US20030125139A1 - Apparatus for providing a controlled propulsion of elements toward a receiving member - Google Patents
Apparatus for providing a controlled propulsion of elements toward a receiving member Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20030125139A1 US20030125139A1 US10/037,668 US3766802A US2003125139A1 US 20030125139 A1 US20030125139 A1 US 20030125139A1 US 3766802 A US3766802 A US 3766802A US 2003125139 A1 US2003125139 A1 US 2003125139A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- individual
- disposed
- switch
- transmitter
- signals
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0002—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/40—Stationarily-arranged devices for projecting balls or other bodies
- A63B69/406—Stationarily-arranged devices for projecting balls or other bodies with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or bodies by friction
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0002—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball
- A63B2069/0004—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball specially adapted for particular training aspects
- A63B2069/0008—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball specially adapted for particular training aspects for batting
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2208/00—Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player
- A63B2208/12—Characteristics or parameters related to the user or player specially adapted for children
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2225/00—Miscellaneous features of sport apparatus, devices or equipment
- A63B2225/50—Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0024—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for hockey
- A63B69/0026—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for hockey for ice-hockey
Definitions
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1 licensed to the assignee of record of this application discloses and claims an apparatus for overcoming the disadvantages discussed in the previous paragraph.
- the apparatus in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1 provides for a control by an individual (e.g. a batter) of the times when a machine propels an element (e.g. a ball) to an individual (e.g. a batter) so that the individual can swing a member (e.g. a bat) against the ball.
- the apparatus of this invention is portable even by pre-teenagers so that the individual operating the member (e.g. the bat) can practice anywhere including the individual's backyard or a friend's backyard.
- the apparatus of this invention is especially designed to be used by pre-teenagers.
- a member e.g. a baseball bat
- a switch disposed on the member and manually operable to obtain the transmission of signals from a transmitter in the member to the apparatus which propels an element (e.g. a ball) toward an individual holding the member when the apparatus receives the signals transmitted from the member.
- a transmitter disposed on the hand of an individual sends signals when a switch also disposed on the individual's hand is manually actuated between first and second states.
- the switch may be disposed on one of the individual's fingers and the transmitter may be formed from integrated circuits and may be disposed on the individual's wrist.
- the signals from the transmitter are received by apparatus which propels elements (e.g. balls) toward the individual. The individual then attempts to hit the element with a member such as a bat.
- FIG. 2 is a sectional view in elevation of the pitching apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as seen from a position in front of the apparatus;
- FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the pitching apparatus as seen from a position to one side of the apparatus;
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view in elevation of the bat and includes a switch disposed on the bat and manually operable to provide for a transmission of signals from the bat to the pitching apparatus;
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a transmitter in the bat for transmitting signals to the pitching apparatus upon the closure of the switch in FIG. 4 and a block diagram of a receiver in the pitching apparatus for receiving the signals transmitted from the bat and for activating the pitching apparatus to propel a ball toward the bat;
- FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation, similar to that shown in FIG. 2, of a modified apparatus for propelling an element.
- a switch 16 (FIG. 4) is provided on the bat 14 , preferably at a position above the positions on the handle portion where the batter's hands 18 grip the bat when the batter is swinging at the ball 12 .
- the switch 16 is depressed by the batter when the batter desires to have the apparatus 10 propel the ball 12 toward the batter.
- the housing 52 is provided with a hollow passage 58 . Holes 60 may be provided in the housing 52 at progressive positions along the passage 58 , primarily for aesthetic purposes.
- the ball 12 is adapted to be disposed in the hollow passage 58 against a plurality of annularly spaced fingers 62 in a rotatable detainer 64 disposed in the housing 52 and having a shape such as a star wheel.
- the detainer 64 is normally engaged by a release mechanism 65 which is actuated to be withdrawn from engagement with the detainer when a solenoid 66 is energized.
- the motor 74 and the roller 76 in each individual one of the pockets 70 are operatively coupled to each other to provide a rotation of the roller in accordance with the energizing of the motor.
- the rollers 76 are preferably made from a resilient material and are preferably extended into the hollow passage 58 to grip the opposite ends of the ball 12 in the passage and to propel the ball from the passage in accordance with the rotation of the rollers.
- the motors 74 and the rollers 76 may be considered as a propulsion mechanism.
- the motors 74 are energized only when the ball 12 is in the hollow passage 58 in a position to be propelled from the hollow passage when a signal from the transmitter 20 is received by the receiver 32 . Furthermore, energy is conserved in the battery 56 to prolong the life of the battery since the battery provides energy to the motors 74 only when the ball 12 is disposed in the hollow passage 58 .
- FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a preferred embodiment, generally indicated at 100 , of the invention.
- the preferred embodiment 100 includes a switch 102 disposed on a flexible sleeve 104 .
- the sleeve 104 may preferably be formed from an electrically insulating material and may be formed to be disposed on a finger 106 of the batter.
- An oscillator, generally indicated at 108 may be disposed on a band 110 which may be disposed on the wrist of the batter.
- the band 110 may be preferably formed from an electrically insulating material. As shown schematically in FIG.
- FIGS. 7 and 8 are advantageous because the bat 14 can be retained on the batter's shoulder while the switch 102 is actuated to obtain the transmission of signals by the oscillator 108 toward the batter. This gives the batter additional time to prepare himself, and to position the bat, for striking the ball 14 propelled by the apparatus 10 toward the batter.
- the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is also advantageous because the positioning of the switch 102 allows the switch to be easily manipulated.
- FIG. 9 shows an arrangement in which four (4) rollers 120 and four (4) motors 122 for actuating the rollers are provided.
- the four (4) rollers 120 can be disposed in a quadrant relationship and in four (4) motors 122 are also disposed in a quadrant relationship.
- the rollers 120 correspond to the rollers 76 in FIG. 2 and the motors 122 correspond to the motors 74 in FIG. 2.
- the rollers 120 and the motors 122 are advantageous in that they can impose an enhanced force on the elements 12 . In this way, hard balls 12 can be propelled toward the bat 14 .
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
- Toys (AREA)
Abstract
A transmitter disposed on the hand of an individual sends signals when a switch also disposed on the individual's hand is manually actuated between first and second states. The switch may be disposed on one of the individual's fingers and the transmitter may be formed from integrated circuits and may be disposed on the individual's wrist. The signals from the transmitter are received by apparatus which propels elements (e.g. balls) toward the individual. The individual then attempts to hit the element with a member such as a bat.
Description
- This invention relates to apparatus for providing an individual with an opportunity to practice receiving or hitting an element such as a ball. For example, the invention relates to apparatus which propels balls toward a batter so that the batter can practice hitting the propelled balls with a member such as a bat. The invention is particularly advantageous because the batter can control when the ball is propelled toward the batter and can practice catching or hitting the propelled ball.
- Many youngsters are interested in improving their skills in hitting a baseball. Because of this, machines have been provided on a commercial basis for pitching balls to a batter. The batter positions himself or herself in a batting cage and the machine then transmits a plurality of balls in a sequence to the batter. The batter pays for this by inserting coins into a coin box or by paying a cashier.
- There are at least three (3) problems with the arrangement described in the previous paragraph. One problem is that the batter cannot control when successive balls are propelled to the batter by the pitching machine. Another problem is that the batter has to travel to the site of the pitching machine. This is an inconvenience to the batter. A third disadvantage is that the pitching machines propel the balls at a high velocity toward the batter. This may be advantageous to teenagers and adults but it is not advantageous to pre-teenagers.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1 licensed to the assignee of record of this application discloses and claims an apparatus for overcoming the disadvantages discussed in the previous paragraph. The apparatus in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1 provides for a control by an individual (e.g. a batter) of the times when a machine propels an element (e.g. a ball) to an individual (e.g. a batter) so that the individual can swing a member (e.g. a bat) against the ball. The apparatus of this invention is portable even by pre-teenagers so that the individual operating the member (e.g. the bat) can practice anywhere including the individual's backyard or a friend's backyard. The apparatus of this invention is especially designed to be used by pre-teenagers.
- Although a pitching machine is shown in the drawings of U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1 to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated by persons of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments are within the scope of the invention. For example, the apparatus of this invention can be adapted to propel hockey pucks to a player holding a hockey stick or to propel lacrosse balls to a player holding a lacrosse stick.
- In one embodiment of the invention disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1, a member (e.g. a baseball bat) includes a switch disposed on the member and manually operable to obtain the transmission of signals from a transmitter in the member to the apparatus which propels an element (e.g. a ball) toward an individual holding the member when the apparatus receives the signals transmitted from the member.
- A transmitter disposed on the hand of an individual sends signals when a switch also disposed on the individual's hand is manually actuated between first and second states. The switch may be disposed on one of the individual's fingers and the transmitter may be formed from integrated circuits and may be disposed on the individual's wrist. The signals from the transmitter are received by apparatus which propels elements (e.g. balls) toward the individual. The individual then attempts to hit the element with a member such as a bat.
- In the drawings:
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of (1) a baseball bat and the hands of an individual swinging the bat to hit a ball propelled toward the bat, (2) pitching apparatus for propelling the ball toward the bat and (3) the movement of the ball from the pitching apparatus toward the bat;
- FIG. 2 is a sectional view in elevation of the pitching apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as seen from a position in front of the apparatus;
- FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the pitching apparatus as seen from a position to one side of the apparatus;
- FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view in elevation of the bat and includes a switch disposed on the bat and manually operable to provide for a transmission of signals from the bat to the pitching apparatus;
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a transmitter in the bat for transmitting signals to the pitching apparatus upon the closure of the switch in FIG. 4 and a block diagram of a receiver in the pitching apparatus for receiving the signals transmitted from the bat and for activating the pitching apparatus to propel a ball toward the bat;
- FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an electrical circuit for energizing motors in the pitching apparatus when a ball is disposed in the pitching apparatus, thereby providing for the propulsion of the ball from the pitching apparatus when the receiver receives signals from the transmitter;
- FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention and shows a hand held switch, preferably on a finger of the batter, for activation by the batter and a hand-held transmitter, preferably on the wrist of the batter, for transmitting signals to the propulsion mechanism shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and3 when the switch is activated;
- FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram which includes the switch and the transmitter shown in FIG. 7; and
- FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation, similar to that shown in FIG. 2, of a modified apparatus for propelling an element.
- In one embodiment of a system shown in FIGS.1-6 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 B1, apparatus generally indicated at 10 (FIG. 1) is provided for propelling an element (e.g. a ball 12) toward a member (e.g. a bat generally indicated at 14). The
ball 12 may be a hard or a soft ball generally provided for baseball games. Preferably the ball is a hollow plastic ball having a light weight and constructed to limit the speed of the ball and the distance of travel of the ball. This ball is advantageous when the hitter is a child generally less than ten (10) years old. - A switch16 (FIG. 4) is provided on the
bat 14, preferably at a position above the positions on the handle portion where the batter'shands 18 grip the bat when the batter is swinging at theball 12. Theswitch 16 is depressed by the batter when the batter desires to have theapparatus 10 propel theball 12 toward the batter. - A transmitter generally indicated at20 in FIG. 5 is disposed in the
bat 14 to transmit signals to the pitching apparatus for obtaining the propulsion of theball 12 by the pitching apparatus toward thebat 14. In one embodiment, thetransmitter 20 may include anoscillator 22 for producing signals at a particular frequency such as approximately thirty-two megahertz (32 MHz). Theoscillator 22 may be crystal controlled. - The signals from the
oscillator 22 may be amplified at 24 and the amplified signals may be introduced to anantenna 26 which may be provided with an impedance preferably matching the impedance of theamplifier 24. An energy source such as a battery 28 (FIG. 4) may be removably disposed in thebottom 30 of the bat to energize thetransmitter 20. Since the signals are transmitted by theantenna 26, they are transmitted on a wireless basis. - A receiver generally indicated at32 in FIG. 5 may be disposed in the
pitching apparatus 10 to receive the signals transmitted from thebat 14. Thereceiver 32 may include anantenna 34 which may be in the form of a coil. Since thereceiver 32 includes anantenna 34, the signals are received on a wireless basis by the receiver.Amplifiers 36 may be provided to amplify the received signals. The amplified signals may then be mixed at 38 and the mixed signals may then be detected at 40 to recover the signals at thirty-two megahertz (32 MHz). The detected signals may then be introduced to adriver 42. - The
apparatus 10 includes a base member 50 (FIGS. 1-3) and ahousing 52 pivotably attached on a horizontal axis to the base member as at 54. The base member is adapted to be supported on a support surface such as the ground. Thebase member 54 is adapted to hold a transportable energy source such as abattery 56. - The
housing 52 is provided with ahollow passage 58.Holes 60 may be provided in thehousing 52 at progressive positions along thepassage 58, primarily for aesthetic purposes. Theball 12 is adapted to be disposed in thehollow passage 58 against a plurality of annularly spacedfingers 62 in arotatable detainer 64 disposed in thehousing 52 and having a shape such as a star wheel. Thedetainer 64 is normally engaged by arelease mechanism 65 which is actuated to be withdrawn from engagement with the detainer when asolenoid 66 is energized. - The
hollow passage 58 is initially disposed vertically and is progressively curved at progressive downward positions to have a horizontal disposition. A pair ofpockets 70 are disposed in thehousing 52 at the opposite sides of the housing at positions where thehollow passage 58 is substantially horizontal. A pair ofmotors 74 and a pair of actuators such asrollers 76 are provided. - The
motor 74 and theroller 76 in each individual one of thepockets 70 are operatively coupled to each other to provide a rotation of the roller in accordance with the energizing of the motor. Therollers 76 are preferably made from a resilient material and are preferably extended into thehollow passage 58 to grip the opposite ends of theball 12 in the passage and to propel the ball from the passage in accordance with the rotation of the rollers. Themotors 74 and therollers 76 may be considered as a propulsion mechanism. - The
battery 56 and themotors 74 are disposed in a series circuit (FIG. 6) with a normallyopen switch 78. Theswitch 78 becomes closed when theball 12 is disposed on one of thefingers 62 of thedetainer 64. The closure of theswitch 78 at such time results from the fact that eachfinger 62 has some play in its positioning. This causes eachfinger 62 to be disposed upwardly, with no ball on the finger, from the position which it occupies when theball 12 is disposed on the finger. In the upward position of thefinger 62, theswitch 78 is open. - In this way, the
motors 74 are energized only when theball 12 is in thehollow passage 58 in a position to be propelled from the hollow passage when a signal from thetransmitter 20 is received by thereceiver 32. Furthermore, energy is conserved in thebattery 56 to prolong the life of the battery since the battery provides energy to themotors 74 only when theball 12 is disposed in thehollow passage 58. - The
housing 52 is provided at its top end with a stanchion. Atube 82 forming part of a ramp generally indicated at 84 fits snugly on the stanchion in a removable relationship to the stanchion. Theramp 84 defines aninclined track 86 extending in a spiral path to a position at its bottom end above thehollow passage 58. A plurality of theballs 12 are disposed on thetrack 86 for a movement of each ball in sequence into thehollow passage 58 when the ball previously in the hollow passage is propelled by therollers 76 from the passage toward the batter holding thebat 14. - Assume that the
ramp 84 is disposed on the stanchion at the top of thehousing 52 and that one of theballs 12 on thetrack 86 has dropped into thehollow passage 58 for disposition on thefinger 62 extending into the hollow passage. This causes thefinger 62 on thedetainer 64 to be positioned to close theswitch 78 in FIG. 6 and themotors 74 to be energized. The resultant rotation of therollers 76 provides for the propulsion of the ball from thehollow passage 58 when the ball is released by thedetainer 64. - When the batter manually closes the
switch 16 in FIG. 4, signals are transmitted by thetransmitter 20 in FIG. 5 to thereceiver 32 in FIG. 5. This causes the solenoid 66 (FIG. 3) to be energized and therelease mechanism 65 to be retracted from thedetainer 64. Thedetainer 64 is now free to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction by theball 12 on thefinger 62. This rotation frees theball 12 to move downwardly in thehollow passage 58 to a position between therollers 76. Since therollers 76 are already being rotated by themotors 74, the rollers propel theball 12 from the hollow passage toward the batter when the ball reaches the rollers. At the same time that theball 12 is dropping through thehollow passage 58, the next ball on thetrack 86 drops into the hollow passage for disposition against one of thefingers 62. - FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a preferred embodiment, generally indicated at100, of the invention. The preferred embodiment 100 includes a switch 102 disposed on a
flexible sleeve 104. Thesleeve 104 may preferably be formed from an electrically insulating material and may be formed to be disposed on a finger 106 of the batter. An oscillator, generally indicated at 108, may be disposed on aband 110 which may be disposed on the wrist of the batter. Theband 110 may be preferably formed from an electrically insulating material. As shown schematically in FIG. 8, the switch 102 is connected by a lead 112 to the oscillator 108 and the oscillator may be connected to anantenna 114 for transmission of the signals from the oscillator to theapparatus 10 to obtain the propulsion of an element such as theball 12 from the apparatus toward thebat 14. Theantenna 114 may preferably be disposed on theband 110 and may be electrically insulated from the switch 102 and the oscillator 108. - The embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is advantageous because the
bat 14 can be retained on the batter's shoulder while the switch 102 is actuated to obtain the transmission of signals by the oscillator 108 toward the batter. This gives the batter additional time to prepare himself, and to position the bat, for striking theball 14 propelled by theapparatus 10 toward the batter. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is also advantageous because the positioning of the switch 102 allows the switch to be easily manipulated. - FIG. 9 shows an arrangement in which four (4)
rollers 120 and four (4)motors 122 for actuating the rollers are provided. The four (4)rollers 120 can be disposed in a quadrant relationship and in four (4)motors 122 are also disposed in a quadrant relationship. Therollers 120 correspond to therollers 76 in FIG. 2 and themotors 122 correspond to themotors 74 in FIG. 2. Therollers 120 and themotors 122 are advantageous in that they can impose an enhanced force on theelements 12. In this way,hard balls 12 can be propelled toward thebat 14. - The apparatus described above has been disclosed with reference to a pitching machine for baseball. It is believed that a person of ordinary skill in the art will be able with little or no experimentation to adapt the apparatus for other uses. For example, it is believed that a person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to adapt the invention for use by a hockey player or for use by a lacrosse player.
- Although this invention has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular embodiments, the principles involved are susceptible for use in numerous other embodiments which will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims.
Claims (16)
1. In combination for propelling an element,
a switch carried by an individual and manually actuable between first and second states of operations,
a transmitter carried by the individual and connected to the switch for transmitting signals upon the manual operation of the switch between the first and second states of operation,
a propulsion mechanism displaced from the switch and the transmitter and constructed to propel the element upon actuation, and
a receiver disposed in the propulsion mechanism and energizable by the signals from the transmitter for providing an actuation of the propulsion mechanism to obtain the propulsion of the element by the propulsion mechanism.
2. In a combination as set forth in claim 1 ,
the switch being disposed on a finger of the individual.
3. In a combination as set forth in claim 1 ,
the transmitter being disposed on a wrist of the individual.
4. In a combination as set forth in claim 1 ,
a member held by the individual for impacting the element propelled by the propulsion mechanism.
5. In a combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein
a sequence of elements are provided and wherein
the propulsion mechanism is constructed to propel each successive one of the elements in the sequence upon each successive actuation of the switch between the first and second states.
6. In a combination for use by an individual,
a switch disposed on a first limb of the individual for actuation by the individual manually between first and second states, and
a transmitter disposed on a second limb of the individual and connected to the switch for transmitting signals upon each actuation of the switch between the first and second states.
7. In a combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein
the switch is disposed on a finger of the individual.
8. In a combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein
the transmitter is disposed on the wrist of the individual.
9. In a combination as set forth in claim 6 wherein
a propulsion mechanism is responsive to the signals from the transmitter, and is provided with a plurality of elements, for releasing each successive one of the elements upon each reception of the signals from the transmitter and for propelling the released element to the individual.
10. In a combination as set forth in claim 9 wherein
the switch is disposed on the finger of the individual and the transmitter is disposed on the wrist of the individual.
11. A method of propelling an element, including the steps of:
manually actuating between first and second states a switch disposed on an individual's hand,
actuating a transmitter on the individual's hand, in accordance with the manual actuation of the switch, to transmit signals,
receiving the signals at a propulsion mechanism holding the element, and
providing for the propulsion of the element from the propulsion mechanism upon the reception of the signals at the propulsion mechanism.
12. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein
the switch is disposed on the individual's finger and wherein
the transmitter is disposed in a band on the individual's wrist.
13. A method as set forth in claim 11 wherein
an antenna is electrically connected to the oscillator to transmit the signals from the oscillator to the propulsion mechanism and wherein the oscillator and the antenna are disposed on a wrist band made from an electrically insulating material.
14. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein
the switch is disposed on electrically insulating material and one of the individual's fingers is disposed in the electrically insulating material holding the switch.
15. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein
an antenna is electrically connected to the oscillator to transmit the signals from the oscillator to the propulsion mechanism and wherein the oscillator and the antenna are disposed on a wrist band made from an electrically insulating material and wherein
the switch is disposed on electrically insulating material and one of the individual's fingers is disposed in the electrically insulating material holding the switch.
16. A method as set forth in claim 15 wherein
the propulsion mechanism holds a plurality of successive elements and wherein the propulsion mechanism propels each individual one of the successive elements toward the individual upon the reception by the propulsion mechanism of successive signals from the transmitter.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US10/037,668 US20030125139A1 (en) | 2002-01-03 | 2002-01-03 | Apparatus for providing a controlled propulsion of elements toward a receiving member |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US10/037,668 US20030125139A1 (en) | 2002-01-03 | 2002-01-03 | Apparatus for providing a controlled propulsion of elements toward a receiving member |
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US20030125139A1 true US20030125139A1 (en) | 2003-07-03 |
Family
ID=21895629
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US10/037,668 Abandoned US20030125139A1 (en) | 2002-01-03 | 2002-01-03 | Apparatus for providing a controlled propulsion of elements toward a receiving member |
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Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20090227401A1 (en) * | 2007-11-01 | 2009-09-10 | Donald Mauer | Batting aid device having automatic ball feed |
US20170326428A1 (en) * | 2017-02-28 | 2017-11-16 | Lucy Qian | Automatic ball launcher for pets |
US11235223B1 (en) * | 2020-09-14 | 2022-02-01 | Fle-Innovations Llc | Automated projectile launcher device for launching biodegradable projectiles |
US11794087B1 (en) * | 2022-07-08 | 2023-10-24 | Shenzhen Uah Technology Co., Ltd | Pet ball launcher |
-
2002
- 2002-01-03 US US10/037,668 patent/US20030125139A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20090227401A1 (en) * | 2007-11-01 | 2009-09-10 | Donald Mauer | Batting aid device having automatic ball feed |
US8113970B2 (en) * | 2007-11-01 | 2012-02-14 | Donald Mauer | Batting aid device having automatic ball feed |
US20170326428A1 (en) * | 2017-02-28 | 2017-11-16 | Lucy Qian | Automatic ball launcher for pets |
US10898781B2 (en) * | 2017-02-28 | 2021-01-26 | Xiaomin Qian | Automatic ball launcher for pets |
US11235223B1 (en) * | 2020-09-14 | 2022-02-01 | Fle-Innovations Llc | Automated projectile launcher device for launching biodegradable projectiles |
US11794087B1 (en) * | 2022-07-08 | 2023-10-24 | Shenzhen Uah Technology Co., Ltd | Pet ball launcher |
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Owner name: SPORT FUN, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:GOTTLIEB-MYERS, KAREN;FETTERLEIGH, DALE MICHAEL;REEL/FRAME:012459/0908 Effective date: 20011209 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- AFTER EXAMINER'S ANSWER OR BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION |