Abstract:
The present invention is a method and apparatus for use with a ball throwing machine (e.g., baseball/softball pitching machines, tennis ball serving machines and the like) that may be employed for practice at hitting and/or catching balls thrown. In many conventional systems, such machines have a fixed position and are unable to vary the direction (horizontal) or angle (vertical) at which a ball is thrown. The present invention provides a simple, cost-effective device by which conventional machines may be adapted to provide randomly variable movement of the machine so as to enable a ball to move about a target location in order to simulate a competitive environment.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/520,024, filed on Nov. 14, 2003 and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/558,837, filed on Apr. 2, 2004, which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
         [0002]     This invention relates generally to a throwing or pitching machine used in athletics for the practice of various ball dependant sports, such as baseball, football, tennis and the like, and more particularly to an improvement in the nature of a kit containing a mechanism to modify the trajectories of balls pitched or thrown by such machines. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Pitching machines are powerful and versatile training tools for athletes of all ages and skill levels. Developing players benefit from the safety and predictability of a ball being repeatedly delivered within the center of the strike zone and thereby allowing the inexperienced athlete to work on swing mechanics under consistent conditions and thereby alleviate the fear of errant balls often thrown by the pitcher, coach, etc.  
         [0004]     Pitching and throwing is often accomplished with one, or possibly two, driven wheels rotating in opposing direction that project the ball upon contact with the pair of counter-rotating radial surfaces which are co-acting to provide a curvilinear trajectory. Similarly, an arm of similar ball delivery mechanism may be employed to throw or project a ball toward a batter or receiver. Wheeled pitching machines mounted onto a tripod have been the industry standard for many years. Companies such at ATEC of Sparks, Nev., The Jugs Company of Tulatin, Oreg., and Bata Baseball Machines of San Marcos, Calif. have long marketed two wheeled pitching machines for use in a training environment. While these basic pitching machines are well suited for practicing the principle elements of a sport, they are all too often lacking in the ability to simulate actual game situations, such as high/low pitches and those that are to the inside or outside of the strike zone. Although described herein relative to a baseball pitching machine, it will be appreciated that the advantages of the present invention may be enjoyed in other ball sports and for purposes other than batting practice (e.g., infield and outfield practice, fly-ball practice, football receiver practice, etc. On one hand it is advantageous to consistently place the ball within a designated zone to perfect a technique, however this is an obvious contradiction to actual play where the trajectory and azimuth of the ball is relatively inconsistent and unpredictable. Admittedly, traditional pitching and throwing machines have a harmful effect in not providing the athlete the experience in reacting to balls that are randomly delivered within the peripheral border of the strike zone or the like, or even outside the strike zone all together.  
         [0005]     In order to obtain the maximum advantage of conventional pitching machines there is an apparent need to provide a realistic batting session whereby the ball is delivered in a manner where the position of the ball, relative to the plate, is variable. This is a critical feature in providing experience in coordinating visual acuity with spontaneous muscle control and the development of gross motor skills. To that end pitching machines have now been developed whereby variations to the trajectory are applied in both the x and y directions using a variety of motion control methods and associated mechanics. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,013, U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,013, U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,075 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,782. However, due to the complexity of the x and y movement mechanisms in such devices, there is no known retrofit kit providing for an “after market” integration of a variable trajectory feature into a conventional pitching machine mechanism.  
         [0006]     Thus, there exists an unmet need to readily adapt existing pitching machines to accommodate the necessity for a more realistic training exercise by providing for a variable or randomized trajectory of the ball and relying on the batter to make an instantaneous decision as to the coordinates of the ball as it approaches the plate.  
         [0007]     The present invention involves the adaptation of a ball pitching or throwing machine whereby a variable trajectory “kit” is operatively coupled to the pitching machine base for the purpose of continuously altering the trajectory of a pitch in order to provide a random presentation of the ball to the batter. The pitching machine as referenced in this invention comprises a ball tossing assembly affixed to a multi-leg base. The base may be a tripod, or other appropriate configuration that is capable of supporting and accommodating the re-coil of the pitching machine at a desired height and position.  
         [0008]     Generally speaking the present invention is rotationally coupled to at least one leg, arm or corner of the supporting stand of a pitching machine. It will be appreciated, however, that as noted above the techniques described herein relative to the sport of baseball may be equally applied to other ball pitching devices and is therefore intended to include all those mechanical devices that are employed in the propulsion of game balls during training and practice sessions including, but not limited to, softball, hardball, tennis, badminton, football, ping-pong, lacrosse, and the like. In the preferred embodiment the invention acquires and controls at least one support member of the pitching machine and utilizes the member as a dynamic position control rod to oscillate the supporting structure of the pitching mechanism. The invention, in effect, intervenes between the supporting surface and a point of contact of at least one of the supporting legs to provide a fulcrum point as the trajectory of the propelled ball is continuously modified. Accordingly, this invention varies the vertical and/or horizontal vector of the ball with respect to the position of the batter or receiver where the resultant displacement within the strike zone, for instance, is the summation of the x (vertical) and y (horizontal) components where; y↑+x→=∠xy. It should also be appreciate that a relatively minor z component is inherent within the motion profile of the pitching machine due to the in/out displacement of the connection point between the pitching machine and the variable trajectory kit.  
         [0009]     In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a means for producing a variable trajectory of the ball whereby the first direction of motion is continuously varied along with the second direction of motion. In effect this continuous adjustment of the x and y coordinates of the pitching machine facilitate an environment that emulates the throwing patterns of a pitcher. In actual practice this invention variably delivers the ball within a prescribed elliptical corridor contained within the “strike zone” by controlling both the horizontal and vertical orientation of the machine. A strike zone may be defined as a vertically orientated rectangular area over a home plate, where the width and horizontal position is relative to the home plate and the height and vertical position is relative to the batter.  
         [0010]     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a free standing and autonomous displacement device for use in conjunction with a ball pitching machine, comprising a support base on the ball pitching machine; an eccentric drive operatively attached to said ball pitching machine, said drive generating displacement in at least a first direction using a single motor to produce a displacement of the ball pitching machine to alter the trajectory of a ball thrown therefrom and a means for adaptation to at least one leg of the multi-legged support, said adaptation means flexibly translating the motion from the drive means to the pitching machine.  
         [0011]     In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-contained ball throwing machine comprising a means to throw a ball in a generally predetermined direction on a trajectory that is a function of the ball speed and angle of release; and an eccentric drive means associated with a motor and a control leg receiver operatively associated with at least one support of the ball throwing machine, wherein said control leg receiver is moved in at least one direction to effect a change in the direction or angle at which the ball is released so as to vary the location at which the ball is received in the vicinity of a target region, generally within a pre-defined strike zone, as a result of the variable displacement of the control leg receiver as the ball is released.  
         [0012]     It is further intended that the present invention may be employed as an “after market” kit to enhance the functionality of existing pitching machines whereby the invention is readily installed and removed without the requirement for tools or modifications to the currently available pitching products. Furthermore, the drive means for varying the pitch trajectory is a single motor device having a minimum of moving parts, therefore being an economical and reliable improvement to a majority of the pitching machines currently in use. Moreover, the present invention accomplishes dual-direction variability of a pitching or throwing machine with only a single drive, thereby making the invention or “kit” easily transportable and attachable to multiple machines (e.g., may be used by the baseball coach one day and the tennis coach the next).  
         [0013]     The integration of a variable trajectory drive system into a ball pitching or throwing machine is advantageous because this readily provides a complete range of ball orientations that are concurrent with actual playing conditions and can be presented to the batter or receiver with a minimal investment and modification to existing pitching devices. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed specification, which describes an embodiment of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The objects and features of the present invention may be more easily understood from the following detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a frontal view of the strike zone and the stance of the batter prepared to swing at a randomly pitched ball;  
         [0016]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view of a a ball pitching device inserted into a receiving member of an eccentric drive assembly of “kit” in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2B  is a front planar view of a roller assembly attached to another leg of the ball pitching device of  FIG. 2A ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the eccentric drive assembly;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the motor and crank in the eccentric drive assembly;  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the eccentric drive assembly incorporating a motor and cam;  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the eccentric drive assembly incorporating a motor, cam and cam follower;  
         [0022]      FIGS. 7-9  are views illustrating another embodiment of the eccentric drive assembly incorporating a cylinder having a helical and circumferential channel and a shroud with cam follower. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]     Referring to the drawings, in  FIG. 1  the strike zone  28  is generally considered to be within an area immediately above home plate  33 , where the upper limit thereof is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the waist of batter  11 , and the lower limit being a point extended from the knees of batter  11 . Ball  40  is preferably presented within an elliptical pattern having both the minor and major axis within strike zone  28   
         [0024]     Now in  FIG. 2A  a typical ball propelling machine  10 , having a pair of variable speed pitching wheels  12 , whereas the constructed and operated is well known within the art. The ball pitching machine  10  may comprise a variety of configurations capable of delivering a ball or similar projectile to a target including belts, a pneumatic cannon or an arm to impart a propelling force to ball  40 . Machine  10 , which is an embodiment designed to throw ball  40  at a variable speed, is generally supported by triangular base  15  forming a tripod whereby the machine  10  is moveably attached to the triangular base  15  by means of a coupling device  18 . Coupling device  18  may accommodate horizontal and vertical adjustment of the trajectory of the ball  40 . Once the flight of the ball  40  over the plate has been established the coupling device  18  is secured in position, for example using a thumb-screw or similar fastener threadably engaged within the coupling device  18 , whereby the machine  10  is prohibited from moving off the pre-set pitch line, thereby providing a reliable and repeatable trajectory of the ball  40 . The present invention employs an eccentric drive assembly  20  positioned underneath or adjacent to the existing triangular base  15  of machine  10 . The eccentric drive  20  receives and controls at least one leg of the triangular base  15  and is constructed such that the machine  10  can be positioned and re-positioned to alter the trajectory of ball  40 . The eccentric drive  20  therefore employs one of the supporting legs as a “tiller” or “arm” to steer the ball  40 , preferably within the limits of strike zone  28 .  
         [0025]     As the eccentric drive  20  moves the control leg  16  up and down the angle or trajectory at which the ball is released, and similarly the height of the ball,  40  becomes variable. In like manner, as eccentric drive  20  concurrently moves the leg  16  left and right, the ball  40  will deviate from the nominal centerline accordingly. The motion output of eccentric drive  20  is intentionally asynchronous to the actual delivery or propulsion of the ball  40  from the machine  10  and thereby provides a multitude of trajectory angles for ball  40 , as would be the case in an actual game. In order to assure even horizontal motion of the triangular base  15  at least one other leg may attached to a roller  21  (e.g., leg  19 ) or may be placed on a low friction skid pad  31  (e.g. leg  17 ) to enable movement about. However the movement of the other supporting legs may not be required if only unilateral vertical motion of the triangular base  15  is desired. Skid pad  31  may a sheet of material having a low coefficient of friction, such as PTFE, which is inserted beneath leg  17  to promote unrestrained horizontal motion of the point of contact to the ground or floor. Accordingly support leg  19 , by remaining stationary, could provide a fulcrum for bi-lateral variable trajectory system. In an alternative embodiment at least one leg has attached a roller  21  whereby a stepped diameter adapter  23  is inserted within the leg  19  and axel  25  rotatably couples at least one wheel  27  to adapter  23  as depicted in  FIG. 2B .  
         [0026]     As described herein, a preferred embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 3  is directed toward a high torque motor  22  having a relatively low angular velocity within a range of at least 1-30 rotations per minute (RPM) and preferably comprises an electric motor, with either AC or DC as a current source, or any other suitable power generating method capable of rotating a shaft. One such motor is an AC motor drive, Model 3805 from Multi-Products, Inc. having an output of 4 RPM. Crank  32  is eccentrically connected to the output shaft of motor  22  and provides for motion in the first plane when eccentric drive  20  is positioned to be generally perpendicular with control leg  16 . In  FIG. 2A  eccentric drive  20  is shown as being in line with control leg  16  and accordingly moving the leg  23  of machine  10  in an elliptical pattern. In one embodiment, crank  32  may be attached to the output shaft of motor  22  having coupler  29  inserted in one of a plurality of positions along crank  32 . By increasing the distance of coupler  29  from the motor shaft, and thereby increasing the displacement of control leg  16 , a greater eccentric motion will be imparted on the machine  10  and accordingly an expanded projection pattern range will be achieved. Motor  22  is secured to mounting plate  24  that in turn rests on the ground or other common surface that is also supporting machine  10 . Notably, eccentric drive  20  and roller  21  are readily attached to a plurality of pitching machines using one or more stepped adapters  23 . As noted in  FIG. 4 , adapter  23  consists of a plurality of increasingly larger outside diameters to accommodate a range of support legs  16  having a corresponding or slightly larger inside diameter. Adapter  23  may also be constructed as a spherical cone, having an infinitely variable diameter from a minimum (point) to a maximum diameter. In the case of leg  16  being a solid rod, adapter  23  would further consist of a corresponding bore having an inside diameter to receive leg  16  therewithin. The aforementioned adapter  23  combined with a autonomous eccentric drive  20  allows for an efficient means to integrate or operatively couple a variable trajectory feature within the existing pitching machine population with the installation of this after market kit. It is to be noted that the adapter  23  does not have to be permanently or releasably fastened to the leg  16 , but may be so fastened using any of a number of techniques such as locking screws, pins, etc.  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  further depicts the details of the rotational coupling means comprising; crank  32 , coupler  29 , stepped adapter  23  and leg  16 . Crank  32  may be attached to the motor shaft using a “D” shaped hole to correspond with a similarly shaped shaft, or it may be secured with a keyhole clamp formed within crank  32  and cinched with screw  14 . It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous alternatives are available to secure crank  32  to a D-shaped or cylindrical shaft including, but not limited to, a setscrew, dowel or roll pin, spline, threaded shaft with nut, keyway or welding to name a few. Bearing  13  is pressed into crank  32  to allow coupler  29  to freely turn within crank  32 . Preferably adapter  23  moves in unison with coupler  29  having minimal relative motion as they interact due to the weight of pitching machine  10  and the corresponding force onto the socket of adapter  23  on the distal end of leg  16 . It is anticipated that the ball and socket means is preferred to a permanent affixing or conjoining mechanism to connect adapter  23  to coupler  29  so as to provide a simplistic means for fitting eccentric drive  20  to control leg  16 . However, in the case where the recoil force of pitching machine  10  may disrupt the connection a universal joint or similar means may be employed and attached to the leg  16  as noted above.  
         [0028]     In an alternative embodiment as shown in  FIG. 5 , motor  20  may be attached by way of one or more slides or rails  26  to chassis  24 . Cam  34  communicates directly to chassis  24  providing a force against a low friction surface or rollers  36  that, when rotated, displaces the mounting plate  51  and motor  22  attached thereto a distance equal to the offset of cam  34 —thereby generating various deflections of the leg heights. As will be appreciated, the embodiment of  FIG. 5  may be employed in a single-direction displacement (vertical) as well as a multi-direction displacement (vertical and horizontal) device. Attached to the eccentrically mounted cam  34 , in common with cam  34  at the point of rotation, is control leg receiver  30 , wherein a supporting leg of pitching machine  10  is operatively engaged as described above relative to  FIG. 4 .  
         [0029]     Referring also to  FIG. 6 , the chassis  24  is now slideably interconnected to base plate  38 . Guides  26  passes within respective vertical bores of the mounting plate  51  and are secured to chassis  24  thereby maintaining the mounting plate  51  in a stationary horizontal position but allowing vertical displacement. Cam  34  is eccentrically connected to the output shaft of motor  22 . The offset of cam  34  is directly proportional to the minimum and maximum height of the pitched ball whereby the eccentric motion of cam  34  is coupled to the control leg  16  by means of control leg receiver  30 . Receiver  30  is rotationally mounted to the output shaft of motor  22  having cam  34  positioned therebetween. Receiver  30  is configured to accept a plurality of leg form factors and is readily adapted to accommodate a variety of ball pitching machines  10 . In this bi-directional embodiment the motor  22  and the mount plate  51  are allowed to move in a vertical manner along the path of the guides  26  as chassis  24  moves horizontally from a reactive force developed from roller  36  as the eccentrically driven cam  34  translates the rotary motion supplied by motor  22  into a single directional component that is concentric with the receiver  30 .  FIG. 5  best shows this embodiment whereby the motor  22 , mounting plate  51  and receiver  30  all move in unison. While this arrangement unto itself is not specifically advantageous in developing reciprocating motion, it will become readily apparent from the following description as to the inherent advantages of this approach.  
         [0030]     In particular,  FIG. 6  shows a means to control the displacement of the pitching machine leg  16 , and thereby a ball  40 , in the horizontal plane concurrently with the motion in the vertical plane. Using the same motor  22  as a driving means, motion in the second plane is directly derived from the first plane motion whereby slide follower  43  mounted on the distal end of the motor  22  output shaft allows the motor  22  to move along the second plane as a function of, and concurrently with, the first plane motion. This composite displacement (two-directions—horizontal and vertical) is developed from first and second planes of motion substantially perpendicular to one another. Eccentric drive  20 , as depicted in  FIG. 5  has been adapted to develop motion in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first. With reference to  FIG. 6  chassis  24  is positioned onto the upper surface of base plate  38 . A pair of pins  47  operating within apertures  41 , align chassis  24  to the fixed base plate  38  in a consistent orientation, whereas there is relative motion between the two base plates that is parallel to the drive shaft of motor  22 . As shown in  FIG. 6  slide deflector  42  is attached directly to base plate  38 . The distal end of the output shaft of motor  22  extends into and beyond the curvilinear aperture within the slide deflector  42 . Attached thereon to the end of the motor shaft, in direct contact with the outer surface of slide deflector  42 , is slide follower  43 . As shown in  FIG. 6  the radial profile of slide deflector  42  is a function of the desired horizontal displacement of the pitched ball. As motor  22  moves along an axis perpendicular to the base plate a reactive right angle force is applied to receiver  30  through slide deflector  42 , slide follower  43  and the motor shaft. The resultant motion as seen at control leg receiver  30  is the summation of the x (vertical) and y (horizontal) components of displacement where; y↑+x→=∠z. As will be appreciated, various slide deflector profiles may be employed, possibly substituted with one another, to achieve varying deflections patterns of the ball pitching apparatus.  
         [0031]     In yet another embodiment, depicted in  FIGS. 7-9 , in order facilitate the random trajectory of a ball pitching machine as in  FIG. 2 , the eccentric drive  20  is positioned between a supporting surface and control leg  16  such as previously described, however the motion is generated using a cylinder in lieu of the aforementioned crank  32  or cam  34 . With reference to  FIGS. 7, 8  and  9  in general terms, there is provided an alternative means to develop motion or displacement in both the first and second plane using a single motor  22  directly affixed to base plate  38 . A cylinder  52  having a uniform cylindrical surface is eccentrically attached to the output shaft of the motor  22 . The surface of the cylinder contains one or more channels  54 ,  56  circumventing the cylinder. The radial channel  56  follows a linear path that is perpendicular to the axis of cylinder  52 . Channel  54  is a helix that can be characterized as a continuous curve circumventing the diameter of the cylinder to form an elliptical or other motion profile. The shroud  58  has a cam follower or similar provisions for attaching between the cylinder and a leg of the triangular base  15  of pitching machine  10 , and thereby transmitting to machine  10  the motion generated by the rotation of eccentrically mounted cylinder  52 . In the case whereby only the height of the ball is to be controlled the cam follower is engaged in the radial channel  56  to constrain the attached shroud to the first plane of motion only. In the second case whereby the motion of the first plane is to be combined with motion in the second plane the cam follower or tracking pin  62  engages the helical channel  54 , or a similarly configured varying-direction channel, thereby generating a composite angle of trajectory representing the sum of the first and second planes of motion. This multi-plane displacement pattern is directed to the pitching machine through the control leg  16  of the plurality of supporting legs of triangular base  15 .  
         [0032]     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , motor  22  is directly mounted to bracket  50 . Cylinder  52  is attached to motor  22  at one of a plurality of possible mounting positions or points that are displaced from the geometric axis of cylinder  52 . Cylinder  52  rotates in an eccentric manner whereby the offset distance between the motor  22  shaft and the centerline of the cylinder  52  is selected from a group of mounting holes corresponding to strokes that are proportional to the desired angle/height of the ball being pitched. Shroud  58 , having a radius nearly equal to the radius of the cylinder  52 , surrounds cylinder  52  in order to trace the motion created by the rotating cylinder, thereby generating a variable trajectory angle to manipulate the ball position across the plate. Control leg receiver  30 , with adapter  48 , is connected to control leg  16  of ball pitching machine  10 , as previously described with respect to the embodiment of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIGS. 7, 8 , and  9 , the eccentrically driven cylinder  52  is rotated so shroud  58  oscillates the control leg receiver  30 . The variation of only the height of the pitch is accomplished when tracking pin  62  and shroud  58 , shown in  FIG. 8 , are engaged in channel  56  only of cylinder  52 . Referring to  FIG. 7 , the horizontal displacement of the ball is determined by the offset of cylinder  52 . A composite variation of the trajectory of ball  40  path is established when tracking pin  62  is engaged in channel  54  within cylinder  52 . In this configuration both the x and y components are developed and applied to the control leg  16 .  
         [0034]     It will be appreciated that the above embodiments, while described within the context of the sport of baseball, are not limited or dedicated to any specific sport. On the contrary any athlete deriving training from a ball-propelling device will fully appreciate the features and benefits of the present invention.  
         [0035]     Thus there has been described herein a ball pitching machine whereby the trajectory of the ball is randomly altered. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the size, shape and arrangement of elements described hereinbefore without departing from the intended spirit, functionality and operability of the subject invention. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.