Mountable force measurement apparatus

• US 5,170,664 A
• Filed: 09/28/1989
• Issued: 12/15/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Athletic World Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Athletic World Incorporated
• Inventors: Hirsh, Louis S., Mechaley, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAPMAN JR, JOHN E
• Application Number:
  US07/414,099
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 73/492, 73/493, 273/26 B, 273/186 A, 273/186 R
• US Class Current: 73/493
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 15/005 with a weight movable along the longitudinal axis of the club due to centrifugal forces
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/51 Force
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 59/00 Bats, rackets, or the like, not covered by groups A63B49/00 - A63B57/00
• 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: G01P 1/00 Details of instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/02 by making use of inertia forces using solid seismic massesG01P15/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A conventional centrifugal forcemeter having a centrifugally leadwardly extendable spindle is trailwardly provided with a fixture having an underlying trough portion abuttable against the external contour of a baseball bat, a golfclub, or other selectable athletic club. Flanking the fixture underlying trough are two plurally-tabbed rows. A flexible girthing band, preferably of annular shape and of elastic material, engages at least one ear-like tab of each fixture row and tightly girds the athletic club to maintain the fixtured forcemeter in removably attached, secure and operable condition to the selected athletic club.

Claims

1. Mountable force measurement apparatus in removably attached secure combination with a manually wieldable athletic club having a substantially linearly generated length portion along the club external contour, said combination comprising:

(A) a conventional centrifugal forcemeter comprising a light-transmissive barrel component having an inner-surface and an outer-surface both surrounding a meter-axis that is substantially co-parallel with said club linearly generated length portion, said barrel having a trail-end and an open lead-end, said forcemeter further comprising a spindle component extending along said meter-axis, said spindle including at least one flared portion that provides slidable contact between said spindle and barrel components;

(B) a fixture attached to the forcemeter and extending rigidly trailwardly of the barrel component, said fixture including a trough having two linearly generated trough-surfaces including a first-surface convergently merging at a convergency line with a trough second-surface, both said trough-surfaces simultaneously abutting the linearly generated length portion of said athletic club, said first-surface remote from said convergency line and substantially parallel to said club linearly generated length portion merging with a plural-tabs first-row portion of said fixture, and said second-surface remote from said convergency line and substantially parallel to said club linearly generated length portion merging with a plural-tabs second-row portion of said fixture; and

(C) flexible girthing band means tightly girding said athletic club and also being removably engaged with at least one tab of said first-row portion and also with at least one tab of said second-row portion whereby said girthing band means maintains the fixture-attached forcemeter in removably attached secure condition against the linearly generated length portion of said athletic club.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the athletic club is a baseball bat having a linearly generated and divergent length portion;

and wherein the trough-surfaces convergency is non-parallel with said meter-axis but substantially parallel to the bat divergent contour, whereby the forcemeter slidable spindle is non-collidable with the bat divergent contour.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein projections of the trough convergency and the meter-axis intersect leadwardly of the forcemeter;

wherein tabs of the first-row portion extend rigidly upwardly and away from the bat, and wherein tabs of the second-row portion extend rigidly upwardly from the fixture and away from the bat; and

wherein the girthing band means is of annular form and provided of elastic material.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the trough-surfaces convergency is substantially parallel with said meter-axis;

wherein the girthing band means is of annular form and provided of elastic material; and

wherein tabs of the first-row portion extend away from the second-row portion and tabs of the second-row portion extend away from the first-row portion.

5. Mountable force measurement apparatus for use in removably attached combination with a manually wieldable athletic club having a substantially linearly generated length portion, said mountable force measurement apparatus comprising:

(A) a conventional centrifugal forcemeter comprising a light-transmissive barrel component having an inner-surface and an outer-surface both surrounding a meter-axis and having a trail-end and an open lead-end, and further comprising a spindle component extending along said meter-axis, said spindle including at least one flared portion that provides the primary contact between said barrel and spindle components;

(B) a fixture removably attachable to the forcemeter and extending trailwardly of the barrel component thereof, said fixture comprising a trough having two linearly generated and convergent trough-surfaces including a first-surface and a second-surface that merge at a convergency line, both said trough-surfaces being adapted to simultaneously abut a linearly generated length portion of said athletic club, said first-surface remote from the trough-surfaces convergency line and substantially parallel thereto merging with a plural-tabs first-row portion of said fixture, and said second-surface remote from the trough-surfaces convergency line and substantially parallel thereto merging with a plural-tabs second-row portion of said fixture; and

(C) flexible girthing band means for engaging at least one tab of said first-row portion and at least one tab of said second-row portion whereby said girthing band means is adapted to provide removable attachment of said fixture to a said athletic club.

6. The mountable force measurement apparatus of claim 5 wherein the trough-surfaces convergency line is substantially parallel with said meter-axis whereby the apparatus is adaptable for removable attachment to a golf club.

7. The mountable force measurement apparatus of claim 5 wherein the trough-surfaces convergency line is non-parallel with said meter-axis whereby the apparatus is adaptable for removable attachment to a baseball bat type athletic club.