Automatic ball cleaning apparatus and method

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for automatically cleaning and drying balls, including golf balls. The apparatus comprises a housing that contains a cleaning liquid, scrubbing channel, drying section, and rotator. An electric motor, which rotates the rotator, is switched “on” in response to a sensor detecting a ball in an entry chute. The rotator moves a ball carrying means (preferably including a wheel for spinning the ball) for receiving the ball from the entry chute and moving the ball through the scrubbing channel and drying section to a point for the ball to exit. The motor is switched “off” in response to a sensor (which can comprise a cam and limit switch) detecting, directly or indirectly, that the rotator has rotated at least enough for the ball to exit. Alternative embodiments may comprise ball counting means and/or biasing means.

1 . An apparatus for cleaning balls, wherein the apparatus comprises
 a. an entry chute for receiving and channeling a ball;   b. a housing wherein the housing comprises an interior chamber therein, an entry opening, and an exit opening, wherein the entry chute receives the ball outside the housing and channels the ball through the entry opening to the interior chamber, wherein the interior chamber comprises a lower chamber therein, the lower chamber comprising a scrubbing channel disposed within the lower chamber, the lower chamber further comprising a cleaning liquid for wetting a ball, the cleaning liquid being disposed within the lower chamber, wherein the scrubbing channel comprises a scrubbing means for scrubbing the ball, wherein the interior chamber comprises an upper chamber therein, the upper chamber comprising a drying section disposed within the upper chamber, wherein the drying section comprises drying means for removing at least some cleaning liquid from the ball, and wherein the interior chamber comprises a rotator, the rotator being rotatably disposed within the interior chamber and comprising a ball carrying means, wherein the rotator is adapted for moving the ball carrying means through the interior chamber, and wherein the ball carrying means is adapted for receiving the ball from the entry chute and for moving the ball through the scrubbing channel and the drying section;   c. an exit chute for receiving and channeling the ball, wherein the exit chute receives the ball from the ball carrying means within the interior chamber and channels the ball out of the interior chamber through the exit opening; and,   d. a start sensor for detecting the presence of the ball in the entry chute and for generating a start signal in response to said detecting of the presence of the ball, wherein the start sensor is in electrical communication with a start switch and is adapted to send the start signal to the start switch;   e. an electric motor for rotating the rotator, wherein the motor is electrically connected to an electric power source wherein the start switch is adapted to automatically switch the motor “on” in response to the start signal, and wherein the motor is connected to the rotator by torque transferring means through which the motor effects rotation of the rotator while the motor is “on”; and,   f. a shut-off sensor for detecting when the rotator is at a shut-off position and for generating a shut-off signal in response to said detecting of the shut-off position, wherein the shut-off sensor is in electrical communication with a shut-off switch and is adapted to send the shut-off signal to the shut-off switch, the shut-off switch being adapted to automatically switch the motor “off” in response to the shut-off signal, and wherein the shut-off switch is either the same switch as the start switch or a separate switch.   
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the ball carrying means comprises a ball-roller wheel, wherein the ball-roller wheel is rotatably connected to the rotator and is adapted to turn while the rotator moves the ball carrying means through the interior channel, and wherein the ball-roller wheel is positioned to contact and spin the ball while the ball moves through the interior chamber. 
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the ball carrying means further comprises a ball-roller drive wheel attached to the shaft of the ball-roller wheel for turning the ball-roller wheel in response to contact by the drive wheel with a drive pad. 
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising biasing means for biasing the ball out of the entry chute, out of the ball carrying means, or both out of the entry chute and out of the ball carrying means, wherein the biasing means is located, at least while biasing the ball, operably proximate the entry chute, the ball carrying means, or both the entry chute and the ball carrying means. 
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising ball counting means wherein the ball counting means is adapted for automatically determining if the number of balls that entered the entry chute has been moved to an exit position for exiting the interior chamber, and wherein the counting means is in electrical communication with and adapted to control the “on”-“off” switching of the motor in response to the determination made by the ball counting means. 
   
   
       6 . An apparatus for cleaning balls, comprising:
 a. a housing, the housing comprising an interior chamber bounded, at least in part, by an entry wall and an exit wall, wherein the interior chamber comprises a lower chamber and an upper chamber, and wherein the entry wall comprises an entry opening and the exit wall comprises an exit opening;   b. an entry chute connected to the entry wall, wherein the entry chute is adapted for receiving a ball of predetermined size and channeling the ball through the entry opening to the interior chamber, wherein the entry chute comprises a start sensor, the start sensor being positioned and adapted to detect the presence of the ball in the entry chute and to communicate an electrical start signal to a start switch, wherein the start switch is adapted for switching the electric motor “on” by closing an electric power circuit in response to the start signal, the motor being electrically connected via the power circuit to an electric power source.   c. a rotator disposed within the interior chamber, wherein the rotator is rotatable by the motor, the motor being connected to the rotator by torque transferring means, wherein the rotator comprises a rotator hole large enough for the ball to pass through it, and wherein the rotator is adapted for moving the rotator hole through the interior chamber, and wherein the rotator hole is adapted for receiving the ball from the entry chute and for moving the ball through the lower chamber and the upper chamber;   d. a scrubbing channel disposed within the lower chamber, wherein the scrubbing channel comprises a scrubbing means therein for scrubbing the surface of the ball;   e. a cleaning liquid disposed within the lower chamber, wherein the cleaning liquid wets at least part of the surface of the ball;   f. a drying means disposed within a drying section of the upper chamber, wherein the drying means is adapted to remove at least some of the cleaning liquid from the surface of the ball;   g. an exit chute, wherein the exit chute is adapted to receive the ball from the rotator hole after the rotator hole with the ball therein has moved through at least part of the drying section and wherein the exit chute channels the ball outside the interior chamber through the exit opening;   h. a shut-off sensor positioned and adapted to detect a shut-off angular position of the rotator, the shut-off sensor being in electrical communication with a shut-off switch, wherein the shut-off sensor is adapted to communicate a shut-off signal to the shut-off switch and the shut-off switch is adapted to switch the electric motor “off” in response to the shut-off switch receiving the shut-off signal, and wherein the shut-off switch is either the same switch as the start switch or a separate switch.   
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , further comprising a ball-roller wheel, a ball-roller drive wheel, and a drive pad, wherein the ball-roller wheel and the drive wheel are rotatably attached to the rotator, wherein the drive pad is disposed within the interior chamber, wherein the drive wheel is turned by making contact with the drive pad while the ball moves through the scrubbing channel, wherein the drive wheel is connected to the ball-roller wheel for the ball-roller wheel to turn in response to the turning of the drive wheel, and wherein the ball-roller wheel is adapted to contact the ball while the ball moves through the scrubbing channel. 
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the drying means comprises at least one roller pad. 
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the drying means comprises at least one roller pad. 
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the drive wheel is turned by making contact with the drive pad while the ball moves through the drying section, and wherein the ball-roller wheel is adapted to contact the ball while the ball moves through the drying section. 
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the ball-roller drive wheel is a friction wheel and the drive pad is a friction pad. 
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the rotator hole includes a cutout section of the rotator wherein the cutout section comprises part of the circumference of the rotator hole and at least part of the ball-roller wheel is located within the cutout section. 
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising biasing means for biasing the ball out of the entry chute, out of the rotator hole, or both out of the entry chute and out of the rotator hole, wherein the biasing means is located, at least while biasing the ball, operably proximate the entry chute, the rotator hole, or both the entry chute and the rotator hole. 
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , further comprising ball counting means wherein the ball counting means is adapted for automatically determining if the number of balls that entered the entry chute has been moved to an exit position for exiting the interior chamber, and wherein the counting means is in electrical communication with and adapted to control the “on”-“off” switching of the motor in response to the determination made by the ball counting means. 
   
   
       15 . A method for automatically cleaning a ball using a ball cleaning apparatus, wherein the method comprises the steps of:
 a. receiving a ball into an entry chute;   b. automatically detecting the presence of the ball;   c. channeling the ball toward a rotator;   d. automatically switching an electric motor “on” in response to the foregoing step of detecting the presence of the ball;   e. transferring at least some torque from the motor to the rotator and rotating the rotator, thereby moving a ball carrying means;   f. receiving the ball into the ball carrying means;   g. moving the ball while it is within the ball carrying means;   h. wetting at least some of the surface of the ball with a cleaning liquid;   i. moving the ball through a scrubbing channel;   j. scrubbing at least some of the surface of the ball while moving the ball through the scrubbing channel;   k. moving the ball through a drying section;   l. removing at least some of the cleaning liquid from the surface of the ball while moving the ball through the drying section;   m. receiving the ball into an exit chute and channeling the ball away from the rotator;   n. automatically detecting when the rotator has reached a shut-off position;   o. automatically switching the motor “off” in response to the preceding step of detecting when the rotator has reached a shut-off position;   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the step of spinning the ball while the ball is within the ball carrying means. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of biasing the ball out of the entry chute, the step of biasing the ball out of the ball carrying means, or the steps of biasing the ball out of the entry chute and biasing the ball out of the ball carrying means. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of automatically determining if the number of balls that entered the entry chute is different from either the number of balls that were moved to an exit position, the number of balls that entered the exit chute, or the number of balls that moved to an exit position and entered the exit chute. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the step of automatically controlling the “on”-“off” switching of the motor, in response to the preceding step of determining.