Baseball diamond measuring device

• US 20060010705A1
• Filed: 07/19/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Dettellis
• Original Assignee: John Dettellis
• Inventors: Dettellis, John
• Application Number:
  US10/894,096
• Publication Number:
  US 20060010705A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 33/756
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/1056 Tape end arrangements, e.g. end-hooks
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/1084 Tapes combined with arrangements for functions other than measuring lengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 3/11 Chains for measuring length

Abstract

A hand-held measuring device shaped like home plate holds a reel of line having color coded markings representing distances related to the dimensions of a variety of different sizes of baseball or softball diamonds. An end ring at the end of the line and an anchoring ring at the back of the housing can be staked to the ground. The device allows for a single person to create a competition or practice field with the proper dimensions of a baseball or softball diamond for various sizes of professional or amateur fields.

Claims

1. A baseball diamond measuring device for laying out the distances between elements of different sizes of infields used in playing baseball and softball, the device comprising:

A measuring tool comprising a rigid flat casing shaped like home plate, a ground spike receiving ring attached to and protruding from a center point of a rear edge of an exterior of the casing, the ground spike receiving ring adapted to be grasped for pulling out the line and also for being spiked or pinned onto the ground here through to anchor the casing to a ground surface, an interior space within the casing housing a rotatable reel, a length of inelastic line wound around the reel, an opening through a front point of the casing communicating between the interior space and an exterior of the casing, the opening adapted to admit the line therethrough, and a rotatable handle on an exterior of the casing adapted for turning the reel to reel in the line for storage of the line in the casing, the line bearing unique visual markers along the length of the line, the markers spaced at intervals delineating specific distances between elements of an infield including home plate and a pitcher'"'"'s rubber and the bases of standard fields for playing baseball and softball at different levels of play including a variety of professional and nonprofessional levels of playing baseball and softball, the visual markers coded for the elements being measured and coded to differentiate between the different types of playing fields being measured, an outer ring attached to an outer end of the line, the outer ring adapted to be gripped by a user to withdraw a length of the line from the casing, the markers on the line adapted to be used to demark the length of line withdrawn for measuring distances between specific elements of any of a variety of different types of infields.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the markers are color-coded.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the markers are color-coded elements attached to the line.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the markers are differently colored sections of the line.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the line is a type of line selected from a cord, a string, a tape, a wire, and a synthetic fiber.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the casing further comprises at least one external flat surface thereon for bearing indicia.