Who and Why was LD shaft invented

[Michael Webb]

Predator filed a handful of patents on its LD shafts over the years with varying success. This is the patent that most directly applies to its hollow-bore design, requiring a shaft having a wall thickness of about 0.030 to 0.050in:

US6110051A - Billiard cue - Google Patents

A billiard cue includes a shaft having a hollow bore extending from at least a predetermined distance from a first end toward a second end. The bore forms an outer wall in the shaft having a thickness between about 0.03 and 0.05 inches. The shaft is preferably formed of a composite material...

patents.google.com

And a second patent requiring a ferrule with a "zip":

US6162128A - Billiard/pool cue - Google Patents

A ferrule mounted on one end of a billiard/pool cue shaft has greater compressibility than the compressibility of the shaft to compress on impact of a tip mounted on the ferrule with a ball to absorb a portion of impact forces and to provide easy outward flexure with minimal buckling of the end...

patents.google.com

Predator voluntarily abandoned both of these patents (dedicating them to the public) in 2012 when it decided not to pay the government fee to keep them alive.

Here's a failed attempt from Predator to patent a similar design in 2006, which the Patent Office rejected in view of Predator's earlier patents.

US20080026860A1 - Billiard cue for reducing cue ball deflection - Google Patents

Cue sticks, shaft sections of cue sticks, and methods of using such devices are disclosed, where the devices are configured to reduce the phenomenon of cue ball deflection. In particular, limits upon the mass of the cue stick in a section extending from the tip to a predetermined distance toward...

patents.google.com

Predator sued McDermott over some of these patents in 2006, alleging that McDermott's i-shaft cues infringed its patents. The case apparently settled a year later (before the court looked at anything) on unknown terms.

(and this is how i wasted my lunch hour).

I heard there was a discrepancy about the 3/8x10 quick release which is funny because it's not the same thread as the uni loc and it's flat faced. But mcdermott quit offering it.
Go figure
How was lunch

 

[measureman]

I heard there was a descrepumpsy about the 3/8x10 quick release which is funny because it's not the same thread as the uni loc and it's flat faced. But mcdermott quit offering it.
Go figure
How was lunch

descrepumpsy ?????????????????????

 

[Shooter08]

descrepumpsy ?????????????????????

Measureman, It is when your Pump descretes verbal ....

 

[measureman]

Measureman, It is when your Pump descretes verbal ....

Whoed a thunk it?

 

[Michael Webb]

descrepumpsy ?????????????????????

Who said spell check is always right..... not me
Fixed it. Thank you

 

[measureman]

I did a search before I posted, I thought it was a word that I didn't know (there's a lot of those)

Did you mean: discrepancy

No results containing all your search terms were found.
Your search - descrepumpsy - did not match any documents.

 

[kling&allen]

I heard there was a discrepancy about the 3/8x10 quick release which is funny because it's not the same thread as the uni loc and it's flat faced. But mcdermott quit offering it.
Go figure
How was lunch

That’s a good explanation for the settlement—it had nothing to do with the underlying lawsuit but it was some win for Predator that avoided an expensive lawsuit.

Lunch was tolerable, thanks for asking!