Patent ID: 7070510

Claim:
A bowling alley bumper system including at least one retractable bumper assembly for use with a bowling lane to selectively prevent bowling balls from entering a gutter adjacent said retractable bumper assembly when said retractable bumper assembly is deployed, said retractable bumper assembly comprises an elongated retractable rail and a plurality of rail support members selectively movable between a retracted position and a deployed position disposed between one side of the bowling lane and the gutter disposed adjacent thereto such that when said elongated retractable rail is in said retracted position bowling balls can enter the gutter and when said elongated retractable rail is in said deployed position bowling balls are prevented from entering the gutter each said rail support member is pivotally disposed adjacent to the gutter to be selectively movable between said retracted position and said deployed position, said elongated retractable rail includes an elongated channel formed in the lower portion thereof having an interior channel wall on each side thereof, each said channel wall includes an elongated slot formed therein and each said rail support member includes a protrusion extending from each side thereof disposed within a corresponding elongated slot formed in said corresponding channel wall such that each said protrusion slides within said corresponding elongated slot as said retractable bumper assembly is moved between said retracted position and said deployed position.