Ball delivery mechanism for bowling pin spotting machines

Claim 1

BOWLING BALL HANDLING AND RETURN APPARATUS FOR USE WITH A BOWLING ALLEY HAVING A PIT AT ONE END, AND A KICKBACK ADJACENT ONE SIDE OF SAID PIT PROVIDED WITH A BALL OPENING THROUGH WHICH A BOWLING BALL MAY ROLL OUT OF SAID PIT COMPRISING A GATE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID GATE FOR MOVEMENT FROM A POSITION CLOSING SAID OPENING OUTWARDLY INTO SAID PIT INTO AN OPEN POSITION IN WHICH SAID OPENING IS NOT CLOSED AND A BALL MAY PASS THROUGH IT, SAID GATE BEING SO MOUNTED THAT THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN SAID GATE AND SAID PIT IS LESS THAN THE LARGEST PIN DIAMETER FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF THE OUTWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID GATE INTO SAID PIT, MEANS NORMALLY TENDING TO URGE SAID GATE INTO CLOSED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID OPENING, MEANS OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO THE ARRIVAL OF A BOWLING BALL AT A PREDETERMINED LOCATION IN SAID PIT TO MOVE SAID GATE OUT OF SAID CLOSING POSITION INTO SAID PIT FOR PASSAGE OF SAID BALL OUT OF SAID PIT AND THROUGH SAID OPENING AND MEANS FOR DELIVERING SAID BALL ONTO A RETURN RUNWAY.