Instructional baseball

• US 5,984,813 A
• Filed: 09/26/1997
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Douglas W. Cinnella
• Original Assignee: Douglas W. Cinnella
• Inventors: Cinnella, Douglas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US08/938,094
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 473/595, 473/596, 473/597, 473/598, 473/600, 473/601, 473/602, 473/613, 473/615, 473/451, D21/713
• US Class Current: 473/613
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0006 for pitching
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/14 Special surfaces A63B37/0004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/002 with special configuration, e.g. non-spherical discs for throwing A63B65/10

Abstract

An instructional baseball for teaching the proper manner of throwing a curveball. The instructional baseball comprises a generally spherical ball having a continuous seam on the surface, said seam defining a horseshoe-shaped boundary for each of four areas on the surface of the ball, and a depression within each of the areas, each of the depressions having substantially the same volume.

Claims

1. An instructional device for teaching the proper manner of the throwing of a curveball, said proper manner comprising throwing the ball with a topspin rotation in a substantially vertical plane, said instructional device comprising:

a generally spherical ball having a continuous seam on the surface of said ball, said seam defining a horseshoe-shaped boundary for each of four adjacent areas on the surface of said ball; and

a depression within each of said areas, each of said depressions intersecting with the substantially vertical plane in which a properly thrown curveball will rotate and each of said depressions having substantially the same volume as one another, whereby a properly thrown curveball will exhibit an exaggerated trajectory not otherwise obtained.

2. The instructional device of claim 1 wherein the depressions are generally oval in shape.

3. The instructional device of claim 1 wherein the depressions are of a color which contrasts with the color of the remainder of the surface of the device, whereby a ring in said substantially vertical plane of rotation will be visible when a proper curveball is thrown.

4. An instructional baseball for teaching the proper manner of throwing a curveball, said proper manner comprising throwing the ball with a topspin rotation in a substantially vertical plane, said instructional device comprising:

a generally spherical interior section;

a cover comprising two figure-eight sections stitched together over said interior section forming a continuous seam, said seam defining a horseshoe-shaped boundary for each of four adjacent areas; and

a depression within each of said areas, each of said depressions intersecting with the substantially vertical plane in which a properly thrown curveball will rotate and each of said depressions having substantially the same volume as one another, whereby a properly thrown curveball will exhibit an exaggerated trajectory not otherwise obtained.

5. The instructional baseball of claim 4 wherein the depressions are generally oval in shape.

6. The instructional baseball of claim 4 wherein the depressions are of a color which contrasts with the color of the remainder of the surface of the device, whereby a ring in said substantially vertical plane of rotation will be visible when a proper curveball is thrown.

7. An instructional device for teaching the proper manner of the throwing of a curveball, said proper manner comprising throwing the ball with a topspin rotation in a substantially vertical plane, said instructional device comprising:

a generally spherical ball having a continuous seam on the surface of said ball, said seam defining a horseshoe-shaped boundary for each of four adjacent areas on the surface of said ball; and

a depression within each of two non-adjacent areas of said four areas, each of said depressions intersecting with the substantially vertical plane in which a properly thrown curveball will rotate and each of said depressions having substantially the same volume as one another, whereby a properly thrown curveball will exhibit an exaggerated trajectory not otherwise obtained.

8. The instructional device of claim 7 wherein the depressions are generally oval in shape.

9. The instructional device of claim 7 wherein the depressions are of a color which contrasts with the color of the remainder of the surface of the device, whereby a ring in said substantially vertical plane of rotation will be visible when a proper curveball is thrown.