U.S. patent application number 11/765882 was filed with the patent office on 2008-10-09 for practice baseball swing machine.
Invention is credited to Gus Hernandez.
Application Number | 20080248900 11/765882 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39827446 |
Filed Date | 2008-10-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080248900 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hernandez; Gus |
October 9, 2008 |
PRACTICE BASEBALL SWING MACHINE
Abstract
A practice swing machine and practice method for baseball
batters are provided. The practice swing machine provides
simultaneous hitting and power development for a batter by
employing an arced "training zone" formed from a pair of opposing
armatures that define an arced swing target that can be adjusted to
mimic the precise trajectory of the hitter's individual swing. In
optional embodiments the swing machine may be collapsible to
provide easy transportation of the device.
Inventors: |
Hernandez; Gus; (South Gate,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHRISTIE, PARKER & HALE, LLP
PO BOX 7068
PASADENA
CA
91109-7068
US
|
Family ID: |
39827446 |
Appl. No.: |
11/765882 |
Filed: |
June 20, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60910279 |
Apr 5, 2007 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/453 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 69/0002 20130101;
A63B 2210/50 20130101; A63B 69/3621 20200801; A63B 2209/00
20130101; A63B 2225/093 20130101; A63B 2069/0008 20130101; A63B
2225/09 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/453 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/00 20060101
A63B069/00 |
Claims
1. A practice swing machine comprising: a support frame; a pair of
horizontally oriented curved armatures attached to said support
frame and disposed in a parallel alignment relative to each other
such that a curved gap is defined therebetween; and at least one
resilient member disposed on an inner surface of at least one of
said armatures within said curved gap such that the curved gap is
at least partially occluded by said resilient member, wherein the
curved gap and at least one resilient member form a swing target
defining an arc corresponding to the arc of a batter's ideal
swing.
2. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the support frame and pair of armatures are adjustable such that
the swing target may be moved relative to the batter in at least
one dimension.
3. The practice swing machine of claim 2, wherein at least one
adjustment to either the support frame or the pair of armatures may
be made, said at least one adjustment being selected from the group
consisting of the height of the swing target from the ground, the
distance of the swing target from the support frame to the hitter,
the angle of the swing target relative to a horizontal plane
parallel to the ground, the angle of the swing target relative to a
vertical axis normal to the ground, and the width of the swing
target.
4. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the pair of
armatures are interconnected to the support frame through a pair of
independent support arms.
5. The practice swing machine of claim 4, wherein the armatures are
each slidingly connected to one of the support arms, such that the
height of the armatures relative to the ground may be independently
adjusted.
6. The practice swing machine of claim 5, wherein the armatures may
be locked into position to prevent said sliding movement.
7. The practice swing machine of claim 4, wherein the support arms
are slidingly connected to the support frame, such that the
horizontal position of the armatures relative to each other may be
independently adjusted.
8. The practice swing machine of claim 7, wherein the support arms
may be locked into position to prevent said sliding movement.
9. The practice swing machine of claim 4, wherein the armatures are
each pivotally connected to one the support arms, such that the
angle of the armatures relative to each other may be independently
adjusted.
10. The practice swing machine of claim 9, wherein the armatures
may be locked into position to prevent said pivotal movement.
11. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein each of the
armatures comprises a deformable body such that the curvature of
each of the armatures may be adjusted.
12. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the position of
the at least one resilient member may be changed to increase or
decrease the occlusion of the gap such that the force required to
swing a bat through the swing target can be adjusted.
13. The practice swing machine of claim 1, further comprising at
least two different interchangeable resilient elements having
variable material properties such that the force required to swing
a bat through the swing target can be adjusted by interchanging
said at least two different resilient elements.
14. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the number of
the resilient members positioned within the gap may be varied such
that the force required to swing a bat through the swing target can
be adjusted.
15. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the machine
comprises at least two resilient elements oppositionally disposed
on the facing surfaces of the pair of armatures.
16. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the at least one
resilient member takes a form selected from the group consisting of
spheres, pyramids, flaps, squares and rods.
17. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the at lest one
resilient member is made from a material selected from the group
consisting of rubber, plastics and fabrics.
18. The practice swing machine of claim 1, further comprising a
pair of strike plates positioned on at least the end of each of the
armatures nearest the entrance to the gap therebetween, and being
angled such that a bat hitting said strike plates would be directed
into the swing target.
19. The practice swing machine of claim 18, wherein the strike
plates are covered with one of either a padded or resilient
material.
20. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the support
frame is collapsible.
21. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the support
frame is mounted on at least one wheel.
22. The practice swing machine of claim 1, wherein the machine is
formed of a material selected from the group consisting of metal,
wood, plastic, and composite materials.
23. A method of providing batting practice comprising: defining a
curved volume in space, the curvature of said volume being designed
to match the arc defined by a batter's ideal swing; confining the
batter's swing within said curved volume; and at least partially
filing said volume with a resistant material such that a desired
level of force is required to swing a bat through said volume.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 60/910,279 filed Apr. 5, 2007, the disclosure
of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The current invention is directed to a practice swing
machine for baseball hitters; and more particularly to a practice
swing machine that provides simultaneous hitting and power
development for a batter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There are two principal features of a good baseball hitter,
the ability to make consistent contact with a ball thrown in the
strike zone, and the ability to hit with power. First attempts to
help players improve these hitting skills focused on training
regimes, such as live batting practice in conjunction with weight
training and physical exercise. More recently, a substantial amount
of research has gone into developing practice machines that can be
used in conjunction with these more traditional techniques to
further improve a hitter's skills.
[0004] Conventional hitting machines come in many forms, but most
of these machines only provide swing control training, i.e., that
can teach a hitter how to make good contact with the ball, but not
how to improve the power of their swing. Examples of these machines
range from the simple ball holder disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
2,772,882, to single point pivoting devices such as those disclosed
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,550,938 and 5,601,286. The disclosures of each
of these devices are incorporated herein by reference. A few
machines do attempt to combine contact training with power
training, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,451,036;
4,655,452; and 5,226,645, the disclosures of each of which are
incorporated herein by reference; however, to date these machines
have not been able to successfully mimic the complex motion of a
baseball swing.
[0005] Specifically, a baseball swing inherently describes an arc
centered about the hitter. However, the power swing machines
described in the above patents require the hitter to have an almost
perfectly level swing, and the "power zone" described in each
describes a simple straight line such that the bat head in going
through its arc interacts with this "power zone" for only a brief
span and unevenly at best. As such, most of these conventional
swing machines effectively "train" only a small portion of the
hitters overall swing within the hitting zone.
[0006] Accordingly, a need exists for an improved practice swing
machine that provides consistent power and contact swing training,
and that can be tailored to a player's specific hitting zone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The current invention is directed to a practice swing
machine that models the full arc of a batter's swing trajectory by
providing a pair of opposing swing arms that define an arced swing
target through which the hitter is directed to swing.
[0008] In one embodiment, the swing arms are supported by a frame
that provides at least one degree of freedom in defining the
geometry of the arced swing target in relation to its surroundings.
In such an embodiment, any of the following characteristics of the
swing target may be adjusted including, the height from the ground,
the distance from the frame to the hitter, the angle of the swing
trajectory arc relative to a horizontal plane, the width of the
swing trajectory arc, and the angle of the swing trajectory arc
relative to a vertical axis normal to the ground.
[0009] In another embodiment, a plurality of resistance elements
may be disposed on the inner surfaces of the opposing swing arms
within the swing target gap to provide a level of resistance to the
hitter. In such an embodiment, the level of resistance can be
adjusted. In one such embodiment, the level of resistance may be
adjusted by altering the position of the resistance elements
relative to each other. In another such embodiment, interchangeable
resistance elements made of different materials may be provided to
allow for a variable resistance.
[0010] In yet another embodiment, the outer portion of the swing
arms at the entrance to the swing trajectory arc gap may be padded
with a resilient material to protect the device from errant
swings.
[0011] In still another embodiment, the frame of the machine may be
collapsible and/or mounted on wheels to allow for the storage and
transportation of the device.
[0012] In still yet another embodiment, the invention is directed
to a method of batting practice utilizing a customizable swing
target as disclosed herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
present invention will be more fully understood when considered
with respect to the following detailed description, appended
claims, and accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1a is a top view of a batter in the process of
swinging;
[0015] FIG. 1b is a top view of an exemplary prior art practice
swing machine;
[0016] FIG. 1c is a top view of an exemplary practice swing machine
in accordance with the current invention.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective drawing of one exemplary embodiment
of the current invention during use;
[0018] FIG. 3a is a front view of the swing arms in accordance with
one exemplary embodiment of the current invention;
[0019] FIG. 3b is a top view of the swing arms in accordance with
one exemplary embodiment of the current invention;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of one exemplary
embodiment of the current invention;
[0021] FIG. 5 is a side view of one exemplary embodiment of the
current invention;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a front view of one exemplary embodiment of the
current invention;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of one exemplary
embodiment of the current invention; and
[0024] FIG. 8 is a top view of one exemplary embodiment of the
current invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The current invention is directed to a practice swing
machine that models the full arc of a batter's swing trajectory,
providing both power and swing training in a consistent and
controlled manner through the entire hitting zone. Herein the terms
"hitting zone", "swing training", and "power training" are defined
as follows:
[0026] The term "hitting zone" refers to the portion of the arc of
a hitter's swing that is within a zone over the plate where
positive contact with the ball can be made.
[0027] The term "swing training" refers to a method of allowing a
hitter to practice the accuracy of his swing, i.e., the location of
the bat head within the hitting zone.
[0028] The term "power training" refers to a method of providing
some resistance within the hitting zone such that the hitter is
required to exert extra force to swing the bat head through the
hitting zone.
[0029] These terms may be better understood with references to FIG.
1a. As shown in FIG. 1a, every hitter's swing describes an arc (1)
centered about the hitter's body (2). Prior art devices that
provide "power swing training", such as those disclosed in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 4,655,452 and 5,226,645, provide training zones (3),
i.e., the portion of the machine through which the bat head travels
during a swing, that define straight lines. As a result, the
portion of the bat interacting with the training device inherently
changes as the bat traces this arc, as shown by FIG. 1b.
[0030] In contrast, the current invention is directed to a practice
swing machine that provides an arced "training zone" that can be
adjusted to mimic the precise arc of the hitter's own swing. As
shown in FIG. 1c, in general terms the device of the current
invention comprises a pair of opposing swing armatures that define
a gap. The gap in turn takes the form of an arc or "swing arc" (4)
that is designed to model the trajectory of a hitter's swing. The
armatures are themselves supported by a frame that can be adjusted
in any one of a number of degrees of freedom to allow for the
movement of the armatures relative to one another, thereby allowing
for the location and geometry of the swing arc to be customized to
correspond to each individual hitter's swing.
[0031] One exemplary embodiment of the practice swing machine of
the current invention is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 8. As shown
in FIG. 2, the practice swing machine (10) of the current comprises
two curved swing armatures (16 & 18) mounted in parallel one to
the other and cooperatively curved and spaced vertically one from
the other such that in conjunction the armatures define an arced
swing gap (19). This combination of armatures and the gap thereby
created creates the arced swing target (20) through which the
hitter (2) directs the bat while practicing his swing. The
armatures (16 & 18) are mounted on an adjustable frame (12)
that includes upper and lower support arms (14) and a base
(22).
[0032] Although many suitable combinations of elements may be used
to create the arced swing target of the current invention, a front
view of one embodiment of an arced swing target (20) in accordance
with the current invention is provided in FIGS. 3a and 3b. As
shown, the swing target (20) generally comprises a lower armature
(16) and an upper armature (18) mounted in parallel along a
generally horizontal axis (h) such that the inner surfaces of each
armature cooperatively form a swing gap (19) through which the bat
(b) passes during a swing. The armatures are maintained in position
by a pair of upper and lower support arms (14) that adjustably fix
the swing armatures (16 & 18) into position relative to one
another.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 3a, the inner surfaces of the swing
armatures (16 & 18) can optionally be fitted with one or more
resistance elements (21) such that the swing gap (19) is at least
partially impeded by said elements. The resistance elements (21)
can take any form and can be made of any material suitable to
impede the movement of the bat (b) within swing gap (19). For
example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3a, the frictional
resistance elements take the form of spherical bodies formed of a
resilient material such as rubber; however, other forms such as,
for example, pyramids, flaps, squares, rods, etc. may be used. In
addition, these elements may be made of other materials capable of
repeated resilient deformation, such as, for example, plastics,
fabrics, etc. In one preferred embodiment the resilient members are
formed of a felt coated rubber material. Moreover, while the
resistance elements (21) shown in FIG. 3a are static, it should be
understood that the elements themselves could be made to move
within the swing gap (19) to provide a variable resistance to the
hitter's swing. In such an embodiment, for example, the resistance
elements could be designed to move orthogonal to the inner surface
of the swing armatures such that the resistance elements could be
extended into or retracted out of the swing gap (19) depending on
the level of resistance desired by the hitter. Alternatively, a
range of resilient elements having variable resistance factors
could be supplied with the swing machine. In such an embodiment the
resilient elements would be removable such that the hitter could
alter the resistance provided by the resistance elements by
changing the resilient elements (21) mounted within the swing gap
(19).
[0034] Although the swing armatures are shown only schematically in
the figures of the current application, it should be understood
that the arms could be provided with other elements to improve the
function of the practice swing machine. For example, as shown in
FIG. 3 the swing armatures are provided with angled strike plates
(17) to assist in directing the bat head through the swing gap
(19). It should be further understood that these strike plates may
be made of any suitable material. In one preferred embodiment, the
strike plates are either padded or made of a resilient material to
absorb the shock of a misdirected swing.
[0035] Finally, although the diagram of FIG. 3a shows the support
arms (14) and the swing armatures (16 & 18) as fixed in a
single position, it should be understood that either or both the
support arms (14) or the swing armatures (16 & 18) may be
designed to move independently to allow for the repositioning of
the swing armatures both relative to one another and relative to
the hitter. For example, in one embodiment shown schematically in
FIG. 3b, the swing armatures may be designed to allow the
alteration of the curvature of the arc of the swing target (20) to
better correspond to a hitter's swing.
[0036] Although the above discussion has focused principally on the
swing target of the current invention, another feature of the
practice swing machine of the current invention is the high degree
of customization it provides. In particular, the practice swing
machine is designed to allow any hitter to optimize the power and
accuracy of their swing regardless of the hitter's size, reach,
stance, etc. Accordingly, it is important to provide a machine
which allows the hitter to position the swing target into a
geometry relative to the hitter that will correspond most closely
with the trajectory of the hitter's swing. FIGS. 4 to 8 provide
detailed diagrams showing some exemplary frame adjustments that may
be incorporated into the current device.
[0037] FIG. 4 provides a rear perspective view of the practice
swing machine of the current invention. As previously described the
upper and lower swing armatures (16 & 18) that define the swing
gap (19) are held in place by upper and lower support arms (14a
& 14b). The upper and lower support arms are in turn
interconnected to a base (22) that can take any form suitable for
stabilizing the device against movement during use. For example, in
the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the base (22) comprises to
elongated leg elements (23a & 23b) that engage either end of
the lower support arm (14b).
[0038] Turning to the interconnection of the swing armatures with
the support arms, although any suitable means of interconnecting
the swing armatures with the support arms may be used, in the
embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the swing armatures are mounted onto
the support arms through a cooperative set of support connectors
(14a', 14b', 16' and 18'). Specifically, the upper swing armature
(18) is provided on its upper surface with a male connector (18')
that cooperatively and slidingly engages a female connector (14a')
on the upper support arm (14a). Likewise, the lower swing armature
(16) is provided on its lower surface with a male connector (16')
that cooperatively and slidingly engages a female connector (14b')
on the lower support arm (14b). Because the swing armatures are
both slidingly engaged with their respective support arms, the
swing armatures may be independently raised or lowered to adjust
the height of the swing target or the width of the swing gap (19)
as desired by the hitter. When the swing target is in the desired
position the swing armatures may be locked into position by any
standard locking mechanism, such as a spring loaded pin, screw,
wire, frictional fitting, etc.
[0039] FIG. 5 provides a side view of an exemplary embodiment of an
adjustable practice swing machine in accordance with the current
invention. As shown, the frame (12) may incorporate a number of
different adjustment mechanisms, including vertical, horizontal and
angular adjustments. For example, as previously described the
device could include a vertical swing armature adjustment mechanism
(24 & 30), which would allow for the independent adjustment of
the two swing armatures (16 & 18) relative to each other along
a vertical axis. As shown such a vertical adjustment mechanism may
take the form of two cooperatively engaged slidable members that
interconnect the swing armatures (16 & 18) and the support arms
(14a & 14b).
[0040] In addition, the frame may incorporate at least one
independent horizontal adjustment mechanism to allow for the swing
armatures (16 & 18) to be offset one from the other in the
horizontal plane. Although any suitable mechanism could be
employed, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 such a horizontal
adjustment incorporates a support arm (14a) that is formed of two
slidably cooperative pieces joined with a locking mechanism (32).
In such an embodiment, the portion of the support arm (14a)
interconnected with the swing armature (18) would slide within the
body of the portion of the support arm interconnected with the base
(22), thereby allowing for the upper and lower swing armatures (16
& 18) to be offset from each other in the horizontal plane.
Although in FIG. 5 only the upper support arm is shown to include
such a horizontal adjustment mechanism, it should be understood
that the lower support arm (14b) could be made horizontally
adjustable in a similar manner.
[0041] Although independent vertical adjustment mechanisms (24
& 30) for the swing armatures (16 & 18) have been
previously described, the frame could also be provided with a
mechanism for adjusting the vertical alignment of the upper and
lower support arms (14a & 14b) relative to one another. In such
an embodiment, the upper and lower arms (14a & 14b) could be
slidingly interconnected along their vertical axis (34) such that
the upper arm could be retract within the lower arm. Such a
mechanism would provide a mechanism for adjusting the overall
vertical height of the practice swing machine, and would also
provide a second mechanism for adjusting the vertical position of
the swing target (20).
[0042] Finally, although the above discussion has only described
mechanisms for adjusting various portions of the swing machine
along vertical and horizontal axes, the mechanism also contemplates
adjustment mechanisms that would allow for the angular alignment of
the components of the device. For example, in FIG. 5 mechanisms are
shown that would allow for the independent rotation of the swing
armatures (16 & 18). In such an embodiment, the swing armatures
(16 & 18) would be joined to their relative connectors (16'
& 18') through a locking pivot mechanism (26 & 28) such
that the swing armatures could be rotated about their individual
longitudinal axes. Such a mechanism would allow for the rotation of
the plane defined by the swing gap (19) about its longitudinal axis
(1).
[0043] In addition to the above described adjustment mechanisms,
the practice swing machine may also be provided with a mechanism
for adjusting the angle of the vertical axis of the frame (12). In
one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, such a mechanism comprises a
pair of locking pivots (36) that interconnect the support armature
(14b) to the base (22). In such an embodiment, the entire frame
(12) could be pivoted about the horizontal axis of the base (22) to
allow for the adjustment of the angle of the longitudinal axis (1)
of the swing target relative to the ground.
[0044] It should be understood that any of the above adjustment
mechanisms could be provided with a locking mechanism, such as, for
example, a spring loaded pin, screw, wire, frictional fitting,
etc., such that once the adjustment mechanism is in a desired
position the mechanism could be locked against further unwanted
movement.
[0045] Finally, as shown schematically in FIGS. 7 and 8 the
practice swing machine could be at least partially collapsed to
provide easier transport of the machine. Although the machine may
be collapsed in any suitable manner, in the embodiment shown in
FIG. 7 the upper frame (38) is pivoted about pivot point (38) to
fold flat against the base members (22) forming a compact machine
that can be more easily moved. In such an embodiment, wheels could
be provided on one or both of the base members (22) to allow for
easy transport of the device.
[0046] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8, the swing target (20) and
support arms (14) could be pivoted about a pivot point (40) mounted
on one of the two base members (23). In such an embodiment wheels
could be mounted on the lower base member to allow for easy
transport of the collapsed device.
[0047] The above discussion has focused on the interconnection and
operation of the various components of the practice swing machine
and not on the materials used in their construction. One of
ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the device and its
individual components can be made of any material that would
provide sufficient strength and durability for the intended purpose
of the device. Some exemplary materials include metals, such as
aluminum or steel, plastics, wood, and composites. In addition, it
should be understood that individual components may be made of
different materials based on the material properties required to
accomplish the intended use of those components.
[0048] Finally, although the above discussion has focused on the
device, the current application is also directed to a method of
simultaneously training a hitter to have better swing accuracy and
power by providing a fully adjustable practice swing machine that
incorporates a swing target that provides a consistent level of
swing interaction along the trajectory of the hitter's swing within
the desired hitting zone.
[0049] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing
examples and descriptions of various preferred embodiments of the
present invention are merely illustrative of the invention as a
whole, and that variations in the shape, size, and number of the
various components of the present invention, as well as the
training methods proposed, may be made within the spirit and scope
of the invention. For example, it will be clear to one skilled in
the art that other components may be included in the device, or
other materials used in its construction that would not effect the
improved properties of the practice swing machine of the current
invention nor render the device unsuitable for its intended
purpose.
[0050] Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the
specific embodiments described herein but, rather, is defined by
the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *