U.S. patent number RE35,778 [Application Number 08/190,799] was granted by the patent office on 1998-04-28 for structure for resurfacing bowling lanes.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Brunswick Bowling & Billiards. Invention is credited to Michael G. Gautraud, William C. Murphy, Michael F. Stirling.
United States Patent |
RE35,778 |
Stirling , et al. |
April 28, 1998 |
Structure for resurfacing bowling lanes
Abstract
An overlay structure is provided for resurfacing a bowling lane.
The structure includes a relatively thick homogeneous laminate
sheet having a print layer to simulate the appearance of a wood
bowling lane. A plurality of mechanical fasteners are positioned in
respective recesses in the upper surface of the sheet and extending
through the sheet for securement to the lane. Plugs are force fit
into the recesses to hide the mechanical fasteners. The plugs are
fabricated similarly to and have the same appearance as the print
layer of the sheet.
Inventors: |
Stirling; Michael F. (Spring
Lake, MI), Gautraud; Michael G. (Muskegon, MI), Murphy;
William C. (Fremont, MI) |
Assignee: |
Brunswick Bowling &
Billiards (Muskegon, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
26960624 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/190,799 |
Filed: |
January 28, 1994 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
280947 |
Dec 7, 1988 |
|
|
|
Reissue of: |
610468 |
Nov 8, 1990 |
05084318 |
Jan 28, 1992 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
428/63; 428/138;
428/67; 428/99; 473/115; 473/117 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63D
1/04 (20130101); B44C 5/0469 (20130101); B44C
5/0476 (20130101); Y10T 428/20 (20150115); Y10T
428/24008 (20150115); Y10T 428/24331 (20150115); Y10T
428/24802 (20150115); Y10T 428/22 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
A63D
1/04 (20060101); A63D 1/00 (20060101); B44C
5/00 (20060101); B44C 5/04 (20060101); A63D
001/04 (); B32B 003/10 () |
Field of
Search: |
;428/63,99,138,195,67
;473/117,115,113 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
"Bowling Breakthrough," Plastics Design Forum, Mar. 1987, p. 42.
.
H. Gooden and N. Ricci, "Composite Replaces Wood in Bowling Lanes,"
Aug. 1987, pp. 80, 82, 96..
|
Primary Examiner: Thomas; Alexander S.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wood, Phillips, VanSanten, Clark
& Mortimer
Parent Case Text
This application is a .Iadd.reissue of application No. 610,468, now
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,318, which is a .Iaddend.continuation of
application Ser. No. 280,947, filed Dec. 7, 1988 abandoned.
Claims
We claim:
1. An overlay structure for resurfacing an existing bowling lane,
comprising:
a homogeneous, plastic covering .[.layer laminate.]. sheet having a
print layer to simulate the appearance of a wood bowling lane and
at least one clear wear layer over said print layer, the
homogeneous .[.laminate.]. sheet being greater than 3/16 inch thick
and defining an exposed surface of the bowling lane to resist
denting from pin and bowling ball impact;
a plurality of mechanical fastening means in respective recesses in
the upper surface of the homogeneous .[.laminate.]. sheet and
extending through the homogeneous .[.laminate.]. sheet for
securement to the lane; and
plug means .Iadd.sized to be inserted .Iaddend.in the recesses for
hiding the mechanical fastening means, the plug means being
fabricated of the same material as the homogenous .[.laminate.].
sheet.
2. The overlay structure of claim 1 wherein said .[.laminate.].
.Iadd.homogeneous .Iaddend.sheet is .[.greater than.].
approximately 7/16 inch thick.
3. The overlay structure of claim 1 wherein said mechanical
fastening means are spaced on the order of 10-20 inches apart.
4. The overlay structure of claim 1 wherein said mechanical
fastening means comprise screw means.
5. The overlay structure of claim 4 wherein said recesses are
countersunk for receiving heads of said screw means.
6. The overlay structure of claim 5 wherein said recesses are
countersunk to a depth greater than the thickness of the plug means
to prevent the plug means from bottoming out and allow the plug
means to be flush with the upper surface of the sheet.
7. The overlay structure of claim 4 wherein the thickness of said
.[.laminate.]. .Iadd.homogeneous sheet .Iaddend.is on the order of
three times the height of a head of one of the screw means.
8. The overlay structure of claim 1 wherein said plug means are
.Iadd.sized to be .Iaddend.force fit into the recesses.
9. The overlay structure of claim 1 wherein said plug means include
a set of plugs having varying dimensions from which a plug for a
given recess can be chosen.
10. An overlay structure for resurfacing an existing bowling lane,
comprising:
a homogeneous plastic covering .[.layer laminate.]. sheet greater
than 3/16 inch thick and defining an exposed surface of the bowling
lane to resist denting from pin and bowling ball impact and having
a print layer to simulate the appearance of a wood bowling lane and
at least one clear wear layer over said print layer;
a plurality of screw fasteners in respective recesses in the upper
surface of the homogeneous .[.laminate.]. sheet and extending
through the homogeneous .[.laminate.]. sheet for securement of the
lane;
said homogeneous .[.laminate.]. sheet being thicker than the height
of a head of a screw fastener; and
plug means .Iadd.sized to be .Iaddend.force fit into the recesses
for hiding the screw fasteners, the plug means being fabricated of
the same material as the .[.laminate.]. .Iadd.homogeneous
.Iaddend.sheet.
11. The overlay structure of claim 10 wherein said .[.laminate.].
.Iadd.homogeneous .Iaddend.sheet is approximately 7/16 inch
thick.
12. The overlay structure of claim 10 wherein said .[.mechanical
fastening means.]. .Iadd.screw fasteners .Iaddend.are spaced on the
order of 10-20 inches apart.
13. The overlay structure of claim 10 wherein said recesses are
countersunk for receiving heads of said screw .[.means.].
.Iadd.fasteners.Iaddend..
14. The overlay structure of claim 13 wherein said recesses are
countersunk to a depth greater than the thickness of the plug means
to prevent the plug means from bottoming out and allow the plug
means to be flush with the upper surface of the sheet.
15. The overlay structure of claim 10 wherein said plug means
include a set of plugs having varying dimensions from which a plug
for a given recess can be chosen.
16. The overlay structure of claim 10 wherein the thickness of said
laminate is on the order of three times the height of a head of one
of the screw .[.means.]. .Iadd.fasteners.Iaddend.. .Iadd.
17. A system for defining a bowling lane surface, said system
comprising:
a covering sheet having a first layer, a print layer over the first
layer, and a clear wear layer over the print layer,
said first, print, and clear wear layers united to define a
homogeneous sheet having a thickness that is greater than 3/16 inch
and defining an exposed upper surface of a bowling lane to resist
denting from pin and bowling ball impact; and
a plurality of mechanical fastening means extending through the
homogeneous sheet and into recesses defined through the exposed
upper surface and having a depth that is less than the thickness of
the homogeneous sheet. .Iaddend..Iadd.
18. The system for defining a bowling lane surface according to
claim 17 including plug means sized to be inserted in the recesses
over the mechanical fastening means. .Iaddend..Iadd.19. The system
for defining a bowling lane surface according to claim 18 wherein
said plug means are sized to be force fit into the recesses.
.Iaddend..Iadd.20. The system for defining a bowling lane surface
according to claim 18 wherein said plug means comprise a set of
plugs having different dimensions from which a plug of desired size
for a given recess can be chosen. .Iaddend..Iadd.21. The system for
defining a bowling lane surface according to claim 18 wherein said
plug means are fabricated from the same material as the homogeneous
sheet. .Iaddend..Iadd.22. The system for defining a bowling lane
surface according to claim 17 wherein said homogeneous sheet has a
thickness of approximately 7/16 inch. .Iaddend..Iadd.23. The system
for defining a bowling lane surface according to claim 17 wherein
said plurality of mechanical fastening means are spaced from each
other with said space being in the range of approximately 10 to 20
inches. .Iaddend..Iadd.24. The system for defining a bowling lane
surface according to claim 17 wherein said mechanical fastening
means comprise screws. .Iaddend..Iadd.25. The system for defining a
bowling lane surface according to claim 24 wherein said recesses
are pre-formed and countersunk for receiving heads of said screws.
.Iaddend..Iadd.26. The system for defining a bowling lane surface
according to claim 25 wherein the depth of the recesses is greater
than the thickness of the plug means to prevent the plug means from
bottoming out and allow the plug means to be flush with the upper
surface of the homogeneous sheet. .Iaddend..Iadd.27. The system for
defining a bowling lane surface according to claim 24 wherein the
thickness of the homogeneous sheet is approximately three times
the
height of a head of one of the screws. .Iaddend..Iadd.28. A system
for defining a bowling lane surface, said system comprising:
covering sheet having a first layer, a print layer over the first
layer, and a clear wear layer over the print layer,
said first, print, and clear wear layers united to define a
homogeneous sheet having a thickness that is greater than 3/16 inch
and defining an exposed upper surface of a bowling lane to resist
denting from pin and bowling ball impact;
a plurality of recesses in said homogeneous sheet at said exposed
upper surface having a depth that is less than the thickness of the
homogeneous sheet; and
a plurality of mechanical fastening means in said plurality of
recesses and extending through the homogeneous sheet.
.Iaddend..Iadd.29. The system for defining a bowling lane surface
according to claim 28 including plug means sized to be inserted in
the recesses for covering the mechanical fastening
means. .Iaddend..Iadd.30. The system for defining a bowling lane
surface according to claim 29 wherein said plug means are sized to
be force fit into the recesses. .Iaddend..Iadd.31. The system for
defining a bowling lane surface according to claim 29 wherein said
plug means are fabricated from the same material as the homogeneous
sheet. .Iaddend..Iadd.32. The system for defining a bowling lane
surface according to claim 28 wherein said homogeneous sheet has a
thickness of approximately 7/16 inch. .Iaddend..Iadd.33. The system
for defining a bowling lane surface according to claim 28 wherein
said mechanical fastening means comprise screws. .Iaddend..Iadd.34.
The system for defining a bowling lane surface according to claim
33 wherein said recesses are countersunk for receiving heads of
said screws. .Iaddend..Iadd.35. The system for defining a bowling
lane surface according to claim 34 wherein the depth of the
recesses is greater than the thickness of the plug means to prevent
the plug means from bottoming out and allow the plug means to be
flush with the upper surface of the homogeneous sheet. .Iaddend.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to the art of bowling lanes and,
particularly, to a synthetic overlay structure for resurfacing a
lane.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A conventional bowling lane is fabricated of wood construction, of
different species of wood depending upon the lane location. The
lane is structured as a laminate with laminated strips of wood of
substantial thickness extending lengthwise of the lane. Of course,
during extended use, the surface of the wood lane becomes worn and
irregular. Originally, wood lanes were resurfaced by sanding to
restore the flat surface of the lane and refinishing. This
procedure is time consuming and quite expensive and, because of the
sanding procedure, an entire facility may have to be shut down when
any one lane is resurfaced. To solve this problem, various attempts
have been made to resurface a bowling lane by covering the lane
with an overlay structure, usually a continuous homogeneous surface
sheet extending the width of the lane.
For instance, thin laminates, on the order of 3/16 inch thick, have
been used and simply glued to the surface of the existing lane.
Such a laminate was too thin to afford a mechanical attachment and
resulted in being too thin to withstand countless ball impacts
during normal play.
Other attempts at solving the problem have included the use of a
thick underlayment which can be mechanically attached to the
existing lane, and then covering the thick underlayment with a thin
synthetic laminate adhesively attached thereto. The relatively
thick underlayment was fabricated of wood particle board, but these
procedures proved to be quite expensive. Relatively thick aluminum
underlayments have been used but they create undesirable sounds
upon ball impact.
Another attempt has been to use a single, relatively thick,
homogeneous fiberglass panel which simply is mechanically attached
to the existing lane at the four corners of the panel. This
resulted in the panels becoming uneven.
Still another attempt was to provide a factorymade, thin
sandwich-type overlay structure and mechanically anchoring the
structure to the lane at considerably spaced locations, such as on
the order of four feet apart. The sandwich would include a particle
board covered by a synthetic laminate made in the factory and taken
to a cite for installation. Such sandwich structures would not stay
flat and buckled between the anchoring locations.
A main concern with any type of mechanical attachment is the
cosmetic consequences of the exposed mechanical means. In addition,
the problems and dilemmas faced by lane designers, as exemplified
above, are magnified when considering that a non-wood synthetic
lane covering will respond to typical temperature and humidity
changes differently from the wood lane it covers. Consequently, the
synthetic covering must be firmly attached to the lane to either
"move" with the lane, or to prevent the lane itself from moving
significantly.
As can be seen from the above outline of various prior attempts at
resurfacing bowling lanes, adhesives and/or closely spaced
mechanical connections may accomplish these necessary results,
except that adhesive attachment is quite expensive to perform, time
consuming and generally presents an unhealthy environment, while
mechanical fasteners or attaching means usually are cosmetically
unacceptable.
This invention is directed to solving the above problems and
satisfying the need for an improved covering for a bowling
lane.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and
improved overlay structure for resurfacing a bowling lane.
Generally, the invention contemplates the use of a relatively
thick, homogeneous laminate sheet. A plurality of mechanical
fastening means are spaced about the perimeter of the sheet in
respective recesses in the upper surface of the sheet and extending
through the sheet for securement to the lane. Plug means fill the
recesses flush with the upper surface of the sheet to hide the
fastening means.
The laminate sheet should be greater than 3/16 inch thick and,
preferably, approximately 7/16 inch thick.
This allows sufficient thickness for a fastener, such as a screw,
to rigidly secure the sheet to the lane yet provide a recess for a
filler plug. The recesses can be countersunk for receiving the
heads of the screws. The filler plugs are forced into the recesses
above the screw heads. Preferably, the filler plugs are fabricated
of the same material as the laminate sheet and effectively hide the
fastening means. The fastening means are spaced less than forty
inches apart and, preferably, on the order of 10-20 inches
apart.
The invention contemplates drilling the countersunk recesses and
including a set of filler plugs having varying dimensions from
which a plug for any given recess can be chosen. This compensates
for any tolerances to insure a tight press fit for the filler
plugs.
The laminate sheet includes a print layer to simulate the
appearance of a wood bowling lane. At least one clear wear layer is
provided over the print layer. The filler plugs are fabricated of
similar material, also with a matching print layer.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are
set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention,
together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may be best
understood by reference to the following description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference
numerals identify like elements in the figures and in which:
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the layout of a conventional bowling
lane having been resurfaced with an overlay structure according to
the invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmented section, on an enlarged scale, taken
generally along line 2--2 of FIG. 1, through one of the mechanical
fastening means of the invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view, on a further enlarged scale, showing
in greater detail the fastening means and overlay structure of the
invention;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the "approach" laminate section of the
bowling lane, illustrating the spacing of the fastening means;
and
FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, illustrating the
spacing of the fastening means on the "head" laminate section of
the bowling lane.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to FIG. 1,
the layout of a pair of conventional bowling lanes is illustrated
to show the various laminates that are employed lengthwise of the
lane. Starting from right to left, as with a conventional bowling
lane, each lane, generally designated 10, includes an "approach"
section 12, a "foul line" section 14, a "head" section 16, four
successive "pine face" sections 18 and a "pin deck" section 20.
Each pair of lanes 10 is divided by a "division" section 22, and
the lanes of each pair have a "return" section 24 therebetween.
These sections and terminology are conventional in the art.
Historically, approach sections 12, foul line sections 14, head
sections 16, pin deck section 20, division sections 22 and return
sections 24 all are fabricated of maple wood. Of course, this is to
provide a hard surface in the area of considerable wear. The pine
face sections 18 are fabricated of pine wood. Consequently, when
describing the print layer for the laminate sheets explained
hereinafter, the print would correspond to these species of wood
for an original bowling lane.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the invention contemplates the use of
an overlay structure, generally designated 26, for covering, i.e.
resurfacing, an existing bowling lane 28, and including the use of
a plurality of mechanical fastening means, generally designated
30.
More particularly, covering 26 is fabricated of a relatively thick,
homogeneous laminate sheet 32 (FIG. 3) A print layer 34 covers
sheet 32 to simulate the appearance of a wood bowling lane,
depending upon the species of wood as described above. Print layer
34 then is covered by at least one clear wear layer which is not
numbered in the drawings because of its thin and clear nature.
The majority of laminate sheet 32 is fabricated of a homogeneous
material constructed with layers of phenol-formaldehyde impregnated
Kraft paper 0.007 inch thickness per sheet. Sheet 32 should be
greater than 3/16 inch thick and, preferably, on the order of 7/16
inch thick for accommodating mechanical fastening means 30 as
described hereinafter. In relation to the screw fasteners described
hereinafter, the sheet is on the order of three times the height of
the head of one of the screws.
The orientation of the Kraft paper or plies should be "lengthwise"
of the sheets or parallel to the direction of the bowling lane. In
other words, the fibers which comprise the sheet should be oriented
in a downlane direction.
Print layer 34 has been fabricated by a melamineformaldehyde
impregnated alpha-cellulose 65# basis weight paper with cured
thickness on the order of 0.006-0.008 inch. The print layer paper
is pre-dried and tension-controlled during impregnation to minimize
any sheet width variation.
The top clear wear layer or layers are provided for long wearing
characteristics. For instance, the laminates which make up the
"maple" sections (such as approach section 12, foul line section 14
and head ection 16), would include a plurality of clear wear
layers. In practice, one layer of a 22 lb. low wear (non-aluminum
oxide) melamineformaldehyde impregnated alpha-cellulose plus two
layers of 22 lb. high wear (aluminum oxide impregnated)
melamineformaldehyde impregnated alpha-cellulose have proven
effective. The "pine" sections, such as "pine face" sections 18,
may include two layers of 22 lb. high wear (aluminum oxide
impregnated) melamine-formaldehyde impregnated alpha-cellulose.
Laminate sheet 32 is fabricated by a laminating process using
extremely high pressures and temperatures to fuse or homogenize the
multiple, resin saturated, layers together. The interior phenolic
Kraft paper layers, print layer 34 and the wear layer(s) all are
fused in a single process. All the layers (on the order of 60 in
total) are individually resin soaked by running the sheets through
a resin bath, and then dried before processing. They then are
stacked to yield the desired final laminate thickness. Of course,
the print layer is stacked on top of the Kraft paper layers, with
the wear layer(s) on top of the print layer. Presses are loaded
with multiple stacks, separated by mirror-like, polished platens to
produce smooth finishes. High pressure (e.g. 1,000 psi) and high
temperature (e.g. 300.degree.) are applied to the multiple stacks
for several hours and fully cured. The finished laminate sheet is
truly a one piece homogeneous structure. The phenolic and melamine
resins are compatible resins for this process; i.e. they cure at
similar temperature and pressure. A bottom melamine layer 36 (FIG.
3) preferably is used for dimensional stability, in combination
with melamine print layer 34.
The covering 26 is thus a one piece homogeneous plastic covering
layer laminate sheet which consists of a top clear melamine wear
layer, a melamine print layer 34, a phenolic laminate sheet 32 and
a bottom melamine layer 36.
Mechanical fastening means 30 are in the form of screws 38
extending through covering 26 for securement to lane 28, as shown.
The screws extend through drilled holes 40, the holes being
countersunk, as at 42, to accommodate the heads 44 of the screws in
recesses 46 in the upper surface of the sheet. After the screws are
embedded to securely fix the sheet to the existing lane, a
plurality of disc-shaped plugs 48 are inserted by a press fit into
recesses 46 sufficient to be substantially flush with the upper
surface of sheet 26. The plugs are fabricated similar to the
laminate sheet, including a print layer to match the print layer of
the sheet, but simply of a thinner construction.
The plugs provide an appearance which heretofore made mechanical
fastening means unacceptable in the industry. The plugs allow the
use of as many fasteners as desired to force the laminate to follow
the contour of the existing lane and prevent the laminate from
moving independently of the lane. The laminate also is prevented
from moving independent of an adjoining laminate sheet. The use of
numerous fasteners improves the sound affect of a bowling ball or
pins impacting the lane, and adjoining sheets can be secured at
very flush seams. In practice, 330 screw fasteners have been used
on a single lane.
In order to compensate for tolerance variations between the drilled
recesses 46 and the diameters of plugs 48, the invention
contemplates providing a "set" of plugs for use during
installation. For instance, the recesses may be formed with a 0.438
size drill. A set of plugs may include plugs having 0.445, 0.450
and 0.455 inch diameters. In addition, the depth of the countersunk
portion 42 of each recess should be greater than the thickness of
the plugs. This allows a plug to be pressed flush with the surface
of the laminate sheet as opposed to bottoming out on a screw head
or on the bottom ledge of the countersunk portion of the recess.
This avoids the need for precision depths of the recess portions
and precision thickness of the plugs. Therefore, if one plug is too
small or too large for any given recess, this range or variation in
plug sizes has proven in practice to afford a tight press fit for
the plugs during most any installation procedure.
Except for the rows of fastening means 30 shown at the right of
approach sections 12 in FIG. 1, the invention contemplates that
fastening means or screws 30 and plugs 48 be spaced relatively
close about the perimeter of the various lane sections and down a
centerline of a given section. For instance, FIGS. 4 and 5 show
approach section 12 and head section 16, respectively, in enlarged
illustrations to illustrate the spacing and location of the
fastening means. For instance, approach section 12 may be on the
order of 143.75 inches long. Head section 16 may be on the order of
126.50 inches long. Generally, the fastening means are positioned
approximately 3/4 inch inwardly from the peripheries of the sheet
panels. As a general concept, the fastening means are spaced
approximately 20 inches apart from the foul line to the pin deck of
the lane, and approximately 10 inches apart from the foul line to
the approach of the lane. Thus, approach section 12 shown in FIG. 4
has fastening means 30 spaced 11 inches apart as illustrated by the
numerical dimensions shown along the bottom edge of the sheet. The
width of the sheet is divided accordingly, and it can be seen that
the fastening means 30 along the left end of the sheet, again, are
spaced approximately 10 inches apart. The same holds true for the
dimensions illustrated in FIG. 5 for head section 16, wherein it
can be seen that the fastening means 30 along the lengthwise edge
of the sheet are spaced approximately 20 inches apart. In reality,
the sheets for the respective lane sections are divided into equal
spacings so that the distance between adjacent fastening means
approach the 10 inch and 20 inch parameters. The fastening means at
the ends of head section 16 are approximately 10 inches apart for
uniformity of spacing for adjacent sheets running the entire length
of the bowling lane.
It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other
specific forms without departing from the spirit or central
characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments,
therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and
not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the
details given herein.
* * * * *