Patent Application
20210387066
In general, the present invention relates to the structure of baseball plates and batting tees. More particularly, the present invention relates to plates and baseball batting tees that are collapsible or foldable so as to be easily transported and stored when not in use.
A baseball batting tee is a device that holds a ball in place at an elevated position, so that the ball can be struck with a bat. The use of a baseball batting tee helps a batter practice hitting a ball to develop better hand-to-eye coordination. A baseball batting tee is very useful for developing a proper swing. Baseball batting tees are also commonly used by coaches to hit balls into the field for fielding practice.
Although baseball tees come in a large variety of shapes and styles, a traditional baseball tee has a base that is shaped like home plate and a ball support that extends upwardly from the center of the base. The official shape of home plate is that of an irregular pentagon. Home plate has a forward edge that faces the pitching mound. Two parallel sides extend back from the ends of the forward edge. Two angled sides then converge at a point from the parallel sides. These angled sides align with the first base line and the third base line of the baseball field. Officially, home plate has an area over 1800 square centimeters. As such, a home plate is rather large and can be expensive to package and ship. The same is true for baseball tee assemblies that have bases sized as home plate.
Baseball batting tees have a tendency to tip over if impacted by a bat while swinging at a ball. For this reason, it is preferable to use a large wide base on a baseball batting tee, rather than a small narrow base. Large bases provide more support and are harder to tilt, therein making the baseball batting tee harder to knock over. The manufacturers of baseball tees are therefore presented with opposing problems. On one hand, a manufacturer wants the base of a baseball batting tee to be small, so that it is easier and cheaper to manufacture and ship. On the other hand, a manufacturer wants to provide a large base on the baseball batting tee so that the baseball tee is hard to knock over during use.
In the prior art, these opposing problems have been partially addressed by using baseball tees with bases that can be selectively assembled and disassembled. Such prior art baseball tees are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 9,925,445 to Su, and U.S. Design Pat. No. D810,214, to Su. Such prior art baseball tees have bases that are made from multiple parts. The parts are assembled to form the base. The parts mechanically interconnect and cannot be readily disassembled after assembly. This makes the baseball batting tee difficult to transport and store after it is assembled. The parts are purposely made difficult to disconnect to prevent the parts from inadvertently coming apart when knocked over by a bat. Furthermore, if the parts are disassembled, the parts are separate and can easily be lost when the baseball tee is transported and stored.
A need therefore exists for an improved baseball batting tee design that is made from component parts but is easy to assemble and disassemble without the danger of losing or misplacing parts. A need also exists for a baseball batting tee with a base that is large and stable, yet can be readily reduced in size for transport and storage. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.
The present invention is a folding plate for baseball that can be used either independently or as part of a batting tee assembly. The base has a center panel and two flap panels that are attached to opposite sides of the center panel with hinged connections. The hinged connections enable the flap panels to be selectively folded against the center panel in a folded configuration and unfolded into a common plane with the center panel in an open configuration.
The folding base can be used in conjunction with a tee stand that selectively connects to the base. The base supports the tee stand in an upright position. The tee stand can be selectively detached from the base. The tee stand can then be strapped against the base for convenient transportation and storage.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the present invention baseball base and hitting tee can be embodied in many ways, only one exemplary embodiment is illustrated and described. The exemplary embodiment is being shown for the purposes of explanation and description. The exemplary embodiment is selected in order to set forth one of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiment, however, is merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims.
Referring to
Referring to
Multiple stop hinges 28 are provided along each hinge line 30. The stop hinges 28 have a limited 180 degrees of motion. This enables the flap panels 24, 26 to rotate from the closed configuration to the open configuration. The stop hinges 28 prevent the flap panels 24, 26 from rotating beyond their open configuration. The stop hinges 28 can be separate units that are mounted to the center panel 22 and the flap panels 24, 26. However, in the preferred configuration, the stop hinges 28 are integrated into the molded construction of the center panel 22 and the flap panels 24, 26.
The center panel 22 contains a handle opening 32 adjacent its forward edge 16. This enables the base assembly 12 to be easily carried when either in its open configuration or its closed configuration. Two sets of strap slots 34, 35 are formed through the center panel 22 below the handle opening 32. Two straps 36 are provided that extend through the strap slots 34, 35. The straps 36 are used to affix secondary objects to the base assembly 12 as it is being carried by the handle opening 32, as will later be explained.
The base assembly 12 can be used independently of the tee stand assembly 14 as home plate in a game of baseball. Alternatively, the base assembly 12 can be used as part of the overall baseball batting tee 10. The center panel 22 contains a receptacle 38 for selectively receiving the tee stand assembly 14. Referring to
The upper pole segment 41 terminates with an enlarged head structure 46. A depression 48 is formed atop the enlarged head structure 46. The depression 48 receives and holds a ball that is placed atop the tee stand assembly 14.
The tee stand assembly 14 can be selectively attached to, and detached from, the base assembly 12. Referring to
To ready the baseball batting tee 10 for use, the bat 50 and the tee stand assembly 14 are unstrapped and removed. The flap panels 24, 26 are unfolded to their open configuration. The tee stand assembly 14 is then locked into the receptacle 38 on the base assembly 12. The baseball batting tee 10 is placed on the ground and is ready for use.
It will be understood that the embodiment of the present invention that is illustrated and described is merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to that embodiment. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
