Abstract:
A tennis ball dispensing device for practicing tennis strokes that includes an inclined tubular chute for retaining and delivering balls to a flexible sock having an opening therein for permitting release of a ball therethrough, the sock being suspended from a pivotal ring located at the lower end of the chute. The balls move to the end of the chute under the force of gravity and are delivered into the sock to be releasably held therein as a result of the racket&#39;s striking the ball held in the sock, the ball being driven from the sock as a result of the racket striking the sock and ball. A ball escape indexing mechanism releases one ball at a time into the net as a result of pivoting of the ring when the ball and sock are struck by the racket.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to devices for enabling a player to practice striking a ball. Specifically, it relates to an improved device for positioning a ball, particularly a tennis ball, in a position desired by the player and for automatically delivering succeeding balls to the same position after each ball is struck by the player. 
     An important objective of the present invention is to provide a device which may be used by tennis players for practicing the various strokes of the game, i.e., backhand, forehand and serve, by striking a stationary ball. This form of practice is beneficial not only for beginners who are learning to connect the racket with the ball but also for experienced players at various levels who wish to improve their judgment of proper body placement relative to the ball. 
     A number of mechanical devices have been used or proposed for enabling players of moving ball games, of which baseball and tennis are examples, to attain skill in hitting the ball. And such apparatus, as a rule, are truly useful only when the player can practice hitting a succession of balls repeatedly at close intervals. Machines which have been developed for projecting the ball toward the player at various angles and velocities accomplish this function, but they are, of course, expensive and also require the player to move to and connect with a ball which is traveling toward, and possibly to the &#34;inside&#34; or &#34;outside&#34; of the player&#39;s stroke, as well. The invention is not concerned with this type of device. Rather, as noted above, the primary object and advantage of the invention is to deliver balls in succession as the player is ready for them at a preselected position where the ball may be struck and projected toward a desired target. 
     Several mechanical contrivances have been suggested for accomplishing this object. They are, however, far from satisfactory. One of these holds a ball rigidly at the end of a collapsible, vertical stand. When the ball (which is permanently affixed to the stand) is struck by the player, the stand collapses or pivots forwardly and then automatically returns to its upright position for striking again. While apparatus of this type gives the player a target to strike at, he is given little opportunity to judge the correctness of his stroke and aim because the ball cannot be projected. So far as we are aware, there are no satisfactory devices previous to the invention which accomplish the function of holding the ball stationary in a position where it can be struck and projected by the player to the point of aim. 
     Batting practice devices of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,955,823 and 2,955,824 represent another approach. These devices, however, not only cannot be used for tennis stroking practice but are also disadvantageous in that they require the player to make special motions unrelated to the desired exercise in order to release each ball as it is needed. In other words, release of the ball to the practice position is not automatic; moreover, it is possible to accidentally release more than one ball. Devices of this type cannot be used for tennis practice because the ball is delivered down a wire formation which interferes with the stroke of the tennis racket at and &#34;through&#34; the tennis ball. 
     It is accordingly a primary object of the invention to provide a device that is useful, particularly in the game of tennis, squash and the like, for practicing hitting the ball wherein the ball may be driven by the racket to the point of aim. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a ball striking practice device in which the balls are delivered one by one automatically as each ball is hit. 
     Yet another object of the invention is to provide a ball striking practice device which may be adjusted to various positions and which may be used for practicing all of the basic racket strokes, while permitting the racket to swing through the point of impact with the ball and allowing the ball to be projected. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In brief, these and other objects are attained by a device wherein a magazine, which may be disposed in an inclined position, holds and supplies a number of balls to a discharge opening. A ball delivery mechanism controls the release of balls, one by one, into a flexible member, e.g., in the form of a sock disposed beneath the discharge opening of the magazine, such that released balls are caught and suspended at the desired position for striking by the player. In the preferred embodiment the delivery mechanism includes an escape member which normally blocks the release of the ball through the discharge opening but is momentarily movable out of the path of the ball when the ball is struck and projected out of the flexible member, whereupon a stop member of the mechanism is momentarily moved into the path of succeeding balls so that only one ball at a time falls into the flexible member. The flexible member and magazine may be vertically adjustable to accommodate all players and the various strokes. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A better understanding of the invention will be gained from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, together with the drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an apparatus according to the invention; 
     FIG. 1A is a view through the flexible sock element of the device taken along the line 1A--1A of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view in cross-section of the forward end of the apparatus, taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 3 and showing details of the ball delivery mechanism; 
     FIG. 3 is a front view in partial cross-section taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ball delivery mechanism taken generally along the line 4--4 of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 5--5 of FIG. 1 showing details of the support stand and magazine slide of the apparatus; and 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevation view along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, all of the elements of the invention can be seen, as viewed from a point toward which the balls would be projected when struck. The fundamental elements include a hollow tubular magazine 10 for holding and supplying a plurality of tennis balls 11 to a discharge opening 13 at the lower end of the magazine. A ball delivery mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral 15, controls the release of the tennis balls so that they are discharged one by one into a flexible, or pliant, ball-receiving sock 17 which catches and suspends the discharged ball. 
     The magazine 10 is supported on a vertical stand 20 by means of a slidable carriage 21, which is free to move up and down the vertical post 20. For this purpose, a pulley 23 at the upper end of the post guides a cable 25 attached to the supporting slide 21 over the top of the post and then down to a crank (not shown) or other suitable mechanism for raising and lowering the magazine 10 to any desired height from the ground. The magazine may be dimensioned as long as desired and constructed from a strong, lightweight material such as aluminum or plastic. The longer the magazine, the more balls can be stored within it; a length which can accommodate three dozen tennis balls has been found to be sufficient for most practice exercises. The vertical post itself extends upwardly from a weighted base 26 having a pair of horizontally extending casters 28 by which the entire device may be tilted backwardly and rolled on the casters for movement from one location to another. 
     FIG. 1A shows details of the lower extremity of the sock 17. When the ball is discharged through the opening 13 of the magazine, it falls to the bottom of the sock (even though the ring during this period of time is rotated in an angular position displaced from that shown in FIG. 1). It is therefore caught and suspended in the position (which is adjustable by adjusting the height of the slide 21) desired by the player for practicing his strokes. In the lower portion 17a of the sock is an opening 17b that is dimensioned so as to permit the ball to be driven through it (as indicated by the phantom lines) in the direction of the arrow when struck by the racket 30. In the drawing the opening is shown to be located in the side of the sock, but in some cases it may be preferred to locate the opening 17b in the bottom of the sock to improve the accuracy of the ball&#39;s trajectory. In this case, the opening is dimensioned to be slightly smaller in diameter than the ball, while permitting passage of the ball therethrough when struck, due to the stretch characteristic of the sock material. 
     Preferably, the sock is constituted of a net-like material, which can be made from any suitable synthetic or natural yarn such as nylon, polyester, cotton, etc. This enables the sock to yield with the force of the racket without impeding the player&#39;s strokes. At the same time, the ball is permitted to be driven toward the point of aim, thus enabling the player to judge the correctness of his technique and the accuracy of his swing. 
     Referring again momentarily to FIG. 1, it is observed that the sock is provided with vertical spines 31 of flexible stiffening material attached to the sock and extending partway down its length. The spines serve to preclude the sock from wrapping about the magazine 10 after being struck and aid in returning the sock to its normal position for receiving the next ball. In a related connection, it should be pointed out that the sock performs the dual function of yieldably and releasably suspending the ball and of transmitting the force of the racket to the ball delivery mechanism. Accordingly, any element which functions in this manner may be used, so long as it does not appreciably impede movement of the racket through the point of suspension of the ball. 
     The details of the ball release mechanism are best seen from FIGS. 2-4. Referring first to FIG. 2, it is seen that the discharge end 10a of the hollow tubular magazine is truncated to ensure reliable discharge of the tennis balls 11a- 11c situated seriatim in the magazine and being discharged one-by-one after each ball is struck from the sock 17. 
     The sock 17 is suspended from a ring 32 which is formed integrally with a rotatable shaft 34 whose axis extends parallel to the axis of the magazine 10. This shaft 34 is journaled for rotation in either direction in a pair of nylon bushings 36, 37 carried at opposite ends of a U-shaped bracket 40 joined to the underside of the magazine 10. The ring 32 is maintained in axial alignment with the discharge opening 13 by the spacing washer 42 at the forward end of the bracket 40 and by a pin 43 at the opposite end of the bracket. When the racket strikes the ball suspended in the sock 17, sufficient force is generated to cause the ring 32 to pivot, and the shaft 34 to rotate, from the normal position to the release position indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 3. This action results in the automatic release of the next ball in the magazine, in the manner now described. 
     The ball delivery mechanism 15 includes a ball escape member 45 and a ball stop member 46 which together operate to release a single ball each time the racket strikes the ball suspended in the sock. As best observed from FIGS. 3 and 4, the stop member 46 may be formed integrally with the escape member 45 from a single piece of formed sheet metal. The escape member 45 is inclined in the forward direction and projects into the path of the ball 11a immediately adjacent the discharge opening when the ring 32 is in the normal position. Both members 45, 46 are rigidly affixed to the ring 32 and shaft 34 and are rotatable therewith between the normal position and the release position. 
     From FIG. 3, it is seen that the upper edge 46a of the stop member is contoured to conform to the tubular magazine 10 but has edge portions 50 which move momentarily through the transverse slot 48 (FIG. 2) into the path of the succeeding ball 11b  when the ring is rotated to the release position. This prevents the ball 11b and all balls behind it from rolling forward under the force of gravity. The release member 45, on the other hand, rotates out of the path of the forward-most ball 11a, permitting it to drop into the sock. The inertia of the system is such that sufficient time is given for the ball 11a to be released before the ring returns to the normal position. Upon return of the ball delivery mechanism to the normal position (solid lines in FIG. 3), all remaining balls in the ball carrier 10 move forward until the forward-most ball contacts the release member 45. Thus the balls 11b, 11c move into the positions formerly occupied by the balls 11a, 11b, respectively. 
     Rotational movement of the ball delivery mechanism is restricted to predetermined limits by the stop tabs 52 projecting forwardly from each side of the stop member. When the ball delivery mechanism is put into its fully displaced position, as indicated by the phantom lines of FIG. 3, the stop members 52 contact the wall of the tubular magazine 10. 
     We have found that the apparatus, as described herein, works reliably and satisfactorily without the aid of any further elements. Nevertheless, it is possible, should it be desired to regulate the mechanical time constant of the ball delivery mechanism, to provide a mild resilient force for returning the ball delivery mechanism to the normal position following release of the ball. For this purpose, a tortional spring reacting, for example, between the shaft 34 and the support bracket 40 might be employed. Likewise, suitable damping might also be used, it being recognized that it is desirable to minimize resistance to the motion of the racket as it strikes the ball-receiving sock 17. To a certain extent, control of this factor can be achieved by maintaining at least the lower portion of the sock pliant and light in weight. 
     Turning now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the manner of supporting the tubular magazine by means of the slide 21 is better seen. The support stand 20 is indicated as rectangular in cross-section; however, it should be understood that other cross-sectional forms may be used such as a longitudinally grooved round post. The slide 21 includes a bracket member 60 conforming to the contour of the stand&#39;s cross-section and, on its inside surface, is provided with a series of nylon bearings 62 which ride against the outer surface of the stand 20 as the slide 21 moves up and down. The bearings 62 also serve to keep the slide properly positioned and prevent it from swinging about the axis of the stand. 
     The bracket 60 is provided with three keyhole slots, a slot 64 on the left and two vertically displaced slots 65 on the right (FIG. 6). Welded to the tubular magazine 10 are a pair of pins 66 having enlarged heads 67 at each end thereof. One of these fits into the slot 64, and the other fits into one of the slots 65. The distance between the keyholes 65 is such that a suitable angle of incline (e.g., 18°) permitting gravitational feed of the balls is maintained. Since the pins 66 extend transversely beyond the magazine 10 at either end, the magazine can be manually lifted up and out of the keyholes 64 and turned around so that the lower end of the magazine points to the right rather than to the left. 
     Although the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, it should be understood that certain modifications and variations within the skill of the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention should not be taken as restricted to the precise embodiment disclosed.