Patent ID: 7350515

Claim:
A ball feeder for a ball serving machine, comprising: a seat including a hollow transfer frame positionable over the ball serving machine, the hollow transfer frame having an upper and a lower opening, the seat further having an upright shaft bearing adjacent to the hollow transfer frame; a rotating unit mounted to one side of said seat and having a ball scoop extended from one end of said rotating unit and into said hollow transfer frame, said ball scoop being caused to rotate by said rotating unit to a first position in which said ball scoop blocks the upper opening of the transfer frame, and to a second position in which said ball scoop blocks the lower opening of the transfer frame; and a plurality of guide sections sequentially and telescopically connected together, each guide section being rotatably connected to said shaft bearing, said guide sections being rotatable to a first position in which said guide sections are disposed superposed over each other, and to a second position in which said guide sections collectively form an inclined spiral groove that terminates above the upper opening of the transfer frame; wherein when a ball is deposited in the spiral groove, the ball rolls down the spiral groove toward the upper opening of the transfer frame, wherein when the ball scoop blocks the upper opening of the transfer frame, the ball is prevented from falling into the transfer frame, wherein when the ball scoop blocks the lower opening of the transfer frame, the ball can fall from the spiral groove into the transfer frame, and wherein when the ball scoop rotates to the first position when the ball is in the transfer frame, the ball in the transfer frame falls into the ball serving maching.