Patent Application
20250032876
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The disclosure relates to training bat apparatus and more particularly pertains to a new training bat apparatus for training a user to swing a baseball bat with proper form.
The prior art discloses several apparatuses comprising a pair of pivotably interconnected elongate members which may be used to train a user to swing a baseball bat with proper form. However, the prior art fails to comprise a barrel with a cavity through which a handle extends, wherein the barrel is pivotable with respect to the handle around a pivot axis extending perpendicularly. Such an arrangement is advantageous over the prior art because it facilitates shaping the apparatus similar to a standard baseball bat and allows for shaping a rim of the barrel defining an opening to the cavity such that a range of motion of the barrel with respect to the handle is limited as desired.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a handle is elongated between a first end and a second end. A barrel is pivotally mounted adjacent to the second end of the handle and is elongated between a proximal end and a distal end of the barrel with respect to the handle. The barrel has a cavity extending therein through the proximal end and has a rim defining an opening to the cavity. The handle extends through the opening into the cavity. The barrel is pivotable around a pivot axis extending through and perpendicularly to each of the barrel and the handle. The barrel is positionable in an aligned condition with respect to the handle wherein a longitudinal axis of the barrel and a longitudinal axis of the handle are oriented collinearly to each other and the barrel extends away from the second end of the handle.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The barrel 22 has a first surface 34 and a second surface 36 each extending between the proximal end 24 and the distal end 26. The first surface 34 of the barrel 22 is positioned adjacent to the first side 18 of the handle 12, and the second surface 36 of the barrel 22 is positioned adjacent to the second side 20 of the handle 12. The opening 32 includes an end portion 38 extending through the proximal end 24 of the barrel 22 and a lateral portion 40 extending through the first surface 34 of the barrel 22. The barrel 22 is pivotable with respect to the handle 12 at least 90.0 degrees away from the aligned condition 42 toward the first side 18 of the handle 12. The barrel 22 is pivotable with respect to the handle 12 less than 15.0 degrees away from the aligned condition 42 toward the second side 20 of the handle 12.
In some embodiments, the barrel 22 is not pivotable toward the second side 20 of the handle 12 from the aligned condition 42. Pivoting of the barrel 22 toward the second side 20 of the handle 12 from the aligned condition 42 is limited in comparison to pivoting of the barrel 22 toward the first side 18 to maintain the barrel 22 generally near the aligned condition 42 after swinging the training bat apparatus 10 during use. Pivoting the barrel 22 toward either the first side 18 or the second side 20 of the handle 12 is limited by the rim 30 so that the barrel 22 does not rotate so much that the barrel 22 impacts a user 58.
A pivot pin 44 is coupled to the handle 12 and the barrel 22. The pivot pin 44 pivotally couples the barrel 22 to the handle 12. The pivot pin 44 comprises a sleeve 46 extending through the barrel 22 and the handle 12 and a core 50 mounted in the sleeve 46. The sleeve 46 has a pair of flared ends 48 which each engage the barrel 22 such that the sleeve 46 is retained on the barrel 22 and the handle 12. The core 50 is coupled to the sleeve 46 via a force fit but may be coupled via a weldment, an adhesive, a threaded fastener, or the like.
The structure of the pivot pin 44 is to facilitate manufacturing of the training bat apparatus 10. The sleeve 46 may be constructed of a ductile material and have a wall 52 with a thickness such that the flared ends 48 may be formed after inserting the sleeve 46 through the barrel 22 and the handle 12. Then the core 50, which may have a thickness greater than the thickness of the wall 52 of the sleeve 46, may be inserted into the sleeve 46 to reinforce the sleeve 46. The core 50 may be formed of a stronger material than the ductile material of the sleeve 46. For example, the ductile material may be copper and the core 50 may comprise steel.
A grip 54 is coupled to the handle 12 adjacent to the proximal end 24 and circumferentially surrounding the handle 12. A knob 56 is coupled to the proximal end 24 of the handle 12 and protruding radially outwardly from the handle 12. The knob 56 is configured for engaging one of a pair of hands 60 of a user 58 to retain the handle 12 in the hand 60 when the handle 12 is swung by the user 58.
In use, the user 58 grasps the grip 54 of the handle 12 with the pair of hands 60 and positions the barrel 22 behind the user 58 so that the barrel 22 is pivoted away from the aligned condition 42 toward the first side 18 of the handle 12 and the first surface 34 of the barrel 22 faces the user 58. The user 58 swings the training bat apparatus 10 to hit a target 64 positioned in front of the user 58. If the user 58 uses proper swinging form. the user 58 will move both hands 60 of the pair of hands 60 as far as the hands 60 can move in ulnar deviation before striking the target 64. This action causes each hand 60 of the pair of hands 60 to lock into a fixed position with respect to an associated one of a pair of arms 62 of the user 58. Locking the pair of hands 60 in this way will also impart a decelerating force on the handle 12 such that the barrel 22 will inertially rotate with respect to the handle 12 toward the alignment condition. If the user 58 uses proper swinging form, then the barrel 22 will be positioned in the alignment condition when it strikes the target 64. The target 64 may, for example, be a baseball 66, which may be pitched or placed on a tee.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
