Abstract: A ball throwing apparatus includes a ball magazine attached to a first end of a ball tube. A ball propelling or throwing assembly is attached to a second end of the ball tube. A retaining element, such as a spring finger, extends into the ball tube from a first side of the ball tube. A holder which may be pivotally mounted on the ball tube extends into the ball tube from a second side of the ball tube. An arm moves through an arm slot in the second side of the ball tube in a reciprocating motion, feeding balls one at a time from the ball magazine into the throwing assembly, in a uniform time sequence.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A light weight, pressurized hitting implement, such as a baseball bat, is disclosed that has a one piece outer shell having both a striking portion and a handle portion. The striking portion end of the outer shell furthest from the handle portion is open and a tubular element is inserted therein and pressurized to provide improved rigidity and rebound to the hitting implement. There is a support means cap attached to the open end of the striking portion to provide protection against splitting of the open end of the hitting implement during use, and to retain the pressurized tubular element inside the outer shell of the hitting implement.

Abstract: A propulsion member (e.g. a bat) has an external switch and an internally disposed transistor which transmits signals when the switch is manually closed. A receiver in a tee mechanism receives the signals and causes a tee in the mechanism to move upwardly from a rest position to an operative position. As the tee moves upwardly to the operative position, an element (e.g. a wiffle ball) moves on a ramp to a supportive position at the top of the tee. When the tee is in the operative position, a player holding the propulsion member swings the member against the ball. This is helpful to young children (e.g. eight (8) years old or younger) in learning how to hit a baseball.

Abstract: An illuminated throwing toy is provided which is adapted to be thrown by a user for a flight through the air. The toy includes a hollow, inflatable, football-shaped head portion made of a flexible, translucent material, that is centered about a longitudinal axis, an elongate tail portion with fins that extend axially rearward from the head portion along the longitudinal axis, and a coupling, which interconnects the head and tail portions and allows the portions to be movable relative to each other, particularly to be rotatably movable about the longitudinal axis. The tail portion has a front section that is permanently affixed to rear of the football-shaped head portion and a rear section that comprises fins. The front section is permanently attached to the rear of the head portion and the rear section is removably attached to the front section.

Abstract: An illuminated game ball for use in playing a game at night. The ball includes a translucent outer wall that can be tinted with various colors, a light with rechargeable power source mounted in the interior of the ball, and an electrical connector mounted substantially flush with the outer surface of the ball that is connected to the power source. When it is desired to illuminate the ball for nighttime play an electrical power source is plugged into the connector for a short time to charge the rechargeable power source which then discharges through the light to illuminate same.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A propulsion member (e.g. a bat) has an external switch and an internally disposed transistor which transmits signals when the switch is manually closed. A receiver in a tee mechanism receives the signals and causes a tee in the mechanism to move upwardly from a rest position to an operative position. As the tee moves upwardly to the operative position, an element (e.g. a wiffle ball) moves on a ramp to a supportive position at the top of the tee. When the tee is in the operative position, a player holding the propulsion member swings the member against the ball. This is helpful to young children (e.g. eight (8) years old or younger) in learning how to hit a baseball.

Abstract: Hitting practice training equipment is disclosed having an hitting instrument such as a bat paddle or racket, an apparatus for propelling a game piece such as a ball or puck in front of an individual holding the hitting instrument, and a transmitter remote from the hitting instrument for initiating the propelling apparatus to propel a game piece in front of the individual. The propelling apparatus includes a receiver for receiving signals transmitted by the transmitter to initiate a game piece being propelled in front of the individual. The individual actuates the transmitter when they wish to initiate the operation of the game piece propelling apparatus, and may send different signals from the transmitter to propel a game piece in a different manner for each of the different signals. The individual may also activate the transmitter using voice commands.

Abstract: A children's baseball bat with a pressurizable, external hitting zone to selectively control the trampoline effect when a ball is struck by the bat. The hitting zone is provided by expandable tubing wrapped spirally around the barrel of the bat and connected to a manual air pump built into the handle of the bat to increase air pressure in the tubing. A pressure relief valve connected to the tubing allows the user to decrease air pressure in the hitting zone to control the trampoline effect or to decrease the circumference of the barrel.

Abstract: A throwing device having a body, and a tail portion which extends away from one end of the body. The tail portion generally includes at least one fin, and the tail portion is configured such that the fin may be selectively oriented at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the body so that the fin will tend to impart either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation to the device during flight, as selected by the user.

Abstract: A member (e.g. baseball bat) including a switch manually operable to obtain the transmission of signals by a transmitter in the member to an apparatus for propelling an element (e.g. ball) toward an individual holding the member. The element is propelled by a propulsion mechanism in the apparatus toward the individual holding the member so that the individual can practice receiving the element (e.g. hitting the ball). The apparatus propels the element upon the receipt of the transmitted signals and prepares for the next element in the apparatus to be propelled upon a receipt of subsequent signals from the transmitter.

Abstract: A member (e.g. baseball bat) includes a switch manually operable to obtain the transmission of signals by a transmitter in the member to an apparatus for propelling an element (e.g. ball) toward an individual holding the member. The apparatus includes a receiver for receiving the transmitted signals and includes a housing with a hollow passage. A ramp supported on the housing holds a plurality of the elements for sequential movement into the passage. The element in the passage is supported on one of the fingers of a rotary detainer. The detainer is normally prevented from rotating by a release mechanism coupled to the detainer. The detainer is rotated by the weight of the element when the release mechanism is decoupled from the detainer upon the reception of the transmitted signals. The element then moves downwardly in the passage to a propulsion mechanism which may comprise a pair of rollers for gripping the opposite ends of the element.

Abstract: A throwing toy is provided that is configured to be held in a user's hand and thrown by the user with the user's hand imparting to the toy during release a spin about the toy's axis. The toy has a head portion and a tail portion adjacent the rear end of the head portion. The tail is configured to be selectively changeable by the user between an extended position wherein at least a part of the tail extends rearward of the head portion along the axis for a tail length and a retracted position wherein the tail length is reduced. The toy has a coupling connected to the head portion which includes a tail control mechanism supporting the tail portion. The control mechanism is configured to allow the user to change the tail between the extended and the retracted positions. The tail control mechanism includes a cylinder installed in the head portion and a piston movable in the cylinder.

Abstract: A throwing toy is provided which is adapted to be thrown by a user for a flight through the air along a flight path. The toy includes a football-shaped head portion, generally centered about a longitudinal axis, an elongate tail portion extending axially rearward the head portion along the longitudinal axis, and a coupling, which interconnects the head and tail portions and allows the portions to be movable relative to each other, particularly to be rotatably movable about the longitudinal axis. Because the head portion and tail portion can rotate relative to each other, the user can hold the head portion in the hand and throw the toy through the air, imparting a spin to head portion causing it to rotate about its longitudinal axis throughout the flight. At the same time, the tail portion remains substantially fixed throughout the flight with respect to the longitudinal axis because the spin imparted to the head portion is substantially isolated from the tail portion by the rotatable coupling.