Patents Assigned to Mendes Inc.
-
Patent number: 5830074Abstract: A magnetically responsive bowling pin having a first upwardly open cavity in its head portion and a second elongated cavity smaller and cross-section and extending downwardly in the head portion of a bowling pin. The first cavity receives a plastic cap having a top portion and a skirt with a permanent magnet and a plastic plug disposed in press fit engagement within the skirt. The skirt in turn is in press fit engagement with the wall of the first cavity to retain the assembled magnet and plastic parts in the desired position in the cavity. The second elongated cavity serves to remove material from the body of the bowling pin and thus compensates for the added weight of the permanent magnet and the slight additional weight of the plastic cap and plastic plug. As a result, the desired weight, weight distribution and balance of the bowling pin is not disturbed.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 1996Date of Patent: November 3, 1998Assignee: Mendes, Inc.Inventor: Lucien Rochefort
-
Patent number: 5820474Abstract: An automatic pinsetter employing magnetically responsive bowling pins, an elevator mechanism for retrieving bowling pins from a pit area adjacent an end portion of a bowling alley and for transporting the same to a pin discharge station above a transfer mechanism. The pins are arranged in bowling array on a transfer mechanism which is thereafter moved horizontally beneath a pinsetting mechanism. The pinsetting mechanism employs magnetic means for elevating the pins, the transfer mechanism is retracted from beneath the pinsetting mechanism, and the latter thereupon deposits the pins on the bowling alley in bowling array. The pinsetting mechanism is also adapted to pick-up and replace remaining upright pins after a first ball has been thrown whether the pins reside in "on spot" or "off spot" positions.Type: GrantFiled: November 6, 1996Date of Patent: October 13, 1998Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventors: Francois Delaney, Viateur Guay, Carol Simard, Jean-Yves Dion, Lucien Rochefort
-
Patent number: 5660596Abstract: A magnetically responsive bowling pin having a first upwardly open cavity in its head portion and a second elongated cavity smaller and cross-section and extending downwardly in the head portion of a bowling pin. The first cavity receives a plastic cap having a top portion and a skirt with a permanent magnet and a plastic plug disposed in press fit engagement within the skirt. The skirt in turn is in press fit engagement with the wall of the first cavity to retain the assembled magnet and plastic parts in the desired position in the cavity. The second elongated cavity serves to remove material from the body of the bowling pin and thus compensates for the added weight of the permanent magnet and the slight additional weight of the plastic cap and plastic plug. As a result, the desired weight, weight distribution and balance of the bowling pin is not disturbed.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 1995Date of Patent: August 26, 1997Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventor: Lucien Rochefort
-
Patent number: 5624323Abstract: An automatic pinsetter employing magnetically responsive bowling pins, an elevator mechanism for retrieving bowling pins from a pit area adjacent an end portion of a bowling alley and for transporting the same to a pin discharge station above a transfer mechanism. The pins are arranged in bowling array on a transfer mechanism which is thereafter moved horizontally beneath a pinsetting mechanism. The pinsetting mechanism employs magnetic means for elevating the pins, the transfer mechanism is retracted from beneath the pinsetting mechanism, and the latter thereupon deposits the pins on the bowling alley in bowling array. The pinsetting mechanism is also adapted to pick-up and replace remaining upright pins after a first ball has been thrown whether the pins reside in "on spot" or "off spot" positions.Type: GrantFiled: August 18, 1995Date of Patent: April 29, 1997Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventors: Francois Delaney, Viateur Guay, Carol Simard, Jean-Yves Dion, Lucien Rochefort
-
Patent number: 5569092Abstract: In an automatic pinsetter having an elevator mechanism for receiving bowling pins seriatim at a lower entrance portion from a pit area at a rear end of a bowling alley and for transporting the same upwardly for discharge at an upper end portion, a frutso-concial baffle is provided and is suspension mounted forwardly of the elevator mechanism and above a rearwardly moving conveyor. Fallen bowling pins in indiscriminate arrangement proceed rearwardly on the conveyor beneath a bridge which obstructs rearward ball movement and passes prone bowling pins only. Left and right hand guides cooperate with the baffle to define left and right hand entry passageways for the bowling pins in rearward movement to the entrance of the elevator mechanism. The passageways are insufficient in width to accommodate the side-ways passage of bowling pins. The baffle is also free to move in any direction over a limited degree of movement.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 1995Date of Patent: October 29, 1996Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventor: Lucien Rochefort
-
Patent number: 5523736Abstract: An automated character-based bowling scoring display system provides voltage level encoding of separate red, green, and blue digital signals into a single analog signal for transmission at a standard transmission frequency or a reduced transmission frequency over a single coaxial cable stretching approximately 200 feet to a remote monitor residing in an overhead console. The system provides monitor display of various sizes and fonts of alphanumeric and graphical characters stored in hardware. The reduced transmission frequency results in a wider character when displayed. The system can store up to four additional pages of character information which can be successively and rapidly displayed on a monitor thereby mimicking the animation capability inherent in a more expensive and sophisticated bit-mapped graphics system.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 1993Date of Patent: June 4, 1996Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventors: Yvan Gosselin, Guy Drouin
-
Patent number: 4913433Abstract: A bowling alley having at least one elongated bowling ball runway, at least one downwardly offset concave gutter sidewisely depending from the runway, and at least one upwardly offset partition bar sidewisely depending from the opposite side edge of the gutter. A first wear-resistant semi-rigid protecting capping removably covers the upper portion of the partition bar. A second wear-resistant flexible protecting lining removably covers the top face of the gutter. Each of the capping and lining further has lengthwise ridges, whereby should the bowling ball engage the gutter or the bar, the ridges will bias the bowling ball travel in a path parallel to the elongated runway while prolonging the useful lifetime of the bowling alley. The cappings and linings also decrease the noise produced by the bowling balls.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 1989Date of Patent: April 3, 1990Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventor: Lucien Rochefort
-
Patent number: D279693Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 1982Date of Patent: July 16, 1985Assignee: Mendes Inc.Inventor: Nicolas Kovacs