US2296541A - Pitcher manikin - Google Patents

Description

C. A. SCHUYLER PITCHER MANIKIN Sept. 22, 1942.

Filed oct'. 8, 1941 r N m Q W. me@ S. Il m@ NN -1- NPM rg W C w., TLLmw w. \r s g u mm w r m Kb M RNM m ,wo 6 /M E w RN .u m #Si r N M mw NN Nw m. M .RN m Nm ,www Q \m% um.. www mm mmv. @l W R mw m mm includes a xed lower or nether portion Patented Sept. 22, 1942 PITCHER MANIKIN Clarence A. Schuyler, Chicago, Ill., assignor to H. C. Evans & Co., Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application October 8, 1941, Serial No. 414,060

' 4 Claims. (VCI. 46-145) This game apparatus and has for its principal object the provision of a manikin of an improved structure which is economical and simple in manufacture and highly efficient in"use.

An object of the present invention is to provide a manikin structure having a xed nether portion and a movable trunk portion and novel mechanism for imparting movement to the trunk portion to simulate a bending action for the purpose of picking up a ball to be projected.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an improved manikin having a pivoted arm adapted to swing about the shoulder of the manikin for the purpose of pitching a ball disposed in the hand portion of said arm.

Another object of this invention is the provision in a bendable manikin structure having a swinging arm for pitching a ball, of a flexible link for rotating the arm in swinging motion to impart a ball pitching action in said arm.

Other objects, advantages and novel aspects of the invention reside in certain details of construction as well as the combination of parts to be described hereinafter in view of the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the manikin per se;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional detail view through the manikin showing its connection with a drive means;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional detail View, partly in elevation, with the rear cover plate of the manikin removed and as seen along line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a skeletonized perspective View of the essential drive connections of the manikin structure illustrative of the body movement thereof.

Referring to Fig. 1, the manikin structure of the present invention is indicated at l and Il comprising the legs of the manikin. The legs are formed integrally with a base plate I2 in one unitary casting. The left leg l3 o-f the manikin is hollowed out to provide a tubular inner portion I4 (Fig. 2), which tubular portion extends downwardly beneath the base plate I2 to provide a tubular mounting l5. The tubular extension l5 is mounted in an upstanding boss I6 formed as a part of a mounting plate i1 which is adapted to be fastened to a ball playing surface (not shown). It is to be noted that the base plate l2 is pitched slightly with respect invention relates to amusement and l(Fig. 3)

the inclined surface of the ball playing board upon which the manikin is adapted to be mounted. The inclination is necessary so that played balls may gravitate to an out pocket or any other suitable ball exit opening for return to a ball feeding means (not shown).

The trunk portion i8 is pivotally mounted as at I3 at the hipline of the manikin so that the manikin structure l0 may bend at the hipline to the dotted-line position, Fig. 1. The upper end of the nether portion H is provided with a trunnion 20 in which is mounted for rotatable movement a shaft 2|. The outer ends of the shaft 2l have attened surfaces 22 upon which are mounted the depending ears 23 of the trunk portion so that the trunk portion will rotate with the shaft 2|. A hub structure 24 is xedly mounted on the shaft 2l for rotation therewith and is provided with an enlarged disc formation 25 from which extends laterally an eccentrically mounted'pin 26. A connecting rod 21 has an end portion 28 thereof looped about the eccentrically mounted pin 26 and has a lower end portion 29 fastened by a screw 30 within a yoke-formed block 3l, which in turn is pivotally mounted as at 32 on a rocker arm 33 for reasons hereinafter to be explained.

The trunk portion I8 is hollowed out to provide a chamber 34 (Figs. 2 and 3) and provides at the shoulder portion 35 of the manikin a mounting for a shaft 36. A pulley 3l is iixedly mounted upon the shaft 36 for rotation therewith and has arranged in one flange portion 38 thereof a pin 39, which pin extends through the final loop of a flexible element 40, in the present instance in the form of a chain having a plurality of links. The opposite end 4| of the flexible element 4|) is attached to a hook 42 formed on the upper end of a connecting rod 43 having its lower end 44 Xed by a screw -45 in a yoke block 46 pivotally attached to a rocker arm 41 for purposes hereinafter to become more apparent.

The right arm 48 of the manikin is xedly attached to a keyed end 49 of the shaft 36 in such manner that rotatable movement of the shaft 36 will be imparted to the arm 48 to simulate a swinging or ball throwing action in the arm 48. This ball pitching arm 48 is normally held in ball-.pitched position, as seen in Fig. 1, by a stop 50 formed on the trunk portion I8 The shaft 36 is normally urged into a position to dispose the arm 48 on the stop 50 by a coil spring 5I disposed on the shaft 36 to the mounting plate so as to conform with and having one end portion hooked into a flange shaft 51 is supported in a pair of bracket arms 58 depending downwardly from the mounting plate I1. The shaft 51 has arranged thereon a plurality of driving cams. One of the driving cams is indicated at 59 and is adapted to engage a roller 60 extending from and carried by the rocker arm 33 substantially beyond the Vpoint -of pivot mounting of the yoke block 3'| carried by the rocker arm 33. This rocker arm 33 Ais supported on a horizontal shaft 6| extending Ybetween the Ybracketarnris T58. A spring 62 has one end attached as at 63 :to the rocker arm 33 and its opposite end anchored/as at 164 yto the mountt ing plate I1 so as to normally urge the Arocker arm 33 in a clockwise direction .about the shaft 6|. By reason .of the operative connection Aof the rocker arm 33 with .the hipline shaft 2| through the medium ofthe .connecting rod 21, f

the trunk portion VI8 of the manikin will be normally maintainedin ,erect position as shown in the drawing) through the action .of the spring 62, such erect position of the trunk being limited so that the manikin trunk will notrotate in a backward direction beyond erect position.

Another cam, indicated at 65, Vis likewise' mounted on the drive shaft.51 and is .adapted `to engage a roller 6.5 extending from and carried by the rocker varm 41, the latter in turn Y.being rockably supported by the shaft 6| heretofore described. The rocker arm 4.1 isdisposed in a normal position through and by virtue of the action of the pre-tensioned spring arranged onv the shouldershaft 36,.',through the Vmedium `of the exible Velement :46 and the connecting rod 43.

A third cam, indicated at 61, isprovided with an irregular periphery and has a Ynumber of switches bearing against such periphery for the purpose of timing the cycle of operationimparted to the manikin structure in a manner well-known in the art. In the `present instance `there isprovided a holding switch v|58 adapted to Aassume broken circuit condition as seen in Fig. YA2, Vunder normal circumstances. This switch 6.8 is .disposed to be cammed into closedcircuit .condition as soon as the motor has begun to operate a substantial amount. Such initial. operation of the motor is accomplished by a hand-.controlled switch 69 adapted to be disposed in closed circuit condition by a push button or any other suitable device so that the holding switch 68 may be cammed into circuit closing condition Ywhere it will remain throughout a complete revolution of the shaft 51 until the recessed formation 10 on the periphery of the cam 61 comes into alignment with the cam portion 1| Vof the switch l6,8.

Having described the structural characteristics of my new and improved manikin structure, a brief description of a cycleof .operation will now be set forth so as to disclose the ,advantages of the present invention. The manikin is normally disposed in the position shown in Fig. 1; and

when the player is ready to receive a pitched 75 direction (Fig. 2)

ball, the push button is operated to dispose the switch 69 in closed circuit condition whereupon the motor 55 will be energized and the shaft 51 begin to rotate. After a slight initial movement of the shaft 51, the holding switch 68 will maintain the motor in energized condition so that the cams 59 and 65 will continue to rotate. The cam 59 will then engage the roller 6D on the relay arm33, bearing down upon the roller 6|) to rotate the rocker arm 33 in a counterclockwise Such movement of the rocker arm will cause a downward pulling action on the connecting rod 21, thus pulling downwardlyon the laterally extending pin 26 eccentrically mounted .on the disc 28 carried by the shaft 2l. Such movement will be imparted to the shaft 2| and in turn to the trunk portion I8, so. that the trunk portion will rotate into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1-, with the hand portion 12 of the arm 48 disposed over a ball opening 13 formed in the base plate |2.

.Simultaneously with Vthe bending movement a ball will have been elevated to a position adjacent lthe hand by vmeans not shown Vin the present disclosure. vAt l the time the hand 12 reaches the position adjacent Vthe Aopening V13, switch means 14 associated with the switch cam 61 will be disposed in closed circuit condition-,to supply current to a stationary contact 15 mounted within theA chamber 34 of the trunk portion I8 through Aa, conductor C and having Vits free end portion Wipingly engaging a movable contact 16 in turn connected by va suitable conductor means 11 to a-coil formed in the arm 48 to provide a. magnetic field in the region Yof ythe hand 12, thereby attracting a steelball disposed at the opening 13 into the hand 12.

The cam 59 continuesits rotative movement, releasing the'roller 60 and rocker arm 33 lfor return movement by action of the spring 62 Vso that the trunk |8-wi1l Vreturn to erect position. During the return movement of the trunk |18 to erect position, the cam '65 engages the roller =66 on the rocker arm 41 to depress the -end of -the ,rocker arm 41 carryingthe yokeblock 46, whereupon the connecting rod 43 will bepulled down- Wardly and with it the flexible element 46, thereby pulling the pin 39, carried by the pulley 31, in a counterclockwise direction (Fig. 2).

The foregoing rotative -movement lof the pulley 31 is in turn imparted to the shaft 36,-so that the arm 48 of the manikin will graduallygswing toward the dotted line position with respect to the trunk YI8 as the latter is returning toits erect position, at which time the arm 4.8 -will have reached its maximum or ball ypitching position as seen in dotted lines (Fig. 1). Upon the arm reaching its ball pitching position, the switch 14 will ride oi the high point of the cam 5,9'to 'assume an open circuit condition, thus breaking the circuit to the coil within thearm i8 and releasing the magnetic attraction fon the ball held within Ythe hand v12. Subsequent to the foregoing operation, the'cam 65 will abruptly release rthe roller 66, thus allowing the tensioned spring `5| to uncoil abruptly to swing the shaft .36 andthe arm Y48 into .a normal position .with `thearm resting upon the stop 50. Such swinging -action .of the arm causing, vby centrifugal force,.a pitching of Ythe ball in a predetermined trajectory.

The ball pitching Yarm may -be .provided Awith a permanent magnet, if desired, which has a re1- Aativelyllight magnetic attraction, such that upon the abrupt return v`actioin yof the pitching arm v48 from ball pitching ,position toward ball-pitched position the centrifugal force will be sufcient to release the ball from the hand 12.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a manikin structure having a bendable body to simulate the picking up of a ball and at the same time to provide a swinging arm to impart a pitching action to the ball. The arrangement of parts essentially necessary to the present invention is well illustrated in Fig. 4 as providing a relatively simple structure requiring a minimum of parts for accomplishing the result sought.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pitcher manikin including a hollow body bendable at the hip and having a fixed nether portion and a mounting plate carrying said nether portion and supporting a drive means on the under side thereof, said nether portion having one leg portion in the form of a tubular member communicating with said hollow body and the under side of said mounting plate, together with a trunk portion arranged on said nether portion for rotatable movement with respect thereto, the combination of a horizontal shaft arranged on said nether portion, said shaft having operative connection with said trunk portion for imparting rotative movement thereto, a disc arranged on said shaft, a pin arranged on said disc eccentrically of said shaft, means extending downwardly through said tubular member for connecting said eccentrically arranged pin with said drive means, a second shaft horizontally arranged at the shoulder line of said trunk portion for rotative movement with respect thereto, a pitcher arm connected to said second shaft and adapted to swing from ball-pitched position to ball pitching position, spring means on said lastnamed shaft and normally urging the latter and said pitcher arm into ball-pitched position, pulley means ixed on said second shaft, a exible element having one end portion trained over said pulley a length greater than one-half the circumference of the pulley, the opposite end of said flexible element extending over said first-named shaft, a connecting rod arranged in said tubular member for vertical movement and connecting said flexible element with said drive means to rotate said second shaft and said pitcher arm into ball pitching position against the action of said spring means.

2. In a ball projecting mechanism, a base member on which a ball to be projected is adapted to be positioned, a manikin on said base member comprising a body including a fixed nether portion and a trunk portion on said nether portion for movement about a pivoted axis and including a pivotally supported ball projecting arm and movable about said pivoted axis to a stooped position to dispose the said arm in position to pick up said ball from said base member, means for pivotally connecting the arm to the trunk portion, means for pivotally moving the trunk portion about said axis into said stooped position, and means for pivoting said arm in ball projecting movement.

3. In a ball projecting device, a base member on which a ball to be projected is adapted to be positioned, b all projecting means on the base member including a pivotally supported ball projecting arm adapted to be pivoted to a position adjacent the said base member for receiving the ball positioned thereon, means for pivotally supporting said ball projecting arm, means for pivotally moving said ball projecting arm in said position to receive the said ball, and means for pivotally moving the ball projecting arm in ball projecting operation.

4. A projecting device comprising a body including a fixed nether portion, a trunk mounted on said portion and including a ball projecting arm and movable about a pivotal axis to a stooped position to dispose said arm in position to receive a ball to be projected thereby,. shaft means comprising said pivotal axis and pivotally connecting said trunk with said nether portion for said movement, means on said shaft for rotation therewith and for pivoting said trunk to said stooped position, said means comprising an eccentric, drive means for operating said eccentric, and means connecting said eccentric with said drive means.

CLARENCE A. SCHUYLER.

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