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(11) | EP 0 545 448 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Billiard ball box with timer and check on number of returned balls |
| (57) Billiard ball box for containing a number of billiard balls, able to be closed at
the game ends, only if each ball (26a-p) is placed back in the relevant recess (24a-p)
of a tray contained in the box. A locking mechanism, consisting of a number of latching
members (80a-p) resting on each ball, and a horizontally slidable releasing plate
(92) prevent the closure of the box door (46) if at least one ball is missing. The
box is provided with a timer linked to the door mechanism to determine the duration
of the game and the relevant charge to be payed. |
[0001] The present invention relates to one of those ball boxes for billiard games, or the like, to be used in proper rooms, both public and private, substantially suited to said games.
[0002] Specifically, it relates to a ball box which can be open on command and which to be closed must have all the balls duly housed, not being able obviously to be closed should be missing also just one of them.
[0003] For many billiard games are used, since long time, some housings which on command release the balls to be used in the game, by starting a rating clock (similar to a taximeter or a parking meter) counting the time spent in a given game and displays a fare to be paid to the room manager for the game itself.
[0004] There are ball boxes of merely mechanical kind in which the actuation of a mechanical member, such as a lever, a push button or a key, causes the opening of a dooor through which are removed the balls used in the game, and begins the game time counting, which can be translated in a total money amount to be paid to the room manager, simply provided by a rating clock displaying said amounts according to the time spent in a game.
[0005] These boxes can be prone to abuse because it is sufficient to close them, even if the balls have not been housed in them, to stop the counting of the due amounts. The present invention, getting rid of the above mentioned drawback, consists of a ball box, formed by a room closed by a door, characterized in that the balls, when are housed in said room, actuate sensing means resting on said balls with their sensing areas, anyone of these sensing means contributing to release blocking means which prevent the closure of said door, whereby the door may be closed when all the sensing areas of the sensing means respectively rest on said balls.
[0006] Preferably, said housing comprises a room, closed by a door, suitable to contain a tray supporting the balls themselves, within such a room coming down latch means to be lifted by said balls for releasing sliding means becoming movable owing to said release, so allowing the closure of the door of said room.
[0007] Particularly, said latch means are sliding members vertically arranged , one for every ball to be housed in the box, which move through a slot of a covering wall of said room, are directed in a substantially vertical manner and are shaped to engage, anyone of them with a middle edge, a rim of a corresponding window crossing said sliding means, so that just one pulled down member is sufficient for preventing the movement of the sliding means.
[0008] Preferably, said sliding means are comprised of flat shapes passing through restricted slots of said wall covering said room, are maintained substantially vertically arranged and are shaped for engaging with an intermediate edge thereof rims of corresponding windows crossing said sliding means.
[0009] More preferably, are used as means for maintaining vertically arranged said latch means some openings, crossing a plate parallel and spaced from said covering wall of the room housing the ball tray, substantially aligned in vertical direction with the openings of said covering wall.
[0010] Particularly, the openings in the spaced plate are narrow slots as those of the covering wall.
[0011] Preferably, the sliding means are comprised of a flat plate supported by the covering wall of the ball room before and behind provided with protrusions substantially perpendicular with respect to the plate of which the fore one is engaged by protrusions means on the closing door of the ball room and the hind one is used as a fastening means of a first end of a resilient spring which is fastened at the other end to a protrusion coming out from said covering wall (72) of the ball room (26a-p).
[0012] Particularly, said protrusions are square-folded continuations of the same plate forming the sliding means.
[0013] More particularly, the back protrusion of the plate of the sliding means can actuate microswitches for signalling the position of the sliding means to control and display electric and electronic circuits for the ball box, in order to have therefrom indications pertaining start and end of games, rates, amounts to be paid and the like. In a particularly preferred embodiment, in order to avoid damages to the hinges of the closure door, due to a forced closing attempt in absence of some ball, the assembly of the covering wall, the sliding means and the spaced plate rests idle on two horizontal brackets fastened to a structural frame of the box and is anchored thereto by elastic means.
[0014] Particularly, said elastic means consist of threaded studs, surrounded by helical springs placed between said assembly and the structural frame.
[0015] Preferably, said closure door is provided with a protrusion engageable by latching means which clear said protrusion blocking in closure the door.
[0016] More specifically, said protrusion consists of a bridge bracket fastened to said door. In a preferred embodiment, said latching means consist of a lever, ending with a hook, rotating around a pin anchored to the covering wall of the ball room and controlled by forwarding studs connected with first key-lock means housed in a control and display board of the box itself.
[0017] Also preferably, said control and display board is also provided with second key-lock means which allow the start of games, delete scores and rates and are connected with latching means preventing any abuse on the box and also disassembly attempts of the same for modifying the computations and the display of the amounts to be paid.
[0018] The features and the advantages of the present invention will result particularly defined in the ending portion of the disclosure. However, other features and advantages will result from the following detailed description of a particular embodiment thereof, given in exemplifying and not limiting way, provided with the enclosed drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective, partially broken view of a ball box according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-section view of the box itself;
Figure 3 is a transversal cross-section view of the box itself; and
Figure 4 is a top view of sliding means of plate kind with folded rims and latching means visible also in figures 2 and 3.
[0019] With reference to the figures, it is seen that a ball box 10 according to the present invention consists of a basis partition 12 formed by a bottom wall 14, by two lateral walls 16 and 18 and a back wall 20.
[0020] Within said basis partition is housed a tray 22 provided with recesses 24a-p suitable to house balls 26a-p to be use in billiard games or the like. Said recesses 24a-p can be either all equal or of different size for games requiring different size balls (such as the so-called jack), being the criterion determining the recess size that the ball tops are all at the same level indepentely from the size thereof.
[0021] The basis partition 12 is top closed by a cover 28 and by a console partion 30 before provided with an inclined board 32 comprising a window 34 open on a display 36, for example of liquid crystal kind now largely available on the market, and a plurality of key-lock controls of which the keys 38 and 40 and the corresponding locks 42 and 44 are depicted.
[0023] Said cover is provided with a bracket latch 52 engageable by a hook 54 arranged on the top of a rod 56 pivotted around a pin 58 and held in rest position by a tension spring 60 coupled between an articulated joint 62 on said rod 56 and an anchoring bore 64 provided in a bridge 66 fastened by pins, of which a first is the pin 58 itself and a second one 70 is independent, to a covering wall 72 of the housing room for the balls resting on two brackets 74 and 76 respectively fastened to the lateral walls 16 and 18 of the basis partition 12.
[0024] A plurality of latch members 80a-p come down through slots 82a-p crossing said covering wall 72 and end with tracing portions 84a-p suitable to rest on the top of balls 26a-p present in corresdponding recesses 24a-p of the tray 22. Said latch members 80a-p are inserted in slots 86a-p, aligned with the corresponding slots 82a-p of the covering wall 72 and crossing a plate 88 parallel to said covering wall 72.
[0025] Between the covering wall 72 and the parallel plate 88 is inserted a sliding member 90 resting, free of sliding on the covering wall 72, with a basis thereof 92 provided with a series of windows 94a-p equal in number to the restricted slots 82a-p of the wall 72 and the restricted slots 86a-p of the plate 88 to them aligned and with two further windows 96a-p intended for the passage of the pins 58 and 70. The plate 92 is before and behind provided of square edges 98 and 100, respectively, of which the first one is used to engage the bracket 92 of the door 46 and the second one is used as an anchoring point of a return spring 102 anchored at the other end to the pin 70, aiming said spring to locate the sliding member 90 in the front region, and also as actuating cam of a lever 104 of a microswitch 106 signalling to the circuits present in the console 30 if the box is either closed or open permitting the due billings and the invoices.
[0026] As particularly visible in figure 2, every latch member 80a-p is provided with cam profiles 110a-p protruding in such a way to not pass through the slots 82a-p of the covering wall 72 resting thereon when said latch members 80a-p do not rest on the corresponding balls 26a-p.
[0027] The profiles 110a-p are forward descending in order to jib when are struck by the rims of the windows 94a-p, absolutely avoiding any unwanted lifting of every latch member 80a-p.
[0028] The assembly of the covering wall 72, sliding member 90 and upper plate 88 can be made movable as a whole because the upper plate 88 is rigidly connected, by means of posts (see 112-118 figures 2 and 4), to the covering wall 72 which, as has been told, results resting free to slide on the two brackets 74 and 76 fastened to the walls 16 and 18, respectively, of the basis partition 12 and said assembly is not rigidly fasstened to the walls 16 and 18 but is connected by two threaded tie rods 120 and 122 inserted in helical pressure acting springs 124 and 126 arranged between a small vertical wall 128, provided with a window 129 for allowing the passage of the bracket 52 of the door 46 , integrally square conneccted to the covering wall 72, and fastening brackets 130 and 132 anchored to respective lateral walls 16 and 18.
[0029] The purpose of these spring connections of the assembly to the lateral walls 16 and 18 is to avoid damages to the hinges 48 and 50 connecting the cover 28 to the door 46 when a forced closure of the door 46 is attempted in spite of some ball 26a-p missing on the tray 22 and thus with at least one of the latch members 80a-p engaging the slide member 90 with the covering wall 72. In such a case, the whole assembly of the covering wall 72, the slide member 90 and the upper plate 88 moves integrally, so that the hinges 48 and 50 of the door 46 do not experience strains in eccess while the hook 54 of the bar 56, coming back as a whole with it, which is hinged with respect to the covering wall 72, cannot engage the bracket 52 of the door 46 and thus is completely prevented any abusive closure of the ball box. Referring particularly to figures 3 and 4, it is seen that the latching rod 56 is connected by means of the articulated joint 62 to a transmission square shaped tie rod 140 carrying back the control of the rod 56 between the plate 88 and the cover 28. The transmission 140 is connected through a screw articulated joint 142 to a subsequent lever 144, pivotted around a pin 146, extending through a vertical finger 148 suitable to be actuated by a cam protrusion 150 connected to the lock 42, actuated by the key 38, located on the board 32 of the console 30. As it is already known, the board 32 houses also a second lock 44, actuable through a second key 40, carrying at the end of a sleeve 152 an engaging finger 154 usually resting against a stopping tooth 156 incorporated in a support bracket 158 fastened to a wall of the console 30 on which abuts the inclined board 32 of the console 30 itself.
[0030] This second lock 44 operates to make not openable by simple unscrewing of the assembling screws the console 30 in order to avoid abusive operations on the circuits therein housed. It is then understood that proper operations within the console 30, which can occur for maintenance or repair, are possible just to or with the consent of people having the key 40. Further the engaging finger 154 is useful also to actuate, always with the consent of the key propriertor, an actuating lever 160 of a microswitch 162 to proceed with proper operations on the circuit housed in the console, such as resetting of counts, determination of total amounts, extraction of activity reports of the device, possible program modifications and the like.
[0032] When it is desired to begin a billard game, the key 38 is inserted in the lock 42 and is rotated to have the cam finger 150 striking the vertical finger 148 of the lever 144. The intervention of the cam finger 150 on the vertical finger 148 rotates the lever 144 clockwise around its pin 146 and, consequentely, compels the tie rod 140 to move the rod 56 also clockwise, bringing the engaging finger 154 out of engagement with the bracket 52 of the door 46, releasing the same. At this time the tray 22 containing the balls 26a-p is accessible and can be removed for beginning the game. The coming out of bracket 52 from the window 129 of the vertical wall 128 makes forward move the whole slide member 90 under the action of the spring 102, as the bracket 52 does not push any more against the edge 98 of the slide member 90 and, as the pulling out of tray 22 with the balls 26a-p has made fall the intermediate profiles 110a-p of the latch members 80a-p into the windows 94a-p of the member 90 itself, is caused the lock between said slide member 90 and the covering wall 72 which remains even if was pulled down also just one latch member 80a-p for the lack of just one ball 26a-p.
[0033] Any attempt to forcely close the door 46 while even one alone of the balls 26a-p is missing does not resutlt in the engagement of the hook 54 with the bracket 52 because the slide member 90 would move with the covering wall 72 without slide with respect to it, so that the hook 54 of the rod 56 would come back, not being able to engage the bracket 52 of the door 4 and preventing the closure thereof for the lack of also just one ball.
[0034] Just the insertion of the tray 22 with all the balls 26a-p in the room of the basis partion 12 lifts all the latch members 80a-p, allowing in case of closure of the door 46 the coming back of the slide member 90 without coming back of the covering wall 72 and thus the proper positioning of the hook 54 behind the bracket 52 and the engagement thereof with it because of the pulling operation of the spring 60 bringing prpoerly the hook 54 behind the bracket 52.
[0035] What has been here above disclosed relates to an embodiment of the present invention not to be considered as limiting at all. It is true that all obvious changements and substitutions that could come in mind to those skilled in this art from the reading of the above description will have to be meant as within the scope thereof and thus covered.
1. Box for balls (26a-p) to be used with billard games or the like, consisting of a room
closed by a door (46), characterized in thar the balls (26a-p), when housed in said
room, actuate sensing means resting on said balls (26a-p) with their sensing areas
(84a-p), each of these sensing means contributing to release blocking means which
prevent the closure of said door (46), whereby the door (46) may be closed when all
sensing areas (84a-p) of the sensing means rest respectively on said balls (26a-p).
2. Box for balls according to claim 1, characterized in that the balls (26a-p) are housed
in a tray (22) provided with supporting sockets thereof and that within said room
come down latch means (80a-p) suitable to be lifted by said balls (26a-p) for releasing
sliding means (90) becoming movable owing to said release allowing the closure of
the door (46) of said room.
3. Box for balls according to claim 2, characterized in that said latch means (80a-p)
are sliding members vertically placed, one for each ball (26a-p) to be housed in the
tray (22), which move through slots (82a-p) of a covering wall (72) of said room,
are directed in a substantially vertical manner and are shaped to engage each of them,
with a middle edge (110a-p) thereof, a rim of a corresponding window (94a-p) crossing
said sliding means (90), so that just one pulled down member is sufficient for preventing
the movement of the sliding means (90).
4. Box for balls according to claim 3, characterized in that said movable members consist
of flat shapes which move through narrow slots (82a-p) of said covering wall (72)
of said room, are maintained directed in a substantially vertical manner and are shaped
for engaging with a middle edge (110a-p) the rims of the corresponding windows (94a-p)
crossing said sliding means (90).
5. Box for balls according to claim 4, characterized by using, as means for maintaining
vertically directed said latch means (80a-p), slots (86a-p) crossing a plate (88)
parallel and spaced from said covering wall (72) of the room closing the tray (22)
of the balls (26a-p), substantially aligned in vertical direction with the slots (82a-p)
of said covering wall (72).
6. Box for balls according to claim 4, characterized in that the slots (86a-p) in the
spaced plate (88) are narrow slots such as those (82a-p) of the covering wall.
7. Box for balls according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sliding means
(90) consist of a flat plate (92) supported by the covering plate (72) of the ball
room before and behind provided with protrusions (98, 100), substantially perpendicular
to the plate (92), of which the fore one (98) is engaged by protrusion means (52)
on the closing door (46) of the ball room and the hind one (100) is used as fastening
means of a first end of a resilient spring (102) fastened at the other end to a protrusion
(70) coming out of said covering wall (72) of the ball room.
8. Box for balls according to claim 7, characterized in that said protrusions (98, 100)
are square-folded continuations of the same plate (92) forming the sliding means (90).
9. Box for balls according to claim 8, characterized in that the back protrusion (100)
of the plate (92) of the sliding means (90) may actuate microswitches (106) for signalling
the positon of the sliding means (90) to control and display electric and electronic
circuits for the box, in order to have therefrom indications pertaining to the start
and end of the games, rates, amounts to be paid and the like.
10. Box for balls according to the preceding claims, characterized in that, in order to
avoid damages to the hinges (48, 50) of the closing door (46), due to a forced closure
attempt thereof in absence of some ball (26a-p), the assembly comprising the covering
wall (72) of the ball room, the sliding means (90) and the spaced plate (88) rests
idle on two horizontal brackets (74, 76) fastened to a structural frame of the box,
being anchored to the frame itself by elastic means.
11. Box for balls according to claim 10, characterized in that said elastic means consist
of threaded studs (120, 122) surrounded by cylindrical springs (124, 126), placed
between said assembly and the structural frame.
12. Box for balls according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said closure door
(46) is provided with a protrusion (52) engaging latching means (54) which clear said
protrusions (52) blocking in closure the door (46).
13. Box for balls according to claim 12, characterized in that said protrusion (52) consists
of a bridge bracket fastened to said door (46).
14. Box for balls according to claim 12, characterized in that said latching means consist
of a lever (56), ending with a hook (54), rotating around a pin (58) anchored to the
covering wall (72) of the ball room and controlled by forwarding studs (140-148) connected
with the first key-lock means (38, 42) housed in a control and display board (32)
of said box.
15. Box for balls according to the preceding claims, characterized in that said control
and display board (32) is also provided with second key-lock means (40, 44) which
allow the start of games, delete results and rates and are connected with latching
means (156) preventing any abuse on the box and also disassembly attempts of the same
for modifying the computation and the display of amounts to be paid.