Pitching practice machine and method
OwnerLucas E. Gardner, Charles R. Gardnerinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A machine catches a pitched baseball or softball, and pneumatically returns the ball to the pitcher without damage to the ball. The pitcher throws the ball into a mat hung inside a housing, which absorbs the ball impact, such that the ball drops onto a sloped floor and roles into a ball return tube. A pressurized air tank delivers air on demand by the pitcher to the tube to project the ball back to the pitcher. The machine is self-contained on wheels for portability.
Claims21
A pitched ball catch and return machine, comprising:
- a housing having an open front, a back wall, opposite sidewalls, a floor, and a top;
- a mat hanging downwardly in front of the back wall to absorb impact from a ball thrown by a pitcher-and then drop the ball onto the floor;
- the floor being sloped downwardly and rearwardly;
- a tube having an inlet adjacent the floor to receive a ball from the floor and to eject the ball out of;
- and
- a pressurized air tank operatively connected to the tube to project the ball out of the inlet of the tube and back to the pitcher;
- wherein the ball is ejected from the tube solely via a blast of air from the pressurized air tank.
(canceled)
The machine of claim 111 wherein the housing, mat, floor, tube, and air tank are all connected to form an integral unit.
A pitching practice method for pitching a ball by a pitcher, comprising:
- throwing the ball against a mat hung in a housing so that the ball drops to a sloped floor and rolls into an open end of a tube connected to a pressurized air tank;
- and
- the pitcher stepping on a switch to actuate the air tank whereby the ball is pneumatically projected out of the open end of the tube and back to the pitcher;
- wherein the ball both enters the tube and exits the tube from the open end of the tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.