US20140295999A1 - Eli's Springback Tee - Google Patents

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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
  • A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
  • A63B71/02—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00 for large-room or outdoor sporting games
  • A63B71/023—Supports, e.g. poles
  • A63B2071/026—Supports, e.g. poles stabilised by weight
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B2210/00—Space saving
  • A63B2210/50—Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B2225/00—Miscellaneous features of sport apparatus, devices or equipment
  • A63B2225/09—Adjustable dimensions
  • A63B2225/093—Height
• • A63B2243/0004—

Definitions

• the present invention relates to swing training devices in general, and more particularly to self-righting adjustable height batting tees for enabling a batter to practice their batting stance and swing.
• a batting tee In baseball and softball, one of the most difficult skills to master is hitting. Beginning batters may use a batting tee to hold the ball in a stationary position at a pre-selected height in the “strike zone” above a representation of home plate so that they can get used to making contact with the ball, without the additional coordination necessary to hit a moving target. Advanced athletes may use the batting tee for perfecting their batting routine, including their swing speed and swing trajectory, as well as to practice hitting the ball at the various positions at which it may cross home plate. Having a height-adjustable tee enables the batter to practice both high and low positions, and adjusting the placement of the tee allows the batter to practice various combinations of high and low pitches along with inside and outside positions.
• Eli's Springback Tee is an improved and durable baseball and softball batting tee that addresses many disadvantages of conventional batting tees.
• Eli's Springback Tee has a metal base, metal telescoping shaft and durable ball rest at the top.
• Eli's Springback Tee uses a helical spring to cause the tee to return to a vertical position after being struck by the batter. This Springback technology allows the batter to save time, and maintain a swing pattern without having to pick the tee back up after a missed-hit and reposition it before taking another swing.
• the Springback tee does not tip over when a batter accidently hits the ball rest because of the combination of the improved weighted base and the springing action of the vertical shaft of the tee, and is durable enough to withstand thousands of hits from even the strongest batters.
• Eli's Springback Tee is currently being used by high school teams, college teams, and travel baseball organizations across the nation because of its ease of use, portability, and durable metal construction. Go to www.elispringbacktee.com for video clips of the tee in action, as well as testimonials of some of the current users of Eli's Springback Tee.
• the Springback tee base has a width or diameter of approximately 6 inches in order to maintain stability even when the ball rest is struck by the batter.
• the base is removeably attached to the spring and vertical shaft by a threaded metal pipe that allows the base to be unscrewed and separated from the shaft for portability or storage purposes.
• the Springback tee has three telescoping vertical sections that allow the tee to adjust to various heights from approximately 26 inches up to 42 inches.
• the dual tensioners between sections allow the tee to be height adjusted easily, yet remain at the selected height without slipping down.
• the tensioners can be made from rubber stoppers that have a hole cut through the center a size just large enough to allow them to fit over the vertical shaft, yet remaining tight enough to create tension and friction when the shaft is being pulled up or pushed down.
• the ball rest is a formed by rolling a custom shaped piece of diaphragm grade EPDM rubber material into a cone-shaped opening at the top.
• the rubber has nylon cloth inserted for extra long life and rip/tear resistance.
• the spring is approximately 5 inches in length with the top diameter of the spring being larger than the bottom diameter of the spring.
• the spring is similar to a garage door extension spring that has been stretched to create two separate voids between the coils of the spring, one towards the top of the spring, and one close to the bottom of the spring.
• the bottom void in the spring allows the spring to be secured to the threaded metal pipe with one or more hex head metal screws. The threaded metal pipe can then be screwed into the base.
• the top void in the spring allows the spring to be securedly attached to the vertical shaft by one or more hex head metal screws. With this configuration, the spring acts to receive the impact of hits against the ball rest by allowing the vertical shaft to swing forward when hit, and then releases that stored energy to spring back to an upright vertical position.
• the Springback tee can be shortened to practice low ball swings. This embodiment is approximately 17 inches high, and can be used to practice pitches underneath the strike zone and the low and outside pitch that is on or right off of the back part of the plate.
• the base has a width or diameter greater than 6 inches in order to maintain stability.
• the vertical shaft may be comprised of two or more shorter telescoping sections, or may only have one section and therefore have a non-adjustable height.
• the low ball Springback tee can also be used for smaller/younger batters including little league teams as well.
• the Springback tee may have a home plate shaped base or other suitable shape that does not compromise the support provided by the base.
• the base may also be a hollow plastic chamber or bladder that can be filled with water or sand when in use, and emptied out when not in use for increased portability.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a tee that saves the batter the time and effort of picking up and repositioning the tee after striking the tee, by providing a tee that springs back into an upright position.
• FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of the first embodiment of the Springback tee.
• FIG. 2 is an exploded front elevation view of the Swingback tee.
• FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an alternate embodiment
• FIG. 4 is a detailed view of the unrolled rubber ball rest.
• FIG. 5 is a detailed view of the cone shape formed by rolling the rubber ball rest.
• Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a batting and swing training device.
• the Springback tee can be adjusted to various heights by the telescoping sections being extended or retracted to the desired height.
• FIG. 1 illustrates the Springback tee 10 of the present invention.
• the Springback tee 10 has a heavy metal base 12 for supporting the telescoping vertical shaft 14 that supports the top cone 16 , which holds a ball in place for hitting.
• the base 12 is preferably made of cast iron or steel and is heavy enough to prevent the tee from falling over when struck by a bat.
• the rigid metal coupling 20 has a top and bottom side, where the bottom side is fixedly secured to the upper surface of the base 12 , such as by welding.
• the top side of the coupling 20 has a female thread and can receive the male threaded end of a short metal nipple or pipe 22 , which is secured at the other end to the bottom of a helical spring 24 by hex head screws (not shown).
• the threaded connection between the coupling 20 and the metal pipe 22 allows the base 12 to quickly be unscrewed and separated from the vertical shaft 14 for portability and storage of the tee.
• the helical spring 24 is closely coiled and will bend forward and spring back with the vertical shaft 14 in correlation to the amount of force with which the tee is struck.
• the top of the spring 24 is secured to a first vertical shaft 26 .
• the spring 24 is secured between the threaded pipe 22 and the first vertical shaft 26 by hex head metal screws (not shown) passing through aligned openings in the lower and upper portion of the spring 24 respectively.
• the spring 24 can be permanently attached to the metal pipe 22 and/or first vertical shaft 26 such as by welding.
• the spring 24 serves to bias the vertical shaft 14 to the vertical position, but allows omni-directional movement of the vertical shaft 14 relative to the base 12 .
• the spring 24 being fixedly attached to the pipe 22 and removeably attached to the base 12 allows the entire vertical shaft 14 to bend forward upon impact by a bat, and then to swing back into its vertical position.
• the Springback tee 10 has a telescoping vertical shaft 14 that is adjustable to various heights.
• the shaft 14 has two or more collinear support members attached to one another and vertically adjustable relative to one another.
• FIG. 1 there are three vertical shaft members, 26 , 28 and 30 .
• the members telescope at their points of intersection.
• a tensioner 32 is disposed between the first vertical shaft 26 and the second vertical shaft 28 , and between the second vertical shaft 28 and the third vertical shaft 30 .
• the tensioner 32 not only holds the vertical shaft members in place relative to one another, but also permits slidable and relative movement between them.
• Each vertical shaft member has a different diameter, permitting the third vertical shaft 30 to slide or telescope within the second vertical shaft 28 , and second vertical shaft 28 to slide or telescope within the first vertical shaft 26 .
• the diameter of the first vertical shaft 26 is larger than the diameter of the second vertical shaft 28 , which has a larger diameter than the third vertical shaft 30 .
• the tops of both the first vertical shaft 26 and the second vertical shaft 28 are machined down or crimped enough to prevent the next and smaller shaft from being pulled all of the way out of the larger shaft.
• the third vertical shaft 30 is a solid piece of plastic, such as acetal plastic, and has a self tapping screw 36 inserted through a washer 38 , and screwed into the third vertical shaft 30 to prevent movement of the short length of liquid tight conduit 40 around the lower portion of the third vertical shaft 30 .
• the liquid tight conduit 40 around the lower portion of the third vertical shaft 30 serves to increase the width of the third vertical shaft 30 inside the second vertical shaft 28 , and prevent it from being pulled out of the second vertical shaft 28 .
• the smaller shafts can be slid within the larger shafts and seated and held in place with a tensioner 32 .
• the tensioners 32 disposed between the vertical members can adjustably secure the vertical shaft members at a variety of heights selected by the batter.
• the rubber sleeve 42 overlays the bonding area where the third vertical shaft 30 and the ball rest 16 are connected, and provides a smooth and aesthetically pleasing transition from the shaft to the ball rest 16 .
• FIG. 4 displays the customized shape of the rubber ball rest.
• the tapered look seen in FIG. 5 is accomplished by rolling the rubber into a cone shape at the top for supporting a baseball or softball.
• a more durable but still portable batting tee comprised of mostly metal materials has been provided.
• the metal construction provides durability in the shaft, and the nylon injected rubber provides a tear/rip resistant ball rest that can withstand thousands of hits from even the strongest batters.
• the weighted metal base provides excellent stability even when the vertical shaft is struck. The stability of the base is further enhanced by the springing action provided by the spring to allow the vertical shaft to lean over with the impact of the hit and use that force to spring back into an upright position.
• the descriptions above contain much specificity, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of the Springback tee. Many other variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art, including the ability to modify materials used for the base and shaft to make the tee more lightweight.
• the base could be modified to have a wider diameter to provide additional stability instead of using a heavier metal base.
• the ball rest could be comprised of other elastomeric materials, with or without cloth or nylon insertion for additional durability.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)

Abstract

Description

Claims (14)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=51621389

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (1)

Cited By (10)

Citations (15)

• 2013
  • 2013-03-28 US US13/853,037 patent/US20140295999A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (15)

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