Bowling Alley Pin Resetting Machine (Patent No: 533482)

Inventor: Scherzinger, Bruno (assignor)

Location: Calgary

Comments: N/A

Description: 533,482

Issued November 20, 1956

Bowling Alley Pin Resetting Machine

Bruno Scherzinger, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, assignor to Mechanical Pin Resetter Co., Ltd., Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Application April 9, 1956. Serial No. 705,087 7 Claims

1. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins from balls, such balls having diameters not greater than the maximum girths of the pins, said apparatus comprising a pair of endless belts, means mounting spans of said belts generally horizontally, parallel to each other and spaced apart a distance somewhat less than the maximum girth of a pin whereby to form a conveyor adapted to support a pin or ball thereon so long as a predetermined minimum tension exists in said spans, means for temporarily reducing the tension in said spans below such minimum, means for driving said conveyor, means for discharging pins and balls individually onto such conveyor, means for receiving pins from the far end of such conveyor, means beneath said conveyor for receiving balls that fall therethrough on relaxation of said tension, and means for coordinating operation of said tension reducing means and said discharging means, the arrangement being such that a pin discharged onto said conveyor will travel to said pin receiving means without reduction of tension in said spans, whereas said tension reducing means will be operative when a ball is discharged onto said conveyor to reduce the tension and permit the ball to fall to the ball receiving means before said ball can reach the pin receiving means.

2. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins of the type having peripheral bands from balls, the diameters of which are not greater than the maximum girths of the pins measured over the outside of the peripheral bands, said apparatus comprising a pair of endless belts, means mounting spans of said belts generally horizontally, parallel to each other and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the girth of a pin measured without the peripheral band, whereby to form a conveyor adapted to support a pin or ball thereon so long as a predetermined minimum tension exists in said spans, means for temporarily reducing the tension in said spans below such minimum, means for driving said conveyor, means for discharging pins and balls individually onto such conveyor, means for receiving pins from the tar end of such conveyor, means beneath said conveyor for receiving balls that fall therethrough on relaxation of said tension, and means for co-ordinating operation of said tension reducing means and said discharging means, the arrangement being such that a pin discharged onto said conveyor will travel to said pin receiving means without reduction of tension in said spans, whereas said tension reducing means will be operative when a ball is discharged onto said conveyor to reduce the tension and permit the ball to fall to the ball receiving means before said ball can reach the pin receiving means.

5. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins of the type having peripheral bands from balls, the diameters of which are not greater than the maximum girths of the pins measured over the outside of the peripheral bands, said apparatus comprising a pair of endless belts, means mounting spans of said belts at a slight inclination to the horizontal, parallel to each other and spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the girth of a pin measured -without the peripheral band, whereby to form a conveyor adapted to support a pin or ball thereon so long as a predetermined minimum tension exists in said spans, means for driving said conveyor in the upward direction, means for maintaining tension in said spans in excess of said minimum, means for acting temporarily on said last mentioned means to reduce such tension below said minimum, means for discharging pins and balls individually and a selected moments onto said conveyor, means for receiving pins from the upper end of said conveyor, means beneath said conveyor for receiving balls that fall therethrough on relaxation of said tension, and timing means adapted to operate said means for reducing the tension a predetermined interval after each of said selected moments, the length of such interval being not less than the time required for a pin discharged onto said conveyor to travel to said pin receiving means and be received thereby.

6. In a bowling alley pin resetting machine, apparatus for sorting pins of the type having peripheral bands from balls, the diameters of which are not greater than the maximum girths of the pins measured over the outside of the peripheral bands, said apparatus comprising a pair of aligned pulleys spaced apart generally horizontally from one another and having parallel axes, at least one of such pulleys being formed with a central peripheral surface flanked by a pair of end peripheral surfaces of greater diameter than said central surface, a pair of endless belts passing each over one at said end surfaces and over an end surface of the other such pulley to provide a pair of parallel spans spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the girth of a pin measured without the peripheral band, means for normally maintaining tension in said belts, means for discharging pins and balls individually onto said spans, a further conveyor belt extending around said central surface of the first mentioned pulley, means for rotating said pulleys to drive said spans to travel in the direction of such latter pulley and to drive said further conveyor belt to receive pins from said spans, means beneath said spans for receiving balls that fall therethrough, and means adapted to act temporarily on said tension-maintaining means to reduce such tension below a predetermined value whereat said spans will fall to prevent a ball falling through between such spans, and means for actuating said last mentioned means to relax tension in said spans a predetermined interval after discharge of a pin or ball onto said spans by said discharging means, the length of such interval being not less than the time required for a pin discharged onto said spans to travel to said further conveyor belt and be received thereunto.