Automatic bowling center system

• US 5,628,693 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: Barczyk, Victor S., LaMantia, Santo A., Pierce, Gerald A., Mueller, David J., Wyland, David C., Mowers, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/449,122
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 364/410-411, 473/54, 473/57, 473/65, 473/67, 473/79, 473/73, 473/86, 340/323 B, 273/DIG. 26, 273/DIG. 28
• US Class Current: 473/86
• 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. A bowling lane system operable to automatically implement a bowling game in accordance with a game control program, comprising:

a pinsetting apparatus operable to set up to a predetermined number of bowling pins on a bowling lane;

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;

a game control means coupled to and controlling the operation of said pinsetter control means by executing said game control program to implement said bowling game, said game control means including pin array selecting means for automatically periodically preselecting an array of pins to be set by said pinsetting apparatus in response to instructions of said game control program, wherein, in response to an instruction of said game control program, said pin array selecting means preselects an array of pins to be set by said pinsetting apparatus for a first ball of at least one bowler'"'"'s turn that includes less than the predetermined number of bowling pins; and

scoring means for maintaining a game score according to instructions of said game control program.

2. The bowling lane system of claim 1 wherein said preselected array of bowling pins set by said pinsetting apparatus comprises any one of a plurality of preselected pattern of pins.

3. A bowling lane system operable to automatically implement any one of a plurality of different bowling games, comprising:

a pinsetting apparatus operable to set up to a predetermined number of bowling pins on a bowling lane;

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;

means for selecting one of said different bowling games; and

a game control means coupled to said selecting means and said pinsetter control means for implementing a selected bowling game, said game control means including means for automatically periodically preselecting an array of pins to be set by said pinsetting apparatus according to the selected game.

4. The bowling lane system of claim 3 wherein said preselected array of pins comprises any one of a plurality of preselected pattern of pins.

5. The bowling lane system of claim 3 further comprising means for determining the number of bowling pins which are set on the bowling lane and wherein said game control means is coupled to said determining means and further includes scoring means responsive to said determining means, said selecting means and said pinsetter control means for automatically scoring a selected bowling game.

6. The bowling lane system of claim 5 further comprising a video display monitor connected to said game control means, and wherein said game control means further includes means for generating a video display signal responsive to said scoring means to display video scoring information on said monitor.

7. The bowling lane system of claim 3 wherein said pinsetter control means includes a central processing unit and a memory, the memory storing a stand-alone bowling game program, said pin setter control means further including pinsetter select means for selecting whether said pinsetter control means operates said pinsetter in accordance with said stand-alone bowling game program stored in said memory or in accordance with said selected bowling game implemented by said game control means.

8. A bowling center system comprising:

a plurality of bowling lane pair control systems, each said lane pair control system including;

an electrically controlled pinsetting device for each lane operable to set up to a predetermined number of bowling pins on each lane;

a game control unit electrically connected to each said pinsetting device for interfacing with the operation of said pinsetting devices and including means for generating video signals;

a bowler input device located proximate a bowler staging area for enabling a bowler to interface with the operation of said game control unit; and

a pair of overhead display monitors, one for each lane, coupled to said game control unit, for displaying bowling scoring information responsive to said video signals;

a manager'"'"'s control system connected to each of said game control units for providing accounting control of said game control units and including a display device and an operator input device; and

a plurality of remote terminals, one for each lane pair control system, located remotely from said bowler staging area and including a user input device and a remote display monitor each connected to an associated said lane pair control system, said remote display monitor displaying video information responsive to a video signal received from said lane pair control responsive to input requests entered at said user input device.

9. The bowling center system of claim 8 wherein said game control unit further includes means for controlling the operation of said pinsetting devices.

10. The bowling center system of claim 8 wherein each of said pinsetting devices includes means for controlling the pinsetting device to set a preselected array of pins on the bowling lane which said array comprises the predetermined number of bowling pins or less than the predetermined number of bowling pins, and said game control unit includes means for commanding operation of the pinsetting devices to selectively set a preselected array of bowling pins.

11. The bowling center system of claim 8 wherein said game control unit includes means for storing data representing the scoring of a bowling game, and wherein said manager'"'"'s control system includes means for modifying the data stored in said game control unit.

12. The bowling center system of claim 8 wherein said modifying means includes a bowler input device connected to said manager'"'"'s control system and operable to enable an operator to interface with the operation of said game control unit.

13. The bowling center system of claim 8 further comprising a plurality of video source devices for generating video signals to convey dynamic video information, and a plurality of switching means each connected to a respective remote terminal display monitor and said video source devices for selectively coupling said video source devices to the remote terminal display monitor connected thereto.

14. The bowling center system of claims 13 wherein said switching means is controlled by said game control unit responsive to requests from said remote terminal user input devices.