AU676222B2 - A bowling ball pick-up - Google Patents

Description

42513 HKS:MH P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: ROLLERN PTY LIMITED Name of inventor: WILLIAM JOHN INNS Address for Service: COLLISON CO.,117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 Invention TiL: e"o A BOWLING BALL PICK-UP Details of Associated Provisional Applications: PK8610 dated 30th September 1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:

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This invention relates to a bowling ball pick-up.

It has previously been known to have bowling ball pick-ups in which there is a foot and a stem in which the stem is comprised of two parts which are joined together by one having a screw threaded socket and the other having a matching screw threaded spigot fitting therein, and there is secured to extend upwardly from the foot, a further screw threaded socket into which the screw threaded spigot of the stem again can be fitted.

The problem with this arrangement is that it takes time for a person to collect the three parts and then screw them togefher and finally when use has been 1 0 completed, to unscrew these for compact storage.

In a further example of the prior art, there is provided a bowling ball pick-up which has a stem which is extendable by having an upper part and a lower part joined by a pivot connection. This allows the stem to be folded for storage and to be unfolded for use. However, there can be some advantage in having 1 5 the height of the handle at a selected height above the foot but if this adjustment in height is achieved by varying the pivotable position of the upper part as compared to the lower part, there will be a significant difference as to the relative position of the handle over the centre of gravity of the bowling ball pick-up as compared to quite small changes in the height of the handle over i 2 0 the foot. This then has the disadvantage that when the handle is used to position the foot around a ball on the ground, the angle of the foot may be substantially inclined with the outer end of the foot being wroogly located to position around the bowling ball.

The problem with manufacture of devices of this type however is that they 2 5 must firstly be capable of performing the task in a convenient way and they S°must be able to be manufactured in a particularly economic way so that any such product can adequately compete in the market place.

It is an object of this invention to provide a bowling ball pick-up which provides an improved arrangement by which the bowling ball pick-up can be assembled after compact storage for storage and can provide a more useful handle height adjustment.

3 According to one form this invention resides in a bowling ball pick-up comprising a foot and an elongate stem, the foot being forked and having a shape defined between the prongs of the fork adapted to support for lifting a bowling ball, the stem having a lower end affixed to the foot and having a handle at its upper end, said stem affixed to the foot by a pivot connection, said stem characterised in that it comprises an upper part and a lower part adapted to slide apart or together to effect an extension or contraction of the length of the stem.

By use of a sliding action the position of the handle over the foot may not 1 0 change substantially at different heights.

In preference, the foot being forked has a shape defined between the prongs of the fork adapted to support for lifting both a bowling ball and a jack.

In preferelce, the lower part co;,iprises of two straight wires between which the upper part is adapted to slide to effect an extension of the length of the stem.

In preference, the pivot connection is adapted to allow the foot to assume at least two positions one of which is a lifting position and the other of which is a storage position in which the foot is positioned to lie substantially in a parallel alignment with the stem.

20 In preference, the foot has two prongs each being s -"ed so as to cooperatively provide a narrow outermost gap, then E wide gap to support a bowling ball, a second narrower gap, and a second less wide gap to support .a jack.

In preference, the foot resting on level ground with the stem being thereby 25 supported to extend above the foot the location of the handle when the foot is in the lifting position is substantially vertically above a centre of the first wide gap.

For a better understanding of this invention it will now be described with the *assistance of drawings in which: FIG 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment shown in an

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extended position, FIG 2 is a side elevation of the same embodiment as in FIG 1 showing the bowling ball pick-up supported on a level surface, and FIG 3 is an enlarged detail of the pivot connection part as shown in FIG 1.

FIG 4 is an enlarged detail of the pivot connection of a second embodiment.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the bowling ball pick-up 1 is comprised of a stem 2 and a foot 3.

1 0 The foot 3 is forked so as to have an open end at 4 and having a shape defined between prongs 5 and 6.

The prongs 5 and 6 are each shaped so as to cooperatively provide a narrow outermost gap which is however open at 4, then a first wide gap at 7 then a narrower gap at 8 and finally a second less wide gap at 9.

1 5 At the back of the foot at 10 there are attached two wings 11 and 12 which secure therebetween block 13 the underneath shape of which is such that it will limit the pivot freedom of the stem 2 by reason of rotation about axis 14 to a position in which in the one case, as shown in FIG 2, handle 15 is vertically above the substantially greater gap area 7 and in the other case folded so as S 20 to have the foot 3 substantially parallel to the stem 2.

Two legs 16 and 17 define a bottom part of the stem 2 and provide a guide for bracket 18 which is attached to the bottom of the single leg 19. The single leg 19 passes with sliding fit through aperture 20 which is formed between the upper ends of the two members 16 and 17.

25 The upper end of the stem 2 includes a transversely extending handle 21.

A clip member 22 is adapted to engage with resilient pressure over the top of the bracket 23 to assist in retaining the handle and stem in its extended Sposition as specifically shown in FIG 2.

IIR- In order to fold the bowling ball pick-up 1 away, it is simply a matter of pushing the handle down relative to the foot 3 so that the handle 21 coincides with the bracket 23, and at the same time, the foot can be pivotally adjusted about the pivot axis at 14 so that the alignment of the foot can then be substantially parallel to the direction of elongation of the stem 2.

The foot 3 is shaped and defined so that the conventional bowling ball will rest comfortably within the space at 7 such that the ball will have greater than half its volume above the plane defined by the respective prongs 5 and 6. The second smaller area at 9 is for capturing the jack and again so that the larger 1 0 part of the jack will be above the planar area defined between the prongs and 6.

Referring to FIG 4, a central support block 24 is welded to prongs 25 and 26.

Two legs 27 and 28 engage plates 29 and 30 which are pivotally secured to 1 5 the block 24 by bolt 31.

In practice, this bowling ball pick-up provides significant advantage over the prior art, it can be economically manufactured, and it can be compactly stored away in a very small space.

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Claims (8)

1. A bowling ball pick-up comprising a foot and an elongate stem, the foot being forked and having a shape defined between the prongs of the fork adapted to support for lifting a bowling ball, the stem having a lower end affixed to the foot and having a handle at its upper end, said stem affixed to the foot by a pivot connection, said stem characterised in that it comprises an upper part and a lower part adapted to slide apart or together to effect an extension or contraction of the length of the stem.

2. A bowling ball pick-up as in claim 1 further characterised in that the foot being forked has a shape defined between the prongs of the fork adapted to support for lifting both a bowling ball and a jack.

3. A bowling ball pick-up as in any one of the above claims further characterised in that the lower part comprises of two straight wires between which the upper part is adapted to slide to effect an extension or contraction of 15 the length of the stem.

A bowling ball pick-up as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that said pivot connection is adapted to allow the foot to assume at least two positions one of which is a lifting position and the other of which is a storage position in which the foot is positioned to iip substantially in 20 a parallel alignment with the stem.

5. A bowling ball pick-up as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the foot has two prongs each being shaped so as to cooperatively provide a narrow outermost gap, then a first wide gap to support a bowling ball, a second narrower gap, and a second less wide gap to support a jack.

6. A bowling ball pick-up as in the preceding claim further characterised in that with the foot resting on level ground with the stem being thereby supported to extend above the foot the location of the handle when the foot is in the lifting position is substantially vertically above a centre of the first wide gap.

7. A bowling ball pick-up as in any one of the preceding claims further characterised in that the stem has its upper part comprised of a wire an upper end of which is formed to provide a handle, and its lower part is comprised of a wire alongside which the upper part is adapted to slide.

8. A bowling ball pick-up substantially as described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. Dated this 19th day of December 1996 15 ROLLERN PTY LIMITED By their Patent Attorneys, COLLISON CO. S S o *0oSo. I ABSTRACT A bowling ball pick-up having a foot and an elongate stem, the foot being forked and having a shape defined between the prongs of the fork adapted to support for lifting a bowling ball and a jack, the stem having a lower end affixed to the foot and having a handle at its upper end characterised in that the stem is affixed to the foot by a pivot connection and in which the stem is extendable by a sliding action. r F_-t I-I 1