KR102018969B1 - Universal swing training device - Google Patents

Abstract

A general swing training device is provided that includes sports-related tools and a sliding mechanism. The tool includes spaced proximal and distal sections to form a gap therebetween. The sliding mechanism is inserted into this gap and connected to the upper end of the proximal section and the lower end of the distal section. The sliding mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly, which, when the slide rail assembly is positioned in a coaxial position on the rail guide, Cooperatively configured to ensure that the lower end is coaxial and to allow lateral transition of this lower end to this upper end during the swing of the tool.

Description

Universal swing training device

Many sports and recreational activities involve a person swinging a given type of sport-related tool. For example, in golf sports, a golfer swings a golf club to hit a golf ball. In baseball sports, the batter swings a baseball bat to hit a baseball. In tennis sports, a tennis player swings a tennis racket (or known as a tennis racquet) to hit a tennis ball.

Training device embodiments described herein generally include a swing training device. In one exemplary embodiment, the general purpose swing training apparatus includes a sports-related tool and a sliding mechanism. The tool includes two separate and separated sections spaced apart to form such a gap, which section includes a proximal section and a distal section. The sliding mechanism is inserted into this gap and connected to the upper end of the proximal section and the lower end of the distal section. The sliding mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly, which, when the slide rail assembly is positioned in a coaxial position on the rail guide, Cooperatively configured to ensure the lower end is coaxial and to allow a lateral shift of this lower end relative to this upper end during the swing of the tool.

In another exemplary embodiment, the golf club swing training device includes a golf club shaft and a sliding mechanism. The shaft has a butt end and a head end, and includes two separate and separated portions spaced apart to form a gap therebetween, the portion comprising an upper shaft portion including the butt end of the shaft and the head of the shaft. A lower shaft portion including an end portion. The sliding mechanism is inserted in this gap and connected to the lower end of the upper shaft portion and the upper end of the lower shaft portion. The sliding mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly, which, when the slide rail assembly is positioned in a coaxial position on the rail guide, Cooperatively configured to ensure the upper end is coaxial and to allow lateral transition of this upper end to this lower end during the swing of the club.

In another exemplary embodiment, the baseball bat swing training device includes a baseball bat and a sliding mechanism. The bat includes two separate and separated sections spaced apart to form a gap therebetween, which section includes a handle section and a body section. The sliding mechanism is inserted into this gap and connected to the upper end of the handle section and the lower end of the torso section. The sliding mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly, which, when the slide rail assembly is positioned in a coaxial position on the rail guide, Cooperatively configured to ensure the lower end is coaxial, and to allow lateral transition of this lower end to this upper end during the swing of the bat.

In another exemplary embodiment, the tennis racket swing training device includes a tennis racket and a sliding mechanism. The racket includes a handle section, a head section, and a neck section that rigidly interconnects the handle section and the head section. The handle section includes two separate and separated portions spaced apart to form a gap therebetween, which portion includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The sliding mechanism is inserted in this gap and connected to the upper end of the lower part of the handle section and to the lower end of the upper part of the handle section. The sliding mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly, which, when the slide rail assembly is positioned in a coaxial position on the rail guide, Cooperatively configured to ensure the lower end is coaxial and to allow lateral transition of this lower end to this upper end during the swing of the racket.

It should be noted that the foregoing "invention" is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in "Details of the Invention." This “invention” is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the claimed subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

Specific features, aspects, and advantages of the training apparatus described herein will be better understood with reference to the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.
1 shows a simplified, top view, of an exemplary embodiment of a conventional sport-related tool and a conventional object associated with the tool, with a person swinging the tool to strike the object.
FIG. 2 shows a simplified form, top view, of an exemplary embodiment of the sliding mechanism shown connected between the lower end of the distal section of the sports-related tool and the upper end of the proximal section of the tool, wherein the sliding mechanism is A slide rail assembly, a rail guide portion, and a plurality of ball bearings, the slide rail assembly being reliably connected to the lower end such that the slide rail assembly and the lower end thereof are coaxial, the rail guide portion being connected to the rail guide portion; It is securely connected to this upper end such that the upper end is coaxial, and the slide rail assembly is a figure disposed in a coaxial position on the rail guide such that the lower end and this upper end are coaxial.
FIG. 3 shows a simplified plan view of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2, in which the slide rail assembly has a lower end of the distal section of the sports-related tool preliminarily transversely from the upper end of the proximal section of the tool. The drawing is placed in the maximum non-coaxial position on the rail guide to offset / translate by a defined distance.
4 is an enlarged plan view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2 rotated 90 degrees to the right.
FIG. 5 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2 taken along line CC of FIG. 2.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 3 taken along line DD of FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged plan view of a simplified form of a co-based embodiment of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2; A particular embodiment of such a sliding mechanism is referred to hereinafter simply as a co-based sliding mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of one embodiment of the co-based slide rail member of the co-based slide mechanism of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 shows a simplified top view of a transparent top view of the cavity-based slide rail member of FIG. 8.
10 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the cavity-based slide rail member of FIG. 9 rotated 90 degrees to the right.
FIG. 11 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the cavity-based slide rail member of FIG. 8 taken along line EE of FIG. 9.
FIG. 12 shows a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of one embodiment of a cavity-based rail guide of the cavity-based sliding mechanism of FIG. 7.
FIG. 13 shows a simplified bottom view of a transparent bottom view of the cavity-based rail guide of FIG. 12.
14 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the cavity-based rail guide of FIG. 13 rotated 90 degrees to the left.
FIG. 15 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the cavity-based rail guide of FIG. 12 taken along line FF of FIG. 13.
FIG. 16 shows an exploded top view of a simplified form of the pillar-based embodiment of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2; A particular embodiment of this sliding mechanism is referred to hereinafter simply as a pillar-based sliding mechanism.
FIG. 17 is a simplified, transparent, plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the pillar-based sliding rail member of the pillar-based sliding mechanism of FIG. 16.
FIG. 18 shows a simplified top view of a transparent top view of the column-based slide rail member of FIG. 17.
19 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the pillar-based slide rail member of FIG. 18 rotated 90 degrees to the right.
20 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the column-based slide rail member of FIG. 17 taken along line GG of FIG. 18.
FIG. 21 is a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the pillar-based rail guide of the pillar-based sliding mechanism of FIG. 16.
FIG. 22 shows a simplified, transparent bottom view of the column-based rail guide of FIG. 21.
FIG. 23 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the column-based rail guide of FIG. 22 rotated 90 degrees to the left.
FIG. 24 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the column-based rail guide of FIG. 21 taken along the line HH of FIG. 22.
FIG. 25 is an enlarged cross-sectional view, in simplified form, of an alternative embodiment of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2 taken along line CC of FIG. 2.
FIG. 26 shows a simplified top view, in simplified form, of an exemplary embodiment of an alternate sliding mechanism shown shown connected between a lower end of a torso section of a baseball bat and an upper end of a handle section of a bat, wherein the alternative sliding mechanism is An alternate slide rail assembly and an alternate rail guide, wherein the alternate slide rail assembly is reliably connected to this lower end such that the alternate slide rail assembly and the lower end thereof are coaxial, and the alternate rail guide, It is securely connected to this upper end such that the upper end is coaxial, and the alternate slide rail assembly is a figure disposed in the rightmost position on the alternate rail guide such that the lower end and this upper end are coaxial.
FIG. 27 is a simplified, top view view of the alternate slide mechanism of FIG. 26 wherein the alternate slide rail assembly has a lower end of the torso section of the baseball bat in advance transversely from the upper end of the handle section of the bat. The figure is arranged at the leftmost position on the replacement rail guide to be offset by a defined distance.

In the following description of training device embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and, by way of illustration, show specific embodiments in which the training device may be practiced. It will be appreciated that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the training device embodiments.

It should also be noted that for clarity, certain terms will be used in describing the training device embodiments described herein, which is not intended to limit these embodiments to the specific terms so selected. It will also be understood that each particular term encompasses all of its technical equivalents that operate in a broadly similar manner to achieve a similar purpose. As used herein, "an embodiment", or "another embodiment", or "exemplary embodiment", or "alternative embodiment", or "one embodiment", or "another embodiment", or "exemplary embodiment" Implementation ", or" alternative embodiment ", or" one version ", or" another version ", or" exemplary version ", or" alternative version ", refers to an embodiment or embodiment It is meant that a particular feature, special structure, or special feature described in the following can be included in at least one embodiment of the training device. "In one embodiment", "in another embodiment", "in an exemplary embodiment", "in an alternate embodiment", "in one embodiment", "in another embodiment" in various places herein The appearances of the phrases "in exemplary embodiments", "in alternative embodiments", "in one version", "in another version", "in exemplary versions", and "in alternative versions" necessarily All do not refer to the same embodiment or implementation or version, nor do separate or alternative embodiments / implements / versions mutually exclude other embodiments / implements / versions. Furthermore, the order of process flows representing one or more embodiments or implementations or versions of the training device does not necessarily indicate any particular order and does not imply any limitation of the training device.

Also additionally, to the extent that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "comprising", variations thereof, and other similar words are used in this description or the claims, such terms may be used with any additional or other elements. Without being excluded, as an open transition word, it is intended to be inclusive, in a manner similar to the term "comprising".

1.0 universal swing training device

Training device embodiments described herein generally include a universal swing training device that a person can use to improve the mechanics of how a person swings a given type of sport-related tool. As can be appreciated from the more specific description below, the training device embodiment can be applied to any type of sports-related tool on which a person swings, including but not limited to golf clubs, baseball bats, and tennis rackets. have. In general and as described in more detail below, the training device embodiment includes a sports-related tool and a sliding mechanism, the sliding mechanism being interposed into the tool in a manner that converts the tool into a tool swing training device (eg, For example, it is installed). More particularly and by way of non-limiting example, in one embodiment of the training device, the sports-related tool is a conventional golf club and the sliding mechanism is interposed into the golf club in a manner that converts the golf club into a golf club swing training device. . In another embodiment of the training device, the sports-related tool is a conventional baseball bat and the sliding mechanism is interposed into the baseball bat in a manner that converts the baseball bat into a baseball bat swing training device. In another embodiment of the training device, the sports-related tool is a conventional tennis racket and the sliding mechanism is interposed into the tennis racket in a manner that converts the tennis racket into a tennis racket swing training device.

1 shows a plan view, in simplified form, of an exemplary embodiment of a typical sports-related tool in which a person swings to strike a conventional object associated with the tool. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sports-related tool 10 generally includes two different longitudinal sections, namely the proximal section 14 and the distal section 12. The person grasps a part of the proximal section 14 of the tool 10 with one or both hands and forces the tool 10 to strike the object 18 with the part of the distal section 12 of the tool 10. Swing (16). In an exemplary embodiment of the training device described herein, the tool 10 is approximately between the lower end of the distal section 12 of the tool 10 and the upper end of the proximal section 14 of the tool 10. At the boundary BB of the tool, it is laterally cut along its longitudinal axis AA (eg, the tool 10 is cut in a direction perpendicular to the axis AA) and the small longitudinal section of the tool 10 20 is removed. Thus, the cutting of this tool 10 separates the distal section 12 from the proximal section 14 and forms a gap therebetween. After the longitudinal section 20 of the tool 10 has been removed, the sliding mechanism (not shown, several such embodiments of which are described in more detail below) swings the tool 10 in a manner desired by a person ( 16) it is inserted into this gap in such a way that the distal section 12 can be moved / translated laterally / laterally at a predefined short distance relative to the proximal section 14. In an exemplary embodiment of the training device embodiment just described, the longitudinal section 20 of the tool 10 to be removed has a length L1, which length of the tool 10 after the sliding mechanism is interposed in the gap. It is chosen so that the length is the same as the original length of the tool 10 before cutting.

2 is a top view, in simplified form, of an exemplary embodiment of a sliding mechanism 22 shown connected between the lower end of the distal section 12 of the sports-related tool and the upper end of the proximal section 14 of the tool. Shows. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the sliding mechanism 22 includes a rail guide 24, a plurality of front ball bearings (eg, front ball bearings 26 and 28), a plurality of rear ball bearings (not shown), And a slide rail assembly, wherein the slide rail assembly includes a slide rail member 34, a slide-limiting member (not shown), and a ball bearing retaining feature 38. As will be described in more detail below. Similarly, the slide rail assembly is securely (eg, at the lower end of the distal section 12 in a manner that ensures that the slide rail assembly and the lower end of the distal section 12 are coaxial regardless of how the tool swings). Rail guide 24, the proximal section 14 in a manner that ensures that the rail guide and the upper end of the proximal section 14 are coaxial regardless of how the tool swings. In the upper end of the The slide rail assembly shown in Fig. 2 has the longitudinal axis Y1 of the lower end of the distal section 12 of the tool aligned with the longitudinal axis Y2 of the upper end of the proximal section 14 of the tool. Such that the lower and upper ends are coaxial, such as when the slide rail assembly is placed in a coaxial position, the coaxial position on the rail guide 24. The following sliding mechanism 22 As can be appreciated from a more detailed description of), when a person holds the tool in preparation for swinging the tool (e.g., when the golfer holds the golf club and performs the backswing of the club, or the batter When maintaining a baseball bat and raising the torso section of the bat behind their heads and upwards of one of their shoulders, or a tennis player keeps their tennis racket and conducts a backswing of the racket Time), the slide rail assembly and sports-the lower end of the distal section 12 of the associated tool would be moved / shifted smoothly integrated to the coaxial position just described.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism 22 of FIG. 2, wherein the slide rail assembly has a longitudinal axis Y1 of the lower end of the distal section 12 of the sports-related tool. Maximum non-coaxial on rail guide 24 such that it is offset / shifted from longitudinal axis Y2 of the upper end of proximal section 14 to the transverse / lateral direction at a predefined maximum rail travel distance D1. Is placed in a remote location. As described herein, this transverse / lateral offset between the lower end of the distal section 12 and the upper end of the proximal section 14 may be caused by the forces generated during the desired swing 16 of the tool. have. It should be noted that the maximum rail travel distance D1 (described in more detail below) and the magnitude of the associated difference between the length L2 and the diameter D2 shown in the accompanying drawings are exaggerated for better viewing. something to do.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, as can be understood from the more detailed description of the sliding mechanism 22 below, in one embodiment of the sliding mechanism 22, the coaxial position just described is the slide rail. It is as if the assembly is placed in the rightmost position on the rail guide 24 and the maximum non-coaxial position just described is as if the slide rail assembly is arranged in the leftmost position on the rail guide 24 (eg For example, the above-described lateral / lateral movement / offset / transition occurs in the left direction from the rightmost position). In an alternative embodiment of the sliding mechanism 22, the coaxial position is such that the slide rail assembly is disposed in a central position on the rail guide 24, and the maximum non-coaxial position is that the slide rail assembly is the rail guide. As in the leftmost position on 24 or in the rightmost position on rail guide 24 (eg, a sports-related tool may swing to the left (eg from the right side of a person to its left). When transverse / lateral movement / offset / transition occurs in the left direction, when the sports-related tool is rotated to the right (eg from the left side of the person to its right), the transverse / lateral movement / Offset / transition occurs in the right direction).

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged plan view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism 22 of FIG. 2 rotated 90 degrees to the right. A small portion of the pillar 36 of the aforementioned slide-limiting member that passes between the slide rail member 34 and the rail guide 24 is shown in FIG. 4, while this pillar 36 is shown in FIGS. It cannot be confirmed in 3. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism 22 of FIG. 2 taken along line C-C of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view, in simplified form, of the sliding mechanism 22 of FIG. 3 taken along the line D-D of FIG. 3. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, and again referring to FIG. 3, the rail guide 24 includes a rail travel distance limiting feature 40, and the lower end of the column 36 includes a sliding mechanism ( After 22 is fully assembled, it protrudes into this distance limiting feature 40 at a predefined protrusion distance. As will be described in more detail below, the pillar 36 and the rail travel distance limiting feature 40 are located at the bottom of the distal section 12 of the sports-related tool relative to the upper end of the proximal section 14 of the tool. It is cooperatively configured to limit the above-described lateral / lateral movement / transition of the end to the maximum rail movement distance D1.

FIG. 7 shows an exploded top view of a simplified form of a co-based embodiment of the sliding mechanism 22 of FIG. 2; A particular embodiment of this sliding mechanism 22 is referred to hereinafter simply as the co-based sliding mechanism 100. Referring again to FIG. 1 and as described in more detail below, the joint-based sliding mechanism 100 is a situation in which the sports-related tool 10 is a golf club (among other types of sports-related tools). Can be applied to FIG. 16 shows an exploded top view of a simplified form of the column-based embodiment of the sliding mechanism 22 of FIG. 2; A particular embodiment of this sliding mechanism 22 is referred to hereinafter simply as the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200. The pillar-based sliding mechanism 200 may be applied to a situation where the sports-related tool 10 is a baseball bat or tennis racket (among other types of sports-related tools).

Training device embodiments described herein are advantageous for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the following. As can be appreciated from FIGS. 1-7 and 16 and the more detailed description below with respect to these figures, the design of the sliding mechanism 22/100/200 minimizes the weight of the mechanism while maintaining its structural integrity ( integrity (e.g., its mechanical strength), and a strong mechanical resistance to bending and possibly breakage during the swing 16 of the sports-related tool 10, even at the greatest swing force and speed. Provide resistance. As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, after the sliding mechanism 22/100/200 is fully assembled and connected to the distal and proximal sections 12 and 14 of the tool 10, the sliding mechanism 22/100/200 ) Allows limited, low friction lateral / lateral movement of the lower end of the distal section 12 of the tool with respect to the upper end of the proximal section 14 of the tool with substantial mechanical integrity. In other words, the rail guides 24/102/202, the plurality of front ball bearings (eg front ball bearings 26 and 28), the plurality of rear ball bearings (eg rear ball bearings 30 and 32), and the slide rail assembly 104/204 of the sliding mechanism 22/100/200 are cooperatively configured to allow for the upper end of the proximal section 14 during the swing 16 of the tool 10. Allows low friction lateral / lateral movement (eg, transverse / lateral transition) of the lower end of the distal section 12, and this movement / movement / transition may include the longitudinal axis ( Y1) and in the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis Y2 of this upper end, this movement / movement / transition is limited to the maximum rail movement distance D1.

1.1 Golf Club Application Examples

The training device embodiments described in this table of contents are referred to simply as golf-club-related embodiments below. Golf-club-related embodiments generally improve the dynamics of the field of golf clubs and, more particularly, how golfers swing golf clubs (e.g., the perfect golfer's swing) and thus become better golfers. It relates to a golf club swing training device that can be used by golfers. As can be appreciated in the golf art, golfers can utilize the inherent flexibility of the golf club shaft to selectively deflect the ball from left to right or right to left by shaping a properly hit golf ball trajectory. As can be appreciated from the more detailed description below, golf-club-related embodiments teach golfers to swing a golf club in a manner that utilizes the momentum of the head of the club to achieve the desired ball trajectory shape. In other words, a golf-club-related embodiment may help the golfer learn to selectively control the shape of the golf ball's trajectory, such that the ball "curves" in a controlled manner from right to left or from left to right. Specially designed.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-7, in a golf-club-related embodiment within this table of contents, the sports-related tool 10 is a conventional golf club shaft having a butt end and a head end, and the object 18 is conventional. Golf ball, the distal section 12 of the tool is the lower shaft portion including the head end of the shaft, the proximal section 14 of the tool is the upper shaft portion including the butt end or the grip of the shaft, and the sliding mechanism ( 22 is a joint-based sliding mechanism 100. Golf-club-related embodiments are advantageous for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the following. Golf-club-related embodiments may be used with any type of golf club (eg, driver clubs, among other types of golf clubs). Golf-club-related embodiments are also compatible with both right-handed golf clubs swinging 16 in a right-to-left manner and left-handed golf clubs swinging 16 in a left-to-right manner. Can be.

Referring again to FIG. 7 and as will be understood from the detailed description of the following golf-club-related embodiments, the joint-based sliding mechanism 100 is fully assembled and inserted between the upper and lower shaft portions. After the operation, the force generated during the successful use of the golfer's golf-club-related embodiment (i.e. during the proper / desirable swinging of the golf club to achieve the desired ball trajectory shape) is determined by the lower shaft portion against the lower end of the upper shaft portion. May cause the aforementioned lateral / lateral movement / movement / transition of the upper end of the back, which in turn gives both the auditory and tactile feedback to the golfer indicating whether the sliding mechanism 100 has achieved the desired swing profile. Can provide. More particularly, when the golfer swings his club in a manner that causes lateral / lateral movement / movement / transition of the upper end of the lower shaft portion relative to the lower end of the upper shaft portion, the head of the club is impacted. Previously, the ball is advanced by a distance greater than or equal to the above-described maximum rail travel distance D1, resulting in a ball trajectory shape from right to left when the head face is square when impacting the ball. On the other hand, when a golfer swings his club in a manner that prevents such movement / movement / transition, the upper end of the lower shaft portion and the lower end of the upper shaft portion remain coaxial and the head is behind the shaft of the shaft. Impacts the ball, resulting in a ball trajectory shape from left to right when the head face is square when impacting the ball. Accordingly, by practicing with the golf-club-related embodiments described in this table of contents, golfers must control and alter their swings to create the desired ball trajectory shape from right to left or from left to right. Will learn. Auditory and tactile feedback provided to the golfer when movement / exercise / transition occurs, allows the golfer to know whether such movement / exercise / transition occurred during the golfer's swing and when It allows golfers to modify their swing dynamics to create or prevent this movement / movement / transition to achieve the desired ball trajectory shape.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the cavity-based sliding mechanism 100 is a cavity-based rail guide 102 (representing one embodiment of the rail guide 24 described above), the plurality of front described above. Ball bearings (e.g., front ball bearings 26 and 28), and a plurality of rear ball bearings (e.g., rear ball bearings 30 and 32) described above. The slide mechanism 100 also includes a joint-based slide rail assembly 104, which slide rail assembly (shows one embodiment of the slide rail member 34 described above). 106), a pair of joint-based slide-limiting member 108 (representing one embodiment of the slide-limiting member described in Table of Contents 1.0), front ball bearing retaining members 110 and 114, and rear ball bearing retaining A pair of members 112 and 116. This set of ball bearing retaining members 110/112/114/116 represents one embodiment of the ball bearing retaining features 38 described above.

FIG. 8 shows a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of one embodiment of the slide rail member 106 of the slide mechanism 100 of FIG. 7. 9 shows a simplified top view, in simplified form, of the slide rail member 106 of FIG. 8. FIG. 10 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the slide rail member 106 of FIG. 9 rotated 90 degrees to the right. FIG. 11 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the slide rail member 106 taken along line E-E of FIG. 9. FIG. 12 shows a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of one embodiment of the rail guide 102 of the sliding mechanism 100 of FIG. 7. FIG. 13 shows a transparent bottom view, in simplified form, of the rail guide 102 of FIG. 12. FIG. 14 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the rail guide 102 of FIG. 13 rotated 90 degrees to the left. FIG. 15 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the rail guide 102 of FIG. 12 taken along line F-F of FIG. 13.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8-11 and again with reference to FIG. 7, the upper portion of the joint-based slide rail member 106 is connected to the upper end of the lower shaft portion regardless of how the club swings. The upper end of the lower shaft portion is secured to the upper end 150 of the connection 118 in such a way as to ensure that it is coaxial with the 118 and thus coaxial with the co-based slide rail assembly 104. And an upper connection 118 configured to allow connection. It should be noted that this robust connection can be realized in a variety of ways. By way of example but not limitation, in the co-based slide rail member 106 embodiment shown in FIGS. 8-11, this adaptation is configured as follows. The upper end 150 of the upper connector 118 includes a cylindrical cavity 120 coaxial with the connector 118. This cavity 120 has a diameter D3 sized to allow the upper end of the lower shaft portion to be comfortably inserted downward into the cavity 120, while the radially outer surface of this upper end with a strong adhesive To the radial wall of cavity 120 firmly. It will be appreciated that various types of adhesives may be used. In an exemplary embodiment of the cavity-based sliding mechanism 100, the adhesive is an epoxy. The lower portion of the slide rail member 106 includes a slide rail block 122, wherein the lower end of the connection 118 is firmly disposed on a central position on the top surface 124 of the slide rail block 122. The cavity 120 and the slide rail block 122 thus have a common longitudinal axis Y3 perpendicular to the surface 124, so that when this upper end is connected to the upper end of the connection 118, the lower shaft Ensure that the longitudinal axis of the upper end of the portion is perpendicular to the surface 124.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12-15 and again with reference to FIG. 7, the lower portion of the joint-based rail guide 102 is connected to the lower end of the upper shaft portion regardless of how the club swings. Allowing the lower end of the upper shaft portion to be reliably connected to the lower end 152 of the connection 128 in a manner that ensures to be coaxial with the 128 and thus coaxial with the rail guide 102. And a lower connection 128 configured to. It should be noted that this robust connection can be realized in a variety of ways. By way of example but not limitation, in the co-based rail guide 102 embodiment shown in FIGS. 12-15, this adaptation is configured as follows. The lower end 152 of the lower connector 128 includes a cylindrical cavity 130 coaxial with the connector 128. This cavity 130 has a diameter D4 sized to allow the lower end of the upper shaft portion to be comfortably inserted into the cavity 130, while the radial direction of this lower end is achieved using the aforementioned strong adhesive. The outer surface is firmly adhered to the radial wall of the cavity 130. Note that diameter D4 is typically slightly larger than diameter D3 because in the conventional golf club shaft the diameter of the lower end of the upper shaft portion is typically slightly larger than the diameter of the upper end of the lower shaft portion. shall. The upper portion of the rail guide 102 includes a guide block 132, where the upper end of the connection 128 is rigidly disposed on a central position on the bottom surface 134 of the guide block 132, and The cavity 130 and the guide block 132 thus have a common longitudinal axis Y4 perpendicular to the surface 134, so that when this lower end is connected to the lower end 152 of the connection 128, the upper shaft Ensure that the longitudinal axis of the lower end of the portion is perpendicular to the surface 134.

Referring generally and again to FIGS. 4 and 7-15, the cavity-based rail guide 102, the front ball bearings 26/28, the rear ball bearings 30/32, and the cavity-based The slide rail assembly 104 is cooperatively configured to allow low friction lateral / lateral movement (eg, transverse / lateral transition) of the assembly 104 relative to the guide 102, This movement / transition is limited to the maximum rail movement distance D1. More particularly, the slide rail block 122 of the co-based slide rail member 106 has elongated rail slots 136 and 138 (ie, front rail slot 136) having a predefined width W1. And a rear rail slot 138. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 10, the rail slots 136 and 138 are arranged so that their longitudinal axes lie along a horizontal plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Y3 of the slide rail member 106. The upper portion of the guide block 132 of the cavity-based rail guide 102 includes a linear guide channel 140 that passes from the left side 146 of the guide block 132 to its right side 148. This channel 140 is configured to slide into a sliding engagement when a combination of the slide rail block 122 and the front and rear ball bearings 26/28/30/32 is slidably inserted into the channel 140. Generally configured to receive. More particularly, the vertical axis of the linear guide channel 140 is aligned with the aforementioned common longitudinal axis Y4 of the rail guide 102. Guide channel 140 has a pair of parallel vertical sidewalls and opposing elongated guide slots 142 and 144 (ie, front guide slot 142 and rear guide slot 144), and front guide slot 142. ) Resides on one of the sidewalls of channel 140 and rear guide slot 144 resides on the other of the sidewalls of channel 140. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 14, the front and rear guide slots 142 and 144 are disposed on their respective side walls such that their longitudinal axes lie along a horizontal plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Y4. do. Guide channel 140 also has a predefined width W2 that is slightly larger than width W1, thereby allowing slide rail block 122 to be movably disposed within channel 140. The front rail slot 136 and the front guide slot 142 have a common shape slightly smaller than half-circle, and when the slide rail block 122 is disposed in the guide channel 140, these slots 136 and 142 are The front ball bearing 26/28 is sized to accommodate the low friction rolling engagement. Accordingly, the front ball bearings 26/28 serve to slightly separate the front rail slot 136 and the front guide slot 142. In an exemplary embodiment of the cavity-based sliding mechanism 100, the size and shape of the front rail slot 136 and the front guide slot 142 may be defined by a portion of each outer surface of the front ball bearing 26/28. Matched in size and shape, such that the contact between each of the ball bearings 26/28 and the slots 136 and 142 is distributed evenly over the entire entire surface of each of the ball bearings 26/28, thus This minimizes friction between slots and ball bearings. Similarly, the rear rail slot 138 and the rear guide slot 144 have a common shape slightly smaller than half-circle, and when the slide rail block 122 is disposed in the guide channel 140, these slots 138 and 144 is sized to accommodate the rear ball bearing 30/32 in a low friction rolling engagement. Thus, the rear ball bearings 30/32 serve to slightly separate the rear rail slot 138 and the rear guide slot 144. In an exemplary embodiment of the sliding mechanism 100, the size and shape of the rear rail slot 138 and the rear guide slot 144 may vary with the size and shape of a portion of each outer surface of the rear ball bearing 30/32. Mating, whereby the contact between each of the ball bearings 30/32 and the slots 138 and 144 is evenly distributed over the entire surface of each of the ball bearings 30/32, and thus these slots and balls Minimize friction between bearings. Thus, the slide rail block 122 is once disposed movably within the guide channel 140, and the front ball bearing 26/28 is rolled between the front rail slot 136 and the front guide slot 142 and Once slidingly inserted, and once the rear ball bearing 30/32 is rolled and slidably inserted between the rear rail slot 138 and the rear guide slot 144, the slide rail member 106 ( And thus the slide rail assembly 104 comprises a longitudinal axis Y3 of the slide rail member 106 (and thus a longitudinal axis of the slide rail assembly 104) and a longitudinal axis of the rail guide 102. (Y4) can slide / move in a direction perpendicular to all of them.

Referring again to FIGS. 4, 7, 9, 10, 13, and 14, in an exemplary embodiment of the co-based sliding mechanism 100, the width W1 and width W2 just described. ) Is greater than 1.0 millimeter and less than 2.0 millimeter. The cavity-based slide rail member 106 may optionally include one or more weight-reducing openings (not shown) that serve to further reduce the weight of the cavity-based sliding mechanism 100, such openings. Can be as large as possible without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the slide rail member 106. Similarly, the cavity-based rail guide 102 may optionally include one or more weight-reducing openings (also not shown) that serve to further reduce the weight of the sliding mechanism 100. The opening can be as large as possible without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the rail guide 102. In order to prevent injury to the golfer and to further reduce the weight of the sliding mechanism 100, the outer edges and edges on the sliding mechanism 100 can be optionally rounded.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 12-15, the guide block 132 of the cavity-based rail guide 102 also has a bottom surface 156 of the guide channel 140 of the rail guide. A rail travel distance limiting aperture 154 located thereon. It should be noted that this rail travel distance limiting opening 154 represents one embodiment of the rail travel distance limiting feature 40 described above. The rail travel distance limiting opening 154 has a predefined width W3 and a predefined length L2, and in an exemplary embodiment of the rail guide 102, the cylindrical cavity 130 and the linear guide channel ( Pass between 140). As illustrated in FIGS. 8-11, the cavity-based slide rail member 106 is a lower end 158 of the slide rail member 106 (which is the lower end of the slide rail block 122) from the cylindrical cavity 120. A longitudinal opening 126, through which the longitudinal axis of the opening 126 is aligned with the common longitudinal axis Y3 of both the cavity 120 and the slide rail block 122. In other words, the opening 126 is coaxial with both the upper connection 118 and the slide rail block 122. The opening 126 has a predefined radial cross sectional shape and a predefined diameter D5. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the cavity-based slide-limiting member 108, which is reliably inserted into the opening 126, is an opening-occluding column 160 (representing one embodiment of the pillar 36 described above). And a head 162 rigidly disposed on the upper end of the pillar 160. The pillar 160 has a radial cross sectional shape that is the same as the radial cross sectional shape of the opening 126. The pillar 160 also has a predefined length L3 and a predefined diameter D2 selected such that the pillar 160 can be inserted entirely and securely downward into the opening 126, and thus the pillar ( 160 protrudes from the lower end 158 of the slide rail member 106 after such insertion (some of these protrusions are shown in FIG. 4), and the lower end of the pillar 160 into the rail travel distance limiting opening 154. It protrudes at the above-mentioned protruding distance.

Referring back to FIGS. 7-11, in one embodiment of the cavity-based sliding mechanism 100, the longitudinal opening 126 may have a circular radial cross-sectional shape, may have threads, and aperture-occluded. The radially outer surface of the pillar 160 is also in such a way as to allow the pillar 160 to be threadedly connected to the opening 126 by threading the pillar 160 fully into the opening 126. Therefore, it can be threaded in such a way as to allow for reliable insertion of the cavity-based slide-limiting member 108 into the cavity-based slide rail member 106. In this particular embodiment, a lock-washer (not shown) may optionally be placed on the pillar 160 before the pillar is threaded into the opening 126; When the pillar 160 is fully threaded into the opening 126, the lock-washer will begin to intervene between the lower end of the head 162 and the lower end of the cylindrical cavity 120. In another embodiment of the sliding mechanism 100 in which the opening 126 has no threads and the radially outer surface of the pillar 160 has no threads, the opening 126 has various radial cross-sectional shapes (eg, Among the two-dimensional shapes, it may have any one of circular, square, and hexagon), and the reliable insertion of the slide-limiting member 108 into the slide rail member 106 may include a column (s) into the opening 126. By the insertion of 160, while firmly attaching the radially outer surface of the pillar 160 to the radial wall of the opening 126 using the aforementioned strong adhesive.

Referring again to FIGS. 2-15, the slide rail block 122 of the cavity-based slide rail member 106 is movably disposed within the guide channel 140 of the cavity-based rail guide 102. When the ball bearing retaining feature 38 retains the front ball bearing 26/28 between the front rail slot 136 and the front guide slot 142, and also the rear ball bearing 30/32 is rearward. It is generally configured to hold between the rail slot 138 and the rear guide slot 144. It should be noted that the ball bearing retention feature 38 can be realized in a variety of ways. By way of example but not of limitation, in the embodiment of the cavity-based slide rail assembly 104 shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 7-10, the ball bearing retaining features 38 are realized as follows. The ball bearing retaining features include the front ball bearing retaining members 110 and 114 and the rear ball bearing retaining members 112 and 116 described above. Each of these retaining members 110/112/114/116 includes a pillar (eg, pillar 164) and a head (eg, head 166) rigidly disposed on one end of the pillar. do. The slide rail block 122 includes a pair of front retaining member cavities 168 and 170, and a pair of rear retaining member cavities 172 and 174, and each length of such a cavity 168/170/172/174. The direction axis lies along the aforementioned horizontal plane in which the rail slots 136 and 138 are disposed along (as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10), each of these cavities 168/170/172/174, Has a size and shape configured to allow a given one column (eg, pillar 164) of the retaining member 110/112/114/116 to be fully and securely inserted into the cavity, and thus ( As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the head of this retaining member (eg, head 166) is in contact with the left side 184 or the right side 186 of the slide rail block 122. In one embodiment of the slide rail assembly 104, each of the cavities 168/170/172/174 may have a circular radial cross-sectional shape and may have threads, and the retaining member 110/112/114/116. The radially outer surface of each column of) may also be threaded in such a way that it can be threadedly connected to a given one of cavities 168/170/172/174. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each head of the retaining member 110/112/114/116 has a predefinition of a given one of these given ends of the rail slots 136/138. Has a radial size selected to cover the portion, which portion is external to the sliding mechanism 100, regardless of how the golf club swings after the ball bearing 26/28/30/32 is fully assembled. It is large enough to prevent it from escaping, and small enough to allow for the aforementioned lateral / lateral movement of the assembly 104 relative to the guide 102 (eg, the front ball bearing retaining member 110). And 114 maintain the front ball bearing 26/28 between the front rail slot 136 and the front guide slot 142, and the rear ball bearing retaining members 112 and 116 are rear ball bearings 30/32. Is maintained between the rear rail slot 138 and the rear guide slot 144).

As can be understood from the functional operation of the co-based sliding mechanism 100 described in FIGS. 4-6 and this table of contents, and referring again to FIGS. 7-15, the co-based sliding mechanism 100 ) Is fully assembled, the bottom end of such a pillar 160 is projected to the above-described protruding distance into the rail travel distance limiting opening 154 on the cavity-based rail guide 102, thereby limiting the cavity-based slide-limiting. The length L3 of the aperture- bite column 160 of the member 108 is selected. As will now be described in more detail, this opening 154 limits the movement of the joint-based slide rail assembly 104 by limiting the movement of the pillar 160 to the maximum rail movement distance D1. D1) (eg, to limit the transverse / lateral movement / offset / transition described above). More particularly, the openings 154 have one pair of opposing vertical sidewalls 176 and 178 that are parallel to each other and to the vertical sidewall of the linear guide channel 140 of the rail guide. The opening 154 has different pairs of opposing vertical sidewalls 180 and 182 that are symmetrical to each other, and the horizontal central portion of both of these sidewalls 180 and 182 slides / moves the cavity-based slide rail member 106. Direction and thus perpendicular to the direction of slide / movement of the pillars 160 of the slide-limiting member 108. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, both the width W3 and the length L2 of the opening 154 are greater than the diameter D2 of the pillar 160, such that the pillar 160 has an opening 154. Within the lateral direction (eg, left and right in terms of FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6). As can be understood from FIGS. 5 and 6, the difference between the length L2 and the diameter D2 forms the distance D1. When the slide rail assembly 104 is disposed in the coaxial position described above on the rail guide 102, the right side of the pillar 160 contacts the side wall 182 as shown in FIG. 5. When the slide rail assembly 104 is placed in the aforementioned maximum non-coaxial position on the rail guide 102 (which is the leftmost position, if shown), the left side of the pillar 160 is shown in FIG. 6. In contact with the side wall 180 as shown. In general, the length L2 and the diameter D2 are chosen so that the distance D1 can have any value, and this value is selected based on the stiffness of the golf club, among other factors. For example but not by way of limitation, in an exemplary embodiment of the sliding mechanism 100, the length L2 and the diameter D2 are selected such that the distance D1 is about 0.65 millimeters.

With reference to the foregoing description and again with reference to FIGS. 5-7, the co-based sliding mechanism 100 is characterized by the upper end of the lower shaft portion relative to the lower end of the upper shaft portion when the golfer swings the club in a desired manner. It will be appreciated that the golfer can hear and feel the transverse / lateral movement / movement / transition of. In other words, when the sliding mechanism 100 is interposed into the shaft of the club as described herein, the sliding mechanism 100 provides the golfer with the aforementioned acoustic and tactile feedback that indicates whether the desired swing profile has been achieved. to provide. For example, the club swings in such a way that the upper end of the lower shaft portion is transversely / laterally moved / transferred to the left with respect to the lower end of the upper shaft portion and thus the cavity-based slide rail assembly 104 is hollowed out. When the maximum non-coaxial position on the base rail guide 102 is reached and the left side of the aperture-occluded column 160 impacts the vertical sidewall 180 of the rail travel distance limiting opening 154. The sliding mechanism 100 will produce a discernible sound at the proximal end of the club (eg, the golfer will hear a "click") and also generate a tactile sensation (eg, the golfer , You will feel vibrations moving from the mechanism 100 through the upper shaft portion to the golfer's hand).

It will also be appreciated that the co-based sliding mechanism may be interposed into the golf club shaft at any desired position along the shaft. The decision as to where to make the aforementioned incision along the shaft and to interpose the sliding mechanism takes into account several factors as follows. Placing the sliding mechanism closer to the grip on the butt end of the shaft maximizes the deflection in the lower shaft portion when the club is swinging, which is advantageous. However, the inherent weight of the sliding mechanism may also change the balance point of the club, which is disadvantageous, and the extent of this change depends on the actual weight of the sliding mechanism and the particular position along the shaft in which the sliding mechanism is interposed. In an exemplary embodiment of the golf-club-related embodiment described in this table of contents, where the golf club is a driver club having a graphite shaft and a length greater than about 45 inches, the aforementioned clearances through which the sliding mechanism is inserted into About 30 percent of the overall length of the club (including the head) is located at a distance from the butt end of the shaft.

1.2 Baseball Bat Application Example

The training device embodiments described in this table of contents are referred to simply as baseball-bat-related embodiments below. Such baseball-bat-related embodiments generally improve the mechanics of the field of baseball bats and more particularly the manner in which the batter's bat is swinging (e.g., a perfect batter swing) and thus to be a better batter ( For example, to increase the batter's swing speed and the frequency of hits made while at bat, the batter may use a baseball bat swing training apparatus. In other words, and as can be appreciated from the more detailed description below, a baseball-bat-related embodiment teaches the batter to swing the bat faster (eg, to increase batter's bat speed and power). Therefore, he teaches the batter to hit the pitched baseball stronger and more consistently.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-6 and 16, in the baseball-bat-related embodiments described in this table of contents, the sports-related tool 10 is a conventional baseball bat, and the object 18 is a conventional baseball ball. The distal section 12 of the tool is the torso section of the bat, the proximal section 14 of the tool is the handle section of the bat, and the sliding mechanism 22 is the column-based sliding mechanism 200. Baseball-bat-related embodiments are advantageous for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the following. Baseball-bat-related embodiments may be used with any type of baseball bat, including but not limited to conventional wood bats, or conventional metal bats, or conventional composite batts, or conventional hybrid bats. As understood in baseball sports, wood bats have greater flexibility than metal bats and also generally have greater flexibility than composite bats and hybrid bats. Batters with good swing dynamics can cause the wood bat to bend more during the swing. This warpage generally occurs midway between the proximal and distal ends of the bat, further increasing the speed / power of the torso section. In view of the foregoing, when the sliding mechanism 200 is interposed into a metal bat, or a composite bat, or a hybrid bat, the slide mechanism 200 may allow the metal / compound / hybrid bat to simulate a wood bat. I can understand.

Referring back to FIG. 16 and as will be understood from the detailed description of the baseball-bat-related embodiments below, the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200 is fully assembled and the torso section of the baseball bat and the handle of the bat After being interposed between the sections, the forces generated during the successful use of the batter's baseball-bat-related embodiment (ie, during proper / preferable swinging of the bat) are described above with the aforementioned transverse of the lower end of the torso section relative to the upper end of the handle section. It may cause a directional / lateral movement / movement / transition, which in turn may provide the player with both acoustic and tactile feedback indicating whether the sliding mechanism 200 has achieved the desired swing profile. This auditory and tactile feedback is advantageous because it realistically simulates bats that impact the baseball. Accordingly, by practicing with the baseball-bat-related embodiments described in this table of contents, batters will learn how to increase their bat speed and power.

Additionally, as understood in the baseball field, the batter often makes warm-ups just before walking into the batter box. A given batter can perform this warm up in a variety of ways, including: The batter can warm up by swinging a baseball bat that is significantly heavier than the bat used in the batter box. The batter can also prep by swinging a combination of conventional bats that are also heavier in weight than the bats used in the batter box. The batter can also make a warm up by sliding a conventional weighted donut ring onto their bat and swinging this temporary weighted bat. The baseball-bat-related embodiment described in this table of contents is more advantageous in that the batter can use it as a warm-up apparatus. More particularly, in an exemplary warm-up embodiment of a baseball-bat-related embodiment, after the pole-based sliding mechanism is fully assembled and inserted between the torso and handle sections of the bat, the batter may be able to insert a conventional weighted donut ring of the bat. It can slide over the body section. Then, when the batter swings this warm-up embodiment, the just described auditory and tactile feedback provided to the batter when the transverse / lateral movement / movement / transition just described occurs to the batter. Will provide a sense.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200 is a pillar-based rail guide 202 (representing another embodiment of the rail guide 24 described above), the plurality of fronts described above. Ball bearings (e.g., front ball bearings 26 and 28), and a plurality of rear ball bearings (e.g., rear ball bearings 30 and 32) described above. The slide mechanism 200 also includes a pillar-based slide rail assembly 204, which slide rail assembly (which represents another embodiment of the slide rail member 34 described above) (a pillar-based slide rail member). 206), the column-based slide-limiting member 208 (which represents another embodiment of the slide-limiting member described in Table of Contents 1.0), the pair of front ball bearing retaining members 110 and 114 described above, and the foregoing A pair of rear ball bearing retaining members 112 and 116. As described below, this set of ball bearing retaining members 110/112/114/116 represents one embodiment of the ball bearing retaining features 38 described above.

FIG. 17 illustrates a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the slide rail member 206 of the slide mechanism 200 of FIG. 16. FIG. 18 shows a simplified top view, in simplified form, of the slide rail member 206 of FIG. 17. FIG. 19 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the slide rail member 206 of FIG. 18 rotated 90 degrees to the right. FIG. 20 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the slide rail member 206 taken along the line G-G of FIG. 18. FIG. 21 shows a simplified, single-sided, transparent plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the rail guide 202 of the sliding mechanism 200 of FIG. 16. FIG. 22 shows a transparent bottom view, in simplified form, of the rail guide 202 of FIG. 21. FIG. 23 shows a simplified, transparent plan view of the rail guide 202 of FIG. 22 rotated 90 degrees to the left. FIG. 24 shows a simplified, cross-sectional view of the rail guide 202 of FIG. 21 taken along the line H-H of FIG. 22.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17 and 20 and again with reference to FIG. 16, the lower end of the torso section of the bat is coaxial with the pillar-based slide rail assembly 204 regardless of how the bat is swinging. In a manner, the upper portion is configured to allow the lower end of the torso section of the bat to be securely connected to the upper portion of the pillar-based slide rail member 206. It should be noted that this secure connection can be realized in a variety of ways. By way of example but not limitation, in the pillar-based slide rail member 206 embodiment shown in FIGS. 17-20, this adaptation is configured as follows. The upper portion of the slide rail member 206 includes a torso-occluding column 210, the lower portion of the slide rail member 206 includes a slide rail block 212, and the lower end of the pillar 210 includes a slide rail. It is firmly disposed on a central position on the top surface 214 of the block 212, such that the pillar 210 and the slide rail block 212 have a common longitudinal axis Y5 perpendicular to the surface 214. Thus, when the lower end of the torso section is connected to the slide rail member 206, it is ensured that the longitudinal axis of the lower end of the torso section is perpendicular to the surface 214, and the lower surface of the torso section is the surface ( 214) to ensure the same height.

Referring again to FIGS. 17-20, the trunk-occlusal column 210 has a radial cross-sectional shape that is the same as the radial cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal cavity formed on the lower end of the body section of the bat. The longitudinal axis is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the lower end of the body section. Torso-occlusal column 210 also has a predefined length L4 and a predefined diameter D6 selected such that the pillar 210 can be inserted fully and comfortably upward into the longitudinal cavity. In one embodiment of the baseball bat swing training apparatus described in this table of contents (typically in the case of a wooden bat) with a solid longitudinal interior, the longitudinal cavity is a longitudinal cavity in which the bat is cut and the aforementioned longitudinal direction. After the section is removed, it can be formed on the lower end of the torso section. In one embodiment of this particular embodiment, the longitudinal cavity may have a circular radial cross-sectional shape, and the radially outer surface of the trunk-occluding column 210 may have a thread, thus reducing the lower end of the trunk section. The secure connection to the pillar-based slide rail member 206 can be achieved by threading the pillar 210 into the cavity. In one version of this particular embodiment, the threads on the trunk-occlusal column 210 are formed in a counterclockwise arrangement, which means that when the bat is swinging by the right-handed batter, the lower end of the trunk section and the slide rail member ( This is advantageous because the connection between 206 results in tight / sure maintenance. In another version of this particular embodiment, the threads on the trunk-occlusal column 210 are formed in a clockwise arrangement, which, when the bat is swinging by the left-handed batter, between the slide rail member 206 and the lower end of the trunk section. Is advantageous because the connection of s results in a tight / sured result. In another embodiment of this particular embodiment where the radially outer surface of the trunk-occluding column 210 is not threaded (eg, smooth), the longitudinal cavity has various radial cross-sectional shapes (eg, other 2- Among the dimensional shapes, it may have any one of (circular, square, hexagonal, and triangular), and the secure connection of the lower end of the torso section to the slide rail member 206 is dependent upon the insertion of the pillar 210 into the cavity. While it is possible to do so by using the aforementioned strong adhesive, the radially outer surface of the pillar 210 is firmly attached to the radial wall of the cavity. In another embodiment of a baseball bat swing training apparatus in which the bat has a hollow longitudinal interior (typically in the case of metal bats and most composite bats), the longitudinal cavity having a circular radial cross-sectional shape naturally forms the bottom of the torso section. On the end, the longitudinal axis of this cavity is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the lower end of the body section. In an exemplary embodiment of this particular embodiment, the radially outer surface of the torso-occluding column 210 has no threads, and a secure connection of the lower end of the torso section to the slide rail member 206 provides for the column 210. By inserting into the longitudinal cavity while using a strong adhesive to firmly bond the radially outer surface of the pillar 210 to the radial wall of the cavity.

As illustrated in FIGS. 21 and 24 and again with reference to FIG. 16, the bat ensures that the top end of the handle section of the bat is coaxial with the rail guide 202, regardless of how the bat is swinging. The lower portion of the pillar-based rail guide 202 is configured to allow the upper end of the handle section of the to be securely connected to the lower end of the pillar-based rail guide 202. It should be noted that this secure connection can be realized in a variety of ways. By way of example but not limitation, in the pillar-based rail guide 202 embodiment shown in FIGS. 21-24, this adaptation is configured as follows. The lower portion of the rail guide 202 includes a handle-bite column 216, the upper portion of the rail guide 202 includes a guide block 218, and an upper end of the pillar 216 has a guide block ( Disposed steadily onto a central position on the bottom surface 220 of 218, such that the pillar 216 and the guide block 218 have a common longitudinal axis Y6 perpendicular to the surface 220, and thus When the upper end of the handle section is connected to the rail guide 202, ensuring that the longitudinal axis of the upper end of the handle section is perpendicular to the surface 220, and the upper surface of the handle section is flush with the surface 220. Ensure it is the same height.

Referring again to FIGS. 17-20, the handle-occlusal column 216 has a radial cross-sectional shape that is the same as the radial cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal cavity formed on the top end of the bat's handle section. The longitudinal axis is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the upper end of the handle section. The handle-bite column 216 also has a predefined length L5 and a predefined diameter D7 selected such that the pillar 216 can be inserted fully and comfortably downward into the longitudinal cavity. In the foregoing embodiment of the baseball bat swing training apparatus described in this table of contents, in which the bat has a solid longitudinal interior, the longitudinal cavity is the upper end of the handle section after the bat is cut and the aforementioned longitudinal section is removed. It can be formed on. In one embodiment of this particular embodiment, the longitudinal cavity may have a circular radial cross-sectional shape, and the radially outer surface of the handle-occluded column 216 may have a thread, thus defining the upper end of the handle section. A secure connection to the pillar-based rail guide 202 can be achieved by threading the pillar 216 into the cavity. In one version of this particular embodiment, the threads on the handle-occlusal column 216 are formed in a counterclockwise arrangement, which means that when the bat is swinging by the right-handed batter, the upper end of the handle section and the rail guide ( This is advantageous because the connection between 202 results in a tight / reliable maintenance. In another version of this particular embodiment, the threads on the handle-occlusal column 216 are formed in a clockwise arrangement, between the rail end 202 and the upper end of the handle section when the bat is swinging by a left-handed batter. Is advantageous because the connection of s results in a tight / sured result. In another embodiment of this particular embodiment in which the radially outer surface of the handle-occlusal column 216 is not threaded (eg smooth), the longitudinal cavity has various radial cross-sectional shapes (eg, other 2- Among the dimensional shapes, it may have any one of (circular, square, hexagonal, and triangular), and the secure connection of the upper end of the handle section to the rail guide 202 is dependent upon the insertion of the pillar 216 into the cavity. While it is possible to do so by using the above-mentioned strong adhesive, the radially outer surface of the pillar 216 is firmly attached to the radial wall of the cavity. In another embodiment described above of a baseball bat swing training apparatus in which the bat has a hollow longitudinal interior, a longitudinal cavity having a circular radial cross-sectional shape naturally exists on the upper end of the handle section, and the longitudinal axis of the cavity Aligned with the longitudinal axis of the upper end of the handle section. In an exemplary embodiment of this particular embodiment, the radially outer surface of the handle-occlusal column 216 has no threads, and a secure connection of the upper end of the handle section to the rail guide 202 secures the column 216. By inserting into the longitudinal cavity while using a strong adhesive to firmly bond the radially outer surface of the pillar 216 to the radial wall of the cavity.

Referring generally and again to FIGS. 4 and 16-24, the column-based rail guide 202, the front ball bearings 26/28, the rear ball bearings 30/32, and the column-based The slide rail assembly 204 is cooperatively configured to allow low friction lateral / lateral movement of the assembly 204 relative to the guide 202 (eg, transverse / lateral transition), This movement / transition is limited to the maximum rail movement distance D1 described above. More particularly, the slide rail block 212 of the pillar-based slide rail member 206 has elongated rail slots 222 and 224 (ie, front rail slots 222 and opposing) having the width W1 described above. Rear rail slot 224). As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 19, the rail slots 222 and 224 are arranged such that their longitudinal axes lie along a horizontal plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Y5 of the slide rail member 206. The upper portion of the guide block 218 of the column-based rail guide 202 includes a linear guide channel 226 passed from the left side 228 of the guide block 218 to its right side 230. This channel 226 is a slide combination when the combination of the slide rail block 212 and the front and rear ball bearings 26/28/30/32 is slidably inserted into the channel 226. Generally configured to receive. More particularly, the vertical axis of the linear guide channel 226 is aligned with the aforementioned common longitudinal axis Y6 of the rail guide 202. Guide channel 226 has a pair of parallel vertical sidewalls and opposing elongated guide slots 232 and 234 (ie, front guide slot 232 and rear guide slot 234), and front guide slot 232. ) Stays on one of the sidewalls of the channel 226 and the rear guide slot 234 stays on the other of the sidewalls of the channel 226. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 23, the front and rear guide slots 232 and 234 are disposed on their respective sidewalls such that their longitudinal axes lie along a horizontal plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis Y6. do. Guide channel 226 also has a width W2 described above that is slightly larger than width W1, thereby allowing slide rail block 212 to be movably disposed within channel 226. The front rail slot 222 and the front guide slot 232 have a common shape slightly smaller than half-circle, and when the slide rail block 212 is disposed in the guide channel 226, these slots 222 and 232 are The front ball bearing 26/28 is sized to accommodate the low friction rolling engagement. Accordingly, the front ball bearings 26/28 serve to slightly separate the front rail slots 222 and the front guide slots 232. In an exemplary embodiment of the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200, the size and shape of the front rail slot 222 and the front guide slot 232 may be defined by a portion of each outer surface of the front ball bearing 26/28. Consistent with size and shape, such that the contact between each of the ball bearings 26/28 and the slots 222 and 232 is evenly distributed over the entire surface of each of the ball bearings 26/28, and accordingly This minimizes friction between slots and ball bearings. Similarly, rear rail slot 224 and rear guide slot 234 have a common shape that is slightly smaller than half-circle, and when slide rail block 212 is disposed within guide channel 226, such slots 224 and. 234 is sized to accommodate the rear ball bearing 30/32 in a low friction rolling engagement. As such, the rear ball bearings 30/32 serve to slightly separate the rear rail slots 224 and the rear guide slots 234. In an exemplary embodiment of the sliding mechanism 200, the size and shape of the rear rail slot 224 and the rear guide slot 234 may be the size and shape of a portion of each outer surface of the rear ball bearing 30/32. Mating, whereby the contact between each of the ball bearings 30/32 and the slots 224 and 234 is evenly distributed over the entire surface of each of the ball bearings 30/32, thus such slots and balls Minimize friction between bearings. Thus, the slide rail block 212 is once disposed movably in the guide channel 226, and the front ball bearing 26/28 is rolled between the front rail slot 222 and the front guide slot 232 and Once slidingly inserted, and once the rear ball bearing 30/32 has been rolled and slidably inserted between the rear rail slot 224 and the rear guide slot 234, the slide rail member 206 ( And thus the slide rail assembly 204 is a longitudinal axis Y5 of the slide rail member 206 (and thus a longitudinal axis of the slide rail assembly 204) and a longitudinal axis of the rail guide 202. (Y6) can slide / move in a direction perpendicular to all.

Referring again to FIGS. 4, 16, 18, 19, 22, and 23, in an exemplary embodiment of the column-based sliding mechanism 200, the width W1 and width W2 just described. ) Is greater than 1.0 millimeter and less than 2.0 millimeter. The pillar-based slide rail member 206 may optionally include one or more weight-reducing openings (not shown) that serve to further reduce the weight of the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200, such openings. Can be as large as possible without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the slide rail member 206. Similarly, the column-based rail guide 202 may optionally include one or more weight-reducing openings (also not shown) that serve to further reduce the weight of the sliding mechanism 200. The opening can be as large as possible without adversely affecting the structural integrity of the rail guide 202. In order to prevent injury to the golfer and to further reduce the weight of the sliding mechanism 200, the outer edges and edges on the sliding mechanism 200 may be optionally rounded.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 21-24, the guide block 218 of the column-based rail guide 202 also has a bottom surface 238 of the guide channel 226 of the rail guide. A rail travel distance limiting cavity 236 positioned thereon. It should be noted that this rail travel distance limiting cavity 236 represents another embodiment of the rail travel distance limiting feature 40 described above. Rail travel distance limiting cavity 236 has a width W3 described above, a length L2 described above, and a predefined depth D8 greater than the aforementioned protruding distance. As illustrated in FIGS. 17-20, the column-based slide rail member 206 passes from the upper end of the slide rail member 206 to its lower end 246 (which is the lower end of the slide rail block 212). A longitudinal opening 240, the longitudinal axis of which is aligned with the common longitudinal axis Y5 of both the trunk-occluding column 210 and the slide rail block 212. In other words, the opening 240 is coaxial with both the body-occlusal column 210 and the slide rail block 212. The opening 240 has a predefined radial cross sectional shape and a predefined diameter D9. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the pillar-based slide-limiting member 208, which is reliably inserted into the opening 240, is an opening-occluding column 242 (which represents another embodiment of the pillar 36 described above). And a head 244 rigidly disposed on the upper end of the pillar 242. The pillar 242 has a radial cross sectional shape that is the same as the radial cross sectional shape of the opening 240. The pillar 242 also has a predefined length L6 and the aforementioned diameter D2, which is selected such that the pillar 242 can be inserted entirely and surely downward into the opening 240, and thus the pillar 242. ) Protrudes from the lower end 246 of the slide rail member 206 (some of these protrusions are shown in FIG. 4) after such insertion, and the lower end of the column 242 protrudes into the rail travel distance limiting cavity 236. Protrude into the distance.

Referring again to FIGS. 16-20, in one embodiment of the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200, the longitudinal opening 240 may have a circular radial cross-sectional shape, may have threads, and aperture-occluded. The radially outer surface of the pillar 242 also allows the pillar 242 to be threadedly connected to the opening 240, thereby providing a complete threaded insertion of the pillar 242 into the opening 240. Thereby, it can be screwed in such a way as to allow reliable insertion of the pillar-based slide-limiting member 208 into the pillar-based slide rail member 206. In this particular embodiment, the lock-washer (not shown) may optionally be placed on the pillar 242 before the pillar is threadedly inserted into the opening 240; When the pillar 242 is fully threaded into the opening 240, the lock-washer will begin to intervene between the lower end of the head 244 and the upper end of the torso-occluding column 210. In another embodiment of the sliding mechanism 200 in which the opening 240 has no threads and the radially outer surface of the pillar 242 has no threads, the opening 240 has various radial cross-sectional shapes (eg, Among the two-dimensional shapes, it may have any one of circular, square, and hexagon), and the reliable insertion of the slide-limiting member 208 into the slide rail member 206 may include a column (s) into the opening 240. By the insertion of 242, while the strong adhesive described above firmly attaches the radially outer surface of the pillar 242 to the radial wall of the opening 240.

Referring again to FIGS. 2-6 and 16-24, the slide rail block 212 of the column-based slide rail member 206 is a guide channel 226 of the column-based rail guide 202. When movably disposed therein, the ball bearing retaining feature 38 retains the front ball bearing 26/28 between the front rail slot 222 and the front guide slot 232, and also the rear ball bearing ( It is generally configured to maintain 30/32 between rear rail slot 224 and rear guide slot 234. It should be noted that the ball bearing retention feature 38 can be realized in a variety of ways. By way of example but not limitation, in the pillar-based slide rail assembly 204 embodiment shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 16-19, the ball bearing retaining features 38 are realized as follows. The ball bearing retaining features include the front ball bearing retaining members 110 and 114 and the rear ball bearing retaining members 112 and 116 described above. Slide rail block 212 includes a pair of front retaining member cavities 248 and 250, and a pair of rear retaining member cavities 252 and 254, each length of each of these cavities 248/250/252/254. The direction axis lies along the aforementioned horizontal plane in which the rail slots 222 and 224 are disposed along (as shown in FIGS. 17 and 19), each of these cavities 248/250/252/254, Has a size and shape configured to allow a given one column (eg, pillar 164) of the retaining member 110/112/114/116 to be fully and securely inserted into the cavity, and thus ( As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the head of this retaining member (eg, head 166) contacts the left side 256 or right side 258 of the slide rail block 212. In one embodiment of the slide rail assembly 204, each of the cavities 248/250/252/254 may have a circular radial cross sectional shape and may have threads and retain members 110/112/114/116. The radially outer surface of each column of) may also be threaded in such a way that it can be threadedly connected to a given one of cavities 248/250/252/254. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, each head of the retaining member 110/112/114/116 has a predefinition of a given one of these given ends of the rail slots 222/224. Has a radial size selected to cover the portion, which portion is external to the sliding mechanism 200 regardless of how the baseball bat is swinging after the ball bearing 26/28/30/32 is fully assembled. It is large enough to prevent it from escaping, and small enough to allow for the aforementioned lateral / lateral movement of the assembly 204 relative to the guide 202 (eg, the front ball bearing retaining member 110). And 114 maintains the front ball bearing 26/28 between the front rail slot 222 and the front guide slot 232, and the rear ball bearing retaining members 112 and 116 are rear ball bearings 30/32. Is maintained between the rear rail slot 224 and the rear guide slot 234).

As can be understood from the functional operation of the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200 described in FIGS. 4-6 and this table, and referring again to FIGS. 16-24, the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200. ) Is fully assembled, such that the lower end of this column 242 protrudes into the above-described protruding distance into the rail travel distance limiting cavity 236 on the column-based rail guide 202. The length L6 of the aperture- bite column 242 of the member 208 is selected. As will now be described in more detail, this cavity 236 limits the movement of the pillar-based slide rail assembly 204 by limiting the movement of the pillar 242 to the maximum rail movement distance D1. D1) (eg, to limit transverse / lateral movement / movement / transition). More particularly, the cavity 236 has one pair of opposing vertical sidewalls 176 and 178 parallel to each other and to the vertical sidewall of the linear guide channel 226 of the rail guide. The cavity 236 has different pairs of opposing vertical sidewalls 180 and 182 that are symmetrical to each other, and the horizontal center portion of both of these sidewalls 180 and 182 slides / moves the column-based slide rail member 206. Direction and thus perpendicular to the direction of slide / movement of the column 242 of the slide-limiting member 208. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, both the width W3 and the length L2 of the cavity 236 are greater than the diameter D2 of the pillar 242, such that the pillar 242 has a cavity 236. Within the lateral direction (eg, left and right in terms of FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6). As can be understood from FIGS. 5 and 6, the difference between the length L2 and the diameter D2 forms the distance D1. When the slide rail assembly 204 is disposed in the coaxial position described above on the rail guide 202, the right side of the pillar 242 is in contact with the side wall 182 as shown in FIG. 5. When the slide rail assembly 204 is disposed in the maximum non-coaxial position described above on the rail guide 202, the left side of the pillar 242 is in contact with the side wall 180 as shown in FIG. 6. . In general, the length L2 and the diameter D2 are selected so that the distance D1 can have any value, and this value is selected based on the stiffness of the baseball bat, among other factors. For example but not by way of limitation, in an exemplary embodiment of the sliding mechanism 200, the length L2 and the diameter D2 are selected such that the distance D1 is about 3.5 millimeters.

Referring back to the foregoing, and again to FIGS. 5, 6 and 16, the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200 provides a baseball against the upper end of the bat's handle section when the batter swings the bat in a desired manner. It will be appreciated that the batter can hear and feel the transverse / lateral movement / movement / transition of the lower end of the torso section of the bat. In other words, when the sliding mechanism 200 is interposed into the bat as described herein, the sliding mechanism 200 provides the other with the aforementioned auditory and tactile feedback that indicates whether the desired swing profile has been achieved. . For example, the bat swings in such a manner that the lower end of the bat's torso section is transversely / laterally moved / transferred to the left with respect to the upper end of the bat's handle section and thus the column-based slide rail assembly 204. Reaches the maximum non-coaxial position on the column-based rail guide 202 and the left side of the opening-occluding column 242 impacts the vertical sidewall 180 of the rail travel distance limiting cavity 236. In giving, the sliding mechanism 200 will produce a discernible sound at the proximal end of the bat (eg, the batter will hear a "click") and also generate a tactile sensation (eg, The batter will feel the vibrations being moved from the mechanism 200 through the handle section of the bat to the batter's hand).

1.3 Tennis Racket Application Examples

The training device embodiments described in this table of contents are referred to simply as tennis-racquet-related embodiments below. Tennis-racquet-related embodiments generally improve the dynamics of the field of tennis racquets and, more particularly, the way a tennis player swings a tennis racquet (e.g., a perfect player's swing) and thus a superior tennis player. It relates to a tennis racket swing training device that can be used by tennis players to become.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-6 and 16, in the tennis-racquet-embodiments described in this table of contents, the sports-related tool 10 is a conventional tennis racket and the object 18 is a conventional tennis ball. The distal section 12 of the tool comprises a head section of a racket that includes an elliptical hoop, which is "stringed" into a planar network of strings inside the hoop. The distal section 12 also includes a neck section of the racket that firmly interconnects the upper portion of the handle section of the racket and the head section to the upper portion of the handle section. The proximal section 14 of the tool is the lower part of the handle section of the racket. The sliding mechanism 22 is a pillar-based sliding mechanism 200. Tennis-racquet-related embodiments are advantageous for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the following. Tennis-racquet-related embodiments may be used with any type of tennis racket, including but not limited to rackets made of different types of wood, different types of lightweight metals, and different types of composite materials. have.

Referring back to FIG. 16 and as will be appreciated from the following more detailed description of the tennis-racquet-related embodiments, the pole-based sliding mechanism 200 is fully assembled and the upper portion of the handle section of the racket and the racket. After being inserted between the lower parts of the handle section, the force generated during the successful use of the tennis player's tennis-racquet-related embodiment (ie during the proper / preferable swing of the racket) is determined by the force of the racket against the lower part of the handle section of the racket. It will cause the aforementioned transverse / lateral movement / movement / transition of the upper part of the handle section (and thus of the neck and head section of the racket extending from this upper part). In view of the foregoing, this movement / movement / transition is defined in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis of this upper part and the longitudinal axis of this lower part, and also perpendicular to the planar network of the row of head sections. It will be appreciated that it is limited to the direction and limited to the above-described maximum rail travel distance D1. By this movement / movement / transition, the sliding mechanism 200 can again provide both the auditory and tactile feedback to the player indicating whether the player has achieved the desired swing profile. The special value for the distance D1 is chosen based on the stiffness of the racket, among other factors. By way of example but not limitation, in an exemplary embodiment of the tennis racket swing training apparatus described in this table of contents, the distance D1 is about 3.0 millimeters.

As illustrated in FIGS. 17-20 and again with reference to FIG. 16, irrespective of how the racket is swinging, ensuring that the upper portion of the handle section of the racket is coaxial with the column-based slide rail assembly 204. In this way, the upper portion of the pillar-based slide rail member 206 is configured such that the lower end of the upper portion of the handle section of the tennis racket can be securely connected to the upper portion of the slide rail member 206 (eg For example, when this lower end is connected to the slide rail member 206, the longitudinal axis of this lower end is perpendicular to the upper surface 214 of the slide rail block 212, and the lower surface of the upper portion of the handle section of the racket is The same height as the surface 214). It should be noted that such definite connections can be realized in a variety of ways, including but not limited to the various ways described above in Table of Contents 1.2. More particularly and by way of example but not limitation, in the pillar-based slide rail member 206 embodiment shown in FIGS. 17-20, this adaptation is configured as follows. Body-occlusal column 210 has a radial cross-sectional shape that is the same as the radial cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal cavity formed on the lower end of the upper portion of the handle section of the racket, the longitudinal axis of the cavity being the handle section of the racket. Aligned with the longitudinal axis of the lower end of the upper portion of the. The longitudinal cavity may be formed on the lower end of the upper portion of the handle section of the racket after the racket is cut and the aforementioned longitudinal section is removed.

As illustrated in FIGS. 21-24 and again with reference to FIG. 16, tennis is secured in such a way as to ensure that the lower portion of the handle section of the racket is coaxial with the rail guide 202 regardless of how the racket is swinging. The lower part of the pillar-based rail guide 202 is configured (eg, such an upper part) so that the upper end of the lower part of the handle section of the racket can be securely connected to the lower part of the rail guide 202. When the end is connected to the rail guide 202, the longitudinal axis of this upper end is perpendicular to the bottom surface 220 of the guide block 218, and the top surface of the lower portion of the handle section of the racket is flush with the surface 220. The same height). It should be noted that such definite connections can be realized in a variety of ways, including but not limited to the various ways described in Table 1.2. More particularly and by way of example but not limitation, in the pillar-based slide rail guide 202 embodiment shown in FIGS. 21-24, this adaptation is configured as follows. Handle-occlusal column 216 has a radial cross-sectional shape that is the same as the radial cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal cavity formed on the upper end of the lower portion of the handle section of the racket, the longitudinal axis of the cavity being the handle section of the racket. Aligned with the longitudinal axis of the upper end of the lower portion of the. The longitudinal cavity may be formed on the upper end of the lower portion of the handle section of the racket after the racket is cut and the aforementioned longitudinal section is removed.

5 and 6 and 16, the pillar-based sliding mechanism 200 is provided for the lower portion of the handle section of the tennis racket when the tennis player swings the racket in a desired manner. It will be appreciated that the tennis player can hear and feel the transverse / lateral movement / movement / transition of the upper portion of the handle section of the tennis racket. In other words, when the sliding mechanism 200 is interposed into the racket as described herein, the sliding mechanism 200 provides the player with the aforementioned auditory and tactile feedback that indicates whether the desired swing profile has been achieved. . For example, the racket swings in such a way that the upper portion of the handle section of the racket transversely / laterally moves / transfers to the left relative to the lower portion of the handle section of the racket and thus the column-based slide rail assembly 204. Reaches the maximum non-coaxial position on the column-based rail guide 202 and the left side of the opening-occluding column 242 impacts the vertical sidewall 180 of the rail travel distance limiting cavity 236. In turn, the sliding mechanism 200 will produce a discernible sound at the proximal end of the racket (eg, the player will hear a “click”) and also generate a tactile sensation (eg, The player will feel vibrations moving from the mechanism 200 to the hand of the player through the lower portion of the handle section of the racket).

2.0 baseball bat swing training device

The training device embodiments described in this table of contents are referred to simply as alternative baseball-bat-related embodiments below. These alternative baseball-bat-related embodiments are generally in the field of baseball bats and more particularly baseball bat swing training that batters can use to improve the mechanics of how bats swing the bat and thus be a better batter. An alternative embodiment of the device is directed. In other words, and as can be appreciated from the more specific description below, an alternative baseball-bat-related embodiment teaches the batter to swing the bat faster, thereby making the batter hit the baseball ball stronger and more. Teach you to hit continuously. Referring back to FIG. 1, in the alternative baseball-bat-related embodiments described in this table of contents, the sports-related tool 10 is a conventional baseball bat, and the object 18 is a conventional baseball ball, The distal section 12 is the body section of the bat and the proximal section 14 of the tool is the handle section of the bat. As described in more detail below, an alternate sliding mechanism is inserted in the aforementioned gap formed between the body section and the handle section of the bat.

FIG. 26 illustrates a top view, in simplified form, of an exemplary embodiment of an alternate sliding mechanism 300 shown connected between the lower end of the torso section 312 of the baseball bat and the upper end of the handle section 314 of the bat. Illustrated. As illustrated in FIG. 26, the alternate slide mechanism 300 includes an alternate slide rail assembly 334 and a replacement rail guide 332. As described in more detail below, the alternate slide rail assembly 334 ensures that the lower ends of the alternate slide rail assembly 334 and the body section 312 are substantially coaxial regardless of how the bat is swinging. Way, it is securely connected to the lower end of the body section 312. The replacement rail guide 332 of the handle section 314 in such a way as to ensure that the upper end of the replacement rail guide 332 and the handle section 314 is substantially coaxial regardless of how the bat is swinging. It is securely connected to the upper end. The alternate slide rail assembly 334 shown in FIG. 26 has a longitudinal axis Y7 at the lower end of the bat's torso section 312 and a longitudinal axis Y8 at the upper end of the bat's handle section 314. Rightmost position on alternate rail guide 332 to be substantially aligned (eg, such lower and upper ends are substantially coaxial when alternate slide rail assembly 334 is placed in the rightmost position). Is placed on. As can be appreciated from a more detailed description of the alternate sliding mechanism 300 below, when the batter keeps the bat in preparation for swinging the bat (eg, the batter moves the torso section 312 behind their heads). And the lower end of the alternate slide rail assembly 334 and the torso section 312 of the bat will naturally move to the rightmost position when the bat is held up and on one of their shoulders.

FIG. 27 illustrates a top view, in simplified form, of the alternate slide mechanism 300 of FIG. 26, wherein the alternate slide rail assembly 334 is a longitudinal axis Y7 of the lower end of the torso section 312 of the baseball bat. ) Is disposed at the leftmost position on the replacement rail guide 332 such that it is laterally offset from the longitudinal axis Y8 of the top end of the handle section 314 of the bat to a predefined maximum rail travel distance D10. . It will be appreciated that this transverse offset between the lower end of the torso section 312 and the upper end of the handle section 314 may be caused by the force generated during the desired swing 328 of the bat. As illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27, after the alternate slide mechanism 300 is fully assembled and connected to the torso section 312 and the handle section 314 of the bat, the alternate slide mechanism 300 is subjected to substantial mechanical integrity. Allows limited, low friction lateral movement of the lower end of the torso section 312 relative to the upper end of the handle section 314. In other words, the alternate slide rail assembly 334 and the alternate rail guide 332 of the alternate slide mechanism 300 are cooperatively configured so that the body to the upper end of the handle section 314 during the swing 328 of the bat. Allows low friction lateral movement (eg, lateral transition) of the lower end of the section 312, which lateral movement / movement / transition is such as the longitudinal axis Y7 of this lower end and this upper portion It is defined in a direction substantially perpendicular to all of the longitudinal axes Y8 of the end, and this lateral movement / movement / transition is limited to the maximum rail movement distance D10.

3.0 Other Examples

Although the training device has been described in detail with reference to embodiments of the training device, it will be appreciated that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the training device. For example, but not by way of limitation, the sliding mechanism embodiments described herein (and related) that are interposed / installed / inserted into an existing conventional golf club or an existing conventional baseball bat or an existing conventional tennis racket as described above. Instead of embodiments and versions thereof), alternative embodiments of the training device are also possible in which the sliding mechanism embodiment can be manufactured directly into a new training golf club or a new training baseball bat or a new training tennis racket. Slide mechanism embodiments may also be interposed / installed / inserted into any other type of swinging conventional sports-related tool. For example, a sliding mechanism embodiment may be a hockey stick, or other type of bat (eg, cricket bat, or other), or other type of racket (eg, racquetball racket, or paddle ball racket, or badminton racket). , Or otherwise) may be interposed / installed / inserted.

Additionally, FIG. 25 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view, in simplified form, of an alternative embodiment of the sliding mechanism of FIG. 2 taken along line C-C of FIG. 2. The alternative sliding mechanism embodiment 260 shown in FIG. 25 may be applied to both co-based and column-based embodiments of the sliding mechanism described above. Thus, alternative sliding mechanism embodiments 260 may be used with any of the other types of sports-related tools described above with which a person swings. However, from the more detailed description of the alternative sliding mechanism embodiment 260 below, it will be appreciated that this particular embodiment is particularly advantageous when used with a baseball bat, which use of the right hand batter and the left hand. This is because the batter can keep the bat in the same way.

Referring again to FIGS. 5, 6, and 25, an alternative sliding mechanism embodiment 260 is identical to the sliding mechanism 22 of the foregoing embodiment with the following exceptions. As illustrated in FIG. 25, in an alternative sliding mechanism embodiment 260, the rail on the rail guide 264 (corresponding to the rail travel distance limiting feature 40 on the rail guide 24 described above). The travel distance limiting feature 262 transitions to the right so that it is centered on the bottom surface of the guide channel (not shown) of the rail guide 264. In other words, the longitudinal axis of the rail travel distance limiting feature 262 is aligned with the common longitudinal axis of the rail guide (eg, the common longitudinal axes Y4 and Y6 described above). Thus, when the above-described slide rail assembly (not shown) is disposed in the above-described coaxial position on the rail guide 264, the above-described pillar 36/160/242 of the slide-limiting member is a rail travel distance limiting feature. It is located at the center of the portion 262. Slide rail assembly guides the rail (which may occur when the sports-related tool is swinging in such a way that the lower end of the distal section of the tool is transversely / laterally moved / transferred to the right with respect to the upper end of the proximal section of the tool). When placed in the rightmost position on the portion 264, the right side of the pillar 36/160/242 is in contact with the side wall 266 of the rail travel distance limiting feature 262. The slide rail assembly guides the rails (which may occur when the sports-related tool swings in such a way that the lower end of the distal section of the tool is transversely / laterally moved / transferred to the left with respect to the upper end of the proximal section of the tool). When placed in the leftmost position on the portion 264, the left side of the pillar 36/160/242 is in contact with the side wall 268 of the rail travel distance limiting feature 262. In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the rail travel distance between the coaxial and rightmost positions just described is half the maximum rail travel distance D1 described above (1.75 millimeters when D1 is 3.5 millimeters). . Similarly, the rail travel distance between the coaxial position and the just-described leftmost position is also half of the distance D1.

In addition, a speed sensor can be placed on an appropriate position on the sport-related tool, which speed sensor measures the speed at which the tool swings. For example, if the sports-related tool is a baseball bat, a speed sensor may be placed on the distal end of the bat to measure bat swing speed. Depending on the particular type of sports-related tool with which the sliding mechanism described herein is interposed, in order to prevent breaking of the training device embodiments described herein, the radial thickness of the tool in the area where the gap is formed may be increased. There may be a non-sliding member, configured to replace the sliding mechanism interposed into a given type of sport-related tool. In other words, a non-sliding member can be used to replace the sliding mechanism, so that the lower end of the distal section remains in substantially coaxial alignment with the upper end of the proximal section, regardless of how the tool swings. Thus, the proximal and distal sections can be recombined to convert the tool back to its original form and function. Longitudinal voids may be formed into the proximal section of the sports-related tool, which voids are moved from the distal end of the proximal section to its proximal end and allow for the aforementioned identifiable sound to be generated from the proximal end of the proximal section. The longitudinal voids may also be formed into the distal section of the sports-related tool, which voids are moved from the distal end of the distal section to its proximal end and allow identifiable sound to be generated from the distal end of the distal section.

It should be noted that throughout the detailed description, all or any of the above-described embodiments may be used in any desired combination to form additional hybrid embodiments. In addition, although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

What has been described above includes exemplary embodiments. Of course, not all combinations of recognizable components or methodologies may be described for the purpose of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and substitutions are possible. will be. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. With respect to the components described above, and various functions performed by others, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means"), unless otherwise indicated, Although not structurally equivalent, it will correspond to any component that performs a particular function of the described component (eg, a functional equivalent) that performs the function of the exemplary aspects described herein of the claimed subject matter.

Claims (15)

delete Universal swing training device:
A sports-related tool comprising two separate and separated sections spaced apart to form a gap therebetween, the section comprising a proximal section and a distal section; And
A sliding mechanism inserted in the gap and connected to an upper end of the proximal section and a lower end of the distal section,
The sliding mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly, wherein the rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a slide rail assembly ,
To ensure that the upper end and the lower end are coaxial when the slide rail assembly is disposed in a coaxial position on the rail guide, and
Is configured to allow a lateral transition of the lower end to the upper end during the swing of the tool,
The slide rail assembly includes a slide-limiting member comprising a pillar,
The rail guide includes a rail travel distance limiting feature,
After the sliding mechanism is assembled, the lower end of the pillar protrudes into a predefined protrusion distance into the distance limiting feature, and
The pillar and the distance limiting feature are configured to limit the lateral transition to the predefined maximum rail travel distance (D1). The method of claim 2,
The slide rail assembly comprises a slide rail member,
The upper portion of the slide rail member is configured to allow the lower end to be connected to the upper portion in a manner that ensures that the lower end is coaxial with the slide rail assembly regardless of how the tool swings. ,
The lower portion of the rail guide is configured to allow the upper end to be connected to the lower portion in a manner that ensures that the upper end is coaxial with the rail guide regardless of how the tool is swinging. Device. The method of claim 2,
The slide rail assembly includes a slide rail member, the lower portion of the slide rail member includes a slide rail block,
The upper portion of the rail guide portion comprises a guide block, the upper portion of the guide block comprises a linear guide channel passed from the left side to the right side of the guide block, and
The channel is configured to receive a combination of the slide rail block and the front and rear ball bearings in a sliding engagement when the combination is slidably inserted into the channel,
The sliding engagement enables the slide rail assembly to be moved in a direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal axis of the slide rail assembly and the longitudinal axis of the rail guide. The method of claim 4, wherein
The sliding rail block comprises a pair of opposed elongated rail slots including a predefined width W1 and a front rail slot and a rear rail slot,
The rail slot is arranged such that the longitudinal axis of the rail slot lies along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sliding rail member,
The vertical axis of the channel is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the rail guide,
The channel is slightly wider than the parallel vertical sidewalls, the pair of opposing elongated guide slots, and the width W1, and thus a predefined width that allows the slide rail block to be movably disposed within the channel. (W2),
The guide slot comprises a front guide slot residing on one of the sidewalls of the channel, and a rear guide slot residing on the other of the sidewalls of the channel,
The guide slots are arranged on their respective sidewalls such that the longitudinal axis of the guide slot lies along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the rail guide portion,
The front rail slot and the front guide slot have a common shape slightly smaller than half-circle, and when the slide rail block is disposed in the channel, the front rail and guide slot engage the front ball bearing in a low friction rolling engagement. Has a size to accommodate it, and
The rear rail slot and the rear guide slot have a common shape slightly smaller than a half-circle, and when the slide rail block is disposed in the channel, the rear rail and guide slot engage the low ball rolling bearing with low friction. A device having a size that can be accommodated. The method of claim 5,
And the difference between the width W1 and the width W2 is greater than or equal to 1.0 millimeters and less than or equal to 2.0 millimeters. delete The method of claim 2,
And upon said lateral transition, said sliding mechanism produces a tactile sensation and discernible sound. The method of claim 2,
The slide rail assembly comprises a slide rail member, the lower portion of the slide rail member comprising a slide rail block comprising a front rail slot and a rear rail slot,
The upper portion of the rail guide portion comprises a guide block, the upper portion of the guide block comprises a linear guide channel comprising a front guide slot and a rear guide slot, and
The slide rail member retains the front ball bearing between the front rail slot and the front guide slot when the slide rail block is disposed in the channel, regardless of how the tool swings, and the slide And a ball bearing retaining feature configured to retain the rear ball bearing between the rear rail slot and the rear guide slot when a rail block is disposed in the channel. The method of claim 9,
The front and rear rail slots are arranged such that their longitudinal axes lie along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the sliding rail member,
The ball bearing retaining feature comprises a pair of front ball bearing retaining member and a pair of rear ball bearing retaining member,
Each of the retaining members comprises a pillar and a head rigidly disposed on one end of the pillar,
The slide rail block further comprises a pair of front retaining member cavities and a pair of rear retaining member cavities,
Each longitudinal axis of the front and rear retaining member cavities lies along the plane,
Each of the front and rear retaining member cavities allows a given one of the retaining members to be fully and reliably inserted into the cavity such that the head of the retaining member has a left side or Includes a size and shape configured to allow contact with the right side, and
Each head of the retaining member comprises a radial size selected such that the head can cover a predefined portion of a given one of the given one ends of the rail slots, the portion being the front and rear balls. The device is large enough to prevent the bearing from deviating out of the sliding mechanism after being assembled, and the portion is small enough to allow the lateral transition. The method of claim 2,
The coaxial position comprises a rightmost position and the lateral transition occurs in a leftward direction from the rightmost position. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the coaxial position comprises a central position, the lateral transition occurs in a left direction when the tool swings to the left, and the lateral transition occurs in a right direction when the tool swings to the right Generated. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the sport-related instrument is a golf club and the lateral transition is 0.65 millimeters. The method of claim 2,
And the sports-related instrument is a baseball bat and the lateral transition is 3.5 millimeters. The method of claim 2,
And the sport-related instrument is a tennis racket and the lateral transition is 3.0 millimeters.

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