Patent Publication Number: US-6666781-B1

Title: Baseball training device

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a national stage filing claiming priority to PCT International Application Serial No. PCT/DE00/00871 filed Mar. 22, 2000, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a mobile baseball practice device for practicing the batting or swinging motion of a baseball bat. 
     In baseball, the basic idea is for a batter to hit a baseball thrown by the pitcher of the opposing team with a baseball bat, propelling the ball in such a manner that it takes as long as possible for the opposing team to retrieve the baseball. Nowadays, the baseball is thrown at speeds of up to 160 km/h, so it is extremely important for the batter to swing the bat with as perfect a swing as possible within an extremely short reaction time and hit the ball in the central zone. This is only possible when the swinging motion is performed as an automatic reflex. For this to happen, the motion has to be practiced in such a manner as to allow the muscles to carry out the optimum swinging motion automatically. 
     Thus far, practice devices have been used to practice the swinging motion which utilize a pipe frame restricting the swinging motion of the baseball batter during practice. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,852 describes a mobile pipe frame with a c-shaped, curved guide pipe extending out of the end along which the baseball bat is to be swung. The other end of the guide pipe is straight and has a horizontal surface upon which a baseball is placed and which is to be hit by the batter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,039 also describes a mobile pipe frame which has two pipes standing parallel to one another and pipes which are arranged one above the other. The lower pipe has a T piece upon which the baseball can be placed. The practicing batter is thus supposed to swing the baseball bat between the pipes. All existing devices share the same disadvantage, namely that the swinging motion of the baseball bat can only be restricted to an insufficient degree with respect to the distance of the end of the bat relative to the batter while at the same time allowing the swinging motion to be carried out so that only a certain predetermined type of swing can be practiced. 
     Furthermore, existing devices do not allow the spatial position of the baseball bat to be influenced by the practice device during the swinging motion. The position of the bat in space at the point in time when it meets the ball, however, plays a crucial role. Thus, the batter can hit the ball at the point in time when he is facing the ball frontally as well as standing sideways to the ball or even on the inner side relative to the batter. While a frontal hit and a hit on the inner side relative to the batter is considered to be a good hit, meeting the ball on the outer side relative to the batter is not practiced. If a baseball is supposed to be hit on the outer side relative to the batter, it has to be hit at an earlier point in time, whereby the baseball bat has to travel a longer distance to the ball at the same time. In end effect, the batter needs more time to guide the baseball bat correctly to the ball and the probability of meeting the ball is correspondingly lower. 
     It is therefore a paramount object of the present invention to provide an improved practice device to practice an optimum swinging motion of a baseball bat. 
     This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the following description 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a mobile practice device for practicing an optimum swinging motion of a baseball bat using a strike zone restriction apparatus which includes a vertical side wall supported by a holding apparatus. As a result of the strike zone restriction apparatus, the area of motion is restricted for the head of the baseball bat, which will contact the vertical side wall as soon as the head of the bat leaves the allowed hitting zone. 
     Specifically, the batter stands next to the practice device. The batter needs to stand as closely as possible to the practice device, preferably approximately 50 cm to 70 cm from the vertical side wall. If the batter now makes a swinging motion from an initial position where the head of the baseball bat (viewed in the direction of the swing) is located behind the grip of the bat, the batter is forced to swing the bat in such a manner that the head of the bat is located behind the grip of the bat throughout almost the entire swing. Because the head of the bat is not allowed to leave the hitting zone above the side wall, the batter automatically swings the head of the bat between his body and the pitch trajectory in the direction of the baseball. Practicing in this manner significantly increases the probability that the baseball will regularly be hit on the inner side of the batter and not on the outer side of the batter. The swinging motion is thus generally shortened, allowing the batter relatively little time to meet the ball. 
     An additional advantage of the present invention is that the practicing batter has to keep his hands close to his body during the entire swinging motion, which means that the center of gravity of the baseball bat is kept comparatively close to the body, and the head of the bat can be swung at a greater speed. This allows harder and longer hits to be attained. 
     Moreover, compared with the aforementioned state of the art, the practice device of the present invention has the advantage that, although the zone for the swinging motion is limited, which influences how the batter holds the bat and the distance of the bat to the batter, the bat can still be moved freely within this zone. This allows the baseball to be hit in an optimum manner practicing with a pitcher or a ball-throwing device using different kinds of pitches—fastballs, slow balls, sliders, curves and screwballs. It is also possible to practice with balls which are positioned in a hitting direction in front of strike zone restriction apparatus. 
     In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mobile practice device is set up with a back wall placed predominantly at a right angle to the side wall. This restricts the back side of the zone (viewed in the swinging direction) for the motion of the bat. This also allows the baseball bat to be swung relatively close to the body, resulting in the swinging motion being relatively short and allowing the baseball bat to be swung faster. In addition, the swinging motion has diagonal components. The baseball bat is thus not swung only from the rear to the front, but rather at the same time from above to below. This ensures that the practicing batter learns to guide the head of the bat in a constant downward motion until it meets the ball. As a result, the force of gravity on the bat can be used to accelerate the swing of the bat. This allows more and better hits than if the swings were only made at a horizontal level. 
     In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mobile practice device also has a lower wall which is positioned predominantly at a right angle to the side wall. This restricts the zone for the motion of the bat on its lower side as well. This is especially advantageous when the practice device is used in conjunction with a ball holder, and the ball holder holds a baseball at a certain height in front of the practice device in the batting direction. In this case, the lower wall prevents the head of the bat hitting under the ball when practicing. 
     The aforementioned back and/or the lower walls can be formed with a single curved wall, the shape of the curve being adjustable to provide for an optimum swinging motion. A preferred curved wall forms an approximately 90° spherical curve, one end of which is substantially vertical and the other end of which is at an acute angle to a horizontal plane in its tangential extension. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the holding device includes a height-adjustment apparatus which allows the height of the strike zone restriction apparatus to be adjusted. In particular, this allows swinging to be practiced at different levels, for instance, with a corresponding ballholding device whose height can be accordingly adjusted to hold the ball at a certain height. 
     As a further refinement, it is recommended that the holding device have an adjustable joint, thus allowing the strike zone restriction apparatus to be swiveled as well. This allows, for instance, the position of the curved wall, particularly the angle of its lower end relative to a horizontal plane, to be adjusted to conform to the respective swinging motion to be practiced. 
     In another alternate embodiment of the present invention, the holding device has a stride guide, which functions to set the side position of the batter relative to the strike zone restriction apparatus. An appropriately designed stride guide can also determine the distance of the batter to the back wall. A preferred stride guide can thus provide the practicing batter with an optimum stride-foot position. The batter can not stand in an incorrect position relative to the ball, thus ruling out improper practice. 
     As has been stated at several points in the foregoing, the practice device of the present invention can be provided with a ball holder which has a surface upon which a baseball can be placed, where the surface is arranged in front of the strike zone restriction apparatus (viewed in the swinging direction). The batter can place a baseball on this ball holder and swing at it. This also allows the batter to train without a pitcher, while still gaining a feel for where he will meet the ball with a certain swing. One problem here, however, is that it is comparatively time-consuming to pick up all of the balls which have been hit after the practice is finished. 
     For this reason, it is contemplated that some embodiments of the practice device of the present invention include a ball holder having an elastic holder element permanently linked to a baseball. The practicing batter is thus able to hit the baseball during his swing without the ball flying away, as it is held by the elastic holder. This saves the time one would otherwise have to spend picking up all the practice balls during or after the practice session, and also allows batting practice with a ball to take place in enclosed spaces. Furthermore, the elasticity of the ball holder determines the resistance against the head of the bat when it meets the ball, and can vary according to the design of the ball holder. A practice device with a ball holder can be used either alone or in combination with strike zone restriction apparatus. 
     In the preferred embodiments described herein, the elastic holding element of the ball holder is preferably made of a rod-like rubber element, one end of which is linked to a holding device and the other end of which is linked to the baseball. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the ball be removably linked to the holder element-for instance with a screw. Or, in another embodiment, the ball is permanently linked to the holding element to form a single unit. 
     As a further refinement, it is preferred that the elastic holding element is placed on an adjustable joint, allowing the position of the holding element, and thus that of the baseball, to be adjusted. An adjustable ball joint which can be continuously adjusted and set, for example, with three set screws, is particularly well suited to serve as a joint. 
     As a further refinement, the ball holder may also have a height-adjustment apparatus so that the height of the ball can be set. This is particularly advantageous in connection with the strike zone restriction apparatus, as this allows various swings to be practiced. 
     As a further refinement, the, the ball holder may also have a traverse stanchion with several points at which to connect an elastic holding element. This is also advantageous, particularly in connection with a strike zone restriction apparatus. In this design, for instance, the ball can be positioned in front of the strike zone restriction apparatus (in the direction of the swing), for example, off to the side in the direction of the batter, aligned with the side wall or offset on the side in the direction away from the batter. This allows a host of swinging techniques to be practiced. 
     The identified embodiments associated with the present invention apply not only to a practice device for baseball, but also to comparable sports, such as softball, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the baseball practice device of the present invention with a removable ball holder; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the practice device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the practice device of FIG. 1, with a practicing batter preparing to swing his bat; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the practice device of FIG. 1, with the practicing batter of FIG. 3 in the middle of the swing of the bat; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the practice device of FIG. 1, with the practicing batter of FIG. 3 completing the swing of the bat and hitting the ball supported by the removable ball holder; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged front view of the removable ball holder of the practice device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 a  is an enlarged perspective view of an alternate removable ball holder for the practice device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of another alternate removable ball holder for the practice device of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is an enlarged front view of another alternate removable ball holder for the practice device of FIG. 1 with two separate ball holding elements; 
     FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of another alternate removable ball holder for the practice device of FIG. 1, also with two separate ball holding elements; 
     FIG. 10 is a an exploded perspective view of an alternate removable ball holder for the practice device of FIG. 1, with a plurality of connection locations for a ball holding element; 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate holding apparatus for the practice device of the present invention; 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of a side frame part of the alternate holding apparatus of FIG.  11 ; 
     FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a ball holder and underlying holding apparatus; 
     FIG. 14 is a top view of a practice device in accordance with the present invention, illustrating the swinging of the bat; and 
     FIG. 15 is a top view of a practice device of FIG. 14, illustrating the contact of the bat with the baseball. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A mobile practice device  10  for practicing the swinging motion of a baseball bat is shown in FIGS. 1 to  5 . The practice device  10  generally comprises a holding apparatus  14  and strike zone restriction apparatus  16 , the strike zone restriction apparatus  16  being supported by and maintained at a distance from the underlying ground surface by the holding apparatus  14 . As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to  5 , the strike zone restriction apparatus  16  restricts the swing of the baseball bat  12  by a practicing batter  18  by forcing the free head  20  of the baseball bat  12  to be moved within the zone constrained by the strike zone restriction apparatus  16 . 
     The strike zone restriction apparatus  16  preferably has a substantially vertical side wall  22  and a curved wall  24  adjacent the vertical side wall  22 , with the curved wall  24  forming a substantially spherical  900  curve. The upper end  26  of the curved wall  24  is oriented in a substantially vertical plane, while the front end  28  of the curved wall  24  meets in an acute angle with a substantially horizontal plane. A right-angled, curved edge line is formed where the two walls  22  and  24  meet. 
     The holding apparatus  14  has a vertical center holding stanchion  32  to hold the strike zone restriction apparatus  16 . The center holding stanchion  32  protrudes from a double T-shaped horizontal floor frame part  34 . It has a height-adjustment apparatus  36  with which the height of the strike zone restriction apparatus  16  above the ground can be adjusted. The holding apparatus  14  also includes a ball-holding device  40  which holds a baseball  42  in the front part of the practice device  10 , before the front end  28  of the curved wall  24 . The ball-holding device  40  has a height-adjustment device  44  with which the height of the ball  42  can be adjusted. 
     In addition, the holding apparatus  14  has a stride guide  48  to set the sideways distance and the longitudinal position of a practicing batter  18  relative to the strike zone restriction apparatus  16 . The stride guide  48  has an adjustment device  50  to adjust the sideways distance and an additional adjustment device  52  to set the longitudinal position of a front guide piece  54  relative to the holding apparatus  14 . The front guide piece  54  has a horizontal section  56  which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device  52  and a dog-leg section  58  bent towards the rear at approximately a 30° angle. 
     As best shown in FIG. 6, the preferred ball-holding device  40  has a U-shaped frame element  41  open towards the top, between the two free upper ends of which an elastic rubber band  43  is stretched. The baseball  42  is supported in the middle of and secured to the rubber elastic band  43 . The baseball  42  is supported in the middle of the elastic rubber band  43  so that it is returned to the depicted stationary position after it is hit by the baseball bat  12 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 6 a , in an alternate construction of the ball holder  40   a  for the practice device  10  of the present invention, the free ends of two elastic rubber bands  43   a  are affixed in a central part of the lower portion of a U-shaped frame element  41   a , which is also open towards the top. The rubber bands  43   a  lead along the respective side posts of the frame element  41   a  through retainers  39   a , which are integral with or otherwise mounted to the frame element  41   a , to the baseball  42   a , which is placed between the two side posts. The elastic bands  43   a  have a longer aggregate length as compared to the band  43   a  described with respect to FIG. 6, such that the baseball  42   a  has more freedom to move when it is hit. 
     FIG. 7 shows an alternate removable ball holder  60  for the practice device  10  of the present invention which consists of a U-shaped frame  62  which has two horizontal, elastic hose-like holding elements  64  (preferably made of plastic) and extending from the two free upper ends of the frame  62  to hold the baseball  42 . 
     As should be clear for the foregoing description, it is not always necessary to use a ball-holding apparatus  40 ,  60 . When removed, a batter can use the practice device  10  of the present invention to swing at balls hrown by a pitcher or a ball-throwing machine. This makes it possible to practice in a more realistic manner. 
     FIG. 8 shows another alternate removable ball holder  70  for the practice device  10  of the present invention which has respective vertical elastic, rod-like holding elements  74 ,  76  (preferably of different lengths ) secured near the free ends of a horizontal cross stanchion  72 . A baseball  42  is affixed to each of the holding elements  74 ,  76 . By turning the apparatus, one can practice at different heights or practice drills for left-handers and right-handers. 
     FIG. 9 shows another alternate removable ball holder  80  for the practice device  10  of the present invention which includes a vertical capping piece  82 , whose free lower end can be inserted into a carrier apparatus (not shown) defined by the holding apparatus  14  of the practice device  10 . The capping piece  82  is linked on its top side to a horizontal section of an L-shaped carrier element  84 . A U-shaped frame  86  which is open towards the top is secured to the carrier element  84 ,. The side posts  88 ,  90  of the U-shaped frame  86  each have a different vertical height and are fitted with screws  92 ,  94  which extend in an upward direction. Elastic, rod-shaped holding elements  96 ,  98 , each of which is adapted to hold a baseball  42  at its free end, can then be fastened onto the screws  92 ,  94 . A baseball  42  can either be linked to one of the elastic holding elements  96 ,  98 , for example, via a screw linkage, or,be integral with the holding element. 
     FIG. 10 shows another alternate removable ball holder  100  for the practice device of the present invention in which there are a variety of connection elements  104  arranged along the length of a horizontal holder  102 . In the embodiment shown, these connection elements  104  are formed as screws extending upward and adapted to receive an elastic holding element , onto which a baseball  42  can be secured. 
     Returning to the preferred practice device illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, the adjustment devices  36 ,  44  and  50  each preferably consist of an outer pipe provided with a cross hole and an inner pipe which has several cross holes. The inner pipe is preferably set with respect to the outer pipe by a pin that is passed through the cross hole of the outer pipe and one of the cross holes of the inner pipe, although similar fastening mechanisms could also be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The adjustment device  52  for adjusting the stride guide  48  preferably consists of a threaded opening through the end of the connecting pipe  51 . A screw is inserted through one of the several holes defined along the metal guide piece  54  and into the threaded opening of the connecting pipe  51  to secure the metal guide piece  54  with respect to the connecting pipe  51 . 
     All parts of the practice device  10  are preferably made of metal, with the exception of the elastic band  43 ,  43   a , the holding frame  40 ,  40   a  and the elastic holding elements  64 ,  74 ,  96 ,  98  and  106  of the ball-holding apparatus  60 ,  70 ,  80  and  100  depicted in FIGS. 6 to  9 . Of course, various components of the practice device  10  could also be made of plastic or other materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention The elastic holding elements  64 ,  74 ,  96 ,  98  and  106  are preferably in the form as rods made of rubber, whose ends are formed in such a manner as to allow them to be screwed together with a holder or the baseball  42 . 
     It is also noteworthy that the practice device  10  can be dismantled from the height-adjustment apparatus and arranged in a small package for transport purposes. 
     FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate holding apparatus for the practice device  10  of the present invention. The holding apparatus  14   a  is comprised of a plurality of rectangular tubes which are welded or similarly joined together to form a floor frame part  34   a  having a double-T shape. The floor frame part  34   a  has a longitudinal piece  162  and two cross pieces  164 ,  166 . Each of the cross pieces  164 ,  166  extends from the opposite ends of the longitudinal piece  162 . There is a hole  168  defined through each of the ends of the cross pieces  164 ,  166  through which a bolt is preferably inserted to secure a side frame part  170 ,  172  to the floor frame part  34   a . Specifically, each of the side frame parts  170 ,  172  includes a shaft  174 , a portion of which is inserted into the respective cross piece  164 ,  166 . There are a series of holes  176  defined through each shaft  174 , a selected one of which can be aligned with the hole  168  associated with the respective cross piece  164 ,  166  such that a pin (not shown) can be used to secure a side frame part  170 ,  172  to a respective cross piece  164 ,  166 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 12, each side frame part  170 ,  172  includes a plate  178  with two bolts  180  extending from the surface of the plate  178 , each of said bolts  180  having an enlarged head. The guide piece  54   a  is secured to the side frame parts  170 ,  172 . Specifically, the guide piece  54   a  comprises a longitudinal portion  182 , a horizontal section  156  which branches off from the longitudinal portion  182  at an angle and a dog-leg section  158  bent towards the rear at an acute angle. Several notches  184  are defined through the longitudinal portion  182  along the top surface, and several notches  186  are defined through the longitudinal portion  182  along the lower surface. The notches  184  and  186  are arranged in pairs, whereby the notches of each pair have the same distance between them as the bolts  180  of the side frame parts  170 ,  172 . The notches  184  are for receiving and retaining the respective bolts  180  when the guide piece  54   a  is secured to the left side of the holding apparatus  14   a , and the notches  186  are for receiving and retaining the bolts  180  when the guide piece  54   a  is secured to the right side of the holding apparatus  14   a . This allows the same guide piece  54   a  to be used for right-handers and left-handers. The notches  184 ,  186  can also be distributed across the entire length of the guide piece  54   a.    
     Referring again to FIG. 11, a frame part  188  is provided at one end of the holding apparatus  14   a  to extend the longitudinal piece  162  which the ball-holding device can be affixed to. The frame part  188  has a longitudinal piece  190  which is telescopically inserted into the end of the longitudinal piece  162  and is secured by a bolt or similar fastener (not shown). A cross piece  192  is secured to and oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal piece  190  in a horizontal plane. In addition, a substantially vertical stanchion  194  is secured at the intersection of the longitudinal piece  190  and cross piece  192 , upon which a ball-holding apparatus (not shown), whose height can be adjusted, is secured. 
     Lastly, with respect to FIG. 11, a center stanchion  196  is secured to and extends from the longitudinal piece  162 . This stanchion  196  is not located in the middle of the piece  162 ; rather, it is placed nearer to the back cross piece  166 . The center stanchion  196  serves as a holder for the strike zone restriction apparatus. 
     In an alternate embodiment of the holding apparatus which is not illustrated, not only one center stanchion, but rather three stanchions are provided for, arranged at different places along the back cross piece  166 . This allows the strike zone restriction apparatus to also be placed sideways to the longitudinal axis of the holding apparatus  14   a.    
     FIG. 13 shows an alternate embodiment of a ball holder and underlying holding apparatus. The ball-holding apparatus  200  includes a base plate  202 , with a center stanchion  204  secured to and extending from the base plate  202 . A vertical carrying tube  206  is secured to the center stanchion  204 . At the upper end of the vertical carrying tube  206 , there is a joint connection  208  consisting of two angled elements  210 ,  212  each of which is attached and can be traversed and adjusted together. While the first angled element  210  is firmly connected to the vertical carrying tube  206 , the second angled element  212  supports an elastic holding element  214  for a baseball  42 . This allows the elastic holding element  214  and the baseball  42  to be swiveled at one level. The base plate  202  itself is mounted on rail elements  216  which are provided with openings  218  so that it can be secured to the ground. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, the base plate  202  is formed in the shape of a home plateused in baseball so that the batter standing at the ball-holding apparatus  200  receives a competitive feeling when practicing. 
     Finally, in FIGS. 14 and 15, a batter is depicted from above during a swinging motion, or at the point in time shortly before the head of the bat meets the baseball. It is clear that the head of the bat is located for the most part between the body of the batter and the pitch trajectory of the baseball during the entire swing. While the batter depicted in FIG. 14 will meet the ball on the inner side, the batter depicted in FIG. 15 will meet the ball frontally. 
     It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that other modifications may be made to the invention as described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.