Water powered batting device

• US 4,573,679 A
• Filed: 06/25/1984
• Issued: 03/04/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey G. Janszen
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey G. Janszen
• Inventors: Janszen, Jeffrey G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THEATRICE
• Application Number:
  US06/624,021
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 273/26 E, 273/26 R, 273/181 R, 273/184 B, 273/413, 273/414, 272/75, 272/1 B, 272/31 B, 272/31 A, 272/74
• US Class Current: 473/427
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0091 Balls fixed to a movable, tiltable or flexible arm

Abstract

The present invention is a baseball batting device in which a tethered ball is rotated by water propulsion, the water propulsion being provided by a nozzle coupled to an ordinary garden hose, the nozzle causing a squirrel cage to rotate, which in turn causes the tethered ball to rotate. When the ball is struck by a bat, the squirrel cage rotates in the opposite direction and water is flung outwardly in a wide pattern.

Claims

1. An amusement device for improving physical coordination of a user and to cool a user with a spray of water, said device comprising:

(1) a ball;

(2) means to tether said ball;

(3) means to rotate said tether means by water propulsion in one direction; and

(4) means to support both said means to tether and said means to rotate, said means to rotate including spray means so that when a user strikes said ball in a manner opposed to said one direction, said means to rotate flings water outwardly therefrom in a spray.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said ball is made of plastic or rubber.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said means to tether includes an arm which is attached to said means to rotate, wherein said arm is secured to said ball.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein said arm includes a long portion and a short portion.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said long portion is attached to said ball.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein said short portion is attached to a counterweight.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein said counterweight is adjustable by being longitudinally slidable on the short portion of said arm.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said spray means includes vertical vanes.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said vertical vanes are integrally formed with a squirrel cage.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein said vertical vanes are cup-shaped.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein said spray means includes a spray nozzle whose spray impinges on said vertical vanes, causing said vanes to rotate.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said means to support comprises a pole adapted to be anchored in the ground.

13. A ball batting device for improving hand-eye coordination of a user and to cool a user with a spray of water, said device comprising:

a vertical support, a squirrel cage rotatably mounted on said support for rotation about a vertical axis, a spray nozzle for directing a stream of water against said squirrel cage to rotate it in one direction, a tether secured to said squirrel cage for rotation therewith, and a ball secured to said tether for rotation by said tether, so that when a user strikes said ball with a bat in a manner opposed to said one direction, said squirrel cage flings water outwardly in the form of a circular spray.

14. The ball batting device claimed in 13 wherein said squirrel cage comprises a plurality of vanes defining pockets there between, and wherein said spray nozzle comprising a flexible nozzle member positioned to project inwardly into said pockets, said flexible nozzle member being deflectable by said vanes as said squirrel cage is rotated.

15. The ball batting device claimed in claim 14, wherein said flexible nozzle member is positioned to be deflected in opposite directions depending upon the direction of rotation of said squirrel cage.

16. The ball batting device claimed in claim 15 wherein the stream of water from said flexible nozzle acts to accelerate rotation of said squirrel cage when said nozzle is deflected in said one direction, and acts to retard rotation of said squirrel cage when deflected in the opposite direction.