Patent Application
20170080311
This invention relates to baseball equipment and baseball field seating. More particularly, this invention relates to assemblies adapted for dually serving as baseball equipment storage, and for facilitating baseball field dugout seating.
All references herein to baseball fields and baseball equipment are intended to refer generally to softball fields and equipment and fast pitch fields and equipment.
Baseball field dugouts commonly include a fixed bench which is set at rearward position within the dugout. Commonly, such benches are positioned excessively rearwardly from the dugout's front fence. In such dugouts, baseball equipment, such as baseball bats, baseball mitts, batting gloves, bat weights, caps, catcher's equipment, knee pads, shin pads, and the like, are stored and kept in a disorderly fashion in the dugout. Commonly, such equipment items are placed upon the dugout's floor between the bench and the forward fence. In many circumstances during a competitive baseball game, it is desirable that the players move attentively to a forward position within the dugout. However, the dugout's common rearward positioning of the bench combined with placements of equipment on the dugout floor in front of the bench combine to interfere with such desirable player positioning.
The instant inventive assembly for baseball dugout seating and for baseball equipment storage, solves or ameliorates problems discussed above by providing a specially configured vessel or container capable of dually serving for storage of baseball equipment and for seating of baseball players.
A first structural component of the instant inventive assembly for baseball dugout seating and for baseball equipment storage comprises an upwardly opening vessel having a rear wall, a front wall, lateral or left and right walls and a floor. In a preferred embodiment, the vessel has a height approximately 18 inches. Also in a preferred embodiment, the upwardly opening vessel is composed of durable plastic. The invention's vessel component necessarily defines an interior space having upper, forward, and rearward ends.
A further structural component of the instant inventive assembly comprises a removable, and preferably hinged or pivoting seat plate which is fitted to overlie and cover at least a frontward portion of the vessel's interior space. In the preferred embodiment, the seat plate is composed of durable plastic and has a cushioned upper surface.
Further structural components of the instant inventive assembly comprise upper and lower pluralities of bat brackets which are fixedly mounted within the upwardly opening vessel, such brackets preferably being positioned at the interior space's rearward end. The invention's upper and lower bat brackets are preferably fitted and configured for holding and storing a laterally extending array of vertically oriented baseball bats, the bat brackets preferably being adapted for upwardly extending the bats' handles from the rearward end of the seat plate. Such upward bat handle extensions advantageously constitute and function together as a seat back.
In use of the instant inventive assembly for baseball dugout seating and for baseball equipment storage, various items of baseball equipment such as a baseball mitt, batting gloves, shin pads, etc., may be forwardly stored within the interior space of the upwardly opening vessel. Upon pivoting closure of the assembly's seat plate component, a baseball player may conveniently seat himself or herself upon the preferably cushioned upper surface of the seat plate. Provided that the above described lateral array of bats is stored and supported within the invention's bat bracket components, such seated player may ergonomically recline rearwardly, allowing the bats' upwardly extending handles to forwardly impinge against the player's back in the manner of a seat back.
Accordingly, objects of the instant invention include the provision of a assembly for baseball dugout seating and for baseball equipment storage which incorporates structures as described above, and which arranges those structures in the manners described above for the performance of the beneficial functions described above.
Other and further objects, benefits, and advantages of the instant invention will become known to those skilled in the art upon review of the Detailed Description which follows, and upon review of the appended drawings.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to Drawing
A removable, and preferably pivoting, seat plate 40 overlies and covers the interior space 20, such seat dually functioning as a lid component. The seat plate 40 is preferably composed of durable plastic, and includes a peripheral flange 42 which seals the interior 20 and provides additional rigidity to the seat plate 40. Cushioning 56 may be adhesively attached to the upper surface of the seat plate 40 to enhance seating comfort. In a preferred embodiment, left and right slotted ears 44 and 50 extend downwardly from rearward ends of flange 42. Such extensions 44 and 50 have curved slots 46 and 52 which slidably engage circular “T” head elements 48 and 54 which are rigidly mounted to walls 16 and 14. Such hinge components 44,46,48, and 50,52,54, facilitate pivoting opening and closing movements of the seat plate 40 between the closed position depicted in
Further structural components of the instant inventive assembly comprise pluralities of bat securing and positioning brackets which are adapted for both vertically orienting a series of bats such as bats 4, 6, 8, and 10, and for arranging the bats in a laterally extending series at the rearward end of seat plate 40.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention's bat brackets comprise a lower plurality of brackets and an upper plurality of brackets. Suitable embodiments of the lower bat securing brackets are depicted in Drawing
In the preferred embodiment, the walls among the rearward wall 18, the lateral partitioning wall 22, and the right and left walls 14 and 16, and the longitudinally extending partitioning walls 26, 30, and 34 extend upwardly from the lower end bat brackets 19 to form at the upper end of the vessel a lateral array of upper bat brackets 17. Such upper bat brackets 17 may laterally engage taper portions 82 of the bats 4, 6, 8, and 10, such engagements securing the bats in their upwardly oriented and upwardly extending configurations. The dashed line depictions of the upper bat brackets 17 are considered to be representative of other suitably substituted bat securing bracket configurations such as loops or sleeves.
Referring in particular to
Upon closure of the lid 40, bats 4, 6, 8, and 10 may be respectively inserted into and stored within rear storage spaces 24, 28, 32, and 36. Such mode of bat storage advantageously upwardly extends the bats' handles 80 in a seat back forming array 2. Thereafter, a baseball player 100 may be seated upon the cushion 56 of seat plate 40. Thereafter, the player 100 may slightly recline rearwardly, causing his or her back to rearwardly impinge against the bats' handles 80. Such reclining motion and back impingements simultaneously drives the bats' taper portions 82 rearwardly against the upper bat brackets 17 while levering the lower cap ends 86 of the bats forwardly against the lower bat brackets 19. In such levering action, the upper brackets function as a fulcrum which actuates the retaining actions of the lower brackets 19. Counter-torque imposed by the brackets 17 and 19 to the bats' tapers 82 and caps 86 advantageously meets and resists the player's back reclining motion, and allows the bat's handles 80 to constitute and to effectively function as a seat back 2.
While the principles of the invention have been made clear in the above illustrative embodiment, those skilled in the art may make modifications to the structure, arrangement, portions and components of the invention without departing from those principles. Accordingly, it is intended that the description and drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in the limiting sense, and that the invention be given a scope commensurate with the appended claims.
