Abstract:
An artificial bat end device for temporarily adjusting the length of a bat by using an adjustable ring having a thickness sufficient to simulate the butt end of a bat with the ring also having the capability to conform to the handle of a bat and be forcibly held in place on the bat&#39;s handle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. The Field of the Invention 
     The present invention concerns a device capable of temporarily adjusting the length of a bat by using an adjustable ring. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Every baseball and softball player understands the basic rule that a bat&#39;s swing speed greatly determines a batter&#39;s effectiveness. The faster the swing, the more likely a batter is to make contact with a given pitch. Baseball and softball players also inherently understand that the bat&#39;s swing speed is a function of not only how hard the batter swings, but of the bat&#39;s length and mass. 
     Ideally, every player and coach would have access to the perfect bat for any given batting situation. When a pitcher was not throwing particularly fast and a batter did not need a high swing speed, a longer and heavier bat would be used. When the opposite was true, that is when the pitcher threw very fast, or even just when a batter fell behind in the strike count and higher bat swing speed was desired, a shorter and/or lighter bat would be selected. While professional baseball and softball players may find it practical to have many bats for any given situation, the cost is not efficient for other, more recreational settings. 
     Instead, most players and their teams have only a handful of bats to suit all of their varied needs. This leads to the common, and often futile admonition from coaches and teammates for a batter to choke-up. This well understood, but often unheeded instruction is a directive for the batter to move his hands up from the bottom of the bat&#39;s handle. If done, this shortens the effective bat length, thereby automatically creating a higher bat swing speed with the batters natural swing. Typically, even if this instruction is followed for the first pitch, the batter may well return on subsequent pitches to the more natural position of having their hands rest at the end of the handle. 
     One possible solution to this problem is to create an artificial handle end at a desired point on the handle with wound tape, or other similar material. This, however, is not an ideal solution. Since the bat will be used by players of varying physical size, the different players will want and need different lengths to optimize the bat&#39;s use. This will require constant winding and unwinding a tape. Since the tape is typically very thin and the desired artificial handle end must have considerable thickness before it becomes really effective. Additionally, the tape&#39;s adhesive will build up on the handle, creating an essentially unworkable solution. 
     Many patented devices exist for helping batter&#39;s improve their performance. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,653,440, 5,501,450 and 4,898,384 each teach the addition of extra mass to a baseball bat to aid in the development of a proper swing. However, the need to help batters choke-up has remained unaddressed. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide a device capable of temporarily and easily adjusting the effective length of a bat. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a device capable of helping batters choke-up on a bat handle. 
     It is another object of the invention to eliminate the need for having multiple bats available to accommodate different sized batters. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective views of an artificial bat end secured on a bat handle. 
     FIGS. 2 to  5  are perspective views of various embodiments of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 are frontal views of other invention embodiments. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a bat  10  comprising a barrel  12 , a handle  14  and a butt end  16 . As is typical for any bat and as can be readily observed from the drawing, the diameter of the barrel  12  is significantly greater than the diameter of either the handle  14  or the butt end  16 , and the butt end&#39;s diameter is greater than the handle&#39;s diameter. A grip  18  is wound around the handle&#39;s diameter and extends up from the handle&#39;s end  20 , which is the point where the butt end  16  meets the handle  14 . The bat&#39;s length  22  can be defined as the distance from the handle&#39;s end  20  to the barrel&#39;s opposite end  24 . Removably attached to the handle&#39;s grip  18  is an artificial bat end  26  whose thickness  28  when added to the handle&#39;s diameter simulates the diameter of the butt end  16 . With the artificial bat end  26  in place, the effective bat length  30  can be defined as the distance from the handle&#39;s temporary new end  32  to the barrel&#39;s opposite end  24 . 
     FIGS. 2 through 5 provide perspective views of different embodiments for the artificial bat end. In each embodiment the adjustable bat end  26  has a band  27  with a thickness  28  that separates an inside surface  34  and an outside surface  36 . This thickness  28  allows the band  27  to simulate the diameter of the bat&#39;s butt end  16  and prevent a user&#39;s hands from moving down the bat handle. In addition, each adjustable bat end  26  has a constrictor  38  capable of applying force to the band&#39;s inside surface  34  to prevent the adjustable bat end  26  from moving along the bat&#39;s handle  14 . The ability to apply sufficient force to the band  27 , allows it to be secured at any point on the handle  14 , and thereby does not limit the artificial bat end by requiring it to rest on the bat&#39;s butt end  16 . 
     The constrictor can use mechanical, physical or chemical means to supply the needed force. Such means as a constrictor, which is separate from the band  27 , made of Velcro, containing snaps or buttons, or even having a suitable adhesive are all within the present invention&#39;s scope. It is also possible that the band  27  and constrictor  38  can be part of the same physical piece, with the band providing the needed thickness  28  and the constrictor applying the needed force to secure the adjustable bat end to the bat&#39;s handle. 
     Additionally, the inside surface  34  can employ gripping means such as velcro or chemical adhesives to help secure the adjustable bat end  26  to the handle  14 . Each embodiment shows a different way to adjust the inside surface  34  so that it can conform to and around the bat&#39;s handle  14  and different sized and configured constrictors  38 . 
     In FIG. 2, two essentially half rings  40  and  42  are connected together at one end  44  to create a band  27  with an adjustable inside surface  34  that is held against the bat handle (not shown) when closed by means of a constrictor  38 . 
     In FIG. 3, shows an embodiment similar to FIG. 2, except that the two essentially half rings  46  and  48  are separate, but both come together to create a band  27  with an adjustable inside surface  34  that is held against the bat handle (not shown) by means of a constrictor  38 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a single noncontinuous ring which is a band  27  with an adjustable inside surface  34  that is held against the bat handle (not shown) when closed by means of a constrictor  38 . 
     The embodiment of FIG. 5 shows a band  27  with an adjustable inside surface  34  separated from the outside surface  36 , to the by a thickness  28 . As the adjustable bat end&#39;s inside surface  34  wraps around the bat&#39;s handle (not shown) the inside and outside surfaces  34  and  36  work together to act as the constrictor. The inside surface  34  can secure itself to the outside surface  36  once the adjustable bat end is wrapped around the bat&#39;s handle thereby holding the two surfaces together with sufficient force to prevent the adjustable bat end  26  from moving along the bat&#39;s handle  14 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a front view of an artificial bat end  26  with tangential openings  52  and two constrictors  38 , instead of the radial openings and one constrictor of FIGS. 2 to  4 . 
     FIG. 7 shows a front view of an artificial bat end  26  with a continuous band  27 . The constrictor of this embodiment can be enclosed inside the band  27 , so long as it is capable of exerting sufficient force to hold the band  27  against the bat handle (not shown). 
     While many inventions teach methods and devices for securing a weighted ring or band, on the barrel end of a bat to increase the bat&#39;s weight, this invention provides an adjustable band capable of enclosing the handle of a bat such that this adjustable band can create an artificial bat end which simulates the bat&#39;s butt end and can be placed at any point along the bat&#39;s handle. By so simulating the bat butt end, this invention can vary the effective length of any bat, without any permanent changes to the bat itself.