Bowling method

• US 6,493,598 B1
• Filed: 08/07/2001
• Issued: 12/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael J Shea
• Original Assignee: Michael J Shea
• Inventors: Shea, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/922,790
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 473/54, 473/57, 473/64, 473/70, 473/73, 473/86, 434/249, 463/30, 463/31, 463/35, 463/43, 700/91, 700/92, 482/8
• US Class Current: 700/92
• CPC Class Codes: A63D 5/04 Indicating devices

Abstract

A bowling center system includes first and second pinsetters each associated with a respective corresponding one of first and second bowling lanes. A communication device communicates data to bowlers and a lane pair control system is configured to control the pinsetters, to receive pin data from said pinsetters during current bowling, to generate current scoring data based on the received pin data, and to supply signals corresponding to the generated current scoring data to the communication device, whereby the current scoring data is communicated to the bowlers. The lane pair control system is further configured to access stored game data corresponding to previous bowling and to supply signals corresponding to the accessed stored game data to the communication device, whereby the accessed stored game data is communicated to the bowlers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

automatically computing scores for bowlers based on pinfall data;

storing in a memory scoring data for games bowled by one or more first bowlers; and

while one or more second bowlers are bowling at a time after the games bowled by the one or more first bowlers are completed, displaying on one or more display screens scores for the second bowlers and, based on the scoring data stored in the memory, corresponding scores for the first bowlers.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing in the memory video data of the first bowlers; and

displaying on the one more display screens video of the first bowlers synchronized with the displays of their scores.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

storing in the memory audio data accompanying the video data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scoring data comprises ball-by-ball score data for each of the first bowlers.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the scoring data further comprises an identification of which pins were knocked down by each ball.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scoring data comprises frame-by-frame score data for each of the first bowlers.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the scoring data comprises ball-by-ball score data for some frames and frame-by-frame score data for other frames for each of the first bowlers.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the memory comprises a portable memory module.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing in the memory handicap data for each of the first bowlers.

10. A method comprising:

automatically computing scores for bowlers based on pinfall data;

storing in a memory scoring data for games bowled by a first team of bowlers; and

while a second team of bowlers is bowling at a time after the games bowled by the first team of bowlers are completed, displaying on one or more display screens scores for the second team of bowlers and, based on the scoring data stored in the memory, corresponding scores for the first team of bowlers.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

storing video data showing the first team bowlers; and

displaying on the one or more display screens video of the first team of bowlers synchronized with the displays of their scores.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

storing in the memory audio data accompanying the video data.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the scoring data comprises ball-by-ball score data for each bowler of the first team.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the scoring data further comprises an identification of which pins were knocked down by each ball rolled by each bowler of the first team.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the scoring data comprises frame-by-frame score data for each bowler of the first team.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the scoring data comprises ball-by-ball score data for some frames and frame-by-frame score data for other frames for each bowler of the first team.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the memory comprises a portable memory module.

18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

storing in the memory line-up data for the bowlers of the first team.

19. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

storing in the memory handicap data for each bowler of the first team.

20. The bowling method according to claim 18, further comprising:

storing on the computer-readable medium video data of the first team of bowlers; and

displaying video of the first team of bowlers while the second team of bowlers is bowling.

21. The bowling method according to claim 19, further comprising:

storing on the computer-readable medium audio data accompanying the video data; and

outputting the audio data with the video data that it accompanies.

22. A bowling method comprising:

storing on a computer-readable medium scoring data for a game bowled by a first bowler; and

while a second bowler is bowling at a time after the game bowled by the first bowler is completed, displaying automatically-computed scores for the second bowler and, based on the scoring data stored on the computer-readable medium, displaying scores for the first bowler.

23. The bowling method according to claim 22, further comprising:

storing on the computer-readable medium video data of the first bowler; and

displaying video of the first bowler while the second bowler is bowling.

24. The bowling method according to claim 23, further comprising:

storing on the computer-readable medium audio data accompanying the video data; and

outputting the audio data with the video data that it accompanies.

25. A bowling method comprising:

storing on a computer-readable medium scoring data for games bowled by a first team of bowlers; and

while a second team of bowlers is bowling at a time after the games bowled by the first team of bowlers are completed, displaying automatically-computed scores for the second team of bowlers and, based on the scoring data stored on the computer-readable medium, displaying scores for the first team of bowlers.