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Systems and methods for installing a bowling center on a ship

Systems and methods for installing a bowling center on a ship description/claims

This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. §119 of provisional U.S. Application Ser. No. 60/949,916, filed Jul. 16, 2007, the entire contents and substance of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The present invention relates to the placement and installation of a bowling center on a ship. In particular, the invention relates to installing and using a bowling center on cruise ships. The bowling center may comprise one or more bowling lanes, and may additionally comprise arcade games, a disk jockey station, a full bar and the like. The bowling lanes may also be strategically placed in the ship to minimize the angular and/or translational motion of the lanes. Additionally, the bowling center, or portions therein, may be stabilized to prevent angular and/or translational motion to the extent practicable.

The cruise industry is an incredibly competitive one. Cruise providers constantly vie for customers by adding amenities. In the beginning, cruise ships were basically large passenger ships that had added facilities such as bars, restaurants, sun decks, swimming pools, and the like. As the industry developed, cruise ships increased in size and the amenities and activities offered became progressively more opulent.

Today, cruise ships offer their passengers a plethora of activities, both on and off the ship. Common onboard activities include sunbathing, swimming, shuffleboard, dancing, rock climbing, and skeet shooting. In addition to a surfeit of onboard activities, cruises may also offer activities external to the ship such as jet skiing, parasailing, scuba diving, and excursions to local attractions.

The increased number of activities onboard, in addition to an increased number of passengers, has resulted in an increase in the size of cruise ships. Modern cruise ships are extremely large and extremely heavy. For example, the Pride of America®, put into service by Norwegian Cruise Lines Corporation Ltd. in 2005, is 90.6 feet long, 105.6 feet wide, and weighs approximately 81,000 tons. The sheer size and mass of a cruise ship is, in itself, somewhat stabilizing. In addition, most modern cruise ships are also equipped with computer controlled stabilization systems to counteract, as much as possible, the pitching and rolling of the ship that does occur. However, while the motion may be imperceptible to passengers, it may still have an effect on certain onboard activities.

In the past, due to the amount of motion experienced at sea, some amenities were thought to be ill-suited for installation on cruise ships. In particular, cruise ships have traditionally not included bowling lanes because bowling requires a great deal of stability and precision. In order to be able to bowl successfully, one would prefer a relatively Sat and relatively motionless bowling lane.

The present invention is intended to add yet another activity to the already impressive list of activities offered by the modern cruise provider. Bowling, heretofore thought to be incompatible with cruising, can now be added to the arsenal of entertainment available on today's cruise ships. A combination of factors have made this possible including the increased size of cruise ships and the effectiveness of onboard computer-controlled ship stabilization systems. In addition, the present invention provides a method for the appropriate placement and use of the bowling lanes on the ship and, if desired, a system for stabilizing said bowling lanes, to achieve an enjoyable bowling experience while underway.

Bowling is one of the most popular participation sports in the United States and is also extremely popular in the United Kingdom and many other countries. Bowling lanes are 60 ft long from the foul line to the front of the pin deck (the area the 10 pins sit on) and 62 ft 10 3/16 inches from the foul line to the back of the pin deck. All wooden bowling lanes are made of hard maple for the first 12 ft and for the pin deck. The remainder of the lane is usually pine, Bowling lanes can also be made of synthetic materials that are designed to withstand the impacts and wear and tear of use. Synthetic materials may be desirable on a ship due to their superior weather resistance.

Bowling lanes are generally built by installing wooden or synthetic flooring over a stable sub floor. The sub floor is built, and the wooden flooring is installed such that the surface formed is as close to flat and level as can be achieved. This creates a surface that has little or no effect on the trajectory of the bowling ball as it travels down the lane.

The same techniques for building a bowling lane on land apply equally to building one on a ship. However, on a ship other factors are also involved. These factors may include placing the bowling lane in a location on the ship calculated to minimize angular and/or translational motion. Additionally, if a perfectly stable (or nearly so) bowling surface is desired, it may also be desirable to build the bowling lane such that it can be actively stabilized. The present invention provides methods and apparatus toward that end.

In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a bowling lane located on a ship. In another embodiment, the ship is a cruise ship. In yet another embodiment the ship is ocean going. In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to a bowling center located on a ship, where the bowling center comprises a bowling lane and one or more of the group consisting of bowling lanes; arcade games; a disk jockey booth; a full bar; a dance floor; a snack bar; and video screens.

In mother aspect of the current invention, the invention relates to an apparatus for stabilizing bowling lanes mounted on a moving surface comprising a bowling surface; a bowling surface frame; a mounting surface frame; one or more bowling surface frame actuators; one or more accelerometers; one or more gyroscopes; and a bowling surface frame actuator control system; wherein said bowling surface is attached to said bowling surface frame; wherein said bowling surface frame is attached to one or more bowling surface frame actuators; wherein said bowling surface frame actuators are attached to said mounting surface frame: wherein one or more accelerometers are mounted on said bowling surface frame; wherein one or more gyroscopes are mounted on said bowling surface frame; wherein one or more accelerometers are mounted on said mounting surface frame wherein one or more gyroscopes are mounted on said mounting surface frame; and wherein said bowling surface frame actuator control system maintains said bowling surface frame motionless relative to the earth using feedback from said bowling surface frame gyroscopes and accelerometers and said mounting surface frame gyroscopes and accelerometers and moving said bowling surface frame actuators. In one embodiment, the moving surface is a ship. In another embodiment, the ship is a cruise ship. In another embodiments the cruise ship is ocean going.

In yet another aspect the stabilization system uses solid-state digital gyroscopes. In another aspect, the stabilization system uses solid-state digital accelerometers. In another embodiment said stabilization system uses hydraulic actuators for said bowling surface frame actuators. In another aspect, said stabilization system uses pneumatic actuators for said bowling surface frame actuators. In yet another embodiment, said stabilization system uses electric actuators for said bowling surface frame actuators. In another embodiment said bowling surface frame actuator control system is loaded with a program to move said bowling surface frame actuators in response to inputs from said accelerometers and gyroscopes. In one embodiment, the moving surface is a ship. In another embodiment, the ship is a cruise ship. In another embodiments the cruise ship is ocean going.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for locating a bowling lane on a ship comprising the steps of: locating the bowling lane as far as possible away from one or more of the group consisting of the bow of the ship, the stern of the ship, the starboard edge of the ship, and the port edge of the ship to minimize the transfer of angular and/or translational motion from the ship to the bowling lane. In another embodiment, the ship is a cruise ship. In yet another embodiment the ship is ocean going.

Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for locating a bowling lane on a ship comprising the steps of: locating the longitudinal axis of the bowling lane as close as possible to the lateral axis of the ship to minimize the transfer of angular and/or translational motion from the ship to the bowling lanes. In yet another embodiment the present invention relates to a method for stabilizing a bowling lane comprising using the apparatus, in another embodiments the ship is a cruise ship. In yet another embodiment the ship is ocean going.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

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