Automatic bowling scorekeeping apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY COMPUTING BOWLING RESULTS AND FOR PROVIDING A CUMULATIVE RUNNING RECORD OF EACH GAME AS IT IS PLAYED, SAID RESULTS BEING COMPUTED FROM THE OUTPUT OF A STANDING PIN SENSING DEVICE WHICH PROVIDES A PLURALITY OF ELECTRIC PULSES ON SEVERAL LINES, THE SUM OF WHICH PULSES REPRESENTS THE STANDING PIN COUNT, WHICH COMPRISES: (A) A MEANS FOR COMBINING SAID PLURALITY OF ELECTRIC PULSES ON SAID SEVERAL LINES INTO A SINGLE RAPID SERIES OF ELECTRIC PULSES REPRESENTING THE STANDING PIN COUNT, SAID COMBINING MEANS OPERATING IN A CONTINUOUS ELECTRONIC PROCESS, DIRECTLY IN RESPONSE TO THE RECEIPT OF SAID PLURALITY OF ELECTRIC PULSES, UPON SAID ELECTRIC PULSES WITHOUT MECHANICALLY MAKING OR BREAKING ANY ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS; (B) A FIRST INPUT MEANS FOR RECEIVING A SIGNAL INDICATING THAT A BALL HAS BEEN ROLLED; (C) A SECOND INPUT MEANS FOR RECEIVING A SIGNAL INDICATING THAT A PLAYER HAS COMMITTED A FOUL; (D) AN ELECTRONIC SWITCHING MEANS INCLUDING A COUNTING MEANS FOR ACCUMULATING THE PULSES IN SAID SINGLE RAPID SERIES OF PULSES, SAID SWITCHING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE SIGNALS AT SAID FIRST AND SECOND INPUT MEANS UPON THE ROLLING OF A BALL AND TO THE NONOCCURRENCE OF A FOUL, RESPECTIVELY, AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID COUNTING MEANS FOR DERIVING FROM SAID ACCUMULATED PULSES A NUMBER OF PULSES REPRESENTING THE FALLEN PIN COUNT AND MEANS FOR COMPUTING FROM SAID DERIVED PULSES A CORRECT RUNNING CUMULATIVE SCORE FOR THE PLAYER ROLLING SAID BALL FOR EACH FRAME INCLUDING THE RECOGNITION OF SPARES AND STRIKES AND THE INCLUSION OF THE BONUS POINTS RESULTING THEREFROM; AND (E) MEANS FOR RECORDING THE RESULTS OF EACH FRAME, SAID RESULTS INCLUDING THE CUMULATIVE SCORE AT EACH FRAME, AND AN INDICATION OF SPARES AND STRIKES AT THE FRAME WHERE SAME OCCURRED, SAID RECORDING MEANS OPERATING IN RESPONSE TO SIGNALS FROM SAID ELECTRONIC SWITCHING MEANS.