Billiard Table Leveling Wedge for Precise Slate Bed Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing billiard table leveling systems lack precision and ease of use in ensuring a perfectly horizontal playing surface, as they often require significant manual effort and cannot make fine adjustments to accommodate uneven surfaces or multiple slate sheets.
Innovation Solution
A leveling device with a translational engagement mechanism, featuring a leveling wedge within an inclined channel and a drive mechanism, such as a threaded bolt and nut, allows for precise adjustments of the slate bed by translating the wedge relative to the crossmember, enabling precise leveling of the slate bed to within thousandths of an inch.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional leveling systems are used, then manual effort is required for adjustment, but precision and ease of use deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical leveling systems with a screw-driven translational engagement mechanism. The screw thread converts rotational motion into precise linear displacement of the wedge, enabling fine adjustments without requiring significant manual effort. This mechanical substitution achieves both high precision (thousandths of an inch) and ease of operation through the mechanical advantage of the threaded bolt.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the parameter change of thread pitch to achieve precise control over wedge displacement. By designing the screw thread with specific pitch characteristics, the system transforms small rotational movements into controlled linear adjustments, enabling precise leveling while reducing the manual effort required compared to direct mechanical adjustment methods.
2Manufacturing precision
If significant manual effort is applied for leveling adjustments, then coarse adjustments may be achieved, but fine adjustments and precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The screw-driven mechanism substitutes direct force application with threaded mechanical advantage. The screw thread acts as a force multiplier, converting small input forces applied to the bolt into precise, controlled forces that move the wedge incrementally. This eliminates the need for significant manual effort while achieving fine adjustment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, coarse adjustment to dynamic, fine-adjustment capability through the screw mechanism. The threaded bolt enables continuous, incremental adjustment of the wedge position, allowing the system to adapt precisely to surface irregularities without requiring large forces or movements.
3Area of stationary object
If multiple slate sheets are used, then table size can be increased, but leveling difficulty and precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by using multiple leveling devices, each with its own independent wedge and screw mechanism, positioned at different locations on the slate bed. This allows each segment of the large table surface to be leveled independently, accommodating the use of multiple slate sheets while maintaining overall precision across the entire playing surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The screw-driven wedge mechanism provides the precision parameter control needed for multi-sheet slate beds. Each leveling device can be adjusted independently with thousandth-of-an-inch precision, allowing compensatio
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides precise and efficient leveling of the billiard table, allowing for precise increments in raising or lowering the slate bed, ensuring a consistently horizontal playing surface with reduced manual effort, enhancing playability and stability.
Implementation Method 1
a drive mechanism, such as a threaded bolt and nut, allows for precise adjustments of the slate bed by translating the wedge relative to the crossmember
Implementation Method 2
A leveling device with a translational engagement mechanism, featuring a leveling wedge within an inclined channel
Data Source
AI summary
A billiard table having a leveling system to level the slate bed by precise increments at predetermined locations. The leveling system includes a plurality of leveling devices each having a leveling wedge and a corresponding wedge incline of the table crossmember. A drive mechanism may be used to translate the leveling wedge relative to the crossmember wedge incline.