초록 ▼

A transmitter in a member (e.g. bat) transmits signals when a switch on the bat is pressed. A pop-up apparatus receives the signals. A member in the apparatus prevents an element (e.g. ball) from being popped upwardly in a first positioning of the member and provides for the element pop-up in a seco

A transmitter in a member (e.g. bat) transmits signals when a switch on the bat is pressed. A pop-up apparatus receives the signals. A member in the apparatus prevents an element (e.g. ball) from being popped upwardly in a first positioning of the member and provides for the element pop-up in a second positioning of the member. Normally disposed in the first position, the member is operable to the second position by the received signals. The apparatus includes a housing and a bin pivotally coupled to the housing to hold the element. The bin provides for a substantially vertical element pop-up in a first pivotal position and for an element pop-up with a horizontal component in a second position. In the vertical pop-up, a player hits the ball with the bat. In the other pop-up, the player catches the ball.

대표청구항 ▼

1. In a combination for operation with an element having properties of being propelled,a housing, a bin disposed in the housing and defining a cavity for receiving the element, the cavity being defined by spaced side walls and a bottom wall to receive the element and being open at the top, a spring

1. In a combination for operation with an element having properties of being propelled,a housing, a bin disposed in the housing and defining a cavity for receiving the element, the cavity being defined by spaced side walls and a bottom wall to receive the element and being open at the top, a spring disposed in the bin and having constrained and unconstrained relationships, an actuating member disposed in the bin and having first and second ends and attached to the spring at the first end and being pivotable at the second end between a position displaced from the cavity and a position extending into the cavity, the element being positioned in the cavity in displaced relationship to the actuating member in the constrained relationship of the spring and being positioned in the cavity in the unconstrained relationship of the spring to provide for the movement of the element upwardly from the cavity by the actuating member when the constraint on the spring is released, and a mechanism in the bin for providing a constraint of the spring and a subsequent release of the constraint on the spring, wherein the bin is pivotably disposed on the housing to adjust the direction in which the element is popped upwardly when the constraint on the actuating member is released. 2. In a combination for operation with an element having properties of being propelled,a housing, a bin disposed in the housing and defining a cavity for receiving the element, the cavity being defined by spaced side walls and a bottom wall to receive the element and being open at the top, a spring disposed in the bin and having constrained and unconstrained relationships, an actuating member disposed in the bin and having first and second ends and attached to the spring at the first end and being pivotable at the second end between a position displaced from the cavity and a position extending into the cavity, the element being positioned in the cavity in displaced relationship to the actuating member in the constrained relationship of the spring and being positioned in the cavity in the unconstrained relationship of the spring to provide for the movement of the element upwardly from the cavity by the actuating member when the constraint on the spring is released, and a mechanism in the bin for providing a constraint of the spring and a subsequent release of the constraint on the spring, a receiver for receiving signals to provide for the constraint of the spring and the subsequent release of the constraint on the spring, and a mechanism responsive to the received signals for constraining the spring and for subsequently releasing the constraint on the spring, wherein the bin is pivotably disposed on the housing to adjust the direction in which the element is popped upwardly when the constraint on the spring is released and wherein the bottom of the cavity is constructed to guide the element into the cavity to the position where the element is disposed above the actuating member when the spring becomes constrained and wherein the second end of the actuating member is constructed and disposed relative to the element to prevent the element from being disposed above the actuating member when the spring is unconstrained and wherein the actuating member is constructed to engage the element forcibly when the constraint on the spring is released. 3. In combination for operation with an element having properties of being propelled or caught,a hollow housing, a bin pivotably coupled to the housing and defining a cavity having an opening at the upper end of the cavity, an actuating member coupled to the bin at a first end and extending into the cavity to a position above the opening in the cavity at a second end, opposite to the first end with the actuating member in a rest position to prevent the element from being positioned in the opening, the actuating member being movable to a constraining position where the actuating member does not extend into the opening in the cavity, a constraining member operatively coupled to the actuating member for moving in response to the movement of the actuating member from the rest position to the constraining position and for releasing the actuating member from the constraining position for movement of the actuating member to the rest position, after the movement of the actuating member to the constraining position, to impact against the element in the opening, and a drive mechanism operatively coupled to the actuating member for operating the actuating member from the rest position to the constraining position and for releasing the actuating member from the constraining position for movement to the rest position, after the movement of the actuating member to the constraining position, to impact the actuating member against the element, the element being disposed in the cavity out of coupled relationship with the actuating member in the rest position of the actuating member and being movable into the opening in the cavity when the actuating member is moved to the constraining position. 4. In a combination as set forth in claim 3,the constraining member constituting a spring and the actuating member being pivotably coupled to the bin at the first end and being pivotable at the second end from the rest position in the cavity to the constraining position to provide for the subsequent movement of the actuating member in the cavity to pop up the element in the cavity. 5. In a combination as set forth in claim 3,a receiver disposed in the housing and responsive to signals transmitted to the receiver for energizing the drive mechanism to obtain a movement of the actuating member from the rest position to the constraining position. 6. In combination for operation with an element having properties of being popped upwardly and of being propelled or caught when it is popped upwardly,a circuit including a switch having first and second states of operation and normally disposed in the first state of operation and including a transmitter for transmitting signals upon a change in the operation of the switch from the first state to the second state, a pop-up apparatus including a hollow housing and a bin coupled to the housing and an actuating member coupled at one end to the bin and having first and second ends extending into the bin at a second end Opposite to the first end, the bin defining a cavity having an opening for receiving the element and the disposition of the actuating member in the cavity in the first operative position displacing the element from the opening in the cavity and the displacement of the actuating member from the first operative position providing for the disposition of the element in the opening of the cavity, a constraining member having constrained and unconstrained relationships and operatively coupled to the actuating member for providing a disposition of the actuating member in the first position in the constrained relationship of the constraining member and for providing a release of the actuating member from the first position to impact the element when the constraining member becomes unconstrained, the pop-up apparatus also including a cyclically movable control mechanism for disposing the second end of the actuating member in the bin in a constrained relationship at a position below the element in the housing cavity and for subsequently releasing the constraint on the actuating member to provide for an impacting movement of the actuating member against the element with a force to pop the element upwardly, the pop-up apparatus further including a receiver responsive to the signals from the transmitter for providing for the constraint on the actuating member and the subsequent release of the constraint on the actuating member. the actuating member being provided at the second end with a hammer configuration to accentuate the force imposed upon the element when the actuating member strikes the element and to prevent the element from moving in the cavity in the first operative position of the actuating member to the position where it is struck by the actuating member. 7. In combination for operation with an element having properties of being popped upwardly and of being propelled or caught when it is popped upwardly,a circuit including a switch having first and second states of operation and normally disposed in the first state of operation and including a transmitter for transmitting signals upon a change in the operation of the switch from the first state to the second state, pop-up apparatus including a hollow housing and a bin coupled to the housing and an actuating member coupled at one end to the bin and having first and second operative relationships and extending into the bin at a second end opposite to the first end, the bin defining a cavity for receiving the element and the disposition of the actuating member in the cavity in the first operative relationship preventing the element from being popped upwardly from the cavity and the displacement of the actuating member from the first operative position providing for the disposition of the element in the opening of the cavity, the pop-up apparatus also including a constrainable member for disposing the second end of the actuating member in the bin in a constrained relationship at a position below the element in the housing cavity and for subsequently releasing the constraint on the second end of the actuating member to provide for a movement of the actuating member against the element to pop the element upwardly, the pop-up apparatus further including a receiver responsive to the signals from the transmitter for providing for the constraint on the constrainable member and the subsequent release of the constraint on the constrainable member, the bin being coupled to the housing for pivotable movement relative to the housing to a first position to provide for a pop-up of the element upwardly in a substantially vertical direction and to a second position to provide for a pop-up of the element with a horizontal component, the actuating member being provided at the second end with a hammer configuration to accentuate the force imposed upon the element when the actuating member impinges against the element and to prevent the element from moving in the cavity, in the first operative relationship of the actuating member, to the position where it is struck by the actuating member, the cavity in the bin being defined by a pair of side walls and a bottom wall, a bridge extending between the side walls to maintain the disposition of the element in the cavity when the actuating member is in the first operative relationship, and guides disposed on the bottom wall of the cavity to direct the element toward the actuating member. 8. In a combination for popping an element upwardly for propulsion or catching by a player,a bin having a cavity defined by side walls and a bottom wall and having an opening in the cavity, a structure coupled to the bin for introducing the element into the cavity in the bin, an actuating member having one end normally disposed in the cavity in the bin at a first position to prevent the element from being disposed directly above the opening in the bin, a rotary member, the actuating member being coupled to the rotary member for movement of the one end of the actuating member on a cyclic basis to a first position providing for the movement of the element to a position above the opening and then to a second position providing for an impingement of the actuating member against the element for a popping upwardly of the element from the bin, and a constrainable member operatively coupled to the one end of the actuating member to become constrained during the movement of the one end of the actuating member to the first position and to provide for a release of the constraint on the constrainable member for an impingement of the actuating member against the element. 9. In a combination as set forth in claim 8, a housing,a receiver disposed in the housing for receiving signals for actuating the rotary member to rotate. 10. In a combination as set forth in claim 9, whereinthe rotary member is rotatable through a cycle of operation upon each receipt of the signals by the receiver and wherein the actuating member is initially movable to the first position, and is subsequently movable to the second position, upon each cyclic movement of the rotary member and wherein the constrainable member becomes constrained during each movement of the actuating member to the first position and the constraint of the constrainable member becomes released during each movement of the actuating member to the second position. 11. In a combination as set forth in claim 10,the actuating member being normally positioned in the cavity to prevent the element in the cavity from moving to a position above the opening in the cavity and being movable to the first position in accordance with the rotation of the rotary member to provide for the movement of the element to the position above the opening in the cavity. 12. In a combination as set forth in claim 9, includinga propulsion member, a switch disposed on the propulsion member and normally disposed in a first position and manually operable to a second position, and a transmitter in the propulsion member and responsive to the disposition of the switch in the second position for transmission of signals to the receiver. 13. In a combination as set forth in claim 12,a ramp disposed on the housing for holding a plurality of the elements and for providing for the introduction of the elements in sequence into the cavity in the bin in accordance with successive dispositions of the switch in the second position. 14. In a combination as set forth in claim 13, whereina receiver is disposed in the housing for receiving signals for actuating the rotary member to rotate and wherein the rotary member is rotatable through a cycle of operation upon each receipt of the signals by the receiver and wherein the actuating member is initially movable to the first position, and is subsequently movable to the second position, upon each cyclic movement of the rotary member and wherein the constrainable member becomes constrained during each movement of the actuating member to the first position and the constraint of the constrainable member becomes released during each movement of the actuating member to the second position and wherein the actuating member is normally positioned in the cavity to prevent the element in the cavity from moving to the position above the opening in the cavity and is movable to the first position in accordance with the rotation of the rotary member to provide for the movement of the element to the position above the cavity.