Projectile throwing or launching apparatus

Abstract

A sports ball throwing apparatus is disclosed which may be used to propel projectiles including footballs, softballs soccer balls and model rockets and airplanes. The apparatus has a barrel the azimuth and elevation of which are adjustable for launching a projectile in different directions. A projectile having a cavity is mounted on the end of the barrel to be launched using air pressure stored in the apparatus. Safety is provided in that compressed air is not available until a projectile having a cavity is mounted on the end of the barrel and a switch closes a circuit to activate an air compressor. The switch may be placed at either end of barrel so long as it is operated when the projectile is fully mounted on the barrel. In addition, a seal inside the base of the projectile is used to seal the barrel so that compressed air is not available until the projectile is fully mounted on the barrel. Spiral flight of the projectile is provided by helical grooves on the outside of the barrel that engage protrusions on the inside of the projectile cavity when the projectile is mounted on the barrel for launching. When the projectile is launched the protrusions ride along the helical grooves and impart a spiral spin to the projectile. To assist in the spiral spin of the projectile there are straight grooves on the surface of the projectile and at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the projectile. Air passing over the moving projectile interacts with the grooves on its surface to maintain the spiral spin of the projectile.

1 . An apparatus for propelling a projectile, the apparatus comprising: 
 a barrel for aiming in a direction that the projectile is to be propelled, the barrel having a first open end on which the projectile is mounted and from which the projectile will be propelled;    a cavity in one end of the projectile that does not extend through the projectile, the cavity being placed over the first end of the barrel to mount the projectile on the first end of the barrel;    means for propelling the projectile from the first end of the barrel; and    means for imparting a spiral spin to the projectile as it is propelled from the barrel.    
   
   
       2 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the means for imparting a spiral spin to the projectile comprises: 
 a first element on the outer surface of the barrel; and    A second element inside the cavity in the one end of the projectile, the second element loosely mating with the first element on the outer surface of the barrel when the projectile is mounted on the first end of the barrel, and as the projectile is propelled from the one end of the barrel the second element rides along the first element to thereby impart a spiral spin to the projectile.    
   
   
       3 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 2  wherein the first element is a groove in the outer surface of the barrel that does not extend through the wall of the barrel and that wraps helically around the outside of the barrel and extends to the first end of the barrel, the second element is a protrusion extending from the wall of the cavity and the second element rests in the first element groove when the projectile is mounted on the first end of the barrel, and when the projectile is propelled from the first end of the barrel the second element protrusion inside the cavity in the one end of the projectile rides in the first element groove to thereby impart a spiral motion to the projectile.  
   
   
       4 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the projectile is a football having a generally pointed front and a rear end and the cavity is located in the rear end of the football.  
   
   
       5 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 4  wherein the projectile propelling means comprises means for providing compressed gas inside the barrel which is used to propel the projectile from the first end of the barrel.  
   
   
       6 . An apparatus for propelling projectiles, the apparatus comprising: 
 a barrel for aiming in a direction that a projectile is to be propelled, the barrel having a first open end on which the projectile is mounted and from which the projectile will be propelled;    means for propelling the projectile from the first end of the barrel; and    means for activating the propelling means only when the projectile is mounted on the barrel;    wherein the projectile has a cavity in one end that does not extend through the projectile, the cavity being placed over the first end of the barrel to mount the projectile on the first end of the barrel.    
   
   
       7 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 6  wherein the propelling means is compressed air and wherein the first end of the barrel is normally open but is sealed by a projectile mounted on the first end of the barrel so that compressed air may be stored in the barrel.  
   
   
       8 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 6  wherein the projectile has a first and a second end and comprises: 
 first sealing means in the cavity, the first sealing means cooperating with the first end of the barrel to seal same so that compressed air may be stored in the barrel to propel the projectile.    
   
   
       9 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 8  further comprising means for adjusting the pressure of the compressed air inside the barrel at which the projectile is to be propelled from the barrel.  
   
   
       10 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 9  further comprising means for releasing the ball from the first end of the barrel when the air pressure in the barrel reaches a level at which the projectile is to be propelled from the first end of the barrel.  
   
   
       11 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 10  further comprising means for holding the projectile on the first end of the barrel, the holding means cooperating with the release means to hold the projectile on the first end of the barrel until the air pressure in the barrel reaches the air pressure at which the projectile is to be propelled from the barrel.  
   
   
       12 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 11  further comprising means for manually releasing the holding means to either manually remove the projectile from the barrel or to propel the projectile from the barrel before the release means causes the projectile to be propelled from the barrel.  
   
   
       13 . An apparatus for propelling footballs, the apparatus comprising: 
 a cylindrical barrel for aiming in a direction that a football is to be propelled, the barrel having a first open end on which the football is mounted by placing a cylindrical hollow cavity in one end of the football over the first end of the barrel, and the football is propelled from the first open end of the barrel in the direction the barrel is aiming;    sealing means inside the cylindrical hollow cavity in the one end of the football for sealing the first open end of the barrel when the cylindrical hollow cavity of the football is placed over the first end of the barrel; and    a source of compressed air for compressing air inside the barrel to be used for propelling the football from the first open end of the barrel, the air inside the barrel being compressed only when the cylindrical hollow cavity in the one end of the football is placed over the first open end of the barrel and the barrel is sealed by the seating means;    wherein the first open end of the barrel is normally open but when the football is mounted thereon the open first end of the barrel is sealed by the sealing means.    
   
   
       14 . (canceled)  
   
   
       15 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 13  further comprising means for adjusting the pressure of the compressed air inside the barrel at which the projectile is to be propelled from the first end of the barrel.  
   
   
       16 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 15  farther comprising means for releasing the ball from the first end of the barrel when the air pressure in the barrel reaches a level at which the projectile is to be propelled from the first end of the barrel.  
   
   
       17 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 16  further comprising means for holding the projectile on the first end of the barrel, the holding means cooperating with the release means to hold the projectile on the first end of the barrel until the air pressure in the barrel reaches the air pressure at which the projectile is to be propelled from the first end of the barrel.  
   
   
       18 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 17  further comprising means for manually releasing the holding means to either manually remove the projectile from the barrel or to propel the projectile from the first end of the barrel before the release means causes the projectile to be propelled from the first end of the barrel.  
   
   
       19 . The projectile propelling apparatus in accordance with  claim 1  wherein the projectile comprises: 
 an oblate spheroid body having a substantially symmetrical shape about a longitudinal axis and having an outer surface, the first end of the oblate spheroid body being on the longitudinal axis and having the cylindrical hollow cavity;    a plurality of straight, parallel grooves in the outer surface of the projectile that are each at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the projectile; and    as the projectile travels through the air the air moving in the grooves interacts with the side walls of the grooves to cause a spiral spin to the projectile or to maintain an initial spiral spin of the projectile.    
   
   
       20 . The projectile in accordance with  claim 19  wherein the projectile is made from an elastic foam material.  
   
   
       21 . The projectile in accordance with  claim 20  wherein the projectile is a football.