GB1400195A - Automatic bowling pin setting installation and a method of operating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

1400195 Bowling pin setter PATENTVERWERTUNGS-UND FINANZIERUNGSGESELLSCHAFT SERANIA AG 7 Sept 1972 [22 Sept 1971] 41584/72 Heading A6D A bowling pin setting installation conveys bowling pins, which are of identical shape and which are substantially horizontally disposed, consecutively along a common path alongside which are respective pin bins, and transfers a pin so conveyed into the first empty pin bin. As shown the conveyor system comprises conveyors 22, 33, 35, the conveyor 33 moving in the opposite direction to conveyors 22, 35 Transfer conveyors 25, 39 transfer pins from conveyor 22 to 33; and 33 to 35 respectively. Deflectors 36, 37, 38 ensure that the pins always point the same way irrespective of the direction of motion, i.e. head foremost on conveyors 22, 25 and 35 and base foremost on 33 and 39. A plurality of deflectors 11-13, 15-19 are arranged along the conveying path, each being associated with a respective pin bin. Each bin also has a respective drop flap 1-9. The presence of a pin in a bin depresses the associated drop flap to release the corresponding deflector so that the deflector is depresed by a subsequent pin. The deflector of an empty bin is locked in its operating position. Excess pins not allocated to bins fall off the end of conveyor 35 and are either returned to a sorting and pin feeding neechanism or the machine is stopped. "King" pins are sorted from ordinary pins and are delivered to a separate conveyor 44 which has a fixed deflector 14 associated with a single bin. An alternative arrangement for setting "ten pin" arrangements may utilise the invention. The pin conveyors are preferably comprised by parallel moving flexible cords. Bin mechanism In each bin the drop flap (9) (Fig 2, not shown) is pivoted about an axis parallel to the length of the pin and is spring loaded so that the edge of the flap bears down on a projection 58 (Fig 3) of a locking member 50 so as to engage notch 54 on a projection 60 of the deflector 19. A passing pin is therefore deflected into the bin, the drop flap then being pivoted about its axis by an amount sufficient to raise the edge nearest the conveyor and release member 50 to the position shown so that a subsequent pin may depress the deflector instead of being deflected. The drop flap is restrained from releasing the pin by a projection (72) which engages a member 66 (Fig 3) after the above mentioned pivoting. When the pin setter requires the binned pin the pin setter chair member 80 rises to cam the member 66 away from the flap projection (72) and the drop flap, being unsupported, continues to rotate about its axis to drop the pin into the chair. It then rotates back to the deflector locking position under the influence of the spring.