Billiards Rack Alignment System with Visual Indicia
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing billiards racks lack precise control over rotational orientation and alignment with the billiards table, leading to inconsistent positioning of balls, and laser-based systems are expensive, prone to damage, and require battery maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A billiards rack system with alignment elements featuring alignment indicia that can be visually aligned with marks on the table, ensuring accurate positioning of the rack and balls, using transparent features with imprinted crosshairs for easy alignment and potentially magnified views, and a template for marking alignment points on the table.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If laser-based alignment systems are used, then alignment precision is improved, but device cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the alignment function from complex laser systems and implements it through simple visual alignment marks and transparent alignment elements. The alignment marks are directly printed on the table surface, and the rack includes transparent elements with alignment features that allow users to visually align the rack with the marks, eliminating the need for lasers, batteries, and electronic components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, fragile laser systems with inexpensive, durable alignment marks and transparent elements. The alignment marks are permanently printed on the table surface using cost-effective methods, and the rack includes simple transparent alignment features that are resistant to damage and do not require maintenance or battery replacement.
2Measurement precision
If laser-based alignment systems are used, then alignment precision is improved, but maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment system is designed to be self-service and maintenance-free. The alignment marks are permanently printed on the table surface and require no power source or calibration. The transparent alignment elements in the rack are passive optical components that do not contain batteries, motors, or electronic circuits, eliminating all maintenance requirements associated with laser systems.
3Ease of operation
If visual alignment marks are used, then ease of operation is improved, but alignment precision may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces transparent alignment elements as intermediaries between the user and the alignment marks. These transparent elements include alignment features such as crosshairs or registration marks that overlay the printed alignment marks, providing enhanced visual guidance and improving alignment precision while maintaining the simplicity of visual alignment.
Data Source
AI summary
A billiards rack system has a rack body and at least two alignment elements. The rack body has at least two inner surfaces that together define an inner area shaped for racking the billiard balls. The at least two alignment elements of the rack body each have an alignment indicia that is shaped to be placed over and visually aligned with alignment marks on a billiards table. The rack body correctly positions billiard balls on the billiards table once the alignment indicia of the alignment elements have been placed over and visually aligned with the alignment marks of the billiards table.