Ball diverter and converger
US5931611A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 11, 1997 |
| Grant date | Aug 3, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 11, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA63B2208/12
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
A ball cleaning system incorporates an object converger and diverter. The converger accepts objects from a plurality of inputs at a housing and uses a flexible tube to selectively connect each input to a single output. A motor, elongated member, and actuator move the flexible tube between inputs. The diverter includes a Y-shaped assembly, a solenoid, and a gate wherein the solenoid selectively moves the gate across the Y-shaped assembly so that objects passing through the Y-shaped assembly are directed down different branches of the Y. The actuator is a linear actuator.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.