US3659576A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Centrifugal spring type projectile throwing device
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1969-07-11
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Granted: 1972-05-02
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Expires: 1989-07-11
Abstract
Abstract A projectile throwing machine exemplified herein as a baseball pitching machine. A throwing arm is driven by a torsion spring which is wound up by a motor and which is automatically triggered for releasing the throwing arm. The trigger is automatically released by actuating levers which are remotely controllable to control the amount of power, that is, torsion in the spring at the time of release to thereby control the speed of pitch. The balls are fed automatically. The machine is adjustable in elevation and azimuth to control the height and lateral position of the pitch and all adjustments are remotely controllable from a console and subject to programming. The machine after being started will repeatedly cycle automatically under remote control. Means are provided to indicate to a batter when a pitch is about to be made and also there are indicator means to indicate the position of the pitched ball relative to the plate.
Inventors
- 👤 Glen G Eade
- 👤 Ronald E Eade
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 19:38
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B69/00; A63B69/40; A63B69/407; A63B69/408; A63B47/00; A63B47/002; A63B2047/004
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
69 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm movable through an arc, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, means comprising a motor for torsioning one end of said spring, triggering means for releasing said spring to permit movement of the said arm, and release means cooperable with the triggering means for releasing the triggering means at predetermined angular selected positions of said one end of said spring.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
69 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm movable through an arc, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, means comprising a motor for torsioning one end of said spring, triggering means for releasing said spring to permit movement of the said arm, and release means cooperable with the triggering means for releasing the triggering means at predetermined angular selected positions of said one end of said spring.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
A throwing machine as in claim 1 wherein the triggering means is attached to the other end of said torsion spring and the trigger release means is carried by said one end of the torsion spring.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
A machine as in claim 2 having additional means comprising timing mechanism for releasing the triggering means at a selected increment of time after beginning of the torsioning of the torsion spring.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A machine as in claim 1 wherein the triggering means is positioned to hold the end of the arm until the triggering means is released.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
21 words
A machine as in claim 4 wherein the triggering means comprises a member extending along the axial length of the spring.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
30 words
A machine as in claim 4 wherein said trigger release means comprises an actuating lever rotatably carried at said on end of the spring and engageable with the triggering means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
41 words
A machine as in claim 6 including a movable control member adjacent said on end of said spring positioned with respect to said actuating lever and selectively positionable to engage the lever to restrain the lever from release said triggering means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
68 words
A machine as in claim 7 wherein said actuating lever comprises a part movable to a position to engage a part of said triggering means for releasing the triggering means, said movable control member being positionable to be engaged by said actuating lever upon rotation of said one end of said spring to a predetermined position to maintain said actuating lever out of engagement with the triggering means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
A machine as in claim 8 wherein said actuating lever is pivotally mounted about an axis normal to the axis of the torsion spring and said movable control member has means to engage said actuating lever whereby to hold the actuating lever in a position to release the triggering means as the actuating lever rotates past the triggering means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A machine as in claim 1 wherein said release means comprises timing mechanism for releasing the triggering means at a predetermined selected increment of time after beginning of torsioning of the torsion spring.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
A machine as in claim 1 including means for releasing the triggering means at any point in the operating cycle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
26 words
A machine as in claim 1 including visible display indicating means for visibly indicating the relative position of a pitched ball with respect to a plate.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
97 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm for throwing a projectile, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, said arm being fixedly secured to one end of said torsion spring, means for applying torsion to said spring and means for releasing the torsion for causing said arm to throw and said arm and said torsion spring being rotatably mounted about an axis to allow continuous rotation of the arm and spring in one direction whereby after executing a throw the arm and spring continue to rotate in the said one direction to a starting position.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
97 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm for throwing a projectile, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, said arm being fixedly secured to one end of said torsion spring, means for applying torsion to said spring and means for releasing the torsion for causing said arm to throw and said arm and said torsion spring being rotatably mounted about an axis to allow continuous rotation of the arm and spring in one direction whereby after executing a throw the arm and spring continue to rotate in the said one direction to a starting position.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
69 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm movable through an arc, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, means comprising a motor for torsioning one end of said spring, said arm being connected to the other end of said spring, and means responsive to predetermined angular positions of said one end of the spring for releasing the arm whereby the torsion in the spring drives the arm.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
69 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm movable through an arc, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, means comprising a motor for torsioning one end of said spring, said arm being connected to the other end of said spring, and means responsive to predetermined angular positions of said one end of the spring for releasing the arm whereby the torsion in the spring drives the arm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
38 words
A machine as in claim 14 wherein said means responsive to the angular position of said one end of the spring comprises mechanism selectively controllable remotely to predetermine the angular position at which the releasing means is actuated.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
48 words
A machine as in claim 15 wherein said selectively controllable mechanism comprises a solenoid, switch means for controlling the and being solenoid actuatable at a predetermined angular position of the said one end of the spring, said solenoid means being positioned to actuate actuation of the releasing means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
100 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm movable through an arc, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, means comprising a motor for torsioning one end of said spring, triggering means for releasing said spring to permit movement of the said arm, release means cooperable with the triggering means for predetermined angular selected positions of said one end of said spring, means comprising a simulated foot automatically actuated to simulate the action of a live pitcher just before a ball is thrown, and mechanism whereby the release means is responsive to a predetermined movement of said simulated foot.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
100 words
A projectile throwing machine comprising an arm movable through an arc, means comprising a torsion spring for driving said arm, means comprising a motor for torsioning one end of said spring, triggering means for releasing said spring to permit movement of the said arm, release means cooperable with the triggering means for predetermined angular selected positions of said one end of said spring, means comprising a simulated foot automatically actuated to simulate the action of a live pitcher just before a ball is thrown, and mechanism whereby the release means is responsive to a predetermined movement of said simulated foot.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-05-02 | 1975-11-01 | 1976-05-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-05-02 | 1979-11-01 | 1980-05-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-05-02 | 1983-11-01 | 1984-05-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |