US2697604A - Bowling pin elevator - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 21, w, BLAlR BOWLING PIN ELEVATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 15, 1949 m w M 2 m M w ,,..1,J5 p k AWE/N54 Q n 5 5% z wi p 2 7 MW v1 attorneys Dec. 21, 1954 w. BLAlR 2,697,604

BOWLING PIN ELEVATOR Filed Nov. 15, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.4.

nnentor 1 attornegs United States Patent BOWLING PIN ELEVATOR Walter Blair, Detroit, Mich.

Appiication November 15, 1949, Serial No. 127,441

8 Ciaims. (Cl. 273-43) This invention relates to bowling pin setting machines, and, in particular, to pin orienting and elevating apparatus for such machines.

Heretofore, bowling pin elevators have been provided for conveying the bowling pins from the pit of the bowling alley to a distributor which in turn allocates the elevated pins either directly to a pin-setter or to a pin tray which so delivers them. Such prior pin elevators and distributors, however, have been either exceptionally complicated in construction and operation or, if not unusually complicated, were inadequate to their task. Certain of these distributors, for example, have contained multiple pin-receiving tubes with cam-operated gates so arranged as to permit only one pin at a time to drop downward, thereby preventing pins from piling up in the pin-setter or pin tray, as the case may be. In spite of the preventive mechanisms, in prior pin distributors it has been found that occasionally one pin would be deposited on top of another in the pin tray or pin distributor, whereas upon other occasions, there would be no pin at all in one of the spaces which should be occupied by a pin.

One object of the present invention is to provide a bowling pin orienting and elevating apparatus which will insure that the pins are engaged and lifted upward from the pit of the alley, with each pin in its proper position of being grasped by the neck with its butt downward and conveyed in this position upward to the upper part of the machine.

Another object is to provide a bowling pin orienting and elevating apparatus wherein the pins will always be picked up by their necks from the pit of the alley and, if the butt of a 'pin is presented to the elevator, the latter by self-contained mechanism, will automatically invert the pin and present it properly.

Another object is to provide a bowling pin orienting and elevating apparatus of the foregoing character, wherein the pin pickup fingers on the elevator are arranged in rows which are oblique to the path of travel of the elevator, so that the pins will arrive one by one at the top of the machine and will accordingly be dropped one by one into the receiving chutes through which they are carried downward to the remaining portions of the machine.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a bowling pin orienting and elevating apparatus, according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is an approximately vertical section through the machine of Figure 1, taken along the zigzag line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an approximately horizontal section taken along the line 33 in Figure 2 showing details of the pin pickup fingers and Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the lower portion of Figure 1, showing the action of the pin tumbling fingers in inverting a pin which has been presented butt downward.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figure 1 shows diagrammatically a bowling alley, generally designated 10, equipped with an automatic pin setting machine, generally designated 11 and for the most part shown only diagrammatically in order to simplify the showing. Forming a part of the machine 11 is the bowling pin orienting and elevating apparatus 12 of the present invention. The remainder of the machine falls outside the scope of the present invention, and it is understood that;

. in my co-pending application previously referred to.

2,697,604 Patented Dec. 21, 1954 the pin elevator of the present invention may be employed with many different types of conventional pinsetting machines. One machine with which the present elevator 12 may be employed is disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 81,087 filed March 12, 1949 for Automatic Bowling Pin Setting Machine.

The bowling alley 10 is of any conventional type with the usual bed 13 upon the rearward end of which the bowling pins P are spotted, the alley bed 13 being supported by side members 14 and cross members 15 extending therebetween. A pit bottom or floor 16 is inclined downwardly from the rearward end 17 of the alley 10 into the pit 18. The latter forms the pin-receiving space behind the bed 13, and receives the fallen pins or dead wood which are either knocked or swept off the alley 10 by a pin sweeping mechanismnot shown herein but shown in my above-mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 81,087. Omitted from the present drawings are the ball retrieving mechanism and the backstop or backboard for preventing the balls or pins from hitting and possibly damaging the pin-elevating mechanism.

The pin setting machine 11 is purposely shown in a fragmentary form since the units not forming a part of the present invention may be found in prior patents or It is therefore sufficient for the purposes of the present invention to state that the pin-setting machine 11 includes a framework 19 having upright members 20, 21 and 22 and cross members 23 to 39 inclusive. The frame 19 is also provided with longitudinal members 40 to 43 inclusive.

Mounted upon a platform 44 extending between the upright frame members 20 and 21 (Figure 1) is a reciprocatin motor 45 including a cylinder 46 rising from the platform 44, the lower end of which is supplied with pressure fluid, such as compressed air, through a supply pipe 47. Reciprocable vertically in the cylinder 46 is a piston 48, to the lower end of which is secured the pin-setter proper, generally designated 49, this being shown only diagrammatically. Such a pin-setter ordinarily contains pin-gripping devices of various types which grasp the pins by their heads or necks so as to lift them upward in order to sweep the alley of fallen pins or deadwood. The pin-setter 49 is provided with one or more guide arms 50 which slidably engage one or more vertical guide rods 51 so as to guide the pinsetter 49 as it is raised and lowered by the pressure fluid motor 45.

In order to supply the pin-setter 49 with pins disposed in their usual triangular relationship, a pin tray unit 52 is also ordinarily provided. This unit is also shown only diagrammatically, a complete unit being shown in my afore-mentioned co-pending application. The pin tray 52 for the purposes of the present invention may be I said to consist of a roughly triangular block 53 having secured to the rearward end of the block 53 and reciprocated by a pneumatic cylinder and piston (not shown). The tray 52 receives the pins from the pin delivery unit, generally designated 60, to which the pins are allocated by a rotary distributor 61. The latter in turn receives the pins from a pin-receiving unit 62 to which the pins are supplied by the pin elevator 12.

Pin elevator construction The pin elevator 12 consists of a plurality of endless conveyor chains 63 which at their opposite ends are trained over upper and lower sprockets 64 and 65 relaterally-spaced elongated bars -(Figures 2 and 3) in forward and rearward .rows respectively. The.guide-mem--- bers 66 and 66a are secured to the frame cross members 32, 34, 36, 37, and 39. Bolted or otherwise secured to the frame ,crosszmember .3l...are. -the..forward ends of laterally-spacedinclined .pin ejector cams -67:-.ex-tending downwardly andrearwardly :therefrom intovethet paths, .of; travel .of ;the heads. of the. .bowling pins.-.P as;they..are= carried upwardt by the .conveyorchains 63 -('Figur e .--1).- There areumultiple.endlessehains ,63 employed in--the machine, seven being a convenient number for eflicient: operation (Figures 2 and ,3).

Each: of the endlessselevator chains-634s provided; with twin-fingered: multiple. bowling pin neckgraspers having pick-up fingers. 68 arranged infnarrowly spq fifid pairs with said fingers spaced apart wider. than the;;pinneck diameter but, narrower than. thepinhead diameter, and interspersed alternately between twin-armed-multiple pm inverters having. pin-inverting-fingers -69 .-which .are-.

arranged in broadly-spaced pairs. Thepin pickup fingers n 68 and 69 of each'pair project forwardly on opposite. sides .of their respectiveguide members -66-and 66a and. are thus guided thereby .(FiguresQ and 3). ."lThefingers 69 are -spaced far enough .apartto COmP16Cly'-.168I,":thehead andneckof a bowling pin P, but are spaced. slight-1y closertogether .thanthe buttdiameter .of the bowling pins- P, as shown by the dotted pin P and the adjacent fingers 69 .near .the. upper portion;- of Figure-.3. The {ac ion 1 these pin-inverting fingers 69 and pickup fingers68 is-more fully set .forth below inconnectionwith the-operation of the elevator.

Co-operatingwith the pairs offingers'68 and-69gand arranged ,to push off anypins which may be picked -up horizontally on the pairs of fingers .68 and 69' and carried-upward transversely of the alley, arepin ejector cams :70 and .71 placed immediately (adjacent xbutaoutside; the paths of travel of the fingers of each pair of fingers 68tor69. These.are roughly triangular in shape-(Figure Hand are positioned between the chains 63 so. as to-eject any p ns-carried horizontally upward, as stated above. The .pin piekupfingers. 68. and..the. pin-inverting tfingel'fi .695 are arrangedsin sets, the pair ,of ,fingers ,of-- -each; set being disposed in echelon, namely inrows which are inclined obliquely to.- the path-of travel of zthe. chains 63 (Figure 2'). This oblique or,echelon arrangement 1of-thefingers 68 insures that only-one pin-at :a time-will arrive at the top. of the machine and that .two or more pinsuwill never arrive there simultaneously.

Inorder tofurther. agitate the pins: P in case theycome torest. crosswiseof thezpit .18 atthe lower endof the bottom.16, the. elevator '12 isadditionallyprovided with pin agitators, generally designated 72 (Figures '1, 3 ands-4). The pin agitators 72..consist of short-endless chains 73 trained around upper and lower sprockets 74 and. 75 respectively (Figure 4), these in turn being mounted on shafts 76:and 77 respectively. The shaft 77 also carries the.lower sprockets65, whereas-the upper sprockets 64 are carried on. across-shaft 78. The shafts 76, 77 and 78'are suitably journaled -in-bearings 79, 80' and. 81 respectively (Figure.2). Mounted at-intervals along the agitator chains'73'are agitator rods 82 which pass through slots-83 in the lower-end of the pit bottom- The pit bottom 16-is also provided with laterally spaced recesses or slots '84 which are'locatedimmediatelyadjacent'the fingers68 and -69 of-the elevator chains63. These are-wider than the 'headsofthe'bowling pins P but narrower than the-butts thereof. Disposed in each recess or slot 84 is'agbowling pin guide-85 roughly resembling a numeral 7 (Figure 4), these beingfastened'to cross members-'86 and 87 res 'Jectively beneath the pit bottornzl6tat its :lower end. The'guide bars 66 are -provided with vertical elongated slots; 88vfor-the-passage of the agitator rods 82"(Figure2) and thebars'66 themselves are spaced apartffromxoneanother a-sufiicient distance for the passage of the pairs of fingers 68 and 69. The chains 63 and'73 are driven by a belt or other endless driving member 89- (Figures '1 and 2') encircling a pulley orwheel 90 on the shaft 77 and likewise passingaround a-pulley-91 on the armature shaft 92 of a drivingmotor 93. The latter is'mounted upon a shelf'94-boltedto the frame uprights-22.

The pin receivingunit 62Econsists ofa'conduit assembly arranged roughly in the shape of a seven'branched candlestick and having individual vertical pipes 95 whose upper ends are cut away at their sides, as at 95a. The pipes 95 extend. downward. to. downwardly inclined headers 96 which converge toward a common spout 97. The latter opens into the upper flared end 98 of the distributor pipe 99 forming a part of the rotary pin distributor 61. The pipe 99 at its lower end is mounted on the outer end of an arm 100, the inner end of which is mounted upon a shaft 101 coaxial with the spout 97 and journaled in an upper platform 102. The shaft 101 on its lower end j carries .a. sprocket 103 encircled by a sprocket chain 104 which is moved step-by-step by mechanism, such as that shown in my copending application, Serial No. 81,087 previously referred to. The lower end 105 of the pipe 99 passes through an aperture in the arm and moves successively overthe upper ends of pin delivery pipes 106 arranged in a circular path around the upper platform 102. The delivery pipes 106 are bent in such a manner that their lower ends are arranged in lwusualr ngul p rn: h Qh thep -2 cs=upy when properly arranged .upon the alley, the lower. ends of the pipes 106 being mounted in apertures arranged in:

this triangular ipattern pon the lower platform 107 The lower platform 107 is suppprtedby the;frame cross members 25 and 26. and the longitudinal members 43,.and the lower ends of the delivery.pipes 106 open immediately over the pin. pockets 54in the pin tray 52.

Operation The operation of a complete machine and electrical circuit controlling the machinehas been described in my above-mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 81,087 filedlVlarch 12, 1949. The description of the present unit will, thereforebe confined so far as possible,

while, the motor 93phasbeen operating.;so as .,to move.

the pin operating or conveying chain's 63apd he tumbling chains 73 in their respectiveorbital paths.

As the pins fall into the pit 18, they slide. down .the inclined bottom 16 to the, lower edge thereof adjacent the lower end of'the pin elevator 1'2; The. pins will naturally fall. and come to rest in different positions. Some willcome to rest in the recesses 84'with theirheads downward, as shown by the dotted lines .in Figure 1, While others will lie with their butts downward, as shown in Figures 3 and ,4. Still others will= lie cro sswise of the alley, and some may even land crosswise just. in time. to be picked up by the fingers 68 .and 69. If the pins fall head foremost in .the desired position ,shown in Figure l, the closely spaced pairs of .fingers 68 will reach in under the head of the pin P and grasp it; by the neck immediately below the head, carrying it upward as shown by thesuccessive views in Figures land-2. Whenthe pin. thus elevated, arrives at the top of its travel, its.head encounters one of the inclined ejector cams67, which pushes the pin off the fingers 6 8 so,that it entersthe cutaway-portion 95a of the pipe 95 and drops downward through the pipe 95 into the common header 96 and thence through one of the delivery pipes 106 into one of the pockets 54 of the pin tray 52;

Since the pin pickup fingers 68 are staggered in their.

positions on their respective chains 63, so that each row thereof is in an inclined line (Figure 2), only one pair of-pickup fingers 68 arrives at the top of the machine at any given time, hence only one pin at a time can be dropped into any of the pipes 9 5, Consequently, the danger of one-pindropping upon another is completely eliminated and the necessity forprovidingmechanism for preventing such an occprrence is likewise obviated. Even if the ideal conditions occurred-whereinpins fell head downward in each of the recesses or pockets 34 over the entire width of the machine, the-pins P would still be picked up in succession, as shown by the dotted lines at the topof Figure 2 and pushedoff their respective pickup fingers 68 in succession as they-successively encounter the earns 67.

If, as is ordinarily the case, someof the pins come to rest but downward (Figure 4), these must be inverted into the head down position shown in Figure 1 in order to be properly picked up, and in order to avoid their being dropped head down into the pipes 95. The pickup fingers 68 are only wide enough to grasp the narrowest portions of the pins, namely the necks thereof, and neither the head nor the butt of the pin will pass between these fingers. The pin-inverting fingers 69, however, are spaced much farther apart (Figure 3), but, although they will permit the necks and heads of the pins to pass be tween them, they are too close together to pass the butts of the pins. Accordingly, they engage the butts of the pins on opposite sides as shown in the upper portion of Figure 3 and in Figure 4. As the chain 63 continues to move upward, it carries with it the pin-inverting fingers 69 and these raise the butt of the pin P (Figure 4) while the head thereof slides downward along the guide 85 until it reaches the bottom thereof, whereupon the pin P is toppled over with its butt uppermost and resting against the upper end of the guide 85. The next pair of pin pickup fingers 68 which comes along will therefore grasp the now inverted pin immediately beneath its neck and.

convey it upward, as shown in Figure 1, until the fixed cam 67 pushes it off the fingers 68 into the cutaway portion 95a of the pipe 95, as before.

Other pins, however, will come to rest transversely of the alley at the lower edge of the pit bottom. The pin agitating rods 82 now come into play to tumble these pins and rearrange them lengthwise of the alley pit. The pins are engaged by the rods 82 as these are moved in orbital paths by the endless chains 73 (Figures 1 and 3), and any pin of which a portion projects into the gap 83 traversed by any of these rods 82is either pushed to one side or is bodily tumbled until it finally comes to rest lengthwise of the pit 18.

If, finally, one of the pins P comes to rest crosswise of the alley pit immediately above a pair of approaching fingers 68 or 69 before it can be acted upon by one of the tumbling rods 82, the pin may possibly be carried upward while it is resting crosswise on these fingers. It cannot move for upward, however, before it encounters one of the pin ejector cams 70 or 71 which are placed immediately adjacent but outside the path of travel of the fingers of each pair of fingers 68 or 69 where they will not interfere with the lifting of a pin in its desired position but where they will intercept a pin lying crosswise and projecting laterally beyond each pair of the fingers 68 or 69. The pin, upon engaging the cam 71 or 70, is immediately pushed off the fingers 68 or 69 and drops back into the pit 18 and falls to the lower edge of the pit bottom 16, as before. In this manner, all of the pins P eventually become positioned with their heads and necks downward and their butts upward, as shown in Figure 1, and in this position they are easily picked up by the pin pickup fingers 68 and carried upward, as shown in Figure 1.

As each pin is carried upward and is ejected from the pin elevator 12 by its respective fixed cam 67, it drops downward into its respective pipe 95 and is transferred by the pin distributor pipe 99 and one of the pin delivery pipes 106 to one of the pockets 54 of the pin tray 52. The pin distributor pipe 99 is rotated step-by-step as each pin descends so that each pocket of the pin tray 52 is filled. A further refinement, omitted from Figure 1, but shown in my above-mentioned co-pending application Serial No. 81,087 provides a movable gate at the bottom end of each pin delivery pipe 106, this gate being opened and closed by the control mechanism and control circuit. The circuit is so arranged that the distributor 99 can make two revolutions step-by-step, one revolution to fill each of the ten pockets 54 of the pin tray 52 and the other revolution to fill each of the delivery pipes 106, these pins being held in the pipes by the closing of the gates at their lower ends. When the distributor pipe 99 completes its second revolution, it actuates a limit switch which causes it to halt automatically and likewise causes the motor 93 to halt temporarily. This prevents two pins from being deposited one on top of the other. The disclosure of these refinements is unnecessary for the purposes of the present invention and hence is omitted for the sake of simplicity of showing.

The action of the pin-spotting unit 49 in moving upward or downward either to pick up the standing pins on the alley or to pick up a complete set of pins from the tray 52 when it is advanced to its forward position. is likewise beyond the scope of the present invention, and

a complete description thereof will be found in my abovementioned co-pending application, Serial No. 81,087. The pin tumbling rods 82 and chains 73 as well as the pin guides 85 and recesses 84 are claimed in this same co-pending application.

In the present application, the pin pickup fingers 68 have been shown and described (Figure 2) as arranged in echelon or in rows oblique to the direction of travel of their respective elevator chains 63, this being for the purpose of insuring that only one pin will arrive at one of the pin ejector cams 67 at a given instant. The purpose of this arrangement is to prevent more than one pin from dropping down through the pipes into the spout 97 at a given time, thereby preventing the possibility of two pins attempting to enter the same delivery pipe 106 or pocket 54 in the pin tray 52. It will be obvious, however, that the same purpose is accomplished by staggering the pin pickup fingers 68 in any manner so long as two pairs of fingers never lie at the same horizontal level. Thus, this staggering of the fingers 68 will likewise prevent more than one pin from arriving at the top of the machine at the ejector cams 67 at any given moment.

The same purpose is accomplished by placing all of the fingers 68 of each group side by side in horizontal rows and placing the inlet openings 95a and pin ejector cams 67 in inclined or staggered positions crosswise of the machine so that each pin would again be ejected at a different time even though a row of pins might be carried upward on the same level. The essential purpose accomplished by all of these arrangements is to insure that only one pin is ejected by an ejector cam 67 at a given time and, from the foregoing remarks, it is obvious that this can be accomplished in the several ways stated above without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for orienting and elevating bowling pins from a bowling alley pit to a bowling pin receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising a frame, an endless bowling pin elevating conveyor mounted in an approximately upright position on said frame and extending between said pit and said pin receiver, a multiplicity of laterally-spaced endless rows of twin-fingered each grasper having neck-engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin neck diameter but narrower than the pin head diameter, twinfingered pin inverters disposed in each of said rows of pin neck graspers and interspersed therebetween on said conveyor, each pin inverter having pin butt engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin head diameter but narrower than the pin butt diameter, and a multiplicity of pin rests arranged side by side adjacent said conveyor in the paths of travel of said pin neck graspers and having cutaway portions therein for the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers.

2. An apparatus for orienting and elevating bowling pins from a bowling alley pit to a bowling pin receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising a frame, an endless bowling pin elevating conveyor mounted in an approximately upright position on said frame and extending between said pit and said pin receiver, a multiplicity of laterally-spaced endless rows of twinfingered pin neck graspers mounted on said conveyor, the graspers in each row being disposed at intervals spaced apart from one another in the path of travel of said conveyor, each grasper having pin neck engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin neck diameter but narrower than the pin head diameter, twin-fingered pin inverters disposed in each of said rows of pin neck graspers and interspersed therebetween on said conveyor, each pin inverter having pin butt engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin head diameter but narrower than the pin butt diameter, a multiplicity of pin rests arranged side by side adjacent said conveyor in the paths of travel of said pin neck graspers and having cutaway portions therein for the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers. and a rearwardly inclined pit bottom disposed in said pit and sloping downward from the rearward end of said bowling alley to said pin rests.

3. An apparatus for orienting andelevating bowling pinssfrom: a bowling alley pit. to a-bowling. pin; receiver disposed .abovesaid pit, said. apparatus comprisinga frame, an. endless .bowling pin .elevating conveyor mounted in an approximately upright position on said frame and extending between said pit and said. pinreceiver, a multiplicity of. laterally-spaced. endless rows, of twinffingered pin neck graspers mounted on said conveyor, the. graspers in-eachrow being disposed at intervals spaced apart from one another. in the path of. travel of said conveyor, each grasper'having. pin neck engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin neck diameter but'narrower than the pin head diameter, twinfingered pin inverters disposed in each-of said rows of pin neck graspers andinterspersed therebetween on said conveyor, each pin inverter having pin butt engaging fingers spaced apartfromnone another a distance wider than the pin head diameter but narrower than the pin butt diameter, and a multiplicity of pin rests arranged side by side adjacentsaid conveyor in the paths of travel of said-pin neck graspers and having cutaway portions thereinifor the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers, said pin-.rests being aligned with and inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the paths of travel of their respective pinrinverters.

4..An apparatus for orienting and elevating bowling pins from a bowling alley pit to a bowling pin'receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising a frame, an endless bowling pin elevating conveyor mounted inan'approximately upright positionon said frame and extending between said pit and said pin receiver, a multiplicity of laterally-spaced endless rows of twin-fingered pin neck graspers mounted on said conveyor, the graspers in each row being disposed at intervals spaced apart from oneianother in the path of travel of said conveyor, each grasper having pin neck engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin neck diameter but narrower than the pin head-diameter, twinfingered pin inverters disposed in each of said rows of pin-neck graspers and interspersed therebetween on said conveyor, each pin inverter having pin butt engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin-head diameter but narrower than'the pin butt diameter, and a multiplicity of pin rests arranged side byside adjacent saidconveyor in the paths of travel of said pin neck graspers and having cutaway portions therein for the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers, said .pin rests being aligned with and inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the paths of travel of their respective pin inverters, each pin rest having an elongated pinreceiving recess thereinwith an inclined pin guide in the bottom thereof, said pin guides being also inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the paths of travel of their respective pin inverters.

An apparatus for orienting and elevating bowling pins from a bowling alley pit to a bowling pin receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising a frame, an endless-bowling pin elevating conveyor mounted in anapproximately upright position on said frame and extending between said pit'and said pin receiver, a multiplicity of laterally-spaced endless rows of twin-fingered pin neck graspers mounted on said conveyor, the graspers in each row being disposed at intervals spaced apart from one another in the path of travel of said conveyor, each grasper having pin neck engaging fingers spaced apart from-one another a distance wider than the pin neck diameter but narrower than the pin head diameter, twinfingered pin inverters disposed in each of said rows of pin neck graspers and interspersed therebetween on said conveyor, each pin inverter having pin butt engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin headdiameter but narrower than the pin butt diameter, and a multiplicity of pin rests arranged side by side adjacent the paths of travel 'of their respective pin' inverters in the paths of travel of said pin neck graspers and having cutaway portions therein for the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers, said pin rests being aligned with and inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the paths of travel of their respective pin inverters, each pin rest having an elongated pin-receiving recess therein with an inclined'pin guide in the bottom thereof, said pin guides being also inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the paths of travel of their respective-said pin inverters and each guide having an upper forward endportion raised above the level of its lower rearward endlportion.

6. An apparatusz fororienting and "elevating bowling pinsrfrom a bowling 'alley 'p'it to-abowliug pin receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising a frame, an endless'bowling pin elevating conveyor mounted in an approximately upright position on said frame and extending between saidpit and said pin receiver, a'multiplicity of laterally-spaced endlessrows of twin-fingered pin neck graspers mounted on said conveyor,the graspers in each row being disposed at intervals spaced apart from one another in the path of travel of said conveyor, each grasper having pin neck engaging fingers spaced-apart from one another a distancewider than the pin neck diameter but narrower'than the pin head diameter, a multiplicityof pinrests arranged side by side adjacent said conveyor in'th'e'paths of travel of said pin neck graspersand having cutaway portions therein for the passage of 'said-pin'neck grasper fingers, and stationary-pin ejector members secured to and projecting forwardly from the lower portion ofsaid framebetween said endless rows of pin neck graspers, said ejector members being disposed adjacent but outside. the paths of travel of their respective :pin sneck graspers.

7. An apparatus for orienting and elevating bowling pins from a bowling alley pit to. a bowling pin receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising a frame, an endless bowling pin elevating conveyor mounted in an approximately upright position onsaid frame and extending between said pit and said pin receiver, .a multi-' plicity of laterally-spaced endless rows of twin-fingered pin neck graspers mounted on 'said conveyor, the graspers in each row being disposed at intervals spaced apart from one another in-the path of :travel of said conveyor, each grasper having pin neck engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a distance wider than the pin neck diameter but narrower: than the pin head diameter, a multiplicity of pinrests arranged side by side in laterallyspaced relationship adjacent said conveyor, said pin rests being disposedin the paths oftravel-of said-pin neck graspers and having cutaway'portions therein for the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers, an upwardlytraveling pin agitator carrier mounted on said frameunear saidpin rests, and a plurality of upwardly-movablepin agitators disposed on said carrier between said endless rows of pin neckgraspers and having pin-agitating members projectingforwardly into the spaces between said pin rests.

8. An apparatus for orienting an'd'elevating bowling pins from a bowlingalley'pit to a bowling pin receiver disposed above said pit, said apparatus comprising ,a frame, an endless bowling pin elevating conveyormounted in an approximately upright position on 'said frame and extending between said pin'and said pin receiver, a multiplicity of laterally-spaced endless rows of twin-fingered pin neck graspers mounted on said conveyor, the graspers in each row being disposed at intervals spaced'apart from one another in the-path of travel ofsaid conveyor, each grasper having pin neck engaging fingers spaced apart from one another a'distance'wider than the 'pin neck diameter but narrowerthan the-pin head diameter, a'

multiplicity ofpinrests arranged side by side in laterallyspaced relationship adjacent'said conveyor, said pin rests beingdisposed in the pathsof'travelof said pin neck graspers and having cutaway portions therein for the passage of said pin neck grasper fingers, an upwardlytraveling pin agitator carrier mounted on said frame near said pin rests, and a pluralityof upwardly-movable pinagitators disposed on said carrier between said endless rows of pin neck graspers and having-pin agitating members projecting forwardly into the spaces between said pin rests, said pin agitator carrier including a pair of vertically-spaced wheels disposed in substantially the same plane and rotatable upon substantially parallel axes of rotation, and an endless flexible member encircling said spaced wheels in an orbital path, said pin agitating members being secured to said endless flexible member and disposed substantially in the plane of said wheels.-

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,712,186 White May, 7, 1929' 2,319,925 Flanagan May 25, 1943 2,341,476 Parraet al Feb. 8, 1944 2,388,708 Bates Nov. 13,1945

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