Rotary bowling ball lift mechanism with overrunning clutch for handling rapidly returned balls

Claim 1

A BALL HANDLING MECHANISM, COMPRISING, A BALL STORAGE RACK, A BALL RETURN TRACK FOR RETURNING A BALL TO AN ALLEY APPROACH AREA AND INCLUDING AT LEAST A PORTION THEREOF DISPOSED AT A LEVEL BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE STORAGE RACK AND A BALL LIFT FOR TRANSFERRING A BALL FROM SAID RETURN TRACK PORTION TO SAID RACK INCLUDING A FRAME, A WHEEL ROTATABLE ON THE FRAME ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED AXIS AND OVERLYING SAID RETURN TRACK PORTION, AN ARCUATELY CURVED GUIDE TRACK SPACED FROM THE WHEEL INCLUDING A BALL ENTRANCE END ADAPTED TO LIE ADJACENT SAID RETURN TRACK PORTION, AN INTERMEDIATE PART DISPOSED TO HOLD A BALL AGAINST THE WHEEL, AND AN EXIT END FOR DIRECTING A BALL IN A PATH LEADING TO SAID STORAGE RACK AND DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING THE WHEEL INCLUDING AN OVERRUNNING CLUTCH ENABLING OVERRUN OF THE WHEEL WHEN DRIVEN BY A BALL MOVING AT A GREATER SPEED THAN THAT AT WHICH THE WHEEL IS DRIVEN.