FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure relates to a sports ball bin, and more particularly to a baseball and/or softball bin with a seat. Still more particularly, it relates to a sports ball bin with a seat and an access door for a person sitting on the seat to retrieve balls from the bin.
SUMMARY
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a sports ball bin comprises a container body, a lid, a front door, and a ground support. The container body has a sidewall, a floor, a top opening, and a front opening. The container sidewall has a rear sidewall portion extending upwardly from the floor to the top opening, a front sidewall portion opposite the rear sidewall portion and extending upwardly from the floor to the front opening, the front opening extending upwardly from the front sidewall portion to the top opening, a left sidewall portion extending forwardly from the rear sidewall portion to the front sidewall portion and upwardly from the floor to the top opening, a right sidewall portion extending forwardly from the rear sidewall portion to the front sidewall portion and from the floor to the upper end. The container has a volume extending upwardly from the floor to the top opening within a periphery formed by the sidewall and the front opening. The lid is movably connected to the container body for movement to and from a closed position and at least one open position, the lid in the closed position covering at least portion of the top opening, the lid in the open position exposing the top opening to permit balls to be loaded into the container volume through the top opening. A seat is formed on a top side of the lid. The front door is movably connected to the container body for movement to and from a closed position and at least one open position, the front door in the closed position covering the front opening, the front door being openable by a person sitting on the seat to expose the front opening and a portion of the for access to balls in the container volume. The ground support is disposed below the container volume, the ground support being operative to contact a ground surface to support the sports ball bin in a freestanding position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Although the characteristic features of this disclosure will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the disclosed method and system, and how it may be made and used, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:
FIG. 1 is a front-top-right perspective view of a ball bin according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a front-top-right perspective view of the ball bin of FIG. 1 with a front access door opened.
FIG. 3 is a truncated front-top-right perspective view of the ball bin of FIG. 1 with a top lid opened to reveal a divider panel, and an alternative front access door shown in an opened position.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a container body of the ball bin of FIG. 1 with a top lid and front access door removed.
FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of a top lid of the bin of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a truncated cross-sectional side elevation view illustrating a closure connection between a top lid and a front access door of the bin of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the top lid of the bin of FIG. 1.
FIG. 8 is a front-top-left perspective view of a ball bin according to another embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 9 is a rear-bottom-right perspective view of the ball bin of FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a right-side cross-sectional elevation view of the ball bin of FIG. 8 in a closed state.
FIG. 11 is a front-top-right perspective enlarged detail view of a wheel of the ball bin of FIG. 8.
A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements of the figures above are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The dimensions of some elements in the figures may have been exaggerated relative to other elements to help to understand the present teachings. Furthermore, a particular order in which certain elements, parts, components, modules, steps, actions, events and/or processes are described or illustrated may not be required. A person of ordinary skills in the art will appreciate that, for simplicity and clarity of illustration, some commonly known and well-understood elements that are useful and/or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment may not be depicted to provide a clear view of various embodiments per the present teachings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following description of various examples of embodiments of the disclosed apparatus, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. Other specific arrangements of parts and environments, can be used, and structural modifications and functional modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed systems and methods.
As illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described herein, the present disclosure provides a baseball/softball ball bin with an integrated seat, measuring approximately 18 inches in height by 20 inches in width by 16 inches in depth. The disclosed ball bin offers many advantages over a traditional baseball/softball bucket. A coach sitting on the seat can access balls to throw batting practice via a front access opening through a front access door that opens at or near a top-front edge of the bin. The access opening is large enough to easily reach in and take out a ball. The floor of the main compartment can be inclined downwards from the rear to the front (i.e., pitched forward), so as to guide balls forward toward the access opening.
Turning now to the drawings, shown in FIG. 1 is a ball bin 10 that includes an integrated, ergonomically formed seat 12 on its top side. The bin 10 includes a container body 14 with a top lid 16 for loading access and a front door 18 for access to balls loaded in the bin 10 by a user seated on the seat 12, which may comprise a contoured surface formed on an upper side of the lid 16, such as by molding the lid 16 of a suitable plastic material.
With reference to FIG. 4, the container body 14 has a sidewall 26; the sidewall having a front sidewall portion 28, a rear sidewall portion 30, a left sidewall portion 32, a right sidewall portion 34; and a floor 36. The sidewall 26 and the floor 36 are joined together so as to form a container volume 38 that is closed on its bottom, rear, and lateral sides. The container volume 38 has a top opening 40 and a front opening 42. Inner sides of the rear, left, and right, sidewall portions 30, 32, 34 are connected together to form an inner rim 44 of the container body 14, the inner rim 44 circumscribing an area of the top opening 40 as viewed from above. The front opening 42 is defined by a downwardly extending notch formed in the front sidewall portion 28, the notch having one open side where the front opening 42 meets the top opening 40. In addition, the container body 14 bat/cup holders 53 formed on its rear side, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Each bat/cup holder 53 includes a partial cylindrical channel 55 having an open top, a vertically extending side opening, and a cupped lower end portion 57 forming a round cavity that extends below the side opening, for seating a barrel end of a bat or a bottommost cup of a stack of disposable cups. Each bat/cup holder 53 is formed in a rear corner region of the container body 14, where the respective lateral left or right sidewall portion 32, 34 connects to the rear sidewall portion 30. In addition, the top lid 16 has cutout channels 59 formed in its rear corners that align with the partial cylindrical channels 55 of the bat/cup holders 53 so as to permit cups or bats to be inserted therein when the top lid 16 is closed, as best seen in the bottom plan view of the lid 16 shown in FIG. 5 and in the top plan view of the lid 16 shown in FIG. 7. The container body 14 can have dimensions such as approximately 18 inches (height) by 20 inches (width) by 16 inches (depth). The container body 14, top lid 16, and front door 18 are each preferably formed of a dent- and crack-resistant material. For example, each can be molded out of a plastic material or materials commonly used for picnic or beach coolers, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and/or polypropylene (PP).
The bin 10 can also include a manually insertable and removable divider panel 46 that can be used to divide the container volume 38 into left and right lateral sections, so as to enable sorting different types of balls loaded into the container volume 38, such as the baseballs B and softballs S shown in FIG. 3. The front and rear sidewall portions 28, 30 of the container body 14 can have one or more pairs (one illustrated in FIG. 3) of respective guide channels or slots 48, 50 formed on their inner sides, to receive, guide the insertion of, and retain the divider panel 46 in a desired position. In the illustrated embodiment, the divider panel 46 includes a lower frontal section 52 with reduced height, so as not to impede the approach of the contained balls B, S toward the middle of the front opening 42 of the container body.
The top lid 16 can be pivoted open upwardly and rearwardly about a rear hinge 20 where the top lid 16 is connected to the container body 14, by a user manually lifting the top lid 16 by a handle 22 formed near its front edge where indicated in FIG. 1. More particularly, the top lid 16 has a pair of such handles 22 at opposite sides of the front door 18. Alternatively, the lid 16 need not include handles 22, as a user can simply lift the lid 16 by its underside, which can be exposed by opening the front door 18. The lid 16 is capable of securely closing onto the container body 14 to keep balls from falling out during transportation, by any suitable mechanism such as friction, interlocking detent features of the lid 16 and container body 14, or a latching device (not shown).
Below the lid 16, the container body 14 can include a battery/power bank storage compartment 23 formed in one of its left and right sidewall portions 32, 34, as shown in FIG. 3 in the right sidewall portion 34, the right sidewall portion 34 having a charging cable passageway 31 extending through its thickness from the compartment 23 to the exterior of the container body 14, as seen in FIGS. 1-4. The compartment 23 can be accessed by opening the lid 16. In another embodiment not shown, a battery/power bank storage compartment similar to the compartment 23 in shape, size, and location while in use can be integrally formed in or on the bottom side of a lid of a sports ball bin according to the disclosure. Such a compartment can be made accessible, for example, from the underside of the lid via an opening somewhere on the periphery of the compartment, such as an opening formed in its front side and/or in a lateral side of the compartment that meets the sidewall of a container body and aligns with a charging cable passageway extending therethrough.
The front door 18 can be pivoted open forwardly and downwardly about a lower-end pivot joint 24 where the front door 18 connects to the container body 14. More particularly, the front door 18 is connected to the container body 14 by a pair of such lower-end pivot joints 24 where indicated in FIGS. 1 and 3. The front door 18 includes a top panel 35, a front panel 37 connected to the top panel 35 along a top-front edge, and sidewalls connected to the top panel 35 and the front panel 37 along their respective lateral side edges. In an embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the front door 18 includes rigid sidewalls 39, which can be integrally formed with the top panel 35 and front panel 37, such as by molding the front door 18 in one piece. In another embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a front door 18′ includes flexible sidewalls 39′ that are formed of a collapsible material such as a fabric sheet or mesh, so as to avoid impinging the container volume 38 when the front door 18 is closed. The flexible sidewalls 39′ can be affixed along the lateral side edges of the top panel 35 and front panel 37 by any suitable connection and method, such as by overmolding, fasteners, or an adhesive.
As seen in FIG. 1, the front door 18 has a pull handle 41 on a front/outer side of its front panel 37 (which can, for example, be a recessed handle feature integrally formed in the front panel 37 by molding), for pulling the front door 18 open. In addition, the front door 18 has a raised locking or detent protrusion 45 formed on the top panel 35 near its rear edge, which engages a corresponding locking or detent seat 47 near a front edge of the top lid 16, as illustrated in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, so as to snap or lock the front door 18 closed when the top lid 16 is closed. In addition, the front door 18 has a detent bump 49 formed on a lateral side of its front panel 37, the detent bump 49 being operative to snap into engagement with a detent dimple 51 formed in a lateral side of the notch in the container body front sidewall portion 28, so as to provide a tactile indication of closure and resistance to accidental opening of the front door 18.
When the front door 18 is in a closed position as shown in FIG. 1, the top panel 35 covers a frontal portion of the top opening 40 and the front panel 37 covers the front opening 42. When the front door 18 is in an open position as shown in FIG. 3, the top panel 35 is moved along a forward curved path entirely clear of the top opening 40 to allow a coach or trainer seated on the seat 12 to reach down through the frontal portion of the top opening 40 to grab a baseball B or a softball S stored in the container volume 38 and throw a pitch. In addition, the front panel 37 is tilted forward when the front door 18 is opened, so as to allow any balls B and/or S that are positioned near the front panel 37 to settle forwardly onto its inner side when the container volume 38 is relatively full. The sidewalls 39, 39′ of the corresponding embodiments of the front door 18 are operative to block balls B, S that have settled forwardly in this manner from falling out of the bin 10 around the lateral sides of the front panel 37.
In addition, the bin 10 includes certain features to facilitate moving the bin 10 along the ground and lifting the bin 10 from the ground, for example to a vehicle for transport to and from a practice field. In particular, the bin 10 includes a telescoping handle 25 attached to a rear side of the container body 14, the handle 25 being similar to a common type of extendible-retractable luggage handle, a pair of wheels 27 attached at left and right bottom corners of the rear side, and lifting handle features 43 (which can be integrally formed, for example by molding) on opposite lateral sides of the container body 14, as shown in FIG. 1. The handle 25 can be extended, tipped back so as to tilt the container body 14 to be supported only on the wheels 27, and pushed or pulled for wheeled transport of the container body 14. The bin 10 further includes a base 29 that is adapted and configured to support the bin 10 on a ground surface for stationary use. The base 29 can include downwardly extending corner leg members or projections, such as illustrated in FIG. 1, to promote resistance to sliding or tipping, particularly on wet or uneven ground. A user such as a coach can then sit on the seat 12 facing forward while throwing batting practice using baseballs and/or softballs retrieved from the bin 10, with the front door 18 positioned between the user's legs for convenient access to the balls stored in the bin 10.
A ball bin 10′ according to an embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 8-11. The ball bin 10′ is similar to the ball bin 10, and analogous structure is indicated with like reference signs with a prime symbol (′) appended. In the case of the front door 18″ and certain structures associated with it, an additional prime symbol is included, as a front door 18′ as shown in FIG. 3 has already been described as an alternative to the previously described front door 18.
The ball bin 10′ includes a container body 14′, a lid 16′ with a seat contour 12′ formed on its upper side, and the front door 18″, the lid 16′ and the front door 18″ being connected to the container body 14′ by a hinge 20′ and a lower-end pivot joint 24″, respectively, to swing open and closed for access to and closure of an interior storage volume 38′ of the container body 14.
In addition, the ball bin 10′ includes a pushing/pulling handle, which can be retractable and is illustrated as a travel luggage-style telescoping handle 25′ (FIGS. 9 and 10), and a pair of wheels 27′, the handle 25′ being attached to a rear side of the container body 14′ and the wheels 27′ being attached to a bottom rear corner of the container body 14′, to facilitate tipping the ball bin 10′ back onto the wheels 27′ by the extended handle 25′ and pushing or pulling the ball bin 10′ over rough terrain, such as concrete, dirt, gravel, grass, or turf. The wheels 27′ can be rugged all-terrain wheels, such as rubber tires or thick-walled or solid-body hard plastic wheels, preferably with tread (for example as shown in FIGS. 8, 9 and 11), and approximately four to eight inches in diameter and two to five inches in width, so as to resist wear from repeated use over outdoor surfaces of or adjacent to an outdoor practice field, such as gravel, turf, dirt, and/or concrete. More particularly, the wheels 27′ can be approximately seven inches in diameter and approximately four inches wide. The wheels 27′ are typically made of a suitable molded plastic material, such as a polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane or a blend, but they can also be solid or inflatable rubber wheels.
In addition, the container body has a base 29′ formed on its bottom side, the base 29′ having a broad flat ground-contacting area that is operative to contact a level ground surface when the ball bin 10′ is in a freestanding upright position, as best seen in FIG. 10. The base 29′ alone may be sufficient to act as a freestanding ground support to hold the ball bin 10′ in its upright position, without the wheels 27′ bearing any of the weight of the ball bin 10′. In other embodiments, the base 29′ and wheels 27′ may cooperatively serve as such a ground support, each bearing some of the weight of the ball bin 10′ in its upright position. The ground-contacting area of the base 29′ has a length and a width, the length extending rearwardly to a rear end near the ground contact point of the wheels 27′ and forwardly to a front end joined to a lower end of the front sidewall portion 28′, and a width that extends laterally from a left side joined to a lower end of the left sidewall portion 32′ to a right side joined to a lower end of the right sidewall portion 34′. In embodiments, the ground-contacting area of the base 29′ spans more than half the length, preferably more than three-fifths the length, more than three-fourths the width, and preferably more than ninety percent of the width of any cross section of the container volume 38′. In addition, it is believed to be advantageous for the ground-contacting area of the base 29′ to span most or all of each of a length dimension and a width dimension of an area of the seat contour 12′ projected onto a horizontal plane, while an axle of the wheels 27′ is disposed behind a center of that area, and preferably entirely behind that area, so as to relieve the wheels 27′ (in turn relieving an axle, not labeled, that supports the wheels 27′) from bearing a significant portion of the weight of a person seated on the seat contour 12′.
Analogously to the container body 14, the container body 14′ has a sidewall 26′ with a front and rear sidewall portions 28′ and 30′ and left and right sidewall portions 32′ and 34′, as best seen in FIG. 8. The container body 14′ has a forward-downward inclined floor 36′ (best seen in FIG. 10) to facilitate directing sports balls to the front of a container volume 38′ for access by a person sitting on the seat 12′ with the lid 16′ closed and the front door 18″ open. The container body 14′ has a top opening 40′ and a front opening 42′. The top opening 40′ is at an upper end of the sidewall 26′ and is partially circumscribed by an inner rim 44′. The container body 14′ has carrying handles 43′ formed at the tops of the left and right sidewall portions 32′, 34′ and protruding laterally outwardly therefrom.
The container volume 38′ is divided into left and right halves by a removable panel 46′, the panel 46′ having a lower frontal section 52′ analogous to that of the panel 46 as previously described. However, a rear slot 50′ (shown in FIG. 8) that receives the panel 46′ differs from the slot 50 of the previous embodiment in that it is formed by forwardly protruding ribs on the rear wall portion 30′, rather than by a recessed channel where the wall thickness is reduced. The container body 14′ can include a similarly formed front slot that is hidden from view in the drawings.
The container body 14′ further includes bat holders 53′ formed in the rear sidewall portion 30′ and extending forwardly into an area circumscribed by the sidewall 26′. Each bat holder 53′ has a sidewall defining a cylindrical channel 55′ operative to receive a downwardly inserted barrel end of a baseball bat (BAT) when the ball bin 10′ is in its upright freestanding position, as shown in FIG. 10. The lid 16′ includes partial cylindrical cutout channels 59′ aligning with the channels 55′ when the lid 16′ is closed, so that the BAT can be inserted into the channels 55′ through the channels 59′.
The lid 16′ is connected to the container body 14′ by a lid hinge 20′. Unlike the previously described lid 16, the lid 16′ does not frictionally engage the container body when closed, but rather abuts the top of the sidewall 26′. However, the lid 16′ can be locked down by closing the front door 18″. In particular, when the front door 18″ is closed, a downward-facing locking detent seat 45″ formed on a rear side of a top panel 35″ of the front door 18″ snaps over and into locking engagement with an upward-facing complementary detent protrusion 47″ formed on a front side of the closed lid 16′. When closed, the lid 16′ covers most of the top opening 40′ of the container body, except for a forward portion that is covered by the closed front door 18″.
The front door 18″ comprises the aforementioned top panel 35″ having a front end joined to an upper end of a front panel 37″. The front door 18″ is connected to the container body 14′ by a lower end pivot joint or joints 24″ disposed near the bottom of the front panel 37″ and near the bottom of the front opening 42′ of the container body 14′. A handle 19 is formed at a rear end of the top panel 35″ as an upwardly curved region of the top and bottom sides of the top panel 35″, thus providing a vertical clearance between the front end of the lid 16′ and an underside of the handle 19 to permit a user to grasp and pull the handle 19 forwardly to open the front door 18″. When opened, the front door 18″ exposes the front opening 42′ and the aforementioned forward portion of the top opening 40′. When the front door 18″ is closed over the closed lid 16′, the lid 16′ and front door 18″ cooperate to cover the entire top opening 40′, while the front door 18″ covers the front opening 42′, thereby enclosing the container volume 38′.
The front panel 37″ of the front door 18″ has a rear surface that faces rearwardly when in the closed position, one or more recesses 60 being formed on the rear surface of the front panel 37″, as shown in FIG. 9, to serve as one or more cup/ball holders, as illustrated in FIG. 8. Each of multiple recesses 60 can have the same shape or different shapes; for example, recesses 60 of different diameters can be formed to accommodate different-sized cups (or other beverage containers). In other variations, one recess 60 with a concave bottom surface (such as a partial sphere, not shown) may be provided for holding a baseball B, while another recess 60 with a flat bottom surface may be provided for holding a cup or bottle. In connection with the cup/ball holding recesses 60, it is beneficial for the front door 18″ to include a stop 62 formed on the front side of the front panel 37″, the stop 62 being operative to engage an outer side of the front sidewall portion 28′ of the container body 14′ so as to stop the front panel 37″ from opening beyond the horizontal open position shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, thus holding a beverage V and baseball B level when the ball bin 10′ is in its upright position on level ground, while the cupholder/ball holder recesses 60 prevent the beverage V from sliding or the baseball B from rolling off of the front panel 37″.
The preceding description of the disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the present teachings and practical application of these principles to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It should be recognized that the words “a” or “an” are intended to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural elements shall, where appropriate, include the singular.
It is intended that the scope of the disclosure not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below. In addition, although narrow claims may be presented below, it should be recognized that the scope of this disclosure is much broader than presented by the claim(s). It is intended that broader claims will be submitted in one or more applications that claim the benefit of priority from this application. Insofar as the description above and the accompanying drawings disclose additional subject matter that is not within the scope of the claim or claims below, the additional disclosures are not dedicated to the public and the right to file one or more applications to claim such additional disclosures is reserved.
Patent Application
20240306781
