Patent Application
20130069324
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally concerns carriers to protect and transport bowling equipment, and in particular, wheeled ball carriers used for the prevention of pain, discomfort and injury to the musculoskeletal systems of the human body caused or exacerbated by lifting, pulling or otherwise transporting equipment and accessories related to bowling activities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Symptoms of ailments and injuries specific to the aforementioned system of the human body may be:
Some of the pre-existing medical conditions that are affected by lifting or pulling heavy equipment are as follows: post surgical conditions (open heart surgery), varicose veins, osteoporosis/osteopenia, vertigo, stroke, and various symptoms or secondary injury/conditions that are aggravated by lifting are as follows:
In the human body, the brain initiates motor movement to obtain a certain outcome in daily repetitive or sustained tasks such as lifting a bag or a suit case. When a human being lifts heavy items, there is a chain of neurological events involved from the brain to the working muscles. If the object is too heavy or causes strain on any region of the body, injury may occur in any body part from the low back to the wrist.
Specifically, the mechanism of lifting a bowling ball bag begins in the brain to initiate the task. The person uses the lumbar spine for stability and balance, and the cervical and shoulder complex absorb the gravitational forces caused by the weight of the object. The elbow, wrist and hand adapt to the stress that occurs at these joints and the object is able to be moved. Repetitive lifting of any object may place stress and strain on the involved structures. Given the weight of bowling balls in a bowling bag, the repetitive stress on the body's structures is unusually large compared to other tasks, as the weight of the average single bowling ball and a rolling bag is approximately 23 pounds, and the weight of 6 balls and a rolling bag is approximately 108 pounds. When lifted, forces are applied unevenly to mainly the lifting side of the human body, secondary to habit or hand dominance. This causes asymmetrical strain that is proportional to the weight of the objects being lifted or carried. Repeated lifting and extended periods of time carrying heavy equipment up stairs or over obstacles increase this strain on the back, neck, shoulder complex, elbow, wrist and hand. Various conditions may occur secondary to the stress and strain the body endures such as low back, thoracic or cervical strains, herniated discs and thoracic outlet syndrome. Also noted are stress on the brachial plexus, and various inflammatory conditions such as biceps tendonitis, lateral epicondylitis and Dequervain's tenosynovitis,
It is, therefore, imperative to address the challenge of reducing the requirement for lifting an object such as a bowling bag to promote ease and comfort in a task that may cause unnecessary injury or discomfort. The creation of a bowling ball carrier with an indexing wheel mechanism enables the user to avoid excessive lifting/carrying, serving to decrease the gravitational forces acting on the low back, thoracic and cervical regions, as well as the shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand. By creating a bowling ball carrier which allows the user to pull a full load of bowling equipment using proper posture and increased joint/core stability, the likelihood of injury is vastly decreased. The indexing wheel assembly climbs curbs or stairs with decreased pressure on the joints previously mentioned. The stability of an indexing wheel assembly serves to prevent the ball carrier from tipping/twisting upon hitting an obstacle while being pulled. Such an event causes stress specifically to the wrist, elbow and shoulder, and there exists a disproportionate percentage of traumatic injuries from tipping/twisting among bowlers. Generally, this mechanism allows the bowler to conserve energy and avoid injury during normal sporting travel.
There is a well-documented need for wheeled and non-wheeled bags that perform at least one of the following functions:
A number of products are known that have attempted to address these needs for the protection from, prevention and alleviation of symptoms related to lifting.
Among these is the standard zippered bowling ball storage bag, which is a canvas or leather bag, which may be lifted and carried over the shoulder by a strap, or may be attached to a metal wheeled frame and wheeled along a generally flat surface. Such bags are readily available on the market in models designed to carry 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 bowling balls, and optionally, bowling shoes and personal items. Several existing bags have attempted to address issues related to both the stability of the bag while wheeling or standing upright, and challenges in navigating over obstacles while being pulled. In addressing instability issues, some existing products have incorporated wheels that are larger in diameter than the majority of bags, and set the wheels slightly farther apart. While this does address stability over relatively flat terrain, any event which upsets the equal horizontal level of the wheels carries a risk of tipping the bag, and therefore twisting and injuring the user's wrist. Additionally, a higher center of gravity of the load increases this risk of tipping/twisting, with the greatest risk from the popular “tower style” bag, which stacks 3 bowling balls vertically in the bag. While larger wheels do serve to increase the height of obstacles which may be cleared by a wheeled bag, they do not address the prevention of injuries related to tipping or twisting of the bag when wheeled. There are no existing cases where a flight of stairs is addressed as an obstacle navigable by design. While initially providing workable solutions, these products are ineffective due to:
None of the numerous products in the patent process, or already available in the market, achieves any stability property that sufficiently addresses the issue of tipping/twisting, nor does any address obstacle navigating properties on obstacles such as stairs or curbs.
It is an object of the present invention, herein referred to as the Super Climbing Anti-Twist (SCAT) assembly, to provide a wheeled bowling ball carrier that addresses the above issues in a unique and more effective manner than currently available bowling bags. In addition, the present invention addresses previously unaddressed issues pertaining to the need for stability, preventing tipping/twisting, navigating obstacles, climbing stairs and independent operation of each of two wheel hubs while being wheeled or standing upright.
This object is achieved in accordance with the present invention by a wheeled bowling ball carrier that is formed by a static frame joined to an indexing wheel assembly in a hub-and-axle connection. The indexing wheel assembly is comprised of two hubs, each with three evenly spaced wheels, forming a triangular configuration. Smooth operation of the ball carrier while being wheeled is achieved by the use of friction resistant technology such as ball bearings. The frame may be enclosed so as to form a closed container, such as a bag. The interior of the bag can have hook and loop tape attachments to secure any of a number of inserts to the bottom surface of the bag, achieving full user configurability of the internal storage cavity as desired. To provide the option of carrying the bag, carrying handles or an adjustable shoulder strap may be attached to the bag. One or two stops are attached to the underside of the frame to allow vertical stability when the carrier is not being wheeled. A retractable handle allows for the comfortable pulling of the carrier for users of a wide variety of heights. The SCAT-carrier assembly may be easily wheeled within the home or bowling facility over either smooth surfaces, over obstacles such as curbs, or on a flight of stairs. The ability of the wheel assembly of the SCAT-carrier assembly to allow independent operation of each hub provides un-paralleled stability and resistance to tipping/twisting.
Compared to existing products, the SCAT-carrier assembly exhibits superior stability, user-set configurability, and the facility to operate over curbs, obstacles or stairs, thereby making the SCAT-carrier assembly much more amenable to use in the storage, protection and transportation of bowling balls and related equipment. Particular attention is paid to the prevention of new, or exacerbation of existing, injuries or pathologies experienced by a user, with causes directly related to bowling activities. Because the hubs of the indexing wheel assembly can operate independently on uneven surfaces, over curbs or on stairs, users are, for the first time, able to transport bowling equipment in a solution that addresses the prevention of injury to the user, navigation of uneven terrain and navigation over curbs and stairs, where previously no solution existed.
The SCAT-carrier assembly can be made available in various heights, widths, and lengths so as to provide a range of models that satisfy the equipment requirements of all bowling activities. The versatility and configurability of the SCAT-carrier assembly allows the user a significant degree of customization to configure the storage cavity of the SCAT-carrier assembly to provide each person with the most appropriate configuration that simultaneously maximizes the ability to navigate surfaces that are not level and minimizes the introduction of new, or exacerbation of existing, pain, discomfort, or other physical symptoms.
a, 5b, 5c and 5d are front views of various individual storage inserts for the SCAT-carrier assembly in accordance with the present invention, for use in storing and protecting bowling balls, shoes/clothing, personal effects, scoring systems and other paraphernalia associated with bowling activities.
The frame F may be provided with an enclosure, such as a bag B, which rests on the lower member of the frame F. The bag B may be formed of any suitable material, such as fabric, canvas, leather or any such material appropriate for the protection or transportation of bowling equipment.
The interior of the SCAT-carrier assembly shown in
Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the inventors to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of their contribution to the art.
