Abstract:
A baseball batting cage, steadied and stabilized by a mechanical framework of struts, stiffening tubes, braces and clamps so as to be towable and rollable in use, with reduced chance of undesirable collapse.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    A Provisional Patent Application covering the invention described herein was filed on Nov. 25, 2015, and assigned Ser. No. 62/259,977. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program. 
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
       [0003]    NOT APPLICABLE 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Field of the Invention 
         [0005]    This invention relates to baseball batting cages, in general, and to towable/rollable ones, in particular. 
         [0006]    Description of the Related Art 
         [0007]    As will be appreciated, baseball batting cages are available in a variety of sizes, shapes, manufactures and pricings. As will also be appreciated, those installed for college and semi-professional baseball use are of a greater, or better, quality than those employed for junior league baseball—or even, just for softball players—for practicing their batting skills. For professional baseball teams, on the other hand, the designs are improved further, so that the batting cage will be more safely and easily assemblable and disassemblable; besides being more safely and easily connectable to receive and thereafter release their nettings at the sides, tops and rears to additionally protect those outside and surrounding the cage and to keep loose balls within a certain range so that they are easy to pick up and are not lost. When the batting cage also needs to be shifted from place to place at a field or stadium—and ultimately brought to a storage location—the batting cage additionally needs to be safely and easily moved, as by towing on a roller system. And this remains all the more so even though the batting cage might only be broken down for storage once or twice a year. 
         [0008]    Proposed types of towable/rollable baseball batting cages offered on the market to meet these requirements have been found to be wanting—and primarily because their lack of sturdiness and stability allows them to undesirably collapse at times during use. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    It is an object of the invention, therefore, to enhance towable/rollable baseball batting cage performance by addressing such limitations in a new and improved towable/rollable manufacturing manner to provide an optimal operational utilization. 
         [0010]    It is another object of the invention to provide a towable/rollable baseball batting cage in which adjustments can readily be made in its configuration to vary, where desired, the degrees of protection offered by its nettings to coaches and players observing a practice from just outside the enclosed cage area to begin with. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    As will be clear from the following description, the towable/rollable baseball batting cage of the invention employs a mechanical framework for the batting cage utilizing a series of braces and clamps in a fabrication which locks its implemented strut and tubing component parts in position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    These and other features of the present invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings in which: 
           [0013]      FIGS. 1A-1C  are pictorial illustrations of the commonly employed towable/rollable baseball batting cage typifying the prior art; 
           [0014]      FIGS. 2A-2C  illustrate various component parts of the invention which when joined together, provide a safe and easy operation and utilization of a quality towable/rollable baseball batting cage; and 
           [0015]      FIGS. 3A-3E  are helpful in understanding the connections together of such component parts in structuring the towable/rollable batting cage of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The prior art towable/rollable baseball batting cage of  FIG. 1A  includes five struts  10 ,  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 , with the struts  12 ,  14  and  16  being hinged together at  20  and  22 —with those hinges then being fixed together with the strut  10 , at  24 ,  26 . Further hinges at  28 ,  30  couple the struts  10  and  12 , with the strut  10  then joined with the strut  18  as at  32 ,  34  (if not constructed merely as an extension of it). Three wheels  36 ,  38  and  40  are employed in constructed cradles for rolling the cage  100  about, with the cage  100  employing a coupling assembly  42  adjacent the wheel  40  for also towing the cage about, either by human or mechanical effort. 
         [0017]    Prior to assembly, the prior art struts (as so far described) are rotated downwardly atop or adjacent and above one another, as shown by the arrows A 1 , A 2 , and A 3 —with the strut  18  being above the strut  16 , with the strut  16  being over the strut  14 , and with the strut  14  being rotatable to rest above the strut  12 . In common installations, the struts typically are composed of tubular inter-coupled curved sections  70  and straight sections  71  in satisfying needed size requirements. 
         [0018]    Then, in readying the typical cage for use via a counter rotation movement of the struts, a pair of linear stiffening tubes  60 ,  61  are added to join with the struts  12  and  14 , and a second pair of linear stiffening tubes  62 ,  63  are added to join with the struts  14  and  16 . Lastly, a third pair of linear stiffening tubes  64 ,  65  are added to join with the struts  16  and  18 . With appropriate nettings connected with the struts and tubes, the cage structure is formed.  FIG. 1B  in this respect illustrates claw-type clasps  72 ,  73  at the opposing ends of each linear stiffening tube and  FIG. 1C  illustrates how the clasps  72 ,  73  grasp onto the various sections of the struts. As such, the clasps commonly grasp onto the straight sections  71  of the various struts. 
         [0019]    Experience has shown, however, that the couplings of these clawed-ended clasp stiffening tubes with the tubular struts as rods do not provide a sturdiness of the cage once assembled, nor a stability of the cage as it is moved about. Such lack of sturdiness and stability will be appreciated by the skilled artisan as allowing individual ones of the linear stiffening tubes  60 - 65  to slide outwardly, and undesirably shift to the curved sections of the struts. This can lead to a collapse of the nettings connected in forming the cage enclosure—and especially when the cage is towed or rolled from one location to another as the claw clasps  72 ,  73  slide down towards the curved strut sections. 
         [0020]      FIG. 2A  illustrates a towable/rollable batting cage according to the invention, with the stiffening tubes  60 - 65  removed—while  FIG. 2B  illustrates a different designed tube for joining with the struts  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18 . Specifically, the claw-type clasps  72 ,  73  of the prior art linear stiffening tubes are replaced by U-shaped clamp ends  80 ,  81  ( FIG. 2B ), with holes  82 ,  83  to receive a locking pin to be described below. Additionally, rings  84  and  85  are welded onto the curved section  70  of each strut  12 ,  14 ,  16  and  18  at their left and right ends, just outside their couplings with the straight sections  71 .  FIG. 2C  also illustrates the coupling assembly  42  as it would appear locked in place by a slider  43 . 
         [0021]    With respect to the towable/rollable batting cage of the invention illustrated in  FIG. 3A  with the redesigned, replacement linear stiffening tubes in place—while retaining the same reference numbers  60 - 65  as those of the prior art batting cage of  FIG. 1A —, the following will be noted: 
         [0022]    a) As to the tubes  64  and  65 , the U-shaped clamp at their upper ends are fitted between the 2 rings welded on the left and right sides of the strut  18 , as at  90 ,  91 ; 
         [0023]    b) As to the tubes  60  and  61 , the U-shaped clamp at their lower ends are fitted between the 2 welded rings on the left and right sides of the strut  12 , as at  92 ,  93 ; 
         [0024]    c) As to the tubes  62  and  63 , the U-shaped clamp at their upper ends are fitted inwardly of the 2 welded rings on the left and right sides of the strut  16 , as at  94 ,  95 ; 
         [0025]    d) Also with respect to the tubes  62  and  63 , the U-shaped clamp at their lower ends are fitted inwardly of the 2 welded rings on the left and right sides of the strut  14 , as at  96 ,  97 ; 
         [0026]    e) As to the tubes  64  and  65 , once again, the U-shaped clamp at their lower ends are fitted between the 2 welded rings on the left and right sides of the strut  16 , as at  98 ,  99 ; and 
         [0027]    f) As to the tubes  60  and  61 , the U-shaped clamp at their upper ends are each fitted between the 2 welded rings on the left and right sides of the strut  14 , as at  100 ,  101 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 3B  in this respect illustrates the arrangement for the lower end of the tube  65  and the upper end of the tube  63 , with the straight section of the strut  16  being shown at  71 , and the curved section of the strut  16  being shown at  70 . The 2 welded rings  84 ,  85  on the curved section  70  are shown, along with locking pins  50 ,  51  fitted through the holes  82 ,  83  of each U-shaped clamp. To facilitate an assembling of the components together, the locking pins  50  and  51  are joined by wire cablings  52 ,  53  to openings on the tubes to assist in retaining them in place as the cage is being erected. In such manner, the lower end of the tube  65  is cradled or locked in place between the rings welded to the curved sections of the strut, while the upper end of the tube  63  is braced against the inside welded ring. Similar analysis will be seen to apply with the lower end of the tube  64  and the upper ends of the tubes  60  and  61  being cradled between the spaced apart welded rings and the bracing of the lower ends of the tubes  62  and  63 , along with the upper end of the tube  62  against the inside welded ring. For those alignments, the illustration of  FIG. 3B  will be understood to be re-oriented, so that the cradling or locking is at the location closer to the curved section of the strut and the bracing is inside of that. Thus, for example, the illustration of  FIG. 3C  represents a mirror image of the arrangement of the lower end of the tube  64  with the upper end of the tube  62 —wherein the lower end of the tube  64  is cradled between the welded rings and the upper end of the tube  62  is braced inside against the rings. In such manner, the sturdiness and stability of the framework and its attached netting is maintained.  FIG. 3D  repeats the assembly locking of  FIG. 2C , and  FIG. 3C  repeats the U-shaped clamps of the tube of  FIG. 3B . 
         [0029]    In assembling the towable/rollable baseball cage of the invention, two persons are involved in its setting up, and subsequent knocking down. First, the lower ends of the tube modifications  60  and  61  according to  FIG. 2B  are pushed in place onto the strut  12  and fitted between the welded rings on the struts  12  and  14  secured by the locking pins. Starting with the struts  14 ,  16  and  18  initially rotated downwardly above the strut  12 , the strut  18  is next rotated outwardly and upwardly. Netting is then stretched along its length and the upper ends of tube modifications  64  and  65  of  FIG. 2B , which are then to be set in place by pushing them into position on the strut  18 . The locking pin and wire cablings are then placed to hold the tube modifications  64  and  65  while the strut  16  is itself rotated upwardly to receive the lower ends of the tube modifications  64  and  65 , where similar locking pins are inserted into the holes provided there to secure the two modifications in place while tube modifications  64  and  65  are pushed onto the strut  16 . At that time, the netting can be stretched to join with the struts  16  along its length. The process is then repeated with the tube modifications  62  and  63  by inserting their upper clamp ends onto the strut  16 . The same is followed for the lower ends of the modifications  62  and  63 , and the upper ends of the modified tubes  60  and  61 . And each time the section is secured, the netting is then attached to it. As will be appreciated, the curvature of strut  18  defines the front or opening of the cage. And, as will be understood, the knock down of the cage follows a reverse process from the setting up so that those knocking down the cage begin with the netting between the struts  18  and  16 , and work their way down from there. 
         [0030]    While there have been described what are considered to be a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the teachings herein. Thus, whereas a welding of the clamps and braces to the curved sections  70  of the struts  12 , 14 ,  16  and  18  of the above-described batting cage have provided beneficial results, other manners of their securement might be utilized instead. Also, one might attempt to proceed with the assembly and disassembly of the towable/rollable batting cage without the employment of locking pins to temporarily secure the linear stiffening tubes  60 - 65  in place while the cage is being set up or broken down. But such manners of proceeding might lead to the possibility of the assembler experiencing difficulty in retaining everything in proper position in so doing. As a reasoned analysis will show, such elimination of those components very well could result in a decrease of the rigidity and sturdiness of the cage of the preferred embodiment, and in a manner which decreases the availability of its safe and easy transportation about, especially when the cage is to be towed, or is being towed by a mechanical means instead of by a manual activity. And, as will be appreciated, the strut  18  defines the front opening of the batting cage, while the strut  14  defines the rear closure of the cage. 
         [0031]    In similar manner, to even further strengthen the sturdiness and stability of the invention, additional rings may be welded to the straight sections  71  of the struts  14  and  16  to receive the upper end of the modified tubes  62  and  63  of  FIG. 2B  between them—as by making the 2-welded ring configuration at the locations  94 ,  95  and  96 ,  97  into a 3-welded ring alignment, to cradle and lock not only the modified tubes  64  and  65 , and the modified tubes  60  and  61 , but the modified tubes  62  and  63  at the same time. And, besides being able to also secure the clamps and braces of the linear stiffening tubes to the straight sections  71  of the struts (although with somewhat less of of a beneficial result), it will further be understood that a series of screws, bolts or like impediments could be configured along the struts other than welded rings to limit any outward sliding or shifting of the stiffening tubes in a direction to collapse the framework of the batting cage. For at least such reasons, therefore, resort should be had to the claims appended hereto defining the invention.