Patent Application
20240108963
The present subject matter is directed, in general, to a mechanism to protect a baseball pitcher from injury from a line drive toward the pitcher and more particularly, to a mechanism to protect a pitcher during batting practice.
To investigate how the prior art attempted to solve a current problem involving injuries to baseball pitchers, we investigated the prior art, finding, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,150,688 to Coulbourn, directed to a protective barrier for use on a baseball field. The barrier is actuated by motion sensors housed within a structure. The protective barrier is actuated when a projectile such as a baseball travels through the sensors' line-of-sight. The barrier serves to sense when a line drive is hit towards a pitcher and will rapidly extend to block the baseball, greatly reducing possibility of harm to a pitcher.
L-frame pitching screens, or “L-screens,” and similar devices have long been used to protect pitchers from being struck by batted balls during batting practice. A typical L-screen includes a tubular frame in the shape of a capital “L,” and includes netting for blocking balls batted toward the pitcher. The L-screen is typically placed near the front of the pitcher's mound or other pitching area so that the pitcher may stand behind the L-screen while pitching batting practice (or while feeding balls into a pitching machine). The pitcher typically stands behind the L-screen and throws pitches over the “short” portion, or lower section, of the L-screen. The pitcher may stand behind the “tall” portion of the screen while pitching (except for a pitcher's throwing arm), or a pitcher may move behind the tall portion of the screen after throwing a pitch. When a ball is hit toward the pitcher, the L-screen protects the pitcher from being struck by the batted ball. An example is US published patent application 2007/0049428 to Stromsborg for an L-screen to protect baseball pitchers. The screen has several screen sections pivotally connected to each another. In addition, the L-screen sections are pivotable, relative to each another, beginning with a collapsed configuration in which screen sections at least partially overlap one another, to a deployed configuration in which the various screen sections form a so-called L-shape. Another L-screen for protecting a baseball pitcher is disclosed in US 2011/0195804 to Hixon et al. The '804 published application discloses a protection panel that is transparent to provide an unobstructed view through the protection panel and has adequate strength to withstand impact of a baseball hit by a batter.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,153,225 and 8,651,981 to Morrow are directed to a pitching screen that provides a first pitching lane and a second pitching lane in a single pitching screen configuration to allow both left-handed pitchers and right-handed pitchers to pitch without repositioning the pitching screen.
After reviewing practical aspects of prior art mechanisms, described above, it was found that all are cumbersome and therefore inefficient and, further, that none sufficiently protects a pitcher in various pitching situations.
The present subject matter is essentially a frame with a lower section designed to protect ball thrower from the waist to the ground and an upper section pivotable about a vertical axis to protect left- and right-hand throwers.
For purposes of providing a complete disclosure and satisfying the enablement requirement of Title 35, USC, § 112, the hardware (e.g., screws, nuts, bolts, and other faster means) and materials (e.g., netting disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,225 to Morrow and transparent protective panels disclosed in US published application 2011/0195804 to Hixon et al.) of all the prior art described in preceding paragraphs—are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present subject matter is directed to a mechanism for protecting a softball/baseball thrower/pitcher. The mechanism includes a base, a post, and a shield. The base, oriented vertically and shaped rectangularly, includes an upper portion and a lower portion. A portion of the post, fixed to and extending upwardly from the upper portion of the base, defines a vertical axis (X-X). The rest of the post extends downwardly toward to the lower portion of the base (to which it is fixed). Feet, fixed to opposite ends of the lower portion of the base, extend laterally from the base, for stabilizing the base vertically. The shield is pivotably mounted to a vertically extending portion of the post. This feature of the present subject matter enables the shield to be rotatable, about the vertical axis (X-X) provided by the post, between a first position for the right-handed softball/baseball thrower/pitcher and a second position for the left-handed softball/baseball thrower/pitcher.
An additional feature of the present subject matter is its scalability. By this, we mean that the principles of the present subject matter can be used to provide mechanisms suitably dimensioned and configured to be useful to softball/baseball throwers/pitchers from elementary school through college.
Other aspects, features, and advantages of the present subject matter will be better understood after referring to the drawings and the description.
Throughout the figures and description, similar reference numerals shall be used to refer to similar components of the present subject matter.
Referring initially to
The post 120, fixed to and extending vertically upwardly from the upper portion 160 of the base 100, defines a vertical axis X-X. The shield 140, pivotably mounted to a vertically upwardly extending portion of the post 120, in the figures of the illustrated embodiment has a height and a width, each of which ranges from about 30 to about 40 inches. A POSITA will appreciate that other embodiments of the shield will be dimensioned and configured to protect throwers and/or pitchers of all age groups. The shield 140 is rotatable about the post 120 between a first position (
The mechanism of the present subject matter further includes a pair of feet 200 (
Yet another embodiment of the mechanism of present subject matter, designed to protect a softball and/or a baseball thrower and/or pitcher, and depicted in accompanying
Another embodiment of the post 120A (
In addition,
The mechanism of this embodiment of the present subject matter further includes a ceiling 240 extending substantially horizontally from an upper portion 260 of this embodiment of the shield 140A in relation to the surface S. The ceiling 240 is dimensioned and configured to protect a softball and/or baseball thrower and or pitcher, especially the head of such person.
In addition, the mechanism of this embodiment of the present subject matter includes a spring-loaded pin 280 mounted on the shield 140A. In operation, an end portion of the spring-loaded pin 280 automatically fits into an associated aperture or hole of appropriate dimension and configuration, in an appropriate location of a predetermined component of the mechanism of the present subject matter, to securely retain shield 140A “locked” in place.
The mechanism of the present subject matter further includes a pair of braces 290 having opposite end portions. In the illustrated embodiments, one end portion is fixed to post 120 (
To summarize, the present subject matter is directed to a protective baseball/softball batting practice screen (L-Screen) which rotates at the top section to accommodate either a right-handed or a left-handed thrower or pitcher without having to rotate the screen for a different-handed thrower. In embodiments of the present subject matter, a spring-loaded pin can be welded to the top section, enabling a user simply to pull it up, to release the top section, and spin the top section around. In operation, the spring-loaded pin automatically fits into an associated aperture or hole on the other side. The mechanism of the present subject matter also includes head protection for use in batting cages to protect from head shots when balls are batted inside of a cage. The head protection is simply a top section for the swivel piece which is on a 90-degree hinge that simply flips from one side to the other depending upon whether a right- or a left-handed thrower is using it.
What has been illustrated and described in this patent application is a mechanism for protecting a softball and/or baseball thrower and/or pitcher. While the mechanism of the present subject matter has been shown and described in reference to current embodiments, the present subject matter is not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, many alternatives, changes, and/or modifications will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the field of the present subject matter after this patent specification and the accompanying drawing figures have been reviewed. Thus, alternatives, changes, and modifications are to be viewed as part of the present subject matter insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
