Baseball pitcher's eye training and game

• US 20080293521A1
• Filed: 10/20/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William P. Bishop
• Original Assignee: William P. Bishop
• Inventors: Bishop, William P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,931,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/456
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/00 Targets or goals for ball games golf cups A63B57/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball

Abstract

Provided are articles comprising targets useful in aiding persons desiring to improve their baseball pitching skills. An article according to one embodiment of the invention comprises a target area that corresponds substantially in size with the strike zone in American baseball, and the target area is divided into quadrants each of a contrasting color with respect to one another. A plurality of characters, such as numbers, are disposed about the periphery of the target area.

Claims

1. ) An article useful as a training aid for pitching projectiles such as baseballs which comprises:

a) a target area that is substantially rectangular in dimension and having a periphery, and which target area corresponds in size dimensions or proportion to the strike zone in American baseball;

b) a pair of sectioning lines which divide the target area into four substantially equal quadrants, said sectioning lines being reminiscent in orientation about said target area to crosshairs on a rifle scope, each of said quadrants having a background color that is sufficiently different from its adjacent quadrants to provide an effective amount of contrast to enable a viewer to distinguish between the different quadrants visually from a distance within the throwing ability of said viewer; and

c) a plurality of characters disposed about the outer periphery of said target area, wherein said characters are selected from the group consisting of;

numbers, letters, symbols, signs, and geometric shapes.

2. ) An article according to claim 1, further comprising:

d) a backing to which said target area is attached.

3. ) An article according to claim 2 wherein said backing includes a means for attachment of said backing to a stationary object.

4. ) An article according to claim 1, further comprising:

d) a border region disposed around said target area, wherein said border region is of a contrasting color with respect to the colors of said quadrants.

5. ) An article according to claim 2, further comprising:

e) a rear layer affixed to the rear side of said backing,

and wherein said target area is not affixed at its bottom edge to said backing such that an opening is provided at the bottom edge of said target area, behind the front surface of said backing, which opening is adapted to receive a baseball or other projectile that is thrown at said target area; and

f) a retrieval opening disposed at the bottom of said backing on its front surface sufficient to enable a person to grasp a baseball or other projectile that has entered said opening once it has fallen from said opening under the effect of gravity.

6. ) An article according to claim 5 which includes means for attachment of said device to a stationary object.

7. ) An ocular exercise method useful for cognizing the strike zone in a baseball setting which comprises the steps of:

a) providing an article according to claim 1 that is affixed to a stationary object in a position such that the target area is disposed at a location with respect to the ground that enables it to substantially correspond to the strike zone in a real or practice baseball game;

b) glancing at and focusing on one of said characters disposed about said periphery of said target area;

c) subsequently glancing away from said one of said characters to a location not disposed on aid article; and

d) subsequently glancing once again at and focusing on one of said characters disposed about said periphery of said target area, wherein the character is different from the character focused on in step b).

8. ) A method according to claim 7, further comprising the subsequent step of:

e) throwing a projectile, such as a baseball, at said target area.

9. ) A simulated baseball game between two or more players which game uses an article according to claim 1, wherein each player takes turns pitching an “

inning”

, wherein an inning ends when a given player causes three outs to be accumulated by an imaginary opposing team, by throwing a successive plurality of baseballs at the target area of said article such that an imaginary batter is either stuck out by the player throwing three strikes, or walked in the event that four “

balls”

are thrown before three “

strikes”

are thrown, with “

runs”

being scored by the imaginary opponent team by forced runs occurring from subsequently thrown “

walks”

.

10. ) A game according to claim 9 wherein a strike is tallied for the player throwing the pitch by their ball hitting a specific quadrant of the target area.

11. ) A game according to claim 9 wherein a strike is tallied for the player throwing the pitch by their ball hitting a specific character disposed on the periphery of the target area.