Ball catching frame with ball expelling machine connected thereto

• US 4,883,272 A
• Filed: 05/02/1988
• Issued: 11/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Icon-Ip Pty Limited, Legend Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: William C. Lay
• Inventors: Lay, William C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, T.
• Application Number:
  US07/189,103
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 273/29 A, 273/26 A, 273/29 B, 273/26 R, 273/29 R, 273/41 C, 273/26 D, 273/181 F, 273/1 R, 273/411, 273/392, 273/401, 273/407, 273/395, 273/396, 273/402, 124/78, 124/81
• US Class Current: 473/436
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/00 Targets or goals for ball games golf cups A63B57/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/406 with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or bodies by friction

Abstract

A multi-purpose ball expelling apparatus which can be used with repeated operations for the training of baseball fielders, batters and pitchers comprising in combination a special netted frame in which a ball can be thrown, collected and pass into a special ball expelling machine which can be adjusted to expell the ball as a grounder, pop-fly or straight pitch. An inverted U-shaped frame is in a generally vertical plane and has a net stretched tightly across it. A brace is connected to each side leg of the U. A rectangular frame is supported in a generally horizontal plane by the U-shaped frame and braces. A second net is also stretched tightly across the rectangular frame. The rectangular frame downward somewhat toward its front edge to direct a ball into the expelling machine. A third net is attached to the top of the U-shaped frame and hangs loosely down to the net on the rectangular frame. This third net has a rectangular opening which serves as a baseball pitching target.

Claims

1. A multi-purpose ball expelling apparatus that can be used with repeated operations for the training of baseball fielders, batters and pitchers comprising in combination a netted frame joined to a ball expelling machine,

(a) the said netted frame comprising an inverted U shaped frame having two separate legs as the sides of the inverted U, each leg having a support brace one end of which is adjustably attached near the top of each leg and the other end of the brace resting on the ground so as to maintain the inverted U shaped frame in a forwardly inclined position, a rectangular frame having two sides, a back and front section, the front end of the two opposite sides of said rectangular frame being adjustably joined between and to the said support braces from about 10 to 25 inches above the bottom of said braces, and the back end of said opposite sides being adjustably joined between and to the legs of the inverted U shaped frame at a position so as to have the rectangular frame sloping downward and said back ends of the opposite sides extending beyond the legs and joining the back end of the rectangular frame so as to form a reinforcement section to said frame, and the front section of the rectangular frame being formed in a V shape and being fixedly attached to and within the braces at about 10 to 25 inches from the bottom of said braces, and having means for attaching a ball expelling machine at the point of the V, a tight net being joined to all sides of the rectangular frame with an opening near the point of the V at the front of said frame to permit any ball on the net to drop down the opening, a tight net being attached between the legs of the inverted U shaped frame, and a net being attached to the top of the inverted U shaped frame and loosely hanging down so that the bottom end touches the net on the rectangular frame,

(b) a ball expelling machine being firmly attached to and under the front end of the rectangular frame at the point of the V, said machine comprising a housing with an opening at the top positioned directly under the opening in the net at the point of the V on the front section of the rectangular frame, a power driven wheel in said housing positioned such that the outer circumference edge of the wheel strikes the outside cover of any ball dropping down the opening and forcefully pushes it forward along the inside of the housing, a curved ledge following the contour of the wheel but under the wheel and positioned so as to direct any pushed ball into an outward direction towards an opening in the front side of the housing, an adjustable lever at the end of the curved ledge that can be adjusted to change the slope of the ball as it exits the opening in the housing.

2. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the rectangular frame slopes downward forming an angle with the ground of between 30 and 45 degrees.

3. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the front section of the rectangular frame forms a V shape such that the sides slope to form an angle between 10 to 25 degrees.

4. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the netting is prepared from filaments of 10 to 18 mils and has net openings of about 1/4 to 3/4 inch squares.

5. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the net hanging loose from the top of the inverted U frame has a strike zone marked on said netting.

6. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the rectangular frame has a reinforced U shaped frame extending beyond the legs of the inverted U frame to give added strength to the frame.

7. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the frames are made from tubular material having a diameter of from 1 to 2 inches.

8. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the power means in the ball expelling machine has speed control so as to vary the speed of the wheel.

9. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the adjustable lever at the end of the curved ledge in the machine housing can be adjusted by changing the slope of the lever and thus determining the ejected ball to be a grounder, a pop fly or a straight pitch.

10. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the wheel in the housing of the ball expelling machine has an outer layer of rubber or plastic on the circumference edge.

11. A ball expelling apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the wheel has a diameter of about 4 to 5 inches and a thickness of about 1 to 11/4 inches.

12. A netted frame for use in conjunction with a ball expelling machine comprising an inverted U shaped frame having two separate legs as the sides of the inverted U, each leg having a support brace one end of which is adjustable attached near the top of each leg and the other end of the brace resting on the ground so as to maintain the inverted U shaped frame in a forwardly inclined position, a rectangular frame having two sides, a back and front section, the front end of the two opposite sides of said rectangular frame being adjustably joined between and to the said support braces from about 10 to 25 inches above the bottom of said braces, and the back end of said opposite sides being adjustably joined between and to the legs of the inverted U shaped frame at a position so as to have the rectangular frame sloping downward, the back section of the rectangular frame being fixedly attached to and inside the legs of the inverted U frame, and the front section of the rectangular frame being formed in a V shape and being fixedly attached to and within the braces at about 10 to 25 inches from the bottom of said braces, and having means for attaching a ball expelling machine at the point of the V, a tight net being joined to all sides of the rectangular frame with an opening near the point of the V at the front of said frame to permit any ball on thenet to drop down the opening, a tight net being attached between the legs of the inverted U shaped frame, and a net being attached to the top of the inverted U shaped frame and loosely hanging down so that the bottom end touches the net on the rectangular frame.