Mechanical guns and projectors – Spring
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-13
2004-01-20
Ricci, John A. (Department: 3712)
Mechanical guns and projectors
Spring
C124S017000, C124S032000, C124S034000, C124S036000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06679239
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to machines for throwing objects, more particularly to machines that throw a ball in response to a command signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices for throwing a game ball under practice conditions are known. Some of these devices, particularly those for throwing footballs, impart to the ball spin, tumble and wobble in order to simulate the ball's motion when passed, kicked or punted by players under game conditions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,012 describes a game apparatus having a spring-loaded lever for throwing a round ball toward an inanimate, moving target. The lever causes the ball to spin while propelled toward the target, which moves along a circular path. The apparatus directs the ball away from the user and lever toward the target when the user manually releases the lever. There is no latch for holding the lever mechanically in a preloaded condition, and no delay period is provided after arming the lever and before its release.
Other devices of this type, especially those that throw a football, attempt to impart various kinds of rotational movement to the ball, such as spiral rotation about a longitudinal axis or end-over-end rotation about a transverse axis. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,701 describes a machine for launching a football along an airborne path using a pneumatically actuated piston to accelerate a receptacle that holds the football before launch. A threaded shaft, located between the piston and receptacle, is driven through a threaded nut to impart rapid spin to the football as it is launched.
The machine described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,230 has a reciprocating plunger for developing a force required to accelerate the football, a chute for arranging the football in a kick position or pass position, and rotating wheels that engage the surface of the football to impart varying degrees of spin and wobble, or end-over-end tumbling to the ball. A rotating turret holds several footballs that are sequentially fed to the reciprocating plunger. The ball is ejected with preselected spin and wobble by two variably inclined wheels rotating in opposite directions.
Various attempts have been made to provide such machines with a latching device that holds the machine ready to release the football into its airborne path. U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,125 describes a machine having a throwing arm, which is latched in a ready-to-throw position. The throwing arm is released in response to action of a mechanical timer that provides a variable delay after arming the device and until its release. After the variable delay mechanism is set, the operator has substantially no further control over the release of the football, which is propelled by two highly loaded tension springs applying a substantial force to the throwing arm.
The football throwing apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,386 also provides a mechanical delay for a predetermined period that allows the user to move into position to receive the football after setting a delay timer. The operator has substantially no control over release of the football after the mechanical delay mechanism is set.
None of these machines provides a technique or apparatus as the instant invention for releasing the throwing arm upon receiving a command signal transmitted remotely by a user, who is positioned and prepared to receive the ball from the machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is preferable that a football delivery apparatus provide a reliable period of delay after arming a preloaded throwing arm and placing a football on the arm without need for further manual manipulation of the machine until after the arm is released.
It is an advantage of the present invention that the delivery apparatus releases a football to a waiting player in response to a signal transmitted remotely by the player to the throwing apparatus. The command signal is produced in response to manual operation of a transmitter preferably by the player, thereby emulating an intentional command given by the player prior to release of the ball during a game.
It is a further advantage of the present invention that the command signal that causes the release of a throwing arm not be affected inadvertently by a command signal caused by radiation from sunlight, heat, artificial illumination or a command signal produced by a device other than the signal intended by the user to release the arm and throw the football. In a preferred embodiment, the command signal is a radio frequency signal, but it may also be a signal in the infrared spectrum, an electromagnetic signal or a microwave signal.
In realizing these advantages an apparatus according to the present invention includes a pivotally mounted arm supporting the object, the arm having an preloaded position at which the arm is elastically biased to eject the object from the apparatus, a latch continually tending to engage and hold the arm in the preloaded position and able, in response to a command signal, to disengage and release the arm from the preloaded position, a transmitter producing a command signal, and a controller having a receiver adapted to receive the command signal and produce in response to the command signal an actuation signal that disengages the latch and releases the arm. Preferably the object is ejected by being thrown by the arm in an airborne path toward a player awaiting a football thrown from the apparatus.
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Eash Christopher P.
Shar Kevin A.
Shultz Michael W.
Herberger Robert J.
Ricci John A.
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