US1229979A - Feed mechanism for mechanical ball-pitchers. - Google Patents

Description

J. M. KYLE.

FEED MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL BALL PITCHERS.

APPLICATION FILED mac-30, I9l5.

11. ,2Q9,9 Patented June 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. M. KYLE.

FEED MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL BALL PITCHERS. APPLICATION FILED 050.30. l9l5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ST FAN JAMES IVE. KYLE, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO SMITH-UPTON 00., OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. A CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

'FEED'MECHANISM FOR MECHANICAL BALL-PITCHERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed December 30, 1915. Serial No. 69,429.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs M. KYLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Vvashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Mechanical Ball-Pitchers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention involves certain novel improvements in ball pitching machines. and appertains particularly to the provision of specially designed automatic feed mechanism for such machines.

The invention in its practical embodiment is intended for use in connection with a battery of mechanical ball pitchers the feeding mechanism including a suitable conveyer for elevating the balls preliminary to feeding them to the throwing arms of the cooperative pitching devices, and an automatic separator being employed to receive the balls from said conveyer and alternately feed said balls one at a time to the throwing arms from which they are projected throug the operation of'suitable controlling mechanism.

For a full understanding of the present invention, reference is to be had to the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a feeding mechanism embodying the invention shown in connection with a battery of two pitching machines suitably spacedapart and to the throwing arms of whichmachines the said feed mechanism supplies the balls to be projected.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, only the throwing arms of the pitchingmachines being illustrated. I

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the conveyer mechanism associated with one of the feeding troughs, the latter being illustrated in end elevation. I

Fig. 4c is a fragmentary perspective view bringing out more clearly the action of the ball pushing feeding member.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken about on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a conveyor flight.

Describing the invention specifically, the ball pitching machines are designated A and B in the drawings and it is to be understood that the improvements hereinafter de scribed are susceptible of use in connection with any type of mechanical pitching device involving a throwing arm to which the objects to be projected, balls in the present instance, are to be supplied intermittently. The machines A and B may therefore be said to be of any conventional type equipped with the throwing arms 1 of hollow formation the latter being rotatable upon shafts 2. Each shaft 2 will be driven by any suitable power mechanism, such as a motor 3 and driving belt connection 1 from said motor to a pulley wheel 5 on the shaft 2, the various parts being preferably supported by the stand 6. The throwing arms 1 are hollow and at the central outer portion of each arm is provideda supply opening through which the balls are fed preliminary to being projected through the centrifugal action of the arm, in the well known manner.

Passing now to the ball feeding instrumentalities forming the essential feature of the present improvements, it will be ob served'from Fig. 3 of the drawings that a suitable return trough 7 is arranged to receive the balls or objects to be projected and is inclined downward toward the lower end of the endless conveyor 8. The balls after being thrown are intended to be returned to the machine by means of'the trough 7, a conveyer belt 9 operating at the bottom of the trough 7 to assist gravity in causing movement of the balls to the conveyor 8. The conveyer 8 is supplied with flights or lifting members 10 at intervals in its length and said conveyer operates about suitable pulleys 11 in such a manner that at regular intervals a ball carried upward by the conveyer isdeposited in a supply chute 12 adj acent to the upper delivery end of the conveyer. The supply chute 12 is downwardly inclined and leads to the oppositely extending feed chutes l3, seen best in Figs..1 and 4.

The feed chutes 13 incline downwardly in opposite directions, each chuteleadin'g from the supply-chute 12 to the supply opening of an adjacent throwing arm 1.

The feed chutes l3 meet at an angle at the point of connection therewith of the supply chute 12 and separating mechanism is located at the upper portions of said chutes 13 and adapted to alternately feed the balls one at a time to the respective chutes 13.

The separating mechanism above referred to includes the separating member 1a operating in the chutes 13 approximately at the juncture of the latter and opposite a chute 12, said member 14, being mounted upon a lever 15 pivotally supported intermediate its ends at 16 and adapted to rock automatically so that the member 14: will direct the balls first into one of the chutes 13 and then into the other, in an alternating manner as previously mentioned. The automatic con trolling means for the separating member 14: includes depressible bottom members 17 pivoted at 18 to the bottom portions of the chutes 13. The pivotal support of each bottom member 17 is at its outer end and its inner end operates in a yoke 19 depending from the adjacent chute 13 adjacent to the upper end of the latter. Intermediate its ends each depressible bottom member 17 is connected by a link 20 with the adjacent end of the rocking lever 15 carrying the separating member 14. With the above structure in mind it will be apparent that when the separating member 14: is in the position shown in Fig. 1 the ball passing from the chute 12 will be caused to be supplied to the chute 13 at the left hand chute 13. The weight of this ball upon the bottom member 17 of said chute 13 depresses said bottom member and causes a rocking of the lever 15 whereby to raise the bottom member 17 of the right hand chute 13 which action places the last mentioned member 17 in the inclined position so that a ball or balls supported thereon may be free to gravitate downward therein toward the associated throwing arm 1. Obviously the rocking of the lever 15 into a position reverse to that of Fig. 1 causes the next ball to be directed to the right hand chute 13 by the member 14, and such action depresses the right hand bottom member 17 and reverses the position of the lever 15, this operation continuing automatically so long as balls are supplied from the supply chute 12 and conveyer 8.

It is not intended that the balls or objects to be fed to the throwing arm 1 shall pass immediately thereto upon being received in the chute 13. For this reason each chute 13 is provided at its outer or delivery end with an abutment 21 substantially in alinement with the body portion of the chute and said chute is also formed with an ofiset outlet portion 22. Mounted in the outer end of each chute 13 is a delivery member in the form of a push rod 23 operating transversely of the chute through an opening in its side portion and just above the abutment 21. The push rod 23 is connected with a Copies of this patent'may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the the ball to the point lever 2& adapted to be operated by an operating bar 25 which bar 25 may be actuated in turn by a hand lever 26 or by any suitable means, this being immaterial to the invention. Whatever operating means is employed for the member 23 is intended to be located conveniently to the operator and therefore convenient to the main controlling means by which the direction of flight as well as the time of delivery of the balls from the throwing arms 1 are determined and controlled.

By the provision of the mechanism hereinbefore described it will be apparent that the necessity of duplicating entirely special feeding instrumentalities for each mechanical ball pitcher is avoided, and furthermore the means for alternately supplying the balls to the mechanical pitchers forming the battery described operates entirely automatically, something desidedly advantageous for obvious reasons.

The flights or lifting members 10 of the conveyor 8 are advantageously formed of a single piece of wire bentintermediate its ends to form a loop 10 secured by a stud 10 to the conveyor belt, the opposite ends of the wire being bent laterally away from each other and outward to form lifting fingers adapted to readily engage and carry where it is to be deposited. As a further detail of the invention the separating member 1-1, which is a cut-off also in respect to its functioning regarding the chutes 13, may be supplied with a V-shaped ball engaging tip 14:.

While I have described the improvements of my invention in detail as required by the statute, I do not wish to limit myself to the exact details set forth since the latter may be materially modified in practical construction while preserving the essential features of said improvements.

Having thus described the invention, is claimed is:

In feeding mechanism of the class described, the combination of oppositely inclined connected chutes, depressible bottom members for the chutes, a rocking lever con nected at its opposite ends to said bottom members, a separating member carried by the rocking lever intermediate its ends and what shiftable to cause alternate feeding of ob- JAMES M. KYLE.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1). 0.

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