US20140121039A1

US20140121039A1 - Batting tee device

Info

Publication number: US20140121039A1
Application number: US14/066,261
Authority: US
Inventors: Donald James Robinson; James Douglas Hall
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2012-10-29
Filing date: 2013-10-29
Publication date: 2014-05-01

Abstract

A batting tee that may have an adjustable height. The batting tee may include a base and a riser mounted to the base in a substantially vertical position. A support member may extend laterally from the riser and may support a ball and a stopper. The ball may be attached to the support member by a cord. When a user hits the ball, the ball may rotate and hit the stopper. The stopper prevents the ball from continuing to rotate and the ball may fall back to its original position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 61/719,600, filed Oct. 29, 2012, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for hitting a ball and, more particularly, to a device for practice swinging.
Currently a baseball and/or softball player may use a batting tee to practice swinging and hitting a ball. Generally, the player may need assistance from one or more individuals and/or a bucket of balls when using the batting tee. Further, the balls must be retrieved and therefore the amount of practice is reduced. Retrieving the balls may also wear down the stamina of a player and prevent the player from practicing their swing.
As can be seen, there is a need for a device to allow a user to practice their swing without having to retrieve the balls.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a batting tee device comprises: a base; a riser mounted to the base in a substantially vertical orientation relative to the base; a support member comprising a length and extending laterally from the riser; a cord attached to the support member; a ball attached to the cord; and a stopper attached to the support member, wherein at least a portion of the stopper and at least a portion of the ball are oriented at a common axis along the length of the support member.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a batting tee that may have an adjustable height. The batting tee may include a base and a riser mounted to the base in a substantially vertical position. A support member may extend laterally from the riser and may support a ball and a stopper. The ball may be attached to the support member by a cord. When a user hits the ball, the ball may rotate and hit the stopper. The stopper prevents the ball from continuing to rotate and the ball may fall back to its original position.
The present invention provides for a baseball and/or softball player practicing and/or training to swing and hit a ball without the assistance of others and without a bucket of balls. In addition the player's hits may be significantly increased in a short amount of time. The present invention allows a baseball and/or softball player to have more practice in less time with little setup and no retrieval of balls between hits. The device also allows for the player to practice without the assistance of a coach, a pitcher, and an outfielder. The present invention requires no setup between hits, requires no retrieval after hits, and allows the player to hit more balls in a shorter amount of time which greatly reduces batter fatigue.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the present invention may include a batting tee device 10. The batting tee device 10 may include a base 12 and a riser 16 mounted to the base in a substantially vertical orientation relative to the base 12. The present invention may further include a support member 20. The support member 20 may have a length l and may extend laterally from the riser 16. The present invention may further include a cord 28 that is attached to the support member 20. A ball 26 may be attached to the cord 28, and may thereby hang from the support member 20. A stopper 32 may also be attached to the support member 20. At least a portion of the stopper 32 and at least a portion of the ball may be oriented at a common axis along the length l of the support member 20.
In certain embodiments, the base 12 of the present invention may be in the form of a plate. The base 12 may include a top surface and a bottom surface. The riser 16 of the present invention may be mounted to the top surface of the base 12 by a mounting plate 17 and bolts 13. However, it is envisioned that the rise 16 may be welded to the base 12. In certain embodiments, the present invention may further include feet 14 mounted to the bottom surface of the base 12 by bolts 13. The feet 14 of the present invention may include rubber or metal feet 14 and may add support to the base 12. The base 12 may be wide enough to provide a solid support for the batting tee device 10. In certain embodiments, a user may place the base 12 on grass, dirt, concrete or any number of surfaces for a user to practice.
The present invention may include a height h. In certain embodiments, the height h may be adjusted. As illustrated in the Figures, the adjustable height h of the present invention may include raising and lowering the support member 20 to accommodate different sized individuals. For example, the support member 20 may include a vertical member 22 and a horizontal member 24. The riser 16 may include a hollow center with in opening formed at the top that is shaped to receive the vertical member 22. Therefore, the vertical member 22 may slide vertically within the riser 16. The present invention may further include a crank handle height adjustment bolt 18. The bolt 18 may be activated to apply pressure against the vertical member 22 securing the vertical member 22 at a certain height h. Alternatively, the vertical member 22 may have a plurality of notches along the height corresponding to different height levels. In such embodiments, the bolt 18 may be inserted within a notch to secure the vertical member 22 at a desired height h. However, the present invention is not limited to the adjustment components listed above and may be adjustable using any suitable components known in the art. The length l of the support member 20 may also be adjusted horizontally in the same fashion.
As mentioned above, the batting tee device 10 may further include a ball 26 attached to a cord 28. The cord 28 may be at a length where the ball 26 may hit the stopper 32 when the ball 26 is rotated around the support member 20. For example, the length of the cord may not be greater than the height of the stopper 32. In certain embodiments, the cord 28 may be attached to the support member 20 by a pivot attachment 30 so that the cord 28 may rotate with less friction. The cord 28 may be any flexible line or strap. The cord 28 may be made of natural or synthetic fibers, rope, twine, a polymer, metal wire, or the like. The cord 28 may have a first end attached to the support member 20 and a second end that is attached to the ball 26. The ball 26 may be a baseball, softball, tennis ball, wiffle ball, and the like.
As mentioned above, the present invention may further include the stopper 32. The stopper 32 may be a rubber plate and may be attached to the support member 24. In certain embodiments, the stopper 32 may be attached on the opposite side of the cord 28. For example, the stopper 32 may be attached on an upper portion of the support member 24 and the cord 28 may be attached to a lower portion of the support member 24. In such cases, the ball may rotate 180 degrees and hit the stopper 32. In certain embodiments, the stopper 32 may be attached to the support member 20 by a mounting channel 34. The stopper 32 may stop the ball 26 quickly to setup the user for the next hit when the user is ready. The hanging ball 26 may more accurately simulate a ball in mid air that has been pitched. The device 10 may allow the player to practice switch hitting, pull hitting, opposite hitting and the like. In addition with the lowering of the arm a player can practice bunting.
The present invention may include a plurality of batting tees 10 constructed as a single structure. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the present invention may include a double batting tee device 40. In such embodiments, two separate risers 16 may be mounted to the same base 12 with two separate support members 20 extending laterally. For safety purposes, the support members 20 may be extending laterally in the opposite direction. The embodiment depicted in FIG. 4 allows for each riser 16 to be adjusted separately. However, it is also envisioned that the risers 16 may be part of the same unit and the batting tees 10 may be elevated at the same height.
A method of using the present invention may include: setting the adjustable single/double hitter baseball and softball batting tee on a level surface; adjusting the baseball/softball stand at hitting level of batter; if the batter is a right handed hitter than place the batting tee on the right side and vise verse for a left handed hitter; if using a double hitter batting tee then the batter can practice switch hitting by switching between right handed hitting and left handed hitting. In addition to switch hitting, the batter can practice pull hitting and opposite hitting. Further, by lowering the batting tee the batter may also practice bunting. The batter can complete their practice without the assistance of a pitcher, ball retriever, basket of balls and even a coach.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A batting tee device comprising:

a base;

a riser mounted to the base in a substantially vertical orientation relative to the base;

a support member comprising a length and extending laterally from the riser;

a cord attached to the support member;

a ball attached to the cord; and

a stopper attached to the support member,

wherein at least a portion of the stopper and at least a portion of the ball are oriented at a common axis along the length of the support member.

2. The batting tee device of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a plate having a top surface and a bottom surface.

3. The batting tee device of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of feet mounted to the bottom surface of the base.

4. The batting tee device of claim 1, further comprising an adjustable height.

5. The batting tee device of claim 4, wherein the riser is substantially hollow forming an opening at a top of the riser, and wherein the support member comprises a vertical member and a horizontal member, wherein the vertical member fits within the opening, and wherein the distance from the horizontal member to the riser is adjustable.

6. The batting tee device of claim 5, further comprising a bolt protruding through the riser and wherein the vertical member comprises a plurality of notches along the height corresponding to a plurality of different height levels, wherein the bolt fits within an individual notch of the plurality of notches.

7. The batting tee device of claim 1, further comprising a pivot attachment attaching the cord to the support member.

8. The batting tee device of claim 1, wherein the stopper is a rubber plate.

9. The batting tee device of claim 1, wherein the support member comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the cord is attached to the upper portion and the stopper is attached to the lower portion.

10. The batting tee device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second riser mounted to the base in a substantially vertical orientation relative to the base;

a second support member comprising a length and extending laterally from the second riser;

a second cord attached to the second support member;

a second ball attached to the second cord; and

a second stopper attached to the second support member,

wherein at least a portion of the second stopper and at least a portion of the second ball are oriented at a common axis along the length of the second support member.