Bucket feeder for a ball projecting machine

A ball feeder assembly for a ball projecting machine, the ball feeder assembly configured for supporting a cylindrical ball bucket containing a plurality of balls, the bucket longitudinally extending from a closed bottom end to an open top end along a longitudinal axis, the ball feeder assembly comprising:

• a stand;
• an upper frame movably coupled to the stand between at least a first bucket loading position in which the upper frame is configured to support the bucket in a generally upright position with the upper top end at a higher elevation than the bottom end such that the longitudinal axis of the bucket is at angle within the range of between 0 and 80 degrees from a vertical plane, and a second ball feed position in which the upper frame is configured to support the bucket in a downward position with the bottom end at a higher elevation than the upper end such that the longitudinal axis is within the range of 5 to 90 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane;
• a ball delivery element coupled to the frame;
• and
• a ball feed member coupled to the ball delivery element.

A ball feeder assembly configured to deliver a plurality of balls to a ball projecting machine, the ball feeder assembly comprising:

• a stand;
• an upper frame movably coupled to the stand;
• a first adjustment mechanism coupled to at least one of the stand and the upper frame, the first adjustment mechanism including a first adjusting element that, when repositioned, incrementally rotates the upper frame about a first pivot axis;
• a cylindrical ball bucket removably coupled to the upper frame, the bucket longitudinally extending from a closed bottom end to an open top end along a longitudinal axis;
• a ball delivery element including a ball receiving surface defining at least one ball inlet aperture, and a ball feed surface defining at least one ball outlet aperture;
• and
• a ball feed member coupled to the ball delivery element.