Automatic bowling center system

• US 5,628,692 A
• Filed: 05/24/1995
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Lamantia, Santo A., Alleshouse, Bruce N., Barczyk, Victor S., Wyland, David C., Mowers, David L., Pierce, Gerald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/448,834
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 473/54, 473/57, 473/65, 473/67, 473/69-70, 473/73, 473/86, 364/410-411, 273/DIG. 28, 273/DIG. 26, 340/323 R, 340/323 B
• US Class Current: 473/73
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 1/00 Installations for bowling games, e.g. bowling-alleys or bocce courts bowling greens A63C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 2005/042 for indicating the ball path
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 5/04 Indicating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 5/08 Arrangements for setting-up or taking away pins
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/04 Display device controller operating with a plurality of display units

Abstract

A bowling center system includes a plurality of lane pair control systems each including a pinsetting device for each lane, a pinsetter control unit, a game control unit, a bowler input station and a pair of overhead display monitors. The game control unit is operable under the control of a game control program stored in a memory for automatically operating the pinsetter control units during game play to selectively set a sequence of pin patterns on the lane, which patterns may comprise any array of pins. The game control unit responsive to pin fall data received from the gamesetter generates scoring information which is displayed using video graphic displays on the overhead monitors. The game control program can be any one of a plurality of different game programs which may be downloaded to the memory from a memory associated with the manager'"'"'s control terminal. According to the particular game program, the number of bowling frames the game may vary as well as the number of balls and pins utilized in each frame. The manager'"'"'s control system provides accounting control over the bowling center system and is operable to override operation of a selected game control unit as necessary. A plurality of remote terminals are provided associated with selected ones of said lane pair control systems. Each remote terminal system includes a keyboard and a display monitor. The remote terminal operates under the control of the game control unit to allow a user thereof to enter requests for video displays. The video displays include, for example, ball trajectory displays which illustrate the path of the ball on the bowling lane, or dynamic displays, such as for training, generated by video source devices associated with the manager'"'"'s control system.

Claims

1. In a bowling center system having a plurality of bowling lanes and an electrically controlled pinsetting device for each lane, a game control system comprising:

a plurality of game control units, each electrically connected to one or more of said pinsetting devices, each said game control unit including a central processing unit, an operator input device and a memory means for storing a game control program to operate said pinsetting devices;

a manager'"'"'s control system including a programmed central processing unit connected to a display device, an operator input device and a memory means for storing one or more game control programs;

communication means for electrically connecting the processing unit of said manager'"'"'s control system with the processing units of each of said game control units; and

means operatively associated with one of said operator input devices for requesting said manager'"'"'s control system processing unit to transfer one of said game control programs stored in the memory means connected thereto over said communication means to the memory means coupled to one of said game control units so that said one game control unit operates the pinsetting device connected thereto to play a game according to the requested game control program.

2. The game control system of claim 1 further comprising means for determining number of pins standing on each bowling lane, and wherein said determining means is connected to each game control unit and said game control program includes scoring information for scoring the game responsive to said determining means.

3. The game control system of claim 1 wherein said game control unit memory means comprises a random access memory and a read only memory, and wherein said read only memory stores a stand-alone game control program and said random access memory selectively stores either said stand-alone game control program or a game control program transferred from said manager'"'"'s control system memory means.

4. The game control system of claim 3 further comprising switch means for selectively transferring said stand-alone game control program from said read only memory to said random access memory or for enabling said manager'"'"'s control system to transfer a program to said random access memory.

5. The game control system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of display terminals, each connected to a game control unit, said display terminals including means for displaying bowler scoring information under control of the requested game control program.

6. The game control system of claim 1 wherein each said electrically controlled pinsetting device comprises a pinsetting apparatus for setting up to a predetermined number of bowling pins on a bowing lane and a pinsetter control means coupled to said pinsetting apparatus for operating said pinsetting apparatus to set a preselected array of bowling pins, which said preselected array comprises either the predetermined number of bowling pins or less than the predetermined number of bowling pins, and wherein said pinsetter control means is electrically connected to said game control unit and said game control unit automatically periodically preselects an array of pins to be set by said pinsetting apparatus according to the game control program stored in the game control unit memory means.

7. The game control system of claim 6 wherein said preselected array of bowling pins set by said pinsetting apparatus comprises any one of a plurality of preselected pattern of pins.

8. The game control system of claim 6 wherein each said pinsetter control means is coupled to two of said pinsetting apparatus, one for each lane in a lane pair, and wherein each said game control unit memory means stores two game programs to operate the two said pinsetting apparatus coupled to the pinsetter control means independently.

9. The game control system of claim 1 wherein said requesting means comprises means associated with said game control unit central processing unit for generating a game menu to be displayed on a display terminal connected to said game control unit, and means responsive to an operator input at said game control unit operator input device for generating a game request to said manager'"'"'s control system according to information on said game menu.

10. The game control system of claim 1 wherein said requesting means comprises means associated with said manager'"'"'s control system operator input device for generating a command to transfer one of said game control programs stored in the memory means connected thereto over said communication means to the memory coupled to one of the game control units.

11. The game control system of claim 1 wherein said manager'"'"'s control system is connected to a cash register system and wherein said requesting means comprises means associated with said cash register system for generating a game request to said manager'"'"'s control system.

12. In a bowling center system having a plurality of bowling lanes, a pinsetting device for each lane and means for determining the number of pins which are standing on each lane, a game control system comprising:

a plurality of game control units, each electrically connected to at least one of said determining means, each said game control unit including a central processing unit, a score display, an operator input device and a memory means for storing a game scoring program;

a manager'"'"'s control system including a programmed central processing unit connected to a display device, an operator input device and a memory means for storing game scoring programs for one or more bowling games;

communication means for electrically connecting the processing unit of said manager'"'"'s control system with the processing units for each of said game control units; and

means operatively associated with one of said operator input devices for requesting said manager'"'"'s control system processing unit to transfer a requested game scoring program stored in the memory means connected thereto over said communication means to one of said game control units memory means so that said one game control unit scores a bowling game according to the requested game scoring program.

13. The game control system of claim 12 wherein said game control unit memory means comprises a random access memory and a read only memory, and wherein said read only memory stores a stand-alone game scoring program and said random access memory selectively stores either said stand-alone game scoring program or a game scoring program transferred from said manager'"'"'s control terminal memory means.

14. The game control system of claim 12 wherein said score display includes means for displaying bowler scoring information under the control of the requested game scoring program.

15. The game control system of claim 12 wherein said pinsetting device comprises a pinsetting apparatus for setting up a predetermined number of bowling pins on a bowling lane and a pin setter control means coupled to said pinsetting apparatus for operating said pinsetting apparatus to set a preselect array of bowling pins, which said preselected array comprises either the predetermined number of bowling pins or less than the predetermined number of bowling pins, and wherein said pinsetter control means is electrically connected to said game control unit and said game control unit automatically periodically preselects an array of pins to be set by said pinsetting apparatus according to the game scoring program stored in the game control unit memory means.

16. The game control system of claim 12 wherein said requesting means comprises means associated with said game control unit central processing unit for generating a game menu to be displayed on said display, and means responsive to an operator input using said input device for generating a game request to said manager'"'"'s control terminal unit according to information on said game menu.

17. In a bowling center system for a bowling center having a plurality of bowling lanes, a lane control system comprising:

a plurality of game control units each including a central processing unit, for implementing operation of a bowling game, coupled to a display device and a bowler input means for interfacing with the operation of a bowling game;

a manager'"'"'s control system including a central processing unit, for implementing operation of the manager'"'"'s control system, coupled to a display device and operator input means for interfacing with the operation of the manager'"'"'s control system;

communication means for electrically connecting the central processing unit of said manager'"'"'s control system with the central processing unit of each of said game control units; and

coupling means operatively associated with said manager'"'"'s control system for selectively coupling said manager'"'"'s control system operator input means to a selected one of said game control units so that said manager'"'"'s control system operator input means interfaces with the operation of the bowling game for the selected game control unit.

18. The lane control system of claim 17 wherein said manager'"'"'s control system operator input device comprises another of said bowler input means.

19. The lane control system of claim 17 wherein each said game control unit generates video signals and said display device displays scoring information responsive to said video signals, and further comprising switching means, coupled to said game control unit, said display device, a display device operatively associated with said manager'"'"'s control system, and said coupling means, for connecting said game control unit to said manager'"'"'s control system display device responsive to said coupling means coupling said manager'"'"'s control system operator input device to said game control unit to thereby display scoring information thereon.

20. A bowling center video display system comprising:

a plurality of game control units, each said game control unit including means for determining a bowling score for a bowling game played on an associated bowling lane, and means for transmitting a video signal to convey scoring information responsive to said determining means;

a plurality of video display terminals each operatively associated with one of said game control units and operable to display video information responsive to a received video signal;

a plurality of video source devices each including means for generating a video signal to convey dynamic video information;

a plurality of video switch means, one for each said game control unit, each said video switch means connected to the said game control unit, to the video display terminals operatively associated with the one said game control unit, and to said video source devices, each for controllably coupling said one game control unit or one of said video source devices to the video display terminals associated with the said one game control unit; and

means in communication with each of said video switch means for selectively controlling the coupling of said video switch means.

21. The bowling center video display system of claim 20 wherein said video switch means comprises a plurality of game control unit switch means each operatively associated with one of said game control units.

22. The bowling canter video display system of claim 20 further comprising a manager'"'"'s control system including means for transmitting a video display signal to convey preselected information, a manager'"'"'s video display terminal for displaying video information responsive to a received video signal, and a second means connected to said manager'"'"'s control system transmitting means, said manager'"'"'s display terminal and said game control unit video switch means for selectively coupling said manager'"'"'s control unit transmitting means, one of said game control units transmitting means or one of said video source devices to said manager'"'"'s display terminal.

23. The bowling center video display system of claim 22 wherein said manager'"'"'s control system commands operation of said game control units and further comprising means operatively associated with said manager'"'"'s control system for transmitting commands to said game control unit switch means to control the coupling thereof.