Apparatus for instruction and practice use in bowling with tenpins

Claim 1

FOR USE IN THE PRACTICE OF BOWLING WITH TENPINS BY MEANS OF A STANDARD BOWLING BALL AND A STANDARD BOWLING ALLEY HAVING A FOUL LINE, A BOWLING LANE INCLUDING A DECK FOR THE TENPINS, GUTTERS FOR WILD BALLS AT EACH SIDE OF THE LANE AND UPRIGHT DIVISION BOARDS ADJACENT THE GUTTERS AND WHICH PROJECT TO AN ELEVATION ABOVE THE LANE, APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION: A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY ALINED UPRIGHT STANDARDS MOUNTED UPON THE DIVISION BOARDS AT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ALLEY, A TRANSVERSE BAR EXTENDING BETWEEN THE STANDARDS, SUPPORTED BY THEM AND CONNECTED TO THEIR UPPER ENDS, A TARGET PLATE SUPPORTED BY AND NORMALLY PENDANT FROM THE BAR AND PIVOTALLY MOVABLE ABOUT A TRANSVERSE AXIS, THE TARGET PLATE BEING ENGAGEABLE BY THE BOWLING BALL WITH RESULTANT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION AND RETURNING BY GRAVITY TO ITS NORMAL POSITION WHEN THE BOWLING BALL PASSES BEYOND IT, THE TARGET PLATE BEING MOUNTED FOR SLIDABLE POSITIONALLY ADJUSTABLE MOVEMENT IN EITHER DIRECTION LENGTHWISE OF THE BAR AND IN ANY POSITION THEREOF OVERHANGING THE BOWLING LANE, MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE SLIDABLE MOVEMENT OF THE TARGET PLATE TO ANY DESIRED POSITION AND INCLUDING A CABLE IN PARALLEL RELATION TO THE TRANSVERSE BAR, ANNULAR GEAR ELEMENTS ADJACENT THE ENDS OF THE TRANSVERSE BAR OVER WHICH THE CABLE IS TRAINED, AND A VERTICAL SHAFT CARRIED BY ONE OF THE UPRIGHT STANDARDS, ONE OF THE GEAR ELEMENTS BEING MOUNTED AT THE UPPER END OF THE SHAFT, SIGNAL MEANS FOR GIVING A SENSUAL INDICATION OF THE MOVEMENT OF THE TARGET PLATE AS STRUCK BY THE BOWLING BALL, THE SIGNAL MEANS INCLUDING A SENSUAL SIGNAL AND HAVING TWO PHASES OF OPERATION SEVERALLY IN THE CONTROL OF THE OPERATION AND THE DISCONTINUANCE OF THE OPERATION OF THE SIGNAL, ONE PHASE OF OPERATION OF THE SIGNAL MEANS BEING A NORMAL PHASE IN WHICH THE SIGNAL IS INOPERATIVE AND THE SECOND PHASE BEING AN OPERATIVE PHASE IN WHICH THE SIGNAL IS OPERATIVE, THE TARGET PLATE CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF THE SIGNAL MEANS IN ITS NORMAL AND OPERATIVE PHASES AND IN ITS NORMAL PENDANT POSITION PROVIDING FOR THE NORMAL PHASE OF THE OPERATION OF THE MEANS AND IN ITS PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BY THE BOWLING BALL COOPERATING WITH THE SIGNAL MEANS TO EFFECT THE SECOND PHASE OF ITS OPERATION IN WHICH THE SIGNAL IS OPERATIVE, THE STANDARDS AND THE BAR BEING POSITIONABLE AT A SELECTED LOCATION REMOTE FROM THE FOUL LINE AND THE TENPIN DECK, A MANUALLY ACTUATED TARGET PLATE POSITIONING DEVICE LOCATED IN ADJACENCY TO THE FOUL LINE AND HAVING A FINGERPIECE FOR ITS OPERATION BY THE BOWLER, AND MEANS OF OPERATIVE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TARGET PLATE POSITIONING DEVICE AND THE VERTICAL SHAFT FOR EFFECTING ITS TURNING MOVEMENT WITH RESULTANT ADJUSTMENT OF THE POSITION OF THE TARGET PLATE.