Automatic Pinsetter Automatische Kegelaufsteller Planteuse Automatique
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Patentamt Europaisches || || 1 1| || || || || || || 1 1| || || (19) J European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets (1 1 ) EP0 705 123 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publicationation and mention (51) |nt. CI.6: A63D 5/08 of the grant of the patent: 28.10.1998 Bulletin 1998/44 (86) International application number: PCT/CA94/00368 (21) Application number: 94920355.8 (87) International publication number: (22) Date of filing: 17.06.1994 WO 95/00219 (05.01.1995 Gazette 1995/02) (54) AUTOMATIC PINSETTER AUTOMATISCHE KEGELAUFSTELLER PLANTEUSE AUTOMATIQUE (84) Designated Contracting States: • SIMARD, Carol AT BE CH DE DK ES FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL Beaupre, Quebec G0A 1 E0 (CA) PTSE • DION, Jean- Yves St-Jean Chrysostome, Quebec G6Z 2V5 (CA) (30) Priority: 18.06.1993 US 79164 • ROCHEFORT, Lucien 17.06.1994 US 261725 Beauport, Quebec G1 E 5L4 (CA) (43) Date of publication of application: (74) Representative: Watkins, David 10.04.1996 Bulletin 1996/15 Urquhart-Dykes & Lord, 91 Wimpole Street (73) Proprietor: MENDES INC. London W1M8AH(GB) Ste-Foy, Quebec G1P 3X2 (CA) (56) References cited: (72) Inventors: CH-A- 306 671 DE-A- 1 038 466 • DELANEY, Francois DE-A- 1 703 165 DE-A- 1 922 299 L'Assomption, Quebec J0K 1G0 (CA) US-A- 1 524 241 US-A- 2 726 086 • VIATEUR, Guay Charlesbourg, Quebec G1H 4B4 (CA) CO CO CM o Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in o a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. Q_ 99(1) European Patent Convention). LU Printed by Xerox (UK) Business Services 2.16.3/3.4 1 EP 0 705 123 B1 2 Description ing pins on the bowling alley in bowling array employing magnetic means. This invention relates generally to automatic pinset- A further object of the present invention resides in ters of the type which retrieve bowling pins from a pit the provision of an automatic pinsetter having magnetic area adjacent a rear end portion of a bowling alley and s means for picking up and raising remaining upright which deposit the same in bowling array on the rear end bowling pins after a first ball has been thrown, thus portion of the bowling alley. accommodating clearing of the bowling alley of fallen Automatic pinsetters heretofore available have bowling pins, and for replacing the bowling pins on the employed mechanical means for retrieving, manipulat- bowling alley. ing and orienting bowling pins as required to re-position w A still further object of the present invention resides or "set" the same in a desired bowling array on a rear in the provision of an automatic pinsetter having mag- end portion of a bowling alley. The pinsetters also netic means for efficiently picking-up remaining upright mechanically retrieve and raise remaining upright pins "off spot" bowling pins, raising the same and thus after a first ball has been thrown, the alley thus being accommodating clearing of fallen pins from the bowling cleared of fallen pins or "deadwood", and thereafter is alley and for replacing the bowling pins on the alley pre- replace the upright pins on the bowling alley. cisely in their "off spot" positions. While pinsetters of the type mentioned have been Still another object of the present invention is to satisfactory in general, they are usually highly complex provide magnetically responsive bowling pins highly mechanical devices, necessarily expensive with regard efficient in their co-operation with magnetic means in an both to manufacture and initial cost as well as repair and 20 automatic pinsetter and which yet act and react pre- maintenance throughout their useful life. For example, it cisely in the same manner as conventional bowling pins. is known that repair and maintenance costs associated A still further object of the present invention resides with available automatic pinsetters usually constitute in the provision of bowling ball retrieval apparatus of a the most expensive single item in the operation of a simplified and yet highly efficient and reliable construc- bowling alley. 25 tion. It is a general object of the present invention to pro- A still further object of the present invention is to vide an automatic pinsetter of greatly simplified design provide a simplified design and construction as afore- and construction which is capable of manufacture at said and which is extremely compact in configuration economic advantage and which exhibits a high degree particularly in the longitudinal direction of the bowling of durability over a long service life, repair and mainte- 30 alley. nance costs thus being minimized. The most relevant prior art to the present invention Another object of the present invention is to reduce is believed to be Patent Specification DE-A-1 922299, the number of moving parts in a simplified and yet highly the disclosure in which forms the basis for the preamble efficient pinsetter to a few hundred, prior art pinsetters to the characterizing clause in Claim 1 hereof. A partic- having employed moving parts in the thousands. 35 ular disclosure in this prior art is the use of magnetically Another object of the present invention is to elimi- responsive bowling pins with the automatic pinsetter, nate the purely mechanical and rather awkward manip- the latter having displaceable magnets for the purpose ulation and orientation of bowling pins and to substitute of carrying the pins in an upstanding condition from the at least in part the use of magnetism. elevator mechanism and depositing them in the verti- Still another object of the present invention is to 40 cally moveable pinsetting mechanism. provide an automatic pinsetter and a plurality of mag- netically responsive bowling pins for use therewith, the SUMMARY OF INVENTION pinsetter serving to retrieve bowling pins from a pit area adjacent a rear end of a bowling alley and manipulating According to the present invention, there is pro- and orienting the same magnetically for deposit in a 45 vided an automatic pinsetter for retrieving magnetically desired bowling array on a rear end portion of the alley. responsive bowling pins in disarray from a pit area adja- A still further object of the present invention resides cent a rear end of a bowling alley and for depositing the in the provision of an automatic pinsetter for retrieving same on a rear end portion of the bowling alley in a magnetically responsive bowling pins from a pit area bowling array; said pinsetter comprising an elevator adjacent a rear end of a bowling alley for transporting so mechanism operable to retrieve bowling pins from the and arranging the same in an upright attitude and in a pit area and transport the same upwardly to a pin dis- desired bowling array above a pre-selected area of the charge station, a transfer mechanism operable to bowling alley, and for precisely depositing the same on retrieve bowling pins from said elevator mechanism at the area in bowling array. said discharge station and to transfer the pins generally A still further object of the invention resides in the ss horizontally to a pin delivery station and a vertically provision of a pinsetter for both retrieving magnetically movable pinsetting mechanism operable to accept the responsive bowling pins from a pit area employing mag- pins at the pin delivery station and to deposit the pins on netic means and for handling and depositing the bowl- the bowling alley; characterized in that said transfer 2 3 EP 0 705 123 B1 4 mechanism receives the bowling pins from the elevator veyor forming a part of the elevator mechanism. The mechanism and transfers the pins forwardly of the bowl- elevator mechanism extends generally vertically from a ing alley to locate the pins in bowling array beneath said loading station adjacent the pit area to the aforesaid pin pinsetting mechanism at the pin delivery station and discharge station with the magnets and support lines wherein said pinsetting mechanism includes magnetic 5 spaced apart therealong. The flexible lines supporting means for selectively magnetically holding and releas- the magnetics accommodate horizontal movement of ing the magnetically responsive pins to lift the pins from the magnets in "seeking" or "fishing" for magnetically the transfer mechanism at the delivery station and responsive pins at the pin loading station. Permanent thereafter to deposit the pins in bowling array on the magnets are presently preferred in the pin retrieval bowling alley. ro means but it is also possible to employ electro-magnets The automatic pinsetter of the present invention is with the flexible support lines for the magnets compris- capable of accommodating all presently known types ing flexible electrical conductors and with a commuta- and configurations of bowling pins and it is contem- tion track extending along and adjacent the endless plated that it be readily adapted to any further bowling conveyor. Short conductors extending from the flexible pins. 15 conductors and slidably received in electrically conduc- Further said mechanism is to be moveable toward tive relationship with the commutation track may also be and away from the bowling alley and includes magnets employed. for selectively holding and releasing the magnetically At the pin discharge station at least one gate is pro- responsive pins whereby to pick-up the pins and to vided and is operable to discharge pins from the con- deposit the same on the bowling alley, and wherein the 20 veyor to a pin transfer mechanism.