, 124/49, 221/15, 221/295, 221/296, 221/289, 221/194US Class Current473/24CPC Class CodesA63D 15/00 Billiards, e.g. carom billi...
