US3001792A

US3001792A - Support for bowling alley pit cushion

Info

Publication number: US3001792A
Application number: US971A
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenneth C Sherman
Original assignee: Sheram Enterprises Inc
Current assignee: Sheram Enterprises Inc
Priority date: 1955-08-02
Filing date: 1960-01-07
Publication date: 1961-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1978-09-26

Description

Sept- 26, 1961 K. c. SHERMAN 3,001,792

SUPPORT FOR BOWLING ALLEY PIT CUSHION Original Filed Aug. 2, 1955 466 /2 9 4&3 46/ 1' T 1; f462 L Q, /4 F L- 1 9: Z 1/ /0 W 20 1 466 4 v 44 I x 22 460 I I /5; lI if. ll

1 '1 1 /12 l i -1 1 I l J INVEN TOR.

KENNETH C. SHERMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent of Massachusetts Original application Aug. 2, 1955, Ser. No. 526,033, now 12, 1960. Divided Patent No. 2,920,891, dated Jan. and this application Jan. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 971

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-53) This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 526,033, filed August 2, 1955 for Bowling Pin Setting Machine, and now Patent No. 2,920,891. The invention relates to an improved means for supporting the customary cushion at the rear end of the alley pit which is employed to absorb the impact of swiftly thrown balls and pins knocked thereby to the rear of the pit, the cushion serving to prevent or minimize injury to the wall at the rear of the pit and to the balls and pins themselves.

The drawing shows a side elevation of the pit portion of a bowling alley, part of the side wall being broken away to show the cushion at its means of support.

As indicated on the drawing, the side wall or kickback hides the pit floor 12 which is at a lower level than the alley surface 13. As described and illustrated in said application Serial No. 526,033, balls and pins which fall into the pit are conveyed to the rear end thereof and delivered to an elevator 14 which raises them to distributing mechanism (not shown herein) by which the balls are returned to the forward end of the alley, and the pins are grouped for resetting on the alley.

At the rear of the pit, but forward of the elevator 14 is hung the customary vertical cushion 460 which may be of any desired construction. According to the invention, the cushion is suspended from a couple of rollers 461 which are mounted to run on rails 462 at "ice or near the upper edge of the kick-backs 10. The cushion is held in place by links '463 which extend forward from the shaft which carries the rollers 461, the forward ends of the links 463 being secured as by bolts 20 to the respective rails 462. Thus when it becomes necessary or desirable to get at the back wall of the pit or any of the mechanism adjacent to it, it is merely necessary to remove the two bolts 20 whereupon the cushion (which is usually bulky and'heavy) can readily be rolled forward on the rails 462 to provide ample room behind it for a service man. This arrangement is especially important where the rear wall of the pit is at or near a wall 22 of the building in which the alley is housed.

A canvasv shield 464 extends from a rod 466 mounted at the upper edge of the cushion 460 forward to a trans verse rod 468 attached to a pair of members 128 of the main frame which supports the pin-setting machine. The purpose of this shield is to prevent r-icocheting pins or balls from flying up and injuring the pin handling mechanism above the pit.

I claim:

In a bowling alley having a pit with a kick-back on each side thereof, a cushion extending transversely of said pit, means for supporting said cushion vertically, said means comprising a rail on each said kick-back, a roller on each said rail, means attaching said cushion to said rollers, and releasable means for holding said rollers from movement along said rails, said releasable means comprising two links extending from said supporting means and secured at points on the rails spaced from the respective rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,035,659 Talbert Aug. 13, 1912 2,372,572 Hensley Mar. 27, 1945 2,729,449 Montooth Jan. 3, 1956