Abstract: A spring loaded arm mechanism is incorporated into a baseball home plate support for tossing a regulation or practice baseball, from ground level, upwardly into the batter's strike zone. A ball launching arm, arm bias spring, arm latch and a release are all arranged in a compact, low-profile unit flush with or just slightly protruding above the home plate support. The arm is cocked, using an arm engaging hand tool, by rotating a ball launching arm end downwardly against the biasing into a latched position. After positioning the baseball, the latch is released, either by the batter or by another via a remotely actuated release, to cause the sprung arm to rotate with great force through a limited arc, propelling the baseball vertically up into the strike zone. A practice embodiment includes a lever arm release actuated by the operator's bat and may further include an elastic ball return tethering cord having an in-line swivel to relieve line twisting.

Abstract: In a removable core-type lock, the internal tumbler pin mechanism is modified to incorporate an antipick jamming action that is actuated whenever an attempt is made to pick the tumbler pins. The jamming action comprises a pair of security tumbler pin assemblies that cooperate with the lock's cylindrical plug which incorporates the lock's keyway and serves as the primary locking element, and with a modified control sleeve structure which forms part of the jamming action and serves as a control means for releasably retaining the core in the lock's casing. In reaction to tampering of the lock by an attempt to pick the tumbler pins, one of the security pins is forced to a position that locks the control sleeve structure and plug together in a manner that prevents the opening of the lock or the removal of the core from the lock casing by means other than the use of a properly notched primary or control key.