Automatic Table Tennis Server

Abstract

This invention relates to a unique design of an automatic table tennis server that can automatically eject table tennis balls in such a way that each successively ejected ball carries different spin, such as top-spin, any combination of top-spin and side-spin, side-spin, any combination of under-spin and side-spin, as well as under-spin. The automatic table tennis server provided in this invention can effectively improve the skills of a table tennis player in mastering various types of spins. The automatic table tennis server presented in this invention is simple in mechanical design, simple in electronic control and inexpensive in product manufacturing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] Table tennis, or ping-pong, is a popular sport in both competition and recreation. An automatic table tennis server device is a device that can eject table tennis balls from one side of the table tennis table to the other side of the table, thus, a player can play with the table tennis server device. This invention relates to a unique and simple mechanical design of an automatic table tennis server that can automatically eject table tennis balls in such a way that each successively ejected ball carries different spin, such as top-spin, any combination of top-spin and side-spin, side-spin, any combination of under-spin and side-spin, as well as under-spin. [0002] In view of prior arts of automatic or robot table tennis server devices, there are basically two types of mechanism designs with regard to the way a ball is ejected. The first type utilizes the pneumatic / pressure-air to eject table tennis balls. Examples are U.S. Pat. No. 2,508,461 in 1950 ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] Therefore it is the objective of this invention to develop a mechanical-based automatic table tennis server that can automatically eject the table tennis balls in such a way that each successively ejected ball carries different spin, such as top-spin, any combination of top-spin and side-spin, side-spin, any combination of under-spin and side-spin, as well as under-spin, which makes the table tennis play more realistic and more challenge. It is also the objective of this invention to develop a simple and cost effective automatic table tennis server that can eject the table tennis balls in such a way that each successively ejected ball carries different spin without the need to use complex computer programs and computer control.

[0008] The automatic table tennis server provided in this invention can effectively improve the skills of a table tennis player in mastering various types of ball spins.

[0009] The novel feature in this invention is a unique and simple structure design of an automatic table tennis server that can eject table tennis balls in such a way that each successively ejected ball carries different spin, such as top-spin, any combination of top-spin and side-spin, side-spin, any combination of under-spin and side-spin, as well as under-spin, which means at one time, for instance, the spin is a top-spin, while at another time, it may be a combination of top-spin (say 72%) and side-spin (say 28%). At each time a table tennis ball is ejected, it carries a different spin, for instance, a top-spin, a combination of top-spin and side-spin, a side-spin, a combination of under-spin and side-spin, or an under-spin.

Problems solved by technology

However, none of them can change the ball spin automatically during the table tennis play.

However, none of them can change the ball spin automatically during the table tennis play.

Prior arts had a limitation being unable to reverse the spin on balls successively in less than one second.

Their design, however, is limited to only three types of spins, i.e., top-spin, under-spin and no-spin.

Even though their design can provide automatically randomized speed control of the ball spins through the two motorized wheels, it is still limited to the above-mentioned three basic types of spins, i.e. top-spin, under-spin and no-spin.

This is because the two motorized wheels in their design are fixed in a specific plan, in fact the vertical plan, thus unable to produce the side-spins or any combined spin between top-spin and side-spin or between under-spin and side-spin during the table tennis play.

However, the creation of spins as described in above-mentioned inventions relies on sophisticated computer programs and computer control, thus the system is complex and expensive to manufacture.

Although the automatic table tennis servers that use computer programs and computer control may achieve the objective of creating different spin for each successively ejected ball, it is sophisticated in design and expensive to manufacture.

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