Spring type ball throwing device

• US 3,867,921 A
• Filed: 10/26/1973
• Issued: 02/25/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eugene Jim Politzer
• Original Assignee: Eugene Jim Politzer
• Inventors: Politzer, Eugene Jim
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Browne, William R.
• Application Number:
  US05/409,889
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 124/16,9,8,36,41,50,21,26,27 273/26D
• US Class Current: 124/26
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/408 with rotating propelling arm

Abstract

A ball projecting device having a ball deflecting member that moves laterally in response to the operation of movement of a cam which is rotated by a power system. The deflecting member is connected to a lever that is operated with each rotation of the cam to move a member from interrupting the path of flow of balls from a magazine to a position to be projected by a throwing arm. The member that interrupts the flow of balls also causes a member to operate a pivoted lever which prevents balls in the magazine from jamming. A spring biased throwing arm is rotated while building up tension in the spring to rotate the arm to a ball engaging position after the throwing arm has been released from a member that is connected to the rotatable cam.

Claims

1. In a ball throwing device including:

a frame, a driving means for providing a throwing pulse to a ball, said frame supporting said driving means;

a ball magazine mounted on said frame;

a barrel loading chamber mounted on said frame and spaced below said ball magazine; and

ball feeding means, associated with said driving means, for intermittently feeding a ball from said ball magazine to said barrel loading chamber in response to the operation of said driving means;

the improvement comprising;

a ball guide, including a barrel connected at one end thereof to said loading chamber;

a ball deflecting means positioned at the other end of said barrel, and pivotable in response to the operation of said ball feeding means for deflecting a ball through a plurality of trajectories by being alternately pivoted about an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said barrel; and

a control means operatively associated with said ball feeding means for causing said driving means to gradually store up a throwing impulse force while said ball feeding means is feeding a ball into said barrel loading chamber.

2. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said driving means comprises a swivelling lever pivotally mounted on said frame and operated in A throwing pulse stroke by a resilient member rigidly attached to said swivelling lever and said frame;

and a rotatable plate, said rotatable plate being connected to said swivelling lever by a pivotal locking member on said rotatable plate;

said pivotal locking member being rotated out of its locking position by a stop member adjustably mounted on said frame;

said rotatable plate rotates said swivelling lever during a loading stroke of said resilient member; and

means for rotating said rotatable plate.

3. Device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the resilient member includes a torsion operated spring.

4. Apparatus of claim 2 further including a throwing rate setting means comprising:

means for interrupting the operation of said means for rotating said rotatable plate for a predetermined time between each said throwing pulse stroke of said swivelling lever.

5. Device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said distributing means includes:

at least two substantially parallel rods extending below said ball magazine and spaced above said loading chamber, said at least two substantially parallel rods being connected to a resilient means for uging said parallel rods into a position below said ball magazine;

a bossing contained on a portion of said rotating plate;

a distributing lever pivotally mounted on said frame and spaced to be engaged by said bossing;

said distributing lever engaging said parallel rods and moving said parallel rods against the urging of said resilient means, thereby allowing a ball to drop from said ball magazine to said loading chamber, when said distributing lever is pivoted by engagement with said bossing, and allowing said parallel rods to move to a ball flow interrupting position under the urging of said resilient means when said distributing lever disengages from said bossing.

6. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ball guide includes a cylindrical barrel formed by a plurality of linear rigid rods, said rods extending parallel to each other from said loading chamber connecting said loading chamber to said ball deflecting means.

7. Device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ball feeding means is operatively associated with a movable stirring lever extending inside said feeding unit said stirring lever being moved by said ball feeding means to prevent jamming of the balls in said feeding means.

8. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ball deflecting means includes a deflecting opening which is pivotally mounted on said frame by a mounting axis.

9. Device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said mounting axis is substantially vertical and said deflecting opening includes a plate pivotally mounted on an axis substantially perpendicular to said mounting axis of said deflecting opening, said plate being provided with set screw means for setting the angular position of said plate inside said deflecting opening.

10. Device as set forth in claim 9, wherein said plate is associated with a retractable component protruding inside said deflecting opening and constituting a friction element means for causing a ball to rotate when a ball is thrown out of said deflection opening by said throwing pulse.

11. The ball throwing device of claim 8 wherein said control means comprises:

a reverse rocking lever pivotally mounted on said frame and having at least two rest positions;

switching means connected to said reverse rocking lever for moving said rocking lever from one of said at least two rest positions to another of said at least two rest positions;

a finger slidably mounted on said frame, which engages said switching means, said finger being connected to said ball feeding means;

at least one pin member mounted on said deflecting opening;

a control lever connected to said rocking lever, said control lever engaging said at least one pin member on said deflecting opening in response to the movement of said rocking lever by said switching means, when said ball feeding means operates, thereby causing said slidable finger to engage said rocking lever.