Abstract:
A batting practice apparatus comprising an upright support mast associated with a base having a plurality of legs which are able to be mounted to a surface. A rotatable sleeve slides over the mast. The sleeve can rotate about the mast and a pin slides within the slots. An arm with a ball-shaped object at the distal end extends from the sleeve. An elastic member is associated at one end with the sleeve by means of a tab extending from the sleeve; and, at the other end is associated with a base leg. When the batter strikes the ball-shaped object, the sleeve rotates upward about the mast and returns as urged by the elastic member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to the field of baseball practice and training aids. More particularly, the present invention relates to a batting swing practice apparatus that enables a batter to repeatedly strike a baseball target without having to manually reset an apparatus or recover a struck ball. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Batting training aids, devices and apparatus have been known for decades. The goal of many of them is to provide a realistic sensation of hitting a baseball and seeing the results of the hit for swing analysis, yet returning the ball to the same pre-strike position without the batter having to manually reset the ball or apparatus, i.e., without having to chase and retrieve a hit ball. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,037, issued to Dixon, Jr. discloses a batting training apparatus having a base, a telescoping two-segment support mast, and a horizontal arm with an extended arm with a ball-shaped object associated therewith at the distal end. The horizontal arm proximal end has a hook which holds one end of an elastic cord; the other end of the cord is attached to one of several hooks on the base leg. A disadvantage of this apparatus is the lack of defined stop point of rotation of the horizontal arm after the ball is struck, other than the extent of elasticity of the elastic cord. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,255, issued to Ponza, discloses a batting practice device in which a post mounted in the ground has a collar that rotates when a bat strikes a ball mounted on the end of an arm associated with the collar. The collar has a cam surface which rotates over a pin. A spring is mounted inside the post with the lower end fixed to a pin and the upper end mounted to a connecting rod which is associate with the cam collar. When the ball is struck the collar rotates and rises, thereby stretching the spring. The spring&#39;s elasticity urges the collar to counter-rotate back to its original position. This apparatus requires an internal spring, with the problem of the mast having to be disassembled in the event the spring must be changed. Additionally, there is no convenient and quick way to adjust the tension on the spring for different batters. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,339, issued to Llewellyn, discloses an eye-hand coordinator, which uses a spring mounted around the support mast and over the arm to dissipate the energy imparted to the arm when the ball is struck and the arm rises on a cam surface. Llewellyn cannot conveniently change the spring to accommodate different strength hitters&#39; swings. 
   It would be desirable to have a mountable practice device that can vertically adjust the height of the ball to be struck as well as the absorbability of the energy of the swing. Further, it would be desirable to have a device which can easily be fully or partially disassembled for transport and storage without requiring separate tools. Additionally, such an apparatus should be able to accommodate left- as well as right-hand hitters. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides, in one exemplary embodiment, a batting practice apparatus comprising an upright support mast associated with a base having a plurality of legs which are able to be attached to a surface, such as the ground. A rotatable sleeve is slid over the mast. The sleeve has upper and lower halves, each half having a pair of opposing slots formed therein, each slot in the upper half curving clockwise downward, each slot in the lower half curving counterclockwise downward. A pin is inserted through a pair of slots in the lower half and through one of several apertures in the mast. The sleeve can rotate about the mast and the pin slides within the slots. An arm with a ball-shaped object at the distal end extends horizontally from the sleeve. An elastic member is associated at one end with the sleeve by means of a tab extending from preferably about the midpoint of the sleeve; and, at the other end is associated with a base leg. When the batter strikes the ball-shaped object the sleeve rotates upward about the mast until about the end of the slot is reached and the elastic member has elongated to a general limit. The elastic member urges the sleeve to counter-rotate to return to its original position to enable the batter to swing again without having to move from the original batting position. 
   Other features of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures of which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of a detail of the leg. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1  when the sleeve is rotated about the support mast. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1  shows one exemplary embodiment of a batting swing practice apparatus of the present invention in which an apparatus  10  has main components comprising a base  12 , support mast  14 , rotatable sleeve  16  and elastic member  18 . 
   The base  12 , mast  14  and sleeve  16  are preferably made of a generally rigid sturdy material, such as, but not limited to, plastic, metal, polymer, alloy, and mixtures or combinations of the foregoing. In one preferred embodiment the material is plastic. 
   The base  12  comprises a plate  20  having a set of legs  22 ,  24 ,  26  and  28  extending from the plate at generally right angles to one another. It is possible to modify this basic configuration to have two or three legs or more than four legs, as desired, with appropriate angling from each other. Alternatively, the plate  20  may also be a generally circular plate. However, a four leg configuration may be optimal for support, stability and material usage. The legs are preferably substantially the same, so the following description applies to each leg. The leg  22  may comprise a single length of material. Preferably, the leg comprises a first leg segment  30  and may have ribs  32 ,  34  for additional strength and support. The first leg segment  30  has at least one, and preferably, two apertures  36 ,  38 . A second leg segment  40  has ribs  32 A,  34 A, which mate with ribs  32 ,  34  with the first and second segments being joined together, such as by a nut and bolt, screw, or other fastening device. The second leg segment  40  preferably has an aperture  42 . 
   The leg  22  may be attached to a surface, such as a flat floor (e.g., wood, tile, linoleum, or the like) preferably by means of a set of suction cups  44  which are mounted to the second leg segment (for each leg)  40  by means of a bolt  45  passing through aperture  42  and screwed into the suction cup  44 . The suction cup  44  is best suited for surfaces which can accommodate a suction cup mechanism of attachment. Optionally, a second suction cup  44  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) can be attached to the leg  22  via a bolt  45 A passing through the aperture  38 . For ground, such as earth, the second leg segment  40  may be attached by means of a large helical screw  46 , having a handle portion  48 . The screw  46  is passed through an aperture  50  and into the soft ground  51 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . It is contemplated that other attachment means can be used, such as, but not limited to, adhesive, bolts, screws, clamps, or the like. 
   While it is possible for the support mast  14  and base  12  to be constructed of a single piece of material, it will likely be more cost effective from a manufacturing, assembly and shipping standpoint to have two pieces which are separate and assemblable. The support mast  14  is mounted to the base  12  as follows. The base  12  has a base collar  52  into which the support mast  14  can be inserted. The bottom portion  54  of support mast  14  also has an aperture  56  (not shown) passing through thereof. At the underside of the base  12 , shown in  FIG. 2 , the base  12  has the lower portion  58  of the base collar  52 . The base collar lower portion  58  has an aperture  60  passing therethrough. When the support mast bottom portion  54  is inserted into the base collar  52 , the support mast bottom aperture  56  is aligned with the base collar lower portion aperture  60  and a pin  62  is inserted through both apertures  56 ,  60  and secured by a cotter pin  64  or other retention device. The pin  62  may optionally have a ring  66 , knob, handle or other grasping mechanism attached thereto to enable a user to remove the pin  62 . In this manner the support mast  14  can be removably and securely fastened to the base  12 . It is to be understood that other attachment mechanisms can be used to fastened the base  12  to the support mast  14 , such as, but not limited to, clips, mating threaded screws, bolts, snaps and the like. It is preferable to have an attachment mechanism that is easily manipulated to enable a user to quickly assemble and disassemble the support mast and base for use or transport. 
   The support mast  14  preferably has a number of apertures  70  passing through the generally middle portion of the mast. A mast pin  72  can be inserted into any of the apertures  70  and held in place by a pin  74  such as a cotter pin and a washer  76 , or other commonly used means for removably securing the pin  72  in place. The support mast  14  optionally may have a removable cap  78  to keep dirt and debris from entering the support mast. The cap  78  may also function to keep the sleeve  16  on the support mast  14 . 
   The sleeve  16  generally comprises a first segment  80 , second segment  82 , middle segment  84 , arm  86  and tab  88 . When the sleeve  16  is positioned on the support mast  14  as shown in  FIG. 1 , the first segment  80  (with accompanying marking “R” for right-hand batting practice) is above the second segment  82  (with accompanying marking “L” for left-hand batting practice). The arm  86  extends generally horizontally outward and, at its distal end, has an object  90  associated therewith preferably of generally the same size and feel (i.e., weight and hardness) of a soft or hard baseball. In one exemplary embodiment Fiberglas or other rigid material formed as a rod is inserted and centered into a ball mold. A foam material which creates the ball is injected into the mold and adhered to the rod. The tab  88  has an aperture  92  or notch or slot or other receiving means. 
   The first segment  80  has at least one and preferably two slots  94 ,  96  curved downward around the first segment  80  in a clockwise direction when viewed from top down. The second segment  82  has at least one and preferably two slots  98 ,  100  curved downward in a counter clockwise direction when viewed from top down around the second segment  82 . The slots can accommodate the mast pin  72 . The two slots  94 ,  96  and  98 ,  100  are preferably arranged on opposite sides of the sleeve  16  so that the pin  72  can pass through both slots. 
   For right-hand batting practice, the sleeve  16  is slid over the support mast  14  with the first segment  80  being above the second segment  82 . The second segment  82  slot  98  is aligned with an aperture  70  and the mast pin  72  is inserted through the slots  98 ,  100  and aperture  70  and the mast pin  72  is held securely in place using a cotter pin  74  and preferably a washer  76 . The sleeve  16  can rotate about the support mast  14  and, in doing so, the slots  98 ,  100  rotates about the sleeve  16  with the pin  72  guiding and limiting the movement. As the sleeve  16  rotates, the sleeve  16  is raised vertically along the axis of the support mast  16 . When the terminal end  102  of the slots  98 ,  100  is reached the sleeve  16  stops rotating. 
   The apparatus  10  also incorporates an elastic biasing mechanism comprising an elastic member  18 , which preferably is made of rubber or other elastic material. Alternatively, the elastic member may be a coiled spring, bungee cord, elastic fibers, spandex, or other material having suitable elastic qualities. In a preferred embodiment the apparatus  10  is supplied with several elastic members  18 , each preferably having a different modulus of elasticity such that each member  18  has a different resistance. Alternatively, the apparatus  10  can be supplied with several elastic members  18  and two or more can be used simultaneously to increase resistance. The elastic member has a first end  110  and a second end  112 , each end preferably having a first and second hook  114 ,  116  or other attachment mechanism associated therewith. The first hook  114  can be attached to the tab  88 , such as through the aperture  92  or notch. The second hook  116  can be attached to the leg  28  (or any other leg as shown in  FIG. 1 ) through an aperture  118 . 
   In operation, the sleeve  16  is set at the appropriate initial height based upon the height or swing style of the batter by raising or lowering the sleeve  16  and positioning the slots  98 ,  100  in alignment with the appropriate mast aperture  70  and inserting the pin  72  to set the sleeve  16  in position. For a right-hand batter, the apparatus  10  is set up and the batter can strike the object  90  with the bat using a conventional batting swing. As the object  90  is struck, the arm  86  imparts rotational energy to the sleeve  16 , which rotates about the support mast  14  and the pin  72  moves within the slot  98  so that the sleeve  16  rises as it rotates. The elastic member  18  elongates since one end  116  is attached to the base via the aperture  118  and the other end  110  to the tab  88  on the sleeve  16 . As the elastic member  18  elongates it twists around the support mast  14 . The maximum extension occurs when the slot terminal end  102  abuts the pin  72 . The elastic member  18  seeks to retract to its original length and urges the sleeve  16  to counter-rotate to its original position, thereby placing the object  90  in essentially the same position in which it started, thus enabling the user to again strike the object  90  without having to reset anything or to move from the proper position. The base  12  remains in position during the striking and reset activity either by being attached to the earth by means of the screw  46  or a smooth surface by the suction cups  44 . The sleeve  16  can be removed for transport and storage by removing the cotter pin  74  and the mast pin  72 . The support mast  14  can be removed from the base  12  by removing the base cotter pin  64  and the pin  62 . 
   The apparatus  10  is designed for left- or right-hand hitters by simple removing the sleeve  16  and inverting it. The reversed direction slots  96 ,  98  allow a left-hand hitter to use the apparatus  10  equally as well as a right-hand hitter. 
   The different elastic members  18  can be used to create different resistance levels. For younger or easier swinging hitters, elastic member  18  can be chosen as the one with the least resistance. Older stronger hitters will likely want to use a more resistive elastic member  18  so that the stronger striking force energy will be absorbed by the more resistive elastic member  18 . 
   An advantage of the present invention is that it can be used in connection with most indoor or outdoor surfaces or environments where a suction cup or ground screw can be used. The present invention can be assembled and mounted quickly and easily, essentially without any tools required. Additionally, the apparatus can be partially or fully disassembled for transport or storage, i.e., the arm and/or base can be easily separated from the support mast using the pin. The use of the unique sleeve and elastic member enables a user to maintain proper batting position for repetitive swing practice by returning the ball object to the same position after every swing. 
   Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. 
   It should further be noted that any patents, applications and publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.