WIND RESISTANT PRACTICE CAGE WITH OPENING AND ALTERNATIVE CLOSURES

• US 20130316854A1
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Published: 11/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lay, William Coleman
• Original Assignee: Lay, William Coleman
• Inventors: Lay, William Coleman
• Granted Patent: US 8,747,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/421
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/406 with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or bodies by friction
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 4/00 Friction-wheel operated launchers

Abstract

A batting or ball practice cage has one or more frame members with a net attached over the frame. Frame members may be assembled having springs or elbows at the comer. A pitching machine may be aligned with the cage at one end.

Claims

1. An apparatus for attaching a ball pitching machine to a barrier netting for use with a ball, comprising:

a net harness disposed in the barrier netting and defining an entry opening in the barrier netting, the net harness comprising;

a frame; and

at least one alignment extension; and

at least one alignment eye disposed on housing of the ball pitching machine at a ball outlet, the at least one alignment eye disposed to receive at least one of the at least one alignment extension of the net harness so that the ball outlet aligns and registers with an entry opening in the barrier netting.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing has a horizontal portion and a vertical portion at the ball outlet and the at least one alignment eye comprises a horizontal alignment eye disposed on the horizontal portion and a vertical alignment eye disposed on the vertical portion.

3. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the ball outlet has a periphery and the entry opening in the barrier netting has a perimeter, the periphery of the ball outlet aligns and registers with the perimeter of the entry opening.

4. An apparatus as recited in claim 3, wherein the frame defines the perimeter of the entry opening, the periphery of the ball outlet aligns and registers with the perimeter defined by the frame.

5. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment extension is attached to the frame.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment eye is a tube having an internal hollow and the at least one alignment extension is an elongate member that fits within the internal hollow of the at least one alignment eye.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the internal hollow of the tube has a substantially circular cross-section and the elongate member has a substantially circular cross-section.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising an attachment assembly for attaching the net harness to the barrier netting.

9. An apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the attachment assembly comprises a first zipper portion and the net harness has a second zipper portion and attaching the net harness to the barrier netting comprises joining the first zipper portion to second zipper portion in zipper engagement.

10. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly having a closed mode, an open mode, and a harness mode, comprising:

a barrier netting having an opening that defines a netting-edge periphery;

a first attachment portion attached along the netting-edge periphery;

a closure flap having a second attachment portion and attaching the closure flap by joining the first attachment portion to the second attachment portion in secure engagement places the multi-mode barrier netting assembly in the closed mode;

a net harness having a third attachment portion and attaching the net harness by joining the first attachment portion to the third attachment portion in secure engagement places the multi-mode barrier netting assembly in the harness mode; and

the multi-mode barrier assembly being in the open mode when neither the closure flap nor the net harness is attached to the barrier netting.

11. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 10, wherein the first attachment portion comprises a first zipper portion and the second attachment portion comprises a second zipper portion the first zipper portion is joinable with the second zipper portion in secure engagement.

12. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 10, wherein the first attachment portion comprises a first zipper portion and the third attachment portion comprises a third zipper portion the first zipper portion is joinable with the third zipper portion in secure engagement.

13. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 10, wherein the net harness further comprises a frame and at least one alignment extension.

14. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 13, wherein the net harness further comprises an entry opening and webbing and the frame has a rigid perimeter.

15. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 14, wherein the entry opening is disposed internal of the rigid perimeter.

16. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 14, wherein the webbing is disposed to circumscribes the rigid perimeter.

17. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 14, wherein the webbing is disposed intermediate of the rigid perimeter and the netting-edge periphery.

18. A multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 10, wherein the closure flap comprises webbing.

19. A method for transforming a multi-mode barrier netting assembly between a closed mode and a harness mode, the multi-mode barrier netting assembly comprises a barrier netting having an opening that defines a netting-edge periphery, a closure flap, and a net harness, the multi-mode barrier assembly is in the closed mode when the closure flap is joined with the netting-edge periphery in secure engagement and is in the harness mode when the net harness is in is joined with the netting-edge periphery in secure engagement, comprising the steps of:

providing the multi-mode barrier assembly in the closed mode;

disengaging the closure flap from the netting-edge periphery of the opening;

removing the closure flap from the opening;

disposing the net harness within the opening;

joining the net harness to the netting-edge periphery of the opening in secure engagement so that the multi-mode barrier assembly is in the harness mode.

20. A method for transforming a multi-mode barrier netting assembly of claim 19 further comprising the steps of:

disengaging the net harness from the netting-edge periphery of the opening;

removing the net harness from the opening;

disposing the closure flap within the opening;

joining the closure flap to the netting-edge periphery of the opening in secure engagement so that the multi-mode barrier assembly is in the closed mode.