Flex grip sports ball pitching machine tip
AssigneeWashington State University
InventorsJeffrey Ryan Kensrud, Derek Durand Nevins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A unique configuration is introduced herein for providing a ball machine pitching tip. A linear actuator is coupled to the disclosed ball tip herein having at least one member protruding outwardly from a base and radially positioned about a coupling aperture. Positioned selected frictional contact points configured to an inner surface of the at least one protruding member enables an imbalance of torque on the object as released from the gripping tip from a velocity provided by the linear accelerator. The result is the ability to provide a variety of flight patterns (spins) of a ball for a given sport.
Claims16
A ball machine, comprising:
- a tip comprising
- a base, wherein the base is configured with a thickness to form a coupling aperture;
- at least one member protruding outwardly from the base and radially positioned about the coupling aperture, and wherein the at least one member is further configured with an inner surface area shaped to receive an object;
- a first frictional surface area configured on the inner surface of the at least one member at a first location to frictionally grip the object, wherein the first frictional surface area has a first coefficient of friction;
- a second frictional surface area configured on the inner surface of the at least one member at a second location different from the first location to frictionally grip the object, wherein the second frictional surface area has a second coefficient of friction;
- and
- a shaft secured to or securable to the base of the tip at the coupling aperture to hold the tip at a selected orientation, wherein the shaft and tip are moveable linearly along an axis between a start point and a stop point, wherein the object is released from the tip when the shaft and tip reach the stop point,
- wherein the tip is rotatable to selected positions so as to control an orientation of the first frictional surface area and the second frictional surface area relative to the object received in the tip,
- wherein spin characteristics are imparted to the object as it is released from the tip by at least a plurality of
- the first coefficient of friction,
- the second coefficient of friction, and
- the selected orientation of the tip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.