US2633359A

US2633359A - Bowling ball rack

Info

Publication number: US2633359A
Application number: US212086A
Authority: US
Inventors: Hedenskoog Ernest
Original assignee: Brunswick Balke Collender Co
Current assignee: BRUNSWICK-BALKE-COLLENDER Co; Brunswick Balke Collender Co
Priority date: 1951-02-21
Filing date: 1951-02-21
Publication date: 1953-03-31
Anticipated expiration: 1970-03-31

Description

March 31,1953 HEogNskoos 2,333,359

' BOWLING BALL RACK Ifiled Feb. 21, 1951 Patented Mar. 31, 1953 BOWLING BALL RACK Ernest Hedenskoog, Muskegon, Mich., assignor to The Brunswiek-Balke-Collender Company, a

corporation of Delaware Application February 21, 1951, Serial No. 212,086

9 Claims.

and particularly to improved track construction for use in conjunction with a storage or return rack for bowling balls.

In a bowling alley constructed in accordance with the prior art, after a player bowls, the ball is returned over a track located alongside the alley and suflicient momentum is imparted to the ball to enable it to reach an elevated ball rack located at the players end of the alley. Here the ball remains until it is time for the player to bowl again. Since each player usually has a ball designed to fit his particular requirements, he has to pick out his ball from a group of similar balls when it is his turn to bowl again. The rack on which his ball is located includes a pair of parallel tracks or rails which are able to accommodate a number of balls. A pair of longitudinal fibre inserts may form the track members on which the balls actually rest.

since the balls stored on the rack are apt to look alike a player can identify his ball only by testing the finger holes. If these finger holes do not happen to be at the top of the ball in its resting position, the player will rotate the ball against the friction of the track members until the finger holes are in an accessible position. As the balls are of uniform size and always stop on the same spaced apart points on the track members, this constant rotating of the balls by the players very quickly wears down the track members, thus detracting from the appearance of the rack and impairing the usefulness of the track members. Occasionally, a player, in an excess of exertion, will apply sufficient force to the ball to pull it clear of the rack thereby endangering his feet and the feet of anyone in the vicinity.

It is an object of this invention to provide a rack having a plurality of rotatable ball rests in order to enable bowling balls positioned on the rack to be freely rotatable, thereby obviating the difficulties described above.

A further object of this invention is to provide a ball rest for a bowling ball rack which will reduce wear on the track members.

Another object of this invention is to produce a bowling ball rack which will retain bowling balls thereon and in which accident hazards are reduced during play.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the description of the illustrated embodiment proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly broken, of a bowling ball rack incorporating the roller device of the preferred form of this invention, with five balls stored thereon;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partially in broken section of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken sectional view of the roller device; and,

Fig. 5 is a top view of the roller shown in Fig. 4.

While there is shown in the drawings and hereinafter described in detail a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular form and arrangement shown. It is contemplated that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The ball return rack shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is composed of a bed It defining an elongated semirotund recess or depression l I in which is located a pair of track members [2. A terminal unit l3 at the players end of the rack has a ball stop surface 2| which serves to arrest the movement of a plurality of bowling balls I4 which have entered the rack.

A plurality of rotatable members l5 are positioned at spaced intervals in the bed Ill alongside the longitudinal recess II. The rotatable surfaces of the members It are lined up on the rack as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so that the center of each ball longitudinally of the rack is approximately in line with the centers of one pair of rotatable members 15. Preferably the rotatable surface of the members I5 projects a distance above the bed I!) which is sufiicient to enable the bowling ball M to roll smoothly from the track members l2 onto the members 15. In order to free the balls from track members l2 when the balls reach a position of rest central of the members IS, the track members may be cut away slightly as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, the balls may roll successively over diiierent portions of the track members l2 and over successive pairs of members l5 without bumping and yet when the balls reach their rest position they are supported entirely by the members [5. It is therefore relatively easy to rotate the balls while on the members l5 and to do so Without any tendency for the ball to pass off the track.

The rotatable members l5 consist of a pair of end supports l6 and il (Figs. 4 and 5) in which a stationary shaft I8 is imbedded. The shaft it serves as a bearing surface for a roller Hi. There may be considerable tolerance between the shaft l8 and the roller i9 since a loose fit between these two members will give satisfactory service. While the dimensions of the members 16, ii, iii and I9 are not critical it is desirable that they be rather inconspicuous in order to avoid detracting from the appearance of a smoothly finished streamlined rack. End pieces l8 and ll of quarter inchstock of about an inch in length and a roller l9 about an inch-and-a-hallf in length giving an overall length of about two inches to the rotatable member have been found satisfactory. As best shown in Fig. 3, the greater portion of the members l6 and I! is imbedded in the bed 16 and only the tips which support the shaft l8 extend above the surface.

The pair of members 15 nearest said ball stop surface 2! are positioned therefrom a distance approximately equal to half the diameter of a ball I 4 and the successive pairs of members l5 are positioned from each other a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a ball, said distances being measured or reckoned from between the centers of each of said pairs of members [5.

While only a single embodimenthas been illustrated it is obvious that many variations may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit thereof. It is therefore my intention to be limited in scope only as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rack for bowling balls, comprising: an elongated bed, a pair of spaced parallel track members positioned in said bed, and a pair of oppositely spaced rollers positioned in said bed alongside said track .members the turning axes of said .rollers being approximately parallel to said track members and said rollers being disposed to engage a bowling ball.

2. A bowling ball rack as clairned in claim 1 in which the rollers are comprised of a of end supports extending into said bed, a stationary shaft positioned between said and supports and a rotatable roller mounted upon said shaft.

3. In a bowling ball rack comprising a longitudinal bed, a pair of parallel track members, and a terminal unit; the improvement which consists of a pair of oppositely spaced roller members in said bed alongside said track members, the turning axes of said rollers being parallel to said track members and being disposed to engage a bowling ball on their rotatable surfaces.

4. .A rack for bowling balls comprising: an elongated substantially horizontal bed, a pair of parallel track members positioned in said bed substantially co-extensive with the longitudinal surface thereof, a terminal unit at one end of said bed, and .a plurality of oppositely spaced rollers mounted on said bed at spaced intervals, said rollers having their turning axes substantially parallel with said track members and each pair of oppositely spaced rollers being disposed to engage the surface of one of a plurality of bowling balls on said rack.

5. In a bowling ball rack, an elongated bed positioned substantially in a horizontal plane, a pair of spaced parallel track members projecting upward a short distance from said bed, said track members constituting a surface for the passage of bowling balls, and a row of rollers at spaced intervals along the outer side of each of said track members, the turning axes of the rollers in each row being lined up with each other and said rollers in said two rows being oppositely spaced with respect to each other whereby each of a plurality of bowling balls stored on said rack will engage the rotatable surfaces of a pair of oppositely spaced rollers.

6. In a bowling ball rack, an elongated bed positioned substantially horizontally, a terminal unit at one end of said bed, a ball stop surface on said terminal unit, a pair of longitudinal track members positioned longitudinally on said bed, and a plurality of oppositely spaced roller members forming a line on the outer side of each of said track members, the turning axes of each line of roller members being substantially coaxial and. one pair of said plurality of oppositely spaced rollers positioned nearest said ball stop surface being spaced therefrom by about half the diameter of a bowling ball and the remainder of said oppositely spaced roller members being spaced from each other by about the diameter of a bowling ball, said measurements being reckoned from between the centers of said oppositely spaced roller members.

'1. A bowling ball storage device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the roller members consist of a pair of end supports extending into said bed and projecting slightly therefrom, a stationary shaft mounted between the exposed ends of .said end supports, and a freely rotatable roller mounted upon said shaft.

8. A bowling ball rack as claimed in claim 1 wherein there .are a plurality of pairs of oppositely spaced rollers, eachpair being spaced from its adjacent pair a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a bowling ball.

9. A bowling ball rack as claimed in claim 3 wherein there are a plurality of pairs of oppositely spaced roller members, each of said .pairs being spaced from its adjacent pair a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a bowling ball.

ERNEST HEDENSKOOG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of .record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,900,469 Skrlec et al.. Mar. 7-, 1933 2,34%,964 Discher Apr. .4, 1944 2,530,429 Hedenskoog Nov. 21, 1950