Patent Application
20160271473
Batting tees are commonly used in tee-ball games and practice, and may also be used as swing aids by baseball and softball players in a practice setting. Because batters vary in height and swing styles, batting tees are typically height adjustable to meet the needs of a variety of batters. And while it is typically desirable that batting tees be portable, they are often somewhat large and unwieldy.
A batting tee includes a base and an attachment portion attached to the base. A first rod is optionally releasably connected to the attachment portion. A second rod having an outer diameter less than an inner diameter of the first rod is positioned at least partially in the first rod. One or more O-rings are positioned on the second rod within the first rod. A collar is attached to the first rod and positioned to allow the second rod to pass through the collar while resisting passage of the O-ring out of the first rod. A rod cap is attached to an end of the second rod and positioned to resist removal of the O-ring from the second rod. A ball holder is attached to the other end of the second rod. The second rod is movable telescopically within the first rod to raise and lower the ball holder.
Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them.
In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:
The present technology is directed to a batting tee with a telescoping mechanism. Various embodiments of the technology will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments. Accordingly, the technology may have other embodiments with additional elements or without several of the elements described below with reference to
The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.
Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as “attached” or “connected” are intended to include integral connections, as well as connections between physically separate components.
Specific details of several embodiments of the present technology are described herein with reference to tee-ball, baseball, or softball. In other embodiments, the technology may be used to support balls in other sports, including cricket, tennis, or Wiffle® Ball.
The present technology provides a telescoping or collapsible batting tee that extends or collapses to accommodate different batters and to improve portability of the tee.
Examples of this technology are illustrated in
Turning now to the drawings,
A first or lower collar 180 may be attached to the lower rod 120 and positioned to allow the intermediate rod 130 to pass therethrough with sufficient friction to maintain the rods in a desired position. In some embodiments, the collar 180 may be glued or otherwise fastened to the lower rod 120. Similarly, a second or upper collar 190 may be attached to the intermediate rod 130 and positioned to allow the upper rod 140 to pass therethrough with sufficient friction to maintain the rods in a desired position. In some embodiments, the collar 190 may be glued or fastened to the intermediate rod 130. In other embodiments, the collars 180 and 190 may be sized such that they do not provide sufficient friction to maintain the height of the tee, and they may instead work in conjunction with the O-rings described below to maintain the tee's height.
The base 110 may comprise a heavy rubber material or other material suitable for providing a solid or resilient support for the tee 100 on the ground. The telescoping rods 115 may be made of aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, plastic, rubber, or other suitable structural materials. In one embodiment, the lower rod 120 and the intermediate rod 130 may be made of aluminum, while the upper rod 140 may be made of fiberglass. The attachment portion 150 may be made of aluminum, steel, plastic, or another suitable structural material.
Turning now to
The attachment portion 150 may include an attachment cup 400 that receives an end of the lower rod 120. The attachment portion 150 may also include an attachment plate 405 to provide stability to the attachment portion 150 on the base 110. The attachment portion 150 may further include a threaded attachment-plate extension or rod 410, which may mate directly with threads in the base 110, or with a threaded bore 415 in a lower plate 420. The lower plate 420 may be received in a corresponding recess 425 in the base 110. In some embodiments, the attachment cup 400 may be attached or mounted to the base 110 in other suitable ways.
Aspects of the telescoping rod mechanism are now described with reference to
To retain the O-ring 430 on the intermediate rod 130, a first rod cap 435 may be installed on the end of the intermediate rod 130 within the lower rod 120. The first rod cap 435 may be in the form of a washer 437 and a fastener or screw 439 threaded into the end of the intermediate rod 130. In another embodiment, the first rod cap 435 may be pressed or threaded directly into the intermediate rod 130, or it may be integral with the intermediate rod 130.
The washer 437, rod cap 435, or other element includes a diameter large enough to block the O-ring 430 from falling from the intermediate rod 130 into the lower rod 120. The lower collar 180 also optionally prevents the O-ring 430 from falling from the intermediate rod 130 into the lower rod 120. The lower collar 180 may be attached to the lower rod 120 with a portion of the lower collar 180 on the inside of the lower rod 120, and a portion of the lower collar 180 on the outside of the lower rod 120. The intermediate rod 130 passes through the lower collar 180 while the lower collar 180 may resist passage of the O-ring 430 out of the lower rod 120. In some embodiments, the lower collar 180 may be sized to provide sufficient friction between the lower collar 180 and the intermediate rod 130 to help maintain the tee 100 at a desired height.
The telescoping connection between the intermediate rod 130 and the upper rod 140 may be similar to the telescoping connection between the lower rod 120 and the intermediate rod 130. A second O-ring 440 may be mounted on the upper rod 140 within the intermediate rod 130 to provide friction between the upper rod 140 and the intermediate rod 130 as the upper rod 140 moves telescopically within the intermediate rod 130. A second rod cap 445 may retain the second O-ring 440 on the upper rod 140 within the intermediate rod 130. The second rod cap 445 may include a washer 447 and a fastener or screw 449 threaded onto the lower end of the upper rod 140, or it may be pressed or threaded directly into the upper rod 140, or it may be integral with the upper rod 140. The second rod cap 445 has a diameter large enough to block the second O-ring 440 from falling from the upper rod 140 into the intermediate rod 130. Similar to the lower collar 180, the upper collar 190 resists passage of the second O-ring 440 out of the intermediate rod 130 and it may also prevent the second O-ring 440 from falling from the upper rod 140. The upper collar 190 may be sized to provide sufficient friction between the upper collar 190 and the upper rod 130 to help maintain the tee 100 at a desired height. In some embodiments, the O-rings 430 and 440 may comprise silicone, rubber, or other resilient or flexible materials.
As described above with respect to
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the threaded fastener may be a screw or bolt 460 that passes through the ball holder cap 455 and the bottom of the ball holder 160 such that it is accessible for tightening by reaching into the ball holder 160 by hand or with a tool. In other embodiments, the cap 455 may be installed by pressing it onto the upper rod 140 without the need for a threaded rod, bolt 460, or other fastener.
Turning to
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the technology, and elements of certain embodiments may be interchanged with those of other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, only two telescoping rods 115 may be used, and in other embodiments, more than three telescoping rods 115 may be used. In other embodiments, the base attachment portion 150 may be integral with the base 110.
Further, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology may encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein, and the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
