Baseball bat with impact indicator

• US 4,834,376 A
• Filed: 10/13/1987
• Issued: 05/30/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nasta Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nasta Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Steinberg, Gerald
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, THEATRICE
• Application Number:
  US07/107,937
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 273/26 B, 273/29 A, 273/72 R, 273/73 R, 273/77 R, 273/81 R, 273/183 D, 273/181 R, 273/181 H, 273/186, 73/1 B, 73/570, 73/576, 73/578
• US Class Current: 473/457
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2059/581 with a continuously tapered barrel
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/18 Baseball, rounders or similar games
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/08 magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/58 Measurement of force related parameters by electric or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/801 Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/74 with powered illuminating means, e.g. lights
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/50 Substantially rod-shaped bats for hitting a ball in the air, e.g. for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/70 with bent or angled lower parts for hitting a ball on the ground, on an ice-covered surface, or in the air, e.g. for hockey or hurling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/06 Handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/08 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 60/10 with means for indicating correct holding positions A63B60/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user

Abstract

Within a bat handle a resiliently mounted magnet oscillates when the bat strikes a ball. The magnetic field couples with a fixed inductive coil inducing a signal with an amplitude proportional to the impact force. The signal is processed to provide an indication on the bat of the force of impact.

Claims

1. A bat for striking an object comprising:

a body portion constructed for striking said object;

a handle portion for manual gripping of said bat, said handle portion and said body portion being interconnected;

means for detecting impact between said bat and said object, said means for detecting impact being contained in at least one of said body and handle portions, and including a magnet and a coil positioned relative to each other for coupling the magnetic field of said magnet with said coil, one of said magnet and coil being resiliently mounted for motion relative to the other, impact of said bat with said object causing relative motion between said magnet and coil and generating a voltage in said coil;

circuit means operative with said means for detecting impact for producing a signal representative of the magnitude of said impact, said circuit means for producing a signal sensing said voltage generated in said coil, said circuit means converting said coil voltage to said signal proportionate to the magnitude of said impact;

display circuitry including visual indicators for indicating magnitude of said impact, said display circuitry receiving and processing said signal and driving said indicators, said indicators being positioned on said bat, wherein said visual indicators may operate in either an OFF state or an ON state, at least a portion of said indicators going to said ON state after an impact exceeding a selected level of impact, the quantity of said visual indicators going to said ON state being dependent upon the magnitude of said impact signal received and processed by said display circuitry.

2. A bat as claimed in claim 1, and further comprising a switch positioned on said handle portion, said switch being subject to actuation by the user of said bat when manually gripping said handle portion.

3. A bat as claimed in claim 1, wherein said visual indicators retain an indication of magnitude of said impact after said impact is completed, and further comprising means for resetting said display circuitry to a standby condition ready for indicating a future impact.

4. A bat striking an object comprising:

a body portion constructed for striking said object;

a handle portion for manual gripping of said bat, said handle portion and said body portion being interconnected;

means for detecting impact between said bat and said object, said means for detecting impact being contained in at least one of said body and handle portions, and including a magnet and a coil positioned relative to each other for coupling the magnetic field of said magnet with said coil, one of said magnet and coil being resiliently mounted for motion relative to the other, impact of said bat with said object causing relative motion between said magnet and coil and generating a voltage in said coil;

circuit means operative with said means for detecting impact for producing a signal representative of the magnitude of said impact, said circuit means for producing a signal sensing said voltage generated in said coil, said circuit means converting said coil voltage to said signal proportionate to the magnitude of said impact;

display circuitry including visual indicators for indicating magnitude of said impact, said display circuitry receiving and processing said signal and driving said indicators, said indicators being positioned on said bat, wherein said display circuitry includes a multivibrator circuit having said signal input thereto, said multivibrator circuit cycling only when said DC signal exceeds a predetermined level, and a counter circuit, said counter circuit receiving output pulses from said multivibrator circuit when said multivibrator circuit cycles.

5. A bat as claimed in claim 4, wherein outputs from said counter circuit drive said visual indicators, the number of pulses input to said counter circuit from said multivibrator circuit determining the number of said indicators turned to the ON condition after said impact.

6. A bat as claimed in claim 5, wherein said signal is DC.

7. A bat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the frequency of said multivibrator circuit is directly related to the magnitude of said input signal.

8. A bat for striking an object comprising:

a body portion constructed for striking said object;

a handle portion for manual gripping of said bat, said handle portion and said body portion being interconnected;

means for detecting impact between said bat and said object, said means for detecting impact being contained in at least one of said body and handle portions; and

including a magnet and a coil positioned relative to each other for coupling the magnetic field of said magnet with said coil, one of said magnet and coil being resiliently mounted for motion relative to the other, impact of said bat with said object causing relative motion between said magnet and coil and generating a voltage in said coil;

circuit means operative with said means for detecting impact for producing a signal representative of the magnitude of said impact;

display means including visual indicators for indicating magnitude of said impact, said display means receiving said signal and driving said indicators, said indicators being positioned on said bat, wherein said coil is fixed relative to said body and handle portions, said magnetic being resiliently mounted for motion relative to said coil, said means for detecting impact further including a spring fixed at one end relative to said handle portion, said spring supporting said magnet at the other end thereof.

9. A bat as claimed in claim 8, and further comprising a disk of magnetizable material connected to said coil, said disk of magnetizable material being positioned on said coil to couple with the field of said magnet, said magnet and disk being attracted to each other and maintaining a standby position between said coil and said magnet absent said impact.

10. A bat as claimed in claim 8, wherein said circuit means includes a rectifier providing a DC signal from an AC signal induced in said coil, and an integration circuit for smoothing said rectified DC signal.

11. A bat as claimed in claim 10, wherein said display circuitry includes a multivibrator circuit having said rectified filtered DC signal input thereto, said multivibrator circuit cycling only when said signal exceeds a predetermined level, and a counter circuit, said counter circuit receiving output pulses from said multivibrator circuit when said multivibrator circuit cycles.

12. A bat as claimed in claim 11, wherein outputs from said counter drive said visual indicators, the number of pulses input to said counter circuit from said multivibrator determining the number of said indicators turned to the ON condition after said impact.