Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems, apparatuses, and methods for exercising and entertaining a pet. In one implementation, a pet exercise and entertainment device includes a launch funnel for launching projectiles for a pet to retrieve. The launch funnel has a feeder and a chute. The feeder is configured to receive a projectile and transport the projectile to an intake end of the chute. A sensor is configured to sense the projectile in the intake end of the chute and to command one or more motors to power up in response to sensing the projectile. An actuator is configured to release the projectile from the intake end of the chute into the launch end of the chute after a pre-determined time has elapsed. One or more wheels, rotated by the one or more motors, are configured to launch the projectile from the launch end of the chute.

A sport carrying bag has a rotatable disc which is configured with a plurality of circumferentially spaced ball-receiving regions including one through-hole region, a mounting plate located below the disc, a chute downwardly extending to a loading section of launching apparatus, a fixed bi-directional ball feeding motor for rotatably driving the disc, and a controller in data communication with the ball feeding motor. Upon rotation of the disc in a first direction, a ball received in the through-hole region ceases to be contacted by the mounting plate and gravitates through the chute to the loading section of the launching apparatus. In response to a detected jammed condition, the controller commands the ball feeding motor to reverse its operating direction such that the disc will rotate in a second direction to cause one or more jammed balls to become dislodged.

A soft-toss pitching machine for soft-pitch practice includes a housing and a feeder tube coupled within an inside of the housing and extending from a feed aperture to a dispense aperture. A plurality of legs is coupled to the housing. A swivel is coupled to the housing and a pitcher arm is coupled to the swivel. The pitcher arm has a rest position, a first alternate wound position, and a second alternate release position in front of the housing. A pitcher hand is coupled to the pitcher arm and is configured to secure a ball with the pitcher arm in, and moving between, the rest position and the first alternate wound position. The pitcher hand is configured to release the ball when the pitcher arm moves to the release position. A drive is in operational communication with the swivel and moves the pitcher arm.

A device and method for aiding in the practice of basketball and other games that require a ball to be returned to a player in order to perform repetitive practice routines. The device generally includes a ball catching component and a ball ejection component. The ball catching component catches balls thrown by the player and delivers them to the ball ejection component so that the ball ejection component has a continuous supply of balls. The invention includes a means for tracking a predetermined color worn by a player on the court and returning the ball toward the player's current position after a predetermined triggering event has occurred.

System and method for launching a ball onto the ground of a playing field. The system includes an outlet chamber configured to receive the ball therein; an outlet conduit or frame configured to contain the outlet chamber and allow the same to move through the outlet conduit towards a second position on the ground; movement capability of the outlet chamber, connected to and configured to move the outlet chamber between at least the first position and the second position, where the outlet chamber includes an outlet mouth and launching means for launching the ball arranged in the outlet chamber. A field including the system is also described.

An automated football throwing machine that includes a housing, a flexible portion, a transport portion, an activation module and a power module. The housing includes a receiving portion for receiving a football and an ejecting portion for adjustably ejecting the football. The flexible portion includes an integrated chute configured to gravity funnel a football into the receiving portion. The transport portion is configured to transport the football from the receiving portion to the ejecting portion. The activation module is configured to engage the ejecting portion to eject the football. The power module is configured to electrically power the transport portion and the activation module.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may include a system for returning a golf ball to a golfer playing simulated golf or hitting a golf ball towards any vertical surface or hitting it into a net or such, the system including a ball catcher tray assembly adapted to receive a golf ball after the golfer has hit the ball against an impact surface, the ball catcher tray optionally including ball catcher tray sections connected together. Embodiments may also include a golf ball launcher adapted to receive the golf ball as it rolls from the ball catcher tray assembly. Embodiments may also include a modular track system comprised of interconnected track sections, at least one of which may be connected to the golf ball launcher and may be adapted to receive the golf ball from the golf ball launcher as the ball may be propelled toward the golfer.

Disclosed are a ball-pitching control method of a pitching machine in a baseball practice system that is capable of sensing a pitched ball or a hit ball using a sensing device without using a separate sensor or measurement device and correcting the settings of the pitching machine based on the result of sensing such that the pitching machine pitches a ball at an accurate speed, and that is capable of analyzing the results periodically sensed by a sensing device and the cumulative results of set ball pitching information of the pitching machine such that the pitching machine automatically performs self-correction, thereby solving a problem in which the set speed of the ball is not accurately realized due to deterioration of the pitching machine over time or due to a change in the weight or the state of the ball, and a baseball practice system using the same.

Disclosed are a ball-pitching control method of a pitching machine in a baseball practice system that is capable of automatically compensating for inclination of the pitching machine, which may occur depending on the installation environment of the pitching machine, based on the result of sensing performed by a sensing device for sensing a pitched ball or a hit ball without using a separate sensor or measurement device and that is capable of automatically self-correcting the displacement of the pitching machine from the original position thereof or the corrected position thereof over time due to external impact applied to the pitching machine or a manager's inaccurate correction of the pitching machine by analyzing the results periodically sensed by a sensing device and the cumulative results of set ball pitching information of the pitching machine, and a baseball practice system using the same.

A machine and method for receiving and launching an oval football. The machine includes a football catch area, a motorized belt to orient the football and motorized wheels to launch the football. The user catching the football throws it back to the machine. The machine automatically orients the football and launches it back to the user catching the football. The machine provides the user a consistent timing pause between receiving the football and launching of the football.