Baseball strike indicator

• US 6,159,113 A
• Filed: 09/16/1999
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Donald Barber
• Original Assignee: Donald Barber
• Inventors: Barber, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman, Jeanette
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aryanpour, Mitra
• Application Number:
  US09/397,101
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• Field of Search: 473/454-456, 473/152, 473/155, 473/192, 473/199, 473/459, 473/473, 473/490, 473/FOR 104, 473/156, 473/198, 273/371, 273/348
• US Class Current: 473/454
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0013 Baseball bases
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0605 Decision makers and devices using detection means facilitating arbitration

Abstract

Light indication apparatus for baseball includes a first light source for emitting first coherent and intense light rays of a first color in a first direction and a second light source for emitting second coherent and intense light rays of a second color in a second direction. The first and second light rays intersect entirely within a preselected volume. A baseball can be identified by an observer of said first and second light rays as being substantially within said volume when said first and second light rays shine on said object simultaneously.

Claims

1. An apparatus for visually indicating if a thrown object of known dimensions passes through a preselected volume, comprising:

a first light source for emitting an array of spaced-apart parallel, distinct light beams of a first color in a first direction;

a second light source for emitting an array of spaced-part parallel, distinct light beams of a second color different from said first color in a second direction such that the light beams from the first and second light sources intersect entirely within the preselected volume, the spacing of the light beams being such that light beams from each of said first and second light sources will shine simultaneously on the thrown object when the object is within the preselected volume so as to provide a visual indication that the object is within the preselected volume.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the arrays of light beams emitted by said first and second light sources each include a plurality of uniformly-spaced rows of uniformly-spaced light beams.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the preselected volume represents a strike zone for a pitched ball.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein one of said first and second light sources includes a home-plate shaped device from which the array of light beams emitted by such light source are directed vertically.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the array of light beams directed vertically from the home-plate shaped device includes a plurality of rows of light beams.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein a row of light beams are emitted vertically along a front portion of the home-plate shaped device that are spaced closer together than at least some of the other rows of vertically-directed light beams in order to provide a visual indicator when a bat has been swung completely through the strike zone.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first and second light sources further include laser beam generators, and said first and second light beams are generated by said laser beam generators.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first direction is generally perpendicular to said second direction.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said preselected volume has a geometric shape, the geometric shape having at least seven faces.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first light source emits a rectangular array of horizontally-directed light beams wherein the location of the top and bottom of the rectangular array can be adjusted such that the strike zone can be adjusted.

11. An apparatus according to claim 10 including a third light source for selectively emitting an array of spaced-apart parallel, distinct light beams in a third direction that is opposite the first direction in order to intersect with the light beams from the second light source within the preselected volume, thus permitting the indicating device to be used with both left-handed and right-handed batters.

12. An apparatus according to claim 3 including a further light source for visually identifying a location of a back line of a batter'"'"'s box by directing a light beam parallel to and above the back line.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the number and location of the light beams emitted by one of said first and second light beam sources is controlled by a computer.

14. An apparatus for visually indicating if a thrown object of known dimensions passes through a variable preselected volume, comprising:

a first light source for emitting variably-spaced first laser generated rays of a first color in a first direction; and

a second light source for emitting second laser-generated rays of a second color different from said first color in a second direction;

wherein said first and second light rays intersect entirely within the variable preselected volume, and an object having sufficiently large dimensions can be identified visually by an observer as being substantially within said volume when said first and second light rays shine on said object simultaneously.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said object is a baseball.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein said first direction is generally perpendicular to said second direction.

17. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the number and location of said first laser-generated rays is controlled by a computer.

18. An apparatus according to claim 14 including a further light source for emitting a laser-generated ray to indicate a location of a back line of a batter'"'"'s box.