Patent Application
20250229152
A continuously or timed vertically oscillating batting practice, or in-game T-Ball apparatus. It is comprised of having a four supporting arms base, attached to a hub. The top of the hub has an upright fixed post. The bottom half allows an actuator to lift and lower a post in a vertically unrestricted shaft. Different length posts are used to accommodate the height of the batter. At the top of the post is a stiff sponge like support that the ball rests atop. The apparatus can be run by a battery or power supply.
The present invention relates generally to devices that are used for batting swing training, or in a game situation.
There are a variety of T-Ball Stands that have been presented to and accepted by the United States of America Patent and Trademark Office. They all have some purpose along with some differences in design or structure that allow the Patent Office to accept their invention as unique, and issue a well deserved Patent. This invention, as the others, is there for one main reason. To elevate the user to become more proficient in being able to increase their concentration and skills while they are at bat in a baseball game. Children from the age of three to about the age of seven usually play in T-Ball baseball games where they don't face anyone actually pitching a ball to them. One reason is that at that age the pitchers lack the strength and control needed to reach the plate with any accuracy. Ergo the T-Ball Stand to eliminate that phase of the game. As a child gets older and taller they will start to play in ballgames where there is actually a real pitcher that is throwing the ball they must hit. Even at that young age of seven and eight the pitcher will be throwing a pitch similar to an eephus pitch. That is a pitch where the ball comes in at a high arc, due to the pitcher's lack of speed. That ball will drop towards the ground as it approaches the plate. This invention, T-Ball 4 Tykes, addresses that situation. By having the ball move in a vertical plane, the batter can get used to seeing a change in height, a necessary skill for a top hitter. With this invention, T-Ball 4 Tykes, he will be getting the training to approximate where the level of the ball will be when they start their swing.
T-Ball Stands have long been used in baseball for practice and in game situations. Not one previous invention, until this one, has addressed the batters concern to hit a ball continuously changing its vertical positions by actually moving either up or down. These prior art baseball T-Ball devices do not provide a solution to these problems. U.S. Pat. No. 8,870,687 B2, William Coleman Lay, has a plural ended pedestal, and that is not pertinent to this invention. U.S. Pat. No. 9,770,638 B2, Robert Argiro, has a chamber, with a device in a top chamber, that shows where the ball was struck, and that is not pertinent to this invention. Pat. No. U.S. D633,583 S, Rich S. Guevara, Shows that by adding or removing sections of the upright, before batter is batting, the height of the ball location can be changed, and that is not pertinent to this invention. U.S. Pat. No. 9,050,516 B2, Allen Holland, Has a telescoping inner post that is secured by a pressure fitting, and that is not pertinent to this invention.
Other Patents, such as, U.S. Pat. No. 8,979,681 B1, Murphy; U.S. Pat. No. 8,((@,348 B2, Meier; U.S. Pat. No. 8,747,258 B2, Durham,; U.S. Pat. No. 8,672,780 B2, Fournier; U.S. Pat. No. 8,784,240 B1, Buono; U.S. Pat. No. 8,602,920 B2, Windsor; U.S. Pat. No. 8,246,492 B2, Gangelhoff; U.S. Pat. No. 9,358,440 B1, Burrell; U.S. Pat. No. 9,492,727 B2, Brossman; U.S. Pat. No. 9,649,544 B2, Fitzpatric; U.S. Pat. No. 9,814,958 B1, Orenstein; U.S. Pat. No. 9,889,359 B2, Ouellette; U.S. Pat. No. 9,914,034 B2, Lee. The claims of objects actions are not pertinent to this invention, nor does this invention infringe on any of them.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,11,097 B2, LoDuca, although the height of the ball can be changed, this action is not a continuous action, or a timed one, while the batter is swinging, as is with this invention. Also, the changing of the height is done before the batter is actually at bat. The height change for this invention is the changing to a different length upper post more suitable to the batter's size. That Patent is not pertinent to this invention.
