Automatic bowling center system

• US 5,709,607 A
• Filed: 05/24/1995
• Issued: 01/20/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation (Brunswick Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Mueller, David J., Pierce, Gerald Apffel, Wyland, David C., Mowers, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/449,498
• Time in Patent Office: 972 Days
• Field of Search: 473/54, 473/55, 473/58, 473/64, 473/65, 473/67, 473/69, 473/70, 473/71, 364/410, 364/411, 340/323 R, 340/323 B, 273/DIG. 28, 273/DIG. 26
• US Class Current: 473/58
• 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 trajectory display system operable to display discrete positions of an object moving in a continuous path comprising:

a control unit including a processor in communication with a display device, an operator input device and a memory means for storing data, said data including a program to operate said processor;

means for generating discrete trajectory data representing a path of movement of an object;

means coupled to said generating means for transmitting said trajectory data to said control unit for storage in said memory means; and

means coupled to said memory means and responsive to a user request at said operator input device for generating a display signal in accordance with said stored discrete trajectory data to convey information relating to the path of movement of the object for display on said display device.

2. A bowling ball trajectory display system comprising:

a control unit including a central processing unit in communication with a display device, an operator input device and a memory means for storing data, said data including a program to operate said central processing unit;

means for generating trajectory data representing a path of a bowling ball during a time when a bowling ball is in motion on a bowling lane;

means coupled to said generating means for transferring said trajectory data to said control unit for storage in said memory means; and

means coupled to said memory means and responsive to a user request at said operator input device for transmitting a display signal to said display device, said display signal using said stored trajectory data to convey information relating to the path of the bowling ball on the bowling lane.

3. The bowling ball trajectory display system of claim 2 wherein said transmitting means transmits a display signal for illustrating discrete positions of the path of the bowling ball on the bowling lane.

4. The bowling ball trajectory display system of claim 2 wherein said transmitting means transmits a display signal for illustrating a continuous curve showing the path of the bowling ball on the bowling lane.

5. The bowling ball trajectory display system of claim 2 wherein the information conveyed by said display signal includes numerical indicia corresponding to preselected trajectory data.

6. The bowling ball trajectory display system of claim 5 wherein said numerical indicia includes the velocity of the bowling ball while in motion on the bowling lane.

7. A bowling ball trajectory display system comprising:

a control unit including a central processing unit in communication with a display device, an operator input device and a memory means for storing data said data including a program to operate said central processing unit;

means for generating trajectory data representing a path of a bowling ball during a time when a bowling ball is in motion on a bowling lane;

means coupled to said generating means for transferring said trajectory data to said control unit for storage in said memory means; and

means operating under the control of said central processing unit for generating a display signal to transmit to said display device, said generating means for accessing data stored in said memory means, including said trajectory data, to convey trajectory information relative to the path of the ball on the bowling lane.

8. The bowling ball trajectory system of claim 7 wherein said trajectory information comprises numerical indicia corresponding to said stored trajectory data.

9. The bowling ball trajectory display system of claim 7 further comprising means operatively associated with said control unit for determining scoring data responsive to the playing of a bowling game, and wherein said generating means develops said display signal to convey information relative to said scoring data and said ball trajectory data.