Patent Document ID: 5465978
Application ID: 08167911
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. Training apparatus for launching balls, comprising: means for supplying a plurality of balls to a chute for gravity feeding the balls one at a time to a launching station, said chute having a lower end which opens at the level of the launching station and includes a single ball distributor, said distributor comprising an articulated lever actuated by an electromagnet so as to free said balls one at a time as they descend by gravity through the chute, said launching station including an ejection arm for striking said balls at a striking point with an adjustable force, said ejection arm being fixedly mounted on an axle mounted on bearings, said axle having a return spring attached thereto and a launching arm mounted thereon, said launching arm being actuated by an operatively associated rotatable drive arm which rotates the launching arm about said axle, said drive arm including adjustment means for varying the radius of the drive arm so as to stress the return spring and thereby generate said adjustable force, said launching station comprising a cradle for receiving a ball at said striking point, first cradle adjustment means for adjusting said cradle in a horizontal direction, and second cradle adjustment means for adjusting said cradle in a vertical direction.