Patent Application
20220040538
This specification generally relates to an apparatus or devices for collecting balls in a sports cage.
There inherently is an inefficiency of gathering balls in a sports cage during or after a practice (e.g., hitting baseballs in a batting cage). Typically, a person (e.g., a player or instructor) has to spend several minutes gathering balls at the end of a sports training session (e.g., hitting balls in a sports cage) because they are spread out throughout the cage. This requires the person to bend over frequently to pick up balls on the ground. The collection of balls must be repeated each time the supply of balls runs out.
This specification describes an apparatus for collecting balls in a batting cage. This specification further describes a method of manufacturing an apparatus for collecting balls in a batting cage.
In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a ball collection apparatus for collecting balls in a sports cage, the ball collection apparatus may include a netting body that includes netting, edges around a perimeter of the netting, and corners along the perimeter of the netting at intersections of the edges, the edges including a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, a plurality of connectors attached to the netting body at the corners of the netting body, a plurality of fasteners attached to the netting body, wherein the fasteners are positioned between the corners along the back edge, the first side edge, and the second side edge of the netting body, and a guiding device operably coupled to the netting proximate an aperture defined by the netting, the guiding device having a weight to produce a slope in the netting sufficient to guide a sport ball to exit the netting body via the aperture.
These and other aspects can each optionally include one or more of the following features
In some aspects, when the ball collection apparatus is connected to a sports cage via the plurality of connectors, the fasteners are attachable to the sports cage to reduce gaps between the netting body and the sports cage. In some aspects, each of the fasteners includes a hook-and-loop fastener. In some aspects, the fasteners are equally-spaced along the back edge, the first side edge, and the second side edge of the netting body.
In some aspects, each of the connectors are configured to removably connect the main netting body to wire portions of chain-link fencing. In some aspects, each of the connectors includes a D-ring clip. In some aspects, each of the connectors includes magnets. In some aspects, each of the connectors includes a hook-and-loop fastener. In some aspects, each of the connectors includes at least a portion of a snap connector. In some aspects, each of the connectors includes an adhesive.
In some aspects, the netting includes a fiber net mesh.
In some aspects, the ball collection apparatus further includes a ground ball apparatus that includes a plurality of fasteners at an edge of the ground ball apparatus, and the fasteners connecting a top edge of the ground ball apparatus with the front edge of the netting body. In some aspects, the ground ball apparatus further includes connectors located at top corners of the ground ball apparatus. In some aspects, the ground ball apparatus includes a netting.
In general, one innovative aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in a method of forming a ball collection apparatus that include the actions of forming a main netting body that includes a middle portion, a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge, connecting a plurality of main connectors to corners of the main netting body, wherein the main connectors are configured to allow a user to connect the main netting body to a batting cage apparatus, connecting a plurality of fasteners to the back edge, to the first side edge, and to the second side edge of the main netting body, wherein the fasteners are adjustable and configured to allow a user to adjust the main netting body about a batting cage apparatus to reduce gaps between the main netting body and the batting cage when connected, and connecting a guiding device to the middle portion of the main netting body, the guiding device configured to allow a sports ball to exit at the middle portion of the main netting body.
These and other aspects can each optionally include one or more of the following features.
In some aspects, the method further includes connecting a ground ball net to a first side of the main body of the ball collection apparatus using a plurality of connectors.
Particular embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented so as to realize one or more of the following advantages. The ball collection apparatus allows a user to quickly gather balls after a hitting session (e.g., baseball, softball, etc.). The ability to quickly gather the balls can improve a user's performance of these tasks (e.g., more hitting per session with less time to gather balls at the end). The ability to quickly gather the balls also allows a hitting instructor more time to spend with clients rather than waiting on the client to gather the balls at the end of a teaching session, and/or the hitting instructor to have to help gather balls as well. The apparatus can be connected to any existing batting cage without the need to redesign the cage because of the latching elements that attaches the apparatus to the cage. Additionally, the ball collection apparatus is provided with connectors and fasteners that allow the user to quickly attach and unattach the netting to adjust the connections points of the ball collection apparatus to a sports cage and adjust the spacing between the ball collection apparatus and the netting of the sports cage to prevent sports falls from falling through the gaps.
The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.
So that the present disclosure can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, a more detailed description may be had by reference to aspects of some illustrative implementations, some of which are shown in the accompanying drawings.
Many aspects of the subject matter described herein can be better understood with the references made to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings.
In accordance with common practice the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given system, method or device. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.
This document describes a ball collection apparatus that collects balls used in a sports cage during sport training activities such as baseball, softball, golf, etc. The ball collection apparatus described herein achieves the goals of providing a user (e.g., a ball player, an instructor, etc.) to quickly gather balls after a sports cage activity session (e.g., baseball, softball, golf, etc.). The ability to quickly gather the balls can improve a user's performance of these tasks (e.g., more hitting per session with less time to gather balls at the end). The ability to quickly gather the balls also allows an instructor more time to spend with clients rather than waiting on the client to gather the balls at the end of a teaching session, and/or the instructor to have to help gather balls as well. The apparatus can be connected to any existing sports cage without the need to redesign the cage because of the latching elements that attaches the apparatus to the cage. Thus, the ball collection apparatus discussed herein provides advantages over prior ball collection devices, as described in more detail below.
Numerous details are described in order to provide a thorough understanding of the example implementations shown in the drawings. However, the drawings merely show some example aspects of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other effective aspects and/or variants do not include all of the specific details described herein. Moreover, well-known systems, methods, components, devices and circuits have not been described in exhaustive detail so as not to obscure more pertinent aspects of the example implementations described herein.
The sports cage 102 can be used for any type of sport that can be trained using a ball and that may require multiple repetitions in a cage for training. For example, the sports cage 102 as shown represents a batting cage for baseball or softball. However, the sports cage 102 could also be used for hitting golf balls, tennis balls, cricket balls, etc. Thus, although the drawings and the embodiments described herein are described for a batting cage for baseball and/or softball, the sports cage 102 is not intended to represent any particular sport, but instead, the embodiments are intended to represent a sport that may require a cage for multiple repetitions.
The sports cage 102 includes a ball collection apparatus 110 at an end of the sports cage 102. In some embodiments, the ball collection apparatus 110 may include a netting body that includes netting, edges around a perimeter of the netting, and corners along the perimeter of the netting at intersections of the edges. The edges can include a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. In some implementations, the netting can include a fiber net mesh. Alternatively, the netting can include any type of netting that is space sufficiently that standard sport ball would not fall through the openings of the netting. For example, a golf ball sports cage may require smaller holes in the netting than a hitting cage for a baseball and/or softball (e.g., a golf ball is approximately 42 mm in diameter, and a baseball is approximately 75 mm in diameter). Thus the holes in the netting need to be smaller than the size of the sports ball being used.
In some embodiments, the ball collection apparatus 110 may further include a plurality of connectors attached to the netting body at the corners of the netting body, and a plurality of fasteners attached to the netting body. In the exemplary implementation as shown, the fasteners are positioned between the corners along the back edge, the first side edge, and the second side edge of the netting body. In some embodiments, the fasteners are configured to be attachable to the sports cage to reduce gaps between the netting body and the sports cage. For example, the fasteners allow a user to adjust and move the fasteners accordingly to reduce gaps so a ball cannot fit between the sports cage 102 and the ball collection apparatus 110. In some embodiments, additional fasteners and/or connectors can be added by the user to reduce gaps or provide additional connection points with the sports cage 102. In some embodiments, the fasteners are equally-spaced along the back edge, the first side edge, and the second side edge of the netting body. The connectors and fasteners are further described herein with reference to
As shown in
In some embodiments, the sports cage 102 includes a ground ball apparatus 112 that is connected to two sides of the sports 102 and to the ball collection apparatus 110. For example, the ground ball apparatus 112 includes a plurality of fasteners at an edge of the ground ball apparatus that can connect a top edge of the ground ball apparatus with the front edge of the netting body of the ball collection apparatus 110. The ground ball apparatus 112 is further described herein with reference to
During installation of the ball collection apparatus 110 in the sports cage 102, a user can make adjustments to remove any possible gaps between the ball collection apparatus 110 and the walls (e.g., mesh netting) of the sports cage 102. For example, he or she could tighten a fastener to bring the ball collection apparatus 110 closer to the wall of the sports cage 102. Additionally, or alternatively, he or she could release a fastener from one fence ring and attach to a laterally adjacent ring or a ring above. Additionally, or alternatively, he or she could pull a fastener through a ring and the attach to a lower ring to pull the netting tighter.
The ball collection apparatus 110 may further include a guiding device 114 that is operably coupled to the netting proximate an aperture defined by the netting. In the exemplary implementation, the guiding device can include a weight to produce a slope in the netting sufficient to guide a sport ball to exit the netting body via the aperture. The guiding device 114 is further described herein with reference to
During use of the ball collection apparatus 110 in the sports cage 102, as shown in
In the exemplary embodiment as shown in
In some embodiments, the connectors 304 are D-ring clips. For example, the connectors 304 may include stainless steel spring snap links (e.g., 7/16″ to 1½″ size). In the exemplary embodiment, the connectors are ¾″ heavy duty D-ring clips. The spring snap link for the D-ring clips allows for easy install and uninstall. The stainless steel can be used to fight off rusting, especially for outdoor sports cages. Additionally, steel allows for more pressure and tension to be placed on the corners of the ball collection apparatus 110 when initially installing to help eliminate slack between corners as well as assist with making the sides with the fasteners 306 (e.g., hook and loop fasteners) easier to fasten. This can also help make the netting of the ball collection apparatus 110 flush with the netting of the sports cage.
In some embodiments, the connectors 304 are magnets that connect to a metal portion of the sports cage 100. In some embodiments, the connectors 304 are hook-and-loop fasteners. In some embodiments, the connectors 304 include for at least a portion of the connecting point, a snapping mechanism, such as a snap. In some embodiments, the connectors 304 include for at least a portion of the connecting point with the sports cage 100, an adhesive connection (e.g., an adhesive strip). Alternatively, other connecting devices may be used for the connectors 304 and the examples provided are not meant to be limiting to any particular type of connection device or mechanism.
In the exemplary embodiment as shown in
In the exemplary embodiment as shown in
The guiding device 114 can be formed from a continuous piece of flexible material. For example, the guiding device 114 can be made of rubber material, such as latex, neoprene, nitrile, vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the like, or other strong and flexible material allowing appropriate durability for the use of the ball collection apparatus 110.
The main netting body can be formed, for example, to have netting, edges around a perimeter of the netting, and corners along the perimeter of the netting at intersections of the edges. The edges can include a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. In some implementations, the netting can include a fiber net mesh. Alternatively, the netting can include any type of netting that is space sufficiently that standard sport ball would not fall through the openings of the netting. For example, a golf ball sports cage may require smaller holes in the netting than a hitting cage for a baseball and/or softball (e.g., a golf ball is approximately 42 mm in diameter, and a baseball is approximately 75 mm in diameter). Thus, the holes in the netting need to be smaller than the size of the sports ball intended to be used in the sports cage.
At block 704, the process 700 includes connecting a plurality of main connectors to corners of the main netting body, wherein the main connectors are configured to allow a user to connect the main netting body to a batting cage apparatus. For example, the connectors are configured to removably connect the main netting body to wire portions of chain-link fencing of a sports cage (e.g., sports cage 100 of
At block 706, the process 700 includes connecting a plurality of fasteners to the back edge, to the first side edge, and to the second side edge of the main netting body, wherein the fasteners are adjustable and configured to allow a user to adjust the main netting body about a batting cage apparatus to reduce gaps between the main netting body and the batting cage when connected. In some embodiments, the fasteners are configured to be positioned between the corners along the back edge, the first side edge, and the second side edge of the netting body. In some embodiments, the fasteners are configured to be adjustable. For example, the fasteners may be hook-and-loop fasteners that can be quickly attached, unattached, and reattached, to provide a user installing the ball collection apparatus to adjust the netting body such that there are less gaps along the edges of the netting body so that sports balls are less likely to fall along those edges beneath the ball collection apparatus.
At block 708, the process 700 includes connecting a guiding device to the middle portion of the main netting body, the guiding device configured to allow a sports ball to exit at the middle portion of the main netting body. In some implementations, the guiding device can be formed from a continuous piece of flexible material. For example, the guiding device can be made of rubber material, such as latex, neoprene, nitrile, vinyl, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and the like, or other strong and flexible material allowing appropriate durability for the use of the ball collection apparatus.
In some implementations, the process 700 further includes connecting a ground ball apparatus to a first side of the main body of the ball collection apparatus using a plurality of connectors. In some implementations, the ground ball apparatus can be formed from a mesh netting, similar to the mesh netting used with the main netting body of the ball collection apparatus in block 702 (e.g., 1″ fiber net mesh).
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, “comprised of”, or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising”.
While this specification contains many specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any features or of what may be claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.
Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.
Thus, particular embodiments of the subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying figures do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.
While all of the invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the Applicant's general inventive concept.
This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/061,260 filed on Aug. 5, 2020, entitled “BALL COLLECTION APPARATUS,” which is incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63061260 | Aug 2020 | US |
