US20120255482A1

US20120255482A1 - Baseball - Softball Score Keeping Device

Info

Publication number: US20120255482A1
Application number: US13/506,605
Authority: US
Inventors: David Philip Terenzoni
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-02-10
Filing date: 2011-02-10
Publication date: 2012-10-11

Abstract

A baseball-softball score keeping device comprising of a housing component consisting of a front face and a rear face. The housing component fits comfortably in a person's hand. The display area has six windows having corresponding function labels. The function labels relate to the game of baseball and softball. Six wheels that extend out from the sides of the housing unit correspond to the six windows. The wheels comprise of a front face, rear face and a side wall. The side wall is knurled. The front face of the wheels have a series of escalating numbers related to the corresponding label windows, each wheel can be rotated within the six openings by the surrounding side wall of the housing. Each number can be individually viewed through the windows. The six indicator wheels are manually rotated.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an umpire indicator and a sports scorekeeping device allowing spectators attending a baseball or softball game to keep track of the score, the innings and the number of outs per innings throughout the length of the game.
The use of the score keeping device is known in the prior art. Umpire indicators are used by umpires of baseball and softball games to accurately record the outs, innings and scores of the game being played. This is important to the flow of the game and enforcements of the game rules.
While the umpire indicator fulfills its objective and requirements of the game being played, it does not allow for people attending a baseball or softball game to keep track of the innings, outs or the score during the game.
While the score keeping device fulfills its objective and requirements of the game being played, it does not allow for people attending a baseball or softball game to keep track of the score if the home or visitor teams score greater than 10 runs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The games of baseball and softball are governed by strict rules of the game. Generally umpires and coaches are concerned with strikes, balls, outs, number of innings played, and the score of the home and visitor teams. Fans of the game do not have any apparatus to keep track of outs, innings and the score. (Fans generally do not need to keep track of the pitch by pitch number of balls and strikes per batter.) This causes the fan to constantly ask the umpires and coaches questions about what the score is, how many outs, and what the inning is. As such, one objective of the present invention will provide a baseball and softball score keeping device that will allow up to 49 runs to be for each team. A second objective of the present invention is to provide ease of holding said device. An umpire indicator is widely known by umpires, coaches, players and spectators alike. The present invention maintains the same shape but slightly larger than the commonly known umpire indicator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a frontal perspective view of the device.

FIG. 2 depicts a left side view of the device.

FIG. 3 depicts a right side view of the device.

FIG. 4 depicts an overhead view of the device.

FIG. 5 depicts a view of the device with the front face removed.

FIG. 6 depicts a view of the metal plate with the fingers needed for keeping the wheel at the number, and not allow the wheel to go backwards

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the drawings, in particular to FIGS. 1-6, a complete understanding of this invention can be gained, and the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIGS. 1-4 depict the first embodiment of the invention from all four perspective views. The devise generally comprises of a housing unit (1) possessing a front face (2), and a rear cover (3), and a sidewall (4), and six wheels (5), (6) and (7).
FIG. 1 depicts the front face (2) which comprises of 6 windows (8). The six windows have corresponding function labels (9). The function labels include a score for the home team, a score for the visitor team, the number of innings and the number of outs.
FIGS. 2 and 3 depict the side walls of the device. The sidewall (4) has six openings of which the wheels (5), (6) and (7) protrude out of. The sides of the wheels are knurled (10). This knurled edge (10) allows for easy manual rotation of the wheels (5), (6) and (7).
FIG. 5 depicts the six wheels (5), (6) and (7) as placed onto the rear cover (4). The amount of numbers on the wheel corresponds with the function labels (9). Wheel 5 has the range of 0 to 9, wheel 6 has the range of 0 to 4 and wheel 7 has the range of 0 to 3.
FIG. 6 depicts the metal plate (10) as placed into the rear cover (4) and the indents (11) on the reverse side of the wheels (5),(6) and (7). The fingers (12) on the metal plate correspond to indents in the back of the wheel (11). When turning the wheels, the finger (12) slides into the indent on the back of the wheel, stopping the wheel on the number called for. This finger also stops the wheel from going backwards.

Claims

1. The ornamental design for a hand held baseball and softball score keeping device. The device is intended to be used by spectators of the baseball or softball game to keep track of the runs scored by the home and away (visitors) teams, the innings played, and the outs accumulated during the inning.

2. The score keeping device comprises of: a housing component comprising of front face and a rear face; a display area located on the front face comprising of an outs indicator, an innings indicator, two indicators for the home team score, of which one indicator is for the tens place, and the other for the ones place, two indicators for the visitor team score, of which one indicator is for the tens place, and the other for the ones place; and the control means of changing each indicator.

3. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the housing component fits comfortably in a person's hand.

4. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the front face has six (6) windows having corresponding function labels, said function labels relating to the game of baseball and softball. The function labels include a home team score, a visitor's team score, the number of outs per inning, and the number of innings.

5. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 3 wherein six (6) wheels corresponding to home and visitor score, number of innings and number of outs per inning. The six wheels comprising of a front face, rear face, and a side wall, with the side wall being knurled. The front face of the wheels have a series of escalating numbers related to the corresponding label windows, each wheel can be rotated within the six openings by the surrounding side wall of the housing. The rear face of the wheels is indented behind each number.

6. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the home team wheel indicator corresponding to tens place indicate 0-4 places, the wheel indicator corresponding to ones place indicate 0-9 places, thereby allowing the home team score to indicate up to forty nine (49) runs.

7. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the visitor team wheel indicator corresponding to tens place indicate 0-4 places, the wheel indicator corresponding to ones place indicate 0-9 places, thereby allowing the visitor team score to indicate up to forty nine (49) runs.

8. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the six (6) indicator wheels are manually rotated.

9. The score keeping device as set forth in claim 4 wherein the six (6) indicator wheels are stopped on a number with the use of a metal plate with fingers that correspond with the numbers and indented area on the back of the wheel.