US2275222A - Bowling alley - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1942.

R. H. FARQUHAR 2,275,222

' BOWLING ALLEY Filed Jan. 2, 1941 f nll HHm venience of transfer, and supplies support for the Patented Mar. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOWLING ALLEY Robert H. Farquhar, Philadelphia, Pa. Application January 2, 1941, Serial No. 372,709

6 Claims.

My invention relates to bowling alleys and particularly to bowling alleys of a special type intended for use in a constricted space.

The main purpose of my invention is to emphasize skill in determining the speed or velocity of the bowled ball in connection with directional control over the ball as bowled.

A further purpose is to guide a bowled ball through an upwardly curved path to an upward discharge, allowing the ball to fall back upon a returned alley at points on this alley dependent upon the speed of discharge.

A further purpose is to provide curved going and return alleys converging at their upper ends toward a vertical plane between them, whereby with speed selection the bowled ball may be projected from the going alley to a point above both alleys and may be caught by the return alley.

A further purpose is to guide a ball along a curved path to an upward free discharge from a' going alley with fall upon a curved return alley and to make the upward angle of discharge ad- Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section of Figure 2 taken upon upon line 3-3 thereof.

In the drawing similar numerals indicate like parts.

I have illustrated the alley as a box-like unit, made in this form in order that it may be shifted bodily for use in any desired place, notwithstand-- ing that I am interested primarily in the lower and upper curved alleys leading to suitable pins, rather than being interested in the side walls, except as these side walls limit the path of the balls to avoid injury to adjacent property.

The box-like character not only affords conbut improves the appearance alleys. sides 5 and 6 are held together and completed by a front 1, rear wall 8 and bottom 9.

Eccentrically placed curved upwardly directed going and return bowling alleys l0 and H are The box-like 'is nearly vertical at its upper end; but each de-.

parts from the vertical l2 by sloping toward the other, as indicated generally by lines l3 and I4. Transverse sections through the surfaces of both are straight lines. The upper part of the return alley crosses the normal return path for balls which pass upwardly from the going alley and fall back for return.

The extension alley l5 broken away at l6 leads to the lower end ll of the going alley and the return alley terminates in a pin support or table I8 which merges with the curved return section along line 19.

The curved length of the return alley exceeds in length the circumference of the ball normally used.

The going alley is shown as reinforced against the bottom by strip 20 and from the end by strip 2|. Beyond the strip 2l the upper end 22 of the going alley is not secured to the sides 5 and 6, but is free to diverge transversely to right or left (Figure 3) but desirably presses resiliently toward the left.

In order to facilitate adjustment of the direction of this end 22 there is shown a strip 23 attached to the upper end of the alley. Adjustment is effected by wing bolts 24 passing through the rear wall 8 and pulling the end of the alley toward the right.

Because the two curved alleys are eccentric the opening between them flares toward the lower end. To confine the passage of bowled balls to the lower part of the lower section a battle board 25 is used.

Since the two surfaces of alleys It! and l I though both curved are not curved concentrically and converge toward the vertical at their upper ends, under good bowling at just the right speed the ball will be discharged upwardly from the upper end of the going alley and will fall upon I and nearly in line with the surface of the upper end of the return alley as seen in Figure 3. For any given height to which the ball has been discharged Figure 3 shows a path of ball travel at acceptable speed and an approach, at least, to maximum speed for pin engagement, whereas if the ball rise too short a distance it will fall against the upper edge of the upper alley surface, or fall between the. upper surfaces of the two alleys, interrupting the return in any event and, if the ball fall between the two surfaces, causing the ball to be diverted from its intended path toward the pins.

As the ball passes downwardy engaging the carried by the sides, bottom and end. Each alley upper surface of the upper alley section substantially tangent to said surface the ball is guided into contact with the pins smoothly and evenly at maximum speed and minimum alteration of the direction with respect to the alley surface, i. e. whether it be parallel to the sides of the alley or diagonal thereto.

If the ball be discharged at too great an angle with the vertical (over to the left too far) instead of striking the upper curved surface nearly tangent to it it will strike the upper surface of the return alley at a part of the curvature of the upper surface which is much more nearly horizontal than is the upper end of the alley, slowing the ball and possibly altering the direction of ball travel.

Preferably the two alleys IE and II reach from side 5 to side 6 without any gutter but gutters 26 and 21 are shown at both sides of the pin table iii. In the illustration the pin table supports bowling pins 28 and a pit is shown at 29.

With the adjustment assumed in Figure 3 and certain velocity for example the discharge will be along the line I 3 as there shown, whereas with an adjustment further to the right of this figure, the discharge would be along line 30. With adjustment to the left discharge takes place along line 3!. Obviously this range of adjustment accommodates balls thrown at dilferent velocities from adjustment along line SI for speed of ball suited to play by children, through a setting as shown in Figure 3 at l3 suitable for bowling by women to discharge along line 3 correspondin to the swifter bowling to which men are accustomed.

It may be desirable to bowl at times with balls of different weights and sizes. same bowling strength the adjustment will accommodate to the different weight or size of bowling balls for the use of the same group of bowlers.

It is to be noted however that it is not the expectation that the bowler shall bowl at highest speed, but rather the skill of the game will depend to considerable measure upon care in selecting that speed of bowling as well as that direction of ball travel with respect to the length of the going alley which is suited to knocking down a"? of the pins, or selected individual pins. Bowling skill therefore comprises not only bowling along a line or angle with respect to the alley length suited to reach the particular position at which the pins will be struck but in selecting the speed of ball best suited to the bowlers purpose.

As compared with normal bowling, the alley length is very greatly reduced, the pins are small,

there is no opportunity to run with the ball and the balls are very much smaller than normal bowl ing balls, more of the order of the balls which are used in what is known as the duck pin or candle pin game. The conditions and limitations of the game are therefore more nearly those of ski ball than of normal bowling but pins are used, as

distinguished from the containers used in ski ball,

"he score in this game may be counted as in the game or normal bowling in which large balls ant. large pins are used or as in the duck pin game.

In the normal game of bowling two balls are allowed. If the player knocks all of the pins down with .one ball he is credited with a strike. If some pins remain on the alley these pins are, known as the spare pins. If the player on using his second ball knocks down the remaining spare pins he is credited with a spare in the score. If the player should miss the remaining pins or any of them he is given. credit on the score sheet Even with the l for the exact number of pins knocked down and these only.

In counting up the score a strike entitles the bowler to ten points and all of the pins that he gets on the next two balls bowled. If the player makes a spare he is entitled to ten and all of the pins that he makes on the next first bowling.

In the event that the player would prefer to play my game under the duck pin and candle pin rules he is allowed to use three balls. The score is counted exactly the same as in the'normal bowling game with the exception that on the third ball he gets for his score exactly the number of pins knocked down.

Because of the short length of the combined going and return alleys as compared with the width of the space occupied by the pins, a great deal more variation in angularity of the path of the bowled ball with respect to the length of the alley is available than in the normal bowling and this gives opportunity for additional skill in making spares.

The pause during the bowling while the ball is in the air is beneficial in making the bowling time more nearly comparable than otherwise with the time in normal bowling; and the ball is within the View of the bowler for the additional time represented by this pause.

In view of my invention and disclosure variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention-without copying the structure shown, and, I, therefore, claim all such in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a bowling alley comprising two vertically separated curved alleys, each terminating lupwardly in proximity one to the other, converging and at an angle with respect to each other such that a ball projected upwardly by the one alley will pass beyond the end of this alley and drop back upon the upwardly directed part of the'other, a pin board having'one end in line with the surface of the second alley, comprising a continuation of the second alley, and the other end of the pin board lying approximately above the beginning of the first alley and gutters at the sides of the pin board.

2. In a bowling alley, going and return spaced upwardly curved alleys of nearly equal length, the return alley being slightly shorter than the going alley having the upper ends of both alleys upwardly directed and departing toward each other from an intermediate vertical plane, whereby a ball guided in upward movement by the going alley will fall back upon the upper part of the return alley and a guard between the lower ends of the alleys restricting the opening between for passage of a bowled ball, a score table in line with the lower end of the return alley, gutters on opposite sides of the score table and a pit at the end of the score table nearer the bowler.

3. A bowling alley comprising going and return alleys spaced one from another and at their upper ends so related that a ball following the track of the going alley will rise above the upper end of the return alley and fall freely upon the return alley and being returned by it to a point nearly above the beginning of the going alley, side walls by which the going and return alleys are supported, a pin board in line with the lower part of the return alley and extending part way only between the two side walls to leave a gutter and walls forming a pit located at the end of the pin board.

4. In a bowling alley, going and return curved upwardly directed alleys having the upper efiective ends of the alleys converging from opposite sides toward a vertical plane and means for varying the angle with respect to the vertical of the upper guiding part of the going alley.

5. A bowling alley comprising going and return alleys, a score board in line with the lower part of the return alley and a pit beyond the score board, having the upper ends of the two sections spaced to allow passage of the bowling ball and converging each toward the other, whereby a ball guided by the going alley will stop rising in its upward movement at a point between the two alleys and will fall back upon the upper part of the return alley and means for varying the angle with respect to the vertical of the upper guiding portion of the going alley.

6. In a bowling alley, going and return curved upwardly directed alleys having the upper efiective ends, of the alleys converging from opposite sides toward a vertical plane, having the upper terminals of the two alleys approximately of the same height above the going alley and the curved length of the return alley greater than 15 the circumference of the ball normally used.

ROBERT H. FARQUHAR.

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