Fully automatic golf ball teeing device

Claim 1

APPARATUS TO TEE A SUCCESSION OF GOLF BALLS AUTOMATICALLY, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATE EARTHSUPPORTED HOUSING HAVING A BURIED LOWER END, AND A SIDE-APERTURED UPPER END DISPOSED APPROXIMATELY AT GROUND LEVEL; A SOURCE OF AIR PRESSURE INCLUDING TUBE MEANS FOR CONVEYING AIR FROM SAID SOURCE; A CARRIAGE SHIFTABLE LENGTHWISE ALONG THE HOUSING; A BALL TEE SUPPORTED UPON THE CARRIAGE FOR DISPLACEMENT BY CLUB IMPACT, FROM A NORMALLY EXTENDED POSITION TO A DEPRESSED POSITION RELATIVE TO THE CARRIAGE; REVERSIBLE PNEUMATIC CYLINDER MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID AIR PRESSURE SOURCE, FOR SHIFTING THE CARRIAGE ALONG THE HOUSING BETWEEN AN ELEVATED POSITION AT WHICH THE TEE IS DISPOSED ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, AND A FULLY LOWERED POSITION AT WHICH THE TEE IS DISPOSED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE BELOW GROUND LEVEL; AN AIR PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION VALVE CONNECTED WITH THE COMPRESSED AIR SOURCE AND THE PNEUMATIC CYLINDER MEANS THROUGH THE TUBE MEANS, SAID VALVE INCLUDING AIR-ACTUATED CONTROL MEANS SHIFTABLE TO SUPPLY PRESSURE OF AIR ALTERNATELY TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE CYLINDER MEANS, FOR FULLY ELEVATING AND FULLY LOWERING THE CARRIAGE IN ALTERNATION; AND MECHANICALLY ACTUATABLE VALVE MEANS HAVING FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE AIR PRESSURE SOURCE AND THE CONTROL MEANS OF THE DISTRIBUTION VALVE, THROUGH THE TUBE MEANS AFORESAID, SAID MECHANICALLY ACTUATABLE VALVE MEANS BEING ACTUATED UPON MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE TO LOWERED POSITION, FOR SENDING COMPRESSED AIR TO THE CONTROL MEANS OF THE DISTRIBUTION VALVE AND ACTUATING SAID CONTROL MEANS TO RELEASE AIR UNDER COMPRESSION FROM THE DISTRIBUTION VALVE TO ONE END OF THE PNEUMATIC CYLINDER MEANS TO ELEVATE THE CARRIAGE, SAID MECHANICALLY ACTUATABLE VALVE MEANS BEING ACTUATED UPON IMPACT DISPLACEMENT OF THE BALL TEE TO THE DEPRESSED POSITION WHILE THE CARRIAGE IS ELEVATED, TO SUPPLY AIR TO THE CONTROL MEANS OF THE DISTRIBUTION VALVE, FOR CAUSING THE DISTRIBUTION VALVE TO SUPPLY AIR TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE PNEUMATIC CYLINDER MEANS AND THEREBY DRIVE THE CARRIAGE TO THE FULLY LOWERED POSITION; AND MEANS FOR RELEASING A GOLF BALL THROUGH THE SIDE APERTURE OF THE HOUSING AND ONTO THE TEE, WHILE THE CARRIAGE IS DISPLACED FROM THE UPPER POSITION.