Apparatus for controlling moves of a ball-hitting instrument in ball games

• US 4,911,441 A
• Filed: 06/23/1987
• Issued: 03/27/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adolf Brunner
• Original Assignee: Adolf Brunner
• Inventors: Brunner, Adolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Small, Dean
• Application Number:
  US07/067,726
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 273/73 R, 273/54 B, 273/186 R, 273/186 A, 273/183 R, 273/183 B, 273/26 C, 273/29 A
• US Class Current: 473/461
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/22 Field hockey
• 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 69/3632 Clubs or attachments on clubs, e.g. for measuring, aligning A63B69/3614 takes precedence; clubs for swinging exercises in general A63B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/3635 with sound-emitting source
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/385 for practising the serve

Abstract

A ball-hitting instrument for playing ball games, comprises a handle and a flat head part (preferably a tennis racket bearing a screen in the head part) and an apparatus for programming and controlling the seizing of the handle and the guiding of the instrument during a player'"'"'s motions for hitting a ball. The apparatus is mounted on the handle and contains an electronic circuit comprising an on-off switch, a perceivable signals-emitting device such as a buzzer, an integrated circuit chip, a potentiometer and four noiseless, quick-response switches each having a travel path and a circuit-making mercury or magnetic body movable back and forth along that path to make or break circuit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for programming and controlling the seizing of a hangle of a ball-hitting instrument and the guiding of the instrument by a player during striking of a ball in a ball game, comprising:

(a) an apparatus casing;

(b) a housing therein for a source of electric direct current;

(c) an electronic circuit mounted in said casing and comprising;

(c.1) a circuit board having a longitudinal axis, a first and a second edge transverse to said axis, and an outer and an inner board face;

(d) on-off-switch means mounted on said casing and for turning direct current from said current source on and off;

(e) perceivable signals-emitting means;

(f) integrated circuit chip means for being programmable for controlling a first time interval (X) of adjustable duration and a second time interval (Y) of fixed duration following directly upon said first time interval;

(g) potentiometer means for adjusting the duration of said first time interval;

(h) a first noiseless quick-response elongated switch, having an inner and an outer contact end and being mounted on, and extending parallel with, said outer board face of said circuit board and forming an angle of about 40°

with said longitudinal board axis, said outer contact end of said first switch being nearer said first transverse board edge than said inner first switch contact end;

(i) a second noiseless quick-response elongated switch, having an inner and an outer switch end and being mounted at said inner switch end on said outer board face, projecting therefrom at a substantially right angle;

(k) a third elongated switch, being mounted on said circuit board and having an outer end and an inner end, said inner end being nearer said first transverse board edge than said outer third switch end; and

(l) a fourth elongated switch having an inner end and an outer end and being mounted on said outer face of said circuit board, said outer end of said fourth switch being nearer said first transverse board edge than said inner fourth switch end.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said perceivable signals-emitting means has means for emitting acoustic signals.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said perceivable signals-emitting means is a buzzer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

said first and second switches are mercury switches;

said third switch is a magnetic switch comprising a first permanent magnet body and a track therefor having an outer and an inner third switch track end;

said fourth switch is also a magnetic switch, comprising a second permanent magnet body and a track therefor having an inner and an outer fourth switch track end;

said first magnetic switch comprising a first reed and a second reed, said first reed being closed and said second reed being open when said first magnet body is in position near said inner end of said third switch track, and said first reed being open and said second reed being closed when said first magnet body is in position near said outer third switch track end; and

said fourth switch comprising a third and a fourth reed, both of said third and fourth reeds being closed when said second magnet body is in position at said outer fourth switch track end and being open when said second magnet body is at said inner fourth switch track end.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said first mercury switch is closed at least during said entire time intervals X and Y, when a mercury body therein is subject to a continuous centrifugal force.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein each of said third and fourth switches comprises weighting means associated with said magnet body in a manner so as to accelerate movement thereof from one of the end positions thereof to the other, leaving open from one to three of the reeds associated with said two magnetic switches, and preventing sticking of said magnetic body adjacent said reeds.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said integrated circuit chip means is a gate-array chip.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said circuit means comprises, as a time-controlling unit, an AND-gate (I₂), two capacitors connected parallel with each other to the input of said AND-gate, and two resistors connected parallel with each other and with said capacitors to the input of said AND-gate, and said potentiometer means for adjusting the loading time of said capacitor to the length of the swing-out phase of a complete rhythmic motion sequence common to forehand as well as backhand play as well as a service motion sequence.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first and second switches are mercury switches and said third and fourth switches comprise fly-weight circuit-making bodies.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said circuit means comprises electronic means for detecting and perceivably signaling transgressions of the motion sequences as determined by said time intervals (X) and (Y) due to incorrect playing.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said electronic means for detecting and perceivably signaling said transgressions are adapted for emitting optical signals.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said third switch extends parallel with said outer face of said circuit board and encloses an angle of about 20°

with said longitudinal board axis; and

said fourth switch extends parallel with said outer face of said circuit board and encloses an angle of about 75°

with said longitudinal board axis.

13. A ball-hitting apparatus for playing ball games, comprising a handle having a longitudinal handle axis and a flat head part having a contact face for hitting a ball, means for programming and controlling the seizing of said handle and the guiding of said apparatus during a player'"'"'s stroke for the purpose of hitting a ball, said means for programming and controlling, comprising:

(a) a casing;

(b) a housing within said casing for a source of electric direct current;

(c) an electronic circuit mounted in said casing and comprising;

(c.1) a circuit board having a longitudinal axis, a first and a second board edge transverse to said board axis, a first and second longitudinal board edge extending substantially parallel with said board axis, and an outer and an inner board face;

(d) on-off-switch means mounted on said casing and for turning direct current from said current source on and off;

(e) perceivable signals-emitting means;

(f) integrated circuit chip means for being programmed and controlling a first time interval (X) of adjustable duration and a second time interval (Y) of fixed duration following directly upon said first time interval;

(g) potentiometer means for adjusting the duration of said first time interval;

(h) a first noiseless quick-response elongated switch, having an inner and an outer contact end and being mounted on, and extending parallel with, said outer board face of said circuit board and forming an angle of about 40°

with said longitudinal board axis, said outer contact end of said first switch being nearer said first transverse board edge than said inner first switch contact end;

(i) a second noiseless quick-response elongated switch, having an inner and an outer switch end and being mounted at said inner switch end on said outer board face, projecting therefrom at a substantially right angle;

(k) a third switch, having an inner and an outer contact end and being mounted on, said outer face of said circuit board, said inner end of said third switch being nearer said first transverse board edge than said outer third switch end; and

(l) a fourth switch having an inner end and an outer end and being mounted on said outer face of said circuit board, said outer end of said fourth switch being nearer said first transverse board edge than said inner fourth switch end.

14. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein said apparatus is a tennis racket and said flat head part contains a racket screen as said contact face.

15. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 14, wherein said electronic circuit is mounted in said handle with said longitudinal board axis extending substantially parallel with or coinciding with said longitudinal handle axis, said first transverse board edge is nearer said flat head part than said second transverse board edge, and said circuit board extends with its outer face substantially in the same plane as said racket screen, whereby, when holding said tennis racket with said racket screen extending in the vertical plane, and said first longitudinal board edge being above said second longitudinal board edge, said circuit is in position for controlling a forehand as well as a backhand sequence of motions, while, when holding said racket in the reverse position with said first longitudinal board edge being located below said second longitudinal board edge, said circuit is automatically in condition for controlling the sequence of motions during service of a tennis ball.

16. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein each of said third and fourth switches comprises weighting means associated with said magnet body in a manner so as to accelerate movement from one of the end positions thereof to the other, leaving open from one to three of the reeds associated with said two magnetic switches, and preventing sticking of said magnetic body adjacent said reeds.

17. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein said first and second switches are mercury switches;

said third switch is a magnetic switch comprising a first permanent magnet body and a track therefor having an outer and an inner third switch track end;

said fourth switch is also a magnetic switch, comprising a second permanent magnet body and a track therefor having an inner and an outer fourth switch track end;

said first magnetic switch comprising a first reed and a second reed, said first reed being closed and said second reed being open when said first magnet body is in position near said inner end of said third switch track, and said first reed being open and said second reed being closed when said first magnet body is in position near said outer third switch track end; and

said fourth switch comprising a third and a fourth reed, both of said third and fourth reeds being closed when said second magnet body is in position at said outer fourth switch track end and being open when said second magnet body is at said inner fourth switch track end.

18. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein said integrated circuit chip means is a gate-array chip.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said electronic circuit means comprises, as a time-controlling unit, an AND-gate (I₂), two capacitors connected parallel with each other to the input of said AND-gate, and two resistors connected parallel with each other and with said capacitors to the input of said AND-gate, and said potentiometer for adjusting the loading time of said capacitor to the length of the swing-out phase of a complete rhythmic motion sequence common to forehand as well as backhand play as well as a service motion sequence.

20. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 18, wherein said electronic circuit comprises electronic means for detecting and perceivably signaling transgressions of motion sequences as determined by said time intervals (X) and (Y) due to incorrect playing.

21. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 20, wherein said electronic means for detecting and perceivably signaling said transgressions are adapted for emitting optical signals.

22. The ball-hitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein said third switch extends parallel with said outer face of said circuit board and encloses an angle of about 20°

with said longitudinal board axis, and

said fourth switch extends parallel with said outer face of said circuit board and encloses an angle of about 75°

with said longitudinal board axis.

23. An apparatus for programming and controlling of the seizing position and the guidance of a ball-hitting instrument, said apparatus comprises an integrated circuit chip means, switching and controlling means for responding to a rhythmic motion sequence of the ball-hitting instrument, means for programming the rhythmic motion sequence of the ball-hitting instrument, means for controlling execution of a program, and means for producing a signal indicating at least one of the correct and incorrect rhythmic motion sequences of the ball-hitting instrument, whereby the complete sequence of motional phases during forehand play, backhand play and service of a ball with the aid of the ball hitting instrument are programmed as well as controlled by comparison with a master program produced with said apparatus, independently of whether the player is right-handed or left-handed.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said integrated circuit chip means is a single-chip microprocessor.