Patent Application
20240058677
These teachings relate to a game or training apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for a player to strike a pickleball with a paddle.
The ability for a player to accurately contact a ball with a paddle is a fundamental skill needed for racquet sports. While various training devices have been made available for players to practice this skill, improvement in the art may be desired. It may be especially desirable to provide a training device for pickleball, allowing players of all ages to practice on and play on their own.
These teachings provide a training device or apparatus that allows a player to practice and improve hand/eye coordination, reaction time, and/or to train with or without a partner or coach. This apparatus may be suitable for all ages, due to its construction, portability, and adjustability. While this application directs the apparatus for use with a pickleball game, this device may also find use in other sports, such as tennis, ping pong, baseball, squash, racquetball, etc.
The apparatus according to these teachings includes a ball attached to a generally rigid arm that is configured to swivel or rotate about a stem or pole. A user can hit the ball with a forehand stroke causing the ball and arm to rotate about the stem or pole in one direction and then strike the ball with a backhand stroke to cause the ball and arm to rotate about the stem or pole in the opposite direction. This advantageously allows a player to work on both strokes while also working to improve their coordination and reaction time to strike the ball.
In some configurations, two players can stand on either side of the device and hit the ball back and forth. The height of the arm on the stem is adjustable, thereby allowing players of various height and ages to use the apparatus. Moreover, the ability to move the ball and arm up and down along a length of the stem or pole allows a player to train low shots, midlevel or waist shots, and high shots.
In some configurations, the speed that the ball and arm rotate about the stem or pole can be adjusted. For example, the amount of friction acting on the arm and stem may be increased to slow the rotation of the arm about the stem which may advantageously allow a player to strike the ball with high speeds and still catch the ball on the opposite side with a backhand shot. In other configurations, the amount of friction may be reduced between the arm and the stem so that the speed at which the arm and ball rotate about the stem or pole is increased, which may thereby allow a user to practice their reaction time.
In some configurations, the angle at which the ball is presented to the player may be adjusted by manipulating the one or more couplers on the apparatus. In some configurations, more than one pickleball and/or arm assembly may be attached to the stem, thereby allowing more than one player to use the apparatus and/or allow one player to hit multiple pickleballs, which may be advantageous to improve hand eye coordination and reaction time.
These teachings may find use for individual training at home, in parks, at schools and training facilities, occupational health centers, physical therapy and rehab training, etc. This apparatus may advantageously improve a player's reaction time, teach proper hitting and strike patterns, teach proper footwork and stance, provide a core workout, and/or improve hand eye coordination.
Various bases, stems, and arm assemblies are disclosed herein. It is within the scope of this disclosure that an apparatus may be construed by mixing and matching elements from one or more of the bases, stems, and/or arm assemblies disclosed herein. In the interest of brevity, all combinations are not disclosed herein, however, all combinations are envisioned and therefore incorporated into this disclosure. A non-limiting example of this is the arm assembly 106′ of
The arm assembly 106, which is described in greater detailed below and with reference to other Figures, generally comprises a coupler 108 configured to engage the stem 104, one or more arms 110 that engage the coupler 108, and one or more balls 112 connected to the one or more arms 110. The coupler 108 is configured to rotate or spin about a longitudinal axis A of the stem 104, which therefore provides for the corresponding arm 100 and ball 112 to rotate or spin about the axis A.
During use, the player 10 may hit the ball 112 with a paddle 114, thereby causing the arm assembly 106 to rotate or spin about or around the stem 104 or the longitudinal axis A thereof. The player 10 may hit the ball with a backhand shot, which may cause the arm assembly 106 to rotate about the stem 104 in a first direction B and/or with a forehand shot, which may cause the arm assembly to rotate about the stem 104 in a first direction C. Advantageously, the player 10 may hit a backhand and forehand shot without the arm assembly 106 rotating completely around the stem 104. Alternatively, the player may hit only forehand shots, or only backhand shots, or mix and match both forehand and backhand shots to further develop and refine hitting techniques, reaction time, paddle position, footwork, etc.
The base 102 may be made of a suitable material such as plastic, metal, a composite, 3D printed, or a combination thereof. The base 102 may be sufficiently heavy on its own to withstand a player hitting the ball and causing the arm assembly 106 to move. In some configurations, the base 102 may be filled with a substance such as water, sand, rocks, cement, etc. to give additional weight to the base 102. In some configurations, the base 102 may include one or more spikes, stakes or other structures that may be inserted into the grass or ground to stabilize the base and apparatus. This is illustrated in
The base 102 may function to provide structure and/or stability for the apparatus 100. The base 102 may function to absorb vibrations during use of the apparatus 100, so that the apparatus does not tip or fall over when the ball is hit by the paddle.
In some configurations, the base 102 may be large enough to attach more than one stem 104 so that multiple players can use the apparatus at once, but with individual stems and arm assemblies connected thereto. This may be advantageous for parks, schools, or training centers, where more than one player is present to play.
The stem 104 may be made of a suitable material, such as a plastic, composite, metal, 3D printed, wood, etc. material. The stem 104 may also be referred to as a pole, stick, or other elongated member. The stem 104 may be sufficiently rigid and may restrict bending to thereby provide a sufficient support for the one or more arm assemblies 106 attached thereto. The stem 104 may be sufficiently rigid to withstand unintentional hits by the player 10 during use. However, the stem 104 is also preferably forging to not damage a paddle 114 if inadvertently hit by the player 10.
The stem 104 may include a support 124. The support 124 may be a plate, base, or bearing that is along a length of the stem 104. The support 124 may be configured to support the one or more arm assemblies 106 in one or more locations along a length of axis A of the stem 104. The support 124 may be fixed to the stem 104, or the support 124 may be moveable along a length of the stem 104 to allow a user or player to adjust a height of the arm assemblies 106 along a length of the stem 104. This height adjustment may be advantageous to follow players of various heights and ages to use the apparatus 100, and or to allow a player to work on different shots. The support 124 may be made of the same material as the stem 102, the base 102, or may be made from a different material than those components.
The coupler 108 may include a bearing 126. The bearing 126 may be centrally located relative to the coupler 108. The bearing 126 may be configured to engage the stem 104 of the apparatus 100 so that the arm assembly 106 can rotate or spin about the stem 104 and/or axis A. In some configurations, the bearing 126 may be omitted and the coupler 108 may instead just include an aperture that engages the stem 104. In some configurations, the coupler 108 may spin on the support 124. In some configurations, a friction adding member may be added to the bearing or in place of the bearing. The friction adding member may function to add friction to slow the speed that the arm assembly 106 rotates about the stem 104 after a user strikes the ball 112. In other configurations, the address 100 may include a friction reducing member which may allow the speed of the arm assembly 106 to travel faster about the stem. Accordingly, it is within the scope of this disclosure that the apparatus 100 includes adjustable friction member so that a user may set the speed that the arm 106 rotates or pivots about the stem 102 at their desired speed. The adjustable friction member may be or may include various bearings 126 that connect all the arm assembly 106 to the stem 104; Various weights that are attached or connected to the one arm assembly 106, various materials that are added or removed from the interface between the coupler 108 and or the bearing 126 and the stem 104.
The coupler 108 may include one or more stand-offs 128. The one or more stand-offs 128 may extend from the coupler 108 in a generally vertical orientation relative to the stem 104 in an assembled configuration. The one or more stand-offs 128 may function to contact or engage another coupler 108 when more than one arm assembly 106 is attached to the stem 104 (See e.g.,
The coupler 106 may include one or more apertures 130. The one or more apertures 130 may engage or may be engaged by a proximal end of the one or more arms 110 so that the one or more arms 110 extend in a substantially horizontal direction when the apparatus 100 in an assembled/use configuration (
The one or more arms 110 may be made of sufficiently rigid material, such as plastic, composite, 3D print, fiberglass, etc. The one or more arms 110 may restrict bending or compression. The one or more arms 110 may be sufficiently rigid to withdrawn unintentional hits with the paddle 114; however, may be sufficiently forging so as to not damage a paddle 114 if hit by the user 10.
With reference to
In
Additionally, or alternatively, the paddle portion 138 may include one or more sensors and/or transmitters 142. The one or more sensors or transmitters 142 may function to collect or analyze data such the speed, position, intensity, orientation, that a player strikes the ball 112. In this regard, data may be collected, analyzed, and/or transmitted to one or more receivers 146. The one or more receivers 146 may analysis the data to determine the players paddle position, amount of spin placed on the ball, contact location of the ball on paddle, et. The receiver 146 may provide feedback to the user or player to change or modify the paddle position if necessary.
The one or more sensors 140, 142, 144 may be one or more accelerometers, strain gauges, GPS, position sensors, gyroscopes, etc. The one or more receivers 146 may be a computer, a processor, a mobile device or phone, tablet, etc. The collected data may be instantaneously transmitted to a computer or processor. In other configurations the data collected may be stored in a memory located on the paddle 114, the ball 112, or both. The data may be sent into the cloud for storage and/or further processing. The data may be collected and sent to a mobile device such as a computer, cell phone, or tablet, for processing using the processor of the mobile device. In one or more configurations, the data may be translated to a mobile phone and or app running on the mobile phone. The app may function to store data and allow a user to track their progress on the apparatus 100.
The ball 112 may be a split ball, meaning the ball 112 may be split along an imaginary hemispherical line or axis. The ball 112 may have two different colors at this hemispherical axis, to visually show the player 10 or coach the top spin being placed on the ball 112 by the player, similar to what was described at
The second arm 106″ may be concerted to the stem 104 via coupler 108, like the one described previously. The coupler 108 may include an optional locking mechanism 152. The locking mechanism 152 may function to lock the coupler 108 to the stem 104 to restrict or prevent rotation of the arm assembly 106″ about the stem 104 or axis A. This may be advantageous when a player is using the arm assembly 106″ to practice top spin hits. However, in other configurations, the locking mechanism 152 may be unlocked to allow the arm assembly 106″ to rotate about axis A and E after hitting the ball 112. This may be desired by advanced players.
These teachings also provide a method of assembling an apparatus, a method of using an apparatus, a method of disassembling an apparatus, or combination thereof. These teeth chains further provide a method of using an app or technology to assist a user or player in developing and improving their hitting in reaction time performance.
It is understood that the following method steps can be performed in virtually any order. Moreover, one or more of the following method steps can be combined with other steps; can be omitted or eliminated; can be repeated; and/or can separated into individual or additional steps.
The explanations and illustrations presented herein are intended to acquaint others skilled in the art with the invention, its principles, and its practical application. The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art may adapt and apply the invention in its numerous forms, as may be best suited to the requirements of a particular use.
Accordingly, the specific embodiments of the present invention as set forth are not intended as being exhaustive or limiting of the teachings. The scope of the teachings should, therefore, be determined not with reference to this description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The omission in the following claims of any aspect of subject matter that is disclosed herein is not a disclaimer of such subject matter, nor should it be regarded that the inventors did not consider such subject matter to be part of the disclosed inventive subject matter.
Plural elements or steps can be provided by a single integrated element or step. Alternatively, a single element or step might be divided into separate plural elements or steps.
The disclosure of “a” or “one” to describe an element or step is not intended to foreclose additional elements or steps. For example, disclosure of “stem” does not limit the teachings to a single stem. Instead, for example, disclosure of “a stem” may include “one or more motors.”
While the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below”, or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The invention illustratively disclosed herein may suitably be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein.
Any of the elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to a single embodiment. Instead, any of the elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections disclosed herein may be substituted, combined, and/or modified with any of the elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections disclosed herein to form one or more embodiments that may be or may not be specifically illustrated or described herein.
The disclosures of all articles and references, including patent applications and publications, testing specifications, are incorporated by reference for all purposes. Other combinations are also possible as will be gleaned from the following claims, which are also hereby incorporated by reference into this written description.
This application claims priority to U.S. 63/371,867 filed Aug. 18, 2022, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63371867 | Aug 2022 | US |
