Baseball striking practice device

Details Baseball striking practice device Baseball striking practice device

2000-08-15

2003-02-04

Sewell, Paul T. (Department: 3711)

Games using tangible projectile

Playing field or court game; game element or accessory...

Practice or training device

C473S423000, C473S429000, C473S575000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06514161

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ball striking practice device. More particularly, it relates to a device which enables a user to practice repetitively striking a practice ball locatable on a tether to one of a plurality of vertically preset locations resulting in a realistic resistance and flight of a struck ball and a quick controlled return of the object to the same location for re-striking. The distance of the practice ball from the user and the ground is adjustable by adaptation of the pole structure used to mount the ball tether or by adjustment of the mounting of the ball on the tether or the tether length.
2. Prior Art
Ball striking practice devices are commonly used in the United States and throughout the world to improve one's skill in games which involve the striking of an object such as a baseball, softball, tennis ball, hand ball, or racket ball with a striking instrument such as racket, bat stick, or one's hand. Most such practice ball striking positioning devices have failed to duplicate the normal striking position of the user or a realistic feel and flight of a ball, namely a pitched object when impacted.
Others have been deficient because of their complexity or have been expensive for purchase by young ball players. Or, they lack features to prevent dangerous return movement of the ball after it is hit or to return the ball in a hitting position with a simulated pitching motion. Furthermore, the development of batting skills is currently accomplished with the use of costly pitching machines and batting drills utilizing pitchers at some risk to the latter. Hitting practice requires a substantial open area to avoid risk to other players. Accordingly, hitting practice is often limited by the lack of space which pitching machines and/or pitchers have to throw for batting practice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,880 to Adke teaches a tennis ball attached to a combination of horizontal elastic and inelastic cords which necessarily require the striker to straddle one of the cords, thus preventing practice on a high positioned practice ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,316 to Szafianski retrains the struck object along only one axis, in this case the vertical axis. There is a substantial danger that the return flight of the ball will fly directly toward the striker. If the ball is hard, like a baseball, injury can result.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,270,957 to Mears is also restrained along a single axis, requires attachment to a permanent structure, and although the resistance may be varied by movement of the person, does not permit motion of a static resistance to the struck ball. Additionally, this device does not provide the ability to selectively position the ball along the vertical axis applicable for different strokes.
Tethered apparatus such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,379 to Juhasz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,599 to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,960 to Nicfolls, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,708,796 to Lawrence all merely suspend a ball from a tether but do not provide the feel, flight, safety, nor any control on the speed of return of the ball and dampening advantages of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,828 to Love provides a batting practice device that, although safe, adjustable in height, and cost-effective, uses two non-elastic rope materials as tethers. The dampening delays caused by the rope resistance during its winding and unwinding motion do not provide the player with the feel, flight, nor the simulation of a ball projected by centrifugal forces similar to a pitched ball by a pitcher nor does the device have any features for controlling the speed of return of the ball as advanced in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,219 to Mceon et al. teaches a baseball batting practice using two tethered ropes, one snugly lined by a metal tube. With the same problems of dampening and delays as Love, the practice device also does not provide any control on the speed of return of the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,101 to Lawson et al. teaches a training apparatus using a fence and a series of cable clamps to tie-down the apparatus arms to the fences. Such practice devices are restricted to outdoor places that necessarily have fences and where noise and accuracy of the ball's position at return due to the effect of the fence vibrations are not important to the player. The device does not have the advantages of feel, flight, safety and controls of the present invention.
There thus exists the need for a batting practice device that provides safety of use, and for improved hand and eye coordination of players, which can be used in a confined space by containing the travel of the ball. The ball movements should closely simulate real conditions of balls pitched by a pitcher and an adjustable system of control of the speed of return, and adjustment of target height, thus providing a manner for accelerating and improving the learning process into more advanced levels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Applicant's device provides the user with a manner to practice batting, their batting technique, and in various embodiments may be portable or permanently mounted depending on the intended use. The device features a practice ball slidably locateable to an infinite number of positions on a tether depending on where a tether mounted ball positioner is located. The practice ball thereby will still slide upward toward its highest attachment on a mounting post while being prevented from sliding past the positioner,
The device features a selectively permanent mountable or portable stand which, when in use, has a base portion, a generally vertical post or riser portion, and a horizontal top portion.
A practice ball is provided for the user, which in the current best mode, is slidably located in its mount on a tether in the appropriately spaced relationship of ball from the ground and from the user which is generally determined by the user height. During use, the ball is suspended vertically from anchoring means provided at the extension end of the horizontal top arm using a tether means and a ball positioner to maintain the ball in a target position for hitting and then return it thereto after being struck. Or on an alternative embodiment, the device may have both ends of the tether mounted to the upright post.
The tether, in the current best mode, is made from an elastic material similar to that used on surf board leashes as it possesses the elastic and exterior smooth surface properties desired for an optimum leash. The practice ball is slidably located in the hitting position by a positioner attached to the tether. In use the tether provides a smooth exterior surface for the practice ball to slide upon and to relocate upon while being strong enough to absorb continual spiral wrapping around the upright post or vertical riser.
The vertical riser and the horizontal arm may be fixed in length, or, as in the current best mode, one or both may have telescoping members of adjustable length means so that the tether and the vertical position of the practice ball may be conveniently adjusted to the user's height or stance and the mode of practice intended.
The tether, as such, provides a means to locate the ball in the correct or target position for hitting by adjustment of the attached poles, the tether length, and optionally, the positioner thereon. Practice may be conduced in a confined area since when the practice ball is struck, the tether stores the kinetic energy of the ball like that of a twisted spring and returns the ball to the original target position. Additional biasing to return to the hitting or target position is provided by a second tether which may be attached to the distal end of the tether below the ball, to the ball positioner below the practice ball, or may be part of the first tether and just continue to a mounting on the pole.
Additional utility is provided by another optional feature of another embodiment of the invention in the form of a means for adjustment of ball return speed so that the device can be quickly adjusted to the level of s

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Baseball striking practice device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Baseball striking practice device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Baseball striking practice device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3158238