Patent ID: 6168540
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
A portable apparatus for practicing batting, comprising: a) a frame for resting on the ground; said frame being tubular and comprising a pair of net-engaging uprights being straight, parallel, space apart, and lying in a first plane; said pair of net engaging uprights of said frame having: I) lowermost ground-engaging terminal ends bending slightly forwardly and inwardly to form right angle shaped bottom corners; ii) uppermost terminal ends bending slightly forwardly and inwardly to form right angle shaped top corners and which are parallel to said lowermost ground-engaging terminal ends of said pair of net-engaging uprights of said frame, respectively; said frame being void of a lower cross member that would have connected said lowermost ground-engaging terminal ends of said pair of net-engaging uprights of said frame to each other; b) a net extending across said frame; the lowermost terminal end of the net draping into a second plane of said frame, wherein the draping of the net provides a dampening effect for a ball when hit thereagainst; c) a ball operatively connected to said frame by connecting means, said connecting means comprising: a pair of ball-engaging cords extending forwardly, inwardly and upwardly from an associated ball-engaging eye bolt attached to the lower most ground-engaging terminal end of said pair of net-engaging uprights of said frame, so as to avoid being hit by a swinging bat and meet together slightly below the ball where they are knotted in a lower knot and then extend together upwardly through a through-bore in the ball, with a snug friction fit, where one ball-engaging cord is then knotted in an upper knot to another ball-engaging cord slightly above the ball extending upwardly to said frame; wherein said lower knot and said upper knot define a length therebetween through which the ball moves for fine adjustment of the ball position.