US3179410A - Bowling pin elevating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 20, 1965 J. D. ELLIOTT BOWLING PIN ELEVATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1962 INVENTOR JAMES D.ELLIOTT A ITORN EY April 20, 1965 J. D. ELLIOTT 3,179,410

BOWLING PIN ELEVATING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 29, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z 58 I T I Q 1' i 1' Q '1' 571 35 i 5 x 4; 1 3a 50 49 1 45 M 48 iii'w' 'fl INVENTOR JAMES D. ELLIOTT ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,179,410 BOWLING PIN ELEVATING APPARATUS James D. Elliott, Riverside, Conn., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jerse Filed Jan. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 169,225

4 Claims. (Cl. 273-43) ly, the pins are collected at one location, referred to as the receiving station, in the pit and are elevated in rapid succession to a point above the alley bed for discharge to suitable pin handling means, ordinarily the infeed conveyor of a pin setting machine. Various types of devices have been proposedheretofore for elevating the pins from the receiving station in the pit to the discharge station thereabove, and it has become common practice to employ elevators comprising means forming a circular channel arranged to rotate about a generally horizontal axis in such fashion as to pass through the locations of the receiving and discharge stations. An example of an elevating apparatus of this type is disclosed in US. Patent 2,767,983, issued October 23, 1956, to Holloway et al. v

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved pin elevating wheel which is simple in construction and eflicient in operation.

Another object is to provide a bowling pin elevator of the rotary type but which requires no individual clamping means for retaining the pins in place as they are elevated.

A further object is to provide a bowling pin elevator capable of operating .with aminimum of noise. 7 Yet another object is to devise an elevator of the type described whichis so constructed that pins which are not properly oriented therein fall free, and the pins are freely discharged after being elevated, so that operation is substantially free from jamming.

A still further object is to provide a bowling. pin elevator of the pocketed channel type which has a minimum number of parts and is unusually simple and economical to manufacture. c

In orderthat the manner in which these and other objects are attained in accordance with the invention can be understood in detail, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specification, and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a bowling pin elevator constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURES 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on lines 22 and 33, FIGURE 1, respectively.

Turning now to the drawings in detail, the embodiment of the invention here illustrated is a bowling pin elevator comprising a fixed vertical sheet metal frame 10, extending transversely across the pit P of thebowling alley installation, The pit is provided with an endless belt type conveyor, indicated generally at 11, the upper run 12 of which travels from the front of the pit (not shown), toward the pin elevator. The conveyor extends transversely for essentially the full width of the pit. End roller 13 of the conveyor is positioned close to the elevator and extends parallel to frame 10. Roller 13 is also closeto the floor of the pit, and the conveyor is so constructed that the upper run 12 slants downwardly at a small angle from the front of the pit toward the elevator.

Disposed between the delivery end of conveyor 11 and the bottom of frame 10 is a transversely extending member 14 which is fixed to the bottom of the pit and includes an upper wall 15 which bridges the gap between the end of the conveyor and the elevator. Wall 15 slants downwardly toward the elevator, being so disposed that bowling pins discharged by the conveyor will travel along the surface of wall 15 and be delivered to the elevator as hereinafter explained in detail, as the latter passes.

Fixedly mounted each at a different side of the center of the delivery end of conveyor 11 and extending over upper run 12 of the conveyor are a pair of stationary guides or plows 16 arranged to direct bowling pins to the center portion of the end of the conveyor in order that thepins will all pass over wall 15 to a well defined receiving station S1. (FIGURE 1.) One such plow is seen in FIGURES 1 and 2, .the other being omitted for clarity of illustration of the elevator, and it will be understood that the two plows may be generally similar in construction except for their opposing shapes and locations. Main guide surfaces 17 of the plows slant downwardly and forwardly toward the upper run of the conveyor and also rearwardly toward the middle of the discharge end of the conveyor, and the plows thus guide the pins in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art.

Frame 10 includes a back wall 18 secured to horizontal cross .members 19 which are rigidly mounted in any suitable manner to provide support for the frame. The top of the frame, as viewed from front or back, is of semicircular shape and includes a forwardly projecting flange 20 which is joined to the semi-circular top edge of back wall 18. The ends of flange 20 terminate respectively at the top edges of kickbacks 21 and 22 and the entire frame 10 can be secured to the ends of the kickbacks. Thus, the kickbacks can include metal uprights 23 and 24, re-

spectively, the ends of flange 20 being welded thereto at 25 and 26, respectively, and wall 18 being attached to the uprights, as by screws at 27 and 28, respectively.

Also projecting forwardly from the main back wall 18 of the frame is a circulanring or flange 29, the central axis of which extends horizontally above the longitudinal center line of conveyor 11 and therefore above the center of the pin receiving station S1, adjacent wall 15 of bridge member 14. At its top, ring or flange 29 has an arcuate, vertically dependent flange 30 located at the front edge of ring 29 and therefore spaced a material distance forwardly frorn back wall 18. Frame portions 18, 20, 29 and 30 are advantageously formed as an integral unit from .suitable sheet material of such substantial thickness as to afford adequate strength for the frame. The inside of this frame may be lined in any suitable manner with sound deadening material such as auto body undercoating.

Ring 29 and top flange 20 are concentrically disposed andthe radius of curvature of the flange is considerably greater than that of the ring, so that there is a substan tialspace between the two. Extending about ring 29 and concentric therewith is an annular bowling pin elevating wheel 31 formed from a suitable material, such as sheet metal, as an integral unit and provided near its periphery with a circularly extending series of angularly spaced depressions or pockets 32 opening forwardly toward conveyor 11. Wheel 31 can be considered as comprising an annular flat body portion 33 lying in a plane generally at right angles to the common central axis of ring 29 and wheel 31, an outer peripheral portion 34 projecting generally forwardly from body portion 33, and an inner circular rim including a rearwardly projecting circular edge as .35 spaced only a small distance outwardly from the front edge of ring 29 and concentric therewith. Radially of wheel 31, pockets 32 are of part-circle cross'section and, as best seen in FIGURE 3, the portion of the material forming the center of each pocket, and theadjacent por tion of outer peripheral portion 34 extend substantially circularly with a somewhat greater radius of curvature than that of the largest portion of the body of a bowling pin, indicated at HP, to be elevated.

As shown in the drawings, and more particularly in FEGURE 1, a plurality of equidistantly spaced cleats or lugs 94 are mounted on the inner peripheral face of wheel 31. These lugs extend inwardly towards the center of wheel 31 and coact with the generally U-shaped'configuration of the cross-section thereof. This arrangement provides the plurality of equidistantly spaced pockets 32 at the end of which is a space smaller than maximum diameter and larger than the smallest diameter of a bowling pin. Thus when pins are delivered into pockets 32 as the result of the rotation of wheel 31 they will become seated in their respective pockets with the butt end or the handle end, as the case may be, located in aspace above mentioned. In this way pins in pockets 32 are prevented from sliding downwardly in rotating wheel 31 and can be elevated thereby to discharge station S2 for delivery therefrom.

In the illustrative embodiment at the front of wheel 31, outer peripheral portion 34 slants inwardly toward the central axis, as indicated at 36, and thence curves outwardly, terminating in a radially short, flat, front flange 37 lying in a plane substantially at right angles to the central'axis of the annular wheel. Portions 36 and 37 combine to define an outwardly opening, circularly extending groove to accommodate a driving belt 38.

Mounted on back wall 18 of the frame and projecting forwardly parallel to the common central axis of ring 29 and wheel 31 are a plurality of studs 3% each supporting a freely rotatable, peripherally grooved roller 40, rollers being spaced in a circular series disposed concentrically about ring 29. A supporting ring 41, in the form of a circularly extending piece of metal rod or tube of a crosssectional diameter matching the grooves in rollers 40, is rigidly fixed to body portion 33 of wheel 31 by a plurality of brackets 42, suitably attached as by welding, to ring 31. As will be clear from FIGURES 1 and '2, supporting ring 41 extends about all of rollers 40, engaging the peripheral groove of each roller in the manner seen in FIGURE 3. Hence, elevating wheel 31 is securely mounted on frame 10 in such fashion as to be kept concentric with ring 29 but free to rotate about the common 44 and through the bushing 43 are clamped in place by nut 50. Resilient mounting devices 4d and 47 can be similar to those used as motor car engine mounts.

Referring to FIGURES 2. and 3, it will be seen that the distance between the outer surface of arcuate portion and surface 36 of wheel 31 is greater than the maximurn'diameter of a bowling pin. If, therefore, a pin is not properly positioned 'in wheel 31 it may easily fall outof wheel 31 and back onto conveyor 11. The relationship between the several surfaces of a bowling pin with a cleat or lug 90, however, is such that a pin properly seated in a pocket 32, and engaged by a cleat or lug 9t) and member 45 will not'fall out of wheel 31, but will be conveyed thereby to discharge station S2.

Pockets 32 are each of such depth, and of such length, circumferentially of wheel 31, as to accommodate the entire enlarged body portion of one of the bowling pins BP. As will be evident from the lower portion of FIG- URE 2, the bowling pins delivered over wall 15 each come to rest in one of the pockets 32, as during rotation of elevating wheel 31, such pocket passes through the pin receiving station S1. When the pocket is in this lowermost position, portion 36 of wheel 31 slants upwardly and the bowling pin is thus held, by gravity, in engagement with the surfaces of portions 32, 34 and 36, and cleat or lug 90. Such gravitational retention continues until the pin arrives at the location of retaining member 43.

From FIGURE 1, it will be seen that member 43 preferably is provided with a tapered nose 51 at the end thereof directed toward the approaching bowling pins. The tip of nose 51 is circular and joined smoothly to the arcuate body of portion 45 by reason of the fact that portion 45 is continued completely around the nose, as

indicated by dotted lines at 52, FIGURE 1. Accordingly,

, as wheel 31 rotates and each bowling pin BP seated in a pocket 32 thereof is carried upwardly into the range of action of member 43, the pin is moved past nose 51 smoothly between portions 34 and 36 of the elevating 'wheel, on the one hand, and portion 45 of member 43, on

the other. From FIGURE 1, it will be noted that the length of member 43 is such that nose 51 is located at a point in the line of travel of wheel 31 where the bowling driven by a suitable power device (not shown).

When viewed from the front of the apparatus, as in FIGURE 1, arcuate skirt 36 is centered on the vertical diameter of ring 29; Resiliently mounted on skirt 319 is a generally arcuate member 43 formed of a suitable material such as wood, plastic or metal, or a combination thereof, which coacts with portions of the elevating wheel 31 to retain the bowling pins in hteir respective seated positions in the pockets in the elevating wheel. The pin retaining member 43 includes a flat portion 44, which lies in'a plane generally parallel to but spaced forwardly from skirt 30, and an arcuate portion 45 which projects rearwardly from the arcuate top edge of portion 4-4, so as to be centered on the common central axis of ring 29 and wheel 31. The radial. width of member 43 is such that portion 45 is normally spaced inwardly from the outer peripheral portion 34 of elevating wheel 31 by a distance which, as explained hereinafter, is slightly more than the largest diameter of bowling pins BP.

Member 43 is resiliently attached to skirt 30 by two or more identical attaching devices 46 and 47, each comprising two studs 48, FIGURE 3, bonded to a resilient block or cylinder 43 of rubber or the like. The studs 43 extend through suitable openings in flange 30 and portion pins are still retained by gravity in their proper positions in the elevating wheel.

The opposite end of member 43 is spaced from the vertical diameter of wheel 31 by a substantial distance. A pin feeding chute 53 in the illustrated embodiment is located at discharge station S2 above the, axis of rotation of wheel 31 and one side thereof extends to a point closely adjacent, the upper end of member 43. As seen in FIG- URES land 2, chute 53 slants downwardly and forwardly from the elevator, the receiving end 54 of the chute being aligned horizontally with the adjacent end of portion 45 of member 43. Thus, as continued rotation of wheel 31 carries reach bowling pin beyond member 43, the bowling pin falls by gravity out of a pocket 32 into chute 53. Adjacent wheel 31 and on the side of chute 53 opposite member 43, chute 53 is equipped with a pin-orienting device, such as idler roller 55. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the pins elevated by wheel 31 fall successively onto chute 53, automatically align themselves lengthwise along the chute, and can be delivered via the chute butt end foremost to a pin spotting machine or other bowling pin handling apparatus (not shown).

Since bowling pins are directed into the elevating wheel, at the receiving station, without employing special devices for precisely orienting the pins, and since no clamping means are employed to retain thempositively seated in pockets 32 before the pins are engaged by member 43, it occasionally happens that a pin may not be seated an angle to the plane of wheel 31, though the butt of the pin is disposed in a pocket 32, in which case the pin might wedge or jam against member 43 and, therefore, could not be cammed to station S2 for proper discharge onto chute 53. In most cases of improperly oriented pins, a pin will simply fail to properly enter the space between member 43 and the outer peripheral portion of wheel 31 and will therefore, fall free, returning to conveyor 11. In this connection, the front of the elevating wheel is free and open, there being no clamps or other devices to impede escape of an improperly oriented pin. To provide for rare cases where a pin is not properly oriented but still engages between portion 45 of member 43 and portions 34 and 36 of the elevating wheel, a pin orienting post 56 is mounted on portion 44 of member 43 and slants upwardly and forwardly a small distance in front of the'normal line of travel of pins prop erly oriented in the elevator.

As will be clear from FIGURE 3, the position of post 56 is such that if the head or butt end of a pin extends only slightly out of the pocket 32 be nudged by post 56 into proper seated position in its pocket 32 in wheel 31 as the latter carries the pin therepast. If, on the other hand, the pin extends outwardly to such a degree that the head or butt end thereof projects forwardly beyond post 56, the projecting portion of the pin will engage the post and, as the wheel 31 continues to rotate, the pin will be twisted completely out of its position between member 43 and the outer periphery of the ring and will thus be freed to fall downwardly onto conveyor 11.

To assure the best pin guiding action, post 56 is secured to portion 44 of member 43 by a resilient mount 57 similar in construction to mounts 46 and 47. Thus, post 56 is allowed some degree of movement relative to member 43 but is always returned to its normal position by its resilient mounting device. The resilient mounting of post 56 also insures that even if an improperly positioned pin should strike it a full or a glancing blow, post 56 would yield and so a jam could not occur. If such pin is not ejected from the wheel by this action, it will be oriented and consigned to discharge station S2.

At its end adjacent chute 53, the pin retaining member 43 is equipped with a pin ejecting guide member 58 of such shape and so located that, as the bowling pins run off the end of member 43, guide member 58 will assure that the pins are properly directed onto the downwardly and forwardly sloping surface of chute 53. As seen in FIGURE 3, member 53 is an arcuately extending rod, fixed at its lower end to portion 44 of member 43 at a point near the end of member 43 and also near portion 45. Member 4% curves forwardly and upwardly, so as to extend loosely about that portion of each pin which is not effectively embraced by the combination of portions 32, 34 and 35 of wheel 31, and portion 45 of member 43.

A pin deflector designated generally 92 operates to deflect pins which may fall out of wheel 32 back into the pit, and presents possible jams. As shown in 'FIG- URES l and 2, deflector 92 comprises an inverted substantially vertical hair-pin shaped rod 94 suitably attached to plow 17.

While a particularly advantageous embodiment has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bowling pin elevating apparatus, the combination of an upright frame; and elevator in the form of an annular channel having radially inwardly projecting 1ongitudinally spaced sides, said elevator being mounted on said frame for rotation about the central axis of said annular channel with said axis being at least generally horizontal, said elevator comprising means defining at least one bowling pin-accommodating pocket, said pocket extending chordwise of a circle centered on said axis and opening both inwardly toward said axis and axially at one side of said elevator, rotation of said elevator about said axis in one direction causing said pocket to move first through a lower, pin-receiving station, thence outwardly and upwardly to an intermediate position, in which a bowling pin occupying said pocket will tend to fall therefrom, and thence to an elevated, pin discharge station, said frame including a cylindrical guard ring projecting through said elevator, said frame also including a flange dependent from an end of said guard ring; a pin-retaining member mounted on said flange and projecting upwardly therefrom, said pin-retaining member comprising an upwardly facing arcuate pin-engaging surface extending substantially from said intermediate position to said discharge station and disposed concentrically with the circular path of travel of said pocket, the radial distance between said arcuate pin-engaging surface and the adjacent portion of the path of travel of said pocket being such that a bowling pin carried upwardly in said pocket comes into engagement with said arcuate pin-engaging surface at said intermediate position and then rides along said arcuate pin-engaging surface, being thus retained in said pocket until arriving at said discharge station; and drive means connected to said elevator to rotate the same in said one direction.

2. A, bowling pin elevating apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and wherein said pin-retaining member comprises a fiat main body lying at right angles to the axis of rotation of said elevator, and a portion integral with said main body and projecting at right angles thereto, said portion extending arcuately to provide said pinengaging surface.

3. In a bowling pin elevating apparatus, the combination of an upright frame; an elevator in the form of an annular channel having radially inwardly projecting longitudinally spaced sides, said elevator being mounted on said frame for rotation about the central axis of said annular channel with said axis being at least generally horizontal, said elevator comprising means defining at least one bowling pin-accommodating pocket, said pocket extending chordwise of a circle centered on said axis and opening both inwardly toward said axis and axially at one side of said elevator, rotation of said elevator about said axis in one direction causing said pocket to move first through a lower, pin-receiving station, thence outwardly and upwardly to an intermediate position, in which a bowling pin occupying said pocket will tend to fall therefrom, and thence to an elevated, pin discharge station, said frame including a cylindrical guard ring projecting through said elevator, said frame also including a flange dependent from an end of said guard ring; a pin-retaining member comprising a fiat main body and an arcuate portion integral with said main body and projecting at right angles thereto; means mounting said pinretaining member on said flange with said fiat main body extending generally parallel to said flange and said arcuate portion facing upwardly and extending substantially from said intermediate position to said discharge station and disposed concentrically with the circular path of travel of said pocket, said means mounting said pinretaining member on said flange being operative to allow said pin-retaining member to shift inwardly, the radial distance between said arcuate portion of said pinengaging member and the adjacent portion of the path of travel of said pocket being such that a bowling pin carried upwardly in said pocket comes into engagement with said arcuate portion at said intermediate position and then rides along said arcuate portion, being thus retained in said pocket until arriving at said discharge station; and drive means connected to said elevator to 1'0- tate the same in said one direction.

4. In a bowling pin elevating apparatus, the combination of frame means comprising an upright structure, and a cylindrical guard ring secured to said upright structure and projecting therefrom with the axis of said guardring at least generally horizontally disposed; an elevator comprising an annular structure defining at least one bowling pin-receiving pocket which extends chordwise of the annular structure and opens both inwardly toward the center of the annular structure and axially at one side of said annular structure; means mounting said elevator on said frame means with said guard ring projecting through said annular structure and said annular structure supported for rotation at least generally about the axis of said guard ring, said guard ring having an end portion surrounded by said annular structure; a pin-retaining memberhaving a fiat main body portion and an arcuate pin-engaging surface; means mounting said pinretaining member on said end portion of said guard ring with said main body portion extending transversely of said guard ring and said arcuate pin-engaging surface concentric with the axis of said guard ring, rotation of said elevator in one direction causing said pocket to move first through a lower, pin-receiving station, thence outwardly and upwardly to an intermediate position in which bowling pins occupying said pocket will tend to fall therefrom, and thence to an elevated, pin-discharge station, said arcuate pin-engaging surface extending substantially from said intermediate position .to said discharge station, said arcuate pin-engaging surface being spaced inwardly from the path of travel of said pocket by a distance such that a bowling pin carried upwardly in said pocket comesinto engagement with said pin-engaging surface at said intermediate position and then rides along said pin-engaging surface, being thus retained in said pocket until arriving at said discharge station; and drive means connected to said elevator to rotate the same in said one direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gruss Jan. 16, 1962

Claims (1)

1. IN A BOWLING PIN ELEVATING APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION OF AN UPRIGHT FRAME; AND ELEVATOR IN THE FORM OF AN ANNULAR CHANNEL HAVING RADIALLY INWARDLY PROJECTING LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SIDES, SAID ELEVATOR BEING MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR ROTATION ABOUT THE CENTRAL AXIS OF SAID ANNULAR CHANNEL WITH SAID AXIS BEING AT LEAST GENERALLY HORIZONTAL, SAID ELEVATOR COMPRISING MEANS DEFINING AT LEAST ONE BOWLING PIN-ACCOMMODATING POCKET, SAID POCKET EXTENDING CHORDWISE OF A CIRCLE CENTERED ON SAID AXIS AND OPENING BOTH INWARDLY TOWARD SAID AXIS AND AXIALLY AT ONE SIDE OF SAID ELEVATOR, ROTATION OF SAID ELEVATOR ABOUT SAID AXIS IN ONE DIRECTION CAUSING SAID POCKET TO MOVE FIRST THROUGH A LOWER, PIN-RECEIVING STATION, THENCE OUTWARDLY AND UPWARDLY TO AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION, IN WHICH A BOWLING PIN OCCUPYING SAID POCKET WILL TEND TO FALL THEREFROM, AND THENCE TO AN ELEVATED, PIN DISCHARGE STATION, SAID FRAME INCLUDING A CYLINDRICAL GUARD RING PROJECTING THROUGH SAID ELEVATOR, SAID FRAME ALSO INCLUDING A FLANGE DEPENDENT FROM AN END OF SAID GUARD

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