Fielding practice bat

Abstract
A fielding practice bat is disclosed having a frame, preferably U-shaped, integrally connecting a head portion and a handle portion, wherein the fielding practice bat has a length, weight and balance equivalent to a conventional baseball bat. The head portion is generally tear-drop in shape and has a width no greater than 12 inches. In addition, the head portion is interwoven with a plurality of main strands of elastic tubing and a plurality of cross strands of elastic tubing. In the preferred embodiment, a single piece of elastic tubing comprises the main strands and cross stands of elastic tubing wherein the piece of elastic tubing is woven through holes in the frame. A forming grid is also disclosed comprising a matrix of cells. The main and cross strands of the fielding practice bat are interwoven through the cells of the forming grid such that each cell contains a single intersection between a main strand and a cross strand, thereby dampening the vibration of the strands upon contact with a ball.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




This invention relates to baseball bats and rackets, and more specifically to an apparatus that combines the overall shape and features of a baseball bat with a racket-type head strung with elastic tubing.




2. Related Art




This invention has its roots in baseball. The beginnings of this game originate in Nineteenth Century America as a variation of the many games that made use of some type of bat and ball. It has a long history associated with it, developing from an amateur sport into one that is professional, where spectators pay to watch highly skilled athletes play what is now know as “America's Pastime.”




The game of baseball has traditionally been a sport that requires strength and accuracy of the batter to hit thrown balls far away from any opponent. The underlying strategy and primary tactic of this game is to score more points than the opposing team, often by hitting home runs (a phenomenon by which the hitter strikes the thrown ball with a held bat and projects it outside the bounds of the playing field). The problem in achieving home runs with a baseball bat, however, is that the skill level needed to accurately hit and place the ball and the strength required to project the ball a far distance must both be high.




Conventional baseball bats have a narrow head and thin handle, and when the hitter is attempting to hit the ball, little room for error exists when trying to connect bat to ball. The hitter's hand-eye coordination must be high to accurately hit the ball because the narrow size of the head means that possibility of connecting bat to ball is less. Repeated failures when trying to hit the ball with such a bat often leaves the player frustrated. Thus, without the requisite skill needed to accurately hit and place the ball, the batter often connects inadequately or misses completely, and without the opportunity to practice, the player often “gives up,” frequently not returning to practice which is necessary to achieve the desired skill.




Such frustration is felt the most among players with special needs. There are many different types of players that have special needs, ranging from the very young to the very old and to the physically and mentally handicapped. An important application of special needs players are the various team competitions during the Special Olympics wherein handicapped players compete in baseball, softball and other related sporting events. These players often have difficulty in handling a conventional baseball or softball bat, and in many instances the players are unable to hit a ball with any success or without assistance.




Therefore, there is a need for a baseball-type apparatus that facilitates the playing of bat and ball sports wherein among players with special needs can play unassisted and achieve immediate success with hitting and placing a ball.




Additionally, because of the thin handle on a traditional baseball bat, the batter's upper body strength and hand strength must both be great in order to swing the bat effectively to hit the ball a far distance. Without the requisite strength needed to forcefully hit the ball, the player often grounds the ball or hits pop-flies. Both of these types of hits makes it easier for an opponent to intercept the ball and throw the hitter out. Traditionally, a deep fly or home-run is what the hitter seeks to achieve, and historically it was the invention of wooden bats that assisted the hitter in obtaining this goal. The theory behind this being that a heavy bat combined with a strong swing would propel the ball far and high into the air. Unfortunately, though, this discouraged many classes of people outside the stereotyped strong, athletic male from playing the sport because the need for such strength in handling the wooden bat was so great.




From this sport of baseball, derivative ball games, such as softball, stickball, tee-ball and wiffle-ball, have emerged in America's culture. Each of these variations developed to fulfill particular needs and desires of the American public, each with their own requirements and constraints. With the advent of these related sports and subsequent experimentation in the design of the baseball bat, two derivative inventions were discovered—the aluminum bat and the plastic bat. Though lighter in weight, which alleviated some of the strength required to effectively swing a bat in traditional baseball, this light weight creates an additional problem for the hitter. Many batters lose control of such a bat upon the finish of a powerful swing, and this loss of control often causes injury to both sideline players and other bystanders on the field.




Besides these problems, baseball and its derivative ball games have a limited appeal. Each serves a purpose unto themselves, and generally each variation only fulfills their intended purpose. Baseball is both a professional and amateur game, traditionally associated with strong, youthful men. As a predominately male sport, baseball, specifically, has less appeal, because of the perceived physicality needed to be good at the game. While softball developed to make the game of baseball more appealing to those less strong, those a bit older or younger in years, and those of generally less skill, it still requires a certain amount of skill and strength to play effectively. Stickball, whose bat is basically a thin “broom-handle” type stick, has limited appeal because of the traditional geography on which it is played—the streets of the inner cities. Significantly younger people have been afforded the opportunity to compete in still similar ball games through the developments of tee-ball and wiffle-ball, though these batting games are generally reserved only for that class of person.




Therefore, there is a need for a baseball-type bat that is similar in overall appearance and dimensions of a conventional baseball bat, but is easier for a user to swing and achieve greater distance and accuracy.




Moving away from the sport of baseball and related batting games is the racket game of tennis. Tennis is another sport wherein a racket is used to hit and thereby project a ball away from the player. Unlike baseball, however, the game of tennis requires the ball to be hit and accurately placed within a confined set of boundaries. Therefore, the tennis racket is designed to accurately hit a ball short distances. The oval shaped racket is generally made of wood, aluminum or graphite, while the head-face is usually strung with resilient gut or nylon in an interwoven pattern, and the handle is long and thick because most players prefer one-handed over two-handed swings.




Therefore, there is a need for a racket-type apparatus having a racket head-face that gives a user better control in placing a baseball and provides the means for the user to hit a baseball long distances.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The fielding practice bat of the present invention solves the problems associated with conventional baseball bats and tennis rackets by combining the best features of both apparatuses. In the preferred embodiment, the fielding practice bat comprises a frame having the same general shape, weight and balance of a conventional baseball bat wherein one end of the frame is a handle portion and the other end is a head portion that forms a head surface for hitting a ball. The head portion is similar in design to conventional tennis rackets in that it is interwoven with strands to form a head face. However, in contrast to conventional rackets, the fielding practice bat of the present invention has a head portion that has a very slender tear-drop shape, which preferably is about twice the width of a conventional baseball bat, and is woven with elastic tubing. The use of elastic tubing, as opposed to elastic straps or string, is novel and is not currently available in any known racket design.




There are several advantages with the design and shape of the fielding practice bat of the present invention. First, because the fielding practice apparatus has the same weight and balance of a conventional baseball bat, players of the game will be comfortable and at ease with using the fielding practice bat. Second, the fielding practice bat is designed to work with both baseballs and softballs; therefore, no new balls are needed. Third, the design of the fielding practice bat offers those not particularly skilled in ball sports the advantage of consistency hitting the ball with accuracy.




Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the head of the fielding practice bat is strung in an interwoven pattern with elastic tubing. The woven face of the bat diminishes the wind resistance of a conventual bat when swung, and as a result, decreases the chance for sports-related injuries. Also, the woven face of the bat will not only increase the percentage of accurately placed deliveries of the ball, but it also increases the range at which balls can be driven.




Another advantage of the fielding practice bat of the present invention is to make coaching easier. Many coaches are not skilled at hitting a ball with a conventional bat during the course of fielding practice because coaches must repeatedly and consistently hit balls to players in the outfield and infield for practice. This means that a coach must hit many balls time and time again, thereby becoming fatigued which in turn degrades the coach's performance. Once the coach's performance degrades, it has a direct impact on the quality of practice received by the fielder.




The fielding practice bat of the present invention allows balls to be accurately placed with the desired force after only a few attempts and with minimal effort. This will aid coaches in working with players on their fielding techniques. For example, most Special Olympics and Little League coaches are volunteers and could use the fielding practice bat to repeatedly hit the ball into the field for fielding practice without becoming overly tired and without the usual skilled required.




Additionally, the fielding practice bat is designed for those with little skill who simply want to join in a baseball or softball game for fun and recreation. During the summer months, family or class reunions are a popular time for softball games. The fielding practicing bat will allow individuals who are reluctant to participate in baseball and related games due to a lack of skill to participate and achieve accurate and long hits. Furthermore, the fielding practice bat may be used by disabled or elderly individuals to participate in the related sports. It will also decrease the risk of shoulder or arm injury for the player because the woven face of the bat decreases wind resistance.




Another object of the present invention is to provide means for players not particularly skilled in the sport the ability to achieve a better natural form without special training.




A further object of the present invention is to provide a bat comparable to a regulation bat which provides greater accuracy in placing balls and increases the distance at which the ball can be driven.




The main objections of the fielding practice bat are to increase accuracy and alleviate the need for strength when hitting and placing a ball in traditional batting games, promoting a sense of achievement and power for which all ball players thrive. With a larger head, which increases the dimensions available to connect it with the ball, the necessary skill required to accurately hit and place the ball reduces. With elastic tubing strung within the head surface (this is used as a substitute for a solid or hollow bat head), it reduces the strength needed to hit balls a great distance. A thicker handle increases stability when swinging and durability of the invention itself, while at the same time, it also reduces the strength of grip required to effectively swing the bat.




Additional objects, purposes and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES




The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.





FIG. 1

is a planar front view of a fielding practice bat of the present invention;





FIG. 2A

is a cross-sectional view of a frame of the fielding practice bat;





FIG. 2B

is a planar top view of the frame;





FIG. 2C

is a planar bottom view of the frame;





FIG. 2D

is a planar side view of the frame;





FIG. 2E

is a planar view of the bottom of the handle portion of the fielding practice bat;





FIG. 3A

is a planar front view of the fielding practice bat showing a throat piece;





FIG. 3B

is a planar top view of the throat piece;





FIG. 4

is planar front view of the fielding practice bat showing the placement of holes in the frame;





FIG. 5

is a perspective view of a fielding practice bat incorporating main and cross elastic strands of tubing;





FIG. 6

is a planar side view of the frame showing a means for securing a piece of elastic tubing in a hole of the frame;





FIG. 7A

is a planar side view of the frame showing the use of a sawtooth fastener for securing a piece of elastic tubing in a hole of the frame;





FIG. 7B

is a planar side view of the frame showing the use of a pin with locking flange for securing a piece of elastic tubing in a hole of the frame;





FIG. 7C

is a planar side view of the frame showing the use of a golf-tee pin for securing a piece of elastic tubing in a hole of the frame;





FIG. 7D

is a planar side view of the frame showing the use of a pin with a cap for securing a piece of elastic tubing in a hole of the frame;





FIG. 8

is a planar view of a top half and bottom half of an interlocking connector used to secure an intersection of a cross strand and a vertical strand;





FIG. 9A

is a planar top view of a butt cap for covering the bottom of the handle portion;





FIG. 9B

is a planar side view of the butt cap;





FIG. 10A

is a planar end view of a hand grip for the handle portion without the frame;





FIG. 10B

is a planar end view of the hand grip incorporating the frame;





FIG. 10C

is a perspective view of the hand grip;





FIG. 11

is an alternative embodiment of a hand grip;





FIG. 12

is an alternative embodiment of a hand grip;





FIG. 13A

is a planar view of a preferred embodiment of a forming grid;





FIG. 13B

is an alternative embodiment of the forming grid;





FIG. 14A

is a perspective view showing the preferred embodiment for weaving elastic tubing through the forming grid;





FIG. 15A

is a perspective view showing the securing of an intersection of strands with stitching; and





FIG. 15B

is a cross sectional view showing the stitching of an intersection.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




The fielding practice bat (or “bat”) of the present invention comprises a racket-like frame that has the overall appearance, size, weight and balance of a conventional baseball or softball bat.

FIGS. 1-2E

illustrate the frame


108


of a fielding practice bat (the “bat”)


100


of the present invention having a head portion


102


and a handle portion


110


that are integrally connected via a single frame


108


. The head portion


102


of the frame


108


, as described below, is threaded with elastic tubing, thereby creating a head surface


104


with which a user hits a ball. In the preferred embodiment, the frame


108


is a single piece of extruded aluminum that is bent into the preferred tear-drop shape wherein the two ends


108




a,b


of the frame


108


come together at the handle portion


110


, terminating at the handle portion end


116


. The fielding practice bat


100


may be designed and manufactured according to any range of dimensions; however, the following dimensions are the preferred specifications: a length


112


of 25-34 inches (with a preferred length


112


of 32 inches), a head width


106


of 9-12 inches (with a preferred head width


106


of 10-11 inches which can handle both baseball and softball), a handle portion length


114


of 7-9 inches (with a preferred handle portion length


114


of 8.5 inches), a throat piece


302


, described below, positioned 11-15 inches from the top of the head portion


102


, and a weight of about 18-36 ounces.




The actual dimensions used are scaled according to the target user. For example, in designing and manufacturing a junior-sized fielding practice bat for children, the dimensions may be: a length


112


of 26-28 inches and a weight of about 18-19 ounces, wherein the remaining dimensions remain about the same, whereas an adult-sized fielding practice bat


100


may be 32 inches in length


112


and have a weight of about 32 ounces. The use of these dimensions are for convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) to use different dimensions.




The frame


108


may be solid or composed of a tubular extrusion (e.g., a D-channel) of any appropriate material, e.g., aluminum, composites, wood, or a combination thereof. However, the frame


108


in the preferred embodiment is U-shaped, or U-channeled, aluminum which protects the elastic tubing threaded through the frame


108


, makes the bat


100


more lightweight compared to a solid frame or tubular extrusion, and facilitates both the creation of a hand-grip on the handle portion


110


and the re-stringing of the head surface


104


of the bat


100


.




As illustrated by

FIGS. 2A-E

, this U-shaped frame


108


is created by two rims


204




a,b


on the outside of the frame


108


. In the preferred embodiment, each rim


204




a,b


being one-eighth (⅛) of an inch wide and one-fourth (¼) of an inch high, creating a recessed bottom


206


one-fourth (¼) inches wide and three-sixteenths ({fraction (3/16)}) inches high. The recessed bottom


206


contains a plurality of uniformly spaced holes


202


. In the preferred embodiment, the holes


202


are three-fourths (¾) of an inch apart on center and three-eights (⅜) inches in diameter. Additionally, the bottom inside and outside corners of the frame


108


(where the rims


204




a,b


join the recessed bottom


206


), may be rounded or square. Rounded corners are preferred because this would prevent scoring of a ball when a player's swing is off and the ball hits the frame


108


of the bat


100


rather than the tubing of the head surface


104


.

FIG. 2E

shows the handle portion end


116


of the fielding practice bat


100


where the two ends


108




a,b


of the frame


108


come together. For convenience purpose only, the two ends of the frame


108


are shown as a first frame end


108




a


and a second frame end


108




b.







FIG. 3A

illustrates a bat


100


having a throat piece


302


inserted into the frame


108


. A throat piece


302


stabilizes the operation of the bat


100


by dampening vibration, making it easier to re-string, and reducing the amount of elastic tubing required to re-string the bat


100


.

FIG. 3B

provides a planar top view of the throat piece


302


, showing the holes


304


drilled therein. The number of holes


304


and their placement on the throat piece


302


are for convenience purposes only, but preferably there are four (4) holes


304


in the throat piece


302


wherein their size is the same as the holes


202


in the frame


108


and their position in the throat piece


302


is such that they are aligned with the opposing holes


202


in the frame


108


. However, it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts to use a different number and placement of holes


304


.





FIG. 4

provides a planar view of the bat


100


showing the placement of holes


202


in the frame


108


. However, the placement and number of holes


202


in the frame


108


is for convenience purposes only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts to use a different number and placement of holes


202


in order to achieve varying results. For example, if the holes


202


are placed far apart, a player would have to swing the bat


100


harder to reach far distances and the player would gain a certain amount of control for placing a ball. If the holes


202


are spaced close together, the head surface


104


is tightly woven and with little effort would be able to hit a ball farther but would lose some control for placing the ball. In addition, if the holes


202


are so close together that the tubing is side-by-side without spaces in-between, there may be no use of a forming grid, as described in detail below.





FIG. 5

is a perspective drawing of the head portion


102


of the fielding practice bat


100


of the present invention showing the complete bat


100


including the frame


108


and throat piece


302


being interwoven with main strands


502


and cross strands


504


of elastic tubing. In the preferred embodiment, commercially available natural latex rubber tubing is threaded through the holes


202


of the frame


108


of the bat


100


and through the holes


304


of the throat piece


302


. For convenience purpose only, the main strands


502


are the portions of elastic tubing extending vertically, i.e., extending from the top of the head portion


102


to the throat piece


302


, and the cross strands


504


are the portions of elastic tubing extending horizontally, i.e., extending side-to-side across the head surface


104


. In the preferred embodiment, a single piece of tubing approximately twenty-five (25) feet long, having a wall thickness within the range of about {fraction (1/32)} of an inch to about ⅛ of an inch, an inner diameter within the range of about {fraction (1/16)} of an inch to about ¼ of an inch, and an outer diameter within the range of about {fraction (3/16)} of an inch to about {fraction (5/16)} of an inch, is used to thread the head surface


104


of the bat


100


. Specifically, the preferred embodiment uses an elastic tubing having a wall thickness of {fraction (3/32)} of an inch and an outer diameter of {fraction (5/16)} of an inch. The above described ranges of elastic tubing sizes provide the best strength, durability, and overall results. However, elastic tubing having a different wall thickness, inner diameter, and outer diameter could be used without departing from the scope of this invention.




In an alternative embodiment, a plurality of tubing pieces could be used to thread the head surface


104


of the bat


100


. For example, a first piece of elastic tubing may comprise all of the main strands


502


and a second piece of elastic tubing may comprise all of the cross strands


504


. Additionally, the elastic tubing could be one or more colors. Therefore, depending on the number of pieces of elastic tubing used to weave the head surface


104


, it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) to create a pattern, design or picture using colored elastic tubing.




The threading or weaving of the elastic tubing results in a matrix of strands where two perpendicular strands cross at an intersection. When threading the head surface


104


of the bat


100


with the elastic tubing, the user should pull the tubing approximately one (1) inch before threading the tubing through the next hole


202


. This one (1) inch approximation should provide the proper amount of tension on the strands. However, this approximation is for convenience purposes only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts that different tensions would achieve different performance results.




There are many different patterns one may use when weaving the elastic tubing. In one embodiment, the main strands


502


and the cross strands


504


are woven in a conventional over-under pattern. That is, each main strand


502


and cross strand


504


alternates between going over, then going under, the next strand in sequence. In the preferred embodiment, however, a forming grid is used, which is described in greater detail below, wherein the main strands


502


and the cross strands


504


are not interwoven. That is, all main strands


502


remain on the same side of the cross strands


504


, and all cross strands


504


remain on the same side of the main strands


502


. This configuration of main strands


502


and cross strands


504


is shown and described in greater detail below.




To protect the tubing passing through the holes


202


of the bat


100


, a grommet made of plastic, latex, metal, or similar material may be inserted into each hole


202


. A grommet will protect the tubing from rubbing against the edge of a hole


202


and getting cut. Alternatively, each hole


202


can be sprayed with a polyurethane coating (or any similar compound used for smoothing rough edges), thereby providing a smoother surface for the tubing such that the tubing does not wear or get cut on the edge of a hole


202


.




In the process of threading the head space


104


of the bat


100


with the tubing, it is necessary to connect each piece of elastic tubing, used in making the head surface


104


, to the frame


108


of the bat


100


.

FIG. 6

illustrates the preferred manner in which an end of a piece of elastic tubing


606


may be “tied off.” The elastic tubing


606


is threaded through a hole


202


, a screw sheath


602


is inserted into the tubing


606


passing through the hole


202


of the frame


108


. The screw sheath


602


is of the type commercially available and has a plurality of ridges positioned on its external side. Once the screw sheath


602


is properly positioned, a screw


604


is then threaded into the screw sheath


602


. The action of turning the screw


604


in the screw sheath


602


causes the sheath


602


to expand and the plurality of ridges to bend, from a retracted position, in an outward fashion, thereby engaging and locking the elastic tubing


606


into the hole


202


so that the tubing


606


cannot be pulled out. The extra tubing


606


extending beyond the hole


202


of the frame


108


is then cut off at a reasonable length so as not to interfere with the operation of the bat


100


.




Similarly,

FIGS. 7A-D

illustrate other possible means of securing an end of a piece of tubing


702


in a hole


202


of the frame


108


of the bat


100


. These methods include a sawtooth fastener


704


,

FIG. 7A

, a combination of pin


706


and locking flanges


708




a,b,



FIG. 7B

, a “golf tee” pin


710


,

FIG. 7C

, and a pin


712


with a locking cap


714


, FIG.


7


D. All of these different means for securing a piece of tubing


702


in a hole


202


of the frame


108


are commercially available and are used for convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent for one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) to use these or other comparable means without departing from the scope of this invention. In addition, another means not shown is the very conventional method of “tying a knot” at the end of the piece of tubing to prevent the tubing from retracting back through the hole


202


. Regardless of the means chosen for securing a piece of elastic tubing in a hole


202


of the frame


108


, in the preferred embodiment, the “channel” feature of the frame


108


will protect the secured ends of the tubing, as well as, the tubing as it is woven between adjacent holes


202


.




Securing intersecting strands of tubing decreases vibration of the bat


100


and increases both stability of the bat


100


and accuracy of ball placement with the bat


100


.

FIG. 8

illustrates a means of securing overlapping or intersecting strands of tubing so that the strands of tubing do not separate. In this embodiment, a bottom portion


804


and a top portion


802


are used wherein the top portion


802


interlocks with the bottom portion


804


when the two portions are pressed together. In operation, a user places a bottom portion


804


behind a point (the intersection) at which a main strand


502


crosses a cross strand


504


in the head surface


104


of the bat


100


. The user then pushes a top portion


802


through the point of intersection until it locks into the bottom portion


804


. This prevents separation of the main strand


502


from the cross strand


504


. In other embodiments, the intersections can be glued (e.g. Perma-Bond or Crazy Glue) or stitched


15202




a-c


(e.g. nylon stitching) see

FIG. 15A-B

, so that the crossing strands do not separate. The securing of the intersections between main strands


502


and cross strands


504


is described in these terms for convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to use a comparable means for securing such intersections.




The present invention also comprises a means for securing the frame


108


at the handle portion


110


of the bat


100


. One means includes a butt cap


900


as shown in FIGS.


9


A,B. In the preferred embodiment, the butt cap


900


is a rounded aluminum disk


902


, approximately 2-3 inches in diameter and about ¼ inches thick and has a hole


904


centrally located. The butt cap


900


is centrally positioned over the handle portion end


116


of the frame and a screw is used, passing through the hole


904


, to attach the butt cap


900


to the handle portion end


116


of the frame


108


. In addition to aiding in holding the frame ends


108




a,b


together, the purpose of a butt cap


900


is very similar to that of the knob on the end of the handle of an aluminum baseball bat: to help prevent the bat


100


from slipping out of the user's hands. Additionally, a butt cap


900


protects the end of the handle portion


114


of the bat


100


and protects the player from getting injured on the possibly rough edges


108




a,b


of the handle portion


114


of the bat


100


.




In addition to a butt cap


900


,

FIGS. 10A-C

disclose a hand-grip


1000


that covers the handle portion


110


of the bat


100


, thereby making the bat


100


more comfortable in a user's hands. The hand-grip


1000


is the correct size and shape to fit easily within the clasped grip of an average individual and may be wrapped as a handle portion of a conventional bat. In the preferred embodiment, the hand grip


1000


has an oval exterior shape to ensure the proper positioning of the fielding practice bat


100


in a user's hand, i.e., the head surface


104


is facing the proper direction for hitting a ball. Also in the preferred embodiment, the circumference of the hand grip


1000


is in the range of about 4-5 inches, with the preferred circumference being 4.5 inches.




The hand grip


1000


comprises a hand grip frame


1002




a,b


that is preferably split into a first half


1002




a


and a second half


1002




b,


both of which are patterned to match the shape of the frame


108


, a U-shape channel. For manufacturing purposes, the hand grip frame


1002


is made in two equal pieces, the first half


1002




a


and the second half


1002




b,


that when positioned around the handle portion


110


of the bat


100


and secured together, the handle portion


110


is complete encapsulated by the hand grip


1000


. Further, each half


1002




a,b


may be a solid form for fitting within, or matching, each end


108




a,b


of the frame


108


, as shown, or may be hollow wherein the hollow chambers may be filled with a filler material, e.g. rubber, foam, or any comparable cushioning material.





FIG. 10A

shows the end of the hand grip


1000


and specifically, the first half


1002




a


and the second half


1002




b


as joined along the seam line


1006


. The seam line


1006


is the line at which the first end


108




a


and the second end


108




b


of the frame


108


come together and form the handle portion


110


of the bat


100


.

FIG. 10B

shows the handle portion end


116


enclosed by the two halves


1002




a,b


of the hand grip


1000


.

FIG. 10C

shows a complete hand grip


1000


as used to fully encompass and enclose the handle portion


110


of a fielding practice bat


100


of the present invention. To secure the hand grip


1000


to the handle portion


110


, about 2-3 screws are used along the central axis


1008


. In the preferred embodiment, the screws are countersunk in the hand grip in a well-known manner in order to protect a user from getting scratched or otherwise caught. The use of screws is for convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to use a comparable means, e.g., bolts or an adhesive, to secure the hand grip


1000


. In addition, the hand grip


1000


of the present invention may be manufactured and installed by other means, such as making the hand grip


1000


as one integral piece and then sliding the hand grip


1000


onto the handle portion


104


of the bat


100


. Furthermore, although the preferred hand grip


1000


is made of aluminum, it could also be manufactured using a different metal, plastic, foam rubber, or other composite material.





FIG. 11

illustrates an alternative embodiment for a hand-grip


1100


. The hand-grip


1100


has two halves, each of which fits within one end


108




a,b


of the frame


108


. In the preferred embodiment, the hand-grip


1100


comprises a first rounded portion


1102




a


that is inserted into the first end


108




a


of the frame


108


comprising one half of the handle portion


110


and a second rounded portion


1102




b


that is inserted into the second end


108




b


of the frame


108


comprising the second half of the handle portion


110


. These two rounded portions


1102




a,b


are used to smooth out the channeling of the frame


108


. Then, a first grip


1104




a


is secured over and encompassing the first rounded portion


1102




a,


and a second grip


1104




b


is secured over and encompassing the second rounded portion


1102




b.


The first and second grips


1104




a,b


can be secured via any appropriate means, such as, with screws


1106




a-d,


as shown, or with an adhesive, bolts, fasteners, and the like. The grip


1104




a,b


portion of this hand grip


1100


is typically made of a comfortable material, such as, foam rubber. If the grip


1104




a,b


happens to wear out, or otherwise is to be replaced, a player can simply remove the old grip


1104




a,b


and attach a new grip


1104




a,b


over the existing rounded portions


1102




a,b.







FIG. 12

is another alternative embodiment for a hand grip


1200


which combines a hand grip and a butt cap. In this embodiment, the hand-grip


1200


is a rubber sleeve


1202


that slides, or fits, over the handle portion


114


of the frame


108


of the bat


100


with a knob


1204


on its end that functions similar to that of a butt cap


900


. This hand grip


1200


may be made of a composite material, rubber, a durable foam rubber, or the like.




Although only some of the most effective hand grips and butt caps are disclosed herein. These embodiments are described for convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent to one of the ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) that other hand-grips or butt caps may be used without departing from the scope of this invention. Furthermore, it would be readily apparent for one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) to wrap a hand grip with tape as typically done with convention baseball bats.




Referring to

FIG. 13A

, a forming grid


1300


is shown which is used to prevent the separation of the intersections of main strands


502


and cross strands


504


of elastic tubing. The forming grid


1300


is a matrix made of hard, yet flexible, material (e.g., solid rubber) and can be any color(s) or any shape. Likewise, the holes or cells


1306


of the forming grid


1300


may be any shape and may be close together or far apart depending on the desired performance of the bat


100


.




In the preferred embodiment, the forming grid


1300


is a uniform thickness that may range from about {fraction (1/32)} to about {fraction (1/16)} of an inch. However, in an alternative embodiment, the perimeter walls of a forming grid


1300


may be thicker than the interior walls. Furthermore, in the preferred embodiment, the cells


1306


of a forming grid


1300


have rounded interior corners, as shown, with a curved radius of about {fraction (3/32)} of an inch. Also, each cell


1306


of the forming grid


1300


is square in shape having an outer dimension of about 1×1 inches and an interior dimension of 0.5×0.5 inches. In alternative embodiments, the cell


1306


may have square corners or have a different shape, e.g., round, oval, or tear-drop, wherein the cell


1306


shape is used to enhance the tear resistance of each cell


1306


upon the exertion of force when hitting a ball.




Alternatives to using a forming grid


1300


include weaving pieces of Velcro through the strands such that the Velcro prevents separation of intersecting strands and dampens vibration; spacing the holes


202


closer together on the frame


108


such that the main strands


502


and the cross strands


504


are side-by-side with no spaces between them; or strategically placing a plurality of smaller forming grids in the head surface


104


of a bat


100


such that the combination of the separate forming grids together define one or more protected areas in the head surface


104


. In either of these embodiments, the need for a single forming grid


1300


is eliminated.





FIG. 13B

shows an alternative embodiment of a forming grid


1308


. In this embodiment, the forming grid


1308


comprises a filled-in matrix


1310


of cells that is basically oval or tear-drop in shape and the holes


1312


of the filled-in matrix


1310


are circles. This embodiment further dampens the vibration of the tubing


502


,


504


of the head surface


104


due to the thickness of the matrix walls. It should be noted that the shape of the matrix


1302


,


1310


in either embodiment is for convenience only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill to trim the corners of a forming grid


1300


,


1308


to accommodate the curvature of the head portion


102


of the bat


100


, or to use a different shape to achieve a different result.




For example, a forming grid


1300


may be a rectangular-shaped matrix of cells that border (or outline) the prime contract area (or “sweet spots”) of a head surface


104


of a bat


100


. This embodiment is called a framing forming grid. In addition, it would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) to design and use a forming grid


1300


, or framing forming grid, with a perimeter having a different shape, such as H-shaped, O-shaped, oval-shaped, tear-shaped, 8-shaped, square, or I-shaped, wherein any such shape retards any separation of the intersection of a main strand


502


and a cross strand


504


.





FIG. 14

illustrates the use of a forming grid


1300


showing the preferred embodiment of weaving main strands


502


and cross strands


504


through the forming grid


1300


. When threading the frame


108


, the main strands


502


and the cross strands


504


are woven through the forming grid


1300


, thereby locking the forming grid


1300


to the head surface


104


of the bat


100


. When a user hits a ball, an intersection


1402


of a main strand


502


and a cross strand


504


will not separate and vibration will be dampened—improving performance.




As discussed above, the main strands


502


and the cross strands


504


may be threaded in any desired pattern. In the preferred embodiment, as shown in

FIG. 14

, the main strands


502


are all positioned on the same side of the cross strands


504


, and the cross strands


504


are all positioned on the same side of the main strands


502


. In

FIG. 14

, the head surface


104


is shown as all the main strands


502


being on top of all the cross strands


504


. However, this pattern of weaving is for convenience purpose only. It would be readily apparent for one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to use a different weaving pattern. For example, the main strands


502


and cross strands


504


may be threaded in a conventional over-under pattern, or the main strands


502


or cross strands


504


may skip one or more intersections between weaves. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant arts that other means or patterns of threading the elastic tubing through the forming grid


1300


may be achieved without departing from the scope of this invention.




It is important to note that the foregoing description provides the preferred embodiment of a fielding practice bat for baseball. However, several different embodiments may be made of the present invention. For example, an alternative embodiment of the bat


100


may be a junior bat, which is simply a scaled-down version of the bat


100


. Likewise, a softball embodiment of the bat


100


may be made wherein the softball embodiment is shorter and wider, the preferred embodiment having a head width


106


of eleven (11) inches and an overall length


112


of twenty-nine (29) inches. This reduction in length


112


causes the bat to have a shorter throat area and a prime contact area that is lowered by approximately two and a quarter (2¼) inches. Second, the holes


202


in the preferred softball embodiment are one (1) inch apart on center. Third, for the preferred softball embodiment, each cell of a softball forming grid has outer dimensions of 1.25×1.25 inches and interior dimensions of 0.75×0.75 inches. The softball embodiment is also useful when the user is handicapped such that he/she requires a more stable bat


100


.




In an alternative embodiment, one or more weights may be removably attached to the frame of the present invention in order to adjust the weight or balance of the fielding practice bat


100


. Therefore, if a player wants to work-out or practice with a heavier bat, he/she only has to attach one or more weights to the frame of the fielding practice bat


100


until the desire weight and/or balance is achieved. At any point, the player may remove the weights and return the fielding practice bat


100


to its original condition. In one embodiment, the weights have a shallow rectangular shape that can be clipped on to the frame


108


between the first and second rims


204




a,b,


thereby being positioned within the recessed bottom


206


of the frame


108


. In another embodiment, a weight may have a recessed channel horizontally positioned on each side such that when positioned within the channel of the frame


108


, each recessed channel engages a rim


204




a,b


of the frame


108


thereby securing the weight to the frame


108


.




The references to specific dimensions are used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention and are for convenience purposes only. It would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) to build a fielding practice bat of the present invention using different dimensions and achieve comparable results. Furthermore, enough detail and description is provided herein such one of ordinary skill in the relevant art(s) would be enabled to design, manufacture and use a fielding practice bat of the present invention.




Conclusion




While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.



Claims
  • 1. A forming grid for use with a fielding practice bat, comprising a frame integrally connecting a head portion and a handle portion, a plurality of main strands and a plurality of cross strands within the head portion wherein one main strand intersects one cross strand at an intersection, creating a head surface having a prime contact area, the forming grid comprising:a matrix of cells, having a perimeter wall defining a shape of the forming grid and interior walls defining a shape of said cells, said cells adapted for receiving one or more intersections of one or more main strands and one or more cross strands of the fielding practice bat; and said one or more main strands and said one or more cross strands are woven through said cells of said matrix of cells.
  • 2. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein said matrix of cells comprises eight (8) horizontal cells and fourteen (14) vertical cells.
  • 3. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein each said cell of said matrix has an outer dimension of about 1.0×1.0 inches and an interior dimension of about 0.50×0.50 inches.
  • 4. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the forming grid is selected from the group of rectangular, square, oval, tear-drop, circular, H-shaped, O-shaped, 8-shaped, and I-shaped.
  • 5. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the forming grid contours to the head portion of the fielding practice bat.
  • 6. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the forming grid covers a prime contact area of the head portion of the fielding practice bat.
  • 7. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the shape of said cells enhances the tear resistance of each said cell upon the exertion of force when hitting the head surface of the fielding practice bat with a ball.
  • 8. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the shape of one or more said cells is selected from the group of circular, square, rectangular, oval, and tear-drop.
  • 9. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the perimeter walls are thicker in diameter than the interior walls.
  • 10. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the forming grid is a uniform thickness.
  • 11. The forming grid according to claim 10, wherein the uniform thickness is within the range of about {fraction (1/32)} to about {fraction (1/16)} of an inch.
  • 12. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein each said cell has rounded corners.
  • 13. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein each said cell has square corners.
  • 14. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the forming grid is made of a hard, flexible material.
  • 15. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein the forming grid is made of rubber.
  • 16. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein one or more said cells are adapted to contain an intersection of one main strand and one cross strand.
  • 17. The forming grid according to claim 1, wherein one or more said cells are adapted to contain a plurality of intersections of main strands and cross strands.
  • 18. A fielding practice bat, comprising:a frame integrally connecting a head portion and a handle portion; a plurality of main strands and a plurality of cross strands with in said head portion wherein one said main strand intersects one said cross strand at an intersection creating a head surface; and a means for securing said plurality of main strands and said plurality of cross strands to said head portion of said frames; wherein one or more said intersections of said main strands and said cross strands are secured by stitching.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of application Ser. No. 60/091,789, filed Jul. 6, 1998.

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Number Name Date Kind
1682199 Smilie Aug 1928
3048399 Breitbach Aug 1962
3921979 Dischinger Nov 1975
4238262 Fishel Dec 1980
4249731 Amster Feb 1981
4399993 Melin Aug 1983
4408760 Ferrari Oct 1983
4844478 Kessler Jul 1989
4880234 Salisbury Nov 1989
5143370 Richards Sep 1992
5158285 Flam Oct 1992
5303918 Liu Apr 1994
5570883 Csabai Nov 1996
5620179 MacKay, Jr. Apr 1997
5993337 Janes et al. Nov 1999
Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/091789 Jul 1998 US