Wind resistant practice cage and pitching machine for attachment

• US 8,496,545 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lay, William Coleman
• Original Assignee: Lay, William Coleman
• Inventors: Lay, William Coleman
• Primary Examiner(s): Hunter, Alvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): NICONOVICH, ALEXANDER R
• Application Number:
  US13/438,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20120214618A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• Field of Search: 124/1, 124/6, 124/10, 124/78, 124/81, 473/421, 473/422, 473/451, 473/490
• US Class Current: 473/422
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0002 for baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/406 with rotating discs, wheels or pulleys gripping and propelling the balls or bodies by friction
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls
• CPC Class Codes: F41B 4/00 Friction-wheel operated launchers

Abstract

A batting or ball practice cage has one or more frame members with a net attached over the frame. Frame members may be assembled having springs or elbows at the corner. A pitching machine may be aligned with the cage at one end.

Claims

1. A ball pitching machine for removable attachment to a barrier netting for use with a ball, said ball pitching machine comprising:

a housing for enclosing a projecting wheel;

a ball outlet in the housing through which the ball pitching machine propels the ball;

at least one alignment eye disposed on the housing proximate the ball outlet, the at least one alignment eye disposed to receive at least one alignment extension disposed on the barrier netting so that the ball outlet aligns and registers with an entry opening in the barrier netting and the ball pitching machine is connected to, but disposed external to the barrier netting, wherein the at least one alignment eye is an elongate tube having an internal hollow and the at least one alignment extension is an elongate member that snuggly but slideably fits within the internal hollow of the at least one alignment eye.

2. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing has a horizontal portion and a vertical portion at the ball outlet and the at least one alignment eye comprises a horizontal alignment eye disposed on the horizontal portion and a vertical alignment eye disposed on the vertical portion.

3. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 1, wherein the ball outlet has a periphery and the entry opening in the barrier netting has a perimeter, the periphery of the ball outlet aligns and registers with the perimeter of the entry opening.

4. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 3, wherein the entry opening in the barrier netting has a frame that defines the perimeter, the periphery of the ball outlet aligns and registers with the perimeter defined by the frame.

5. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 4, wherein the at least one alignment extension is attached to the frame.

6. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 1, wherein the internal hollow of the tube has a substantially circular cross-section and the elongate member has a substantially circular cross-section.

7. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 1, wherein the housing is supported by a tripod that positionable so that the ball pitching machine is positioned such that the ball outlet aligns and registers with the entry opening in the barrier netting.

8. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 1, wherein the barrier netting is a practice cage having an interior space.

9. A ball pitching machine as recited in claim 8, wherein only the ball outlet portion of the ball pitching machine is exposed to the interior space of the practice cage.