Abstract:
Plastic balls of the type used in recreational trampoline type pits are picked up by a hand held conduit and conveyed pneumatically to a sorting station where out of round balls are culled from the stream of balls to be washed. A golf ball type washer cleans and disinfects the balls, which are then conveyed to a storage bag for reuse in the pit.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to apparatus for washing balls, particularly lightweight hollow plastic balls of the type commonly used in recreation areas in conjunction with a trampoline defined pit designed to hold a large quantity of such balls, and to provide a soft structure play unit. The balls are designed to provide a degree of support for children playing in the pit in that they provide a degree of buoyancy and afford a soft environment for play. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Apparatus for washing balls are known, particularly apparatus for washing golf balls. See for example the prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,996. Typically, such a ball washer includes a hopper provided above a tank, and inside the tank a rotating brush is provided for driving the golf balls around a generally helical path, from an inlet associated with the hopper to an outlet where the washed balls are ejected, generally for movement by gravity down an inclined chute into a storage area. 
     Prior art apparatus designed to sort and wash relatively lightweight hollow plastic balls of the type designed for use in a recreational concave trampoline type pit have not been available. Moreover, due to the use of these hollow plastic balls in recreational trampoline type pits, and the fact that such recreational facilities are frequented by children, there is a need for providing a system to periodically clean such balls. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is a general purpose and object of the present invention to provide a system for efficiently cleaning hollow plastic balls of the type used in recreational trampoline type pits, and to also provide for the elimination of defective, or non-round balls, which could prove hazardous to the intended use for the balls in a recreational pit of this type. 
     This object is accomplished with the present invention by providing a ball washing and sorting system capable of both washing hollow plastic balls and sorting these balls to eliminate defective non-round balls prior to returning them to the pit. The invention also provides for convenient withdrawal of the balls from the pit so as to facilitate their efficient cleaning and sorting. The system also allows for the efficient storing of the balls to facilitate cleaning of the trampoline type pit when emptied of these plastic balls. 
     The system of the present invention preferably includes a sorting station and a ball washing station. Pneumatic means is provided for transporting the balls from the pit to an inlet of the sorting station where non-round balls are rejected and round balls, or balls not defective enough to require rejection, are moved to an outlet of the sorting station. The balls are gravity fed from the outlet of the sorting station to an inlet of the ball washing station. The ball washing station includes a rotating cylindrically shaped brush, provided in a tank that is filled with fluid so that the balls can be forced around a helical path defined by the tank as a result of rotating the brush. Means is provided for transporting the washed balls from an outlet of the washing station preferably to a ball storage means in the form of an open mesh net that will conveniently store a plurality of the balls until the pit has been prepared for return of the clean balls. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A more complete understanding of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereto will be readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the various components of a ball washing and sorting system constructed in accordance with the present invention but with the front wall eliminated to show the interior arrangement of various components; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment illustrating the ball pick-up device; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 apparatus opened up to reveal the interior components of the system; 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view showing schematically the sorting station of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view through the downstream end of the ball washer conduit 50 showing the air flow through the nozzles at the end of this conduit. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, an apparatus of the present invention preferably includes an enclosure 10 of generally rectangular configuration provided on wheels 12 for convenient manipulation into a desired position for use. As best shown in FIG. 2, a storage bin 14 may be provided on one side of the enclosure 10 for storing the conduits 28 and 30 when not in use. As shown in FIG. 2, the enclosure 10 has a hinged lid 16 provided on the top to permit access to the interior of the enclosure 10. Further, a hinged door 18 is preferably provided on the front wall to further facilitate access to the interior. Finally, the enclosure 10 includes a ball inlet port 20 for conduit 28, and has a ball exit port 22 for conduit 30. 
     As best shown in FIG. 2 a wand 25, having handles 24 and 26, provides a convenient means for manipulating the free end portion of the ball inlet conduit 28 so that the conduit 28 can be used to suck the lightweight plastic balls from the pit (not shown) into the inlet port 20. A similarly configured flexible conduit 30 is connected to exit port 22 of the enclosure 10, and serves to convey the clean balls to a storage area indicated schematically at 32 in FIG. 2. The storage area 32 preferably comprises an open mesh bag with openings of such size as to prevent the spherical balls from passing through these openings, but which is lightweight enough to permit the balls in the mesh bag to be readily transported from one place to another. Such a storage capability for the balls facilitates cleaning of the pit itself prior to return of the clean balls to the pit. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a ball sorting station indicated generally at 34 in FIG. 1 is provided adjacent to the inlet 20 for the balls. The ball sorting station 34 comprises a motor driven rubber wheel or tire 38 that is supported on a vertical shaft for rotation by the motor M. The sorting station also includes an enclosure 42 that is kept at a low pressure by vacuum line 43. The low pressure in enclosure 42 provides for positive entry of the balls into the inlet A. Each ball in turn is drawn into the inlet A of the ball sorting device 34 and the wheel periphery rotates the balls around a horizontally disposed arcuate track defined in part by the periphery of the wheel or tire 38. This track is further defined by a frictional surface 40 provided around approximately one half the circumference or periphery of the wheel 38. The surface 40 is spaced from the periphery of the wheel 38 for this purpose, see FIG. 4. The frictional surface 40 may be in the form of a brush, and the periphery of the wheel is preferably elastomeric. The wheel periphery and the surface of the brush may be shaped so as to accommodate the spherical configuration of the balls being sorted. However as shown, the surface 40 need not be contoured and is flat. The wheel preferably has a conventional rubber tire tread thereon. When a ball moves into the inlet A of the ball sorting device 34 it will be moved around this track if the ball is generally spherical or round. If not round the ball will drop downwardly out of the space provided between the periphery of the wheel 38 and the surface 40 into the enclosure 42. The culled balls in the enclosure can be conveniently shunted into any convenient receptacle for disposal. A trap door in the enclosure (not shown) may be provided for this purpose. 
     Still with reference to FIG. 1, the sorting device 34 defines a ball outlet B through which the round balls move by action of the wheel 38. The balls then move into a gravity chute or conduit 44. The non-round balls will have been culled from the stream of balls at the sorting station 34 and only the round balls move through the conduit 44 into the ball washing station 36. The ball washing station may be similar to prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,996 which is incorporated by reference herein. More particularly, the ball washing station 36 comprises a tank 46 in which a liquid is provided, the liquid being non-hazardous, but nevertheless adapted to disinfect the balls such that they can be returned to the recreational trampoline pit. The preferred liquid currently recommended for use in apparatus of the invention is ISOSEPT, made by Rexford Rand Corp., Michigan City, Ind. The washing station comprises a motor M2 adapted to drive a cylindrically shaped brush 48 in the tank 46 so as to move each ball in turn around a helical path defined by the tank 46 and by the tank cover 46A to the end that the balls exit from the washer. The washed balls are conveyed through exit conduit 50 by providing a negative pressure at the downstream end of conduit 50 as shown in FIG. 5. The air pump or blower 52 not only provides for a low pressure air inlet pressure at the entry A of the ball sorter, but also provides high pressure air in line 54 to create a venturi effect at the exit end of conduit 50. An annular chamber 63 is defined by ring 56 so that the nozzles 64,64 move the balls out of the enclosure 10 through exit port 22 into conduit 30. A funnel shaped flow of air into the exit end of conduit 50 moves the balls through the exit opening 22 and through conduit 30, preferably to a storage bag as suggested above. 
     The balls are of hollow lightweight plastic in keeping with the requirements of soft structure play units generally. The balls may range in size from 76-82 mm. The conduits 28 and 30 are necessarily larger in diameter, and preferably have a corrugated shape of approximately 110-125 mm in diameter.