US3031190A - Attachment for automatic bowling pin setter - Google Patents

Description

April 24, 1962 A. M. SANDAHL ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING PIN SETTER Filed Jan. 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ALFRED M. SANDAHL W fi #M ATTORNEY Aprll 24, 1962 A. M. sANDAHL 3,031,190

ATTACHMENT FOR AUTOMATIC BOWLING PIN SETTER Filed Jan. 12, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I0- n l8 a fly I j 2o 20 23 23 -E I E :5

INVENTOR ALFRED M. SANDAHL BY W ATTORNEY fitates The present invention relates in general to attachments for automatic bowling pin setting machines and particularly to bowling pin handling apparatus for such machines. The majority of the modern day automatic bowling pin setting machines are designed to automatically cycle a group of bowling pins in such a manner as to place a set of ten pins on the alley for play and to hold a second set of ten pins ready for placement on the alley after .a bowler has finished with the first set of pins. In machines of the type under discussion, the cycling of the two sets of ten pins, or a total of twenty pins, is carried out completely automatically by the pin setting machine and will continue to provide uninterrupted play on the bowling alley as long as the twenty pins remain in the machine. As is well known to those versed in the prior art, the automatic pin setting machines are so designed that an operator, through a suitable control ssytem, may cause the machine to discharge the entire group of pins being handled by the machine to thus completely clear the machine of the pins. The pins are usually delivered from the machine via a chute means into storage bins or the like. The machines are then recharged with a complete set of twenty pins when further play is desired by simply dumping the set of pins into a receiving station or area usually provided at the rear of each machine, remote from the player end of the alley.

In all of the well operated bowling establishments of the present day, it is a common practice to utilize one complete set of twenty pins for daily bowling purposes, termed Day Wood, and a completely different set of twenty pins for league play where a superior quality of wood is desired, the latter set being called League Wood. It is thus obvious that, in large bowling establishments, thousands of pins have to be handled daily in the process of changing from Day Wood to League Wood, the pins not in use being usually collected in containers and stored until needed for the next change. The catching of the pins in suitable containers, removal .and storage of the containers, the carrying and the dumping of the new pins into the machines is commonly done manually at great expense and loss of time to the operator and is an extremely laborious process for the person making the change.

A further problem faced by the bowling establishment operator is the fact that the automatic bowling pin setting machines are extremely expensive, highly complex in operation, not readily adapted to internal changes or innovations, and impractical to replace because of the expense.

It is contemplated that the present invention will eliminate the problems and expense involved in constant, daily operation of maintaining the proper rotation of bowling pins in automatic bowling pin setting machines, by the use of a simple attachment adaptable for use with existing machines.

The present invention has thus for its primary object, the presentation of novel and useful improvements in bowling pin handling apparatus.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a bowling pin handling device which constitutes a complete structural unit in itself and may be readily attached to operate in cooperation with existing automatic bowling pin setting machines.

A further object of the present invention is to present 3,@3l,l% Patented Apr. 24, 1%62 a bowling pin handling apparatus which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction and will eliminate the necessity for manual carrying and handling of bowling p A further object of the present invention is to provide a bowling pin handling apparatus of the type described which will enable a complete, additional set of bowling pins to be stored in position at the setting machine, ready for immediate use.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a bowling pin handling device which will permit the changing of bowling pins in an automatic bowling pin setting machine in a quick and efficient manner with little manual effort.

The means by which the foregoing objects and other advantages, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are accomplished, are set forth in the following specification and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings dealing with the preferred embodiment. Reference is made now to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View of the device according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional View taken along lines 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 4-4- of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to indicate identical parts in the various views, the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a vertical tubular support 1 having a lower attaching portion 2 extending at right angles thereto and secured by any suitable means such as welding or brazing to the angular bracket 3 carried on the rear face of a vertical shielding plate 4 which is in turn attached to a horizontally extending channel bar 5 as illustrated in FIGURE 1. The top face of the channel member 5 carries a flat horizontal bracing plate 6 which acts along with the attaching portion 2 and bracket 3 to securely hold the tubular support 1 in a vertical position. The vertical support 1, shield plate 4 and channel bar 5 are all located and fixed in position across the lower portion of an opening in a pin setting machine at a position, usually at the extreme rear of the machine, which defines the pin ejecting and pin receiving station of the automatic bowling pin setting mechanism. Only so much of the automatic setting machine as is necessary for the complete illustration of the present device is shown in FIGURE 1 and includes a channel member 7 which defines the rim of the opening in the ejecting and receiving station of the setting machine. The channel member 7 is usually located in the rear face of the setting machine and defines a circular access opening. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the horizontal bar 5 extends across a lower portion of the opening defined by the channel 7 and is secured by any suitable means thereto with the vertical tubular support 1 being located substantially in the center of the opening and extending a short distance above the bar 5. A pin ejecting chute 8 extends from the inner portion of the machine outwardly through the access opening and has a terminating lip portion 9 located some distance directly above the top of the vertical support 1, as viewed in FIGURE 1. The internal mechanism of the automatic pin setting machine would be located to the right of the channel 7 with the pins being ejected through the top portion of the opening by the chute 3 with suitable pick-up means being located at the bottom of the opening. The details of the ejecting mechanism and of the pin pick-up mechanism are not illustrated and form no part of the present invention.

A vertical post is mounted in the tubular support 1 and is capable of telescopic and rotational movement relative to said tubular support. Identical U-shaped channel members 11 and 12 are mounted in vertically spaced relationship on the post 19 and are fixed relative thereto by any suitable means. The channel members 11 and 12 are disposed at right angles to the post 10, are parallel to each other and are connected together at their outer ends by vertical frame members 13 shown in FIGURES l and 2. The parallel spaced channel members 11 and 12 with their connecting members 13 form a rigid rectangular frame on the post 10. The lower channel member 12, being fixed to the post 10 limits the downward telescoping movement of the post within the support 1 and rests on the upper end of the support 1 to provide a bearing surface for the rotation of the rectangular frame and vertical post 10 relative to the support 1. In addition to the vertical end frame members 13, the rectangular frame further includes closely spaced vertical rod members 14, shown in FIGURE 2, which connect the upper and lower channels 11 and 12. To complete the structure of the rectangular frame, attaching loops 15 are affixed to each end of the top channel member 11 and extend in a horizontal plane. The purpose of these loops will be presently explained.

Two identically constructed basket members 16 and 17 are provided for mounting on the rectangular frame. The details of construction of only one of such baskets will be described with the understanding that the second basket is identical in every feature. Looking now to the construction of the basket 16, the body thereof comprises a top semi-circular rod 18 and a bottom semi-circular rod 19. The terminal ends of the top rod 18 are bent downwardly to form hooks 20 which engage the loops 15, and the terminal ends of the lower or bottom rod 19 are connected by an angle iron 21, one leg of which bears against the bottom channel 12 and the other leg of which serves as an attaching surface for the terminal ends of the rod 19. The end portions 22 of the semicircular rod 19 are also seen to be bent or inclined slightly upwardly. The top rod 18 and the bottom rod 19 are connected throughout their length by a series of closely spaced vertical rods 23 which serve to hold the rods 18 and 19 in proper spaced relation and which form the outside wall of the semi-circular basket. All of the various rod members may be fastened together by any suitable means such as spot welding or the like. The bottom of the basket is formed in two sections comprising a stationary inclined section .and a pivotable horizontal section. The division between the stationary and pivoted sections of the bottom comprises a bottom cross bar 24 which extends across the bottom of the basket from one leg of the semi-circular rod 19 to the other leg and is attached to the respective legs at the base of the upwardly inclined portions 22. The cross-bar 24 also has two identical upstanding legs 25 which extend to the top rod 18 and perform the same function as the vertical rods 23. Closely spaced inclined rods 26 extend between the cross rod 24 and the angle iron 21 to complete the stationary inclined portion of the bottom. The pivotal portion of the basket bottom comprises arcuate shaped rod 27, which conforms to the curvature of the bottom rod 19 and is spaced slightly therefrom. The ends of the rod 27 are provided with hearing sleeves 28 which engage the cross bar 24- to provide a pivotal mounting for the horizontal portion of the bottom. Intermediate rods 29 are also pivoted on the cross bar 24- at one end and rigidly secured to the arcuate rod 27 at the opposite end. The intervening spaces between the cross bar 24, arcuate rod 27 and the intermediate rods 29 are broken up by the cross rod 30 and a number of rod loops 31.

The pivotal portion of the bottom of the basket provides a release door for the pins contained within the basket when it is desired to dump the pins from the basket and the inclined stationary portion of the bottom functions to insure the removal of all of the pins within the basket. The open position of the door is illustrated in FIGURE 3 and when in a closed position, the door will extend in a horizontal plane. The means by which the door is held in a closed position until dumping is desired may comprise a vertical releasing rod 32 pivotally mounted in the bearing brackets 33 attached to the inner face of a fiat vertical strip 34 which extends between the top rod 18 and the bottom rod 19. A collar 35, fixed to the release rod 32, supports the rod in the bearings 33. An offset handle 36 is formed on the top of the rod 32 and a holding finger 37 is formed on the bottom end of the rod 32. The handle 36 and the holding finger 37 are so disposed on the rod 32 that when the handle 36 is turned to extend substantially parallel with the rod 18, the holding finger 37 extends normal to the bottom rod 19 to support the free end of the pivoted door. When it is desired to open the door and to dump the contents of the basket, the handle 36 is simply turned to a position normal to the top rod 18. This .allows the door to pivot downwardly and the pins will pass therethrough by the action of gravity.

To complete the entire structure and to insure that the basket members are held in proper position with respect to the delivery chute 8, a hook 38 or any other suitable form of connection may be employed between the lip of the chute 8 and the top of the post 10.

With the baskets 16 and 17 attached to the vertical post and rectangular frame in the manner described and illustrated in FIGURE 1, the automatic pin setting machine may be controlled by the operator to discharge the pins into the chute 8 and as they are ejected, the basket 17, with its bottom closed, will serve to catch the pins. The basket 16 will have been previously filled with an alternate set of twenty pins and at the appropriate time the operator may simply turn the handle 36 of the release rod 32 to open the release door in the bottom of the basket to allow the new set of pins to be deposited into the pin receiving station of the machine. At this time the operator will pivot the entire device on its vertical support 1 to reverse the positions of the baskets from that shown in FIGURE 1 so that the full basket of pins will be located over the pin receiving station and the empty basket will be located so as to receive pins from the ejection chute 8. The empty basket may either be allowed to remain in its mounted position or may be carried from one machine to the other as it is needed. From the foregoing description of the use of the present device, it is seen that the necessity for lifting or carrying a single bowling pin has been eliminated and that the entire operation of switching the sets of pins may be accomplished within a very short time without interrupting the course of play on the alley involved.

It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides novel and useful improvements in bowling pin handling apparatus. The arrangement and types of structural components utilized within this invention may be subject to numerous modification well within the purview of this invention and the applicant intends only to be limited to a liberal interpretation of the specification and appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bowling pin setting machine having a pin receiving station and a vertically spaced pin delivery chute, a bowling pin handling apparatus comprising; a support pivotally mounted on said machine adjacent said pin re ceiving station and below said pin delivery chute, two baskets, means to removably mount said baskets on said support, one of said baskets being normally positioned adjacent said pin receiving station and the other of said baskets being normally located remote from the receiving station and in position to receive pins from said delivery chute, whereby the contents of said one basket may be emptied intothe receiving station and said other basket may receive pins from said chute and the position of said baskets may be reversed by pivoting the support.

2. In a bowling pin setting machine having a pin receiving station and a vertically spaced pin delivery chute, the combination comprising; a vertical support post, means to mount said post on said machine for pivotal movement about its vertical axis, a vertical rectangular frame rigidly attached to said post, said frame being positioned adjacent said pin receiving station and below said pin delivery chute, a first and second basket means, both of said basket means including pivoted bottom portions and means to releasably latch said bottom portions in a closed position, mounting means carried by said vertical frame and said baskets to removably mount said baskets on the opposite sides of said vertical frame with said first basket means being normally located adjacent said pin receiving station and the second basket means being normally located directly below said chute, whereby the contents of said first basket may be emptied into said pin receiving station and the second basket means may receive pins from said chute and the positions of said first and second baskets may be reversed by pivoting said frame.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein each of said baskets includes a fixed inclined bottom portion extending from one side thereof downwardly toward the center of the basket, a horizontal portion extending from the opposite side thereof to the base of said inclined portion, means to pivot said horizontal portion on the base of said inclined portion, and means to releasably latch said horizontal portion in a closed position.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 2 and said first and said second basket means being identical in construction and comprising an upright semicircular wall with the open end of each basket means being adjacent the vertical rectangular frame when in a mounted position whereby 35 said frame forms a partition between said basket means. 5. A bowling pin handling apparatus comprising, a

stationary support, a vertical post pivotally mounted on said support, a frame rigidly mounted on said post, two baskets, means removably mounting said baskets on opposite sides of said frame, said baskets including pivoted bottom doors and means releasably latch said doors in a closed position.

6. A bowling pin handling apparatus comprising in combination; a stationary support, a vertical post mounted on said support for pivotal movement about its vertical axis, a rectangular vertical frame rigidly mounted on said post and including a top cross member and a bottom cross member extending at right angles to said post and vertically spaced thereon, first and second containers, each of said containers having pivoted bottom portions, means to releasably latch said bottom portions in a closed position, and means removably mounting said first and second containers on opposite sides of said vertical frame for pivotal movement therewith.

7. The apparatus defined in claim 6 wherein said rectangular frame includes a plurality of horizontally spaced vertical members extending between said top and bottom cross members, and each of said first and second containers includes a fixed inclined bottom portion extending from one side thereof downwardly toward said pivoted bottom portion, the vertical walls of said containers being semicircular in cross section with the open end of each container being adjacent the rectangular frame when in a mounted position whereby said frame forms a partition between said containers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 354,697 Gabay Dec. 21, 1886 2,138,967 Harris Dec. 6, 1938 2,786,679 Strauss et a1 Mar. 26, 1957 2,967,708 Huck et al. Jan. 10, 1961

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