US2175750A - Ball return for bowling alleys - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 10, 1939. A. EDWARDS 2,175,750

BALL RETURN FOR BOWLING ALLEYS Filed Aug. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ,4 itomeys Oct. 10, 1939. Q. A. EDWARDS 2,175,750

I BALL RETURN FOR BOWLING ALLEYS Filed Aug. 18, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In venior Q. vi Iain/(W455 By 2mm A itorneys Patented Oct. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT ounce 1 Claim.

This invention relates to ball returns for bowling alleys, and has for the primary object the provision of'a device of this character which will increase the convenience to a bowler in obtain- 5 ing balls for bowling and which will conceal from view the balls during substantially their entire travel from the pin end of the alley to the bowling end of said alley so as to not detract or annoy a player while in the act of bowling and will I provide a safety factor in that the player or other persons cannot get in the path of the ball during its travel to the ball rack which is substantially hidden from view and conveniently located at the player's end of the alley so that a player I may obtain a ball from the rack without interfaring with another player in the act of bowling.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a diagrammatical plan view illustrating bowling alleys equipped with ball returns constructed in accordance with the present invention. E

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation illustrating the ball rack arranged transversely of the alley and at the players end of the alley and rearwardly of the players playing position. v

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numera1 5 indicates a series of parallel arranged alleys having at the pin end thereof the usual comm bined ball and pin pit 6. The players ends of the alleys 5 are indicated by the character I.

This illustration and brief description is for the purpose of clearly bringing out the present invention wherein ball returns 8 are provided for 5 conveying by gravitation the balls from the pit end to the player's end 1 and wherein a number of alleys will be served by a single ball return.

Each ball return 8 consists of double tracks 9 arranged longitudinally of the alleys and under the flooring of said alleys and each track terminates at the pin ends of the alleys in a laterally disposed portion In disposed in a plane thereabove to provide ball receiving portions located in. the rear portion of the pit 6 so that the pin 5 setter may readily place balls thereon for gravitation to the main portion of the track 9 which slopes gradually towards the player's end and terminates in a laterally extending and upwardly inclined portion ll. Said portion ll feeds onto a ball rack 13 extending in an opposite direction to the portion II and in substantially parallelism therewith and terminates within a casing 14, as shown at IS. The portions ll of the companion tracks extend in opposite directions and the racks l3 extend towards each other to terminate within the casing M. The casing M on opposite sides thereof is provided with bumpers The portions H and the racks B are located between spaced panels ll arranged transversely of the players ends of the alleys and rearwardly of the players playing positions. The connecting ends of the racks l3 and the portions H are confined within casings l8, as shown in Figures -2 and 3, which casings are provided with covers i9 obviating any possibility of a player contacting a ball when passing from the portion H to the rack l3. Only a portion of the rack I3 is exposed between the panels IT, as shown in Figure 3, so that a player may readily reach a ball on the rack. The casing i4 is also provided with a cover 20 for concealing the adjacent ends of a pair of racks. From Figure 4 which gives an exterior view of the panels l1 and casings it will be seen that the balls when on the racks I3 are concealed from view except when looking directly downwardly on the balls. Thus it willbe seen that the ball racks are located out of the way of the players when in the act of bowling but a player can readily obtain a ball without interfering with another player in the act of bowling.

Referring to Figure 2 it will be seen that the tracks 9 have a considerable dip or inclined portion 2| so that the balls on leaving the slightly inclined portion l0 may gain considerable momentum by traveling downwardly over the portions 2i which is suflicient to carry the ball to the players ends of the alleys and upwardly of the portions ll onto the racks l3. Guard strips 22 are provided for maintaining the balls on the portions ll during their travel upwardly thereof onto the racks l3. The downwardly inclined portions 2| of the tracks are covered and concealed from view, as clearly shown in "Figure 2, while the major portions of the tracks are hidden by passing under the alleys or flooring thereof, a suitable trough 23 being provided in the flooring to accommodate the major portions of the tracks, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

It is believed that the foregoing description guard panels arranled at opposite sides oi? the rnckzand theupwerdlyinclined portions oithe tracksendhavingtheirupperedxeedispceedin nplaneabovesaidracksnndupwardlyinclined portions 0! the tracks, easinzs connecting the ends or said panels and having the connectinz ends of the racks and upwardly inclined portions confined therein, a casing receiving adjacent ends of the racks and arranged between the panels, and bumpers carried by the last-named casing and arranged over the racks for checking m movement of balls over said racks when received from the upper inclined portions of the tracks.

QUINCY A. EDWARDS.

Images