Projectile launching device

Abstract

A golf ball launcher including a head installed on an elongate shaft. The head is a unitary cup that releasably captures a standard golf ball with a friction fit insertion. When the launcher is accelerated in an arc in the manner of a lacrosse throw, the ball is released with a slight deceleration or snap at the point of release and with backspin.

What is claimed as invention is: 
     
         1 . A golf ball launcher head, comprising:
 an elongate shaft having a lower end and an upper end;   a grip disposed on said lower end of said shaft;   a launching head disposed on said upper end of said shaft, said launching head including coupling structure to connect said head to said shaft, a shoulder extending upwardly through a neck portion of said head to an open cup portion having a truncated front and truncated right and left sides defining a partial spherical interior volume with a front opening to releasably capture a golf ball.   
     
     
         2 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein said cup portion is spherical 
     
     
         3 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein said coupling structure comprises a ferrule with a cylindrical receiving hole for insertion of said upper end of said shaft. 
     
     
         4 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein said cup portion includes an upper jaw which flares laterally at a terminal end into an upper lip and a lower jaw which flares laterally into a lower lip. 
     
     
         5 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein said upper and lower lips each angle slightly outwardly at said opening of said truncated open front so as to facilitate centering a ball in said opening. 
     
     
         6 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , further including a tapered dorsal rib extending downwardly from said upper jaw along said neck to provide structural support during outward flexion of said upper jaw portion during ball capture and release. 
     
     
         7 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 6 , further including a tapered ventral rib extending downwardly from said lower lip and along said neck to flex during capture and release. 
     
     
         8 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein the material from which said golf ball launcher is fabricated, the resilience of said upper jaw, the radius of said spherical interior volume, and the distance between said upper and lower lips, cooperate to provide a capturing force sufficient to retain a ball regardless of the attitude of the head, and a release force that controls a captured ball before release but which also allows a release of said ball with a deceleration of said head after an acceleration of said head. 
     
     
         9 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 8 , wherein said front opening has a height that is a distance between said upper and lower lips and is less than the diameter of a golf ball. 
     
     
         10 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein said launcher head imparts a backspin to a golf ball launched from said launcher head when said launcher is accelerated and decelerated on a generally vertical plane. 
     
     
         11 . The golf ball launcher of  claim 1 , wherein said neck portion includes right and left side recesses for placement of weights to adjust head weight to user preferences. 
     
     
         12 . A projectile launcher, comprising:
 a shaft;   a grip disposed on a first end of said shaft;   a launcher head disposed on a second end of said shaft, said launcher head defining a generally spherical interior volume sized to accommodate a golf ball with right and left side openings and a front opening to said interior spherical volume, said front opening having a height dimension less than that of the circumference of a golf ball.   
     
     
         13 . The projectile launcher of  claim 12 , wherein said front opening and said right and left side openings define an upper jaw and a lower jaw. 
     
     
         14 . The projectile launcher of  claim 13 , wherein said upper and lower jaws each flare outwardly toward said front opening. 
     
     
         15 . The projectile launcher of  claim 13 , wherein said upper jaw and said lower jaw each have lips angled outwardly toward said front opening. 
     
     
         16 . The projectile launcher of  claim 12 , wherein said upper jaw flexes. 
     
     
         17 . The projectile launcher of  claim 16 , wherein when a ball is releasably captured in said head and said head is accelerated in an arc and then decelerated, centrifugal force urges the ball against said upper jaw and toward said front opening so as to last touch said upper jaw when leaving said front opening, thereby causing said ball to spin. 
     
     
         18 . The projectile launcher of  claim 12 , wherein said upper jaw includes a reinforcing rib disposed on its outer surface. 
     
     
         19 . The projectile launcher of  claim 12 , wherein said head includes right and left recesses for adding weight with a heavy material. 
     
     
         20 . The projectile launcher of  claim 12 , wherein said shaft is between 36 inches and 50 inches in length.