US3815905A - Baseball base - Google Patents

Abstract

A baseball base which comprises first and second interlocking plates, the first, plate is provided with a pair of generally cup shaped shoe members, a blade receiving slot and a ground engaging anchor member. The second plate is provided with a pair of generally L-shaped foot members and a ground penetrating blade member, the second plate also being enclosed by a resilient base padding having the foot and blade members extending through the padding surface. When the base is to be positioned on the ground, the anchor member is positioned in the ground as an anchor for the first base member, the L-shaped foot members and the blade member of the second plate are inserted into the shoe members and blade receiving slot respectively, of the first plate, thus making the base ready for use.

Description

United States Patent [191 Golomb June 11, 1974 BASEBALL BASE Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Eraminer-Theatrice Brown I z Golom [75] mentor L Port Washington Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Friedman & Goodman [73] Assignee: Everlast World Boxing Headquarters Corp., Bronx, NY.

[ ABSTRACT A baseball base which comprises first and second interlocking plates, the first, plate is provided with a pair of generally cup shaped shoe members, a blade receiving slot and a ground engaging anchor member. The

i Second plate is provided with a pair of generally L- shaped foot members and a ground penetrating blade 3 member, the second plate also being enclosed by a re- 1 silient base padding having the foot and blade members extending through the padding surface. When the base is to be positioned on the ground, the anchor member is positioned in the ground as an anchor for j the first base member, the L-shaped foot members and 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN 1 I am SHEET 2 0F 3 24 FIG.3.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a baseball base, and more particularly to a baseball base having means for permitting anchoring the base in a detachable manner upon a baseball field.

Conventional baseball bases, in the game of baseball, generally require some means by which the baseball base can be anchored relative to the baseball field so as not to be shifted relative to a prescribed position and orientation relative to the baseball field during play. One such means for anchoring the baseball base is that of providing a helical anchor or screw shaped member upon the baseball base itself so as to permit the baseball base to be threadedly rooted into the playing field. Removal of the baseball base, after the game has expired, requires the removal of the entire assembly, namely the base itself together with the screw member as an entire unit. This is somewhat unsatisfactory in that when the baseball base is to be utilized again, its precise location must again be determined since upon earlier removal thereof there occurred a loss to some degree of the means for referencing the precise location at which the baseball base is to be properly anchored.

This disadvantage or draback has been overcome somewhat by providing an anchoring device such as a hollow spike which is to be permanently anchored beneath the surface of the playing field, which hollow spike is adapted to axially receive a stud or other projection fixed permanently to the underside of the baseball base. The baseball base and spike arrangement of this nature provides means for readily detaching the baseball base from the playing field and alsoreferencing the precise location at which the baseball base is to again be replaced. However, the drawback associated with this type of arrangement is that the baseball base is, during the course of the game, subjected to potential uplift relative to the spike in which the stud or projection thereof is axially seated, this because of the rather ineffective structure or association of structure between the base and the spike for reliably maintaining the baseball base firmly, but detachably disposed upon the playing field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a baseball base which can be detachably anchored upon the playing field in a proper position reliably during the course of the game notwithstanding the extent of harsh treatment subjected thereto.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a baseball base which includes structure for being detachably yet permanently anchored relative to the playing field so as to provide reference means for prescribing the location at which the baseball base itself is to again be disposed after removal thereof from the playing field after play.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a baseball base and anchor therefor which are associated with one another in such a manner that there is prevented inadvertent uplift and lateral shifting of the baseball base relative to the playing field during the course of play.

To this end, the present invention relates generally to a baseball base comprising first and second interfitting plates. The first plate includes ground attachment means for being detachably rooted into an external ground surface and plate attachment means for detachably confining the second plate thereupon. The second plate includes ground penetrating means for being detachably gauged into the external ground surface, while the second plate is detachably confined by the first plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the baseball base of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the association of the pair of interfitting plates of the baseball base pursuant to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper of the plates illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower of the plates illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the lower plate;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines 8-8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the upper plate; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line l010 in FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-4, the present invention relates generally to a baseball base denoted generally by the reference character 20. The baseball base includes a firstor lower plate 22 and a second or upper plate 24. The lower plate 22 includes upon the undersurface thereof a screw-like member or helical stem 26 disposed centrally thereon and extending generally transversely relative thereto. On the upper surface of the lower plate 22, that surface opposite the surface from which extends the helical stem 26, are disposed a pair of shoes 28. The shoes 28 are best illustrated in FIGS. 58 and are formed in the lower plate 22, the latter constituted preferably of rigid metal, by preferably providing by conventional means a pair of slits 29 (FIG. 6) in the plate 22 and drawing a portion of the plate 22 upwardly (by conventional means) relative to a fiat portion 30 of the plate 22 such that there is defined what may be characterized as an inclined web 32 and a cut-out 34 below the web 32 for each of the shoes 28.

At the opposite end portion of the plate 22, that portion opposite the end portion provided with the shoes 28, there is provided a slotted cut out 36 for receiving a blade-like member 38 formed as part of the upper plate 24 which is likewise preferably constituted of rigid metal.

, In this respect, there is formed a cut out 40 in the upper plate 24, as best illustrated in FIG. 9, the cut-out 40 being generally U- or C-shaped such that there is left in tact the integral association of the blade 38 with that of the plate 24, the blade 38 being provided by being bent into a position so as to be disposed generally transversely of the underside of the plate 24.

At the opposite end portion of the plate 24, there are provided two pairs of flanged feet 42, the configuration of which feet 42 is best illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 10. In this respect, the flanged feet 42 are integrally formed as part of the plate 24 in that the plate 24 is provided with a pair of spaced cut-outs 44 (FIG. 4) of generally U- or C-shaped configuration such that there is formed three separated tail portions 46 lying within the plane of the upper plate 24.-

That portion of the plate 24 between the tail portions 46 as illustrated in FIG. 9 is then divided and bent or deformed into (by conventional means not shown) the two pairs of L-shaped feet 42, the configuration of which is best illustrated, as aforementioned, in FIGS. 4 and 10.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper plate 24 is provided with a foamed or otherwise resilient jacket 48 of conventional baseball base configuration, a portion of the blade member 38 and respective portions of the flanged feet 42 being exposed relative to the underside of the foamed jacket 48.

The interfitting association of the upper plate 24 with that of the lower plate 22 is best illustrated in FIGS. 1-3. In this respect, the lower plate 22 may be secured to the playing field by means of the helical stem 26 which, in screw-like fashion, may be threadedly rooted firmly, but detachably beneath the playing field surface, the helical stem 26 being characterized herein generally as ground attachment means. Thereafter; the upper plate 24 may be disposed above the lower plate 22 so as to permit insertion of one flanged foot 42A of each of the pairs of flanged feet 42 into a respective shoe 28 such that the inclined web 32 of the respective shoe 28 overlies the flanged foot 42A and prevents uplift of the latter foot.

Moreover, the flanged foot 42B of each of the pairs of flanged feet 42 will rest upon the upper surface of the lower plate 22 between the shoes 28, this required principally because of the provision of the cut-out 34 beneath each of the shoes 28 through which the flanged foot 42A of each of the pairs of flanged feet 42 would, in the absence of the flanged foot 423, project loosely through. Thus, the flanged foot 42B of each of the flanged feet 42, act as a pillar support for the upper plate 24 as resting upon the lower plate 22.

With the flanged feet 42 in association as described above with and between the shoes 28, the blade 38 of the upper plate 24 may, thereafter, be inserted through the slotted cut-out 36 provided in the lower plate 22 so as to extend substantially well beyond the undersurface of the lower plate 22 to be gauged into and below the playing field surface.

The blade 38, thereby, in cooperation with the helical stem 26 firmly, but detachably, anchors the foamed jacket 48 to the playing field and resists rotation or other lateral shifting of the foamed jacket 48 relative to the baseball field. The shoes 28, which may be characterized as attachment means for confining the upper plate 24 upon the lower plate 22, resists uplift of the upper plate 24 relative to the playing field in an effective and reliable manner. In other words, the only manner by which the foamed jacket 48 or in effect, the upper plate 24 can be detached from the playing field surface is by first uplifting the blade 38 through the cutout 34 in the lower plate 22 and, thereafter, pulling the upper plate 24 out of the confines of the shoes 28, the inadvertant likelihood of this happening during the course of the game being remote but providing ground keepers and other personnel with effective means for removing and attaching the baseball base 20 to the playing field when necessary, the lower plate 22 generally remaining permanently associated with the playing field for referencing the location at which the foamed jacket or upper plate 24 will be again attached for playing purposes.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A baseball base comprising a baseball base member, a first one-piece integral plate and a second onepiece integral plate;

said baseball base member being jacketed to define a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls; said-second plate including a flat body member, at least one L-shaped flanged foot member extending downwardly from one side of said body member, and ground penetrating blade means extending downwardly from an opposite side of said body member for being detachably gouged into a ground surface to resist rotation of said baseball base; said body member being encapsulated within said baseball base member in a horizontal position with said foot member and said blade means extending vertically downward through said bottom wall to expose portions of said foot member and said blade means relative to said baseball base member; said first plate including a flat plate member disposable below said baseball base member in a position spaced apart from said body member of said second plate, ground attachment means extending vertically downward from a bottom surface of said first plate member for being detachably rooted into the ground surface, plate attachment shoe means disposed on one side of a top surface of said first plate member for detachably receiving said foot member insertable horizontally therein for preventing uplifting of said foot member, and slot means provided through an opposite side of said first plate member for removably receiving said blade means vertically therethrough so that said blade means extends below said first plate member,

said slot means being spaced from all edges of said first plate member to prevent any lateral shifting of said blade means relative to said first plate;

whereby the only manner by which said baseball base member can be detached from said first plate once anchored to the ground surface, is by first uplifting said blade means out of said slot means and thereafter horizontally pulling said foot member out of said shoe means.

2. .A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said ground attachment means of said first plate includes a helical stem for being threadedly rooted into the ground surface.

3. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second plate includes a second flanged foot member spaced adjacent the first said flanged foot member for foot member and shoe means constituting partial cutout portions of said plates respectively.

6. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second plate includes a second flanged foot member spaced from the first said flanged foot member for insertion into a second shoe means disposed on said one side of said top surface of said plate member.

Claims (6)

1. A baseball base comprising a baseball base member, a first one-piece integral plate and a second one-piece integral plate; said baseball base member being jacketed to define a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls; said second plate including a flat body member, at least one Lshaped flanged foot member extending downwardly from one side of said body member, and ground penetrating blade means extending downwardly from an opposite side of said body member for being detachably gouged into a ground surface to resist rotation of said baseball base; said body member being encapsulated within said baseball base member in a horizontal position with said foot member and said blade means extending vertically downward through said bottom wall to expose portions of said foot member and said blade means relative to said baseball base member; said first plate including a flat plate member disposable below said baseball base member in a position spaced apart from said body member of said second plate, ground attachment means extending vertically downward from a bottom surface of said first plate member for being detachably rooted into the ground surface, plate attachment shoe means disposed on one side of a top surface of said first plate member for detachably receiving said foot member insertable horizontally therein for preventing uplifting of said foot member, and slot means provided through an opposite side of said first plate member for removably receiving said blade means vertically therethrough so that said blade means extends below said first plate member, said slot means being spaced from all edges of said first plate member to prevent any lateral shifting of said blade means relative to said first plate; whereby the only manner by which said baseball base member can be detached from said first plate once anchored to the ground surface, is by first uplifting said blade means out of said slot means and thereafter horizontally pulling said foot member out of said shoe means.

2. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said ground attachment means of said first plate includes a helical stem for being threadedly rooted into the ground surface.

3. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second plate includes a second flanged foot member spaced adjacent the first said flanged foot member for resting upon said first plate externally of said shoe means.

4. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shoe means includes an inclined web, said inclined web overlying said flanged foot member and preventing uplift of the latter when said flanged foot member is inserted into said shoe means.

5. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said plates are metallic; said blade means, flanged foot member and shoe means constituting partial cut-out portions of said plates respectively.

6. A baseball base as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second plate includes a second flanged foot member spaced from the first said flanged foot member for insertion into a second shoe means disposed on said one side of said top surface of said plate member.

Images