US20020198068A1 - Ball practice suspension device - Google Patents
Ball practice suspension device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20020198068A1 US20020198068A1 US09/887,932 US88793201A US2002198068A1 US 20020198068 A1 US20020198068 A1 US 20020198068A1 US 88793201 A US88793201 A US 88793201A US 2002198068 A1 US2002198068 A1 US 2002198068A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- air
- ball
- practice device
- ball practice
- nozzle
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0073—Means for releasably holding a ball in position; Balls constrained to move around a fixed point, e.g. by tethering
- A63B69/0075—Means for releasably holding a ball in position prior to kicking, striking or the like
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0002—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0002—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball
- A63B2069/0004—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball specially adapted for particular training aspects
- A63B2069/0008—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for baseball specially adapted for particular training aspects for batting
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/0073—Means for releasably holding a ball in position; Balls constrained to move around a fixed point, e.g. by tethering
- A63B2069/0077—Suspending a ball on an upright stream of air or water
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
- A63B69/40—Stationarily-arranged devices for projecting balls or other bodies
- A63B69/409—Stationarily-arranged devices for projecting balls or other bodies with pneumatic ball- or body-propelling means
Definitions
- the nozzle creates a funnel shaped stream of pressure with a central core and an encasing film of air.
- the core supports the ball stably; working against gravity and the encasing film of air that is formed around the ball will keep the ball centralized protecting it from unduly winds.
- the device is of a cone shape and has a variable length nozzle, the same allows the player to focus on the ball and not on the cone when practicing various spin strokes. As is apparent, the cone shape permits the player to concentrate and focus on the ball.
- the present invention includes a cone shaped housing, an air blower therein, a pressure controller (potentiometer) and a switch therefore, noise reducing filters, and a variable length or telescopic nozzle forming the outlet nozzle.
- a pressure controller potentiometer
- the discharged air will stably support a ball at varying heights above the outlet thereof by either controlling the fluid pressure or by adjusting the height of the variable length nozzle.
- FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the air cone.
- FIG. 1 a shows a set of variable length nozzles used with the air outlet.
- FIG. 1 b shows a telescoping nozzle used with the air outlet.
- FIG. 1 c shows another embodiment of the present invention with nozzles of different shapes.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical controls for the air cone.
- the present invention describes an air cone for providing a controllable stream of fluid pressure for stably suspending a ball or like in mid air.
- numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough description of the present invention. It is obvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known structures have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
- the device of the present invention is depicted generally at 20 and is seen to be a cone shaped housing 6 with the base 14 thereof supporting the same on a surface and with a discharge opening 17 having a nozzle 5 extending upwardly therefrom.
- the cone is preferably made from plastic but can be fabricated from any suitable material, e.g. tin.
- An off the shelf air blower 7 is disposed internally in the cone 6 above the base 14 and can be held in place in any conventional manner, for example, by friction fit, by adhesive, or by flexible tabs extending inwardly from the walls of the cone housing.
- a pair of filters 8 , 8 are positioned on either side of the air blower 7 and act to reduce the noise thereof as well as to remove any impediments from the air entering from spaced inlets 15 , 15 disposed about the circumference of the base 14 as it is drawn into the blower inlet 9 .
- the nozzle 5 as seen in FIG. 1 a comes in a set of various sizes 5 a, 5 b, 5 c, etc. and are readily replaceable at the outlet 17 in order to dispose the ball at varying heights to accommodate the height of the player practicing with the device.
- the nozzle 5 can be telescopingly adjustable to compensate for the height of the player. It should be appreciated that a ball B in FIG. 1 can be suspended with or without any of the nozzles. However the nozzle serves to concentrate the air thereby being more effective in suspending the ball.
- FIG. 1 c shows different air jet plugs 31 , 41 and 51 with its respective top view 30 , 40 and 50 and bottom view 32 , 42 and 52 . These air jet plugs can be placed into the outlets of any of the nozzles shown in FIG. 1 a and 1 b to give different effects to the ball 37 and to the air core 34 .
- the nozzle 33 with air jet plug 31 placed into its outlet will create the air core 34 and the funnel air stream 36 to suspend a ball 37 .
- the air passing through the slots on the outside surface of plug 31 and the inside wall of the outlet nozzle 33 creates an extra air film 38 , 38 all around the air core 34 .
- This air film 38 , 38 is partially shown in FIG. 1 c.
- This extra film of air 38 , 38 is released in order to better protect the air core 34 from atmospheric wind.
- the air jet plug 41 is shaped to suspend and add spin to ball 37 . It has a slot on the outside surface and when placed inside of the outlet of the nozzle 33 causes the majority of the air to be discharged on one side thereby causing the ball to spin.
- the air jet plug 51 outlet shape is conical and can be of a variable size.
- the nozzle 33 with the air jet placed on its outlet has the effect of making a stronger air cord 34 to support a heavier ball.
- the air pressure can be regulated whereby an air core 4 in FIG. 1 will form an air film about the ball to support the same.
- This film of air 3 keeps the ball 1 stably working against gravity and protects it in windy conditions and eliminates ball movement when the air core 4 hits the ball's seams.
- This film of air 3 will also centralize the ball in case of sudden misalignment. If it is desired, an object can be placed underneath the base 14 of the cone in order to tilt it slightly and cause spin variation to the ball being suspended.
- the air blower as seen in FIG. 2 is controlled by an electric circuit including an off/on switch 11 , a diode 21 , a capacitor 20 , a triac 22 and a potentiometer 12 connected by a plug 16 to any conventional power source, not shown.
- the off/on switch 11 When the off/on switch 11 is activated, the triac 22 in conjunction with the diode 21 and the capacitor 20 restricts the electricity used by the air blower 7 .
- the restriction percentage is controlled by the manual settings of the potentiometer 12 in the circuitry and this regulates the percentage amount of air pressure discharged by the blower.
- the air cone can have a photoelectric sensor that would replace the on/off switch 11 . The photoelectric sensor can detect the ball when placed on top of the discharge opening 17 or the nozzle 5 in FIG. 1. This will automatically turn on the air blower 7 and when the ball 1 in FIG. 1 is removed, the air blower 7 will automatically turn off.
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
- Jet Pumps And Other Pumps (AREA)
Abstract
The invention is directed to an apparatus for suspending a ball on a core of air and includes a conical base, an air blower disposed therein, and a variable length nozzle extending upwardly therefrom through which air is discharged.
Description
- Devices are known which employ an air jet to hold a ball in an elevated position. One such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,195(McClure et al). In this device a ball rides on a jet of air emanating upwardly from the nozzle. The purpose of this device is to enable a player to practice without a hitting partner. Moreover, unlike hitting a ball against a wall, these devices intend to support a ball in a relatively stable manner. A disadvantage with this device is that although it has an outlet-controlling device to control the flow of air, the blower is not regulated and is therefore always working at 100% capacity, thereby making it clearly energy inefficient.
- In U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,144 (Marello et al), a ball is suspended in mid air. The device described in the patent with its bulky size can interfere with the swing of the racquet therefore making it difficult to practice spin strokes. Much of the focus in learning the game of tennis and other such ball sports is stroking the ball with variation of spin. The path of the racquet when hitting topspin, for example, travels underneath the ball, brushing it upwards. When hitting under spin, the path of the racquet is traveling downward in a 45-degree angle to the ground, brushing the ball downwards. With a bulky device it is difficult to practice these strokes. Since it is bulky, it maintains the ball at a constant height, and therefore permits only limited stroke practice.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which will support a ball in mid-air in a stable position, enabling it to be struck by a player. The nozzle creates a funnel shaped stream of pressure with a central core and an encasing film of air. When a ball is placed in this stream of pressure, the core supports the ball stably; working against gravity and the encasing film of air that is formed around the ball will keep the ball centralized protecting it from unduly winds.
- It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device with an adjustable nozzle that will support a ball stably at variable heights so that a player of any size can hit it.
- It is a further object to provide a device which is made of durable plastic material or the like, which if hit by a player's racquet or any other object, will not break or cause damage to the racquet. As the device is of a cone shape and has a variable length nozzle, the same allows the player to focus on the ball and not on the cone when practicing various spin strokes. As is apparent, the cone shape permits the player to concentrate and focus on the ball.
- In its simplest aspect the present invention includes a cone shaped housing, an air blower therein, a pressure controller (potentiometer) and a switch therefore, noise reducing filters, and a variable length or telescopic nozzle forming the outlet nozzle. As the nozzle can be adjustably positioned, the discharged air will stably support a ball at varying heights above the outlet thereof by either controlling the fluid pressure or by adjusting the height of the variable length nozzle.
- FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the air cone.
- FIG. 1a shows a set of variable length nozzles used with the air outlet.
- FIG. 1b shows a telescoping nozzle used with the air outlet.
- FIG. 1c shows another embodiment of the present invention with nozzles of different shapes.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical controls for the air cone.
- The present invention describes an air cone for providing a controllable stream of fluid pressure for stably suspending a ball or like in mid air. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough description of the present invention. It is obvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known structures have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention.
- With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the device of the present invention is depicted generally at20 and is seen to be a cone shaped
housing 6 with thebase 14 thereof supporting the same on a surface and with adischarge opening 17 having anozzle 5 extending upwardly therefrom. The cone is preferably made from plastic but can be fabricated from any suitable material, e.g. tin. - An off the
shelf air blower 7 is disposed internally in thecone 6 above thebase 14 and can be held in place in any conventional manner, for example, by friction fit, by adhesive, or by flexible tabs extending inwardly from the walls of the cone housing. A pair offilters air blower 7 and act to reduce the noise thereof as well as to remove any impediments from the air entering from spacedinlets base 14 as it is drawn into the blower inlet 9. - The
nozzle 5 as seen in FIG. 1a comes in a set ofvarious sizes outlet 17 in order to dispose the ball at varying heights to accommodate the height of the player practicing with the device. - Alternatively, as seen in FIG. 1b, the
nozzle 5 can be telescopingly adjustable to compensate for the height of the player. It should be appreciated that a ball B in FIG. 1 can be suspended with or without any of the nozzles. However the nozzle serves to concentrate the air thereby being more effective in suspending the ball. - The air discharged from the
nozzle 5 is controlled by regulating theair blower 7. The discharged air forms a funnel shaped air stream 2 having anair core 4 at its center. Thisair core 4 is created by air pressure hitting the walls of theoutlet orifice 17 or through thevariable nozzle 5. In another embodiment, FIG. 1c shows differentair jet plugs top view bottom view ball 37 and to theair core 34. Thenozzle 33 withair jet plug 31 placed into its outlet will create theair core 34 and thefunnel air stream 36 to suspend aball 37. The air passing through the slots on the outside surface ofplug 31 and the inside wall of theoutlet nozzle 33, creates anextra air film air core 34. Thisair film air air core 34 from atmospheric wind. Theair jet plug 41 is shaped to suspend and add spin toball 37. It has a slot on the outside surface and when placed inside of the outlet of thenozzle 33 causes the majority of the air to be discharged on one side thereby causing the ball to spin. Theair jet plug 51 outlet shape is conical and can be of a variable size. Thenozzle 33 with the air jet placed on its outlet has the effect of making astronger air cord 34 to support a heavier ball. By controlling the speed of the air blower, the air pressure can be regulated whereby anair core 4 in FIG. 1 will form an air film about the ball to support the same. This film ofair 3 keeps theball 1 stably working against gravity and protects it in windy conditions and eliminates ball movement when theair core 4 hits the ball's seams. This film ofair 3 will also centralize the ball in case of sudden misalignment. If it is desired, an object can be placed underneath thebase 14 of the cone in order to tilt it slightly and cause spin variation to the ball being suspended. - The air blower as seen in FIG. 2 is controlled by an electric circuit including an off/on
switch 11, a diode 21, acapacitor 20, a triac 22 and apotentiometer 12 connected by aplug 16 to any conventional power source, not shown. When the off/onswitch 11 is activated, the triac 22 in conjunction with the diode 21 and thecapacitor 20 restricts the electricity used by theair blower 7. The restriction percentage is controlled by the manual settings of thepotentiometer 12 in the circuitry and this regulates the percentage amount of air pressure discharged by the blower. In another embodiment, the air cone can have a photoelectric sensor that would replace the on/offswitch 11. The photoelectric sensor can detect the ball when placed on top of thedischarge opening 17 or thenozzle 5 in FIG. 1. This will automatically turn on theair blower 7 and when theball 1 in FIG. 1 is removed, theair blower 7 will automatically turn off.
Claims (9)
1. A ball practice device including a housing having a base, a wall disposed thereabout and extending upwardly therefrom and terminating in an opening, an air blower disposed within the housing directing air through said opening, and control means connected to said air blower regulating the amount of air being discharged through said opening.
2. The ball practice device of claim 2 wherein the housing is cone shaped and has air inlet openings disposed about the base thereof.
3. The ball practice device of claim 2 wherein a nozzle is removably disposed in the outlet opening.
4. The ball practice device of claim 3 wherein a set of different lengthed nozzles are provided to accommodate the height of a player.
5. The ball practice device of claim 3 wherein the nozzle is telescopingly adjustable.
6. The ball practice device of claim 1 wherein the controls include a circuit including an off/on switch, a diode, a capacitor, a potentiometer, and a triac controlling the amount of electricity passing from a power source to the air blower.
7. The ball practice device of claim 3 wherein the controls include a circuit including an off/on switch, a diode, a capacitor, a potentiometer, and a triac controlling the amount of electricity passing from a power source to the air blower.
8. The ball practice device of claim 2 wherein the housing is made from plastic.
9. The ball practice device of claim 1 wherein filters are disposed on either side of the air blower to reduce the noise thereof.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/887,932 US20020198068A1 (en) | 2001-06-22 | 2001-06-22 | Ball practice suspension device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/887,932 US20020198068A1 (en) | 2001-06-22 | 2001-06-22 | Ball practice suspension device |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20020198068A1 true US20020198068A1 (en) | 2002-12-26 |
Family
ID=25392168
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/887,932 Abandoned US20020198068A1 (en) | 2001-06-22 | 2001-06-22 | Ball practice suspension device |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20020198068A1 (en) |
Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20070238554A1 (en) * | 2006-04-07 | 2007-10-11 | Liang-Fa Hu | Ball-giving device of hitting game |
US7294071B1 (en) | 2005-06-27 | 2007-11-13 | Saumell Jorge E | Method and device to train a baseball swing |
US20080009373A1 (en) * | 2006-07-10 | 2008-01-10 | Raymond Binder | Air batting tee |
US20090117525A1 (en) * | 2005-07-13 | 2009-05-07 | Pando Technologies, Llc | Sensory Coordination System for Sports, Therapy and Exercise |
US20100099520A1 (en) * | 2008-10-22 | 2010-04-22 | Auzoux Yann O | Ball toss toy |
US7846045B1 (en) | 2007-11-07 | 2010-12-07 | Hitzone Sports, LLC | Pneumatic practice tee |
US9114297B1 (en) * | 2014-02-04 | 2015-08-25 | Jorge Saumell | Device for improving a user's baseball swing |
US9273936B2 (en) * | 2014-05-14 | 2016-03-01 | John Jackson | Hoverball archery training and entertainment shooting gallery and kit |
US20160335912A1 (en) * | 2015-05-15 | 2016-11-17 | American University | Object rotating apparatus and methods of using |
US9744418B2 (en) * | 2016-01-19 | 2017-08-29 | Robert David Kauffman | Pneumatic ball-suspending device |
CN111265827A (en) * | 2020-02-11 | 2020-06-12 | 长沙学院 | Unpowered fixed aerobics pedal |
US11612800B1 (en) * | 2021-06-22 | 2023-03-28 | Travis Smith | Ball-projecting batting tee |
US11833403B2 (en) * | 2018-03-15 | 2023-12-05 | Magic Sports, Llc | Bat swing training device |
-
2001
- 2001-06-22 US US09/887,932 patent/US20020198068A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (16)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7294071B1 (en) | 2005-06-27 | 2007-11-13 | Saumell Jorge E | Method and device to train a baseball swing |
US20090117525A1 (en) * | 2005-07-13 | 2009-05-07 | Pando Technologies, Llc | Sensory Coordination System for Sports, Therapy and Exercise |
US20070238554A1 (en) * | 2006-04-07 | 2007-10-11 | Liang-Fa Hu | Ball-giving device of hitting game |
US20080009373A1 (en) * | 2006-07-10 | 2008-01-10 | Raymond Binder | Air batting tee |
US7846045B1 (en) | 2007-11-07 | 2010-12-07 | Hitzone Sports, LLC | Pneumatic practice tee |
US20100099520A1 (en) * | 2008-10-22 | 2010-04-22 | Auzoux Yann O | Ball toss toy |
US7874942B2 (en) * | 2008-10-22 | 2011-01-25 | Yann O. Auzoux | Ball toss toy |
US9114297B1 (en) * | 2014-02-04 | 2015-08-25 | Jorge Saumell | Device for improving a user's baseball swing |
US9273936B2 (en) * | 2014-05-14 | 2016-03-01 | John Jackson | Hoverball archery training and entertainment shooting gallery and kit |
US20160335912A1 (en) * | 2015-05-15 | 2016-11-17 | American University | Object rotating apparatus and methods of using |
US10380906B2 (en) * | 2015-05-15 | 2019-08-13 | American University | Object rotating apparatus and methods of using |
US11037456B2 (en) * | 2015-05-15 | 2021-06-15 | American University | Object rotating apparatus and methods of using |
US9744418B2 (en) * | 2016-01-19 | 2017-08-29 | Robert David Kauffman | Pneumatic ball-suspending device |
US11833403B2 (en) * | 2018-03-15 | 2023-12-05 | Magic Sports, Llc | Bat swing training device |
CN111265827A (en) * | 2020-02-11 | 2020-06-12 | 长沙学院 | Unpowered fixed aerobics pedal |
US11612800B1 (en) * | 2021-06-22 | 2023-03-28 | Travis Smith | Ball-projecting batting tee |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |