Abstract:
A collapsible and portable baseball hitting apparatus including vertical members connected to an adjustable horizontal member having a tether and baseball suspended therefrom. In another configuration, the horizontal member can fold toward the vertical members, exposing a ball tee from which a user can place a ball for hitting.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to athletic swing trainers, and more particularly to an apparatus for hitting a baseball from a plurality of stationary positions. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     One of the most important aspects of a good sports swing is the ability to consistently make solid contact between the stick and the ball. Novice players typically learn the basics of accurately swinging a baseball bat by hitting a stationary ball placed atop a tee. To this end, the sport of tee ball was created to allow young players to learn how to play baseball without having to hit a moving ball. As such, conventional tee ball stands having a single vertical shaft with a ball placed on top are well known in the art. 
     However, owing to the design of a conventional tee ball stand, users can do little more than swing a bat level with respect to the ball. In cases where the bat is swung at an angle, it will often make contact with the stand instead of the ball. As such, when a users batting skills increase, the usefulness of the tee ball stand diminishes greatly. 
     As a players batting skill increases, it becomes necessary to adjust the angle and speed of the swing in order to direct the ball to a specific location. Moreover, these skills are necessary to be able to eventually hit a moving baseball that is thrown from a pitcher. As such, several devices dedicated to swing training are known. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0135292 describes a swing trainer that includes an overhead horizontal member attached to a vertical shaft which contains a ball permanently affixed to the end. U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,150 describes a large device having an overhead horizontally extending pipe from which a removable ball is suspended via a rope. Other examples include U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,994 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0248900. 
     However, in each case these trainers are large, bulky devices that can not be easily set up or transported by young players. Moreover, these devices do not provide a means for transitioning from a tee ball stand for beginners and a more advanced swing trainer for use as the players&#39; skill level advances. 
     Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a single apparatus capable of transitioning from a tee ball stand for beginners, to a swing trainer for use as the players&#39; skill level increases. Additionally, it would be beneficial to provide an apparatus that is lightweight, collapsible and portable, such that the device can be carried by a player inside a typical baseball bag. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to an apparatus for hitting a baseball from a plurality of stationary positions. One embodiment of the baseball hitting apparatus can include vertical shafts connected to an adjustable horizontal shaft having a tether and baseball suspended therefrom. 
     Another embodiment of the present invention can include the ability to fold the horizontal shaft toward the vertical shafts, and to position the second vertical shaft within the first vertical shaft in order to provide a collapsible apparatus having an overall dimension approximating the length and width of a baseball bat. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
         FIG. 1  is a frontal elevation of a baseball hitting apparatus that is useful for understanding the embodiments disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 2  is a side elevational view of an illustrative attachment collar according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a side section detail of a rotatable hinge section according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side section detail of a tether as used in one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a front section detail of a ball attachment unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a side by side perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention in both an expanded and collapsed state. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a player using the apparatus in a tee ball configuration. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a player using the apparatus in a swing training configuration. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention. As used herein a baseball can include any one of a whiffleball, a softball or other similar type ball. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a baseball hitting apparatus that is useful for understanding the embodiments disclosed herein. As shown, apparatus  10  can include lower vertical shaft  11 , upper vertical shaft  12 , horizontal shaft  13  and any number of folding legs  14 . 
     Lower shaft  11  can preferably be constructed from an elongated tubular material having a hollow interior and an opening  16  located at the top of the shaft into which a portion of the upper vertical shaft  12  can be inserted. A plurality of folding legs  14  can be positioned along the bottom of the lower shaft  11  in order to allow the apparatus  10  to stand in an upright position. In one preferred embodiment, the apparatus can include three folding legs, each made from a hardened flat elongated material and secured to the bottom of the lower shaft  11  via a hinge  15  or other known securing means capable of allowing each leg to fold into and away from the lower shaft  10  at an angle of up to 90 degrees (see arrow A). 
     Upper shaft  12  can be interposed between the bottom shaft  11  and the horizontal shaft  13 . Upper shaft  12  can preferably be constructed from an elongated tubular material having an outer dimension/diameter that is less than the inner (hollow) dimension/diameter of the lower shaft  11 . To this end, upper shaft  12  can be housed within lower shaft  11  such that a portion of the upper shaft can extend telescopically from opening  16 , in order to adjust the height of the horizontal shaft  13  (see arrow B). Moreover, upper shaft  12  can also rotate with respect to the lower shaft  11  in order to change the position of the horizontal shaft. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , upper shaft  12  can be positioned within lower shaft  11  via attachment collar  20 . As shown, attachment collar  20  can act to reduce the diameter of the opening  16  so as to securely position the upper shaft  12  within the lower shaft  11 , thus preventing movement and providing stability of the apparatus. Attachment collars of this type are well known in the art and can include, for example, a locking pin, and/or a mechanical belt or collar. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , horizontal shaft  13  can be attached to the upper shaft  12  via hinge  30 . As shown, hinge  30  can include connection panels  31  and  32  for securing the hinge to the vertical and horizontal shafts, respectively. Moreover, hinge  30  can further include a rotatable area  33  in order to allow the horizontal shaft to rotate with respect to the vertical shafts (see arrow C). Of course, the description of the hinge  30  is for illustrative purposes only, as any number of other known hinge devices capable of performing similar features may also be utilized. 
     In an alternative embodiment, hinge  30  can further include a ball tee  35 . As shown, tee  35  can be positioned on top of the hinge  30  and can include a concave upper portion into which a baseball can be placed. To this end, it is preferable that the ball tee  35  be constructed from impact absorbing hard rubber or rubber coated plastic, however other materials and known tee shapes for holding a ball are also contemplated. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the apparatus can further include a tether  40  having a baseball attachment unit  50  on one end, and a spindle  42  attached to the opposite end. As shown, the tether can be routed through a plurality of guides  41  located along the horizontal and upper shafts while the spindle  42  can be located on the lower shaft. As such, depending on the direction the spindle is rotated, the tether will be either raised or lowered, as shown by arrow D. As used herein, a tether can be virtually any form of rope or string having good tensile strength, and a spindle can include a stationary element (i.e. cleat) around which the tether  40  can be wrapped, or can include a circular appendage having a connection point in the middle, and capable of being rotated by a user (see also arrow D) in order to receive and distribute the tether. Spindle elements of these types are extremely well known in the art, thus no further description is necessary. 
     Although described above with respect to external locations, one of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the guides  41 , and at least a portion of the tether  40  and spindle  42  can be located within the shafts of the apparatus without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention (see  FIG. 8 ). Such a configuration may be useful in order to provide a more streamlined appearance, and to prolong the life of the apparatus by not exposing the components to adverse weather conditions. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment of a baseball attachment unit (BAU)  50  which can be used to attach a regulation sized baseball to the apparatus. To this end, the BAU  50  can include a main body  51  having a roughly triangular shape and including an opening  52  along the top and a plurality of fasteners  53  located along the bottom. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the tether  40  can be looped through the opening  52  in order to securely fasten the tether to the BAU, while the fasteners  53  can be used to securely attach to a baseball  54 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, main body  51  can be constructed of hard plastic with a rubber coating to absorb any strikes received from a batter while attempting to hit the ball. Fasteners  53  can be constructed from virtually any known material capable of securing two objects together in either a removable or permanent nature such as, for example, double sided tape, hook and loop type fastener (i.e. Velcro®), magnetic elements (affixed to the ball and the BAU) or compression hardware such as a bolt or snap. 
     In one preferred embodiment, each of the lower shaft  11 , upper shaft  12  and horizontal shaft  13  can be constructed from a sturdy yet lightweight material such as, for example, hardened plastic, aluminum or a composite blend, and include a length of approximately 2-3 feet each, thus allowing adequate room for a batter to utilize the apparatus and also allowing the apparatus to collapse into a small size. 
     As described above, the apparatus  10  can be fully collapsible so as to approximate the size of a baseball bat  60 . This feature, as illustrated in  FIG. 6  is beneficial for allowing the device to be portable enough to be transported alongside a players baseball equipment. 
       FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the baseball hitting apparatus  10  in action. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the apparatus  10  can be configured for use as a tee ball stand. To this end, when legs  14  are extended, and the horizontal shaft is in a closed position, a baseball can be placed atop the ball tee  35 . Moreover, upper shaft  12  can be raised and lowered to adjust the height of the ball tee for each individual player. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the apparatus  10  can also be configured for use as a batting trainer or as an alternative to the conventional tee ball stand for use during play. In either case, when the apparatus  10  is in a fully expanded position, a baseball can be secured to the BAU and the height of the ball can be adjusted via the spindle  42 . To this end, a player can strike the ball at several angles in order to master bat and ball control during a swing. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.