Ball Tossing Device with Rear Sight and Cup for Aiming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ball tossing devices lack a substantially rigid rod with a basket attachment for precise aiming and launching of balls, which limits the accuracy and ease of gameplay.
Innovation Solution
A ball tossing device comprising a substantially rigid rod with a basket and cup attachment, allowing for precise alignment and launching of balls using a rear sight, enabling users to aim and launch the ball by wrist flick or forearm extension.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hand-held tool is used to facilitate tossing a ball, then ease of operation is improved, but manufacturing precision and structural rigidity are insufficient for precise aiming
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into distinct functional segments: a rigid rod for structural support and aiming, a basket for ball placement, and a cup for positioning the ball. Each segment serves a specific function, allowing the hand-held tool to provide ease of operation while the rigid rod ensures manufacturing precision for accurate aiming and ball launch.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid rod with basket attachment is used, then aiming accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The basket and cup are attached to the rigid rod to form an integrated assembly. The basket is positioned at the front face of the rod proximate to the upper end, with the cup positioned in the basket. This merging of components achieves aiming accuracy while minimizing device complexity by reducing the number of separate parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The cup is nested within the basket, which is attached to the rigid rod. The cup is sized complementarily to a portion of the ball, creating a nested structure that simplifies the overall device while maintaining precision for ball positioning and aiming.
3Reliability
If the cup is sized complementarily to the ball, then ball retention is improved, but adaptability to different ball sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cup is configured for selective insertion of a portion of the ball, allowing the ball to be retained in the cup when the rod is substantially vertical. This dynamic configuration enables the device to adapt to different ball sizes while maintaining reliable ball retention during the tossing action.
Data Source
AI summary
A ball tossing device for use in playing a ball tossing game includes a rod, which is substantially rigid, a basket, which is attached to a front face of the rod proximate to an upper end of the rod, and a cup, which is positioned in the basket and which is attached to a bottom of the basket. The cup is sized complementarily to a portion of a ball to be used in a ball tossing game, allowing the portion of the ball to be inserted into and retained by the cup when the rod is substantially vertical. A rear sight is attached to and extends from the upper end of the rod. The rod can be grasped in a hand of a user, positioning the user to align the rear sight with a target and to launch the ball at the target by one or both of a flick of a wrist or an extension of a forearm of the user.