Pitching training tool with indicator

• US 6,651,497 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2001
• Issued: 11/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yasuyuki Imatoh
• Original Assignee: Yasuyuki Imatoh
• Inventors: Imatoh, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellington, Alandra
• Application Number:
  US09/779,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20020020217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 733/790.1, 733/790.2, 734/88, 473/131, 473/143-154, 473/141, 482/92
• US Class Current: 73/379.01
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 15/00 Clubs for gymnastics or the like , e.g. for swinging exercises
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0006 for pitching
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/34 Angular speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball

Abstract

The present invention provides a pitching training tool, comprising a rod-shaped body portion, which has a hollow, cylindrical shaft portion that is lighter than a regulation ball, and a gripping portion, which is integrally formed to one end of this shaft portion; an acceleration sensor or other such detector, which is incorporated in the gripping portion side of this rod-shaped body portion, and which detects a state of motion when the rod-shaped body portion is swung around; an arithmetic processing portion for performing computations based on motion state data from this detector; and a display for displaying the results of computations by the arithmetic processing portion, and is constituted so as to compute in the computing portion at least the rotational speed of the rod-shaped body portion based on the detection results by this detector and to display same.

Claims

1. A baseball pitching training tool comprising:

a rod-shaped body portion having a hollow cylindrical shaft portion that is of a lighter weight than a regulation ball and a gripping portion integrally formed at one end of the shaft portion, said gripping portion having one end formed as a grip having a diameter larger than that of said rod-shaped body portion;

a detector, which is incorporated in said gripping portion side of the rod-shaped body portion and which detects a state of motion when the rod-shaped body portion is swung around;

an arithmetic processing portion, which is disposed on the gripping portion side of said rod-shaped body and which performs computations based on motion state data from said detector; and

a display disposed on the gripping portion side of the rod-shaped body and displays the results of computations by said arithmetic processing portion, the weight of the pitching training tool being lighter than a regulation baseball.

2. The pitching training tool according to claim 1, wherein said detector is an acceleration sensor and said arithmetic processing portion is a CPU comprising means for detecting a rotational frequency and rotational speed detecting means for detecting rotational speed, when the rod-shaped body portion is being swung around.

3. The pitching training tool according to claim 2, wherein said display is constituted so as to display at least one of a rotational speed and a pitching speed, the pitching speed being converted based on the rotational speed.

4. The pitching training tool according to claim 2, wherein a sound device, operatively connected to said computing means and constituted so as to output sounds in different tones according to a speed level of a rotational speed, is incorporated in the gripping portion side of the rod-shaped body portion.

5. The pitching training tool according to claim 4, wherein said rotational frequency detector, said rotational speed detector and said sound device are housed in a single casing as a unit.

6. The pitching training tool according to claim 5 wherein said display device is housed within said rod-shaped body.

7. The pitching training tool according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion of said rod-shaped body portion is made flexible and formed of a glass fiber.

8. The pitching training tool according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion of said rod-shaped body portion is made flexible and formed of titanium.

9. The pitching training tool according to claim 1, wherein the shaft portion of said rod-shaped body portion is made flexible and formed of carbon.

10. The pitching training tool according to claim 1, wherein a non-slip portion for preventing slipping of a gripping hand is formed on said gripping portion.

11. The pitching training tool according to claim 10, wherein a grip end of a diameter larger than the non-slip portion is formed at an outer end portion of said non-slip portion.

12. The pitching training tool according to claim 1, wherein said gripping portion comprises either a spherical body of a diameter greater than said rod-shaped body portion, or a triangular-shaped body of a size greater than the length perpendicular to the axis of the rod-shaped body portion.