The non-visible light means in this context light different from the visible light. Ultraviolet light is an example of the non-visible light. The wave lengths of the visible light region are approximately between 400 nm and 700 nm.

A pattern formation means in this context any design on the surface of the bowling lane, which is visible in the non-visible light. To mention a few, the design may include lines, stripes, triangles, rectangles, squares, circles, or free-form figures. The lines or stripes can be straight or curved.

The illumination condition means in this context a lighting mode, which may be created by one light source or a set of light sources. Each light source is capable of creating a range of wave lengths in the non-visible light region.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART WO 00/76605 discloses a bowling lane system including light emitting materials incorporated into the lane. The light emitting materials provide a pattern of visible guide indicia when they are energized by a light source. The pattern comprises a plurality of parallel lines at least half of the length of the lane between the foul line and the pin deck.

US 6,395, 408 discloses a decorative laminate incorporating photoluminescent material. The laminate comprises a core layer, a decorative layer, and possibly an overlay. In the decorative layer or

overlay there is a photoluminescent material, which is impregnated into sheets forming the layers. The decorative laminate can be used in bowling lanes.

US 5,489, 241, US 5,529, 541, and US 5, 888, 142 disclose a bowling lane, which contains ultraviolet light sensitive pigments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A goal of this invention is to provide a bowling assembly, which produces line markings to assist a bowler in the game at the same time with pleasant visual effects when the visible light is dimmed or switched off. When it is possible to see different colors in a pattern formation in the same illuminating condition, or a pattern formation changes its color when an illuminating condition is changed it opens great possibilities to assist the bowler in the game.

Another goal of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing such a bowling assembly.

To reach the goal of the invention the features of the invention and the features related to the invention are described below.

A bowling lane comprises - a substructure, - at least one single bowling lane comprising an approach lane ending to a foul line, a ball track, and a pin deck, and - a gutter travelling on both sides of a single bowling lane, in parallel to the same in the longitudinal direction of the bowling lane.

The length of the bowling lane from the foul line to the pin deck is normally 60 feet long. A first portion of the bowling lane extends 20 feet from the foul line towards the pin deck, and a second portion of the bowling lane extends from the first portion onward.

The substructure comprise a framework composed of beams. They may be wooden beams, or metallic beams. The substructure include

vertical beams, and horizontal beams extending both in the length and the width direction of the lane. The horizontally installed beams of the substructure may have fixing means, which. may constitute counterparts for each other. For example, ends of a beam in the width direction may be hooks having a shape of an upturned U, and a beam extending in the length direction of the lane can be joined to it in such a manner that the beam extending in the length direction remains inside the hook, i. e. the outer surface of the beam follows the contour of the inner surface of the hook.

The bowling lane may have a wooden surface, or a laminate surface.

The laminate surface may comprise simulated boards, which are manufactured in such a manner that there are parallel lines simulating joints between the boards. The parallel lines extend in the length direction of the bowling lane. The lane may include in its first portion a maximum of seven targets forming an uniform pattern, for example triangles forming an arrowhead pattern. In the second portion of the lane there may be a maximum of four targets having an uniform appearance. The targets in the second portion of the lane are not wider than a single simulated board, and they are shorter than 36 inches.

The laminate surface may be constructed from construction elements, which comprise a laminate layer, a board layer, and a supporting structure layer attached to each other. The board layer may be a wood- based board, or a plastic board. The board layer may be fiber- reinforced, for example it may comprise a veneer layer and a glass- fiber or a carbon fiber web attached to it. The supporting structure layer is a cellular structure made of one or more pieces. The supporting structure layer may be a board-like material comprising a wall, which separates cells attached to each other wall to wall. The cross-section of the cell may be a regular hexagon. The supporting structure layer may be of aluminum or plastic. The construction element may have a mirror symmetrical structure in such a way that it can be turned around when the other side has been damaged.

The laminate layer of the bowling lane comprises a pattern formation, which can be varied depending on illumination conditions. The colors

or dyes used in the pattern formation are visible in non-visible light. In non-visible light, the pattern formation can glow. The pattern formation can be formed by means of at least two different colors, which emit light when activated by the non-visible light. The colors have each a range of wave lengths in which range they emit light, i. e. the range is specific for each color. Usually the highest energy output is achieved in the middle of the range, and the edge zones have only a limited energy output. The pattern formation can appear different in different illumination conditions because the colors are activated differently in respect to each illumination condition. The same color component can be of a different color in different ranges of wave lengths, or different color components can be chosen so that each of them can be seen in the different colors in the same illumination condition. Further, a pattern formation can have a sharp border between colors, or there may be other colors among a background color. An illumination condition can be changed only partially to show some specific pattern formation on the lane. In other words, a UV light having a wave length different from other UV lights can be focused to a specific point on the lane. In visible light, the pattern formation can appear as a pale colored pattern, or it can be invisible.

Further, the surface of the bowling lane may include colors, which have a certain afterglow when they have been exposed to visible light. Such colors include phosphorescent materials.

In addition to the colors of the pattern formation, which can be seen in the non-visible light, the surface of the bowling lane may include patterns, which can be seen in the visible light. Such patterns may include for example lines, rectangles, or triangles. In other words, the same bowling lane can be used as an ordinary bowling lane in the visible light, and as a bowling lane creating special visual effects in the non-visible light.

Also colors activated by electric charges, or pressure can be applied in the surface of the bowling lane. A bowling ball running over the lane can leave a detectable track after it when the colors are activated, and thus one can see the route of the ball. The change of the color shall be

reversible. The lane may have a film on its surface, which is activated by pressure.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the change of the pattern formation can be tied up with a score of the bowling game. A scoring system can control the illumination conditions. For example, when a bowler has a spare situation, and only a few pins are erect, the pattern formation may include markings, which point to those erect pins when the color of the markings is activated. The markings assist a bowler to focus a bowling ball.

According to another embodiment of the invention, it is possible that the bowling lane surface show different colors in the same illumination condition. When the illumination condition is changed the colors change but still there are multiple colors on the same surface.

The dyes, which form the pattern formation can be single dyes responding to the UV light or mixtures of dyes or mixtures of dyes and auxiliary substances.

The pattern formation is preferably made by printing. For example, ink- jet printing, silk printing, or rotogravure printing can be used. A laminate layer of a bowling lane comprise several layers one upon the other, which are impregnated with a resin. A layer of a laminate, which is usually a paper layer, is printed to form the pattern formation.

Preferably the printed is not impregnated with resin but a dry sheet without resin is laminated between the resin-containing sheets by using pressure. The printed sheet is preferably of paper. The layer in which the pattern formation is formed can be any laminate layer ; the only prerequisite is that the layers on the pattern formation layer are transparent in such a way that the pattern formation is visible on the surface of the bowling lane.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a bowling lane, and Figs. 2-5 shows some alternatives of a surface of a bowling lane according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In figure 1 is illustrated a cross-sectional view of a bowling lane. The invention can be used in such a bowling lane but the use is not limited to that.

The bowling lane comprises multiple single bowling lanes, which are separated from each other by a gutter 5. The bowling lane has a substructure and construction elements forming a horizontal surface for the bowling lane. The substructure includes horizontal beams extending both in the length direction (beam 1) and in the cross direction of the lane (beam 2), and vertical beams 3 determining the height of the substructure. The substructure is preferably made of metal, such as steel or aluminum. The horizontal beams 1,2 are joined together in such a manner that the ends of one beam are provided with hooks 4 having a shape of an upturned U with sharp edges, and a beam extending in the other direction of the lane remains inside the hook, i. e. the outer surface of the beam follows the contour of the inner surface of the hook 4.

The upper surface of the bowling lane may be constructed from construction elements, which comprise a laminate layer 6, a board layer 7, and a supporting structure layer 8 attached to each other. The board layer may be a wood-based board, or a plastic board. The supporting structure layer 8 is a cellular structure made of one or more pieces. The preferred material for the supporting structure layer 8 is a honeycomb structure made of aluminum or plastic. The construction element may have a mirror symmetrical structure (which is shown in Fig. 1) in such a way that it can be turned around when the other side

has been damaged but the mirror symmetrical structure is not compulsory. Structures having the laminate layer 6 and the board layer 7 only on one side of the supporting structure layer 8 are as well usable.

Figs. 2-5 shows some alternatives of a surface of a bowling lane according to the invention. The surface of the bowling lane comprises simulated boards 9, which are separated from each other by simulated joints 10. The simulated joints may include glowing color visible in the non-visible light. In the daylight, the simulated joints are seen as dark lines. It is also possible that the simulated joints are invisible in the non- visible light. The surface may comprise in its first portion (maximum of 20 feet from the foul line) targets 11 forming an arrowhead pattern. The targets may glow in the non-visible light.

The surface includes in the non-visible light glowing stripes 12. The visual effect can be iridescent. For example, the stripe 12, which is in the middle of the lane can be red. The visual effect can be mirror symmetrical in such a manner that the same color runs on both sides of the red stripes. The colors of the stripes 12 from the red stripe towards the edge of the single bowling lane can be yellow, green, and blue. The simulated joints 10 may be separately visible among the stripe 12, or the joints 10 blend in their background. It is possible to create different colors for example so that a conventional dyestuff is mixed with a fluorescent substance.

In Fig. 2, the width of the stripe 12 is three simulated boards, and there are two ordinary simulated stripes between the stripes 12. In Fig. 3, the width of the stripe 12 is two simulated boards (one plus two halves), and there are two simulated boards, and two halves of simulated boards between the stripes 12. In Fig. 4, the width of the stripe 12 is one simulated board. There are four simulated boards between the stripes 12. In Fig. 5, the stripe 12 is diminished in such a manner that there are only two thick lines 13 on both sides of the simulated joint.

The thick lines 13 exist in series in such a manner that two adjacent simulated joints 10 are bordered at both sides with the thick line 13,

and the next three simulated joints 10 do not have any bordering. Such a sequence extends over the width of the lane.

The color of the stripes 12 or the color of the thick lines 13 may include colors, which change their color when an illumination condition is changed, or colors, which become visible when a certain range of wave lengths is exposed to them. The color may comprise more than one component. The different components of the color may respond differently to the exposed light.

The invention is not restricted to the description above, but the inven- tion may vary within the scope of the claims.