MXPA97005749A - Folding device for hitting practice and connectable plastic pipe used in mi - Google Patents

Abstract

A folding hitting apparatus, comprising an inclined ball supply chute for supplying a ball to an area of striking under gravitational forces; a supporting post for holding the inclined ball supply chute in a raised position, including the Support stile One base and one elongated column connecting the inclined ball supply chute and the base, the inclined ball supply chute and the elongated column being selectively collapsible in sections stored within the base. The base preferably comprises a large bucket, the elongated column being formed of a plurality of tubular sections made of a rigid plastic, such as PVC and compressible rigid connectors, also made of PVC or similar materials that fit within the sections of pipe, in order to be completely hidden in this way. Additionally, the apparatus also preferably includes a net for restricting the movements of batted balls, a folding support frame for holding the net substantially in a vertical orientation, and a base operating in two ways: one, for holding the foldable frame in an operative position of the same, and the second, to store the components of the folding frame and the network when disassembling

Description

"FOLDING APPLIANCE FOR PRACTICE OF HITTING AND PLASTIC CONNECTABLE PIPE USED IN THE SAME" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a folding apparatus for practice of hitting or hitting with bat, and with a plastic pipe structure to be used therein. More particularly, the invention relates to this batting device that is adjustable in multiple dimensions so that it can be used effectively by anyone, and with a collapsible plastic pipe structure that is easy and inexpensive to produce , and that nevertheless results in a device for practice of hitting with bat that is very durable and rigid. There are many known devices for practice of hitting with bat. For example, U.S. Patent Nos. 4,955,606; 5,042,802; 5,066,010; 5,097,985; 5,232,218 and 5,292,119 each discloses a type of batting practice devices wherein the balls are supplied one by one along a channel sloped into a batting area where the balls are dropped or "thrown" gently "from a supply channel so that a batter can swing the balls. Even though all of these known hitting practice devices are effective for their intended use, they all have the disadvantages and limitations associated therewith, whereby they do not challenge a ball picker sufficiently to improve their oscillatory throw to a high level of skill, which is excessively cumbersome and expensive, tending to break and difficult to adjust. The present invention has been developed to overcome the disadvantages and limitations of known devices for batting, including those discussed above, and to generally provide a need in the art for a hitting device that is adjustable in multiple dimensions in such a way that it challenges almost any person regardless of the size or skill level that is of robust and reliable structure, economical to produce and easy to assemble, disassemble, store and transport.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A folding practice for hitting practice, comprising an inclined ball supply chute - for supplying a ball to a hitting area under gravitational forces; a support pillar for supporting the ball supply channel inclined in a raised position, including the support pillar a base and an elongated column which connects the inline ball supply channel and the base, the channel being ball dispenser-inclined and elongated column selectively foldable in storable sec clones within the base.

The base comprises, preferably, a large bucket; The elongate column is formed of a plurality of tubular sections made of a rigid plastic, such as PVC and compressible rigid connectors, also made of PVC or similar materials that fit within the pipe sections, in order to be completely hidden. in this way.

Additionally, the apparatus also preferably includes a net for restricting ball movements, a folding support frame for supporting the net substantially in a vertical orientation, and a base that functions in two ways; one, to hold the folding frame in an operative position thereof, and the second, to store the folding frame components and the network when disassembling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in an assembled state, with some internal structure of the apparatus, detailed in broken lines. - n - Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the embodiment of Figure 1, in a disassembled state, again with some internal structure revealed in broken lines. Figure 3 is a front elevational view of a section of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, with portions of a connector shown in dashed lines to reveal the structure of the connector. Figure 4 is a front elevation view of a modification of the embodiment of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a front elevation view of a hitting net according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITIES With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of a hitting device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The striking apparatus 1 generally includes an inclined ball supply chute 2 and a support pillar 4. The ball supply chute 2 according to this embodiment includes three sections, a hollow tube section 6, an open channel section 8 and a connecting section 10; while the support post 4 comprises a base 12, a plurality of pipe sections 14, 14 ', 14", and a plurality of connectors 16 used to join the sections 14, 14', 14" together. The base 12 includes a receptacle 18 and a means 20 for securing the lower pipe section 14 'centrally within the receptacle. The various components can be assembled together with the pipe sections and the ball supply chute extends from and above the receptacle 18, as shown in Figure 1 so that a ball 3 can be supplied through the chute 2, and can be conveniently disassembled and stored within the receptacle, as shown in Figure 2. Preferably, each of the components 6, 8, 10, 14, 14 ', 14", 16, 18 is formed of a Rigid plastic material such as PVC pipe conventionally used in plumbing applications, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, etc. and of an appropriate wall thickness such as from 2 to 6 millimeters, while the receptacle 18 is preferably formed of polyethylene or other suitable plastic, and the securing means 20 preferably includes rods 22 with threaded ends and threaded nuts 24 they can be selectively adjusted on the rods 22. The rods 22 extend through the openings defined in the receptacle 18 and the lower pipe section 14 '. A cover (not shown) is also provided to cover the open end of the receptacle 18. With reference to Figure 3, the preferred structure of a connector 16 according to the invention is shown with more particularity. The connector 16 preferably comprises a pipe section with a nominal non-compressed outer diameter slightly larger than the internal diameter of the pipe section 14, and a narrow space 26 is defined in the connector completely along a longitudinal length of the pipe. same. The space 26 allows the connector 16 to be selectively compressed to reduce the nominal diameter thereof, such that the connector can be adjusted within the pipe sections 14. The space 26 is sufficiently wide that when the connector 16 is completely compressed, the nominal outside diameter of the connector is smaller than the internal diameter of the pipe section 14, and the connector 16 can be easily adjusted therein. Once the end of the connector 16 is within the end of the pipe section 14, the structural tendency of the connector to flex or return to its uncompressed state imposes an expansive force against the inner surface of the pipe section 14, stably holding the connector and the pipe section in its coupling relationship. The expansive force is large enough so that the connector and the pipe section will not separate under the force of gravity if one or more sections of pipe is suspended from a connector, even though the pipe section and the connector can be rotated one in relation to the other and the pipe sections can easily be separated by one person. To facilitate the insertion of the connector 16 into a pipe section 14, the end edges 28 of the connector are preferably beveled as shown, while one end of each connector 16 can be fixed within an end of a pipe section 14 , using an adhesive or similar material or sections 1414 ', 14"may be integrally formed or molded with one of the connectors 16 as a single member. The connector 16 disclosed provides a very stiff and stable connection even when several joints are joined to the pipe sections 14, e.g., when sections 5 to 15 are joined, the bonded sections are almost as robust as one. piece of pipe formed of the same material as sections 14 and having the same length as the combined length of the joined sections; each connected pair of sections 14, are able to rotate relative to one another around the connector 16 for adjustment purposes; and sections 14 can be easily disassembled for storage and transport. The connector 16 is completely hidden within the sections 14, and the sections have the favorable appearance of being a single length of pipe and the connector provides an excellent connection for the conventional plastic pipe because the space 26 is compressed in the connector to different degrees, in order to accommodate the discrepancies in the internal diameters of the pipe. Referring again to Figure 1, the section 10 of the connector of the inclined ball supply chute 2 is preferably attached to the upper pipe section 14"at an acute angle of about 40 ° to 70 °, such as being joined together with an adhesive or having integrally molded together as a single piece, so that the sections 10, 14 * 'are able to rotate together in relation to the section 14, while the hollow pipe and the sections 6, 8 of Open channels are selectively adjustable at the opposite ends of the connector section 10 as shown. Alternatively, the connector section can be pivotally connected to the upper end of the pipe section 14", for example, using a pivot bracket 10 'as shown in dashed lines in Figure 1, which can be formed integrally with the connector 10. In accordance with a preferred aspect of the invention, an end 8 'of the open channel section 8 has the same outer diameter as the ends of the hollow pipe section 6 so that the section 6, 8 can be adjusted interchangeably at the opposite ends of the connector section 10. The interchangeable nature of the section 6, 8 with respect to the section 10 of the connector, is desirable to adjust the difficulty of using it, when the open channel section 8 is connected to the lower end of the connector section 10, a "batter" can easily perceive and anticipate when the ball approaches before falling, while if the hollow tubular section 6 connects with the lower end of section 10 of the connector, the "batter" can not perceive the ball long before You get to the free end of Section 6, and therefore, you will have to react more skillfully to hit the ball after falling. Many modifications and variations are possible with respect to the preferred structure disclosed. The sections 6, 8 should be sized to fit above the ends of the connector 10, or the sections 6, 8 or the connector 10 could be formed with slits similar to the slots 26 of the connectors 16 to provide an adjustment of greater compression between the joints. pieces. The plastic pipe section 14 'could be formed or molded integrally with the receptacle 18 as a unitary member, the lower section 14' could otherwise be permanently fixed on the lower surface of the receptacle 18 using adhesive, a connector 16 could be integrally molded with or otherwise fixed on the lower surface of the receptacle 18, so that the section 14 'fits simply above it when assembling the device, etc. In addition, the ball supply chute 2 can be connected to the upper section of the pipe 14"by a spring extending into the pipe 14" and normally retains the ball supply chute 2 in engagement with the pipe 14 ''. With this structure, the relative orientation of the open channel section 8 and the hollow tubular section 6 to higher and lower levels, respectively, can be rapidly reversed by simply lifting the ball supply means from its engagement with the section 14". (against the force of the spring), by rotating the ball supply means 180 °, and returning it again in engagement with the section 14". With this spring thrust structure, the connector section 10 can be omitted, and instead of having the sections 6, 8 directly joined together with one of the sections 6, 8 attached to the section 14". Still further, two or more balls supply channels 2 can be provided in a vertically stacked manner at the upper end of the support post 4, with another section of pipe extending vertically between those adjacent to the channels 2 such that they are able to rotate separately relative to the upright 4 or one relative to the other, whereby the balls 3 can be dropped selectively at different vertical levels through any of the channels 2. It is preferred that when it has been completely assembled, the The apparatus is approximately 1 to 3 meters in height (whose height can be adjusted by adding and removing sections of the pipe sections 14, 14 ', 14") from the bottom of the receptacle 18 to the upper end of the supply conduit 2. balls, the balls supply channel will be approximately 0.5 to 1.2 meters long from tip to tip, the stile 4 preferably will include at least one of each of the pipe sections 14, 14 ', 14", preferably there will be pipe sections 14 of different lengths such as 15 centimeters, 30 centimeters, 45 centimeters, and the receptacle 18 will be of a normal size such as 15, 20 or 25 liters. As shown in Figure 1, the pipe sections 6, 8, 10 are preferably of a larger diameter than the pipe sections 14, 14 ', 14", for example, twice as large.

During use, water, sand or other types of heavy filler material will be placed in the receptacle 18 to provide additional stability to the assembled device, and if water is to be used to provide additional stability to the device, the openings through which The rods 22 are projected to be leak-proof using a suitable gasket or packing thereon. During the use of the device for the practice of hitting with bat, the different components can be assembled in a completely disarmed state as shown in Figure 2 to a state as shown in Figure 1 in about five minutes or less. In addition, the lower pipe section 14 'can remain fixed to the receptacle 18 through the securing means 20, after it is first armed, in which case, the entire device can be quickly assembled or disassembled in about 1 to 2. minutes Referring to Figure 4, a modification of the embodiment in Figure 1 is shown. Structurally, the modification is in the ball supply channel 102, while the support post 104 is identical to the means 4 of the support post. the first modality The ball supply chute 102 according to the modified embodiment includes a section 110 of the connector connected to the upper tubular section of the support post, a hollow tubular section 106 and an open channel section 108 similar to the first embodiment, includes likewise a curved intermediate portion 112. As illustrated, the curved intermediate portion 112 will preferably comprise a pair of 90 ° bends 114, a plurality of straight connecting sections 116, and an extension section 118, all of which are connected together with the sections 106, 108, 110 in such a way, that the ball supply chute 102 is essentially "U" shaped when seen in plan view, even when it is inclined from one end (the free end of section 106) to the other end ( the free end of section 108). With this structure, the free ends of sections 106, 108 are oriented essentially in the same direction such that a "batter" can place a ball on the free end of section 106, pick up his bat and throw the ball after it marches through the ball supply channel. and falls from the free end of section 108. This arrangement is very advantageous because a "batter" can conveniently practice the use of the device per se, while with the embodiment of Figure 1, it would be practically necessary to have another person - l? + - «To place the balls at the free end of section 6 or 8. According to this modification, the components 106, 108, 110, 114, 116, 118 are preferably constructed of a rigid plastic material such as a plastic pipe. PVC; and the sections 106, 108 can be interchangeably connected with the section 110 and with the extension end 116. In addition, the components 106, 108, 110 preferably have the identical structure as those of the components 6, 8, 10 in the first embodiment, while the straight pieces 116 preferably have an outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameters of the connector 110, the elbows 114 and the extension section 118, while the spaces will be defined longitudinally along the end portions of the pieces 116 so that they can be compressively fitted within the ends of the connector 110, the elbows 114 and the section 118 in a manner similar to the structure discussed above with respect to Figure 3. Alternatively, the straight pieces 116 may be formed as small connectors that are placed entirely inside the connector 110, the elbows 114 and the section 118 similarly to the connectors 16 which are placed entirely within the pipe sections 14, 14 ', 14", according to the first embodiment as discussed above.

Advantageously, the elbows 114 are able to rotate around the straight pieces 116 so that the relative degree of inclination of the extension section 118 and of the piece 116 between the elbows, can be adjusted to have a greater or lesser inclination, so as to in this way adjust the speed at which the ball is delivered through the chute 102. Alternatively, the intermediate portion 112 could be formed with fewer sections than the one illustrated in Figure 4. For example, one of the elbows 114 could also be the section connected with the support post 104, thereby eliminating the section 110, and the extension section 118 could be formed integrally with the elbow 114, and these two modified sections could be joined by a single straight piece 116, that could be placed within two modified sections. With the alternative structure, the two modified sections will still be rotatable relative to one another around a straight piece 116 therebetween. In addition, the entire intermediate section 112 could be formed as a single member, of either the rigid pipe, of a flexible corrugated pipe and again could constitute the section connected to the support pillar. Dimensionally, the chute 102 in accordance with the modified mode of preference is 0.6 to 1.2 meters long from the tip of the section 106 or 108 to the rear face of the intermediate section 112, and approximately 25 to 60 centimeters wide from the elbow 114 to the elbow 114. Referring again to Figure 5, there is shown a folding net device 201 for balls according to a second embodiment of the invention that includes a support frame 102, a base 204, and a net 206. The support frame 202 is preferably constructed of a plurality of straight tubular sections 208, the corner sections 210 and the "T" shaped connector sections 212, as well as a plurality of connectors (not shown) but which they have the same configuration as the connectors 16 of the first embodiment, the pipe sections 208 being connectable selectively together with the connectors, the corner section 210 and the shaped sections 212 a of "T". A lower pipe section 208 'is fixed to a base receptacle 204 as in the first embodiment, while another section of the pipe 208"is secured to an auxiliary support base 214. Preferably, the pipe section 208"is integrally molded with the auxiliary support base 214 as a unitary member, but may be secured thereto in another manner, such as by using an adhesive. The total support frame 202 can be of any suitable size such as 2 meters high and 1.5 meters wide, and can be assembled with the base 204 in five minutes or less from a completely disarmed state, and is very rigid and stable. As with the first mode, the frame 202, as well as the auxiliary support base 214 can conveniently be stored and transported in the base receptacle 204 when disassembled. The auxiliary support base 214 may optionally function as the cover for the base receptacle 204. The net 206 preferably has a width slightly greater than the width of the support frame 202 when being assembled, and a length somewhat greater than the height of the assembled support frame 202, while one end of the net is folded over and stitched together to define a cavity 206 'which can be easily slid over the upper end of the support frame 202, in such a manner, that the network then hangs down from it. The network 206 is preferably constructed of a durable polymeric material such as nylon, polyester, etc., and preferably has a reinforced edge 206". Optionally, the apparatus of Figure 5 may include an additional means for securing the lower portions of the net 206 in the support frame 202, such as fabric strips with hook fasteners and clasp at the ends thereof that could be clamped around of a pipe section 208 and the reinforced edge 206"of the net, or hook members projecting from the tubular sections 208 or 212 for coupling the reinforced shore 206" of the net. Also optionally, means are provided at the upper end of the support frame 202 to cause the upper end of the net (corresponding to the cavity 206 ') to project away from the middle of the support frame (projecting from the plane of the paper) such that the upper end of the net forms a projecting shoulder which effectively restricts the upward movement of the ball against the net 206. As an alternative structure, to the essentially rectangular frame 202 shown in Figure 5 , a support frame according to the invention could be essentially "T" shaped with a single vertical support post of the pipe sections 208 extending upwards from a single receptacle of the support base 204, and a horizontal section of the sections 208 connected in a central section thereof with the vertical post. The network 206 would have the same structure as described above and could be held exclusively by the upper horizontal section of pipe sections 208. Preferably, a pipe connection section between the vertical post and the upper horizontal section of the pipe sections 208 would be angled forward so that the upper end of the net again forms a projecting shoulder to restrict upward movement of the balls. Numerous variations with respect to the embodiments disclosed are possible and within the scope of the invention. A pole release mechanism, a mechanism for securing the connector section 10 in a plurality of specific angular orientations relative to the upper tubular section 14"or for clamping the portions of the intermediate portion 112 in specific angular orientations one with respect to to the other, they could be added to the supply chute. They could be used for pipe sections, other cross-sectional shapes and other materials such as aluminum, other metals and flexible materials. The different sections of pipe could have a threaded end to join together. A plurality of open channel members could be used in the ball supply chute. The support post could be formed of two or more telescopic sections, instead of the interlocking sections 14, 14 ', 14"and the connectors 16, etc.

Claims (18)

1. A folding practice for hitting practice comprising: a ball supply chute tilted to deliver a ball to a hitting area; a support post for supporting the inclined ball supply chute, in an elevated position, the support post includes a base and an elongated column which connects the inclined ball supply chute and the base; and the inclined ball supply chute and elongated column, being selectively collapsible in storable sections within the base.

The hitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined ball supply chute includes a hollow tubular section and an open channel section, and the inclined ball supply chute is selectively adjustable in such a manner that each hollow tubular section and the open channel section can be placed at a lower level and at a higher level relative to the other section.

The punching practice apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inclined ball supply chute further includes a section of the connector connected to the upper end of the elongated column, the hollow tubular section and the open channel section. , respectively, each tubular section and the channel section are selectively connectable with different portions of the connector section corresponding to higher and lower levels, and the connector section is able to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the elongated column .

4. The striking practice apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base includes a receptacle and an open end, a lower section of the elongated column is capable of being mounted centrally within the receptacle such that the column extends. up through the open end of the receptacle, the receptacle including a handle and a lid for closing the open end of the receptacle.

The striking practice apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elongated column includes a plurality of rigid pipe sections and adjustable connectors with the ends of the pipe sections for connecting the sections together in an end manner with extreme.

6. The hitting apparatus according to the re-excitation 5, wherein the sections and connectors are constructed of plastic, each connector comprises a pipe with an uncompressed outer diameter slightly larger than the inner diameter of the column sections, and with a narrow space defined along a longitudinal section thereof so that the connector can be selectively compressed along the space to reduce the uncompressed diameter.

The punching practice apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the ends of the connectors have beveled edges to facilitate insertion thereof into the column sections.

The hitting practice apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined ball supply chute includes a ball feeding section, a ball exit section positioned at a lower level than the feeding section of the ball. balls, and a curved intermediate section that connects the ball feeding and ball exit sections in such a way that the free ends of the ball feeding and exit sections balls are oriented essentially in the same direction.

The striking practice apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the ball feeding sections and a ball exit section is capable of rotating relative to the intermediate section to adjust the angular orientation Of the same.

The punching practice apparatus according to claim 1, including a plurality of inclined ball supply chutes positioned in a vertically spaced manner at an upper end of the support pillar.

11. A hitting device comprising: a trough for supplying a ball that is to be struck along an inclined path, the channel includes a ball feeding portion, a ball exit portion and a curved intermediate portion that connects the ball feeding and exit portions so that the free ends of the ball feeding and exit sections are essentially oriented in the same direction; a mounting member fixed to the chute and projecting therefrom to mount the chute with a support such that the free end of the ball feeding portion is placed at a higher level that is higher than the extreme Free of the exit portion of balls; and the free ends of the ball feeding and exit portions are placed next to each other.

12. A punching device according to claim 11, wherein at least one of the ball feeding and ball exit portions includes an open channel member.

13. A punching device according to claim 11, wherein the chute and the mounting member are molded with an integral unitary member.

14. A punching device according to claim 11, wherein the ball feeding and ball exit portions are capable of rotating relative to one another around the intermediate portion.

15. A collapsible support pillar, comprising: a base including a receptacle with an open end; an upright that connects the base to define a raised support surface above the base; the post including a plurality of pipe sections and a plurality of adjustable connectors within the pipe sections for joining the sections together in an end-to-end manner; a lower pipe section of the upright is capable of being mounted within the receptacle such that the upright extends upwardly through the open end of the receptacle; and the pipe sections and the stud connectors are selectively foldable and storable within the receptacle.

A collapsible support pillar according to claim 15, wherein the base includes means for securing the lower portion of the elongated column centrally within the receptacle, the receptacle includes a handle and a cap for closing the open end, and the Stile includes a vertically extending portion which extends from the base and an essentially horizontal portion connected with an upper end of the vertical portion.

17. A collapsible pipe structure comprising: a plurality of rigid pipe sections; and adjustable connectors within the ends of pipe sections to connect the seams together end to end. the sections and connectors are formed of plastic, each connector comprising a pipe with a nominal non-compressed outside diameter slightly larger than an inner diameter of the pipe sections and with a narrow space defined along a longitudinal section thereof. so that the connector can be compressed slightly along the space to reduce the nominal diameter thereof.

18. A collapsible pipe structure according to claim 17, wherein the ends of the connectors have beveled edges to facilitate insertion into the column sections.