Title of Invention	A CRICKET BOWLING MACHINE
Abstract	In the present invention there is provided a cricket bowling machine which consists of a pair of rotating wheels, Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM), and a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The main mechanism is based on a pair of rotating rubber bonded ball ejecting wheels coupled with the other inventive subsystems such as TTPRM and WMHSA. The Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) to hold the base member on which a pair of rubber bonded wheels rest. Two motors drive the said wheels. The connection between the wheels and the corresponding motor are via Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The TTPRM has three indexers namely, Roll Axis Indexer (RAI), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) integrated with a tripod. PAI is used to control the length of the bowling. RAI is required during spin bowling to control the axis of spin of the ball. YAI is used to control the line of the bowling. The ball reaches in between the pair of wheels via a delivery chute. The said ball is gripped frictionally between the said rotating wheels and ejected in forward direction. By controlling the relative speeds of the two counter rotating wheels as well as amount of rolling, a spin can be imparted to the ejected ball which causes it not only to drop but also to take curve trajectory either to the left or right.

Title of Invention

A CRICKET BOWLING MACHINE

Abstract

In the present invention there is provided a cricket bowling machine which consists of a pair of rotating wheels, Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM), and a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The main mechanism is based on a pair of rotating rubber bonded ball ejecting wheels coupled with the other inventive subsystems such as TTPRM and WMHSA. The Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) to hold the base member on which a pair of rubber bonded wheels rest. Two motors drive the said wheels. The connection between the wheels and the corresponding motor are via Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The TTPRM has three indexers namely, Roll Axis Indexer (RAI), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) integrated with a tripod. PAI is used to control the length of the bowling. RAI is required during spin bowling to control the axis of spin of the ball. YAI is used to control the line of the bowling. The ball reaches in between the pair of wheels via a delivery chute. The said ball is gripped frictionally between the said rotating wheels and ejected in forward direction. By controlling the relative speeds of the two counter rotating wheels as well as amount of rolling, a spin can be imparted to the ejected ball which causes it not only to drop but also to take curve trajectory either to the left or right.

Full Text	This invention relates to a cricket bowling machine. The present invention particularly relates to a cricket bowling machine which is highly versatile in delivering different kinds of bowling of precise line and length. The present invention more particularly relates to a device for throwing balls of different diameter, beside the cricket ball, one ball at a time, as and when required, in an accurate manner at a predetermined speed and direction, controlled by a micro-controller based control system. The bowling machine of the present invention will be very useful for both amateur and professional cricketers who can use it as part of their regular practice for fine-tuning of batting without the necessity of bowlers. The main usage of this invention is to provide consistent batting practice for different cross-sections of the players, such as, professional cricketers, amateur cricketers, women cricketers and junior boys. The bowling machine of the present invention will assist in improving the natural talent of the batsman. It will be of much use at school, club and junior level where the standards of bowling are less consistent. The prior art search covering literature, patent databases and market survey reveals that there are a number of well known ball throwing devices. However, a through study reveals that in each of the hitherto known prior art ball throwing devices there is scope of further improvements and based on this study, the cricket bowling machine of the present invention has been provided. Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 2526018, U.S. patent no. 2935980, U.S. patent no. 3467073, U.S. patent no. 3584614, U.S. patent no. 3662729, U.S. patent no. 4014307, U.S. patent no. 4091791 and U.S. patent no. 4570607, wherein tennis balls, baseballs and other soft balls have been projected by pneumatic means. This type of ball throwing machine used an air compressor actuated by motor to produce highly compressed air into the throwing tube. The throwing machines of air compression type occupy more space, are high in manufacturing cost and not portable. Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 4860717, U.S. patent no. 3817235, U.S. patent no. 5975527, U.S. patent no. 4220130, U.S. patent no. 629044, U.S. patent no. 4517953, U.S. patent no. 4249508, U.S. patent no. 4291663, U.S. patent no. 4168695, U.S. patent no. 4220130, U.S. patent no. 4995371, U.S. patent no. 4269162, U.S. patent no. 4579100, U.S. patent no. 4611571, wherein base balls, tennis balls and other balls have been propelled by means of spring or elastic. Devices of this type usually make use of a striking or throwing mechanism consisting of either spring or elastic to project the ball. In this arrangement difficulty is encountered in designing a suitable controllable deflection mechanism. Also, complications and inconveniences arise in providing a suitable feed mechanism, since the ejecting mechanism must be accurately synchronized with the feed of the balls thereto. Moreover, these devices provide only limited directional control of the thrown ball and do not apply rotation to the ball as it is released. They are thus incapable of fully simulating the flight characteristics of a pitched ball. Reference may be made to patent nos.: GB 936559 and GB 1529396, wherein the balls are thrown by means of a striker head alongwith a spring connected striking arm or throwing arm. In this system reliability of total mechanism is highly questionable due to fatigue of each linkages and springs. Moreover, this machine cannot create any spin on the ball for not having any gripper to hold it at desired orientation. Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 4080950, wherein A ball is delivered into the constricted space between, and thereby gripped frictionally by, a fixed pad and a confronting surface of a wheel which is driven at a speed predetermined to propel the ball therefrom at a selected velocity. The line on which the ball is propelled between the pad and wheel is adjustable about a horizontal axis and the speed of the wheel is variable so as to adjust the trajectory of the thrown ball. Further, the pad may be mounted above or below the wheel to reverse the spin on the ball and thus afford a variety of practice conditions. Here, the control of orientation on the ball is not positive, hence the flexibility of producing various kinds of balls as a challenge to the cricketer is not possible. Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 6,739,325, U.S. patent no. 3,734,075, U.S. patent no.4,352,348, U.S. patent no. 4,561,414, U.S. patent no. 5,046,476, wherein one or more co-acting rotating wheels are used to propel a ball that is introduced between number of wheels. These type of throwing machine utilize rotary wheels which include a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel which is supported on a rotary shaft. Rotary wheels of the pneumatic tire type are characterized by a number of limitations. Principal among these is the requirement to maintain proper inflation pressure in order to ensure consistent ball gripping action, the frequency of wheel balancing to prevent wheel wobble and consequent erratic ball throwing and the excessive cost of such wheels and their maintenance. Although the aforementioned earlier ball throwing device provides a substantial degree of adjustment of the rotational plane of the ball projecting wheels, the structural arrangement prevents the precise and positive adjustment of the rotational plane of the wheels to all positions between horizontal and vertical. In our co-pending patent application no.: 1560 DEL 2003, titled: "A Cricket ball Throwing Machine", a cricket bowling machine has been proposed to generate different type of bowling. The drawbacks of the said machine are listed below: 1.There is no yaw motion, which is responsible for control of the line of pitching of the ball. 2. The rolling motion of the machine necessary for changing the spinning axis of the ball is uncontrollable. From the details of the hitherto known prior art, it is observed that there is a definite need for providing a cricket bowling machine which is highly versatile in delivering different kinds of bowling of precise line and length. The main object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which obviates the drawbacks of the hitherto known prior art, as detailed above. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which can precisely control the line and length of the bowling. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine having a controller for adjustable bowling at selected speeds and directions using micro-controller and associated peripherals with the provision of throwing the ball as and when required. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which allows the ball ejecting mechanism to be adjusted precisely to different positions between horizontal and vertical plane. Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which is adjustable to accommodate the throwing of standard cricket balls of different diameters like balls of international standards, youth balls, ladies balls, practicing balls and tennis balls. A further object of this invention is to provide a bowling machine which is compact in size and light in weight to facilitate its transport to and from a site of operation. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a bowling machine that is durable and predictable in operation although simple in construction for economical manufacture, maintenance and repair. In the present invention there is provided a cricket bowling machine which consists of a pair of rotating wheels, Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM), and a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The main mechanism is based on a pair of rotating rubber bonded ball ejecting wheels coupled with the other inventive subsystems such as TTPRM and WMHSA. The Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) to hold the base member on which a pair of rubber bonded wheels rest. Two motors drive the said wheels. The connection between the wheels and the corresponding motor are via Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The TTPRM has three indexers namely, Roll Axis Indexer (RAI), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) integrated with a tripod. PAI is used to control the length of the bowling. RAI is required during spin bowling to control the axis of spin of the ball. YAI is used to control the line of the bowling. The ball reaches in between the pair of wheels via a delivery chute. The said ball is gripped frictionally between the said rotating wheels and ejected in forward direction. By controlling the relative speeds of the two counter rotating wheels as well as amount of rolling, a spin can be imparted to the ejected ball which causes it not only to drop but also to take curve trajectory either to the left or right. In the drawings accompanying this specification, figures 1 to 6 shows the perspective and schematic views which describe the cricket bowling machine and the constituent subsystems of the present invention. In the drawings accompanying this specification, figure 1 represents the perspective view of the cricket bowling machine which comprises of rubber bonded wheels (01) (02) for ejecting ball, Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) for precise adjustment of the required position of the delivery of the ball with respect to three axes system, Ball Delivery Chute (04) for guiding the ball upto the gap between the two rubber bonded wheels, Handle (05) to carry the machine, Tripod Legs (06) to provide rigidity to the system and height to the delivered ball, and Control panel (07) for electronic control. In figure 2 of the drawings is shown the schematic view of the machine of the present invention, which consists of Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) (09) for proper alignment and precise control of gap between the wheels, Base member (10), Motors (11) (12), and Ball (13). In the drawings accompanying this specification, figure 3 represents the perspective view of the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) of the machine of the present invention, which comprises of Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15), Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) to adjust precisely the required position of the ball delivery with respect to three axis i.e. Roll Axis (18), Pitch Axis (19), Yaw Axis (20) system along with Worm with knob for roll (21), Worm with knob for Pitch (22), Worm with knob for Yaw (23). The said mechanism also consists of Tripod (17) to provide yaw axis indexer and legs, Top platform (24) to hold the base member and Cantilever Shaft (25) to hold the pitch axis indexer. In figure 4 of the drawings is shown the schematic sectional view of the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) of the machine of the present invention, which comprises of Worm Wheel for roll (26), Worm Wheel for Pitch (27) and Worm Wheel for Yaw (28) corresponding to Worm with knob for roll, Worm with knob for Pitch, Worm with knob for Yaw. In the drawings accompanying this specification, figure 5 represents the schematic view of the Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) of the machine of the present invention, which comprises of Rack (29), Pinion (30), Slider block (31), Bush fitted casing (32), and Screw (33). The rack (29) is fixed to the slider block (31) with the help of screw (33). The pinion (30) which rotates inside a bush fitted in a casing (32) and screwed to the base member (10) in such a way that it meshes with the rack (29) and capable of actuating the sliding movement over the base member to change the gap between the pair of wheels. In figure 6 of the drawings accompanying this specification, is shown the schematic sectional view of the Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) of the machine of the present invention, which consists of slider block (31) which holds radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38) to accommodate hub of the wheel (34). The ball ejecting wheel comprises of Flange end annular cylindrical rim (35), Concaved groove rubber portion of the wheel (36) for ejecting ball. The motor shaft (39) is keyed to the wheel and locked by locking screw (40) from the top, thus preventing the ejection of wheel (01) at high speed of rotation. Accordingly the present invention provides a cricket bowling machine, which comprises: in combination a pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02), a ball (13) delivery chute (04), two variable speed drive motors (11,12), an electronic control panel (07), a substantially horizontal base member (10), a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03), Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09), carrying handle (05) and adjustable tripod legs (06); wherein the said Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) holds the substantially horizontal base member (10) on which the pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) rest and at the junction of the rotatable wheels being provided the said ball (13) delivery chute (04) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10), the said rotatable wheels being driven via the said Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09) by the said two variable speed drive motors (11,12) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10) and controlled through the said electronic control panel (07). In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) are preferably provided with a rigid central hub (34) of cast alloy, a press-fitted thin cylindrical rim (35) with flanged ends and a rubber portion (36), each of the said rubber portion (36) having a deep concavity with flanges along its length and running throughout the periphery with curved fillet edges. In another embodiment of the present invention, the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) consists of a Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), a Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15), and an Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16), capable of adjusting precisely the required position of ball (13) delivery with respect to three-axes, such as roll (18), pitch (19) and yaw (20) axis, respectively. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14) consists of a cantilever type shaft (25) actuated by worm with knob (21) capable of driving a worm to transmit the motion to a worm wheel (26) to change the inclination of the plane of wheels for rolling with respect to the roll axis (18). In still another embodiment of the present invention, the Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15) consists of a top platform (24) tilted by a knob capable of driving a worm (22) to transmit the rotational motion to a worm wheel (27) to change the projectile angle with respect to pitch axis (19) for controlling the length of the bowling. In still yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) consists of worm (23) and worm wheel (28) set to rotate both RAI (14) and PAI (15) with respect to yaw axis (20) for controlling the line of bowling. In a further embodiment of the present invention, the base member (10) is provided with fork like ends, wherein each fork carries a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08, 09) which has a slider block (31). In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) comprises a slider block (31) which holds radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38) to accommodate hub of the wheel (34). In a yet further embodiment of the present invention, the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) being also provided with a rack (29) and pinion (30) mechanism capable of actuating sliding movement over the said base member (10) to change the gap between the said pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02). In another embodiment of the present invention, the cricket bowling machine is capable of being automated and programmable through interfacing with microcontroller based electronic control systems. The description of the cricket bowling machine of the present invention with reference to figures 1 to 6 of the drawings accompanying this specification, is as follows: The cricket bowling machine of the present invention includes a base member (10) with fork like ends. Each fork carries a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) (09) which has a slider block (31). Each wheel (01) is supported on slider block (31) through radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38). Each motor (11) is fixed to a slider block (31) by screw. The motor shaft (39) is keyed to the wheel (01) and locked by locking screw (40) from the top, thus preventing the ejection of wheel (01) at high speed of rotation. The motors (11) (12) are electric type, preferably of variable speed in order to adjust the rotational speed of each wheel (01) independently of the other. Micro-controller based electronic control system (07) is provided to control the speed of each motor (11) independently. The wheel (01) preferably includes a rigid central hub (34) of cast alloy, a press-fitted thin cylindrical rim (35) with flanged ends and a rubber portion (36). Each of the rubber portion (36) has a deep concavity along its length and running throughout the periphery with curved fillet edges. Flanges prevent the thick concaved groove rubber portion (36) from coming out during high speed of rotation of the wheel (01). A rack (29) and pinion (30) is used in the WMHSA (08). The rack (29) is fixed to the slider block (31) with the help of screw (33). The pinion (30) which rotates inside a bush fitted in a casing (32) and screwed to the base member (10) in such a way that it meshes with the rack (29). The rack (29) and pinion (30) mechanism is used to control the gap between the two wheels (01) (02) for throwing balls of different diameters. Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) is used to hold the base member (10) and to precisely adjust the required position of the delivery point of the ball with respect to three axes system i.e. roll axis (18), pitch axis (19) and yaw axis (20) to achieve a certain trajectory of the ball (13) such that the ball (13) pitches at different positions relative to the batsman. The TTPRM (03) has three indexer namely, Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15) and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) integrated with a tripod (17). PAI (15) of TTPRM (03) is used to control the length of the bowling. Pitching is the rotation of the top platform (24), over which the base member (10) is fixed, about the pitch axis (19). By controlling this, the length of the bowling can be varied from bouncer to Yorker, according to the will of the batsman. The precision and reproducibility of ball pitching distance that is required for effective batting practice is achieved by setting precisely the rotation of worm with knob for pitch (22) and worm wheel for pitch (27) which attached with top platform (24) of the PAI (15), about pitch axis (19). RAI (14) of the TTPRM (03) controls the axis of spin of the ball (13) during spin bowling. The worm with knob (21) is turned through some degrees to rotate the worm wheel (26) thereby governing the rotation of the PAI (15), which fixed with cantilever type shaft (25) portion of the RAI (14). The RAI (14) is directly placed on the top of the YAI (16). YAI (16) of the TTPRM (03) is used to control the line of the bowling. A worm wheel for yaw (28) meshes with a worm with knob (23) for yaw rotation, inside the tripod (17) casing. The ball (13) is guided on a ball delivery chute (04) attached to the base member (10) until it touches the curved surfaces of the wheels (01) (02) rotated in opposite direction. The ball (13) passes through the gap which is less than the ball (13) diameter and thereafter ejected tangentially forward. As the ball (13) passes through the gap between the two wheels (01) (02), the rubber material gets compressed. The concave surface provides a better contact and fillet edges provide a finger like grip on either side of its surface. The finger like gripping action of the fillet edges helps in controlling the trajectory of the ball (13). By controlling the relative speeds of the two counter rotating wheels (01) (02) as well as amount of rolling, a spin can be imparted to the ejected ball. The spin imparted to the ejected ball can cause it not only to drop but to take curve path to the left or right as well. The essential constructional features of the machine are a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) to hold the base member on which the pair of rubber-bonded wheels are mounted. TTPRM rests on a tripod. The connection between the wheels and the motors are via Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). In the cricket bowling machine of the present invention, the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) consists of Roll Axis Indexer (RAI), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI), and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) to adjust precisely the required position of ball delivery with respect to three-axes i.e. roll, pitch, yaw axis system. The Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) comprises of slider block which holds radial bearing and thrust bearing to accommodate hub of the wheel, the said WMHSA being provided with a rack and pinion mechanism capable of actuating the sliding movement over the base member to change the gap between the pair of wheels for throwing different diameter balls. The novelty of the present invention resides in providing a compact, efficient and economic cricket bowling machine which has the capability of delivering different kinds of bowling with greater mobility i.e. 3 axes of freedom system which enables in-swing, out-swing, leg spin, off spin, of precise line and length at speeds in the range of 70 km/hr to 160 km/hr using different varieties of balls. The novelty of the cricket bowling machine of the present invention has been effectively realized by the non-obvious inventive steps of providing in combination a pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02), a ball (13) delivery chute (04), two drive motors (11,12), an electronic control panel (07), a substantially horizontal base member (10), a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03), and a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09); The following examples are given by way of illustration of the cricket bowling machine of the present invention in actual practice and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention. Example 1 Test situation is to generate straight bowling in the variation of good length, short pitch and full toss are as follows. Type of ball : Cricket ball Diameter of the ball : 72 mm Weight of the ball :153gm Machine setting :- Distance between machine and wicket : 66 feet Height of the delivery point from ground : 7 feet Speed of both the wheels : 3500 RPM Roll axis angle : 0 degree Pitch axis angle : -1 to 3 degrees Yaw axis angle : 0 degree In all the situations machine was able to perform effectively. Example 2 Test situation is to generate swing bowling in the variation of in-swing and out-swing at a distance of good length are as follows. Distance between machine and wicket : 66 feet Height of the delivery point from ground : 7 feet Differential Speed of wheels : (4500-2400=2100 RPM) Roll axis angle : 0 degree Pitch axis angle : 2 degree Yaw axis angle : -2 to 3 degrees Successively five balls in this test situation were found to give satisfactory results. Example 3 Test situation is to generate spin bowling in the variation of off-spin and leg-spin at a distance of good length with good amount flight are as follows. Distance between machine and wicket : 66 feet Height of the delivery point from ground : 7 feet Differential Speed of wheels : (4000-1200=2800 RPM) Roll axis angle : 45 to 65 degree Pitch axis angle : 4 to 4.5 degrees Yaw axis angle : -2 to 2 degrees In all the situations machine was able to perform satisfactorily. The main advantages of the present invention are: 1. Can precisely control the line and length of the bowling. 2. The machine is compact, efficient and economic. 3. Allows for adjustable bowling at selected speeds and directions using microcontroller and associated peripherals with the provision of throwing the ball as and when required. 4. Allows the ball ejecting mechanism to be adjusted precisely to different positions between horizontal and vertical plane. 5. adjustable to accommodate the throwing of standard cricket balls of different diameters like balls of international standards, youth balls, ladies balls, practicing balls and tennis balls. 6. Compact in size and light in weight to facilitate its transport to and from a site of operation. 7. Durable and predictable in operation although simple in construction for economical manufacture, maintenance and repair. 8. The bowling speed is variable within a range of 70 km/hr to 160 km/hr. 9. It has greater mobility i.e. 3 axes of freedom system which helps the ball to be pitched at the right place and spin in the required direction. 10. Different varieties of balls including in-swing, out-swing, leg spin, off spin is possible. 11. Different sizes of balls like international standard men's cricket ball s, women's ball, tennis ball and like can be thrown effectively. We claim: 1. A cricket bowling machine, which comprises: in combination a pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02), a ball (13) delivery chute (04), two variable speed drive motors (11,12), an electronic control panel (07), a substantially horizontal base member (10), a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03), Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09), carrying handle (05) and adjustable tripod legs (06); wherein the said Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) holds the substantially horizontal base member (10) on which the pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) rest and at the junction of the rotatable wheels being provided the said ball (13) delivery chute (04) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10); the said rotatable wheels being driven via the said Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09) by the said two variable speed drive motors (11,12) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10) and controlled through the said electronic control panel (07). 2. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) are preferably provided with a rigid central hub (34) of cast alloy, a press-fitted thin cylindrical rim (35) with flanged ends and a rubber portion (36), each of the said rubber portion (36) having a deep concavity with flanges along its length and running throughout the periphery with curved fillet edges. 3. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-2, wherein the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) consists of a Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), a Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15), and an Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16), capable of adjusting precisely the required position of ball (13) delivery with respect to three-axes, such as roll (18), pitch (19) and yaw (20) axis, respectively. 4. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-3, wherein the Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14) consists of a cantilever type shaft (25) actuated by worm with knob (21) capable of driving a worm to transmit the motion to a worm wheel (26) to change the inclination of the plane of wheels for rolling with respect to the roll axis (18). 5. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-4, wherein the Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15) consists of a top platform (24) tilted by a knob capable of driving a worm (22) to transmit the rotational motion to a worm wheel (27) to change the projectile angle with respect to pitch axis (19) for controlling the length of the bowling. 6. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-5, wherein the the Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) consists of worm (23) and worm wheel (28) set to rotate both RAI (14) and PAI (15) with respect to yaw axis (20) for controlling the line of bowling. 7. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-6, wherein the base member (10) is provided with fork like ends, wherein each fork carries a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08, 09) which has a slider block (31). 8. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-7, wherein the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) comprises a slider block (31) which holds radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38) to accommodate hub of the wheel (34). 9. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-8, wherein the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) being also provided with a rack (29) and pinion (30) mechanism capable of actuating sliding movement over the said base member (10) to change the gap between the said pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02). 10. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-9, wherein the cricket bowling machine is capable of being automated and programmable through interfacing with micro-controller based electronic control systems. 11. A cricket bowling machine, substantially as herein described with reference to the examples and figures of the drawings accompanying this specification.

Full Text

This invention relates to a cricket bowling machine. The present invention particularly relates to a cricket bowling machine which is highly versatile in delivering different kinds of bowling of precise line and length. The present invention more particularly relates to a device for throwing balls of different diameter, beside the cricket ball, one ball at a time, as and when required, in an accurate manner at a predetermined speed and direction, controlled by a micro-controller based control system.
The bowling machine of the present invention will be very useful for both amateur and professional cricketers who can use it as part of their regular practice for fine-tuning of batting without the necessity of bowlers. The main usage of this invention is to provide consistent batting practice for different cross-sections of the players, such as, professional cricketers, amateur cricketers, women cricketers and junior boys. The bowling machine of the present invention will assist in improving the natural talent of the batsman. It will be of much use at school, club and junior level where the standards of bowling are less consistent.
The prior art search covering literature, patent databases and market survey reveals that there are a number of well known ball throwing devices. However, a through study reveals that in each of the hitherto known prior art ball throwing devices there is scope of further improvements and based on this study, the cricket bowling machine of the present invention has been provided.
Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 2526018, U.S. patent no. 2935980, U.S. patent no. 3467073, U.S. patent no. 3584614, U.S. patent no. 3662729, U.S. patent no. 4014307, U.S. patent no. 4091791 and U.S. patent no. 4570607, wherein tennis balls, baseballs and other soft balls have been projected by pneumatic means. This type of ball throwing machine used an air compressor actuated by motor to produce highly compressed air into the throwing tube. The throwing machines of air compression type occupy more space, are high in manufacturing cost and not portable.
Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 4860717, U.S. patent no. 3817235, U.S. patent no. 5975527, U.S. patent no. 4220130, U.S. patent no. 629044, U.S. patent no. 4517953, U.S. patent no. 4249508, U.S. patent no. 4291663, U.S. patent no. 4168695, U.S. patent no. 4220130, U.S. patent no. 4995371, U.S. patent no. 4269162, U.S. patent no. 4579100, U.S. patent no. 4611571, wherein base balls, tennis balls and other balls have been propelled by means of spring or elastic. Devices of this type usually make use of a striking or throwing mechanism consisting of either spring or elastic to project the ball. In this arrangement difficulty is encountered in designing a suitable controllable deflection mechanism. Also, complications and inconveniences arise in providing a suitable feed mechanism, since the ejecting mechanism must be accurately synchronized with the feed of the balls thereto. Moreover, these devices provide only limited directional control of the thrown ball and do not apply rotation to the ball as it is released. They are thus incapable of fully simulating the flight characteristics of a pitched ball.
Reference may be made to patent nos.: GB 936559 and GB 1529396, wherein the balls are thrown by means of a striker head alongwith a spring connected striking arm or throwing arm. In this system reliability of total mechanism is highly questionable due to fatigue of each linkages and springs. Moreover, this machine cannot create any spin on the ball for not having any gripper to hold it at desired orientation.
Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 4080950, wherein A ball is delivered into the constricted space between, and thereby gripped frictionally by, a fixed pad and a confronting surface of a wheel which is driven at a speed predetermined to propel the ball therefrom at a selected velocity. The line on which the ball is propelled between the pad and wheel is adjustable about a horizontal axis and the speed of the wheel is variable so as to adjust the trajectory of the thrown ball. Further, the pad may be mounted above or below the wheel to reverse the spin on the ball and thus afford a variety of practice conditions. Here, the control of orientation on the ball is not positive, hence the flexibility of producing various kinds of balls as a challenge to the cricketer is not possible.
Reference may be made to U.S. patent no. 6,739,325, U.S. patent no. 3,734,075, U.S. patent no.4,352,348, U.S. patent no. 4,561,414, U.S. patent no. 5,046,476, wherein one or more co-acting rotating wheels are used to propel a ball that is introduced between number of wheels. These type of throwing machine utilize rotary wheels which include a pneumatic tire mounted on a wheel which is supported on a rotary shaft. Rotary wheels of the pneumatic tire type are characterized by a number of limitations. Principal among these is the requirement to maintain proper inflation pressure in order to ensure consistent ball gripping action, the frequency of wheel balancing to prevent wheel wobble and consequent erratic ball throwing and the excessive cost of such wheels and their maintenance. Although the aforementioned earlier ball throwing device provides a substantial degree of adjustment of the rotational plane of the ball projecting wheels, the structural arrangement prevents the precise and positive adjustment of the rotational plane of the wheels to all positions between horizontal and vertical.
In our co-pending patent application no.: 1560 DEL 2003, titled: "A Cricket ball Throwing Machine", a cricket bowling machine has been proposed to generate different type of bowling. The drawbacks of the said machine are listed below:
1.There is no yaw motion, which is responsible for control of the line of pitching of the
ball.
2. The rolling motion of the machine necessary for changing the spinning axis of the
ball is uncontrollable.
From the details of the hitherto known prior art, it is observed that there is a definite need for providing a cricket bowling machine which is highly versatile in delivering different kinds of bowling of precise line and length.
The main object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which obviates the drawbacks of the hitherto known prior art, as detailed above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which can precisely control the line and length of the bowling.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine having a controller for adjustable bowling at selected speeds and directions using micro-controller and associated peripherals with the provision of throwing the ball as and when required.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which allows the ball ejecting mechanism to be adjusted precisely to different positions between horizontal and vertical plane.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a cricket bowling machine which is adjustable to accommodate the throwing of standard cricket balls of different diameters like balls of international standards, youth balls, ladies balls, practicing balls and tennis balls.
A further object of this invention is to provide a bowling machine which is compact in size and light in weight to facilitate its transport to and from a site of operation.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a bowling machine that is durable and predictable in operation although simple in construction for economical manufacture, maintenance and repair.
In the present invention there is provided a cricket bowling machine which consists of a pair of rotating wheels, Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM), and a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The main mechanism is based on a pair of rotating rubber bonded ball ejecting wheels coupled with the other inventive subsystems such as TTPRM and WMHSA. The Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) to hold the base member on which a pair of rubber bonded wheels rest. Two motors drive the said wheels. The connection
between the wheels and the corresponding motor are via Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA). The TTPRM has three indexers namely, Roll Axis Indexer (RAI), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) integrated with a tripod. PAI is used to control the length of the bowling. RAI is required during spin bowling to control the axis of spin of the ball. YAI is used to control the line of the bowling. The ball reaches in between the pair of wheels via a delivery chute. The said ball is gripped frictionally between the said rotating wheels and ejected in forward direction. By controlling the relative speeds of the two counter rotating wheels as well as amount of rolling, a spin can be imparted to the ejected ball which causes it not only to drop but also to take curve trajectory either to the left or right.
In the drawings accompanying this specification, figures 1 to 6 shows the perspective and schematic views which describe the cricket bowling machine and the constituent subsystems of the present invention.
In the drawings accompanying this specification, figure 1 represents the perspective view of the cricket bowling machine which comprises of rubber bonded wheels (01) (02) for ejecting ball, Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) for precise adjustment of the required position of the delivery of the ball with respect to three axes system, Ball Delivery Chute (04) for guiding the ball upto the gap between the two rubber bonded wheels, Handle (05) to carry the machine, Tripod Legs (06) to provide rigidity to the system and height to the delivered ball, and Control panel (07) for electronic control.
In figure 2 of the drawings is shown the schematic view of the machine of the present invention, which consists of Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) (09) for proper alignment and precise control of gap between the wheels, Base member (10), Motors (11) (12), and Ball (13).
In the drawings accompanying this specification, figure 3 represents the perspective view of the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) of the
machine of the present invention, which comprises of Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15), Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) to adjust precisely the required position of the ball delivery with respect to three axis i.e. Roll Axis (18), Pitch Axis (19), Yaw Axis (20) system along with Worm with knob for roll (21), Worm with knob for Pitch (22), Worm with knob for Yaw (23). The said mechanism also consists of Tripod (17) to provide yaw axis indexer and legs, Top platform (24) to hold the base member and Cantilever Shaft (25) to hold the pitch axis indexer.
In figure 4 of the drawings is shown the schematic sectional view of the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) of the machine of the present invention, which comprises of Worm Wheel for roll (26), Worm Wheel for Pitch (27) and Worm Wheel for Yaw (28) corresponding to Worm with knob for roll, Worm with knob for Pitch, Worm with knob for Yaw.
In the drawings accompanying this specification, figure 5 represents the schematic view of the Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) of the machine of the present invention, which comprises of Rack (29), Pinion (30), Slider block (31), Bush fitted casing (32), and Screw (33). The rack (29) is fixed to the slider block (31) with the help of screw (33). The pinion (30) which rotates inside a bush fitted in a casing (32) and screwed to the base member (10) in such a way that it meshes with the rack (29) and capable of actuating the sliding movement over the base member to change the gap between the pair of wheels.
In figure 6 of the drawings accompanying this specification, is shown the schematic sectional view of the Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) of the machine of the present invention, which consists of slider block (31) which holds radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38) to accommodate hub of the wheel (34). The ball ejecting wheel comprises of Flange end annular cylindrical rim (35), Concaved groove rubber portion of the wheel (36) for ejecting ball. The motor shaft (39) is keyed to the wheel and locked by locking screw (40) from the top, thus preventing the ejection of wheel (01) at high speed of rotation.
Accordingly the present invention provides a cricket bowling machine, which comprises: in combination a pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02), a ball (13) delivery chute (04), two variable speed drive motors (11,12), an electronic control panel (07), a substantially horizontal base member (10), a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03), Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09), carrying handle (05) and adjustable tripod legs (06); wherein the said Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) holds the substantially horizontal base member (10) on which the pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) rest and at the junction of the rotatable wheels being provided the said ball (13) delivery chute (04) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10), the said rotatable wheels being driven via the said Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09) by the said two variable speed drive motors (11,12) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10) and controlled through the said electronic control panel (07).
In an embodiment of the present invention, the rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) are preferably provided with a rigid central hub (34) of cast alloy, a press-fitted thin cylindrical rim (35) with flanged ends and a rubber portion (36), each of the said rubber portion (36) having a deep concavity with flanges along its length and running throughout the periphery with curved fillet edges.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) consists of a Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), a Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15), and an Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16), capable of adjusting precisely the required position of ball (13) delivery with respect to three-axes, such as roll (18), pitch (19) and yaw (20) axis, respectively.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14) consists of a cantilever type shaft (25) actuated by worm with knob (21) capable of driving a worm to transmit the motion to a worm wheel (26) to change the inclination of the plane of wheels for rolling with respect to the roll axis (18).
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15) consists of a top platform (24) tilted by a knob capable of driving a worm (22) to transmit the rotational motion to a worm wheel (27) to change the projectile angle with respect to pitch axis (19) for controlling the length of the bowling.
In still yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) consists of worm (23) and worm wheel (28) set to rotate both RAI (14) and PAI (15) with respect to yaw axis (20) for controlling the line of bowling.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the base member (10) is provided with fork like ends, wherein each fork carries a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08, 09) which has a slider block (31).
In a still further embodiment of the present invention, the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) comprises a slider block (31) which holds radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38) to accommodate hub of the wheel (34). In a yet further embodiment of the present invention, the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) being also provided with a rack (29) and pinion (30) mechanism capable of actuating sliding movement over the said base member (10) to change the gap between the said pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02).
In another embodiment of the present invention, the cricket bowling machine is capable of being automated and programmable through interfacing with microcontroller based electronic control systems.
The description of the cricket bowling machine of the present invention with reference to figures 1 to 6 of the drawings accompanying this specification, is as follows:
The cricket bowling machine of the present invention includes a base member (10) with fork like ends. Each fork carries a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding
Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) (09) which has a slider block (31). Each wheel (01) is supported on slider block (31) through radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38). Each motor (11) is fixed to a slider block (31) by screw. The motor shaft (39) is keyed to the wheel (01) and locked by locking screw (40) from the top, thus preventing the ejection of wheel (01) at high speed of rotation. The motors (11) (12) are electric type, preferably of variable speed in order to adjust the rotational speed of each wheel (01) independently of the other. Micro-controller based electronic control system (07) is provided to control the speed of each motor (11) independently.
The wheel (01) preferably includes a rigid central hub (34) of cast alloy, a press-fitted thin cylindrical rim (35) with flanged ends and a rubber portion (36). Each of the rubber portion (36) has a deep concavity along its length and running throughout the periphery with curved fillet edges. Flanges prevent the thick concaved groove rubber portion (36) from coming out during high speed of rotation of the wheel (01).
A rack (29) and pinion (30) is used in the WMHSA (08). The rack (29) is fixed to the slider block (31) with the help of screw (33). The pinion (30) which rotates inside a bush fitted in a casing (32) and screwed to the base member (10) in such a way that it meshes with the rack (29). The rack (29) and pinion (30) mechanism is used to control the gap between the two wheels (01) (02) for throwing balls of different diameters.
Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) is used to hold the base member (10) and to precisely adjust the required position of the delivery point of the ball with respect to three axes system i.e. roll axis (18), pitch axis (19) and yaw axis (20) to achieve a certain trajectory of the ball (13) such that the ball (13) pitches at different positions relative to the batsman. The TTPRM (03) has three indexer namely, Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15) and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) integrated with a tripod (17).
PAI (15) of TTPRM (03) is used to control the length of the bowling. Pitching is the rotation of the top platform (24), over which the base member (10) is fixed, about the pitch axis (19). By controlling this, the length of the bowling can be varied from bouncer to Yorker, according to the will of the batsman. The precision and reproducibility of ball pitching distance that is required for effective batting practice is achieved by setting precisely the rotation of worm with knob for pitch (22) and worm wheel for pitch (27) which attached with top platform (24) of the PAI (15), about pitch axis (19). RAI (14) of the TTPRM (03) controls the axis of spin of the ball (13) during spin bowling. The worm with knob (21) is turned through some degrees to rotate the worm wheel (26) thereby governing the rotation of the PAI (15), which fixed with cantilever type shaft (25) portion of the RAI (14). The RAI (14) is directly placed on the top of the YAI (16). YAI (16) of the TTPRM (03) is used to control the line of the bowling. A worm wheel for yaw (28) meshes with a worm with knob (23) for yaw rotation, inside the tripod (17) casing.
The ball (13) is guided on a ball delivery chute (04) attached to the base member (10) until it touches the curved surfaces of the wheels (01) (02) rotated in opposite direction. The ball (13) passes through the gap which is less than the ball (13) diameter and thereafter ejected tangentially forward. As the ball (13) passes through the gap between the two wheels (01) (02), the rubber material gets compressed. The concave surface provides a better contact and fillet edges provide a finger like grip on either side of its surface. The finger like gripping action of the fillet edges helps in controlling the trajectory of the ball (13). By controlling the relative speeds of the two counter rotating wheels (01) (02) as well as amount of rolling, a spin can be imparted to the ejected ball. The spin imparted to the ejected ball can cause it not only to drop but to take curve path to the left or right as well.
The essential constructional features of the machine are a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) to hold the base member on which the pair of rubber-bonded wheels are mounted. TTPRM rests on a tripod. The connection
between the wheels and the motors are via Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA).
In the cricket bowling machine of the present invention, the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) consists of Roll Axis Indexer (RAI), Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI), and Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) to adjust precisely the required position of ball delivery with respect to three-axes i.e. roll, pitch, yaw axis system. The Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) comprises of slider block which holds radial bearing and thrust bearing to accommodate hub of the wheel, the said WMHSA being provided with a rack and pinion mechanism capable of actuating the sliding movement over the base member to change the gap between the pair of wheels for throwing different diameter balls.
The novelty of the present invention resides in providing a compact, efficient and economic cricket bowling machine which has the capability of delivering different kinds of bowling with greater mobility i.e. 3 axes of freedom system which enables in-swing, out-swing, leg spin, off spin, of precise line and length at speeds in the range of 70 km/hr to 160 km/hr using different varieties of balls.
The novelty of the cricket bowling machine of the present invention has been effectively realized by the non-obvious inventive steps of providing in combination a pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02), a ball (13) delivery chute (04), two drive motors (11,12), an electronic control panel (07), a substantially horizontal base member (10), a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03), and a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09);
The following examples are given by way of illustration of the cricket bowling machine of the present invention in actual practice and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
Example 1
Test situation is to generate straight bowling in the variation of good length, short
pitch and full toss are as follows.
Type of ball : Cricket ball
Diameter of the ball : 72 mm
Weight of the ball :153gm
Machine setting :-
Distance between machine and wicket : 66 feet
Height of the delivery point from ground : 7 feet
Speed of both the wheels : 3500 RPM
Roll axis angle : 0 degree
Pitch axis angle : -1 to 3 degrees
Yaw axis angle : 0 degree
In all the situations machine was able to perform effectively.
Example 2
Test situation is to generate swing bowling in the variation of in-swing and out-swing
at a distance of good length are as follows.
Distance between machine and wicket : 66 feet
Height of the delivery point from ground : 7 feet
Differential Speed of wheels : (4500-2400=2100 RPM)
Roll axis angle : 0 degree
Pitch axis angle : 2 degree
Yaw axis angle : -2 to 3 degrees
Successively five balls in this test situation were found to give satisfactory results.
Example 3
Test situation is to generate spin bowling in the variation of off-spin and leg-spin at a
distance of good length with good amount flight are as follows.
Distance between machine and wicket : 66 feet
Height of the delivery point from ground : 7 feet
Differential Speed of wheels : (4000-1200=2800 RPM)
Roll axis angle : 45 to 65 degree
Pitch axis angle : 4 to 4.5 degrees
Yaw axis angle : -2 to 2 degrees
In all the situations machine was able to perform satisfactorily.
The main advantages of the present invention are:
1. Can precisely control the line and length of the bowling.
2. The machine is compact, efficient and economic.
3. Allows for adjustable bowling at selected speeds and directions using microcontroller and associated peripherals with the provision of throwing the ball as and when required.
4. Allows the ball ejecting mechanism to be adjusted precisely to different positions between horizontal and vertical plane.
5. adjustable to accommodate the throwing of standard cricket balls of different diameters like balls of international standards, youth balls, ladies balls, practicing balls and tennis balls.
6. Compact in size and light in weight to facilitate its transport to and from a site of operation.
7. Durable and predictable in operation although simple in construction for economical manufacture, maintenance and repair.
8. The bowling speed is variable within a range of 70 km/hr to 160 km/hr.
9. It has greater mobility i.e. 3 axes of freedom system which helps the ball to be pitched at the right place and spin in the required direction.
10. Different varieties of balls including in-swing, out-swing, leg spin, off spin is
possible.
11. Different sizes of balls like international standard men's cricket ball s, women's
ball, tennis ball and like can be thrown effectively.

We claim:
1. A cricket bowling machine, which comprises: in combination a pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02), a ball (13) delivery chute (04), two variable speed drive motors (11,12), an electronic control panel (07), a substantially horizontal base member (10), a Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03), Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09), carrying handle (05) and adjustable tripod legs (06); wherein the said Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) holds the substantially horizontal base member (10) on which the pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) rest and at the junction of the rotatable wheels being provided the said ball (13) delivery chute (04) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10); the said rotatable wheels being driven via the said Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08,09) by the said two variable speed drive motors (11,12) adjustably fixed to the said base member (10) and controlled through the said electronic control panel (07).
2. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02) are preferably provided with a rigid central hub (34) of cast alloy, a press-fitted thin cylindrical rim (35) with flanged ends and a rubber portion (36), each of the said rubber portion (36) having a deep concavity with flanges along its length and running throughout the periphery with curved fillet edges.
3. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-2, wherein the Tripod cum Tri-axial Precise Rotation Mechanism (TTPRM) (03) consists of a Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14), a Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15), and an Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16), capable of adjusting precisely the required position of ball (13) delivery with respect to three-axes, such as roll (18), pitch (19) and yaw (20) axis, respectively.
4. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-3, wherein the Roll Axis Indexer (RAI) (14) consists of a cantilever type shaft (25) actuated by worm with knob (21) capable of driving a worm to transmit the motion to a worm wheel (26) to change the inclination of the plane of wheels for rolling with respect to the roll axis (18).
5. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-4, wherein the Pitch Axis Indexer (PAI) (15) consists of a top platform (24) tilted by a knob capable of driving a worm (22) to transmit the rotational motion to a worm wheel (27) to change the projectile angle with respect to pitch axis (19) for controlling the length of the bowling.
6. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-5, wherein the the Yaw Axis Indexer (YAI) (16) consists of worm (23) and worm wheel (28) set to rotate both RAI (14) and PAI (15) with respect to yaw axis (20) for controlling the line of bowling.
7. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-6, wherein the base member (10) is provided with fork like ends, wherein each fork carries a Wheel and Motor Holding cum Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08, 09) which has a slider block (31).
8. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-7, wherein the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) comprises a slider block (31) which holds radial bearing (37) and thrust bearing (38) to accommodate hub of the wheel (34).
9. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-8, wherein the Wheel and Motor Holding and Sliding Arrangement (WMHSA) (08) being also provided with a rack (29) and pinion (30) mechanism capable of actuating sliding movement over the said base member (10) to change the gap between the said pair of rotatable rubber bonded wheels (01,02).
10. A cricket bowling machine as claimed in claim 1-9, wherein the cricket bowling machine is capable of being automated and programmable through interfacing with micro-controller based electronic control systems.
11. A cricket bowling machine, substantially as herein described with reference to the examples and figures of the drawings accompanying this specification.

Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=UuYRaHIHfo9eOOHzMKf+Sg==&loc=+mN2fYxnTC4l0fUd8W4CAA==

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Patent Number

270304

Indian Patent Application Number

1662/DEL/2005

PG Journal Number

50/2015

Publication Date

11-Dec-2015

Grant Date

09-Dec-2015

Date of Filing

27-Jun-2005

Name of Patentee

COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

Applicant Address

ANUSANDHAN BHAWAN, RAFI MARG, NEW DELHI-110001, INDIA.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	ROY SHIBENDU SHEKHAR	CENTRAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSITITUTE, DURGAPUR M.G. AVENUE DURGAPUR-713209, W.B., INDIA.
2	MAHAPATRA ABHIJIT	CENTRAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSITITUTE, DURGAPUR M.G. AVENUE DURGAPUR-713209, W.B.
3	DATTA UMA	CENTRAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSITITUTE, DURGAPUR M.G. AVENUE DURGAPUR-713209, W.B.
4	MUKHERJEE NARAYAN PRASAD	CENTRAL MECHANICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH INSITITUTE, DURGAPUR M.G. AVENUE DURGAPUR-713209, W.B.

PCT International Classification Number

A63B 69/40

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1			NA