Bowling-lane maintenance machine and method

Claim 1

A BOWLING LANE MAINTENANCE MACHINE, COMPRISING A FRAME, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE FRAME FOR FORWARD AND REVERSE MOVEMENT LENGTHWISE OF THE LANE, A BRUSH OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE WIDTH ACROSS A BOWLING LANE AND COMPRISING A PLURALITYOF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED AND STAGGERED ROWS OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED TUFTS OF BRISTLES, THE BRUSH BEING MOUNTED TO BE DISPOSED TRANVERSELY OF THE BOWLING LANE AND TO MAKE SWEEPING CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE BOWLING LANE OVER SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE TRANSVERSE WIDTH OF THE LANE, AND BEING ROTATABLE IN REARWARD-SWEEPING DIRECTION, HOOD-FORMING MEANS INCLUDING A REAR WALL LYING IN CLOSECLEARNACE RELATION WITH THE UPWARD-MOVING PERIPHERYL OF THE BRUSH AND AN UPPER WALL EXTENDING OVER THE BRUSH AND A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE FORWARDLY OF THE BRUSH, SAID MEANS PROVIDING RELATIVELY SMALL CLEARANCE FROM THE BRUSH AT THE REARWARD PORTION OF THE BRUSH PERIPHERY, AND DEFINING IN FRONT OF THE BRUSH A MIST CHAMBER WHICH HAS A CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF THE BRUSH OF THE SAME ORDER AS THAT OF THE BRUSH, WHICH EXTENDS TRANSVERSELY SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL WIDTH OF THE LANE, WHICH IS CLOSED AT THE FRON AND OPENS DOWNWARD TO THE UNDERLYING SURFACE OF THE LANE, AND TO WHICH THE BRUSH IS OPENLY EXPOSED IN AIR CIRCULATING RELATION, POWER MEANS MOUNTED ON THE MACHINE FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING THE BRUSH IN SAID REARWARD-SWEEPING DIRECTION, A PLURALITY OF SPRAY NOZZLES DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION LONITUDINALLY OF THE MIST CHAMBER AND INWARD FROM THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID NOZZLES BEING LIMITED-CAPACITY, FINELY-ATOMIZING NOZZLES FOR DISCHARGING A LIMITED QUANTITY OF FINELY ATOMIZED LANE DRESSING LIQUID INTO THE MIST CHAMBER, AND BEING CONSTRUCTED, POSITIONED AND DIRECTED TO DISCHARGE SUCH FINELY ATOMIZED LIQUID INTO THE AIR CIRCULATING IN THE MIST CHAMBER WHILE SUBSTANTIALLY AVOIDING DIRECT IMPINGEMENT OF THE LIQUID EITHER ON TO THE BRUSH OR ON TO THE UNERLYING LANE SURFACE AND THEREBY TO FORM A FINE MIST OF ATOMIZED LIQUID IN SUCH AIR TO BE DEPOSTIED THEREFROM ON TO THE LANE SURFACE, AND MEANS TO CONTROL THE PERIOD DURING WHICH SUCH NOZZLES ARE EFFECTIVE.