Patent Publication Number: US-7220186-B1

Title: Bowling ball insert providing finger tip gripping

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
   This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 29/176,416 filed by applicant on Feb. 24, 2003 now abandoned. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to bowling balls, and more particularly to positioning of finger holes, thumb holes and inserts placed in the holes. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Bowling balls are provided with holes, as by drilling into the bowling ball, the holes serving as finger and thumb grips for a bowler to hold and throw the ball down an alley at bowling pins. These holes, for a conventional bowling ball, include holes for receiving the thumb, middle finger and ring finger of a bowler. Holes in a bowling ball are sized to provide a comfortable fit with fingers of a bowler. The holes are also spaced apart at a distance appropriate the spread of the bowler&#39;s fingers. This spread is determined by distances between the base of a bowler&#39;s thumb and the proximal interphalangeal joint (the joint nearest the palm) of the middle and ring finger of the user of the bowling ball. Uniformly throughout the prior art, the bowler inserts his thumb into the ball up to the base of the thumb and fingers into the ball up to the proximal interphalangeal joint. As such, a thumb hole is typically three inches or more in depth, and the finger holes are typically two inches or more in depth. 
   In order to knock down as many pins as possible, most bowlers seek to obtain a pronounced hook on the path of the ball, this type of delivery geometrically providing more rotation creating more revolutions and thereby the most pin action, or mixing of the pins after they are struck by the ball. To make the ball hook, effective contact between the fingers and the ball is necessary to deliver the ball in a manner such as to impart a lifting and twisting action on the ball, causing it to spin as it rolls down the lane. 
   Various finger inserts and other measures have been devised for use with bowling balls, primarily to enable an improved spin and a more effective hook. In general, the prior art insert devices have been used in combination with conventional drilled holes, which as stated typically extend to a depth of two inches or more for fingers and three inches or more for thumbs. As a result, contact of the fingers and thumb within the ball occurs the length of the fingers up to the proximal interphalangeal joint and length of the thumb within a respective finger or thumb hole so that contact with finger and thumb tips is not predominant. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to a finger tip grip system for use with a bowling ball so as to maximize lift and spin to the ball as it is rolled down a bowling lane. The system includes drilled holes into the ball for receiving middle, ring finger tips and the thumb tip, and inserts placed in the holes for being contacted with the finger tips and thumb tip in releasing the ball. The finger inserts are constructed to be resilient, and they have lips defined at their inner ends, the lips being located at a distance from their outer ends such that fully inserted finger tips can reach around and engage the lips. Thus, contact between fingers and the inserts is limited to finger tips up to the distal interphalangeal joint of the finger (the joint nearest the fingertip), and up to the interphalangeal joint of the thumb (the joint nearest the end of the thumb). In addition, the drilled holes are placed at a greater span than with a conventional bowling ball so that only finger and thumb tips may be inserted into the bowling ball. By limiting finger contact with the ball to finger tips, a more pronounced upward lifting of the ball may be provided to control the ball, this lifting motion being such as to provide more spin, resulting in a more effective hook. 
   It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a finger grip system that allows a bowler to exert greater lifting force than has hitherto been possible in releasing the ball. 
   Another object is to obtain a more effective hook, resulting in more revolutions imparted on the bowling ball thus maximizing pin action. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a cut-away view showing a bowler&#39;s finger tips and thumb tip placed in position in an insert. 
       FIG. 2  is a cut away-view of one embodiment of an insert glued or bonded to an interior of a hole drilled in a bowling ball. 
       FIG. 3  is a cut-away view of another embodiment of an insert, the insert including a retaining member recessed into the ball and flush with a surface of the ball. 
       FIG. 4  is a cut-away view through an insert illustrating how an insert may be bowling ball. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, there is shown a bowling ball  10  having drilled holes  12  and  14 , each of the holes receiving an insert  16 ,  18 . The inserts each have a lip  20 ,  22  defined by a bottom  25  of the insert and a central aperture  23  through which a finger or thumb is inserted. Most importantly, it is noted that both the drilled holes and the inserts are much more shallow than prior inserts and holes known to applicant in the prior art so that only a fingertip is accommodated within a respective hole. In addition, spacing between the finger holes and a thumb hole is such so that only finger tips up to the distal interphalangeal joint and a thumb tip up to the interphalangeal joint may be inserted into the bowling ball. This configuration keeps the bowler from applying significant force by other than finger tips and rotation of the ball. 
   Structure of this insert enables bowlers to actually to feel, through their fingertips, the proper way of achieving maximum lift at release by reaching a maximum spin rate for their ability. Positioning the finger below and in contact with the lip of the insert gives the bowler a true lifting edge, assuring a correct release of the ball and increasing the chances of obtaining best possible results. In addition, the increased distance of the span between finger tips and thumb tips allows a bowler to provide additional leverage to the ball that is not available with the conventionally placed holes of the prior art. 
   Other aspects of using an insert may be handled in ways similar to prior inserts. The top of the insert is required by ABC rules to be flush with the bowling ball surface, and this rule is followed for the inserts of the instant invention. While the inner diameter of the insert may be varied in size based on the bowler&#39;s actual finger and thumb size, the outer diameter may be nominally 31/32 inches of ⅞ inches in diameter, although larger sizes are possible for bowlers with larger fingers. Typically, lips  20 ,  22  ( FIG. 1 ) are at least ⅛ inches up to about ¼ inches or so wide, although as stated other opening, lip and outside diameter sizes may be provided where necessary. Thickness or height of the insert is a minimum of about ½ inch, up to a maximum of about one inch or so, depending on a length of the user&#39;s finger tips up to the distal interphalangeal joint and thumb tip up to the interphalangeal joint. Significantly, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the lip should be engaged at generally a middle of a bowler&#39;s finger tip to provide maximum lift and leverage to the ball. 
     FIG. 2  shows one embodiment of an insert wherein the insert is mounted with an upper surface thereof being flush with and curved in accordance with a surface of the ball. As shown, the insert extends approximately halfway into opening  12  of the ball, the opening  12  being about 1 inch or so deep to accommodate a fingertip extending beyond lip  20  of insert  16 . 
     FIG. 3  shows another embodiment of an insert wherein an insert  34  is held in position by a hard ring  36  connected to the bowling ball  38  by means of screws or other fasteners  40 ,  42  extending through openings in ring  36  and engaging threaded openings  44 ,  46  within bowling ball  38 . As shown, ring  36  is recessed into the bowling ball and fabricated of a hard material similar to the surface of a bowling ball so as to provide a contiguous surface in both hardness and curvature of the bowling ball. Likewise, screws or other fasteners  40 ,  42  are recessed into the surface of the ball, and may be covered by smoothed epoxy or other material so as to be contiguous with the surface of the ball. In addition, and by way of example, ring  36  overlaps a resilient portion  46  such as described above to securely hold resilient portion  46  in place, as by a mating angular interface  44  between resilient portion  46  and ring  36 . This embodiment is advantageous in that the insert may be removed and replaced when the resilient portion becomes worn or otherwise unsuitable for play, or when the inserts are to be preserved where the ball becomes worn or unsuitable for play. 
     FIG. 4  shows an embodiment wherein an insert  50  is secured in place by an overlapping region  52  of the bowling ball  56 . Such an overlapping region may be formed by recessing insert  50  slightly within the bowling ball to a depth of perhaps ⅛ inch or so and covering the insert with a layer of epoxy or other self-hardening material that may be conventionally smoothed so as to be contiguous with the surface of the bowling ball. Alternately, this embodiment may be made removable by threading interfacing surfaces between region  52  and the bowling ball so that the insert is provided with a hard outer portion that may be threadably engaged with an opening within which the insert is fitted. In addition, and as one feature of the instant invention, opening  58  within which finger and thumb tips extend into is shown as being slightly smaller in diameter than a diameter of an opening within which insert  50  is fitted so as to provide a step  60 . With this construction, the resilient insert  50  is securely held in place between regions  52  and step  60 . Such a step  60  may also applied to the embodiments of  FIGS. 2 and 3  where necessary. 
   While the invention is described above in terms of specific embodiments, it is not to be understood as limited to those embodiments, but is limited only as indicated by the appended claims. Various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, wherein I claim.