Bowling score computer

Claim 1

A system for automatically tabulating bowling information comprising pinfall indicating means for providing a signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down during the course of one frame and after each ball bowled in that frame, totalizing circuit means connected with said pinfall indicating means to receive pinfall information for accumulating a score in accordance with pinfall information, and foul detecting means providing a foul signal responsively to the commission of a foul for effecting the pinfall information received by said totalizing circuit means such that said accumulation in said totalizing circuit means is of the proper bowling score attained, said system including memory means for providing a first ball signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down by the first ball in that frame and means for connecting said memory means to said totalizing circuit means in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame for accumulating only first ball pinfall information; said memory means including a controlled rectifier for each pin being settable to a conductive state in accordance with the standing or fallen condition of the respective pin, said conductive condition being retained for use by said totalizing circuit in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame; said pinfall indicating means including a switch means for each pin for indicating said pin condition; and a source of electrical current connectable to said switch means, said switch means being adapted to deliver said source of electrical current to said controlled rectifiers so as to establish the conductive state thereof according to said pin condition when said switch means is connected to said source, said foul detecting means signal being operative to prevent the connection of said source of electrical currenT to said switch means to prevent said change in conductive state of said controlled rectifiers in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame.

Claim 2

A system for automatically tabulating bowling information comprising pinfall indicating means for providing a signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down during the course of one frame and after each ball bowled in that frame, totalizing circuit means connected with said pinfall indicating means to receive pinfall information for accumulating a score in accordance with pinfall information, and foul detecting means providing a foul signal responsively to the commission of a foul for effecting the pinfall information received by said totalizing circuit means such that said accumulation in said totalizing circuit means is of the proper bowling score attained, said system including memory means for providing a first ball signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down by the first ball in that frame and means for connecting said memory means to said totalizing circuit means in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame for accumulating only first ball pinfall information; said memory means including a controlled rectifier for each pin being settable to a conductive state in accordance with the standing or fallen condition of the respective pin, said conductive condition being retained for use by said totalizing circuit in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame; said pinfall indicating means including a switch means for each pin for indicating said pin condition; and a source of electrical current connectable to said switch means, said switch means being adapted to deliver said source of electrical current to said controlled rectifiers so as to establish the conductive state thereof according to said pin condition when said switch means is connected to said source, said foul detecting means signal being operative to prevent the connection of said source of electrical currenT to said switch means to prevent said change in conductive state of said controlled rectifiers in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame.

Claim 18

A system for automatically tabulating bowling information for a plurality of bowlers comprising: pinfall indicating means for providing a first signal having a magnitude in accordance with the number of pins knocked down during the course of one frame and after each ball bowled in that frame and a second signal having a magnitude in accordance with the number of pins knocked doWn on the first ball thrown in a frame; three generator means each operatively connected with said pinfall indicating means and providing a first output signal having a magnitude in accordance with the magnitude of said first signal from said pinfall indicating means and a second output signal having a magnitude in accordance with the magnitude of said second signal and with each said first output signal having the same magnitude and said second output signal having the same magnitude, said three generator means being disposed in a time-phased relationship such that said each said first output signal and said each said second output signal therefrom is provided sequentially; counter-printer means for providing an indication for each of the plurality of bowlers responsively to each of said first and said second output signals received from selected ones of said three generator means; foul detecting means providing a foul signal responsively to the commission of a foul by any of the plurality of bowlers; computer means individual to each of the plurality of bowlers, and operatively connected with said counter-printer means, said foul detecting means, and operatively connected with a first of said strike generator means for transmitting, upon actuation, to said counter-printer circuit means from said first generator means under the following condition: said first output signal from said first generator means after two strikes or more in sequence by that one of the plurality of bowlers with which said computer means is individual, and operatively connected with a second of said generator means for transmitting, upon actuation, to said counter-printer circuit means from said second generator means under the following conditions: (1) said first output signal from said second generator means after the second ball thrown succeeding a strike if the first ball thrown after said strike is not a strike, (2) if a strike has been registered, said first output signal from said second generator means on the very next ball thrown if a strike is registered on said next ball, and (3) said first output signal from said second generator means occurring on the very next ball thrown after a spare, and operatively connected with a third of said generator means for transmitting, upon actuation, to said counter-printer means under the following conditions: (1) said first output signal occurring on the first ball thrown in a frame if a strike is obtained on said first ball, and (2) said first output signal occurring after the second ball in a frame, and operatively connected with said second generator means for transmitting said second output signal from said second generator means in place of said first output signal from said second generator means in response to said foul signal from said foul detecting means occurring on the second ball thrown in a frame, and operatively connected with said third generator means for transmitting said second output signal from said third generator means in place of said first output signal from said third generator means in response to said foul signal from said foul detecting means occurring on the second ball thrown in a frame; said computer means including means preventing the transmission of any of said first and said second output signals from said three generator means in response to said foul signal from said foul detecting means occurring on a first ball thrown in a frame, and means for providing a frame signal responsively to the completion of a frame by that bowler with whom said computer means is individual; means for actuating said computer means after each ball thrown; plater selector means selectively actuable for connecting a selected one of said computer means to said three signal generator means.

Claim 19

A system for automatically tabulating bowling information for a plurality of bowlers comprising: pinfall indicating means for providing a first signal having a magnitude in accordance with the number of pins knocked down during the course of one frame and after each ball bowled in that frame and a second signal having a magnitude in accordance with the number of pins knocked doWn on the first ball thrown in a frame; three generator means each operatively connected with said pinfall indicating means and providing a first output signal having a magnitude in accordance with the magnitude of said first signal from said pinfall indicating means and a second output signal having a magnitude in accordance with the magnitude of said second signal and with each said first output signal having the same magnitude and said second output signal having the same magnitude, said three generator means being disposed in a time-phased relationship such that said each said first output signal and said each said second output signal therefrom is provided sequentially; counter-printer means for providing an indication for each of the plurality of bowlers responsively to each of said first and said second output signals received from selected ones of said three generator means; foul detecting means providing a foul signal responsively to the commission of a foul by any of the plurality of bowlers; computer means individual to each of the plurality of bowlers, and operatively connected with said counter-printer means, said foul detecting means, and operatively connected with a first of said strike generator means for transmitting, upon actuation, to said counter-printer circuit means from said first generator means under the following condition: said first output signal from said first generator means after two strikes or more in sequence by that one of the plurality of bowlers with which said computer means is individual, and operatively connected with a second of said generator means for transmitting, upon actuation, to said counter-printer circuit means from said second generator means under the following conditions: (1) said first output signal from said second generator means after the second ball thrown succeeding a strike if the first ball thrown after said strike is not a strike, (2) if a strike has been registered, said first output signal from said second generator means on the very next ball thrown if a strike is registered on said next ball, and (3) said first output signal from said second generator means occurring on the very next ball thrown after a spare, and operatively connected with a third of said generator means for transmitting, upon actuation, to said counter-printer means under the following conditions: (1) said first output signal occurring on the first ball thrown in a frame if a strike is obtained on said first ball, and (2) said first output signal occurring after the second ball in a frame, and operatively connected with said second generator means for transmitting said second output signal from said second generator means in place of said first output signal from said second generator means in response to said foul signal from said foul detecting means occurring on the second ball thrown in a frame, and operatively connected with said third generator means for transmitting said second output signal from said third generator means in place of said first output signal from said third generator means in response to said foul signal from said foul detecting means occurring on the second ball thrown in a frame; said computer means including means preventing the transmission of any of said first and said second output signals from said three generator means in response to said foul signal from said foul detecting means occurring on a first ball thrown in a frame, and means for providing a frame signal responsively to the completion of a frame by that bowler with whom said computer means is individual; means for actuating said computer means after each ball thrown; plater selector means selectively actuable for connecting a selected one of said computer means to said three signal generator means.

Claim 23

A system for automatically tabulating bowling information comprising pinfall indicating means for providing a signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down during the course of one frame and after each ball bowled in that frame, totalizing circuit means connected with said pinfall indicating means to receive pinfall information for accumulating a score in accordance with pinfall information, and foul detecting means providing a foul signal responsively to the commission of a foul for effecting the pinfall information received by said totalizing circuit means such that said accumulation in said totalizing circuit means is of the proper bowling score attained, said system including memory means for providing a first ball signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down by the first ball in that frame to said totalizing circuit means in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame for accumulating only first ball pinfall information; said memory means including at least one controlled rectifier being settable to a conductive state in accordance with the standing or fallen condition of at least one pin, said conductive condition being retained for use by said totalizing circuit in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame: said pinfall indicating means including switch means including a switch for each pin for indicating said pin condition, a source of electrical current connectable to said switch means, said switch means being adapted to deliver said source of electrical current to said controlled rectifier according to the pin condition of at least one pin, said foul detecting means signal being operative to prevent said source of electrical current from changing the conductive state of said controlled rectifier in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame, said totalizing circuit means iNcluding at least one controlled rectifier having a control terminal and an additional pair of terminals, the conductive state between said additional pair of terminals being determined by the bias level at said control terminal, at least one of said terminals being connected in a manner to receive an output signal and to control the accumulation of the score attained in each frame in accordance with said conductive state of said controlled rectifier, said controlled rectifier being maintainable in a conductive state for accumulation of said score, said totalizing circuit means further including means for recording and retaining said indication for each frame whereby the score accumulated in each frame will be preserved and can be obtained, and means responsive to said signal from said pinfall indicating means for providing said output signal to said one terminal of said controlled rectifier.

Claim 24

A system for automatically tabulating bowling information comprising pinfall indicating means for providing a signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down during the course of one frame and after each ball bowled in that frame, totalizing circuit means connected with said pinfall indicating means to receive pinfall information for accumulating a score in accordance with pinfall information, and foul detecting means providing a foul signal responsively to the commission of a foul for effecting the pinfall information received by said totalizing circuit means such that said accumulation in said totalizing circuit means is of the proper bowling score attained, said system including memory means for providing a first ball signal having a magnitude in accordance with the total number of pins knocked down by the first ball in that frame to said totalizing circuit means in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame for accumulating only first ball pinfall information; said memory means including at least one controlled rectifier being settable to a conductive state in accordance with the standing or fallen condition of at least one pin, said conductive condition being retained for use by said totalizing circuit in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame: said pinfall indicating means including switch means including a switch for each pin for indicating said pin condition, a source of electrical current connectable to said switch means, said switch means being adapted to deliver said source of electrical current to said controlled rectifier according to the pin condition of at least one pin, said foul detecting means signal being operative to prevent said source of electrical current from changing the conductive state of said controlled rectifier in response to said foul signal occurring on the second ball bowled in a frame, said totalizing circuit means iNcluding at least one controlled rectifier having a control terminal and an additional pair of terminals, the conductive state between said additional pair of terminals being determined by the bias level at said control terminal, at least one of said terminals being connected in a manner to receive an output signal and to control the accumulation of the score attained in each frame in accordance with said conductive state of said controlled rectifier, said controlled rectifier being maintainable in a conductive state for accumulation of said score, said totalizing circuit means further including means for recording and retaining said indication for each frame whereby the score accumulated in each frame will be preserved and can be obtained, and means responsive to said signal from said pinfall indicating means for providing said output signal to said one terminal of said controlled rectifier.