Hockey Puck Shooting Machine

Abstract

Apparatus for automatically ejecting a succession of hockey pucks in timed sequence and at considerable velocity as an aid in training players in blocking the pucks. The apparatus includes a stationary magazine for holding a plurality of vertical stacks of pucks and rotatable feeding device for supplying the pucks one at a time to an ejector member by which they are propelled by centrifugal force. The ejector member rotates within a cylindrical side wall having a tangential opening through which the puck is ejected. To insure against malfunction by reason of a puck becoming lodged between the end of the ejector member and an edge of the opening, a mechanism is provided to retain the puck at an intermediate position on the ejector member for release at a point in the rotation thereof where the puck will impact against the side wall before reaching the opening. The puck feeding device is positioned between the bottom of the magazine and the ejector member for feeding the pucks to an opening through which they drop to the ejector member.

Parent Case Text

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 64,652, filed Aug. 17, 1970, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 667,421 filed Sept. 13, 1967, both of which prior applications are now abandoned.

Description

This invention relates to a hocky puck shooting machine for use in hockey practice.

In order to develop proficiency among hockey players, it is usual for two or more players to shoot a puck or pucks back and forth to develop ability to receive, block, and return the puck. Such practice carried on between two or more individuals requires a considerable playing area, and is not available to an individual.

The present invention is directed to a puck shooting apparatus adapted to be employed on ice or other smooth surfaces, and is adapted to serve the purposes of a single individual. The apparatus is adapted to eject pucks at varying speeds, intervals, and with variations in direction, so as to provide a random effect such as experienced by a goal keeper or other player.

More particulary the apparatus comprises a centrifugal ejector for pucks, and a multiple magazine feeding apparatus for delivering one puck at a time to the ejector, at a rate within the capacity of the ejector.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings where like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus with the magazine and ejector rotated 90.degree. with parts shown in section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view with the cover of the ejector removed, and feeder disk fragmentarily and schematically shown;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the release dog in puck arrest position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section view of the release dog in cam released position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a magazine and the puck cam for assuring clearance, and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 with the feeder disk advanced slightly.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a base 20, on one end of which is provided a low box-like column 22, housing bearings 24 and 26 for a vertical shaft 28, the lower bearing 24 being adapted to also act as a thrust bearing. The shaft is driven by a shooting disk drive motor 30 having a belt drive 32, the lower reach 34 of which is arranged tangential to the motor drive pulley 36 and a driven pulley 38 on the shaft 28. The column 22, comprises spaced members 40 and 42 on opposite sides of the pulley, and transverse members 44 and 46 on opposite sides of the bearings, the latter members having windows 48 and 50 to accommodate the pulley 38. Above the column is a circular platform 52 having a central circular raised portion 53.

The puck slinger mechanism comprises an annular base 54 which rests upon the platform 52 and surrounds the raised portion 53. The base 54 can be rotated to any position in order to change the direction in which it is desired to eject pucks from the apparatus, the base being frictionally held against turning by its frictional bearing upon the support disk 52. The periphery of the base 54 is generally circular as indicated at 56, except for a tangential extension 58 on one side where the pucks are ejected from the apparatus.

The circular marginal edge of the base 54 is provided with a heavy metal upstanding skirt 60 which extends about three quarters of the way around the base 54 and thence tangentially as at 62 along the tangential side of the extension 58. The lower edge of the skirt 60 is solidly clamped to the base between an exterior arcuate frame 64 secured to the base 54 by arcuate overlapping strips 66 on the underside of the base 54 and disposed under and along the curve marginal edge of the base 54. The radius of the skirt 56, for convenience, may be about 12 inches. Disposed above the base 54 is a rotatable disk 68 affixed to the vertical shaft 28 previously referred to. Such disk in practice is rotated by the motor 30 in the direction of arrow A at a speed in the order of three or four hundred revolutions per minute. Mounted upon disk 68 is a second disk 70 having a thickness of approximately one-half inch and both disks being of a diameter slightly less than 24 inches so as to clear the skirt 60 in rotating in the space therewithin.

The disk 70 is provided with a radial groove 71 approximately 31/4 inches wide which extends from the center to the outer edge of the disk. Such groove, at the center, terminates in a circular slightly eccentric recess 72 of a diameter of approximately 31/2 inches, which recess embraces a concentric area of a diameter of 31/2 inches. Such recess on one side is tangential to the wall of the radial groove 71. As will be seen hereinafter, one puck at a time is dropped into the recess 72 while the disk 70 is rotating in the direction of arrow A, and by reason of the slight eccentricity of the recess 72, the wall of such recess sided by the incline 75 tends to drive the puck radially outward along the wall 74 of the radial groove 71.

Hockey pucks are of rubber composition and of a diameter of three inches and a thickness of one inch. Consequently, the wall of the groove 71 and the arcuate recess 72 are provided with the upstanding marginal flange 76 of a thickness of about five-eighths to three-fourths inch so as to provide adequate depth of the radial channel 71. The channel is covered over, except for the center, by a thin cover plate 78.

Mounted on the cover 78, several inches inward of the periphery of the disk 70 is a movable stop 80 comprising a rock shaft 82 extending substantially radially of the disk. Such rock shaft is provided with a stop blade 84 adapted to extend through an aperture 86 in the cover 78 into the radial channel along which pucks travel under centrifugal force. The rock shaft 82 is also provided with a cam follower 88 normally projecting upward above the cover 78 when the blade portion 84 extends inwardly into the channel 71 sufficiently to block the movement of a puck radially outward therebeyond. Spring means 90 may be provided to normally hold the blade 84 in puck blocking or the stop position.

Above the disk 70 and channel guide flanges 76 is a cover plate 92 supported above the base 54 in suitably spaced relationship by means of tubular spacer column members 93 disposed outside of the skirt 60 at three positions as indicated. The under side of the cover 92 is provided with an arcuate cam 94 suitably disposed to engage the cam follower 88 as it rotates beneath the cover 92 whereby to rock the shaft 82 and lift the stop blade 84 from its blocking engagement with a puck whose movement has been arrested thereby, whereby the puck may be centrifugally moved to the end of the channel 71. The cover may have an inspection aperture 18, which may have a cover.

The angular position of the cam 94 in relation to the tangential portion 72 of the skirt 60, is such as to permit the puck to move radially outward to the end of the channel 71 prior to the puck reaching the tangential portion 62 of the skirt, so that the puck is moving at a maximum speed by reason of the rotation of disk 70, at the time it reaches the tangential portion 62 of the skirt. Thus it can be seen that as the groove 71 swings the puck past the start of the tangential portion of the skirt 62, the puck is ejected along the tangential wall 62 with considerable velocity so that when it lands upon ice or other smooth surface it will slide at considerable velocity whereby to simulate puck movement as in actual hockey play.

Above the cover 92 is a puck feeding apparatus which is adapted to drop a puck into the center end of the channel 71 at fixed periods of a duration more than the time for a single rotation of the disk 70. For example, the time interval may be approximately every three second. For this purpose the cover 92 is provided with a circular aperture 100 of approximately 31/4 inches in diameter concentric with the axis of rotation of the disk 70. The cover 92 also is provided with a thin spacer member 102 of generally circular configuration, and also having an aperture in alignment with aperture 100. Extending upward of spacer 102 is a stub shaft 104 offset from the center of the aperture 100 by a distance of approximately 5 inches. Disposed about the stub shaft and affixed to the spacer member 102 are spacer blocks 106 upon which ride a circular disk 108 rotatably mounted on the stub shaft 104. The circular disk is approximately 15 inches in diameter and is provided with eight apertures 110 approximately 31/4 inches in diameter disposed on a circle about 10 inches in diameter, whereby upon rotation of the disk 108 the apertures 110 will sequentially align themselves with the aperture 100. Supported above disk 108, which may be referred to as a feeder disk, is a magazine cover plate 112, such plate being supported upon several spaced studs such as 114 extending upwardly from the cover 92. The magazine plate 112 is provided with seven circular apertures 116 arranged in a circle about ten inches in diameter and concentric with the axis of the stub shaft 104. Extending upwardly from each of the apertures 116, is a hollow cylindrical magazine 118, each adapted to receive a stack of pucks 10. An eighth aperture 16, for inspection, may be disposed above the aperture 100.

The disk 108, which is approximately three fourths of an inch thick, is rotated by a motor 120 having a gear reduction 122 and a rubber faced friction drive wheel 124, the latter being adapted to engage the periphery of the disk 108. The motor speed reducer and drive wheel 124 are mounted upon an arm 126 hinged as at 128 to a support 130 extending upwardly from the rim 64 of the base 54, and suitable spring means 132 are provided to cause the drive wheel 124 to frictionally engage the periphery of the disk 108. The spacer blocks 106 are one-fourth inch in height, so that the upper surface of the disk 108 is one inch above the spacer member 102.

The spacer member 102 is provided on its upper face with a plurality of cam-like members 131, seven in number, disposed upon a circle of the same radius as the aperture 110, the cam-like members being angularly spaced 45.degree. and being disposed beneath the seven magazines 118. Such cam-like members are provided with a slight rise as at 133 circumferentially disposed about three fourths of an inch ahead of the axis of the respective magazine located thereabove. As a puck is carried circumferentially along the surface of the spacer 102, and loosely within an aperture 110 of the rotating disk 108, it is caused to tilt upward as it reaches the rise 132 of the cam and tilt oppositely as it traverses over the rise. Any pucks disposed within the magazine thereabove are correspondingly tilted. Thus the bottom most puck, held against rotation within the magazine has its edge lifted and is prevented from interfering with the rotation of the disk 108 and the pucks in the apertures 110 in the disk 108.

By slowly revolving the disk 108 at a speed such as to align apertures 110 over the aperture 100, for example every three seconds, pucks are moved to the aperture 100 at three-second intervals, whence a succession of pucks drop into the center recess 72 of the channel 71 of the centrifugal rotating disk 54 at intervals of about 3 seconds. It will be seen that the disk 108 successively empties the magazines 118, allowing pucks to fill the apertures 110 as the disk 108 rotates. So long as each aperture 110 carries a puck therewithin, reserve pucks within the magazine 118 immediately above are held back and in abeyance.

Since it will be seen from the above that pucks are delivered to the aperture 100 at a rate of about one in three seconds and that the rotation of the disk 70 is several revolutions per second, each puck as it is delivered to the circular recess 72 of the radial channel 71, is delivered immediately against stop arm 84, subsequently released therefrom by the action of the cam 94, and thereafter ejected from the apparatus along the tangentially portion 62 of the skirt 60. The entire operation occurs in less than a complete revolution of the disk 70.

The direction taken by each puck being ejected by the apparatus may be varied by adjustable deflectors. For example, a deflector 140 may be provided to deflect the ejected puck laterally, whereas an inclined deflector 142 may be so adjusted as to provide a path inclined upwardly with respect to the ejecting apparatus. It will be seen that the entire apparatus is rotatable upon the plate 52 so as to be directable in almost any direction. By applying a small motor or motors to gradually vary the angles of the deflectors 140 and 142, or the angle of the ejector mechanism, the pucks ejected from the apparatus may be caused to follow varied courses so as to simulate the random movements of pucks shot towards the goal as in an actual game.

The speed of the motor 30 can be varied up and down during the course of ejecting a plurality of pucks so as to affect the velocities and thus increase the variety of movements formulated. Additionally the rate at which the pucks are delivered to the centrifugal ejector can likewise be increased or decreased and varied as desired, within the limit of the ejector disk, which is determined by its rotation speed, it being able to accept and eject one puck per revolution.

The disk 70 may be counter balanced as at 97, and the inertia of the disk is such as to store energy to accelerate the angular velocity of each puck as it moves from near center to the circular wall 60 leading to the tangential ejection position.

While a single modification of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hocky puck shooting machine for automatically propelling a succession of hockey pucks from a supply thereof in individual, timed relation, said machine comprising, in combination:

a. a stationary magazine having a plurality of vertically disposed cylindrical openings, each adapted to hold a plurality of vertically stacked hockey pucks, in a circular array about a first axis;

b. an ejector member mounted for rotation about a second axis coincident with a point on the centerline of said circular array and having a radially extending guide along which a puck is freely slidable;

c. means for feeding pucks one at a time from said magazine to said ejector member substantially along said second axis, said feeding means including a means rotatable about said first axis for moving a plurality of openings in said rotatable means into coaxial registration with the lower end of said cylindrical openings during rotation of said last mentioned means, said rotatable means including a flat plate; and

d. means for rotating said ejector member to propel therefrom at considerable velocity by centrifugal force, pucks supplied thereto by said feeding means.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said rotatable plate is positioned above said ejector member and pucks are transferred from said magazine, through the openings in said rotatable plate, to said ejector member by gravity.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein the number of openings in said rotatable plate is at least equal to the number of said cylindrical openings in said magazine, the center-to-center distance between successive openings in said magazine being less than twice the diameter of the openings in said rotatable plate.

4. The invention according to claim 3 and further including stationary cover means for supporting pucks in the openings in said rotatable plate with the axis thereof at an angle to said first axis, and so spaced from said magazine that pucks in the openings in said rotatable plate contact the lowermost puck in each of said cylindrical openings as said element rotates.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said cover means includes a single opening in registration with said second axis to allow a puck to drop from said rotatable plate to said ejector member each time one of the openings in said rotatable plate passes in registration with said second axis.

6. A hocky puck shooting machine for automatically propelling a succession of hockey pucks from a supply thereof in individual, timed relation, said machine comprising, in combination:

a. a cylindrical side wall having a tangential opening;

b. an ejector member mounted for concentric rotation within and about the axis of said side wall and having a guide along which a puck is freely slidable and extending substantially between said axis and said side wall;

c. means for supplying a puck to said ejector member at a position thereon where a puck moves outwardly along said guide by centrifugal force as said ejector member rotates, said supplying means including a rotary feeder disc rotatable about an axis parallel to and offset from the axis of rotation of said ejector member;

d. a stationary magazine positioned above said feeder disc and having a plurality of openings for supplying pucks by gravity to said feeder disc;

e. means for retaining a puck at an intermediate point along said guide between said axis and said side wall; and

f. means for releasing said retaining means at a predetermined point in the rotation of said ejector member and so related to the position of said tangential opening that a puck when propelled along said guide from said intermediate point impinges against said side wall, and continues to be carried by said ejector member until propelled through said tangential opening.

7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said retaining means comprises a movable stop positioned in the path of a puck at said intermediate position, and said releasing means comprises means for momentarily removing said stop from movement along said guide.

8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein said stop comprises a member biased toward a position in the path of a puck at said intermediate position and said releasing means comprises a cam which contacts a follower during movement of said ejector member to move said stop out of the path of a puck.