Solid anti-friction devices – materials therefor – lubricant or se – Lubricants or separants for moving solid surfaces and... – Organic compound containing silicon
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-15
2001-07-31
McAvoy, Ellen M. (Department: 1764)
Solid anti-friction devices, materials therefor, lubricant or se
Lubricants or separants for moving solid surfaces and...
Organic compound containing silicon
C508S371000, C508S372000, C508S389000, C508S390000, C508S547000, C508S562000, C508S583000, C508S591000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06268315
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to the preparation and care of bowling lanes and, more particularly, to a conditioning oil for use on bowling lanes.
2. Related Art
Conditioning oil is applied to the surface of bowling lanes to provide proper ball action. The oil is applied to the head and center portions of each lane so that the ball will slide over them and then grip the surface as it approaches the pin deck.
The oil has a significant effect on the manner in which the ball travels down the lane, and proper oiling is very important for consistent action and scoring. If the oil gets picked up by the ball and carried down the lane or is pushed down the lane ahead of the ball, the oil can get onto the pin deck where it can cause the pins to slide around instead of falling. If the oil gets into the ball return machine, it can gum the machine up and interfere with its operation.
With too little oil, the ball does not slide far enough before taking hold of the lane, which results in too much hook or hooking or in an unpredictable and uncontrollable manner.
In addition, channels can form in the oil where the balls have travelled, causing uneven oil patterns and further inconsistencies in the manner in which the balls behave on the lane.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new and improved conditioning oil for use on bowling lanes.
Another object of the invention is to provide a conditioning oil of the above character which substantially eliminates the problems associated with the lane oils of the prior art.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by providing a lane conditioning oil which contains a mixture of mineral oil, a leveling agent, and an antistatic agent. The mineral oil is a combination of paraffin and petroleum based mineral oils and/or a polyalphaolefin synthetic oil, and in some embodiments, the mixture also includes a flow agent, a fluorescent whitening agent, a lubricity agent, and a surfactant.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The major component of the conditioning oil is the oil itself which can be a combination of a paraffinic based mineral oil, a petroleum based mineral oil and/or a synthetic oil.
A high grade paraffin mineral oil which is crystal clear in appearance can be used as the base for the mixture. It comprises about 60 to 85 percent of the mineral oil mixture. The paraffin oil is refined to eliminate long carbon chains and preferably has no more than about 20 to 30 carbon atoms per molecule.
A petroleum based mineral oil can be combined with the paraffin oil so as to constitute about 10 to 20 percent of the mixture. The petroleum based oil has a higher viscosity than the paraffin based oil and tends to adhere to the lanes somewhat better than the lighter paraffin oil. That is an important characteristic in preventing the oil from carrying down the lane with the ball. The heavier oil also provides better ball control and better ball action on the portion of the lane to which the oil is applied.
Synthetic oils such as polyalphaolefins (PAOs) can likewise be used as the base for the mixture and can comprise about 60 to 85 percent of it. The PAO preferably has a high purity, a narrow molecular weight distribution, a minimally long carbon chain (no more than about 24 to 36 carbon atoms per molecule), crystal clarity and is wax free, with a viscosity on the order of 1.5 to 9 centistoke. Such oils are based on decene, a common building block for synthetic lubricant stocks. PAOs such as Chevron Chemical's SYNFLUIDS and Amoco's DURASYNS have been found to impart very desirable lubricity properties to the lane oil.
For greater quantities of oil and stronger oil ratio patterns (i.e., top hat condition), lower viscosity oils can be employed. For lower amounts of lane dressing and weaker oil pattern ratios, higher viscosities are used.
With some of the machines which are used for applying the oil to the lanes, it is desirable to include a flow agent in the mixture. Such machines have a wick of felt material which carries the oil from a trough to the roller which applies it to the lanes. The flow agent thins the oil so that it is better able to travel up the wick and onto the roller. Once the oil has been applied to the lanes, the flow agent evaporates or “flashes off” and does not affect the performance of the oil. Newer felt materials provide a better wicking action and may be able to carry the oil without the flow agent, in which case the flow agent can be eliminated from the mixture. The amount of flow agent which is used is on the order of 0 to about 8 percent (by volume) of the mixture. Suitable flow agents include xylene, toluene, isopropyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, and acetylenic alcohol.
Lane conditioning oils based on PAOs have been found to give enhanced flow through the wicks and orifices of application machines, as compared with conditioning oils which are based on mineral oils. In addition, lane oils formulated with PAOs provide an improved viscosity index as compared with oils based on mineral oil. This means that when the application temperature decreases, the viscosity of the oil does not in crease as much, which is a distinct advantage in cold weather.
A fluorescent whitening agent is included in the mixture in order to meet the requirements of the American Bowling Congress. That agent enables lane men to check the thickness of the oil which has been applied to the lanes and to insure that it is within prescribed standards. The whitening agent constitutes about 0.03 percent (by volume) of the mixture.
In some applications, a lubricity agent composed of various hydrocarbon lubrication oils is included in the mixture to help the ball hold the lane better and to react better. In many applications, the lubricity agent is not required, in which case it can be omitted from the mixture. When included, the lubricity agent constitutes about 0.1 to 2.0 percent of the mixture.
It has been found that superior lubricity is provided by liquid polyethylene, glyceryl monoesters such as Pationic 907 from American Ingredients Company, and a monoglyceride derived from vegetable oils.
Other suitable lubricity agents include organic fatty acids such as C
16
to C
24
saturated fatty acids and mono-unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., palmitic, stearic, and oleic); fatty saturated and unsaturated amides, including C
18
to C
22
fatty saturated and unsaturated primary amides (e.g., stearamide, oleamide and erucamide), secondary fatty amides (e.g., stearyl erucamide and stearyl stearamide), and ethylene bisamides (e.g., N,N′-ethylene bistearamide and N,N′-ethylene bisoleamide); phosphoric acid esters such as tricresyl phosphate, cresyl diphenyl phosphate, and alkyl organic phosphate ester acid; polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE or Teflon®) beads; polyethylene waxes; wax dispersions from PTFE and polyethylene; polyether-modified silicones; and zinc dithiophosphate.
A leveling agent is included in the mixture so that the oil on the lane will close behind the ball and remain level, rather than forming channels which could affect the action of subsequent balls. If the oil did not flow back, balls would begin hooking where they used to slide, and the ball action would be inconsistent. The leveling agent comprises on the order of about 0.1 to 2.0 percent (by volume) of the mixture. If too much leveling agent is used, the oil will tend to build up and splatter in front of the ball, thereby producing an undesirable effect of carrying the oil down the bowling lane.
Suitable leveling agents include polydimethyl polysiloxanes such as polyether modified dimethyl polysiloxane copolymers; calcium alkaryl sulfonates, either petroleum derived or synthetic; acetylenic diols such as Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Surfynol HS-30; acetylenic alcohols such as Air Products & Chemicals, Inc. Surfynol 61; silicone glycol copolymers (e.g., ethyl acrylate); and acrylic copolymers (e.g., ethyl acrylate/2-ethylhexyl acrylate copolymer solution in xylene).
Baca Joseph Samuel
Beaudet Hermas N.
Flehr Hohbach Test Albritton & Herbert LLP
Lane Masters, Inc.
McAvoy Ellen M.
LandOfFree
Conditioning oil for bowling lanes does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Conditioning oil for bowling lanes, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Conditioning oil for bowling lanes will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2566516