Athletic ball server
OwnerCarl Dwain Bewleyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an athletic ball server, a collapsible tripod supports an elongated inclined tray containing a linear array of balls. A gate at the low end of the tray cyclically releases balls one at a time from the array to gravity. One edge of a trampoline is pivoted on the tripod. The central portion of the trampoline is aligned to bounce a ball released from the tray. An eye-bolt is connected between the tripod and the trampoline allowing the angular position of the trampoline to be varied. By adjusting the eye-bolt, it is possible to achieve any desired trajectory of the bounced ball from a pop-up or slow pitch trajectory to a ground ball trajectory.
Claims19
An athletic ball server comprising a support structure, an elongated inclined tray mounted atop said support structure for supporting a linear array of athletic balls, a gate mounted at a low end of said tray for cyclically releasing balls of the array one at a time from said low end of said tray to gravity, a trampoline-like platform mounted by a pivot at one edge thereof to said support structure with a central portion of said platform beneath said low end of said tray and aligned to bounce a ball released to free-fall by gravity from said low end of said tray onto said platform and an adjustable linkage connected between said support structure and said platform for setting an angular position of a plane of said platform defined by a pivotal axis of said pivot and a distal edge of said platform to achieve a desired trajectory of a bounced ball therefrom.
An athletic ball server comprising a support structure, an elongated inclined tray mounted atop said support structure for supporting a linear array of athletic balls, a gate for cyclically releasing balls of the array one at a time from a low end of said tray to gravity, a trampoline-like platform mounted by a pivot at one edge thereof to said support structure with a central portion of said platform beneath said low end of said tray and aligned to bounce a ball released to gravity from said low end of said tray and first and second spaced apart adjustable linkages connected between said support structure and said platform, said first and second linkages being cooperable for setting an angular position of said platform to achieve a desired trajectory of a bounced ball therefrom.
An athletic ball server comprising a support structure, an elongated inclined tray mounted atop said support structure for supporting a linear array of athletic balls, a wheel mounted proximate a low end of said tray for rotation on a shaft transverse to said elongated tray, said wheel having a circumference aligned with and obstructing travel of the linear array of balls, said circumference having a slot for receiving balls one at a time therein from the linear array and for releasing the received ball at said low end of said tray as said wheel rotates, a drive motor connected to said shaft, a power source for energizing said drive motor to cyclically release balls of the array one at a time from said low end of said tray to gravity, a trampoline-like platform mounted by a pivot at one edge thereof to said support structure with a central portion of said platform beneath said low end of said tray and aligned to bounce a ball released to gravity from said low end of said tray and an adjustable linkage connected between said support structure and said platform for setting an angular position of a plane of said platform defined by a pivotal axis of said pivot and a distal edge of said platform to achieve a desired trajectory of a bounced ball therefrom.
An athletic ball server comprising a support structure, an elongated inclined tray mounted atop said support structure for supporting a linear array of athletic balls, a gate mounted at a low end of said tray, a trampoline-like platform aligned on a mechanically unimpeded path beneath said gate to receive and bounce a ball released to free-fall by gravity from said gate and angularly oriented to impart a trajectory to a ball bounced thereon away from said platform and means for activating said gate to continuously, automatically, cyclically release balls of the array one at a time from said gate to free-fall by gravity onto said platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.