Ball pitching machine with selective adjustment between drive and pressure wheels
US4655190A · kind A · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 7, 1986 |
| Grant date | Apr 7, 1987 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 7, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63B69/406
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A ball pitching machine including a mainframe, a subframe pivotally attached to and selectively tiltable with respect to said mainframe, and a bracket pivotally attached to and selectively pivotable with respect to said subframe. The subframe supports a drive and attached drive wheel while the bracket supports a radially aligned pressure wheel. The bracket includes an A-frame member and the pressure wheel is rotatably supported at its apex. A guide tube having a discharge end disposed intermediate the drive wheel and the pressure wheel directs a ball in contact with the rotating drive wheel. The machine can pitch balls of various diameters such as baseballs and softballs since the spacing between the drive wheel and the pressure wheel is selectively adjustable by pivoting the bracket with respect to the subframe. Also, the amount of pressure applied by the pressure wheel determines the speed at which the ball is ejected from the machine. Further, the trajectory of the ball can be controlled by selectively tilting the subframe with respect to the mainframe.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.