WO1997013561A1

WO1997013561A1 - Skittle alley

Info

Publication number: WO1997013561A1
Application number: PCT/SE1996/001299
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eric Westberg
Original assignee: Ingenjörsfirman Eric Westberg
Priority date: 1995-10-12
Filing date: 1996-10-11
Publication date: 1997-04-17
Also published as: SE9503575D0; AU7351896A; SE9503575L; SE504668C2

Abstract

A game of bowling type where free skittles that are put up at one short side of a long alley are intended to be hit by a bowl thrown from the other short side of the alley. In order to clean the alley from fallen and on the alley lying skittles, the game is provided with a mechanism to entirely lower standing skittles below the surface of the alley. This can preferably be maneuvered by organs at the other end of the alley.

Description

Skittle alley

Bowling is played in bowling saloons, where a number of alleys are parallelly arranged, and 10 skittles for each alley are placed, according to an established pattern, at the far end of the alley. A player starts off by hitting as many skittles as possible with a bowl from the other end of the alley. If all the skittles fall at the first hit, a "strike" is gained, which gives maximum score. If only some of the skittles fall, the remaining skittles are lifted up by a magnetic device or another mechanism, meanwhile the alley is cleaned from fallen skittles by a removing ruler, after which the uplifted skittles are returned to their positions. A second threw is allowed, but the skittles that eventually remain standing after this throw are removed, and the skittles are set up for next game.

The game, according to the invention, simulates a bowling game, but the complicated technical arrangements for handling the skittles have been essentially simplified, without any changes of the characteristics of the game. Particularly the skittles placement on exactly the right spot on the alley, the cleaning of fallen skittles from the alley during the removal, and the replacement of not fallen skittles, have been simplified. The game is preferably designed for a considerably smaller construction, than a normal bowling alley's size.

An embodiment of a game according to the invention has an elonged alley standing on three legs. At the front part of the alley there is a rough cover on which a bowl can be placed at each throw towards the skittles. On each side of the alley there are longitudinal tracks that catch the bowl if it is to roll out of the alley. The skittles rest on supporting staffs in vertical holes in the alley, in which holes the skittles and the supporting staffs are easily displaceable. By a vertically movable supporting plate the staffs and the skittles can be raised or lowered. The supporting plate is attached to the alley by a parallel steering mechanism, which secures that the alley and the supporting plate at all times are parallel. By a mechanism the supporting plate and the supporting staffs are influenced to lower or raise standing skittles, and a removing ruler is influenced to sweep lying skittles away.

By opening the holes in the alley, the skittles can easily be put into them, after which all the skittles are pushed upwards so that they rest at the same level as the alley. When a player throws the bowl towards the skittles all the skittles can fall. The skittles are then replaced in starting position in a way that has been described. If one or more skittles have not fallen the mechanism is maneuvered in a way that makes the net fallen skittles sink into the holes, until they are sunk entirely below the surface of the alley, the removing ruler removes the skittles lying on the alley, after which the sunk skittles are heightened to play-position at the same level as the alley.

The invention is to be closer described by an embodiment that is made clear by the figures. Figures 1-5 shows a preferred embodiment of the invention. According to this the maneuver of the standing skittles and the removal of the lying skittles from the alley is carried out from the opposite side of the alley.

Figure 1 thus shows a horizontal projection of the embodiment. Figure 2 shows a side projection through the cut A-A of figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a cross projection through the cut B-B of figure 1 with the skittles in heightened position. To make the projection clearer the skittles and the uplifting staffs are not cross-sectioned. Figure 4 shows the same projection as in figure 3, with the skittles in lowered position. Figure 5 shows a rear view of the game. A game according to the preferred embodiment of the invention includes a top part 1 and a lower part 2. On the top part 1 by the spot for the skittles 6 there are solidly arranged pipes 3, in which skittles 6 and staffs 7 are unobstructedly movable. The staffs 7 are carried up by and attached to a supporting plate 8. Two rear levers 9 and a front lever 10 is arranged for heightening and lowering of the supporting plate 8. A bearing 11 is arranged between the supporting plate 8 and the rear levers 9. Between the rear levers 9 and the front lever 10 lengthwise a somewhat movable bearing 12 is arranged and the levers are pivoted in the lower part 2 by the bearings 13 and 14 respectively.

Track rods 28 are parallelly arranged with the rear levers 9 for parallel guiding of the supporting plate 8. By being pivoted in a bearing 29 in the lower part 2 vertical to bearing 13 and pivoted to a holder 30 to the supporting plate 8 vertical to the bearing 11. A removing ruler 15 is turnable about the bearing 16 by an arm 17, a staff 18 and a removal handle 19, which is pivoted on the lower part 2 with a bearing 20. The free end of the front lever 10 is shaped as a handle, the lifting handle 21. In the gable 5 there is a horizontal slot 22 for horizontal movement of the removal handle 19, and a vertical slot 23 for vertical movement of the lifting handle 21. The vertical slot 23 may have an extention (not shown) on the upper extremity, in which the lifting handle 21 may be handled to detain the supporting plate 8, the staffs 7 and the skittles 6 in top position. A platform 25 is arranged on the alley 26 for placement of a bowl 27 at a throw towards the skittles 6.

When the game starts the lifting handle 21 is lowered and the removal handle 19 is moved to the right side position. If there are skittles missing in any of the pipes 3 the skittles are put in to these. The lifting handle 21 is entirely uplifted and locked in this position by a frictional force in any of the joints 11, 13, 14, 29, and 32 or by side movement in an extention of the slot 23. The dimensioning of the game is in a way that the skittles 6 are standing on the staffs 7 on the same level as the alley 26. The bowl 27 is thrown toward the skittles, and if some of them fall and some of them remain standing, the last-mentioned are entirely lowered in to the pipes 3 by lowering of the lifting handle 21, after which the first-mentioned are removed from the alley by moving the removal handle 19 all the way to the left. The removing ruler 15 is then turned about 90 degrees. The removal handle 19 is then brought back to its right side position, and the lifting handle 21 is heightened, after which the game is ready for a new throw.

Different modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. Consequently, both the steering and the maneuver cf the organs thai moves the erect skittles downwards and upwards through the holes in the alley can be arranged in other ways. Likewise, the removing ruler 15 can have another movement and it can be maneuvered in other ways. For example the supporting plate can be locked in the top end or in both ends by spring force. The removing mechanism and the skittle- sinking mechanism can be powered by spring driven or electrical motors, and other ways of playing the game than the one described are possible. The invention is limited only by the contents of the claim.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A game of bowling type where free skittles, that are put up at one of the short sides of an elonged alley and are ment to be hit by a bowl thrown from the other side of the alley, characterized by an arrangement to lower all the standing skittles entirely below the alley's level and thereafter remove the still on the alley lying skittles.

2. A game according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement, to entirely lower the standing skittles is arranged to be maneuvered from the other side of the alley.

3. A game according to claim 2, wherein the arrangement, to entirely lower the standing skittles, includes holes in the alley at the spot for each skittle pipe parts by the holes under the alley's surface, staffs fastened to a supporting plate so that they can reach through the pipe parts to the alleys surface, and an arrangement for lowering the supporting plate with the staffs so that skittles standing on the staffs can be lowered entirely below the surface of the alley.

4. A game according to claim 2 wherein the arrangement to lower the supporting plate with the staffs includes a mechanism that is maneuverable from the other side of the game.

5. A game according to claim 1, characterized by that it is provided with a mechanism for cleaning the alley from fallen skittles, including a removing ruler turnable about an axis by the alley so that it sweeps over the part of the alley where the skittles have been placed.

6. A game according to claim 5 wherein the turnable removing ruler is maneuvered by a mechanism from a handle at the other end of the game.