Bowling Lane Pin Deck Treatment Dispensing and Wiping Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for maintaining bowling lane pin decks are inefficient, leading to sliding pins, contamination, and increased labor due to labor-intensive liquid treatments and the use of anti-skid disks, which can cause irregular surfaces and premature pin falls.
Innovation Solution
An automated machine with a cleaning system and dressing application system that uses a reciprocating dispensing head and brush assembly to precisely apply cleaning and pin deck treatment liquids, ensuring consistent coverage and minimizing waste, while a vacuum system removes excess liquid and a wiping assembly ensures thorough cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid pin deck treatments are applied manually using spray bottles or pressurized sprayers, then the pin deck can be treated to reduce sliding pins, but the treatment covers more area than needed causing contamination and product waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using a reciprocating dispensing head with brushes that deposit treatment liquid precisely only on the pin deck surface where pins contact, rather than spraying broadly. The brushes conform to the pin deck contour and apply treatment locally at each pin spot, preventing overflow onto surrounding lane areas and eliminating contamination and product waste.
2Reliability
If liquid pin deck treatments are applied manually, then the pin deck can be treated, but the process is labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by automating the treatment application through a machine that reciprocates along the lane, automatically dispensing and brushing treatment liquid onto the pin deck without manual intervention. The system self-regulates the application process, enabling frequent treatments to be performed efficiently and consistently, thereby improving productivity and treatment frequency.
3Reliability
If anti-skid plastic disks are applied to pin spots, then pin sliding can be reduced, but the irregular surface makes the pin deck more difficult to clean and increases cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the pin deck surface by applying a liquid treatment that penetrates and modifies the existing surface properties rather than adding a separate disk layer. This liquid formulation alters the friction characteristics to reduce pin sliding while maintaining the original smooth surface topology, thereby eliminating cleaning difficulties associated with irregular disk surfaces.
4Reliability
If pin deck treatments are applied frequently to reduce sliding pins, then pin reliability improves, but manual application is too labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical spray application with an automated reciprocating dispensing system that uses controlled liquid delivery and brush mechanisms. This substitution eliminates labor-intensive manual operations while enabling consistent, frequent application of pin deck treatment, thereby improving pin stability without increasing labor intensity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides an automated, efficient, and precise application of pin deck treatments, reducing pin sliding issues, minimizing contamination, and simplifying maintenance, allowing for more frequent treatments and reducing manual intervention.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum system removes excess liquid
Implementation Method 2
a reciprocating dispensing head and brush assembly to precisely apply cleaning and pin deck treatment liquids
Data Source
AI summary
A lane maintenance machine has a cleaning system that includes at least one liquid dispensing head that reciprocates back and forth transversely of the lane as the machine travels along the length of the lane. The dispensing head includes a dispensing tip therein that emits a pin deck treatment product and applies it to a pin deck. The system provides accurate, precise metering of the pin deck treatment liquid and affords board-by-board control of the dispensing action. A wiping assembly immediately behind the dispensing head provides a web of cloth-like material looped under a compressible backup roller to wipe or smear the applied liquid. In a preferred embodiment, the dispensing head is a double head, and it includes a second tip for dispensing a cleaning solution so that pin deck treatment can take place with the same piece of equipment, after lane cleaning has taken place, making the entire process automated.