Ball base construction and anchor

• US 4,493,486 A
• Filed: 03/17/1983
• Issued: 01/15/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Safe-Base Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Safe-Base Incorporated
• Inventors: Fuller, Charles C., Hendrickson, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oechsle, Anton O.
• Application Number:
  US06/476,048
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 273/25
• US Class Current: 473/499
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/024 with screws or pins in the earth
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0013 Baseball bases
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 19/04 Mats or carpets for courts

Abstract

An improved base includes a base pad member having a flange plate attached to the bottom thereof for cooperation with a flat plate mounted on a post inserted in the ground. The base plate may thus slide onto the ground plate in order to retain the base in position. The base has a special oversized, generally rectangular construction so that a portion of the base projects beyond the first base foul line where it may be tagged by a runner. The remainder of the base is positioned inside the foul line in the normal base position for tagging by a fielder. The separate parts of the base are preferably denoted by distinctive color or design. This configuration promotes safety.

Claims

1. An improved ball base comprising, in combination:

a unitary base pad member having a rectangular shape and divided into only two substantially square equal sized subsections when viewed in a top plan view, the pad member further comprising a pad support and a pad cover, each of said subsections including visually distinctive and different coloring of the covering of each subsection, each subsection being substantially monochromatic;

each subsection being substantially equal to the regulation size of a base pad, the subsections being integrally formed in a single rectangular pad with a single straight line having no lateral dimension demarking one subsection from the other, each subsection having substantially the same thickness; and

means for attaching the pad member to the ground to retain one subsection inside an imaginary line defined as the foul line and the other subsection simultaneously outside said line with the straight line demarking the subsections, being positioned coincident with the foul line, said means for attaching comprising cooperative means attached to the bottom center of the base, a rod means which projects into the ground, and means for slidably securing the rod means to the cooperative means whereby the rod means and the cooperative means slide relative to each other in a direction transverse to the straight line demarking the subsections, said means for attaching also defining means for preventing the straight line from becoming unaligned with the foul line by shifting the straight line to the outside of the foul line or twisting the straight line relative to the foul line, and including pad holding means engaging the pad and holding the pad rigidly with respect to the ground, whereby a runner may tag the outside subsection and a baseman can tag the inside subsection and the pad will remain substantially rigidly positioned.