Abstract: A toy baseball pitching machine that is particularly adapted to be used by children as an outdoor game. The toy baseball pitching machine of the present invention is capable of "pitching" a plastic ball approximately 15 feet to a "batter". The pitching machine is adjustable to pitch balls through varying trajectories. The present invention includes a ball storage rack for feeding a plurality of balls into the pitching machine seriatim and an automatic shut-off switch that shuts the pitching machine off when all balls are pitched.

Abstract: A gun that shoots a projectile including a flexible screen-like disc to kill flies, insects or the like, the projectile carrying its own spring which powers the projectile. The gun is formed of plastic and has an integral trigger including a catch that holds the projectile in cocked position.

Abstract: Ball propelling apparatus comprising a housing forming an in-line ball storage and supply path terminating at a ball stop positioning station, a ball launching hammer operable by a spring actuated propelling force as the spring is gradually cocked and moved over a dead center position to advance the ball hammer rapidly to knock the ball out of the apparatus under a controllable pressure.

Abstract: An inexpensive mechanical launcher for launching certain toy disks consists of two predominantly planar pieces of pre-formed plastic material joined together forming a slotted receptor and a handle portion. A toy disk is inserted in the slotted receptor and engages a catch with its outside rim. A spring for biasing the disk against the catch is preloaded during insertion and is engaged with a notch on the disk rim. A plunger having a manually engageable trigger retracts the catch and allows the spring to return to its released position, thus flinging the disk in an outwardly spinning trajectory which can be influenced and altered by varying the axial position of the launcher before release.

Abstract: A compound slingshot comprises a longitudinally extending support shaped for holding by a user, an elongate resilient member having one end attached to the support, and a cam rotatably mounted on the support and having an eccentric marginal surface. A flexible line has one end connected with the free end of the resilient member, and the other end attached to and wound about the marginal surface of the cam. A projectile receiver is operably connected with the cam by a second flexible line, whereby rearward translation of the receiver with respect to the support rotates the cam and tenses the resilient member in such a manner that the force required to retain the receiver at a fully extended position is less than the force required to retain the receiver at an intermediate position thereby providing accurate aiming of the slingshot and increased hurling capabilities.

Abstract: A portable ball throwing macine employs a battery operated motor for projecting tennis balls for practice purposes. The balls are fed from a bin by means of a ball fence and agitator to a tube which conveys the ball to a ball track. A spring biased arm is cocked by the motor and released at the correct point in the cycle by operation of a cam gear and pawl. The arm then strikes the ball projecting it from the machine. Included in the device is an arrangement for oscillating the device from side to side to vary the pattern of balls projected from the machine and a gate mechanism to index balls onto the ball track.

Abstract: A hand-held device for tossing a basketball of standard size and shape, up into the air consistently at the same height is provided having a basketball rest plate attached to a spring-loaded firing assembly which is inside a casing having a firing mechanism assembly for discharging the firing assembly. The firing mechanism assembly includes a pivoted trigger that engages notches on a firing rod which is attached to a basketball support plate.

Abstract: A housing has an open-topped hemispherical recess in its top to accommodate a spherical ball. The ball is attached to one end of a cable which is itself secured to a spring loaded reel inside the housing. When ejector means are operated by the user's foot, the ball is ejected upwardly out of the recess, so as to enable the ball to be hit by a bat. As the ball travels after being hit, the cable reels off the reel, winding up the spring on the reel. The spring on the reel then retracts the cable to bring the ball back for a subsequent use.

Abstract: A figure toy adapted to change its posture upon impact includes a central body or mid-torso portion having an upper torso or body portion and a lower torso or hip portion pivotally coupled thereto. The figure toy further includes a bistable, force-applying element that pivots the upper and lower torso portions relative to the central body portion upon impact to the figure toy. The figure toy further includes a pair of arms, pivoted to the upper torso portion and a pair of legs, pivoted to the hip portion, which are actuated by the force applying element. A launching device is provided including a biased figure toy mounting platform which is held in a prelaunching position by a latch. The latch is depressed by a selectively actuable element to release the platform and launch the figure toy. A second launching device is disclosed which includes a figure toy mounting platform pivotally coupled to a base.

Abstract: A versatile articulated magnetic toy having removable appendages is provided. Body shells encapsulate a magnet and pair of armature plates. The armature plates include beveled edges to form joints and are retained on either side of the magnet by the magnetic flux. The magnet is hollow and can be aligned by the respective body shells and can further accommodate a chest cavity projectile firing mechanism. The appendages advantageously resemble humanoid arms and legs. An arm appendage can include a spring-loaded firing mechanism capable of discharging the first portion of the arm as a projectile. The ease with which the appendages can be removed permits the addition of various accessories to form modified toy assemblies.

Abstract: A spring type article projecting device for propelling an object, at a target, is disclosed. The device comprises a stock, a handle and a striker head housing that includes a striker plate actuated by a striker pin. A force deflector member, pivotally mounted within the striker head housing, transfers the striker pin impact to the striker plate. A cocking member is provided which may be moved manually into various positions against the action of a spring. The invention provides a spring type article projecting device which is very simple in construction, is functionally-reliable and which is safe in its use and provides striking qualities superior to known apparatus.

Abstract: A toy playing game representative of an athletic game, as for example, baseball, and including a pair of player devices. A first of these player devices represents a baseball pitcher comprised of a structure capable of ejecting and propelling a ball toward the second of the player devices. The second of the player devices represents a baseball batter and is freely shifted with regard to the pitcher in order to locate an outwardly extending element, representative of a baseball bat, so it can be swung so as to hit the propelled ball. The batter device is comprised of an upstanding base section with a torso section pivotally mounted on the base section. The torso section carries the bat. The head section of the batter device is shiftably mounted for movement with respect to the torso section, so that upon depressing the head section, the torso section will pivot and thereby cause the pivotal or swinging movement of the bat.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an apparatus for spin ejecting a body having a flat plate base containing bosses. The apparatus has a base plate and a main ejection shaft extending perpendicularly from the base plate. A compressible cylindrical spring is disposed about the shaft. Bearings are located between the shaft and the spring. A housing containing a helical aperture releasably engages the base plate and surrounds the shaft bearings and the spring. A piston having an aperture follower disposed in the housing aperture is seated on the spring and is guided by the shaft and the aperture. The spring is compressed and when released causes the piston to spin eject the body.

Abstract: A catapult comprising a stand and a spring-mounted plunger receives a projectile which is struck by a bat having at least one flat side to propel to the projectile into the air where it is struck again by the bat.

Abstract: An archery bow which uses a single adjustable load spring instead of the usual pair of flexible bow limbs as the resilient energy medium. Bow limbs which are relatively rigid are pivoted on the handle section and are coupled together and synchronized in travel rate and equalized in forces by a single synchronizing linkage. A single adjustable ratio changing mechanism is used to provide a high mid draw force and a low full draw force and include structure to change the draw distance at which these draw forces occur.These three features: a single adjustable spring, a single synchronizing mechanism and a single adjustable ratio changing mechanism make the bow highly efficient, easy to hold at full draw and readily adjustable for short or tall, weak or strong archers.

Abstract: A nonlethal weapon providing high voltage electrical shocking potential. When not in use, the weapon is contracted or collapsed to a small size for conveniently carrying it in the pocket or purse, and is rapidly put into active use by triggering the extension of an elongatable probe carrying the high voltage contacts.

Abstract: A compact pneumatically powered apparatus for automatically propelling game balls, especially tennis balls and the like intended to be stroked by a hand held racket or other implement, for training players in the proper return of the simulated ball action. Each ball is ejected from the apparatus with a combination of forward or straight-line acceleration together with a predetermined amount of ball spin to closely approximate the intentional spin placed on tennis balls when stroked obliquely by a tennis racket. This is achieved in the apparatus by a mechanism for flexing an elongate pliable member, such as a flexible belt, between an initial slackened looped condition and a straightened tensioned condition. The tennis balls are successively fed into a launching position contacting a surface portion of the slackened, looped belt that faces generally forwardly toward the direction of ball propulsion and is initially rearwardly of the final orientation of the tensioned belt.

Abstract: A pair of oppositely extending bow arms on a main body portion have guides on their tips. A bowstring extending between the tips has end sections movably contacting the guides. The bow has a drawing force produced either by flexible bow arms or a resilient member on the bow, and a second guide is employed to receive the end sections of the bowstring and position them so that they will be acted upon equally by the drawing force while moving in unison with it to provide a balanced bow for accurate shooting of arrows. Control apparatus may be employed to decrease the tension on the bowstring as the latter approaches its fully drawn condition. In bows using flexible bow arms as the drawing force, a cable operatively connects the arms and unites them into common operation.

Abstract: A simulated baseball game can be constructed so as to utilize a simulated baseball tethered on an arm in such a manner that the ball can be rotated across a simulated baseball playing field. The arm is mounted on a pylon by a universal joint so that it can be rotated generally between the field area of the playing field and the home plate of the playing field. A spring-loaded, latch-controlled propulsion member mounted generally in the field area of the playing field is used to hit the ball so as to cause it to rotate from an at rest position in the field area of the playing field toward and across the home plate of the playing field. A simulated bat may be actuated during such movement of the ball in an effort to hit the ball toward any one of a plurality of targets located in the field area. A base hit or a home run is indicated by the ball hitting a target labeled so as to correspond to such a hit or a home run.

Abstract: A missile launching toy wherein twirling the body in one hand causes rotation of a head within a cylinder by an angularly disposed counterweight fixed to the head but extending outside the cylinder to provide stored energy by compressing a spring or air to launch on release the missile which is shown as an elongated projectile or a stabilized balloon.