Ball with grip pressure indicator

The present invention is a pressure indicating ball for training baseball or softball pitchers. The ball contains a mass/weight control material to give the ball the proper heft. The ball has a perimeter envelope fillable by means of a valve located on a flexible exterior surface of the ball. The envelope is filled with a pressure indicating substance that allows an imprint of the pitcher's fingers to be created in the ball's flexible exterior surface. The ball is provided with a number of pressure transducers for sensing pressure exerted on the ball and translating pressure into electrical impulses. The electrical impulses are then transmitted to means for processing electrical impulses, such as a summation circuit, via a battery powered electrical circuit. The summation circuit is, in turn, electrically connected to a digital readout screen located on the ball's exterior surface where pressure data is displayed. Alternately or additionally, the summation circuit is electrically connected to a transmitter provided with an antenna that transmits the pressure data to a remote receiving device for display.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention is a ball provided with pressure indicating features 
that allow a person throwing the ball to receive feedback regarding force 
exerted by him on the ball as he throws it. 
2. The Prior Art 
In the past, pitchers have been taught the fundamentals of leg, arm, body 
and eye position and control while pitching a ball, such as a baseball or 
a softball. However, a pitcher could execute all of these fundamentals of 
body movement correctly and still throw pitches that did not travel as 
desired, i.e. out-of-control pitches. 
Research has shown that the amount of pressure exerted on the ball before 
release from the pitcher's hand has a great deal to do with where the ball 
travels after it is released. For example, when too much pressure is 
exerted on the ball before release, the pitcher tends to release the ball 
late with the result that the ball travels off-target, usually low and 
outside the strike zone located over home plate. 
Also in the past, pitchers have had difficulty learning how to place their 
fingers on the ball in order to throw certain types of pitches, such as 
curve balls, sliders, and knuckle balls. Although outlines have been drawn 
on balls to indicate where the pitcher's fingers should be placed in order 
to throw various types of pitches, until now there has been no way of 
determining whether the pitcher's fingers were actually properly placed 
during execution of the pitch. With proper finger placement, proper grip 
pressure, and proper fundamentals of body movement, a pitcher has a much 
greater chance of throwing an on-target pitch. 
The present invention offers reinforcement and feedback regarding the 
amount and location of pressure applied to the ball before release of the 
ball in order to assist the pitcher in finding and maintaining his best 
pressure grip for optimum ball control. To do this, the ball is provided 
with pressure sensing means for registering the amount and location of 
pressure exerted on the ball by the pitcher as he throws the ball and 
means for providing feedback to the pitcher regarding the pressure 
information registered by the sensing means. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is a pressure grip ball provided with a flexible 
exterior surface and provided interiorly with mass/weight control material 
to give the ball the proper heft. A perimeter envelope is located within 
the ball adjacent to the exterior surface. The envelope is filled via a 
valve, located on the exterior surface, with a pressure indicating 
substance that allows imprints of a pitcher's fingers to be created on the 
exterior surface of the ball. The ball is provided with a multiplicity of 
pressure transducers that produce electrical impulses that are 
proportional to the amount of pressure exerted on them. These electrical 
impulses are transmitted via an electrical circuit to a summation circuit 
where the electrical impulses are processed. The summation circuit has an 
electrical connection with a digital readout screen located on the 
exterior surface of the ball for displaying pressure data. Alternately or 
additionally, the summation circuit has an electrical connection with a 
transmitter that is provided with an antenna for transmitting pressure 
data to a remote receiving unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring now to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1, there is illustrated 
a pressure grip ball, generally designated by reference numeral 10, 
constructed according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
The ball 10 is provided with a flexible exterior surface 12 that looks 
similar to a standard ball, either a baseball or a softball, but differs 
in that the exterior surface of ball 10 is provided with a digital readout 
screen 14 for displaying pressure applied to the ball 10 as will 
hereinafter be described. 
Now referring to FIG. 2 a partial cross-sectional view of the ball 10 
reveals a perimeter envelope 16 located within the ball 10 just interior 
to the exterior surface 12. A valve 18 located on the exterior surface 12 
and communicating between the exterior surface 12 and the envelope 16 
provides access to the envelope 16 in order to fill or void the envelope 
16. The envelope 16 is to be filled for use with a pressure indicating 
substance (not shown). The pressure indicating substance (not shown) may 
be "Silly Putty".RTM., "Play-Doh".RTM., clay or other similar material. As 
illustrated by the arrows "A" in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the pressure 
indicating substance will deform to create imprints 22 of the pitcher's 
fingers (not shown) in the flexible exterior surface 12. Imprints 22 
provide the pitcher (not shown) with useful information regarding his 
finger placement on the ball 10 and give a direct visual indication of the 
pressure he is exerting on the ball 10. 
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the ball 10 is provided with a power source 
24 connected by means of an electrical circuit 26 to a summation circuit 
30 and to a multiplicity of pressure transducers 28 located adjacent the 
envelope 16. Although the pressure transducers 28 are described as being 
adjacent the envelope 16, the present invention is not so limited. In fact 
the pressure transducers 28 may be located adjacent the exterior surface 
12 as illustrated in FIG. 4 or located in other suitable locations within 
the ball 10 such as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 or, although not 
illustrated, even located on the exterior surface 12. When pressure is 
applied to the ball 10, as when the pitcher (not shown) grips the ball 10 
to throw it, the pressure transducers 28 respond to the pressure by 
sending electrical impulses that are proportional to the amount of 
pressure exerted, from the pressure transducers 28, to the summation 
circuit 30. The summation circuit 30 receives the impulses from the 
pressure transducers and processes them to create a total pressure reading 
that is sent to the digital readout screen 14 for display via an 
electrical connection 32 that attaches on one end to the summation circuit 
30 and on another end to the digital readout screen 14. Alternately or 
additionally, the total pressure reading may be sent from the summation 
circuit 30 to a transmitter 36 via an electrical connection 34 that 
attaches on one end to the summation circuit 30 and on another end to the 
transmitter 36. The transmitter 36 is provided with an antenna 38 that 
transmits the total pressure reading by means of radio waves or other 
suitable means to a remote receiving unit 40 where the total pressure 
reading can be displayed and recorded. The remote receiving unit 40 can be 
positioned so that coaches (not shown) can monitor the performance of the 
pitcher (not shown) as the ball 10 is thrown. 
Area remaining within the ball 10, i.e. area interior to the exterior 
surface 12 that is not otherwise occupied, is filled with an interior 
mass/weight control material (not shown) that gives the ball 10 its proper 
heft and handle. 
Additional features can be included in the ball 10, such as an audio alarm 
(not shown) that is automatically activated whenever the ball 10 is 
improperly gripped or such as means for illuminating a warning light (not 
shown) for warning of an improper grip. Also, instead of summing the 
pressures of the pressure transducer 28, individual pressures can be 
displayed for the pressure transducers 28 as a means of electronically 
mapping finger placement on the ball 10. 
Whereas the present invention has been disclosed in terms of the specific 
structure described above, it should be understood that other and further 
modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made 
within the spirit and scope of this invention, and the invention is 
limited only by the claims included herein.