US3937464A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Batting practice apparatus
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1974-06-19
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Granted: 1976-02-10
•
Expires: 1994-06-19
Abstract
Abstract A ball is slidably mounted on a horizontally extending track which is supported by a tripod. The tripod has an upwardly extending post and a support arm which is adjustably attached to the post and extends transversely therefrom. The support arm is adjustably attached to the track to support the same. An upper rail is spaced above the track and extends parallel thereto to form an open ended bat guideway. The ball is mounted on a carriage which slides within the guideway and is spring biased to normally hold the ball in the open end of the guideway. The position of the ball and orientation of the guideway with respect to a batter can be easily adjusted to be disposed at any desired position within an individual batter's strike zone by the adjustments on the tripod and support arm. When the bat is properly swung, it hits the ball squarely and knocks the ball down the guideway to the end of the track, where the ball carriage strikes a resilient bumper. The bat moves through the guideway without touching its boundaries and then leaves the guideway. The ball subsequently returns to the open end of the guideway under the influence of the spring biasing means. If the ball is not hit squarely, it will not travel all the way to the end of the track. If the bat is swung at the wrong angle, it will contact the track or the upper rail, thereby giving the batter notice of an improper swing. If the swing is grossly incorrect, the bat may miss the ball and the guideway entirely and strike resilient bumpers at the open end of the guideway. At least one leg of the tripod support is preferably wheeled so that the apparatus may be easily moved from place to place.
Inventors
- 👤 Casimir Zalewski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 03:42
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B69/00; A63B69/0073; A63B69/0091
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
Batting practice apparatus comprising a linear track, means supporting said linear track, a rail spaced laterally of said track and extending parallel thereto, said track and rail comprising means forming a bat receiving guideway open at its front end through which a bat may be swung, a ball, means slidably supporting said ball for movement along said track within said guideway, means normally urging said ball toward the open front end of said guideway and means for limiting the movement of said ball toward said open front end of said guideway, said means supporting said linear track comprising a post, a support arm adjustably attached to said post and extending transversely therefrom, and means attaching said support arm to said track for supporting the same.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
Batting practice apparatus comprising a linear track, means supporting said linear track, a rail spaced laterally of said track and extending parallel thereto, said track and rail comprising means forming a bat receiving guideway open at its front end through which a bat may be swung, a ball, means slidably supporting said ball for movement along said track within said guideway, means normally urging said ball toward the open front end of said guideway and means for limiting the movement of said ball toward said open front end of said guideway, said means supporting said linear track comprising a post, a support arm adjustably attached to said post and extending transversely therefrom, and means attaching said support arm to said track for supporting the same.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said post is tilted at an angle to the vertical.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said support means further comprises a tripod having three legs, said post being tilted toward one leg of the tripod and wherein said one leg is larger than the other two legs of the tripod to better support said tilted post.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 and further comprising at least one wheel journaled to said support means for moving the apparatus from place to place.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
138 words
The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said track includes a hollow rectilinear housing having a slotted top, and a second rail mounted within said housing under said slotted top, a ball carriage slidably mounted on said second rail and projecting upwardly through the slotted top of said housing, and resilient means attaching said ball to said ball carriage for slidably supporting the ball with respect to the housing, said ball carriage including a plate projecting upwardly through the slotted top of said housing and a hollow cylindrical sleeve attached to the top of said plate, and wherein said means attaching said ball to said ball carriage includes a cylinder of resilient material within said cylindrical sleeve and a threaded rod embedded at one end in said resilient material and attached at its other end to said ball.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
The apparatus defined in claim 5 wherein said ball is made of resilient material and wherein a threaded tube is embedded in said ball, said threaded tube being of such dimensions as to receive said threaded rod and being threaded thereon, and further comprising a plate on one end of said tube to prevent the tube from cutting through said ball when the ball is struck by a bat.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
235 words
Batting practice apparatus comprising a linear track, means supporting said linear track, a rail spaced laterally of said track and extending parallel thereto, said track and rail comprising means forming a bat receiving guideway open at its front end through which a bat may be swung, a ball, means slidably supporting said ball for movement along said track within said guideway, means normally urging said ball toward the open front end of said guideway and means for limiting the movement of said ball toward said open front end of said guideway, said means supporting said linear track including an upwardly extending post, a first sleeve slidably mounted on said post, a threaded bore in said first sleeve for receiving a set screw and clamping plate to hold said first sleeve at any desired height on said post, a second sleeve rigidly attached to said first sleeve and extending transversely thereto, a supporting arm passing through said second sleeve and projecting sideways therefrom, means for resiliently clamping said supporting arm in said second sleeve, the end of said supporting arm which is opposite said second sleeve being bent at an angle of approximately 90°, a third sleeve rigidly attached to the bottom of said linear track, the end of said supporting arm which is opposite said second sleeve being positioned within said third sleeve, and means for resiliently clamping said support arm in said third sleeve.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
235 words
Batting practice apparatus comprising a linear track, means supporting said linear track, a rail spaced laterally of said track and extending parallel thereto, said track and rail comprising means forming a bat receiving guideway open at its front end through which a bat may be swung, a ball, means slidably supporting said ball for movement along said track within said guideway, means normally urging said ball toward the open front end of said guideway and means for limiting the movement of said ball toward said open front end of said guideway, said means supporting said linear track including an upwardly extending post, a first sleeve slidably mounted on said post, a threaded bore in said first sleeve for receiving a set screw and clamping plate to hold said first sleeve at any desired height on said post, a second sleeve rigidly attached to said first sleeve and extending transversely thereto, a supporting arm passing through said second sleeve and projecting sideways therefrom, means for resiliently clamping said supporting arm in said second sleeve, the end of said supporting arm which is opposite said second sleeve being bent at an angle of approximately 90°, a third sleeve rigidly attached to the bottom of said linear track, the end of said supporting arm which is opposite said second sleeve being positioned within said third sleeve, and means for resiliently clamping said support arm in said third sleeve.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
83 words
The apparatus defined in claim 7 wherein said means for resiliently clamping said supporting arm in said second sleeve comprises a plurality of resilient washers positioned between said supporting arm and said second sleeve, abutment means at one axial end of said plurality of washers for limiting the axial movement thereof, and means at the other axial end of said plurality of washers for applying axial pressure thereto to cause radial enlargement thereof, thereby resiliently clamping said supporting arm in said second sleeve.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
87 words
The apparatus defined in claim 8 wherein said means for resiliently clamping said supporting arm in said third sleeve comprises a second plurality of resilient washers positioned between said support arm and said third sleeve, fourth abutment means at one axial end of said second plurality of washers for limiting the axial movement thereof, and means at the other axial end of said second plurality of washers for applying axial pressure thereto to cause radial enlargement thereof, thereby resiliently clamping said support arm in said third sleeve.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
128 words
Apparatus for teaching a batter to swing a bat and develop a preconditioned reflex action adapted to the batter's individual stance and style, said apparatus comprising a bat swing guideway adapted to receive the ball hitting end of a bat swung by the batter, said guideway having an open front end, means for adjustably supporting said guideway at various levels and inclinations for matching the natural swing path for the particular batter using the apparatus so that the guideway will intercept the bat during swinging motion of the bat by the batter, a ball in said guideway and means slidably supporting the ball for movement along said guideway after impact with the bat, and means resisting movement of the ball along the guideway to develop the batter's follow-through.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
128 words
Apparatus for teaching a batter to swing a bat and develop a preconditioned reflex action adapted to the batter's individual stance and style, said apparatus comprising a bat swing guideway adapted to receive the ball hitting end of a bat swung by the batter, said guideway having an open front end, means for adjustably supporting said guideway at various levels and inclinations for matching the natural swing path for the particular batter using the apparatus so that the guideway will intercept the bat during swinging motion of the bat by the batter, a ball in said guideway and means slidably supporting the ball for movement along said guideway after impact with the bat, and means resisting movement of the ball along the guideway to develop the batter's follow-through.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus of claim 10 in which the means resisting movement of the ball along the guideway is adjustable, thus to permit gradually increasing such resistance as the batter's swing is perfected.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
25 words
The apparatus of claim 11 in which said means comprises a spring, a spring anchor, and means for adjustably attaching the anchor to the guideway.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
112 words
The apparatus of claim 12 and further comprising a linear track and a rail extending parallel thereto, the lower boundary of said guideway being formed by the upper surface of said track and the upper boundary of said guideway being formed by the lower surface of said rail, a ball carriage slidably mounted on said linear track, means attaching said ball to said ball carriage, said spring being attached at one end to said ball carriage and being attached at its other end to said spring anchor, and means adjustably attaching said spring anchor to said linear track whereby the force exerted by said spring on said ball carriage may be adjusted.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
100 words
The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the upper surface of said linear track is slotted and wherein said ball carriage is slidably mounted in said slot in the upper surface of said linear track, said linear track being hollow and said spring being mounted within said linear track, the lower surface of said linear track being slotted and said spring anchor being shaped to extend through said slot in the lower surface of said track, and a thumb screw attached to the bottom of said spring anchor for adjustably securing said spring anchor to the slotted bottom of said track.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
145 words
The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said means supporting said guideway includes an upwardly extending post, a first sleeve slidably mounted on said post, a threaded bore in said first sleeve for receiving a set screw to hold said first sleeve at any desired height on said post, a second sleeve rigidly attached to said first sleeve and extending transversely thereto, a supporting arm passing through said second sleeve and projecting transversely therefrom, means for resiliently clamping said supporting arm in said second sleeve, the end of said supporting arm which is opposite said second sleeve being bent at an angle of approximately 90°, a third sleeve rigidly attached to the bottom of said guideway, the end of said supporting arm which is opposite said second sleeve being positioned within said third sleeve, and means for resiliently clamping said support arm in said third sleeve.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1979-02-09 | 1979-08-11 | 1980-02-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1983-02-09 | 1983-08-11 | 1984-02-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1987-02-09 | 1987-08-11 | 1988-02-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |