Abstract:
A ball striking training system that delivers balls to a user&#39;s hitting zone without a horizontal velocity component includes a hopper to hold a plurality of balls and a feeding mechanism which delivers tennis balls to an outlet tube where they are dropped from a chosen height so that they bounce to the height desired by the user. The balls may be struck by a learner into a target area that includes a collection mechanism to collect the balls so that they may easily be returned to the hopper of the feeding mechanism. The system can be set up to be used indoors or outside at the user&#39;s convenience.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to ball striking training systems and more particularly is a device to deliver tennis balls and baseballs to a player in a manner that eliminates horizontal velocity, such that the balls move only in a vertical plane when they are in the player&#39;s striking zone. The device also includes a target means and a means to retrieve the balls. The receiving unit is adapted to receive golf balls as well as tennis balls and baseballs. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Tennis, baseball, and golf are games in which players can greatly improve their skills by repetitive stroke production. In order to maximize the value of stroke repetition in tennis, a consistent ball delivery means is required. Simply hitting with a partner provides a player with the opportunity to strike the ball many times. However, since the delivery means in this instance is simply another player who is also practicing his strokes, the balls may be delivered to an unlimited number of locations and with varying speeds and trajectories. While this does not present a problem for the advanced player, it can be very difficult for beginners to efficiently practice with other beginners. If a beginner can master stroke production first, the other variables will be much easier to learn. 
     One method to improve tennis practice efficiency for beginners is to have one player “feed” balls to another player. The first player simply takes balls from a container and throws or strikes the balls to an area from which the second player wishes to stroke the ball. This method increases the efficiency of the session for the second player. Unfortunately, the first player gets little or no benefit or enjoyment. It is a difficult task to deliver balls to the same spot consistently. This method can be costly as well since professionals are usually required for this task. 
     The prior art includes a large number of ball throwing machines that deliver balls to a target area for a player. These machines typically utilize a pair of wheels spinning in opposite directions to propel a tennis ball or baseball out of a staging area. There are a number of methods designed to allow the user to vary the trajectory, speed, and frequency of the ball feed. The control methods range from simple manual controls to computer operated remote controls. 
     However, without exception, all the prior art machines propel the balls outward with a horizontal velocity component. For an absolute beginner, striking a ball moving with considerable horizontal velocity is difficult. 
     Similar problems of consistent delivery occur in baseball. Again, a human pitcher or a ball machine that propels balls toward a hitter are fine for advanced players, but true beginners need a delivery means that removes at least the horizontal motion component. Many baseball hitters address the problem by using a batting tee, but manually positioning the ball for each swing grows tiring quickly. An initial coordination training could be obtained if the ball were dropped slowly through a short path of a couple of feet or so. 
     Another problem inherent in ball throwing machines is weather. Horizontal velocity precludes practice in one&#39;s garage as there is not sufficient reaction time within the distance available. A vertically dropped ball avoids this problem. Thus, one can practice all year long in their garage without the need for expensive indoor training facilities. 
     Another problem common in tennis, baseball, and golf practice is retrieving the balls. When a player is hitting off of a machine or with another person feeding him balls, there are a great many balls to be recovered after a very short amount of practice time. This reduces the efficiency of the players practice session due to the necessity of spending a considerable percentage of valuable practice time solely retrieving balls. 
     An inherent problem in retrieving balls when a retrieving net is used is the size of the receiving net. Nets which are supported from a base are limited in size by their nature. To be practical, their components must be compatible with a car door or trunk and small enough to be light weight. Usefulness of such a device would be very limited if their size was so great that trucking or expensive setup was required. 
     Another inherent problem for children and beginners is that small nets are hard for children and beginners to hit. Many balls will go over or around such nets. In the case of golf, this could be inherently dangerous. 
     Some receiving nets have been designed with large ball collectors on their front surface. In such a design many balls will hit the collector rather than be received by it. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ball machine that consistently delivers balls to a user. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to eliminate the horizontal component of the ball&#39;s velocity. A ball that is delivered with only a vertical velocity will at one point in its travel path be motionless. This point occurs when the ball reaches its peak following a bounce on a surface. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a ball delivery system which because of the lack of a horizontal velocity component can be used in limited space such as a garage. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a system compatible with indoor use, thus being weatherproof. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that because the system is garage compatible, practice may occur after dark without the need for elaborate lighting. Even advanced players may benefit by hitting balls after work. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that includes a ball collection and retrieval system. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a target/collection net which may be hung from garage door support rails, a cyclone fence, or another existing structure, thus increasing support and accommodating large nets without unwieldy support setup structures. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide clamps facilitating garage door net support and at the same time allowing for rapid net retraction. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a net and trough system optimally designed for maximizing frontal hitting surface with minimal collector interference. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a machine which may be used for both baseball and tennis. Current machines, because of the enormous force differential between baseballs and tennis balls, are all suited for only one or the other. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide an inherently simple system wherein golf may be practiced in one&#39;s garage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a ball delivery machine that delivers balls without a horizontal velocity component. The device includes a hopper to hold a plurality of balls and a feeding mechanism which delivers tennis balls to an outlet tube where they are dropped from a chosen height so that they bounce to the height desired by the user. The balls may be struck by a learner into a target area that includes a funneling means to collect the balls so that they may easily be returned to the hopper of the delivery device. The device can be set up to be used indoors or outside at the user&#39;s convenience. 
     An advantage of the present invention is that it enables a user to efficiently practice his strokes due to the machine&#39;s consistently delivering the balls to a single location. 
     Another advantage of the present invention is that it automatically gathers the balls so that they can be returned to the hopper of the machine. 
     A still further advantage of the present invention is that it can be used in an indoor location such as a garage. Thus, anyone with a garage can practice during inclement weather. Horizontally propelling ball machines necessitate a velocity incompatible with the short confines of a garage. 
     A further advantage of the device is that it may be used to slowly drop baseballs so they may be hit without an incoming velocity. 
     A further object of the present invention is that it provides a support and clamping device for the tubing of this invention such that the vertical and horizontal components to carry balls may be adjusted to fit existing ball machines. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides one machine which may be used for baseball, tennis, and golf. 
     A further advantage of the invention is that the device may include a protective netting which is hung from garage door rails to allow golf practice in one&#39;s garage without the danger of ricocheting balls. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that it allows similar security and collection for outdoor golf practice. 
     A further advantage of the present invention is that it utilizes a receiving net larger that what could be reasonably accomplished by a free standing net by utilizing pre-existing support structures such as garage door rails, garage rafters, and cyclone fences. 
     A further advantage of the invention is that it facilitates sports training in schools by eliminating the need for more tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and golf areas. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the target/collection means of the ball training system of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an enclosure installation of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 a  is a detail view of the area circled and labelled “ 2   a ” in FIG. 2 showing an attachment means to secure the target/collection means of the device to a garage door rail. 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the enclosure constructed from a single netting piece. 
     FIG. 4 is a cross section view of the rotatable securing hook and the garage door rail. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the rotatable securing hook installed in the garage door rail. 
     FIG. 6 is a cross section view of a second rotatable securing hook and a second type of garage door rail. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross section view of the second rotatable securing hook installed in the second garage door rail. 
     FIG. 8 is a schematic view depicting the function of the angled rear wall of the target/collection means. 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the target/collection means of the present invention adapted to be affixed to a fence. 
     FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the fence-mounted enclosure version of the target/collection means. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a fence-mounted rebound version of the target means of the present invention. 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a garage door rail-mounted rebound version of the target mean the present invention. 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of the ball delivery means of the present invention. 
     FIG. 14 is a partially cutaway side view of an air pressure operated ball delivery means of the present invention. 
     FIG. 15 is a cutaway top view showing a ball delivery means utilizing a rotor mechanism. 
     FIG. 16 is a top view of a rotor adapted for baseballs. 
     FIG. 17 is a top view of a rotor adapted for tennis balls. 
     FIG. 18 is a top view of a rotor adapted for golf balls. 
     FIG. 19 is a cutaway side view showing a ball delivery means utilizing an auger mechanism. 
     FIG. 20 is a side view of the drop section of the ball delivery means. 
     FIG. 21 is a side view of the drop section illustrating the angle adjustment means of the collimator. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a ball delivery and collection system that is capable of delivering balls to a user&#39;s hitting zone without a horizontal velocity component. The device includes a target/collection means  10  that provides a method of retrieving the balls after they have been hit. The system further comprises a ball delivery means  20 . The ball delivery means  20  comprises a feeding system used in conjunction with a delivery tube to provide the proper presentation of the balls. The outlet means for feeding the balls to the delivery tube can be one of any number of means known in the art to deliver a ball from a canister. In the preferred embodiments, it is envisioned that the feeding system will typically be operated by air pressure, auger means, or a rotor. 
     Referring first to FIG. 1, the ball training system of the present invention comprises a target/collection means  10 . The target/collection means  10  includes a large backdrop  101  with a collection trough  102  positioned at the bottom of the backdrop  101 . The backdrop  101  is detachable from the receiving trough  102  in order to allow automatic retraction of the backdrop and side walls (described below). The backdrop  101  must be made of a material flexible enough to absorb shock from the balls so that the balls do not rebound past the collection trough  102 . It is envisioned that in the preferred embodiment for tennis, the backdrop will be made of a netting material, while in the preferred embodiments for baseball and golf, the backdrop may be formed from a stiffer material, such as canvas or the like. It is understood that various materials can be used for the side walls and backdrops of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
     The target/collection means  10  includes a support mechanism  103  for the collection trough  102 . A front lip  104 , which generally will be constructed as part of the support mechanism  103 , inhibits balls from rolling over the front of the trough  102 . The support mechanism  103  is simply a means to secure the collection trough  102  in the proper position relative to the backdrop  101 . In the preferred embodiment, the support mechanism  103  comprises a plurality of legs  1031  situated at the corners of the collection trough  102 . The legs  1031  are joined by transverse connecting bars  1032 . 
     The backdrop  101  is positioned at an angle of less than 90° relative to the collection trough  102 . That is, the backdrop  101  is angled forward relative to the front face of the collection trough  102  so that balls that strike the backdrop  101  are directed downward into the collection trough  102  as is shown schematically in FIG.  8 . This allows the system of the present invention to utilize a much narrower collection trough  102  than would be possible with a vertical backdrop. The target/retrieval means  10  includes side panels  105  and a top panel  106  to ensure that the balls are directed into the collection trough  102 . 
     The collection trough  102  of the target/collection means  10  includes a gap  1021  therein. The collection trough  102  is angled downward from both ends toward the middle so that the balls will be directed by gravity toward the gap  1021 . A collection bucket or box  11  is positioned beneath the gap  1021  to receive the balls as they roll down the collection trough  102  and fall through the gap  1021 . 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an enclosure  12  that can be used as a component of the device of the present invention. The enclosure  12  is closed on at least three sides and the top. With the enclosure  12  in place, a user can stand inside the enclosure  12  to hit balls, and the balls will be stopped by the enclosure  12  regardless of their path. It is envisioned that the walls of the enclosure  12  will be formed from a netting material in the preferred embodiment. The enclosure  12  is most likely to be used with the embodiments adapted for golf or baseball. 
     It is further envisioned that one of the chief uses of the system of the present invention is for in-home use in the garage. Accordingly, the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12  are adapted to be mounted from a user&#39;s garage door rails  13  or the rafters  14  of the garage. Securing hooks  15  adapted to fit on garage door rails  13  can be used to mount the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12 . The hooks  15  include a main body  151  shaped to conform to the shape of the rails  13 , and are secured to the rails by a set screw  152 . The main body  151  includes a hook element  153  that secures the target/retrieval means  10  to the hook  15 . The position of a rearmost hook  15  on the horizontal portion of the garage door rail  13  can be adjusted to control the angle of the rear panel of the target/retrieval means  10 . 
     FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the enclosure  12 ′ that is formed with the netting sections all contained in a single element. A central portion  121  of the enclosure  12 ′ is adapted to be draped over garage door rails. With the central portion  121  draped over the rails, the side portions  122  extend downward to form the side walls of the enclosure  12 ′. When the enclosure is installed, connecting flaps  123  of the side portions  122  are attached to wing elements  124  of the rear portion  125 . Any known means of attaching the side portions  122  to the wing elements  124  will suffice, but in the preferred embodiment, Velcro will be utilized. Attachment is necessary so that gaps are not left through which balls can pass. 
     The wing elements  124  of the rear portion  125  are angled so that when the enclosure  12 ′ is installed, the rear portion  125  extends downward at a less than 90° angle from the central portion  121 . This provides the enclosure  12 ′ with the same configuration as the enclosure  12  illustrated in FIG.  2 . The rear portion  125  is angled so that balls are deflected downward when they strike the rear portion  125  as is illustrated in FIG.  8 . In practice, it is envisioned that the rear portion  125  can be attached directly to a garage door. The enclosure  12 ′ will then be raised out of the way when the garage door is opened. When the garage door is closed, the rear portion  125  will be pulled taut, and the enclosure  12 ′ will be in the correct configuration. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 4-7, the system can also be adapted so that the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12  can be automatically retracted. This is accomplished by simply attaching the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12  to the garage door by means of the modified garage door bearings  16 . The bearings  16  are equipped with rotatable securing hooks  161 ,  161 ′ mounted thereon. The type of hook utilized depends on the particular type of garage door rail. For an enclosed rail as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a symmetrical rotating hook  161  with two balanced hook elements  1611  will generally be utilized. For a garage door rail with an open top side as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the modified hook  161 ′ will be employed. A shorter top hook element  1611 ′ will be used to support the top sections of the backdrop  101  and the enclosure  12 . A longer lower hook element  1612 ′ will be used to support the side walls of the backdrop  101  and the enclosure  12 . The longer lower hook  1612 ′ serves as a moment arm to counterbalance the tipping force applied to the upper hook element  1611 ′, thereby allowing the bearing  16  to remain positioned in the door rail. In the preferred embodiment, reinforced strips with eyes therein to receive the hooks  161 ,  161 ′. 
     Once the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12  are connected to the bearings  16 , the netting material of the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12  are retracted when the garage door is opened. The rotation of the hooks  161 ,  161 ′ allows the netting to be retracted without damage. If the automatic retraction method is used, the collection trough  102  must of course be removed from the device before the retraction operation. 
     An alternative installation method for the target/retrieval means  10  is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. In this configuration, the target/retrieval means  10  is mounted on a fence  17  such as might be found at a park or surrounding a tennis court facility. The installation is accomplished by a fence support means  18 . The fence support means  18  comprises both vertical support members  181  and horizontal support members  182  to adequately support the target/retrieval means  10 . It is envisioned that the side horizontal members  182  will be attached to posts of the fence  17 . The support members  181 ,  182  may include adjustment joints  183  that allow telescoping segments to be used in the support members  181 ,  182 , thereby enabling the user to adjust the width and height of the fence-mounted target/retrieval means  10 . 
     The corners of the support means  18  that face the user are supported by three-way connectors  184 . The connectors  184  can each receive three intersecting support members in sockets  1841 . The connectors  184  are situated around a central body  1842  so as to be orthogonal to each other. The central body  1842  of the connectors  184  is rounded so that if a ball strikes the central body  1842 , the ball is deflected in a direction other than directly back at the user. This ensures the user that he will not be struck by an errant ball. 
     The side and top walls of the target/retrieval means  10  and the enclosure  12  are mounted on the fence support means  18  by securing hooks  15 ′. The hooks  15 ′ are adapted to fit on the members  181 ,  182  of the support means  18 . The hooks  151  include a main body  151 ′ shaped to conform to the shape of the members  181 ,  182 , and are secured by a set screw  152 ′. The main body  151 ′ includes a hook element  153 ′ that secures the target/retrieval means  10  to the hook  15 ′. The position of a rearmost hook  15 ′ on either the upper of lower horizontal support member  182  can be adjusted to control the angle of the rear panel of the target/retrieval means  10 . 
     FIG. 10 illustrates the enclosure  12  adapted for the fence support means  18 . 
     FIG. 11 shows a rebound embodiment  10 ′ of the target/retrieval means  10  mounted on a modified fence support means  18 . The support means can be shortened, and the vertical support members  181  eliminated. The rebound embodiment  10 ′ utilizes only a rear panel. The user might desire to increase the area of the target by adding a vertical extension panel  101 ′. The vertical extension panel  101 ′ is attached to the upper horizontal members  181  directly above the main panel of the rebound embodiment  10 ′. 
     FIG. 12 depicts the rebound embodiment  10 ′ adapted to be secured on garage door rails  13 . In this embodiment, modified horizontal support members  182 ′ are affixed directly to the garage door rail  13 . 
     The ball striking training system of the present invention (when used without the rebound embodiment) will typically include a ball delivery means  20 . The ball delivery means  20  comprises a hopper  201 , a feeding mechanism  202 , and an outlet tube  203 . The hopper  201  holds a large plurality of balls, and is in communication with the ball feeding mechanism  202 . The ball feeding mechanism  202  withdraws balls one at a time from the hopper  201 . There are several known methods in the art for withdrawing the balls from the hopper  201  so that they can be expelled one at a time by the feeding mechanism  202 . Some of the methods that have been considered for utilization with the present invention include an air pressure canister  2021  with pressure relief valve  2022  typically used in conjunction with a rotor (FIG.  14 ), a rotor  2023  (FIGS. 15-18) used in conjunction with a pair of wheels spinning in opposite directions, and an auger  2024  (FIG.  19 ). When the rotor  2023  is used, a plurality of rotors will be supplied with the system so that the user can switch back and forth from one type of ball to another. A rotor for baseball (FIG. 16) will have larger openings than the rotor for tennis (FIG. 17) which in turn will have larger openings than a rotor for golf (FIG.  18 ). The rotors are interchangeably placed in the hopper  201  to feed whatever type of balls the user is practicing with at a given time. 
     The feeding mechanism  202  propels the balls through a vertical rise section  2031  of the outlet tube  203 . The length of the vertical rise section  2031  is chosen by the user so that the height of the ball when it is dropped from the outlet tube  203  is such that the rebound of the ball off a floor or the ground takes the ball to the height desired by the user. The vertical rise section  2031  need not be vertical, but must deliver the ball to the height desired by the user. 
     The balls pass through the vertical rise section  2031  of the outlet tube  203  into a transverse section  2032  that is affixed to the vertical rise section  2031 . In the preferred embodiment, the transverse section  2032  is affixed to the vertical rise section  2031  at a slight downward angle so that gravity is used to assist in moving the balls through the transverse section  2032 . The ball passes through the transverse section  2032  into a drop section  2033  from which the ball drops into the hitting area. 
     The inner diameter of an outlet port  2034  of the drop section  2033  is chosen to be equal to that of the subject ball. The diameters of the vertical and transverse sections  2031 ,  2032  are significantly larger than the balls to allow free passage of the balls through the delivery tube  203 . However, the inner diameter of the outlet port  2034  is equal to that of the subject ball. Channeling the balls from the large sections  2031 ,  2032  of the delivery tube  203  into the outlet port  2034  is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by using a collimator  2035  and a cushioning pad  2036 . The cushioning pad is installed in the drop section  2033  at the point where the travel path is directed from a mostly horizontal direction to a vertical direction downward. The collimator  2035  then reduces the diameter of the delivery path, and the cushioning pad  2036  eliminates excessive bounce of the balls within the drop section  2033 . This ensures that there is only one available travel path for the ball, so that the ball will always drop from exactly the same position. Variations of the drop path of the ball into the hitting zone caused by variation of the ball&#39;s position in the outlet are thus eliminated. 
     The collimator  2035  is adjustably attached to the drop section  2033  so that the user can ensure that the balls will drop straight down from the outlet port  2034 . The drop section  2033  and the adjustability of the collimator  2035  is illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21. 
     The delivery tube  203  can be formed from any rigid material. At least the terminal end of the tube  203  and the collimator  2035  are made of a clear material so that the user can track the approach of the ball before the ball drops out of outlet port  2034 . 
     Operation of the device is as follows: The user installs the target/collection means  20  in a desired location. Generally, the installation will be either in the user&#39;s garage or on a fence at a local park. 
     The ball delivery means  20  is positioned to deliver balls to a hitting area chosen by the user. Balls are fed one at a time through the delivery tube  203  to the outlet port  2034 . The angle adjustable collimator  2035  of the drop section  2033  ensures that the balls drop straight downward, with no horizontal velocity component. This provides the user with a consistent feed of balls that are very easy to strike. 
     The above disclosure is not intended as limiting. Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the restrictions of the appended claims.