Pitch Training Device With Adjusted Center of Mass

Abstract

A device for training a person to throw a ball includes a body. The body defines a first planar surface, a second planar surface, and a curved surface. The first planar surface is defined at a first end of the body. The second planar surface is defined at a second end of the body. The curved surface is defined between the first planar surface and second planar surface. The device has a center of mass that is located outside of the geometric center of the device.

Description

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to training tools or pitch training devices that improve throwing technique for sports that involve a thrown ball. Examples of such sports include baseball, softball, and cricket. More specifically, the present invention relates to those training tools that resemble a thick disk, biscuit, or flattened ball, and provide immediate visual feedback upon being thrown.

In many sports, the physics of a ball's flight through the air demand precise throwing mechanics by the user to achieve command and accuracy. For example, in the sport of baseball, a baseball thrown by a pitcher observes many properties of classical, or Newtonian mechanics, found in translational motion or ballistic flight. Properties, such as the baseball's weight and rotation around its center of gravity, factor into the ball's flight path. That path, however, varies greatly from any basic theoretical ballistic flight calculation due, at least in part, to the baseball's raised stitching at its seams, which induce additional factors such as lift, drag, and Magnus forces that affect the ball's trajectory. Those forces, in turn, magnify the effects of the baseball's axis of rotation and angular speed, which determine the ball's trajectory and create a variety of baseball pitches that exhibit varying curves and bends during flight. These pitches can broadly be identified as fastballs, curveballs, sinkers, and sliders, among others. For those reasons, baseball pitches, even those with the simplest throwing technique, can be difficult to master.

With the aim of refining the fundamental techniques for throwing a ball, several tools of the art exist, and as mentioned some resemble a thick disc, biscuit, or flattened ball. These tools generally exhibit a circular profile with two planar sides parallel to one another, and exhibit weights identical to those of a softball or baseball. These tools aim to provide visual feedback, indicating whether the tools were thrown with the proper technique, by not wobbling during its flight through the air. More specifically, the lack of wobble indicates that the tool's axis of rotation is stable and fixed in all three dimensions relative to a horizontal plane during the entire flight, thereby indicating a properly thrown tool. The technique used to properly throw such a tool is then transferred to the throwing of an actual ball.

At present, training tools do not address a major factor that determines the flight path of a thrown ball. That factor is the pressure or pressures that a pitcher needs to exert on the ball to execute a particular pitch. Specifically, training tools do not train a pitcher to learn by feel where and to what extent pressure needs to be exerted through the throwing hand and its fingers.

SOME EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Therefore, there is a need for a pitch training device that contains an adjusted center of mass.

According to one embodiment, a device for training a person to throw a ball with proper technique comprises a body, with the body being substantially disk-shaped and further comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface and the second planar surface lie substantially parallel to each other and exhibit substantially equal diameters. The device also comprises a circular outer surface lying between the first planar surface and second planar surface and comprises a thickness defined by the distance between the first planar surface and second planar surface. The device further comprises a center of mass not located at the geometric center of the device.

According to another embodiment, a method for pitch training comprises gripping an unevenly-weighted device, throwing that device, and feeling the pressures and wrist movements required to properly throw the device. The method further comprises remembering those required pressures and wrist movements and replicating them when throwing an evenly-weighted device. [0008] According to another embodiment, a pitch training apparatus comprises a body, with the body being substantially disk-shaped and further comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface, wherein the first planar surface and the second planar surface lie substantially parallel to each other and exhibit substantially equal diameters. The device also comprises a circular outer surface lying between the first planar surface and second planar surface and comprises a thickness defined by the distance between the first planar surface and second planar surface. The device further comprises a center of mass not located at the geometric center of the device as well as at least one processor, at least one sensor, and at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: record information related to the movement and position of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1A depicts an exploded perspective view a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 1B depicts a cross-sectional perspective view of a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 1C depicts a cross-sectional view of a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A depicts a cross-sectional view of a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2B depicts an exploded perspective view a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2C depicts a close-up cross-sectional view of a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3A depicts a cross-sectional view of a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 3B depicts an exploded perspective view a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a training device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart for a method of pitch training according to an embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

Examples of a pitch training device that exhibits an adjusted center of mass, is designed for sports (e.g., baseball, softball, cricket ball), and maximizes visual feedback are disclosed. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the invention. It is apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details or with an equivalent arrangement. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1A depicts, according to an embodiment, an exploded view of a pitch training device 100, which includes which includes two half-bodies 102 and a core 104. Each half-body 102 may be manufactured from an injection-molded thermoplastic material that exhibits a hardness greater than the hardness of leather. Each half-body 104 resembles a hemisphere with a spherical cap removed, creating a first planar surface 106 and a second planar surface 108 (hidden from view) with each planar surface 106, 108 having substantially equal diameters. One half-body 102a defines a void 110a with a circular opening, and the second half-body 102b also defines a void with a circular opening (hidden from view). The void 110 of each half-body 102 is oriented so that the plane of each circular opening is aligned to be substantially parallel with its respective planar surface 106, 108. While FIG. 1A depicts the void as taking the shape of a partial sphere, or a portion of a sphere, the void in other embodiments may take on any number of shapes (e.g., partial ellipse, partial rectangle, partial cube, partial triangle, or partial dodecahedron). Each void 110 is designed for the receipt and encapsulation of the core 104. The volume, size, or shape of the void 110a does not equal the volume, size, or shape of void 110b. One half-body 102 contains scaffolding 112, or a supporting framework, extending and connecting between the void 110 and both the first planar surface 102 and the circular outer surface 114 of its respective half.

The scaffolding 112 of each half-body 102 contributes one portion of an enveloping scaffolded interior that surrounds the core 104 and is distributed throughout the volume of the training device outside the core 104. According to other embodiments, the scaffolding 112 may include a variety of designs, including, but not limited to, the form of straight ribs or studs extending radially from the void 110. According to the embodiment of FIG. 1A, the scaffolding is depicted as a type of three-dimensional lattice, which defines the edges of substantially rhomboidal openings. In other embodiments, instead of scaffolding, the half-bodies 102 may be substantially filled with a material (e.g., polyurethane foam, cork, rubber, or thermoplastic). In another embodiment, an enveloping interior surrounding the core is not scaffolded. For example, the enveloping interior may be evenly distributed throughout the volume of the training device outside the core and may be comprised of thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material may be injection-molded. In further embodiments, instead of or in addition to the scaffolding, the half-bodies may be substantially filled with a liquid (e.g., water or oil). One half-body 102a presents a substantially planar interior side with at least one raised interlocking member 116 and defines at least one interlocking void 118. The other half-body 102b presents an identical number of interlocking members (hidden from view) and interlocking voids (hidden from view) so that each half-body 102 may interlock with each other.

According to an embodiment, the core 104 is substantially solid and spherical, thereby allowing the pitch training device to mimic the moments of inertia exhibited by a ball with a core denser than the density found in the remainder of the ball, such as in a baseball or softball. The core 104 is comprised of a material that is denser than the density of a half-body 102. The core 104 in its preferred embodiment, has a diameter of between 10 percent and 50 percent of the greatest diameter found within the pitch training device 100.

FIG. 1B depicts an exploded, cross-sectional view of a pitch training device according to an embodiment. The volume, size, or shape of void 110a does not equal the volume, size, or shape of void 110b. When the two half-bodies 110 come together and interlock, the voids 110 substantially encapsulate the core 104.

According to an embodiment, FIG. 1C depicts a cross-sectional view of an assembled pitch training device. The core 104 is substantially encapsulated by the half-bodies 102, but the center of the core is not positioned at the training device's geometric center, or centroid. Therefore, the training device's center of mass, or center of gravity, has been adjusted or shifted away from the training device's geometric center. The half-bodies, being affixed to each other, create a single body 122. The body 112 of the training device exhibits a thickness defined by the distance between the first planar surface 106 and the second planar surface 108. According to an embodiment, the body 112 is substantially disk-shaped. According to an embodiment, the thickness measures between 30 mm and 76 mm in an embodiment.

According to an embodiment, FIG. 2A depicts a cross-sectional view of an assembled pitch training device. The core 204 is substantially encapsulated by the half-bodies 202, and the center of the core positioned at the training device's geometric center, or centroid. The center of mass of the training device, however, is adjusted by affixing weights 218 into the voids defined by the scaffolding in one of the half-bodies 202a. According to an embodiment, the weights 218 may comprise ball bearings. While the weights 218 are depicted as spheres in FIG. 4, they can comprise any number of shapes. The weights 218, in other embodiments, may substantially fill the voids in the scaffolding. Weights 218 may be comprised of any material suitable for affixing in the voids of scaffolding (e.g., plastic, rubber, polyurethane, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, or an alloy thereof). In other embodiments, weights 218 may be comprised of a liquid (e.g., water or oil). While depicted substantially as a sphere in FIG. 2A, in yet other embodiments, the core 404 may comprise a shape suitable to mimic the properties of the type of pitch the user is practicing to throw or suitable to teach the user proper technique for throwing a type of pitch.

FIG. 2B depicts an exploded perspective view of a pitch training device according to an embodiment. When the pitch training device is assembled, the weights 218 affix to one of the half-bodies 202a within the voids defined by the scaffolding 112 and are located concentrically around the core 204.

FIG. 2C depicts a close-up interior view for a portion of a half-body 202a according to an embodiment. The weights 218 are situated within the voids defined by the scaffolding 112.

FIG. 3A depicts a cross-sectional view of an assembled pitch training device. The core 304 is substantially encapsulated by the half-bodies 302, and the center of the core positioned at the training device's geometric center, or centroid. The center of mass of the training device, however, is adjusted by affixing weight 318 to the first planar side 308 but not to the second planar side 306. While the weight 318 is depicted as substantially a disc, the weight may comprise any number of shapes (e.g, hemisphere, cone, raised dots). The weight 318, in other embodiments, may comprise a thickness suitable for use with a specific type of pitch. Weight 218 may be comprised of any material suitable for adjusting the position of the center of mass away from the geometric center of the training device (e.g., plastic, rubber, polyurethane, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, or an alloy thereof).

FIG. 3B depicts an exploded perspective view of a pitch training device according to an embodiment. When the pitch training device is assembled, the weight 318 is affixed to one of the half-bodies 302a at a substantially planar interface. The weight 318 can be affixed to the half-body 302a in any number of ways including, but not limited to, ultrasonic welding, screwing, riveting, adhesive. In other embodiments, the weight 318 is not physically separate from the center disc 301 and requires no affixing to the half-body 302a.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a pitch training device according to an embodiment. The training device includes raised surface elements 420 designed to mimic the feel and look of the seams on a baseball. At least a portion of the first planar surfaces 406 and second planar surface (hidden from view) comprise some color or a plurality of colors that varies from the rest of the training device. Such colors may be any color (e.g., black, grey, red, blue, white, or any other color). According to an embodiment, the color of the first and second planar surfaces may be substantially the same as the rest of the training device. In other embodiments, the training device may comprise a spherical cap affixed to the first planar surface 406 and the second planar surface at a substantially planar interface. With the spherical caps affixed, the training device may exhibit a shape substantially resembling a full sphere or ball.

According to an embodiment, the pitch training device may be comprised of thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material may be injection-molded. In another embodiment, the training device comprises material that resists scuffing and has a hardness greater than leather.

In other embodiments, the training device can be configured to have an overall mass between 113 g and 454 g, which includes masses that are suitable for weighted ball training. For purposes of baseball training, the training device can be configured to have an overall mass between 142 g to 149 g. For purposes of softball training, the training device can be configured to have an overall mass between 165 g to 198 g. For purposes of cricket training, the training device can be configured to have an overall mass between 155 g to 163 g.

In yet other embodiments, the training device comprises a core with a density greater than the density in the remainder of the training device. The core may exhibit a density between 2.72 g/cm cubed and 8.80 g/cm cubed. As an example, the core may be comprised of stainless steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, titanium, or an alloy thereof. In other embodiments, the training device may comprise a mass suitable to accommodate weighted-ball training. Embodiments for training baseball or softball pitchers may require planar surfaces 303 that have a diameter of between 50 mm and 102 mm.

According to an embodiment, the training device's center of mass may be adjusted by the user. In some embodiments, the training device's center of mass is determined prior to its manufacture and fixed once manufactured.

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart 500 of a process for pitch training using an unevenly-weighted device, or a training device whose center of mass, or center of gravity, has been adjusted or shifted away from the training device's geometric center. According to some embodiments, the unevenly-weighted device may be substantially disk-shaped while in other embodiments, the unevenly-weighted device may be substantially spherical or ball-shaped. The unevenly-weighted device may be designed with a center of mass suitable for a type of pitch or types of pitches (e.g., fastball, curveball, slider, change-up, sinker, cutter, or some combination thereof). At step 501, a user grips an unevenly-weighted device. At step 503, the user throws the device, using mechanics and technique suitable for the type of pitch the device was designed for. When throwing the and technique appropriate for the type of pitch the unevenly-weighted device was designed for. At step 505, the user feels at least one pressure required by at least one finger of the gripping hand to properly throw the unevenly-weighted device. The user further feels the characteristics of the movement of the wrist (e.g., snap force, snap direction) attached to the gripping hand that is required to properly throw the unevenly-weighted device. At step 507, the user remembers the at least one pressure and the movement of the wrist to, at step 509, replicate them when throwing an unevenly-weighted device. According to an embodiment, the unevenly-weighted device may exhibit proper throwing technique if the that device exhibits no wobble when thrown.

As an example, a user may use an unevenly-weighted device designed to train a pitcher to employ the finger pressures, wrist angle, and wrist snap required to throw a curveball. The unevenly-weighted device may be substantially disk-shaped. For the first throw, the user fails to throw the unevenly-weighted device properly, and therefore, the device visibly wobbles as it travels through the air. After several throws, the user notices that the device has ceased wobbling during throws. This means that the user is consistently and properly throwing the device by applying the appropriate pressures and movements through the fingers and wrist. In other words, the user has developed the proper mechanics to throw a curveball. Recalling the feeling of these pressures and movements, the user then attempts to use the newly learned mechanics in throwing a curveball with an evenly-weighted device—a baseball. If the user properly replicates the mechanics learned from throwing the unevenly-weighted device, the user will throw a proper curveball with a baseball.

According to an embodiment, the training device further comprises at least one processor, at least one sensor, at least one memory, at least one communication network, and a user interface, which includes computer program code for one or more programs. The processor, at least on sensor, at least one memory, and a user interface may be communicatively connected directly or indirectly to each other via the communication network. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to record information related to movement and position of the training device. Such information may include, but is not limited to, angular velocity, linear velocity, spin axis orientation, orientation, linear acceleration, angular acceleration, or some combination thereof.

A processor (or multiple processors) performs a set of operations, instructions, or code on information related to recording and outputting information about the training device's motion and position (e.g., orientation, angular velocity, rotation axis angle, movement through a 3D Cartesian coordinate system) to a memory. The processor can be any suitable processing device configured to run or execute a set of instructions or code (e.g., stored in the memory) such as a central processing unit (CPU), general purpose processor (GPP), a graphics processor unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrates circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, controller, microcontroller, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. For example, a processor can be implemented as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

Computer program code is a set of instructions or statements providing instructions for the operation of the processor and/or the computer system to perform specified functions. The code, for example, may be written in a computer programming language that is compiled into a native instruction set of the processor. The code may also be written directly using the native instruction set (e.g., machine language). Each operation of the set of operations that can be performed by the processor is represented to the processor by information called instructions, such as an operation code of one or more digits. A sequence of operations to be executed by the processor such as a sequence of operation codes, constitute processor instructions, also called computer system instructions or, simply, computer instructions. Processors may be implemented as mechanical, electrical, magnetic, optical, chemical or quantum components, among others, alone or in combination.

In some embodiments, the at least one sensor may be any type of sensor appropriate for recording any aspect of the training device's motion or position once thrown. Sensors may include, for example, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), single-axis angular rate gyros, multi-axis angular rate gyros, multi-axis accelerometers, inertial sensors, global-positioning-system sensors.

The memory can be any form of storage medium including, but not limited to: random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a cache, a hard drive, a flash drive, a removable disk, a Secure Digital card (SD card), registers, and/or memory buffer or any combination thereof. The memory can be in communication with the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the memory.

In some example embodiments, the user interface may include a mobile computing device such as a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, smart phone, navigation unit, personal data assistant, watch, camera, or the like. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface may be a fixed computing device, such as a personal computer, computer workstation, kiosk, office terminal computer or system, or the like. The user interface may be configured to access a memory via a processing component such as a pitch logging application.

A communication network may be wired, wireless, or any combination of wired and wireless communication networks, such as cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, internet, local area network (LAN), radio frequency signals, optical network.

In some example embodiments, the user interface may include a mobile computing device such as a laptop computer, tablet computer, mobile phone, smart phone, navigation unit, personal data assistant, watch, camera, or the like. In addition, or in the alternative, the user interface may be a fixed computing device, such as a personal computer, computer workstation, kiosk, office terminal computer or system, or the like. The user interface may be configured to access a memory via a processing component such as a pitch logging application.

In some example embodiments a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for receiving information related to the movement and position of a training device. The computer-executable program code instructions may further comprise program code instructions for extracting information related to the motion and position of the training device. The computer-executable program code instructions may further comprise program code instructions for calculating information related to motion and position of the training device (e.g., angular velocity, linear velocity, revolutions per minute, orientation of the rotation axis, orientation of the spin axis).

In some embodiments, a pitching machine is connected to the communication network, and information related to the motion and position of the training device is output to the pitching machine to control how the pitching machine should throw a pitch (e.g., control the angle, velocity, spin).

While the invention has been described in connection with a number of embodiments and implementations, the invention is not so limited but covers various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements, which fall within the purview of the appended claims. Although features of the invention are expressed in certain combinations among the claims, it is contemplated that these features can be arranged in any combination and order.

Claims

1. A device for training a person to throw a ball, the device comprising: a body, the body defining a first planar surface at a first end of the body and a second planar surface at a second end of the body; anda curved surface disposed between the first planar surface and second planar surface, wherein the device has a center of mass that is located outside of the geometric center of the device.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a core that is a solid and that is disposed within the body.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the body is made up of two half-bodies, each half body defining part of a void that accommodates the core therein, the void accommodating the core outside of the geometric center of the device.

4. The ball of claim 3, wherein each half-body defines a scaffolded interior that surrounds the core, the scaffolded interior having a plurality of openings within the scaffolding; andat least one weight is disposed in at least one of the openings within the scaffolding.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one weight is a ball bearing.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one weight is a solid at room temperature and is made of a metal or a metal alloy.

7. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one weight is a liquid at room temperature.

8. The device of claim 3, wherein a first of the two half-bodies contains more mass than a second of the two half-bodies.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising: a disk that is coupled to either the first or second planar surface.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the disk has a mass between 5 g and 100 g.

11. A pitch training apparatus, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a body, the body defining a first planar surface at a first end of the body and a second planar surface at a second end of the body, anda curved surface disposed between the first planar surface and second planar surface, wherein the device has a center of mass that is located outside of the geometric center of the device;at least one processor;at least one sensor; andat least one memory storing computer instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the apparatus to record information related to a movement and a position of the pitch training apparatus.