Ball retarder

Claim 1

A BOWLING BALL RETARDER TRACK ADAPTED FOR USE IN A BALL RETURN SYSTEM IN SERIES WITH A BALL RETURN TRACK, COMPRISING, A PAIR OF BALL-SUPPORTING RAILS, EACH OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH, ARRANGED ON EDGE INCLINED SLIGHTLY TOWARD EACH OTHER IN TROUGH-LIKE FASHION, WITH UPPER PORTIONS OF THE RAILS SPACED APART A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF BALLS SO THAT EACH IS ENGAGED ADJACENT ITS HORIZONTAL AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE RAILS, AND AN ALONGATE FLEXIBLE WIPER SPANNING THE BALL RAILS, SAID WIPER BEING PERMANENTLY BOWED TRANSVERSELY UPWARDLY TO PROVIDE A TUNNEL-LIKE BALL PASSAGE HAVING AN OPEN ENTRANCE END SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO FACILITATE BALL ENTRY AND OF DIMINISHING CROSS SECTION FROM THE ENTRANCE END TOWARD AN EXIT END SO AS TO ENGAGE BALLS ROLLING ALONG THE RAILS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID WIPER FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID BALL RAILS, MEANS RESTRAINING LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE WIPER, MEANS EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE WIPER RESTRAINING LATERAL MOVEMENT OF THE LATERAL EDGES OF THE WIPER, AND MEANS WEIGHTING THE WIPER AT THE LATERAL EDGES THEREOF SO THAT THE WIPER SLOWS BALLS PASSING ALONG THE RAILS AS THE WIPER IS LIFTED BY BALLS PASSING THERETHROUGH.