Patent ID: 8088017

Claim:
A method for analyzing and predicting a path of a bowling ball, the method comprising: determining a plurality of physical characteristics of a first bowling ball, the plurality of physical characteristics including a ball surface roughness, lane coefficient of friction, an oil absorption rate, and a radius of gyration; determining a plurality of dynamic attributes of the first bowling ball by repeatedly throwing the first bowling ball down a bowling lane, and monitoring the motion of the first bowling ball during each throw using a plurality of sensors, the monitoring including monitoring a skid phase, a hook phase, and a back-end phase of the first bowling ball, and determining a path of motion, spin rate, and velocity of the first bowling ball as it travels down the bowling lane; determining a relationship between the plurality of physical characteristics of the first bowling ball and the plurality of dynamic attributes of the first bowling ball using a multivariable regression; determining a plurality of physical characteristics of a second bowing ball; and accepting, by a computer the plurality of physical characteristics of the second bowling ball and executing, with a computer a program based on the relationship and to generate a predicted path of the second bowling ball based on the plurality of physical characteristics of the second bowling ball.