BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL FIELDING MAT DEVICE

Abstract

A sports training mat with a plurality of inserted or insertable bump elements configured to create an unpredictable change in trajectory when a ball contacts one or more bump element. The mat may be carried to a field or indoor practice area and then used to deflect balls that are rolled over it. The bump elements may be any three dimensional shape including symmetric or asymmetric spherical sections, polygonal, or irregular, such as an arrowhead shape. The relatively small three-dimensional “bump elements” provide a surprising lateral and height range of bounce, thereby requiring the athlete to move laterally quickly in response to the bounce. Mat sections have side edge mating features that are configured to connect two or more mat sections to form a single elongated training device. The device eliminates the need to set-up multiple training obstacle elements, and substantially improves the convenience of executing training drills, speed in repetitions, and practice efficiencies for both players and coaches.

Description

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The current invention relates to sports training device, and more particularly to a baseball or softball fielder's training device.

BACKGROUND—PRIORART

Baseball and softball athletes often train with a “bad hop” drill to improve hand/eye coordination, reaction time, agility, and to provide sports specific cardio. This drill teaches players how to field a baseball or softball coming off a “bad hop” by placing PVC pipe, small logs, cones, agility cones or other obstacles in the path of a ball so that the ball deflects, and the player can react to the deflection or “hop”. Coaches typically lay these obstacles in a pattern, and roll balls over the obstacles so that the ball bounces off at different heights and speeds. This is a great drill for athletes, but can be a problem for coaches and trainers, because it requires the transport and set-up of the obstacles to prepare for the drill. The obstacles tend to move out of position and need to be re positioned wasting valuable practice time.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments of a training device for baseball, softball, and other sports provide a plurality of bump elements on a support surface so the device can be easily stored, transported, and positioned for hop drills and other training routines.

In one embodiment, the Fielder's Dome Mat™ is a flexible one-piece mat with a plurality of inserted or insertable bump elements. The mat may be carried to a field or indoor practice area and then used to deflect balls that are rolled over it. The device eliminates the need to set-up multiple training obstacle elements, and substantially improves the convenience of executing training drills, speed in repetitions, and practice efficiencies for both players and coaches. In addition, the relatively small three-dimensional “bump elements” provide a surprising lateral and height range of bounce, thereby requiring the athlete to move laterally quickly in response to the bounce. By contrast, prior art PVC pipe drills may produce different bounce heights, but may have limited lateral bounce.

In another embodiment, a plurality of mat sections have side edge mating features that are configured to connect two or more mat sections to form a single elongated training device that provides room for more than one player at a time to use it, thereby speeding up practice time.

The bump elements may be any three dimensional shape including symmetric or asymmetric spherical sections, polygonal, or irregular, such as an arrowhead shape.

The fielder's mat may be used for baseball or softball players of all ages and field sport athletes in general. It is designed to teach hand/eye coordination, reaction time, proper stance and positioning, agility, sport specific cardio, and teaches the ability to field baseballs that come up off the ground at different heights, angles, and speeds.

In other embodiments the The Fielder's Dome Mat™ has different feature size, feature shape, or feature alignment for use with youth sports or with other field sports such as soccer or hockey.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a softball bouncing after impacting one or more bump element on one embodiment of a fielding mat device.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a softball player preparing to field a softball which has bounced after impacting one or more bump element on the fielding mat device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of one example of a baseball and softball fielding mat with cutouts configured to accept the insertion of bump elements.

FIG. 4A is a top view of an example embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding mat device with bump elements inserted into the cutouts on the mat of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4B is a side view of the baseball and softball fielding mat device of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a top view of a second embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding mat device with mating features.

FIG. 5B is a side view of the fielding mat device of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is a top view of a third embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding mat device with insertable arrowhead shaped bounce features.

FIG. 6B is a side view of the fielding mat device of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a top view an example arrowhead bump element cutout of the mat of FIG. 6A. FIG. 8 is a top view of the handle cutout of FIGS. 4A and 6A.

FIG. 9A is a side view of an insertable arrowhead bump element.

FIG. 9B is a vertical cross section view A-A′ of the insertable arrowhead bump element of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9C is a horizontal cross section view B-B′ of the insertable arrowhead bump element of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 9D is a vertical cross section view of a retention groove in the insertable arrowhead bump element of FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10A is a top view of a fourth embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding device with mating features and arrowhead bounce element cutouts.

FIG. 10B is a side view of the fielding mat device of FIG. 10A. FIG. 11 is a top view of a mat edge mating slot feature.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a mat edge mating tab feature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Definitions

The following definitions apply to the use of terms in this specification and in the claims. The term “fielding mat device” means a sports training device comprising one or more “mat” having a plurality of inserted, affixed, or integrally-formed raised “bump elements”, such that the bump elements are configured to cause an object such as a baseball, softball, soccer ball, or lacrosse ball, field hockey ball, or hockey puck to bounce or deflect upon impact with one or more bump element.

The terms “bump element” or “bounce feature” mean one of a plurality of raised features provided on a fielding mat device to facilitate sports training. In one example for baseball fielder training drills, the raised features have a hemispherical or other shape configured to create a hop or bounce when a baseball is rolled over the feature. For fielder training, a plurality of bump elements are positioned in regular or irregular spacings on the support surface so that most rolls, or all rolls, of a baseball or softball over the support surface produce a hop or bounce upon impact with at least one of the bump elements.

The terms “mat” and “support surface” mean a generally planar substrate which supports a plurality of inserted, affixed, or integrally-formed raised “bump elements”. In various embodiments, the support surface may be rigid or flexible. Some examples of flexible support surfaces include polymer or rubber mats, and mesh.

The term “spherical section” refers to a shape of a sphere cut by a plane. The term “symmetric spherical section” refers to a shape of a sphere cut by a plane that is oriented parallel to the sphere's equator. The term “asymmetric spherical section” refers to a shape approximately the shape of a portion of a sphere cut by a plane that is oriented at an angle with respect to the sphere's equator so that the bump element tilts with a longitudinal axis that is not perpendicular to the support surface. In this specification, the term “asymmetric cap” means a hollow or solid upwardly-oriented element whose top surface shape is defined by cutting a sphere with a plane that is not parallel to the equator of the sphere. In one example, a tilted cap plane is located at or below the cap of the sphere, and a base plane is located at or above the equator of the sphere, thus creating a bump element that has a longitudinal axis that is tilted with respect to the device base.

In this specification, the term “truncated hemispherical” refers to hollow or solid upwardly oriented bump elements that have an approximate shape of less than half of a sphere. The term “spherical segment” means a bump element whose shape is defined by cutting a sphere with a pair of parallel planes where one plane is located at or below the cap of the sphere and the other plane is located at or above the equator of the sphere. Thus, the top of the spherical segment is truncated.

The terms “rounded” or “smoothed” refer to bump element surface that have gradual transitions of tangent planes. By contrast, the term “angular” refers to bump element surfaces with stepped or irregular features.

The term “polygonal shape” refers to a bump element having horizontal cross sections with the shape of regular or irregular, open or closed, polygons. A polygonal shape has a plurality of planar surfaces. Other shapes may have a plurality of curved surfaces.

In this specification, the term “irregular in shape” refers to different sizes of the same shape, different orientations of an asymmetric shape, or different shapes of bump elements. In this specification, the term “irregularly shaped bump element” refers to a 3-dimensional shape other than a spherical or conical section.

The term “arrowhead shape cutout” means a cutout symmetrical to a longitudinal axis with general shape of the cutout of FIG. 7—a blunted front end portion, side edges that are arced and outwardly expanding to the rear; a rear edge parallel to the front end portion, and convex transitions from the rear portions of the side edges to the rear edge. This shape was made to secure the bumps so that they are not dislodged during use.

The term “arrowhead shape bump element” means a rounded, raised bump element with a base shape of an arrowhead shape cutout. This shape provides for more “anti-slipping” of the mat during use, as the bottom design of the “bump element” extends downward to “catch” the surface that the mat rests on, whether it be on concrete, clay, artificial turf or carpet, or grass. The bump element is also specifically designed in height for optimal performance which simulate game conditions and allows for the unpredictable nature of the ball rolling across the mat.

The term “irregularly spaced” refers to variable minimum spacings between bump elements.

The term “unpredictable hop or bounce” means that a sports player in a training session cannot easily predict the path of a hop or bounce as a ball approaches the device because slight variations in the path or speed of a ball as it impacts one or more bump element will result in a wide range of possible angular and height deflections of the ball.

Overview

In one embodiment, a sports training device comprises a single mat with a bottom surface, a top surface, a front edge, a rear edge, and a plurality of spaced apart cutouts. Each cutout has a perimeter shape and size configured to accept an insertable bump element. A plurality of bump elements are inserted into the mat. Each bump element has a base portion that is inserted into one of the plurality of spaced apart cutouts of the first mat, and a convex raised portion which is configured to cause an object such as a baseball or softball deflect laterally and vertically when the object impacts the bump element.

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a softball 42 bouncing after impacting one or more bump element 220 on one embodiment of a fielding mat device 201. FIG. 2 is a front view of a softball player 40 preparing to field a softball 42 which has bounced after impacting one or more bump element on the fielding mat device 201 of FIG. 1.

The bump elements may have one or more of a variety of three dimensional rounded, angular, or irregular shapes including, but not limited to, hemispherical or other symmetric or asymmetric spherical section shape; conical; polygonal faces; or irregular, such as arrowhead shaped. The bump elements may be sized for youth or adult sports training.

The bump elements may have regular or irregular spacing. In one example, a configuration of 9 bump elements is provided in concentric are rows with 5 bump elements aligned with a 15.5 inch radius, and 4 bump elements aligned with an 11 inch radius.

In another embodiment, a sports training device comprises two or more mat sections that are connected by side edge mating features to

Example—One Piece Mat with Inserted or Insertable Symmetric.Spherical.Section.Shaped Bump Elements

FIG. 3 is a top view of a mat 210 with cutouts 120 configured to accept the insertion of bump elements.

FIG. 4A is a top view of a first embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding device 201. FIG. 4B is a side view of the baseball and softball fielding apparatus support 201 of FIG. 4A. In this example, the device comprises a mat with a base 210 having a length of 33.47 inches, and a maximum width of 13.76 inches. The front edge 232 is concave with respect to a straight rear edge 234. Rounded corners 236 and 237 are provided at the intersection of the rear edge and the font edge. In this example, a handle 240 opening is provided in the base 210.

In one example, the support is a mat constructed of 0.10″ inch thick polyethylene or ABS plastic with vertical edges. In other examples, the support mat may be constructed of natural rubber, polyethylene (PE), polyamide (nylon), acrylic, polycarbonate (POM), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic rubber (TPR), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or neoprene rubber.

In this example, nine bump elements 220 have been inserted into cutouts which are formed in the mat 210. An arced front row has five bump elements 220a-220e, and an arced rear row has four bump elements 220f-2201. In this example, each bump element has a symmetric spherical section shape with a base diameter of 2.75 inches and a peak height of 1.63 inches over the top surface of the mat base 210. In this example, each bump element is inserted into a circular shaped cutout in the mat 210.

In another example, larger hemispherical bump elements have a diameter of 3.0 inches and a peak height of 1.75 inches over the top surface of the mat base 210.

Example—Sectional Mat with Inserted or Insertable Symmetric . . . spfaaicaLs J,timLshap.d . . . 111J.Mp_Elements

FIG. 5A is a top view of a second embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding device 301 section with side edge mating features. FIG. 5B is a side view of the fielding mat device 301 of FIG. 5A. In this example, the mat section 310 has a length of 34.75 inches, and a width of 13.75 inches. The front edge 332 is parallel with respect to the rear edge 334.

Two or more sections can be joined in order to permit multiple players of practice. In this example, a pair of mating tabs 338a and 338b are provided on one side edge, and a pair of mating slots 339a and 339b are provided on a second side edge and configured to accept the tabs 338a and 338b of a second panel.

Nine insertable bump elements 320 are provided. The arced front row has five bump elements 320a-320e, and an arced rear row has four bump elements 320f-3201. In this example, each bump element has a symmetric spherical section shape with a base diameter of 2.75 inches and a peak height of 1.63 inches over the top surface of the mat base 310. In this example, each bump element is inserted into a circular cutout in the base 210.

In another example, hemispherical bump elements have a diameter of 3.0 inches and a peak height of 1.75 inches over the top surface of the mat base 210.

Example—One Piece Mat with Arrowhead Shaped Bump Elements

FIG. 6A is a top view of a third embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding device 401 with insertable arrowhead shaped bounce feature cutouts. FIG. 6B is a side view of the fielding device of 401FIG. 3A. In this example, the mat base 410 front edge 432 is concave with respect to a straight rear edge 434. Rounded corners 436 and 437 are provided at the intersection of the rear edge and the font edge.

Nine cutouts 220 for insertable arrowhead shaped bump elements 220 are provided. The arced front row has a centerline radius of 15.5 inches with five cutouts 420a-420e; and a concentric arced rear row has a radius of 11.0 inches with four cutouts 420f-4201. In this example, each bump element has a height of 1.63 inches over the mat. In this example, each bump element is inserted into an arrowhead shaped cutout 420a-420i in the base 210. In one example, arrowhead shaped bump elements have a length of 2.15 inches.

FIG. 7 is a top view an example arrowhead bump element cutout 470. In this example, the cutout 470 provides a 2.15 inch long opening between a horizontal front edge 471 and horizontal rear edge 472. The right side 473 and the left side 474 are concave, each with a radius of 1.5 inches with respect to an offset center points. The front edge 471 has a width of 0.7 inches, and the rear edge has a width of 1.25 inches. A right side rear ledge 475 and a left side rear ledge 476 provide resistance to ball impact and to help prevent or reduce mat slipping on surfaces during use.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the handle cutout 140 of FIG. 4A and 440 of FIG. 6A. In this example, the handle cutout has a width of 5 inches. The rear portion of the cutout is convex with a radius of 12 inches in order to provide a comfortable grip.

FIG. 9A is a side view of an insertable arrowhead bump element 480. FIG. 9B is a vertical cross section view A-A′ of the insertable arrowhead bump element of FIG. 9A showing a rounded outside surface 489 and a peripheral bump element base 482. FIG. 9C is a horizontal cross section view B-B′ of the insertable arrowhead bump element of FIG. 9A showing the front edge 481, the rear edge 488, the right side 483, the left side 484, the right side rear ledge 485 and the left side rear edge 486. FIG. 9D is a vertical cross section detailed view of a retention groove 483 in the insertable arrowhead bump element base 482. In this example, the retention groove has a width of 0.11 inches, and fits securely around the 0.10 inch base.

Example—Sectional Mat with Inserted or Insertable Arrowhead Shaped Bump Elements

FIG. 10A is a top view of a fourth embodiment of a baseball and softball fielding device section 501 with tab 588a, 588b and slot 589a, 589b mating features and arrowhead bounce element cutouts such as 520c. FIG. 10B is a side view of the fielding mat device of FIG. 10A. FIG. 11 is a top view of a mat edge mating slot feature 589a. FIG. 12 is a top view of a mat edge mating tab feature 588a.

It is to be understood that the specific embodiments and examples described above are by way of illustration, and not limitation. Various modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill, and the scope of the invention is as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sports training device comprising a first mat configured to lay flat on a horizontal surface, the first mat comprising a bottom surface,a top surface,a front edge,a rear edge, anda plurality of spaced apart cutouts, each cutout having a perimeter shape and size configured to accept an insertable bump element,such that the plurality of spaced apart cutouts are arranged in an arced front row and an arced rear row; anda plurality of bump elements, each bump element comprising a base portion inserted into one of the plurality of spaced apart cutouts of the first mat, anda convex raised portion, the convex raised portion configured to cause an object impacting the raised portion to deflect laterally and vertically with respect to the bump element when the object is rolled onto the mat.

2. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bump elements have a peak height in a range of 1.5 to 2.5 inches above the top surface of the mat.

3. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of spaced apart cutouts are circular,and the plurality of bump elements are spherical sections.

4. The sports training device of claim 3 wherein each of the plurality of bump elements further comprise a round peripheral bump element base having a retention groove, such that the retention groove is configured to engage a cutout.

5. The sports training device of claim 3 wherein the plurality of bump elements have a base diameter in a range of 2.5 to 3 inches.

6. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of spaced apart cutouts have an arrowhead shape,and the plurality of bump elements have an arrowhead shape.

7. The sports training device of claim 6 wherein each of the plurality of bump elements further comprise a peripheral bump element base having a retention groove, such that the retention groove is configured to engage a cutout.

8. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the first mat has a length in the range of 30 to 36 inches and a width in a range of 10 to 16 inches;the first mat front edge is convex with respect to the rear edge; andthe plurality of bump elements further comprises nine bump elements configured with five bump elements in an arced front row, and four bump elements in an arced rear row concentric to the front row.

9. The sports training device of claim 8 wherein the arced front row has a radius in a range of 14 to 17 inches, and the arced rear row has a radius in a range of 10 to 11 inches.

10. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the first mat further comprises a carry handle opening.

11. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the first mat is rectangular in shape with a length in a range of 30 to 36 inches anda width in the range of 10 to 16 inches;the first mat further comprises a first side edge with at least one mating feature,and a second side edge;nine bump elements are configured with five bump elements in the arced front row, andfour bump elements in the arced rear row, such that the arced rear row is concentric to the front row.

12. The sports training device of claim 11 further comprising a second mat comprising a bottomsurface, a topsurface,a first side edge,a second side edge with at least one mating feature configured to mate withthe first side edge mating feature of the first mat, anda plurality of spaced apart cutouts, each cutout having a perimeter shape and size configured to accept an insertable bump element; anda plurality of bump elements, each bump element comprising a base portion inserted into one of the plurality of spaced apart cutouts of thesecond mat, anda convex raised portion,the convex raised portion configured to cause an object impacting the raised portion to deflect laterally and vertically with respect to the bump element.

13. The sports training device of claim 12 wherein the first mat first side edge comprises a pair of tabs; andthe second mat second side edge comprises a pair of slots configured to accept the first mat first side edge pair of tabs.

14. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the first mat has a thickness in a range of 0.08-0.12 inches; andthe first mat is constructed of a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, ABS, natural rubber, polyethylene, polyamide, acrylic, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic rubber, and neoprene rubber.

15. The sports training device of claim 1 wherein the front edge is tapered.