Automatic tennis ball feeding and serving apparatus

摘要

An automatic tennis ball feeding and serving apparatus comprises a ball hopper, wheel-type tennis ball projector and conveyor for transporting tennis balls from the hopper to the ball projector. A frame is provided to which the hopper, ball projector and conveyor are fixed, with the ball projector elevated above the hopper. The conveyor includes an endless loop, motor driven conveyor chain which is inclined at a small angle from the vertical. A ball delivering chute is positioned between the conveyor and the ball projector to gravity feed balls from the conveyor to the ball projector. Connected to the conveyor chain are a plurality of spaced apart, tennis ball transporters, each having a shallow ball receiving recess. Associated with each ball transporter is a ball anti-stacking element which prevents the stacking of two or more tennis balls on the same ball transporter. Each anti-stacking element projects outwardly from the conveyor belt about 11/2 tennis ball diameters above each ball transporters. A ball agitator, comprising a plurality of rotatably driven fingers which alternatively project upwardly through openings in the bottom of the hopper, continually tumble tennis balls in the hopper to prevent bridging of the balls and to thereby insure reliable ball loading onto the ball transporters.