Patent landscapes › Sports & games

Is a tennis ball machine patented?

Short answer: specific designs of a tennis ball machine have been patented many times, but "a tennis ball machine" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.

What our index shows
  • 227 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “tennis ball machinelauncherthrower” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
  • Among the 124 best keyword matches we examined, 47 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2000.
  • Most frequent assignees in those matches: Volley LLC (9), TOCA FOOTBALL INC (5), SHENZHEN ENHANCED POWER TECH CO LTD (4), PROBATTER SPORTS LLC (4).
  • Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): A63B (99), F41B (19), A01K (12), G09B (8).

Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.

14 real patent publications related to a tennis ball machine

  1. System and method for controlling squeeze wheels of tennis ball machine WO-2026066190-A1 2026 · SHANGHAI FUTURE MIND CO LTD
    A system and method for controlling squeeze wheels of a tennis ball machine. The system comprises a main control module (11), an upper wheel electric motor module (12) and a lower wheel electric motor module (13), wherein the main…
    View on Google Patents
  2. Tennis ball launching apparatus and tennis ball machine having same WO-2026153557-A1 2026 · SHENZHEN ENHANCED POWER TECH CO LTD
    The present application provides a tennis ball launching apparatus and a tennis ball machine having same. The apparatus comprises a fixed base, a rotating support rotatably connected to the fixed base by means of a first rotating …
    View on Google Patents
  3. Tennis ball machine and control method therefor WO-2026170951-A1 2026 · SHENZHEN ENHANCED POWER TECH CO LTD
    Provided in the present invention are a tennis ball machine and a control method therefor. The tennis ball machine comprises a photographic apparatus, a control apparatus, a ball feeding apparatus and a ball launching apparatus, w…
    View on Google Patents
  4. Tennis ball machine WO-2026171087-A1 2026 · SHENZHEN ENHANCED POWER TECH CO LTD
    The present application provides a tennis ball machine, comprising a tennis ball machine body, a ball feeding module arranged on the upper side of the tennis ball machine body, a ball launching module arranged on the inner side of…
    View on Google Patents
  5. Tennis ball feeding device and tennis ball machine having same WO-2026153558-A1 2026 · SHENZHEN ENHANCED POWER TECH CO LTD
    The present application provides a tennis ball feeding device and a tennis ball machine having same. The device comprises a ball feeding mechanism and at least one group of foldable panels connected to the ball feeding mechanism b…
    View on Google Patents
  6. Tennis ball launcher system and robot WO-2026050421-A1 2026 · CLUTTERBOT INC
    A ball storage and launching system includes a ball collection robot with a scoop, a ball launcher with storage and a launching mechanism, and one or more slots for interaction with the scoop. The system is configured to collect a…
    View on Google Patents
  7. Adaptive tennis ball machine US-12011648-B2 2024 · ABDELMONEUM FARIDA
    A smart ball-machine uses artificial intelligence to train a player or to play with a player. For example, the ball-machine can adjust the tennis ball speed, topspin, bounce according to the player's successful ball return rat…
    View on Google Patents
  8. Launch wheel for a ball-throwing machine WO-2024097985-A1 2024 · TOCA FOOTBALL INC
    A launch wheel (127) of a ball-throwing machine (100) including a coupling insert (850) that includes one or more coupling mechanisms configured to clamp onto a motor shaft. Deflectable arms of the coupling mechanism are drawn tog…
    View on Google Patents
  9. Tennis racket sensor system and coaching device with ball machine integration US-2021343390-A1 2021 · COHEN MARC A
    Embodiments of the present invention are directed to devices, systems, and methods for measuring values obtained from one or more sensors installed on a player's tennis racket and/or worn on the player's body, and using th…
    View on Google Patents
  10. Control method and system for tennis ball machine WO-2017008214-A1 2017 · ZHANG YANG
    A control method for a tennis ball machine, comprising: 101, capturing photographs of a training court; 102, image processing the photographs to acquire the angle between an image of a person and the position of the image center; …
    View on Google Patents
  11. Tennis ball throwing machine US-2014109887-A1 2014 · LUCK STONE CORP
    A tennis ball throwing machine includes a support frame for carrying the machine, a pair of round pitching wheels, and a hopper mounted on the frame and above the pitching wheels. A ball chute connects the bottom of the hopper and…
    View on Google Patents
  12. Remote controller for tennis ball throwing machine US-2014118118-A1 2014 · LUCK STONE CORP
    A tennis ball throwing machine includes a processor mounted on the machine. The processor is operatively connected to a first receiver that is adapted to communicate with the processor and to receive instructions regarding the ope…
    View on Google Patents
  13. Customizable tennis ball throwing machine with portable memory device US-2014121043-A1 2014 · LUCK STONE CORP
    A tennis ball throwing machine includes a processor mounted on the machine for controlling the operation of the machine. The processor is adapted to operatively communicate with a portable memory device. The portable memory device…
    View on Google Patents
  14. Tennis serve ball machine cum training device US-7722485-B2 2010 · BALASUBRAMANYAN RAMESH
    This invention, called Serve Assist, is an electro-mechanical ball machine for practicing the tennis serve. It helps a tennis student to practice serves by consistently dropping the ball in the desired location. It operates in one…
    View on Google Patents

What this means for your idea

Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a tennis ball machine been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Sports equipment patents tend to cover the grip, impact absorption, training feedback, and how gear is adjusted.

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Guides that help with this

First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.