Baseball batting practice range with ball return means

• US 3,306,613 A
• Filed: 07/29/1964
• Issued: 02/28/1967
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1964
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Artez F. Mainers
• Original Assignee: Artez F. Mainers
• Inventors: Mainers, Artez F.
• Application Number:
  US04/385,974
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• US Class Current: 473/436
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/406 with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or bodies by friction

Claims

1. IN A BALL BATTING RANGE, A SURFACE FOR RECEIVING THE BATTED BALLS, AN ACCUMULATING AREA FOR THE BALLS DEPRESSED FROM SAID SURFACE, SAID SURFACE BEING INCLINED TO SAID ACCUMULATING AREA WHEREBY THE BALLS WILL ROLL INTO SAID ACCUMULATING AREA, FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS IN SAID ACCUMULATING AREA FOR CONVEYING THE ACCUMULATED BALLS TOWARDS A SIDE OF SAID RANGE, A VERTICAL TRANSFER CONVEYOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE BALLS FROM SAID FIRST CONVEYOR MEANS AND LIFTING THEM UPWARDLY, AN UPPER CONVEYOR MEANS SPACED ABOVE SAID SURFACE FOR RECEIVING THE BALLS FROM SAID TRANSFER CONVEYOR MEANS AND MOVING THEM ABOVE AND ACROSS SAID SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF LATERALLY SPACED BALL PITCHING MACHINES SUPPORTED FROM SAID SURFACE IN FRONT OF SAID UPPER CONVEYOR MEANS, A PLURALITY OF CHUTE MEANS RESPECTIVELY LEADING FROM SAID UPPER CONVEYOR MEANS ALONG THE LENGTH THEREOF TO RECEIVE BALLS THEREFROM AND TO CARRY THEM TO AN ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID BALL PITCHING MACHINES, A PLURALITY OF SELECTIVE RELEASE MEANS RESPECTIVELY INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID CHUTE MEANS AND ITS ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID BALL PITCHING MACHINES FOR RELEASING THE BALLS ONE AT A TIME TO ITS ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID BALL PITCHING MACHINES, COIN-ACTUATED MEANS COUPLED TO SAID RELEASE MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID RELEASE MEANS A PRE-DETERMINED LENGTH OF TIME UPON DEPOSIT OF A COIN;

EACH OF SAID BALL PITCHING MACHINES COMPRISING A HOLLOW CIRCULAR HOUSING HAVING A CYLINDRICAL INNER SURFACE, A WHEEL ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING IN CONCENTRIC RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID INNER SURFACE, MEANS COUPLED TO SAID WHEEL FOR ROTATING SAID WHEEL, SAID HOUSING BEING OPEN FOR A SEGMENT THEREOF TO PROVIDE AN INLET OPENING TO RECEIVE BETWEEN SAID WHEEL AND SAID INNER SURFACE THE BALL TO BE PITCHED AND TO PROVIDE AN EXIT OPENING THROUGH WHICH THE BALL IS ADAPTED TO EXIT, SAID WHEEL INCLUDING A CONCAVE RIM SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-CIRCULAR IN CROSSSECTION AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE ONE SIDE OF THE BALL WITH THE REMOTE PORTION OF THE BALL ENGAGING SAID INNER SURFACE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID INNER SURFACE AND THE MIDPORTION OF SAID RIM BEING LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE BALL TO BE PITCHED WHEREBY THE BALL IS COMPRESSED WHEN RECEIVED BETWEEN SAID WHEEL AND SAID INNER SURFACE AND IS ROLLED AROUND SAID INNER SURFACE FROM SAID INLET OPENING TO SAID EXIT OPENING WHERE IT FLIES FREE OF SAID MACHINE.