Patent ID: 8176905

Claim:
An apparatus for applying a helical spin to a mechanically thrown football or football shaped object comprising: a freely rotating cup that is aligned with the axis of said football, said cup arranged to hold one end of the football to thereby allow it to spin freely about its axis when held against said cup; a plurality of freely rotating wheels radially arranged adjacent the opposite end of said football, the axes of said wheels set at an angle to the axis of said football and positioned to engage the football, to hold it snugly in said cup, and to impart a rotational force to the football as it is thrown from the apparatus; means to impart axial motion to the cup and football, said means comprising a compression spring aligned substantially with the axis of said football to provide the propulsion power necessary to throw said football, means for compressing said spring to the degree necessary to achieve the desired throw distance, said compressing means including a spiral shaped actuator or actuators that, when rotated through a compression stroke, compresses said spring in such a manner that the external force or torque applied to said actuator remains substantially constant throughout said spring compression stroke; and means for latching or holding said spring in its compressed state and for controlling the release of said spring from its latched or compressed state.