Apparatus and method for forming finger and thumb holes in bowling balls
US5173016A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 17, 1991 |
| Grant date | Dec 22, 1992 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 17, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T409/309016
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A vacuum dish (10) is rigidly bolted (60) to the support table (12) of a milling machine (14). A bowling ball (74) is set down onto the upwardly directed hard rim (72) of the vacuum dish (10). An elastomeric seal (86) is moved upwardly along the sidewall (66) of the vacuum dish (10), onto an upwardly converging conical surface (70) which borders the rim (72). This puts the elastomeric seal (86) into contact with both the conical surface (70) and an adjacent surface portion of the bowling ball (74). Precision lead screw mechanisms (42, 48, 44, 50) are operated to shift the support table (12) and the vacuum dish supported bowling ball (74) along X and Y axes, to position the bowling ball (74) relative to the vertical axis (Z) of a hole boring bit (30). The hole boring (30) is both rotated and moved vertically downwardly to form a finger or thumb hole in the bowling ball (74). Multiple passes of the hole boring bit (30) may be made into the bowling ball (74), with the bowling ball (74) being adjusted sideways in position a small amount between each pass, to give the hole an oblong cross section.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.