Method and apparatus for rating billiard shots and displaying optimal paths

Claim 2

A billiard ball tracking system, comprising: a billiards table, cue ball, and object balls; scanning means for scanning a playing surface of the table to determine positions of the cue ball and the object balls; position indicating means for indicating an initial position of the cue ball and object balls on the table; and shot indicating means for indicating a selected shot, the shot indicating means illustrating on the table an ideal path of the cue ball for striking an object ball during the shot.

Claim 3

The billiard ball tracking system of claim 1, further including: recording means for recording movement of the cue ball and object balls during a shot; and playback means for replaying the recorded movement of the cue ball and object balls.

Claim 4

The billiard ball tracking system of claim 1, further including a controller coupled to the scanning means, the position indicating means and the shot indicating means.

Claim 5

A ball tracking system for use in tracking the position of pool balls on a pool table and calculating ball movement paths given designated pool shots, comprising: a standard pool table having six pockets provided about the periphery of the table; a plurality of pool balls; a cue ball; a low wattage laser generator used to generate a laser beam; directing means to variably direct said generated laser beam to a playing surface of said pool table; a computer coupled to said directing means to variably direct said laser beam, said computer operative to cause said laser beam to scan said playing surface of said table in a grid; light receiving means to receive said low wattage laser beam when it is reflected back toward said laser generator and generate a signal to said computer to indicate that the laser beam has been reflected back to said system; position indicating means, adapted to provide signals to said computer to indicate the position of said laser beam on said playing surface of said table; wherein said computer is programmed to interpret said signals provided by said position indicating means to accurately and continuously determine the variable position of said laser beam as it contacts said playing surface of said table; said position being determined by said computer according to a programmed grid coordinate system; wherein said computer receives said signals from said position indicating means and said signals generated from said light receiving means to accurately determine the location of each said ball on the playing surface of said table, according to said grid-coordinate system; touch-sensitive display means to receive signals produced by said computer and display an image corresponding to said playing surface of said table and the location of each ball on the playing surface on a touch-sensitive screen; said touch-sensitive display means capable of generating and transmitting signals to said computer when a player touches said screen to indicate a pool shot, and to indicate said cue ball, an object ball, and pocket selected by said player; wherein said computer calculates the optimum path that said cue ball must follow in order to pocket said selected object ball in said selected pocket; and wherein said computer thereafter directs said means to variably direct said laser beam to direct said laser beam so as to project an image on said playing surface of said pool table corresponding to said optimum path.

Claim 6

A ball tracking system for use in tracking the position of pool balls on a pool table and calculating ball movement paths given designated pool shots, comprising: a standard pool table having six pockets provided about the periphery of the table; a plurality of pool balls; a cue ball; a low wattage laser generator used to generate a laser beam; directing means to variably direct said generated laser beam to a playing surface of said pool table; a computer coupled to said directing means to variably direct said laser beam, said computer operative to cause said laser beam to scan said playing surface of said table in a grid; light receiving means to receive said low wattage laser beam when it is reflected back toward said laser generator and generate a signal to said computer to indicate that the laser beam has been reflected back to said system; position indicating means, adapted to provide signals to said computer to indicate the position of said laser beam on said playing surface of said table; wherein said computer is programmed to interpret said signals provided by said position indicating means to accurately and continuously determine the variable position of said laser beam as it contacts said playing surface of said table; said position being determined by said computer according to a programmed grid coordinate system; wherein said computer receives said signals from said position indicating means and said signals generated from said light receiving means to accurately determine the location of each said ball on the playing surface of said table, according to said grid-coordinate system; touch-sensitive display means to receive signals produced by said computer and display an image corresponding to said playing surface of said table and the location of each ball on the playing surface on a touch-sensitive screen; said touch-sensitive display means capable of generating and transmitting signals to said computer when a player touches said screen to indicate a pool shot, and to indicate said cue ball, an object ball, and pocket selected by said player; wherein said computer calculates the optimum path that said cue ball must follow in order to pocket said selected object ball in said selected pocket; and wherein said computer thereafter directs said means to variably direct said laser beam to direct said laser beam so as to project an image on said playing surface of said pool table corresponding to said optimum path.

Claim 9

The method according to claim 5, including the step of awarding points to a player's score if said specific target ball is pocketed according to said designated shot, and deducting points from a player's score if said specific target ball is not pocketed.

Claim 10

The method according to claim 5 wherein said scanning is accomplished by a laser scanner which scans said playing surface of said table in a grid pattern to determine said position of said balls.

Claim 11

The method according to claim 5 wherein said scanning is accomplished by a video system which views and records the position of said balls.