Electro-mechanical teeing apparatus for golf balls

• US 4,981,299 A
• Filed: 12/01/1989
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael J. Petrillo
• Original Assignee: Michael J. Petrillo
• Inventors: Petrillo, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Theatrice
• Application Number:
  US07/444,321
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 273/201, 273/202, 273/184 R, 273/35 R, 273/35 B, 273/197 R, 273/197 A
• US Class Current: 473/136
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 47/002 Devices for dispensing balls, e.g. from a reservoir automatic teeing devices A63B57/0006; devices for projecting balls A63B69/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/0006 Automatic teeing devices devices for automatically dispensing balls in general A63B47/002

Abstract

An automatic apparatus for teeing golf balls for practice hitting includes a ball container, an indexer rocker wheel, a ball positioner, and a tee. The indexer rocker wheel carries a ball from an intake position at the container to a discharge position over the ball positioner, and returns for another ball. The ball positioner includes a reversible drive motor and a ball carrier for movement back and forth between a ball pickup position at the indexer to a ball delivery position on the tee. The tubular tee includes a photosensor operatively connected to the drive motor and responsive to light to signal the operation of the ball positioner.

Claims

1. Apparatus for teeing golf balls for practice hitting, including:

a ball container

a ball indexer including a rotatable rocker wheel with a ball cavity on the periphery thereof and adapted for rocking movement from a ball intake position at said container to a ball discharge position, and from said ball discharge position back to said ball intake position;

a ball positioner including a reversible drive motor and a ball carrier operatively connected to said drive motor for movement back and forth between a ball pickup position at said ball indexer and a ball delivery position, said ball positioner further including pickup and delivery stops corresponding to the pickup and delivery positions of said ball carrier; and

a tee including a tube to support a golf ball at said ball delivery position, and a photosensor disposed under said tube on the axis thereof and operatively connected to said drive motor, said photosensor being responsive to the incidence of light thereon to signal the operation of said ball positioner.