Bowling lane conditioning machine

• US 8,122,563 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 02/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brunswick Bowling Products, LLC
• Original Assignee: Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation (Brunswick Corporation)
• Inventors: Burkholder, Roy A., Recknagel, Troy A., Mitchell, Patrick J., Bernard, Jason D., Prinz, Robert J., Sias, William C., Mead, Matthew E., Ibrahimovic, Damir
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/869,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20110162156A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 15/491, 15/501, 15/502, 15/503, 15/51, 15/52, 15/98, 15/99, 151/035, 153/02, 153/19, 153/20, 153/83, 154/01, 118/207
• US Class Current: 15/320
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/03 characterised by having provisions for supplying cleaning or polishing agents A47L11/065, A47L11/085, A47L11/125, A47L11/145, A47L11/161, A47L11/1625, A47L11/185, A47L11/201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/14 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/185 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/201 with supply of cleaning agents
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4041 Roll shaped surface treating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4044 Vacuuming or pick-up tools; Squeegees
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4047 Wound-up or endless cleaning belts
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4088 Supply pumps; Spraying devices; Supply conduits
• 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 5/10 Apparatus for cleaning balls, pins, or alleys
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/04 in flat form, e.g. fan-like, sheet-like
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/14 with multiple outlet openings B05B1/02, B05B1/26 take precedence; with strainers in or outside the outlet opening
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 1/3053 the actuating means being a solenoid
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/005 mounted on vehicles or designed to apply a liquid on a very large surface, e.g. on the road, on the surface of large containers
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/02 Means for supporting work; Arrangement or mounting of spray heads; Adaptation or arrangement of means for feeding work B05B13/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 15/658 the spraying apparatus or its outlet axis being perpendicular to the flow conduit

Abstract

The invention relates generally to the conditioning of bowling lanes, and, more particularly to an apparatus and method for automatically applying a predetermined pattern of dressing fluid along the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of a bowling lane.

Claims

1. A bowling lane conditioning machine comprising:

a housing;

a lane dressing fluid application system carried by the housing; and

a cleaning fluid delivery and removal system carried by the housing, wherein the cleaning fluid delivery and removal system comprises;

duster cloth;

a duster cloth supply roll;

a pivotable duster cloth backup roller;

a duster cloth take-up roll; and

a reversible duster cloth motor coupled with the duster cloth take-up roll;

wherein the reversible duster cloth motor is operative to rotate the duster cloth take-up roll in a first rotation to produce a slack in the duster cloth, which allows the pivotable duster cloth backup roller to pivot under its own weight into contact with a bowling lane; and

wherein the reversible duster cloth motor is operative to rotate the duster cloth take-up roll in a second rotation to retract the duster cloth, which allows the pivotable duster cloth backup roller to pivot upwardly.

2. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1, wherein the reversible duster cloth motor is further operative to continue rotating the duster cloth take-up roll in the second rotation to unroll fresh duster cloth from the duster cloth supply roll.

3. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1 further comprising a friction clutch engagable with the duster cloth supply roll, the friction clutch adjusted such that duster cloth tension will lift the pivotable duster cloth backup roller to its full up position before it unrolls fresh duster cloth from the duster cloth supply roll.

4. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1 further comprising a control system that measures time duration that the reversible duster cloth motor rotates the duster cloth take-up roll in the second rotation for the pivotable duster cloth backup roller to reach its full up position, wherein the control system further controls the reversible duster cloth motor to rotate the duster cloth take-up roll an additional percentage of the measured time duration to unroll fresh duster cloth from the duster cloth supply roll.

5. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1, wherein the cleaning fluid delivery and removal system further comprises at least one cleaning fluid delivery nozzle internal to the housing.

6. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 5, wherein the at least one cleaning fluid delivery nozzle provides a constant spray of cleaning fluid.

7. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1 further comprising a v-shaped squeegee.

8. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1, wherein the lane dressing fluid application system comprises at least one injector comprising at least one opening and a valve.

9. The bowling lane conditioning machine of claim 1, wherein the lane dressing fluid application system comprises a buffer brush comprising bristles flagged on an end that contacts the bowling lane to balance an ability of the buffer brush to spread lane dressing evenly across a width of the bowling lane with minimal storage capacity to move the lane dressing along a length of the bowling lane.