US3149840A

US3149840A - Manual projector for a bowling ball

Info

Publication number: US3149840A
Application number: US171774A
Authority: US
Inventors: Swanson Gosta
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-02-07
Filing date: 1962-02-07
Publication date: 1964-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 1981-09-22

Description

Sept. 22, 1964 G. SWANSON 3,149,840

MANUAL PROJECTOR FOR A BOWLING BALL Filed Feb. 7, 1962 INVENTOR. GOSTA SWANSON BY PM PM Q ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,149,840 MANUAL PROJECTQR FER A BOWLING BALL Gosta Swanson, R0. Box 2.6, Hollis, NEH. Filed Feb. 7, 1962, Ser. No. 171,774 3 Claims. (Cl. 273i29) This invention relates to a manual implement for propelling a ball, or similar game piece, along a playing surface. It especially relates to the sport of bowling and to a novel projector by which a bowling ball can be accurately aimed and propelled down an alley, without excessive physical exertion, the projector somewhat resembling a shuflle board paddle.

Manual implements have heretofore been proposed wherein a handle is gripped by the player, the handle having a head which slides on the playing surface while pushing the ball and rolling it along the surface. It has also been proposed to provide a handle with an inverted hemispherical cup which fits over the top of a ball for guiding and rolling the ball along a playing surface.

' In this invention, however, the implement does not merely strike or guide a ball with the ball supported on the playing surface, but rather, the implement carries, supports and rolls the ball along the surface until the ball is released.

In U.S. Patent 2,263,602 of November 25, 1941 and US. Patent 2,280,331 of April 21, 1942, both to O. F. Whittle, a wheeled carriage, having a handle, supports the ball as the ball is advanced by the player. However, the ball is not freely movable for rolling along the carriage and fits in a depression formed by rollers so that it may be power rotated in the depression to impart a spinning motion.

The projector of this invention does not confine the ball in a depression but permits the ball to roll freely along stationary, elongated, laterally spaced, parallel tracks or guides, from the rearward end to the forward end and the ball is supported under each opposite side of the centre to permit such free travel. The tracks, or guides, are horizontal when the implement is shifted along the floor, propelled forwardly with the ball and stopped to cause the ball to roll along the spaced tracks prior to rolling off the forward end and down the alley.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a low cost, rugged implement or projector for a bowling ball which is unitary with no moving parts and which supports the ball but offers no resistance to rollable advance of the ball along the spaced tracks toward the bowling pins.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bowling ball projector in which the head slides horizontally flatwise on the playing surface while the ball is supported at a spaced distance above the playing surface on a pair of laterally spaced, horizontal, continuous guide members for free rolling therealong.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for carrying and propelling a ball forwardly in which the ball is contacted only by stationary, fixed parallel tracks each under one ofthe opposite undersides of the ball, well below the centre and by pusher means incapable of imparting any undesired spin, or sidewise wiggle to the ball.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the claims, the description of the drawing and from the drawing'in which- FIG. 1 is a side elevational View of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a front televational view of the device shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an embodiment of the invention formed of metal rather than wood.

As shown in FIGURES l and 2, in its preferred embodiment the manual implement, or projector, 20 of the invention is designed for use with a suitable movable game piece such as the bowling ball 21 on a suitable playing surface such as the fioor 22 of a bowling alley. The projector 20 is preferably unitary with no moving parts and made of wood, plastic or equivalent material so that it is rugged and inexpensive. Projector 20 includes an elongated handle 23 having an upper, or grip, end 24 and a lower, or head, end 25.

Projector 20 also includes a head 26 which may be integral with the lower end of handle 23, threadedly connected thereto or otherwise affixed to the handle. The lower face 27 of head 26 is smooth and flat for sliding fiatwise on the floor 22 from the forward, or handle, end 28 of the head to the rearward or free terminal end 29 of the head. When the lower face 27 is horizontal on the horizontal floor 22 the handle 23 inclines upwardly so that it may be grasped by a player at the grip end 24 without undue exertion or bending of the body.

Track means 32 is provided on the head 26 for supporting the ball 21 out of contact with the floor 22 but free of obstructions to rolling parallel to the floor toward the pin end of the bowling alley. The handle 23, head 26 and track means 32 all extend longitudinally and all are elongated although the handle 23 might extend vertically from the head if such a construction proved desirable. Track means 32 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced members, or supports 33 and 34 which are continuous and preferably straight. Each

member

33 or 34 is on an opposite side of the longitudinal centre line of the head and supports the ball 21 on one of the opposite undersides 35 or 36 well below the centre of the ball for free rolling along the members from the forward end to the rearward end of the members. The

upper faces

37 and 38 of each

member

33 or 34 are in parallelism and in parallelism with the lower face 27 of the head 26 whereby the ball 21 is supported at a uniform spaced distance above the lower face 27 and above the floor 22.

Preferably the head 26 is bifurcated with the

members

33 and 34 forming the forks and preferably the forks are of uniform cross section with the

upper faces

37 and 38 of arcuate configuration to conform to the spherical shape of the ball 21. The device may thus be conveniently formed of wood which is the preferred material for sliding engagement with the fioor 22.

The projector 26) also includes pusher, or stop means 41 at the handle end of the head for imparting motion to the ball and preventing the ball from falling oif the handle end of the track means 32.

Pusher means 431 is preferably an integral, stationary, upstanding element 42 arranged to contact the rear surface 43 of the ball 21 at least at the level of the centre when the ball is supported on track means 32. Element 42 may have a curved face 44 for engaging the ball, as shown, but other equivalent stop elements can be used if desired.

In FIGURES 3 and 4 another embodiment of the in vention is illustrated wherein the handle 50' and head 51 are similar to handle 23 and head 26 but the head 51 is of increased height. The track means 52 comprises the two fork-

like members

53 and 54 of the head 51, each of which is of uniform cross section with an arcuate

upper face

55 or 56 at a spaced distance above the fiat, smooth, lower face 57 of the head, each for supporting the ball on an opposite underside thereof below the centre of the ball. In this embodiment the pusher means 53 contacts the rear face of the ball through about one hundred and eighty degrees of angular distance from one side of the ball to the other.

In FIGURE 5 another embodiment of the invention is shown in which the parts are made of metal rather than of wood. The handle 65? and the head all are similar to handle 23 and head 26, but two parallel bars of aluminum are used, bent at 62 and at 63 and connected by

transverse members

64, 65, 66 and 67. Member 64 forms a hand grip, member 65 forms the pusher means 68 and

members

56 and 67 serve to strengthen the bifurcated head 61. The track means 69 comprises a pair of parallel edgewise upstanding members 71 and 72 each having a ball supporting upper face 73 or 74 parallel to the fiat lower face 75 of the head.

The flat lower face 75 thus constitutes a pair of parallel runners and the laterally, spaced parallel, stationary ball supporting faces '73 and 74 each engage one of the opposite undersides of the ball, below the centre, with the central under portion of the ball free of contact with the projector or the floor.

I claim:

1. A bowling ball projector comprising:

a longitudinally extending handle;

a longitudinally extending head, mounted at the lower end of said handle, said head having a smooth, horizontal, lower face for sliding fiatwise on the floor of a bowling alley when said handle is at an angle to said floor;

a pair of parallel, stationary, straight, ball-supporting 30 tracks, on said head, each extending continuously longitudinally thereof in a horizontal plane part lel to the horizontal plane of said lower face and each on an opposite side of the longitudinal centre line of said head, said parallel, straight tracks supporting a bowling ball under each opposite side thereof below the ball centre for free rolling therealong at a uniform, spaced distance above said floor, and stationary pusher means on said head proximate said handle, said means being at a spaced distance above said tracks and contacting the rear centre portion of a ball supported on said tracks for imparting a push to said ball when said handle is pushed by the user. 2. A bowling ball projector as specified in claim 1 wherein said projector is unitary and free of moving parts, with said handle permanently fixed to said head at a predetermined angle thereto.

3. A bowling ball projector as specified in claim 1 wherein:

said head includes a pair of straight, parallel, laterally spaced runners for engaging said floor, the lower faces of said runners constituting the said smooth, horizontal lower face of said head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 358,359 Kochka Feb. 22, 1887 2,263,602 Whittle Nov. 25, 1941 2,280,331 Whittle Apr. 21, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,553 France Dec. 17, 1912 (Addition to No. 424,192) 267,411 Great Britain Mar. 17, 1927

Claims

1. A BOWLING BALL PROJECTOR COMPRISING: A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING HANDLE; A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING HEAD, MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID HANDLE, SAID HEAD HAVING A SMOOTH, HORIZONTAL, LOWER FACE FOR SLIDING FLATWISE ON THE FLOOR OF A BOWLING ALLEY WHEN SAID HANDLE IS AT AN ANGLE TO SAID FLOOR; A PAIR OF PARALLEL, STATIONARY, STRAIGHT, BALL-SUPPORTING TRACKS, ON SAID HEAD, EACH EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE PARALLEL TO THE HORIZONTAL PLANE OF SAID LOWER FACE AND EACH ON AN OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE LONGITUDINAL CENTRE LINE OF SAID HEAD, SAID PARALLEL, STRAIGHT TRACKS SUPPORTING A BOWLING BALL UNDER EACH OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF BELOW THE BALL CENTRE FOR FREE ROLLING THEREALONG AT A UNIFORM, SPACED DISTANCE ABOVE SAID FLOOR, AND STATIONARY PUSHER MEANS ON SAID HEAD PROXIMATE SAID HANDLE, SAID MEANS BEING AT A SPACED DISTANCE ABOVE SAID TRACKS AND CONTACTING THE REAR CENTRE PORTION OF A BALL SUPPORTED ON SAID TRACKS FOR IMPARTING A PUSH TO SAID BALL WHEN SAID HANDLE IS PUSHED BY THE USER.