Device for determining swing speed of rotatable implements

• US 4,819,941 A
• Filed: 07/24/1987
• Issued: 04/11/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tanaka Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tanaka Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Leonard E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blackmon, Robert
• Application Number:
  US07/077,354
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 273/186 A, 273/186 R, 273/186 D, 273/193 R, 273/194 B, 273/194 R, 273/26 B, 73/379, 73/380, 73/381
• US Class Current: 473/234
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0602 Non-electronic means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 with sound-emitting source

Abstract

A device for determining swing speed of a rotatable sporting goods implement, for example human activated sporting goods i.e. a baseball bat or a golf club, wherein practice swings are undertaken seriatim. The device is comprised of a base mounted support for a rotatable screw shaft, an adjustor that is threadedly engaged with said screw shaft to enable its segmental rotation when the screw shaft is rotated, a movable member swingingly supported to the base and connected via a spring to the adjustor, which enables determination of the maximum swing speed by the tension of the spring that connects the adjustor and the movable member, causing movement of the movable member by induced centrifugal force at the time of swinging. There is also a stopper upon which the movable member may impinge to thus produce a hitting sound.

Claims

1. A device for determining swing speed of a swingable practice sporting goods implement such as a golf club, wherein the practice of one'"'"'s swing may be performed seriatim, comprising in combination with the sporting goods implement:

(A) a supporting base plate fixedly mounted horizontally within the head body of the implement, said base plate defining an longitudinally oriented arcuate slot therein, said base plate bearing

(B) a rotatable screw-shaft secured upon the base plate in parallel relation thereto;

(C) a open-ended arcuately movable U-shaped member having opposed upper and lower legs of relative uneven length, the lower leg being longest and having a balancer adjacent an open end thereof, the upper leg being the shorter, said U-shaped member being pivot connected to the base, intermediate ends thereof and the respective legs having slidable pin contact with the arcuate slot of the base plate;

(D) an adjustor pivoted at one end to the base plate and threadedly connected at another end to said screw shaft to enable segmental rotation of the adjustor as the screw-shaft may be rotated, said adjustor having tension spring connection with the pin of the movable member, whereby determination of the maximum swing speed by tension of the spring upon the adjustor and the movable member causes a centrifugal force movement to the movable member during swinging of the implement and,

(E) a stopper fixed to the base plate upon which the movable member may impinge to thus produce a hitting sound.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said base plate of the implement defines a transversely oriented graduated slot opening which enables the head speed to be read.