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Apparatus for propelling a ball in an underhand manner utilizing a ramp to impart a desired trajectory and direction to the ball. Upon rotation of a cam, an associated follower moves a pitching arm to a cocked position against the bias of a spring.When the follower falls off an extreme portion of th

Apparatus for propelling a ball in an underhand manner utilizing a ramp to impart a desired trajectory and direction to the ball. Upon rotation of a cam, an associated follower moves a pitching arm to a cocked position against the bias of a spring.When the follower falls off an extreme portion of the cam upon continued rotation of the cam, the arm is rapidly released and swings through an arc in the course of which it propels the ball along the upper surfaces of the ramp toward a distant location. A supply hopper may be employed adjacent to the propelling apparatus together with an escapement feed mechanism activated by the pitching arm to deliver balls to the ramp one at a time at a location adjacent to the pitching arm in its cocked position.

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Apparatus for propelling a ball in an underhand manner comprising: a rotatably mounted shaft; a cam follower fixed on said shaft for rotation therewith and extending radially outwardly therefrom; a cam engageable with said cam follower including a rising surface and a dwell surface, said dwell surfa

Apparatus for propelling a ball in an underhand manner comprising: a rotatably mounted shaft; a cam follower fixed on said shaft for rotation therewith and extending radially outwardly therefrom; a cam engageable with said cam follower including a rising surface and a dwell surface, said dwell surface terminating at an extremity; resilient means normally biasing said cam follower into engagement with said cam; drive means operative for rotating said cam; means for propelling a ball to simulate an underhand throw including a ramp having upper surfaces adapted to support and guide a ball; and a pitching arm fixed on said shaft for rotation therewith at a location spaced from said cam follower and extending outwardly from said shaft, said pitching arm lying in and being movable about the axis of said shaft through a plane which is substantially coplanar with a plane of said ramp and coextensive with said upper surfaces, said pitching arm being engageable with a ball when it attains substantially a six o\clock position; whereby operation of said drive means causes said follower and said pitching arm to be initially rotated in one direction as said follower engages said rising surface, then remain stationary as said follower engages said dwell surface, then rotate rapidly in an opposite direction under the bias of said resilient means as said follower advances beyond said extremity, said pitching arm thereby attaining substantially the six o\clock position and wherein said pitching arm generally surrounds a ball and holds it on said ramp prior to the ball being propelled along said upper surfaces of said ramp toward a distant location; a generally cylindrical hopper having upper and lower ends and including an inner wall and an outer wall, said inner and outer walls being sufficiently spaced to permit a ball to pass freely between them, and tubular means adapted to support a ball thereon formed in the fashion of a spiral and mounted intermediate said inner and outer walls and extending from said upper end to said lower end of said hopper; and means connecting said hopper and said ramp.