Abstract A practice pitching apparatus for identifying whether a ball pitched would be considered a strike or a ball based upon delineation of a strike area and a ball area on an upright target. The apparatus includes a frame member oriented in an upright position with a forward-facing front surface segmented into a recessed strike zone impact panel and a surrounding ball zone arrangement of impact panels. Disposed behind each impact panel is a paired arrangement of switches which are coupled to ball-counting circuitry and strike-counting circuitry. A display with a series of lights is provided for a continuously visible indication of how many balls, strikes, walks and outs have been delivered. When the third out is recorded, the entire system is reset signifying the end of an inning and the pitcher begins anew. The ball-counting circuitry and strike-counting circuitry are cooperatively arranged with respect to each other such that when the third strike is delivered, the ball count resets to zero and when the fourth ball is delivered, the strike count resets to zero. The switches are arranged such that if the ball zone impact panel is first hit, one of the two switches records the ball count and the other switch of the pair disables the strike count circuitry so that ricocheting shots will not count twice.
A practice pitching apparatus which maintains a count of balls, strikes and outs comprises: an upright target member having a front surface arranged into a strike zone and a surrounding ball zone, said target member including a supporting frame, a plurality of spring-biased impact panels, and a plurality of switches supported by said frame and disposed directly behind said impact panels, said plurality of spring-biased impact panels including a first panel arranged to provide said strike zone and a second series of panels arranged to provide said surrounding ball zone; a strike-counting circuit section responsive to ball impact on said first panel; an out-counting circuit section coupled to and cooperatively arranged with said strike-counting circuit section; a ball-counting circuit section responsive to ball impact on said second series of panels; display means for indicating the number of strikes and the number of balls thrown; said plurality of switches including a first group arranged in parallel and comprising a portion of said strike-counting circuit section and a second group arranged in parallel and comprising a portion of said ball-counting circuit section; and said first group of switches is subdivided into a first subgroup of switches arranged behind said strike zone panel and a second subgroup of switches arranged behind said ball zone panels, said first subgroup operatively arranged to energize said strike-counting circuit section, said second subgroup operatively arranged to disable said strike-counting circuit section.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
A practice pitching apparatus which maintains a count of balls, strikes and outs comprises: an upright target member having a front surface arranged into a strike zone and a surrounding ball zone, said target member including a supporting frame, a plurality of spring-biased impact panels, and a plurality of switches supported by said frame and disposed directly behind said impact panels, said plurality of spring-biased impact panels including a first panel arranged to provide said strike zone and a second series of panels arranged to provide said surrounding ball zone; a strike-counting circuit section responsive to ball impact on said first panel; an out-counting circuit section coupled to and cooperatively arranged with said strike-counting circuit section; a ball-counting circuit section responsive to ball impact on said second series of panels; display means for indicating the number of strikes and the number of balls thrown; said plurality of switches including a first group arranged in parallel and comprising a portion of said strike-counting circuit section and a second group arranged in parallel and comprising a portion of said ball-counting circuit section; and said first group of switches is subdivided into a first subgroup of switches arranged behind said strike zone panel and a second subgroup of switches arranged behind said ball zone panels, said first subgroup operatively arranged to energize said strike-counting circuit section, said second subgroup operatively arranged to disable said strike-counting circuit section.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
61 words
The practice pitching apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second groups of switches is subdivided into a third subgroup of switches arranged behind said ball zone panels and a fourth subgroup of switches arranged behind said strike zone panels, said third subgroup operatively arranged to energize said ball-counting circuit section, said fourth subgroup operatively arranged to disable said ball-counting circuit section.