Patent · US Expired

Automatic bowling center system

US5628693A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
32References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 24, 1995
Grant dateMay 13, 1997
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 24, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG09G2360/04
  • WIPO fieldFurniture, games
  • WIPO sectorOther fields

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.…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.