Batting trainer apparatus and method

Claim 2

Apparatus for tossing a ball vertically into the air to develop coordination between the stride and swing of a batter, comprising: base means; resilient biasing means substantially planar in an at rest position and disposed generally parallel to the base means, the biasing means comprising means for carrying the ball; support means carried by the base means for supporting the biasing means at the peripheral edges of the biasing means in spaced relation above the base means; first latch means mounted to the base means and mating latch means mounted on the underside of the biasing means for releasably attaching the biasing means to the base means when the biasing means are displaced downward counter to the bias; and release means comprising a treadle operable by removal therefrom of the foot of a user for releasing the first and mating latch means from latched relation to allow the biasing means to move under force of the bias toward the at rest position thereby propelling the ball upwardly.

Claim 3

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the resilient biasing means comprise yieldable spider support means having a central portion and integral radially directed spokes, the spider support means being formed of synthetic material with memory so that it resumes its planar at rest position upon being released from its deformed latched position.

Claim 4

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the ball-carrying means comprises an ejection cup adjustably connected near the geometric center of the biasing means.

Claim 5

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the ball-carrying means and the mating latch means are of one-piece construction and wherein the mating latch means comprises a downwardly directed plunger.

Claim 6

Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the first latch means comprises a vertically disposed receptacle having a cylindrical vertically oriented plunger-receiving bore, the receptacle being mounted to the base and having a generally horizontal slot which intersects the bore and a latching member slidably disposed in the slot in the receptacle and having an aperture therein to admit passage of the plunger, the latching member being biased laterally partially out of alignment with the bore in the receptacle so as to engage a stepped recessed neck of the plunger when the plunger has been displaced through the aperture against the bias of the biasing means.

Claim 7

Apparatus as definEd in claim 5 wherein the vertical position of the latching member is adjustable.

Claim 8

Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein the length of the plunger below the biasing means is adjustable.

Claim 9

Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the release means comprise a guide arm fixed to the base means and extending radially outwardly therefrom; an actuating arm hingedly connected to the guide arm at the end of the guide arm remote from the base means and superimposed over the guide arm for longitudinal sliding movement relative thereto, the actuating arm being spaced above the guide arm adjacent the hinge connection so as to form a downwardly displaceable treadle, and releasable coupling means carried by the end of the actuating arm proximal to the base means capable of freeing the attachment between the first and mating latch means when the treadle is released.

Claim 10

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein the releasable coupling means is a spring-biased clamp releasably engaging a mating clamp mounted on the first latching means with forward motion of the actuating arm, the clamp laterally displacing the first latching means out of latching relation with the mating latching means with rearward motion of the actuating arm and releasing the mating clamp at a predetermined displaced location.

Claim 11

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein the actuating arm is made of a flat length of synthetic plastic material and comprises a toggle link formed by a wedge-shaped recess in the top surface of the arm to define one end of the toggle link and a second wedge-shaped recess in the under surface of the arm to define the other end of the toggle link, whereby forward motion of the arm causes the toggle link to fold upon itself into parallel relation with the actuating arm and effectively shorten the length of the actuating arm; and a depending dog mounted upon support structure carried by the base and supported above the folded toggle length, the dog pivotally displaceable from the vertical to the horizontal in one direction to accommodate folding of the link and resisting pivotal displacement from the vertical to the horizontal in the opposite direction to thereby maintain the resulting folded link in the folded condition until the actuating arm moves rearward when the treadle is released.

Claim 12

Apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein the actuating arm is formed of synthetic material with memory so that deformation thereof by downward pressure causes lateral movement of the actuating arm relative to the guide arm and the memory of the forming material causes the treadle to resume the at rest spaced relation of the guide arm when the downward pressure is removed from the actuating arm.

Claim 13

Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein the guide arm comprises upwardly projecting studs fixed to the guide arm and projecting through elongated slots in the actuating arm, each stud having a diametrally enlarged flange at the end exposed through the slot so that direction of relative movement of the guide and actuating arms is well defined and so that the arms are not inadvertently disengaged.

Claim 14

Apparatus as defined in claim 11 further comprising generally C-shaped brackets mounted upon the guide and actuating arms for maintaining the actuating arm in parallel relation with the guide arm, each bracket passing transversely over the actuating arm and the ends of the bracket engaging the underside of the guide arm.

Claim 15

Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein the memory of the forming material is slow acting so as to provide a time delay between release of the treadle and the freeing of the attachment between the first and mating latch means.

Claim 16

Apparatus as defined in claim 14 wherein the first latching means is equipped with a generally vertically oriented stud, and the proximal end of the actuating arm comprises an elongated spring loop disposed over the stud and accommodating relative movement of the actuating and guide arms for the length of the loop whereupon the end of the loop engages the Stud and moves the first latching member to release the biasing means thereby providing a time delay between actuation by the foot of the user and the release of the mating latch means.

Claim 17

Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said synthetic material is polypropylene.

Claim 18

A baseball skill developing and conditioning device comprising: a base member having an annular wall defining an annular opening; a hollow plunger-receiving sleeve mounted upon the base in axial alignment with the opening, the sleeve comprising a transverse slot; a laterally displaceable arm disposed in the slot, the arm having a through-bore therein adapted, when in a selected lateral position, to align with the hollow of the plunger-receiving sleeve and biasing structure for biasing the aperture partially out of alignment with the hollow; a foot-actuated treadle formed of resilient material with memory extending radially from a position adjacent the plunger-receiving sleeve to a position remote from the base, the treadle comprising a lower member, the adjacent end of which is connected to the base and an upper member juxtaposed the lower member along a substantial portion of the length thereof and longitudinally movable relative thereto, the upper member being releasably associated with the displaceable arm and comprising (a) a first set of hinged joints which, in the normal position, elevate a portion of the remote end of the upper member so that the upper member is longitudinally shifted toward the remote end of the treadle and in the foot depressed position, the elevated portion is flattened against the lower member so that the upper member is longitudinally shifted toward the adjacent end of the treadle and (b) a second set of hinged joints near the adjacent end of the treadle; one-way gate structure carried by the base which allows the second set of joints to fold a portion of the upper member upon itself in response to flattening the elevated portion, the gate structure restraining the portion in the folded condition until the treadle longitudinally shifts the upper member toward the remote end of the treadle, the longitudinal shifting of the upper member causing simultaneous lateral displacement of the arm so that the through-bore therein is moved selectively into and out of alignment with the hollow of the plunger-receiving sleeve; annular support structure carried upon the base and presenting an enlarged central aperture, exposing the central portion of the base and the plunger-receiving sleeve; a deformable resilient biasing member comprising a central portion and radially outwardly projecting fingers, the ends of which rest upon the annular support structure; and a ball-receiving pedestal comprising a downwardly projecting plunger having an annular recess exposed adjacent a forwardly tapering head thereof, the plunger being adapted to project into the hollow of the plunger-receiving sleeve and through the bore in the laterally displaceable arm to be latched therein when the arm moves into the annular recess, the plunger having a variable length to selectively vary the deformation of the biasing structure when the plunger is latched within the plunger-receiving sleeve so that the height to which the ball will be projected can be selectively varied.

Claim 19

A baseball skill developing and conditioning device comprising: a base member having an annular wall defining an annular opening; a hollow plunger-receiving sleeve mounted upon the base in axial alignment with the opening, the sleeve comprising a transverse slot; a laterally displaceable arm disposed in the slot, the arm having a through-bore therein adapted, when in a selected lateral position, to align with the hollow of the plunger-receiving sleeve and biasing structure for biasing the aperture partially out of alignment with the hollow; a foot-actuated treadle formed of resilient material with memory extending radially from a position adjacent the plunger-receiving sleeve to a position remote from the base, the treadle comprising a lower member, the adjacent end of which is connected to the base and an upper member juxtaposed the lower member along a substantial portion of the length thereof and longitudinally movable relative thereto, the upper member being releasably associated with the displaceable arm and comprising (a) a first set of hinged joints which, in the normal position, elevate a portion of the remote end of the upper member so that the upper member is longitudinally shifted toward the remote end of the treadle and in the foot depressed position, the elevated portion is flattened against the lower member so that the upper member is longitudinally shifted toward the adjacent end of the treadle and (b) a second set of hinged joints near the adjacent end of the treadle; one-way gate structure carried by the base which allows the second set of joints to fold a portion of the upper member upon itself in response to flattening the elevated portion, the gate structure restraining the portion in the folded condition until the treadle longitudinally shifts the upper member toward the remote end of the treadle, the longitudinal shifting of the upper member causing simultaneous lateral displacement of the arm so that the through-bore therein is moved selectively into and out of alignment with the hollow of the plunger-receiving sleeve; annular support structure carried upon the base and presenting an enlarged central aperture, exposing the central portion of the base and the plunger-receiving sleeve; a deformable resilient biasing member comprising a central portion and radially outwardly projecting fingers, the ends of which rest upon the annular support structure; and a ball-receiving pedestal comprising a downwardly projecting plunger having an annular recess exposed adjacent a forwardly tapering head thereof, the plunger being adapted to project into the hollow of the plunger-receiving sleeve and through the bore in the laterally displaceable arm to be latched therein when the arm moves into the annular recess, the plunger having a variable length to selectively vary the deformation of the biasing structure when the plunger is latched within the plunger-receiving sleeve so that the height to which the ball will be projected can be selectively varied.

Claim 20

In a method of projecting a ball vertically into the air, the ball being carried upon a vertically displaceable upwardly biased pedestal having a downwardly directed plunger, the steps of: biasing the ball-carrying pedestal toward a normal elevated position by uniformly distributing the biasing force radially around the pedestal; forcing the ball-carrying pedestal downwardly against the bias; locking the plunger in the downward-biased position; longitudinally shifting an upper layer of a foot treadle relative to a lower layer from an at rest to an active position by depressing an elevated portion of the upper layer with a foot preparatory to unlocking the plunger; and alLowing the upper layer of the treadle to longitudinally shift to the at rest position to unlock the plunger by removing the foot from the treadle thereby snapping the ball-carrying pedestal upwardly to its at rest position in response to the upward force of the bias.

Claim 21

In a method of projecting a ball vertically into the air, the ball being carried upon a vertically displaceable upwardly biased pedestal having a downwardly directed plunger, the steps of: biasing the ball-carrying pedestal toward a normal elevated position by uniformly distributing the biasing force radially around the pedestal; forcing the ball-carrying pedestal downwardly against the bias; locking the plunger in the downward-biased position; longitudinally shifting an upper layer of a foot treadle relative to a lower layer from an at rest to an active position by depressing an elevated portion of the upper layer with a foot preparatory to unlocking the plunger; and alLowing the upper layer of the treadle to longitudinally shift to the at rest position to unlock the plunger by removing the foot from the treadle thereby snapping the ball-carrying pedestal upwardly to its at rest position in response to the upward force of the bias.

Claim 22

In a method as defined in claim 18 wherein the forcing step is preceded by adjusting the effective length of the downwardly directed plunger thereby selecting the height to which the ball will be projected.