US1211738A - Automatic base-ball-pitching machine. - Google Patents

Description

B. N. MARTY.

AUTOMAHC BASE BALL PITCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, me.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

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AUTOMATIC BASE BALL momma MACHINE.

APPLICATIONHLED APR. 29,1916; 1

Patentad Jan. 9, 1917.

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AUTOMATIC BASE-lBALL-PITCHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters LPatent.

' Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

Application filed April 29, 1916. Serial No. 94,490.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BARTLEY N. MARTY,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Lakewood, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Base-Ball-Pitching Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to construct in the simplest form a' machine that will hurl a baseball with sufficient speed and at ing pulley of said the same time with a twisting motion approximating that of a ball thrown by hand.

The machine embodying my invention consists primarily of a grooved wheel or pulley mounted on a shaft supported in a suitable frame, means for holding the ball in contact with the groove of. the wheel while motion is by the revolving of the wheel, and'means for revolving the wheel. In the machine shown in the drawings also included means .for regulating the height at which the ball is thrown to the batter. In practice there is also added means. for automatically feeding the balls to the machine as desired.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 isa side elevation of one of my machines, partially 1n section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view at line II, II, Fig/1. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation with some of the parts shown in section at line III, III, Fig. -1.

A, A, A, A, are the frames for mounting the central shaft B, upon which is loosely mounted the grooved wheel C.

D is a pulley also loosely mounted on the shaft B, and preferably formed integral with the hub of the wheel C.

' E is an electric motor for driving the machine and is connected to feed wires and controllers in the usual manner. F is the drivtransmitting motion from the pulley D and wheel G.

Pivotally mounted on the shaft B are the frames H, H. The lower ends of H, Il are joined at it. The upper ends of the frames H, H are joined together by the plate I. Depending from the plate I and extending downward members H, H, is a shoe J, whose lower surface is preferably curved with a radius apmotor to the sion and the being imparted to the ball and herein described are.

motor and G is a belt for the amount of spin imparted bet ween the frame pivotally connected thereto, the pins 7' 7' project upward through the provided at their upper ends with the nuts j y' Between the upper surface of the shoe and the lower surface of the plate I are coil springs 7' j adapted to force the shoe downward, whilethe springs are keptin ten position of the shoe adjusted by means of the nuts j .The groove in the wheel C may be made round, orv V shaped, or even with a fiatbottom, but I prefer the construction-shown in which the groove is provided with two ruber rings or tires, 0, c securely mounted therein, one at each side of the groove in such manner that the lower surface of the ball 0 impinges against each of the rubber tires or rings, while the upper surface of the ball impinges against the lower surface of the shoe J. his lower surface 1' of the shoe'J, may be of wood or metal, but is preferably leather, rubber or some similar material that will furnish a slightly yielding contact for the ball. On the side of the ho per K is a bracket 70 on hich is pivoted the lever L. A short distance below the bracket is, and also supported in the hopper K, is a push red It also attached to the lever L. The lower end of the lever'L is connected to the rod M at m, the rod' M extending be yond the machine in the direction in which the ball travels to the point where the operator is stationed. The lower end of'the frame elements ll, .1 1 are connected to the rod /t at lfi, this rod also extending forward to the point where the operator is stationed.

The direction of the ball may be controlled by grooving the shoe J and having the surface of the wheel flat or by groovin both the shoe and the wheel and still be within my invention. shoe mafy be increased or diminished as may be desired, it being found that the greater length of shoe and tact between the shoe and the ball increases to the ball.

The operation of the device is as follows: A suitable number of balls are placed in the hopper K, the lowest one being'retained in its position by the slight incline la in the consequent longer 0011- plate I and are I The length of. the

bottom of the hopper. The operator then turns on the current setting the motor in motion and; revolving the wheel C, the upper surface thereof turning to the right, Fig.

i speed of the motor is controlled in the ordinary manner so as to pitch a. fast or slow ball as may be desire-cl. The operator then rolls the rod actuating the lever L and surface being carried forward at a more rapidrate by its contact with the rings 0, c of the wheel C. In this manner the ball "own from the wheel C in the direcarrow shown in Fig. 1, is caused upon its axis in a direction contrary. to the rotation of the wheel C. This rotation of the ball is similar to that imported by a, pitcher in throwing an up shoot and causing the ball to maintain its flight to a. greater extent than if its rotation were in the opposite direction. In addi-- tion to suchcontrol of the trajectory of the I ball as the operator has through regulating the spced of the motor, the height at which it is delivered to the batter is also controlled by theoperator by controlling the point at which the bull leaves the wheel This is accomplished by shifting the shoe J to the left or to the right, Fig. 1, by changing the position of the frame elemenls H, H, which in turn are controlled by the lever h extending to the operator. If it is desired to throw a low ball the shoe J is shifted to the right,

rectiori to throw a high ball.

In the event it is desired to make a machine to throw theball with top spin and thereby to pitch a drop, the shoe will be placed at the bottom of the wheel. and the motion of the wheel reversed.

Fig. 1. while it is shifted in the opposite di- I have described my invention in that form which best embodies it, but it is obvious that the machine may be driven by any described form of power, that the groove in tlie wheelC may be of any desired form or that the surface of the wheel may be fiat and the lower surface of the shoe J may be grooved or made V shaped and so accomplishtlle purpose of my invention, but all of these modifications are claimed to be within th'e scope of this invention. Also the framo of the shoe 5, the method of its adjustment and the materials oi wlnch. it is made or with which it maybe lined may be modified or changed and still be within my invention. l i

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A baseball pitching machine, the combination of a wheel, a frame in which said wheel is rotatably mounted, a shoe mounted adj accnt to the circumference of said wheel and in position to hold the ball against the surface of the wheel, and means for revolv ing said wheel, whereby a ball placed be. tween said wheel and shoe will be thrown in the direction in which the wheel is revolved.

2. In a baseball pitching machine the combination of a grooved wheel, a frame in which said wheel is rotatably mounted, a shoe mounted adjacent to the circumference of said wheel in position to hold the ball against the grooved surface of the wheel, and means for revolving said wheel, whereby a ball placed between said wheel and shoe will be thrown in the direction in which the wheel is revolved.

said rings of yielding material, and means.

for revolving said wheel whereby a ball placed between said wheel and shoe will be thrown in the direction in which the wheel is revolved.

4:. In a baseball pitching machine the combination of a wheel, a frame in which said wheel is rotatably mounted, a shoe adjustably mounted adjacent to the circumference of said wheel in position to hold the ball against the surfaceof the wheel, and means for revolving said wheel whereby a ball placed between said wheel and shoe will be thrown in the direction in which the wheel is revolved.

5. In a baseball pitching machine the combination of a grooved wheel, a frame in which said wheel is rotatably mounted, a shoe adjustably mounted adjacent to the circumference of said wheel in osition to hold the ball against the groove surface of the wheel, and means for revolving said wheel whereby a ball placed between said wheel and shoe will be thrown in the direction in which the wheel is revolved.

6. In a baseball pitchin machine the combination of a wheel Suits 13 mountedupon a shaft, a frame for supporting said shaft, an inner frame also mounted on said shaft, a shoe mounted on said inner frame adjacent to the circumference of said wheel in position to'liold the ball against the surface of the wheel, means for adjusting said inner frame and means for revolving said wheel, whereby a ball placed between said wheel and shoe will be thrown in the direction in which the wheel is revolved, and the height at which the ball is delivered to the batter frame.

1 1321 1). isassimii pitching TY" 7, he mm: 1151 41021 of s, grcmved W e5 sm': My

e batter i'nay be contioiied.

i'ilii pitching mm? ihs (msuimi iy mom w: on a in 13. frame and having ii grosve \v". sings of yieldng" nmisxrizfl. 0 impinge 21 inst this bai 29 mm frame :iisa mmmized on said sim, i :1 shoe mounted on said inner :imms ad acent its fire. CU'CUET C'FQHCQ of mid Wili in pos 10 hum bail against said rings a.

1'10 m5, means :HijUSfiBg I and means ier 0min i whee; is I'JVOiVL/ oi: the h 1 CORiLIMiBQ.

2513f wi eei su'iasbiy mouni smut, imme 1m sw mming said; an, inns? frame al o inmmtex'i an said :1 sizes sdiusszsiiiy mm d an said whichthe bail. is

s. pitching machine she caminner frame adjacent in the circumference of ,iid when! and in position to 1mm vQthe ball against the surface of like heel, means for adjusting said inner i IiHDG; m1 means for revoking said wheel, whereby abail placed 49 betwseii said whee? and shoe wiHbe. thrm'vn I in the direction in which the whee revalved, and the height which the ball is deiiversd t0 bz'siiter may be controlled.

10. In a bfiiiP/hfin pitching machine the :zomivinatio-n 01'? a wheel suimbiy mounted upon a shaft and having; a circumferential gi'oov's with rings of yielding materia to impinge against the ball, a frame for suppmting said shni'i, an inner frame aiso 50 mounted on said shaft, .2 shag mounfiisd on said inns? fiuime adjacentto she circumference of said Wheel in position to hold the ball against the grams. the Wheel means for shifting the position 6:? said inner frame anci the shoe whereby 611% point at which the bail lsaves ihs Wheel may be alterecl, and means for revciving said Wheel, whereby a bail piscsd between saiii wheel and shoe will be thrawn iii the dirction in which the wheel is rsvolved and the height :12 which it is deiiversci as the batter may iie control'l'ed.

In Witnes Whsreof I hereunta set my ham-i ki- Cisveisnd, Chic, this QZ'th day sf April, 1915. V

BART KEY N. MARTY.

n $118 presence 0?? E. I 602mm, E,

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