US2749122A

US2749122A - Simulated baseball game

Info

Publication number: US2749122A
Application number: US342889A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold G Barrett
Original assignee: NANKO C BOS
Current assignee: NANKO C BOS
Priority date: 1953-03-17
Filing date: 1953-03-17
Publication date: 1956-06-05
Anticipated expiration: 1973-06-05

Description

June 5, 1956 H. G. BARRETT SIMULATED BASEBALL GAME Filed March 17, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 5, 1956 H. G. BARRETT SIMULATED BASEBALL GAME 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 17, 1953 United sa.. Patate SIMULATED BASEBALL GAME Harold G. Barrett, Evanston, Ill., assgnor of one-half to Nanko C. Bos, River Forest, Ill.

Application March 17, 1953, Serial No. 342,889

1 Claim. (Cl. 273-89) This invention relates to a simulated baseball game in which the pitching mechanism and batting mechanism are manually controlled by opposing players.

In accordance with the inventiona panel is marked to represent abaseball diamond with certain areas marked to indicate the 'result of the batters efforts against a ball thrown by the pitcher. The manual manipulation of the pitching mechanism by the pitcher controls the speed and curve of the ball being pitched so that the batter must operate the batting mechanism skillfully in order to produce beneficial results for his team.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple inexpensive apparatus that will provide suitable entertainment for persons who like baseball, regardless of their age.

Another object is to provide manually controlled means that will effectively impart different results to the ball that is pitched.

It is another object to provide means for insuring delivery of each pitched ball to the proximity of home plate, regardless of its curvature, so as to afford the batter a chance to hit any ball pitched.

lt is a further object of the invention to provide means for catching the ball every time it is thrown and holding the ball in such position until the results can be noted by the players.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective View of the device embodying the invention;

Pig. 2 is a fragmentary plan View of the home plate area of the game on an enlarged scale 'indicating in dotted lines the manner in which the batting device may be manipulated;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

ln the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates a panel upon the upper surface of which a baseball diamond is depicted. The panel is housed in a frame comprising four vertical walls 3 each provided with an inwardly extending flange 4 which is spaced above the top surface of the panel 2. The undersurface of each flange 4 is beveled upwardly at an angle of fifteen degrees, and the distance between the uppersurface of the panel 2 and the inner edge ot' the flange 4 is slightly greater than the diameter of the playing ball. The ball is preferably made of' plastic material or rubber so that when it is driven to the edge of the panel it will be wedged between the beveled edge of the flange 4 and the upper surface of panel 2. The area of the edge of the panel which represents the portion of the playing field between the foul lines is divided into sections, as indicated at 6 in Fig. l, each of which is marked to indicate the result of a ball 2,749,122, Patented June 5, 1956 ice hit to the particular section. The ball remains in its caught position so that the result of each ball that is hit can be noted. The game is played with a single ball, and after the result of the hit ball is properly noted, the ball is manually removed from its caught position and placed in a ball rest 7, which corresponds to the pitehers box, so that it is ready for the next pitc The ball rest has a pair of longitudinal flanges 9 at opposite edges defining a groove 10 extending longitudinally towards home plate 11. The bottom surface of the groove 10 extends upwardly to a very slight extent towards the batter to keep the ball from accidentally rolling off the rest in that direction. The transverse contour of the groove 10 coincides with the peripheral curvature of the ball so that the ball always remains in exactly the same position until it is thrown forwardly by the pitching arm 12. The groove 10 has sufficient length to guide the ball towards home plate so that it will travelv in the proximate vicinity of home plate regardless of the amount cf curvature imparted vto it by the pitching arm.v

The pitching arm l2 is pivoted below panel 2 which is provided with a slot 27 through which the pitching arm extends. The upper end of the pitching arm 12 is bent to form a hammer portion 25 which extends in the same direction as a line drawn between the home plate and center field. The hammer portion 25 of pitching arm l2 is provided with a rubber tip 35 adapted to strike the ball to pitch it towards home plate 11 when the pitching arm is manually moved about its pivot. The surface of the ball is preferably sand blasted to afford a suitable frictional Contact to the rubber tip 35 so that the tip will not merely slide off the ball, but will propel it towards home plate with fairly accurate control. When the rubber tip strikes the ball it will impart a spinning effect to the ball.

The groove il) will direct the ball towards home plate, but as soon as the ball leaves the groove 10 the spinning effect will cause it to curve as it approaches home plate. The grooved portion 10 of the ball rest is relatively smooth so that the frictional force between the ball and the ball rest will be substantially less than the frictional force between the rubber tip of the pitching arm and the ball. This difference in the frictional force between the ball and the pitching arm and the frictional force between the ball and the groove 10 will facilitate the curving of the ball as it is pitched because of the spinning effect transmitted to the ball by striking it with the rubber tip 35. T he area adjacent the corner of the panel 2 in back of home plate is provided with an overhanging flange 36, provided with an upwardly beveled surface similar to the flange 4. This area is divided into three sections so that if the ball passes directly over home plate and is not hit by the batter it will be caught under the portion of flange 36 which indicates a strike. If the ball does not pass over home plate, and is not hit by the batter, it will be caught in the position indicating a ball.

The bat support comprises an upright post 37 pivotally supported in a sleeve 38 threaded into an aperture in the panel 2. A sleeve 3S is provided on each side of home plate so that the bat may be conveniently operated by either right or left-handed batters. The sleeve is held securely by means of a nut 39 threaded on to the exterior of the sleeve and tightened against the under surface of panel 2. The upper portion of the post 37 is provided with a longitudinal bore 40 in which a coiled spring 41 is housed. The post 37 is also provided adjacent its upper end with a transversely extending opening 42 through which the handle 43 of the bat extends. The handle 43 is provided with a notch 44 on its lower surface adjacent the post 37. A ball 45 positioned on top of the spring 41 in the longitudinal bore 40 is pressed upwardly by the spring into engagement with the notched surface 44. The notch 44 is elongated slightly to permit the handle 43 of the bat to be moved transversely through the opening 42 to a limited extent. The ends of the grooved portion 44 engage the ball 45 to limit this transverse movement of the bat handle. One end of the bat is turned downwardly, as indicated at 46, and the downwardly extending portion terminates a short distance above the upper surface of panel 2. The extreme lower portion of the downturned end of the bat is provided with a sleeve 47 which constitutes the hitting surface of the bat when it is rotated by one of the players to hit a pitched ball. The limited transverse movement of the handle permits the batter to position the end of the bat into proper lateral position to meet a pitched ball coming towards either edge of home plate. The sleeve 47 is positioned from the panel 2 at such a height that it will move in the same horizontal plane as the center of the ball pitched to the batter. Accordingly, if the batter correctly gages the speed and direction of the curve of the pitched ball it is possible for him to manipulate the bat so as to hit the ball squarely and drive it to any portion of the eld.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modited or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact structure described, except as limited by the appended claim.

l claim:

In a simulated baseball game, a panel having a baseball diamond including a home plate depicted thereon, a batting device comprising an upright post pivotally mounted on said panel adjacent home plate, said post being provided with an aperture adjacent its upper end, a horizontally disposed bat extending through said aperture and having a downwardly extending ball striking surface, said bat being movable transversely relative to said post, spring pressed means in said post engaging said handle to limit the transverse movement thereof, the extent of said transverse movement being approximately equal to the width of said home plate.

Barrett Nov. 8, 1910 Cutting et al Feb. 7, 1933