Football Throwing Machine: U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,230, issued Jun. 24, 1986

Inventor: Lawrence L. Griffith

Patent Number: 4,596,230

Date of Patent: Jun. 24, 1986

This patent proposes a device designed to launch American footballs along multiple axes and with varying degrees and directions of spin. The device uses oppositely rotating wheels that impart linear and rotational motion upon contact. The ball is fed into the wheels by sliding plunger that conforms to the orientation of the ball. The orientation of the ball may be altered to simulate passing or kicking motion through the contact of an orientation mechanism within the device. Several footballs may be stored in a rotating turret, which feeds the balls individually into plunger. The various motions of the device are coordinated through a timing mechanism.

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