AU720900B2

AU720900B2 - Practice unit

Info

Publication number: AU720900B2
Application number: AU20193/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ronald Goldie
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-03-20
Filing date: 1997-03-20
Publication date: 2000-06-15
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-20
Also published as: AU2019397A

Description

WO 97/34664 PCT/AU97/00189 PRACTICE UNIT Field of the invention The invention relates to a practice unit for ball sports, in particular practice units with irregular surfaces. The practice unit is used to assist in developing ball skills.

Background of the invention Practice units for ball sports have been available for some time.

One example of such a unit is a fielding unit for cricket. This unit is convex, utilises only one side of the unit and has low pitched pyramids on the surface. The fielders position themselves around the unit at varying distances and the ball is thrown by one of them onto the surface and an opposite fielder attempts to field the ball. As the surface is irregular the angle of incidence of the ball onto the surface is highly unlikely to be equal to the angle of deflection. The fielder cannot be certain of the deflection angle and this therefore improves his or her reflex reactions.

Likewise it is known to have a concave batting unit. The batting unit is positioned for batting practice immediately in front of the batsman where the bowled ball would normally strike the pitch. The longitudinal axis of the concave unit is aligned with the batsman. In this position, the ball striking the curved upper portion of the practice unit will be caused to deflect towards the batsman at varying angles.

It is also known to incorporate irregular surfaces in such units to make the deflection angle unpredictable.

As the units are specially manufactured for either batting or fielding practice it is necessary for each unit to be separately purchased, stored and carried. This adds to the cost for clubs or individuals.

Object of the invention It is an object of this invention to provide a multi-purpose practice unit which permits a variety of ball skills to be improved.

Summary of the invention In one form of the invention a multipurpose practice unit for use with balls is provided which comprises: a first top side having at least one surface defining an indented shape; and a second bottom side, opposite to the first side, having at least one surface defining a raised shape.

wherein a ridge is formed transversely across at least a part of the at least one surface defining an indented shape.

By using a combination of opposite surfaces which define indented and raised shapes it is possible to have a practice unit which can be used for a number of ball training exercises.

The terms top and bottom do not limit the orientation of the unit, which may be placed first S top side upward or downward. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the unit may •be turned over to make either the top side or the bottom side uppermost when in use.

.ofi In one preferred form of the invention, the indented shape is substantially concave.

15 In another preferred form of the invention, the raised shape is substantially convex.

In another preferred form of the invention the substantially concave indented shape and the substantially convex raised shape have the same longitudinal direction.

i In another preferred form of the invention the substantially concave indented shape and the substantially convex raised shape have the same longitudinal axis.

20 In another preferred form of the invention at least one of the surfaces of the substantially S" concave indented shape and the substantially convex raised shape have raised and indented sub-surfaces ('obstacles').

In another preferred form of the invention the surface of the substantially concave indented shape is divided longitudinally into three panels.

In another preferred form of the invention the surface of the centre panel is flat.

S In another preferred form of the invention the surfaces of the two outer panels are irregular.

fasm MO110573326v4 97420 16.03.2000 In another preferred form of the invention a ridge is formed transversely across at least a part of the at least one surface of the substantially concave indented shape. The ridge is higher than the two ends of the practice unit which are substantially parallel to the ridge.

By selection of different positions of the ridge it is possible to vary the angle of each of the panels on the practice unit.

In another preferred form of the invention one edge of the practice unit is bevelled. This bevelled edge may-be removable. Further the bevelled edge may have indented and raised shapes, which may be integral with the bevelled edge.

In another preferred form of the invention a ridge is formed where the bevelled edge joins the first or second side.

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0* 0 00 WO 97/34664 PCT/AU97/00189 3 Preferably, a sleeve member which encircles the practice unit defines an area with the first or second side which can receive obstacles.

The use of the sleeve member to permit indented and raised shapes to be defined, provides increased deflection capability which can be used for an increased number of ball-training exercises.

To this end, the sleeve can be placed over a substantially central portion along the longitudinal axis of the practice unit as required. Such a sleeve could comprise a single flat strip of suitable material of definite length having eyelets at each end through which a length of strong cord is laced. These ends of the sleeve could be joined together by pulling the cord and tying it into a knot. Alternatively, a continuous sleeve of suitable material could be expanded to stretch over the unit. Such a sleeve, once in place, could then retain obstacles placed in between the surface of the practice unit and the sleeve. Such obstacles provide the irregular surface which would make the deflection angle unpredictable. When not required, such a sleeve could be removed. The sleeve could be purchased separately when and if required by the club concerned.

The size of the sleeve and the shape and placement of the obstacles can be altered to change the irregularity of the surfaces of the sides or panels. The sleeve can be constructed of any material. Preferably, the material selected is rubber.

The size and shape of the practice unit can be altered to suit the sport, as can the obstacles and the irregularity of the surfaces of the panels.

An example of materials used in the construction of the surfaces of the practice unit include omyacarb powder and resin which is then coated with fibreglass. These materials ensure that the practice unit is light and easy to move, along with being durable.

Alternatively the unit may be blow moulded or constructed in components which are then secured together. In this way the weight of the practice unit is minimised and facilitates reduced shipping costs. The recipient can then fill the practice unit with any suitable flowable material to provide the desired weight and resilience for use. Typically the unit could be filled with water or oil or the like. Preferably oil is used as its volume does not vary markedly with the temperature. Pressure in the oil may be adjusted by the provision of 4 a movable seal (eg bolt which may be used to decrease the volume of the cavity and thereby increase the pressure of the fluid. Due to the size and weight of the practice unit an expanding foam is often desirable for use in filling the practice unit.

Further areas on the surfaces of the unit may be colour coded to denote area to which a player should direct the ball to permit practice of predetermined deflection conditions.

Description of the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of one side of a practice unit.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of another side of the practice unit of figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the practice unit of figure 1.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the practice unit of figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a first step of manufacture of another practice unit according to the invention.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second step of manufacture of the practice unit of figure Figure 7 is an end view of the practice unit produced according to the manufacturing steps of figures 5 and 6. a Figure 8 is a perspective view of the practice unit according to figure 7.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one side of another practice unit showing a sleeve overlaying the practice unit.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the sleeve of figure 9 showing the eyelets.

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the bottom of the practice unit of figure 9 with the sleeve of figure 9 in the tied position.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of top of the practice unit of figure 9 with the sleeve of figure 9 in the tied position surrounding the unit with obstacles in place.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the top of another practice unit according to the invention.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the bottom of the practice unit in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of a bevelled edge and partial view of the practice unit in Figure 13.

In the drawings figure 1 shows a practice unit 1 having a substantially convex surface 2.

Convex surface 2 has a number of low pitched pyramids 3 on its surface.

Figure 2 shows the underneath of the practice unit 1 which has a substantially concave surface 4. The substantially concave surface 4 is divided into three panels 5, 6, and 7, each of which has a different surface. The surface of panel 5 has small corrugations 8, the surface of the centre panel 6 is flat, and the surface of the other outer panel 7 has large corrugations 9. The practice unit 1 also includes a central ridge 10. The large corrugations 9 on the panel 7 diminish as they near the central ridge 10 to allow wide deviation of any ball that strikes panel 7.

As shown in figure 3, the central ridge 10 is higher than the ends 11 and 12 (not shown) of the practice unit 1. If the ridge is located centrally between the ends 11 and 12, the angle of the surface of each panel 5, 6 and 7 on either side of the central ridge 10 will be equal as more clearly shown in figure 2.

As shown in figure 4, if the central ridge 10 is modified to be a ridge 13 nearer either ends 11 or 12, the angle of the surfaces of the panels 5, 6 and 7 on either side of the ridge will vary.

The following is a description of one method of manufacturing a practice unit as shown in figures 5 to 8 of the drawings. Figure 5 shows practice unit 14 prior to the manufacture of the final surfaces. Figure 6 shows further steps in the manufacture of the convex surface with obstacles. The first step in this process is to position obstacles 15 in a bed of resin and omyacarb ('resin medium') on the convex surface. A rubber sheet 16 which has wax applied to its surface is stretched over the top of the obstacles 15 and the convex surface.

The rubber sheet 16 is then nailed down by nails 17. Timber 22 is forced underneath to U/ bring about a perfect seal with the side edges and the top of the obstacles. Pouring holes 18 are made in the rubber sheet and the resin medium is poured through the pouring holes 18 and fills the space between the convex surface and the rubber sheet. The rubber sheet 16 is then removed. If the obstacles 15 are solid they can also be removed leaving indented obstacles 19 as shown in figures 7 and 8. However if these obstacles were prefabricated in fibreglass they could be left embedded in the resin medium. Obstacles above the surface are then formed by attaching obstacles to the convex surface 21 using resin medium. The whole surface is then covered in fibreglass.

Often the practice unit is large (approximately m 2 and can be very heavy. Accordingly, it is often desirable to fill the practice unit with an expanding foam (for example, erathane).

The weight of the practice unit can be varied as desired by adding sand and/or resin before using the expanding foam.

In figure 9, a perspective view of a practice unit 23 is shown with a sleeve 24 in the untied position overlaying the central panel of the unit 25. The eyelets 26 at the ends of the sleeve 24 are shown through which a strong cord (see figure 11) may be threaded to lace the two ends 27 and 28 of the sleeve 24 together. The obstacles 29, 30 and 31 are positioned under the sleeve 24 in the area in-between the practice unit 23 and the sleeve 24.

Figure 10 shows the sleeve 24 as a flat strip with eyelets 26, situated at the two ends 27 and 28 of the sleeve 24, through which a strong cord (not shown) is alternately laced to bring the two ends 27 and 28 together tensioning the sleeve 24 about the practice unit 23 as more clearly shown in figure 11.

Figure 11 shows the practice unit 23 viewed from below with the sleeve 24 having the eyelets 26 of each end 27 and 28 of the sleeve 24 laced together by a strong cord 32.

Figure 12 shows practice unit 23 with the sleeve 24 tied into place at the back of the practice unit 23 over the central panel 25. The sleeve 24 tightly encircles the practice unit 23 centrally and longitudinally with obstacles 29, 30 and 31 inserted beneath the sleeve 24 in-between the sleeve 24 and the practice unit 23.

Figure 13 shows the top of a practice unit 33 with two surfaces 34 and 35 and a ridge 36 separating surfaces 34 and 35. Both surfaces 34 and 35 are corrugated. There is a raised area 37 running perpendicular to ridge 36 and extending over both surfaces 34 and 35. The obstacles 38, 39, 40 and 41 are raised areas located at the edges of surfaces 34 and 35. The front edge 42 of the practice unit 33 is flat. However, the remainder of the top of the practice unit 33 is concave. The ridge 36 and the raised area 37 alter the generally concave shape of the practice unit 33.

In use, surface 34 is faced towards a batter and surface 35 is faced towards a bowler or thrower. Ridge 36 allows for the angle on surface 34 to be slightly less than that of surface Ball flight off surface 34 will be lower than that off surface 35. The raised area 37 causes the ball to move left or right, high or low thus making the ball's movement unpredictable. Obstacles 38, 39, 40 and 41 create more deflection of the ball if hit.

Figure 14 shows the bottom of practice unit 33 with end 42 having a straight edge and end 00 0 43 being convex. There are raised ridges 44, 45 and 46 and raised obstacles 48, 49 and 50.

0**0 Obstacles 47 and 51 and the obstacles in areas 52 and 53 are depressed.

The bottom of practice unit 33 is used for fielding practice. The ball is thrown at the practice unit and raised ridges 44 to 46, raised obstacles 48 to 50, depressed obstacles 47 and 51 and the obstacles in areas 52 and 53 make the ball's movement unpredictable.

Raised ridge 45 and raised ridges 44 and 46 create a stable support for the practice unit when it is used as a batting unit as shown in Figure 13. It is possible for ridges 45 and 46 to meet raised ridge 44, but not essential. Figure 15 shows a bevelled edge 54 to be used with practice unit 33 by placing it adjacent to surface 35 or joining it to edge 42. Alternatively, the practice unit 33 can be made incorporating the bevelled edge 54 thereby forming an integral unit. In use, bevelled edge 54 prevents the ball from bouncing wildly off the edge 42 of the practice unit 33 and injuring the batter. Obstacles 55, 56 and 57 can be joined to the surface of the bevelled edge 54. It is possible to join more obstacles to the bevelled edge 54, or to have no obstacles attached to the bevelled edge 54. Further, there are a variety of means of attachment of the obstacles to the bevelled 54. These will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Alternatively, it is possible to manufacture the bevelled edge with integral obstacles.

The word 'comprising' and forms of the word 'comprising' as used in this description N and in the claims does not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or 8 additions.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications.

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Claims

1. A multipurpose practice unit for use with balls comprising: a first top side having at least one surface defining an indented shape; and a second bottom side, opposite to the first side, having at least one surface defining a raised shape. wherein a ridge is formed transversely across at least a part of the at least one surface defining an indented shape.

2. A practice unit according to claim 1 wherein the ridge is higher than the two ends of the practice unit which are substantially parallel to the ridge.

3. A practice unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least one surface defining the indented shape is substantially concave.

4. A practice unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the at least o* one surface defining the raised shape is substantially convex.

5. A practice unit according to claim 4 wherein the substantially concave indented S. 15 shape and the substantially convex raised shape each have a longitudinal direction which is the same.

6. A practice unit according to claim 5 wherein the substantially concave indented shape and the substantially convex raised shape each have a longitudinal axis which is the same. 9* 20 7. A practice unit according to claim 5 wherein at least one of the surfaces of the substantially concave indented shape and the substantially convex raised shape have raised and indented sub-surfaces.

8. A practice unit according to claim 5 wherein the surface of the substantially concave indented shape is divided longitudinally into three panels.

9. A practice unit according to claim 10 wherein the three panels have a central panel having a flat upper surface. 4 A practice unit according to claim 11 wherein the other panels have irregular upper surfaces. fasm MO110573326v5 97420 15.03.2000

11. A practice unit according to any one of the preceding claims which further has a sleeve member which encircles the practice unit and defines an area with the first or second side to receive obstacles.

12. A practice unit according to claim 11 wherein the sleeve member has tightening means to tension the sleeve member about the practice unit.

13. A practice unit according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one edge of the practice unit is bevelled.

14. A practice unit according to claim 13 wherein the bevelled edge is removable. A practice unit according to one of claims 13 or 14 wherein the bevelled edge has indented and raised shapes.

16. A practice unit according to claim 15 wherein the indented and raised shapes of the bevelled edge are integral with the bevelled edge.

17. A practice unit according to any one of claims 13 to 16 wherein a ridge is formed where the bevelled edge joins the first or second side. p to fasm M0110573326v5 97420 15.03.2000