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US 5,337,726 AGranted
Hand held pneumatic powered ball thrower
OwnerMichael J. Woodinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pneumatic driven ball thrower employing a pressurized gas to move a piston and connecting rod against a ball at rapid velocity to move the ball a pre-determined velocity. The pressurized gas ram at a pre-determined amount of pressurized gas in a very brief period of time to rapidly accelerate the piston and rod. The device employs a pressurized gas reservoir in proximity to the pressurized gas ram employing a valve with a large gas passage which opens rapidly permitting rapid passage of the pressurized gas from the gas reservoir to the pressurized gas ram.
Claims9
A pneumatic ball thrower comprising:
- a first plenum adapted to receiver and store pressurized as;
- a shuttle comprising a piston and connecting shuttle rod adapted to be driven by the pressurized gas in said first plenum and to drive a ball to a predetermined velocity;
- a tube having a wall and first and second opposing ends adapted to slidably receive the piston in a gas tight relationship to guide the piston when driven pneumatically from the first end towards the second end of said tube, said tube having at least one gas release vent in its wall located towards said second end so that when the piston is driven toward the second end of said tube and past the gas release vent, the pressurized gas in said first plenum exhausts through gas release vent to the atmosphere;
- a second plenum situated at the first end of said tube to receive the pressurized gas form said first plenum, the piston forming one wall of said second plenum the second plenum expanding when said piston is driven by pressurized gas admitted into the second plenum from the first plenum;
- a first valve for releasing pressurized gas from the first plenum into the second plenum in less than 0.01 seconds;
- and
- a ball guide having open opposing first and second ends, the first end of said ball guide secured to the second end of said tube, said piston adapted to drive said shuttle rod within said ball guide to drive a ball along and out of said ball guide at a predetermined velocity.
4 more elements
A pneumatic ball thrower comprising:
- a first plenum adapted to receive and store pressurized gas;
- a shuttle comprising a piston and connecting shuttle rod adapted to be driven by the pressurized gas in said first plenum and to drive a ball to a predetermined velocity;
- a tube having first and second opposing ends adapted to slidably receive the piston in a gas tight relationship to guide the piston when driven pneumatically from the first end towards the second end of said tube, the first end of said tube is adapted to be sealed off with a first valve, the first valve sealing off said first plenum from said second plenum, said first valve actuated by pressurized gas from a fourth plenum, release of the pressurized gas from the fourth plenum rapidly opening said first valve causing pressurized gas from said first plenum to enter said second plenum in less than 0.01 seconds to drive the shuttle down the tube;
- a second plenum situated at the first end of said tube to receive the pressurized gas from said first plenum, the piston forming one wall of said second plenum the second plenum expanding when said piston is driven by pressurized gas admitted into the second plenum form the first plenum;
- and
- a ball guide having open opposing first and second ends, the first end of said ball guide secured to the second end of said tube, said piston adapted to drive said shuttle rod within said ball guide to drive a ball along and out of said ball guide at a predetermined velocity.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.