User:Eric Paul
From Bill Goodwine's Wiki
US Patent - 24 January 2011
- US Patent 4784107: Ball Pitching System
- Issued on November 15, 1988
- This invention is a pneumatic baseball pitching device. The design is intended to benefit individuals who wish to practice baseball on their own out in an open field. It is intended for those who might not have access to batting cage facilities and do not have someone else who can help to load balls into the dispenser. It can be powered by either a 120 volt AC source or a 12 volt DC source. This allows the machine to operate in remote areas where no AC source is available. The example that the inventor recommends is a car battery. The pitching arm is controlled by air pressure. An air compressor is powered by the DC current to store air pressure. The device loads automatically after each throw. I chose this patent because I am an avid baseball player and fan. I have used a variety of different pitching machines in the past. This particular design appealed to me because it is different from the popular design today which uses rotating disks. The use of pneumatic power is an interesting concept. It will be interesting to compare this pitching machine with the many other devices invented in the 80s and today. There is a wide variety of types of pitching machines which all use different mechanisms to throw the ball. I found this patent browsing through patenstorm.com[1]
