Pneumatic ball launching apparatus

• US 5,733,209 A
• Filed: 12/27/1995
• Issued: 03/31/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James O. Mcintyre IV
• Original Assignee: James O. Mcintyre IV
• Inventors: McIntyre, James O. IV
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Theatrice
• Application Number:
  US08/578,859
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 273/26 R, 473/131, 473/132, 473/133, 473/135-136, 473/137
• US Class Current: 473/436
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/401 substantially vertically, e.g. for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/409 with pneumatic ball- or body-propelling means

Abstract

A pneumatic ball launching apparatus propels a ball vertically upward into mid-air without imparting spin on the ball. A pneumatic cylinder is disposed vertically below the top surface of a ground supported platform in axial alignment with the center of an aperture in the top surface of the platform. The pneumatic cylinder has a spring return piston rod with a cup-shaped ball holder secured to its outer end. The cylinder is connected through a valve to a source of pressurized air and the valve is controlled by a timing device. The platform has a downwardly inclined forward portion which slopes inwardly and downwardly from each lateral side to form a central low portion at its forward end. A net extends vertically upward from the forward portion of the platform to catch balls which have hit. A conveyor belt installed in a channel in the forward portion of the platform travels in an endless loop to collect balls which have been hit and carry them toward the pneumatic cylinder and drop them into a queuing ramp having a ball shuttle controlled by the timing device which drops them one at a time into the cup-shaped ball holder. After one ball drops into the ball holder, the timing device opens the valve to supply a blast of air to the cylinder causing the piston rod to travel rapidly upward and stop abruptly to propel the ball from the ball holder vertically upward through the aperture in the platform. The balls hit by the batter into the net drop down and roll to the low portion of the platform to be recycled.

Claims

1. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus comprising;

a vertically positioned pneumatic launch cylinder having an axially extendible piston rod including spring means for automatically retracting said piston rod after extensions, said pneumatic launch cylinder connected with a source of air under pressure for rapidly extending said piston rod; and

a generally cup-shaped ball holder member secured on an outer end of said piston rod;

adjustable regulating means connected between said source of air under pressure and said pneumatic launch cylinder for selectively controlling the pressure of air delivered thereto;

ball queuing ramp means having a lower end disposed adjacent to said cup-shaped ball holder member, an opposed upper end adapted to receive a plurality of balls, and a longitudinal portion extending angularly upward therebetween configured to position and support balls in a descending row along said longitudinal portion;

pneumatically operated ball shuttle means at said lower end of said ball queuing ramp means disposed between said said cup-shaped ball holder member and said descending row of balls, said ball shuttle means being movable between a first position to receive and engage a lowermost one of said balls and a second position to engage a second lowermost one of said balls while releasing said lowermost ball allowing it to drop into said cup-shaped ball holder member;

a first solenoid valve operatively connected between said source of air and said vertically positioned pneumatic launch cylinder for delivering a momentary charge of pressurized air thereto thereby actuating said launch cylinder;

a second solenoid valve operatively connected between said source of air and said ball shuttle means for delivering a momentary charge of pressurized air thereto to move said ball shuttle means between said first and said second positions; and

adjustable electronic timing means including a relay connected with a source of power, said relay connected with said first and said second solenoid valve for controlling the sequence of operation thereof;

said adjustable electronic timing means controlling the time interval between delivery of said momentary charge of air to said ball shuttle means and the delivery of said momentary charge of pressurized air to said pneumatic launch cylinder such that said launch cylinder is actuated after said ball shuttle means is moved from said first position to said second position and said lowermost ball is dropped into said cup-shaped ball holder member;

whereby

said ball which was dropped into said cup-shaped ball holder member is propelled a selected predetermined distance into mid-air upon said launch cylinder piston rod reaching the limit of its extension and thereafter said piston rod is retracted by said spring return means; and

said propelled ball has substantially no spin imparted thereto and can be hit by a person standing adjacent the vertical path of said propelled ball.

2. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

said adjustable electronic timing means comprises a programmable logic controller.

3. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus according to claim 1 wherein

said pneumatic ball shuttle means comprises a first pneumatic cylinder having a first piston rod movable between an extended position above said ramp and a retracted position beneath said ramp and spring means for automatically extending its piston rod after retraction, and a second pneumatic cylinder having having a second piston rod movable between a retracted position beneath said ramp and an extended position beneath said ramp and spring means for automatically retracting its piston rod after extension;

said first and second pneumatic cylinders connected with said second solenoid valve; and

when a momentary charge of pressurized air is delivered to said first and second cylinders, said first piston rod is retracted and said second piston rod is simultaneously extended allowing said descending row of balls to to roll down said ramp past said first piston rod and the lowermost one of said balls to be engaged and stopped by said extended second piston rod, and when air pressure is dumped from said first and second cylinders, said first cylinder spring will extend said first piston rod to engage and stop said second lowermost one of said balls from rolling down the ramp and said second cylinder spring will simultaneously retract said second piston rod allowing the previously stopped lowermost ball to roll off the ramp and drop into said ball holder member.

4. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus according to claim 1 including;

channel means having a first end positioned adjacent to said ball queuing ramp means upper end and a second end positioned a distance away therefrom for receiving a plurality of balls and directing them to said ball queuing ramp means upper end.

5. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus according to claim 1 including;

conveyor means having a first end positioned adjacent said ball queuing ramp means upper end and a second end positioned a distance away therefrom for receiving a plurality of balls and transporting them to said ball queuing ramp means upper end.

6. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus according to claim 5 including;

ball stopping means disposed a distance from said vertically positioned pneumatic cylinder for stopping balls which have been hit after being propelled into mid-air and causing them to drop downwardly; and

collection means at the lower end of said ball stopping means for collecting the dropped balls and directing them onto said conveyor means second end.

7. A pneumatic ball launching apparatus according to claim 1 including;

a ground supported platform having a horizontal top surface on which a person stands to hit a vertically propelled ball and having an aperture through which a ball is propelled, and

said vertically positioned pneumatic cylinder is disposed beneath said top surface in axial alignment with said aperture to propel said ball through said aperture upon said piston rod reaching the limit of its extension.

8. A method of pneumatically propelling a ball vertically upward into the air with substantially no spin imparted to the ball so that it may be hit by a person, comprising the steps of;

supporting a pneumatic launch cylinder vertically on a flat surface, said launch cylinder connected to a source of air under pressure and having a first solenoid valve between said source of air and said vertically positioned launch cylinder, and having an axially extendible piston rod and spring return means for automatically retracting said piston rod after extension, an having a generally cup-shaped ball holder member secured on an outer end of said piston rod;

providing a ball queuing ramp having a lower end disposed adjacent to said cup-shaped ball holder, an opposed upper end adapted to receive a plurality of balls, and a longitudinal portion extending angularly upward therebetween configured to position and support said balls in a descending row along said longitudinal portion;

providing pneumatically operated shuttle means at the lower end of said ball queuing ramp disposed between said cup-shaped ball holder member and said descending row of balls, said shuttle means being movable between a first position to receive and engage a lowermost one of said balls and a second position to engage a second lowermost one of said balls while releasing said lowermost ball allowing it to drop into said cup-shaped ball holder member, said ball shuttle means connected to said source of air through a second solenoid valve;

depositing a plurality of balls in said ball queuing ramp upper end; and

actuating said second solenoid valve to deliver a momentary charge of pressurized air to said ball shuttle means to move said ball shuttle means from said first position to said second position allowing said lowermost ball to drop into said cup-shaped ball holder while engaging said second lowermost ball on said ramp longitudinal portion to retain said row of balls thereon; and

thereafter

delivering a momentary charge of pressurized air to said first solenoid valve to rapidly extend said launch cylinder piston rod and thereby propel said ball in said cup-shaped ball holder member a predetermined distance into mid-air upon said piston rod reaching the limit of its extension and thereafter retracting;

whereby

said propelled ball has substantially no spin imparted thereto and can be hit by a person standing adjacent the vertical path of said propelled ball.