Patent ID: 7874942

Claim:
A ball toss toy useful for amusement of young children comprises: a tube adapted to direct pressurized air towards an open end of the tube; a wind sock attached to the tube and extending from the open end of the tube; an air supply adapted to flow pressurized air through the tube and support a ball in a hover mode beyond the open end of the wind sock; a ball supply and controller, the air supply comprising an adjustable speed fan located at a portion of the tube below an inlet in the tube through which a ball enters the tube from the ball supply, the controller controlling air speed of the fan to propel the ball through the tube to a selected first, second or third distance from the open end of the tube; wherein the controller is adapted to control the air supply to propel the ball different distances from the open end of the tube, the distances including (a) a hover mode in which the ball hovers above the open end of the tube, (b) a toss mode in which a ball is ejected one or more distances vertically out of the tube and/or (c) a pitch mode in which a ball is lobbed in a horizontal direction.