Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Separating means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-09
2001-04-24
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Separating means
C209S660000, C209S677000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06220452
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a table tennis ball-sorting device and a table tennis apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, a table tennis apparatus, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3017687 has been proposed. Such a conventional table tennis apparatus includes a table having a net stretched on the center thereof, a ball projecting section that is disposed on the rearward of one playing surface (a playing surface on the side of a machine) and that projects, i.e. ejects, table tennis balls sequentially towards the other surface (a playing surface on the side of a player), wherein a plurality of optical sensors, each having a light emitting element and a light receiving element, are opposingly arranged on the left and right of the playing surface on the machine side along a longitudinal direction thereof. A drop position of the ball returned by the player on the machine-side playing surface is detected by the optical sensors, and a score corresponding to the position is given to the player. The result of a training thereby being displayed by a specific numeral value.
According to the conventional table tennis apparatus constructed as described above, balls returned or failing to be hit by the player are collected by an air flow formed along the floor to a collecting port, and returned by a negative pressure towards the ball projecting section through a hose. This enables the player to play continuously with a fixed number of balls. The construction of the ball projecting section of the table tennis apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-22229 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-7264.
According to the above conventional table tennis apparatus, however, faulty balls that are erroneously stamped on and deformed by the player's foot have been also collected and returned to the ball projecting section, and are projected from the ball projecting section after a lapse of a fixed period of time, so that normal proceeding of a game (training) may be prevented. In addition, since the player cannot continue the game when the number of faulty balls mixed into the ball projecting section increases, the faulty balls should be periodically manually sorted, and the maintenance of the apparatus becomes complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a table tennis ball-sorting device which can be played in normal conditions at all times and which can simplify the maintenance of the device, and to provide a table tennis apparatus including the table tennis ball-sorting device.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a table tennis ball-sorting device including a plurality of rails that are arranged side by side in substantially a horizontal direction at intervals that are capable of having passed therethrough only deformed balls.
With the described arrangement, dented and deformed balls on the rails drop from a spacing between adjacent rails, and non-dented normal balls roll on the rails downstream to be collected.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a table tennis apparatus in which a ball projected from a ball projecting section disposed on a first playing surface of a table towards the other playing surface is returned towards the first playing surface, the table tennis apparatus, including a table tennis ball-sorting device including a plurality of rails that are arranged side by side in substantially a horizontal direction at intervals that are capable of having passed therethrough only deformed balls, wherein the rails arranged side by side constitute first and second ball sorting sections arranged from upstream upstream side of the device, and wherein the first and second ball sorting sections cross each other, and balls can be transferred from the downstream end of the first ball sorting section to an upstream part of the second ball sorting section.
With the described arrangements, dented and deformed balls on the rails of the table tennis ball-sorting device drop from the spacing between adjacent rails, and non-dented normal balls roll on the rails downstream to be collected, and are returned towards the ball projecting section. Consequently, since the dented balls that have been stamped on by the player's foot are not returned to the ball projecting section, it is possible to play under a normal condition at all times. In addition, since it is not necessary to manually sort the dented faulty balls, the maintenance of the apparatus is simplified.
The table tennis apparatus of the present invention may preferably include a ball returning unit for returning balls that have reached the downstream of the table tennis ball-sorting device towards the ball projecting section.
With the described arrangement, balls are automatically returned towards the ball projecting section. Consequently, normal balls are always projected from the ball projecting section, and normal play can be continuously performed.
The table tennis apparatus of the present invention preferably further includes a floor ball collecting section for collecting balls that have dropped on the front floor of the other playing surface towards the table; and a ball transfer unit for transferring the balls collected by the floor ball collecting section towards the upstream end of the table tennis-ball sorting device.
With the described arrangements, balls that have dropped by failing to be hit and the like on the front floor of the playing surface on the side of the player are collected towards the table by the floor ball collecting section and transferred towards the upstream end of the table tennis ball-sorting device by the ball transfer unit so as to be sorted.
In the table tennis apparatus of the present invention, a deformed ball carrying member consisting of a long receiver plate may preferably be arranged below the table tennis-ball sorting device.
With the described arrangement, dented balls that have dropped from the spacing of the rails are received by the deformed ball carrying member and carried downstream.
In the table tennis apparatus of the present invention, a ball collecting box may preferably be disposed at a lowermost position of the deformed ball carrying member.
With the described arrangement, the deformed balls are collected in the deformed ball collecting box, and it is possible to perform after-treatment, such as disposal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3917265 (1975-11-01), Schrier et al.
patent: 4875678 (1989-10-01), Sawyer
patent: 29622337 (1997-04-01), None
patent: 3017687 (1995-08-01), None
Fujimoto Hirofumi
Hirasawa Katsunori
Kotani Hideki
Minami Kojiro
Oishi Toshimitsu
Jordan and Hamburg LLP
Konami Co. Ltd.
Martin Brett A
Walsh Donald P.
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