US 5,314,384 AGranted

Collapsable ramp for projecting bowling balls

OwnerMark Ross-Sullivaninventor

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Abstract

The child's bowling aid device resembles a portable bowling ball holding rack with attached bowling ball launching ramp and is adapted to permit a child to easily hold the bowling ball on the rack and then ease it forward off the rack through the launching ramp, after aiming the ramp, in order to roll it onto a bowling lane and knock down bowling pins. The device includes first and second spaced parallel vertical side plates, each with a flat bottom, elevated rear end, a dish-shaped bowling ball-retaining top portion and a front top portion which slopes down and forwardly to serve as a launching ramp. Spaced rear and front transverse vertical crossplates interconnect the side plates. The rear transverse plate is taller than the front transverse plate. Preferably, all plates are flat and releasably connectable and form a kit capable of being transported in disassembled condition in a bag or the like and then being assembled at a bowling alley for use. Preferably each plate is light in weight and the side plates bear finger grooves to facilitate movement of the assembled device into aimed position adjacent a bowling lane. An improved method of aiding a child in learning to bowl involves the use of the device with a bowling ball in a game simulating conventional bowling.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An improved, portable, child's bowling aid device, said device comprising, in combination:

a) first and second vertical side plates, each of said side plates having 1) a flat horizontal bottom extending along its length, 2) an undulating top, including:
i) means for releasably retaining a bowling ball on said device, including a rear dish-shaped bowling ball-retaining top portion, and
ii) a front portion which slopes from said rear top portion to the forward end of said bottom,
b) a rear transverse vertical crossplate connected to said first and second vertical side plates adjacent the rear end of said side plates and holding said side plates in spaced parallel relation, said rear cross plate having each end thereof extending a distance from each respective vertical side plate to provide stability to said device,
c) a front transverse vertical crossplate shorter than said rear transverse vertical crossplate and connected to said first and second vertical side plates adjacent the front end of said side plates and holding said side plates in spaced parallel relation,
said device being adapted to receive and cradle a bowling ball on said top rear portion after positioning said device at a predetermined position on a bowling lane and permitting said bowling ball to be moved forward from its resting position and to be easily rolled down said slope for bowling said ball onto a bowling lane from said predetermined position.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.