Patent ID: 6358163
Filing Date: 2002-03-19
Classification: A63B

Abstract:
A durable batting tee constructed from a combination of commercially available parts, said combination comprising:A baseplate, a lower vertical member, an upper vertical member, and a flexible ball holder; said baseplate being a quadrilateral, each side being no longer than approximately 12â€³; said baseplate being rigidly attached to the lower extremity of said lower vertical member, said lower vertical member being hollow and having an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of said upper vertical member; the upper portion of said lower vertical member slidably receiving the lower portion of said upper vertical member, the uppermost extremity of said lower vertical member being attached to a compression nut fitting; the lower portion of said upper vertical member having a sleeve at its lower extremity, the outer diameter of said sleeve being slightly smaller than said inner diameter of said lower vertical member; said compression nut fitting having a compression nut and a compression washer, said compression nut and washer being circumferentially disposed about said lower portion of said upper vertical member and being tightenable about said lower portion of said upper vertical member when said compression nut is tightened such that said upper vertical member can slide within said lower vertical member with a minimum of friction when said compression nut is loosened, and sliding is retarded when said friction is increased by tightening said compression nut; the upper extremity of said upper vertical member being attached to a flexible frustoconical ball holder, said ball holder being formed of a sheet of flexible material that is rolled into a frustoconical shape, said frustoconical ball holder having a longitudinal axis of approximately 6â€³ to 8â€³, a lower inner diameter that is slightly larger than the said outer diameter of said upper vertical member, and having an upper diameter that is approximately 1Â½â€³ to 3â€³; said flexible material forming the lower portion of said frustoconical ball holder being wrapped around said upper extremity of said upper vertical member; said flexible sheet being maintained in a frustoconical shape by a flexible strand piercing all layers of said rolled flexible material forming a frustoconical surface, said flexible strand piercing said frustoconical surface in a plurality of punctures longitudinally spaced near the outermost longitudinal edge of said rolled flexible material, said flexible strand being secured at a length no more than Â½â€³ longer than the longest distance between said punctures; Said upper extremity of said upper vertical member terminating in a curved surface such that, said flexible frustoconical ball holder, upon being struck with a bat near said lower portion of said frustoconical ball holder, will bend against and over said curved surface and will not encounter any rigid sharp edge that would lacerate said flexible material.