Batting pad for adjusting location of bat in batter's hand

• US 8,763,162 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2012
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pro-Hitter Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pro-Hitter Corporation
• Inventors: LoMedico, Philip R.
• Primary Examiner(s): QUINN, RICHALE LEE
• Application Number:
  US13/462,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20130291273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 2 1/6, 2 2/0, 2 2/2, 216/13, 2 2/1
• US Class Current: 2/20
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/082 especially for the inner part of the hand
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/14 for the hands, e.g. baseball, boxing or golfing gloves archer's finger tabs F41B5/1473

Abstract

A batting pad comprising a body made from a cushioning material and having a ring portion adapted to fit over a batter'"'"'s thumb and an appendage to cushion the palm area between a batter'"'"'s thumb and index finger. The appendage has a thickness T at its thickest point located between the first end and the distant end, and the thickness T of the appendage is selected to optimize an angle of a bat in the batter'"'"'s hand relative to a line parallel to the batter'"'"'s forearm, the angle being determined by the thickness T of the appendage displacing the bat toward the tip of the batter'"'"'s index finger and causing the bat to contact the palm of the batter'"'"'s hand near the batter'"'"'s little finger.

Claims

1. A batting pad device for aiding a batter in properly gripping and controlling a bat and for protecting a web area between a thumb and an index finger of a batter'"'"'s hand, including a proximal joint of the thumb and a proximal joint of the index finger, from injury, the device comprising:

a body made from a cushioning material and having an opening adapted to fit over the thumb and an appendage to cushion the web area, wherein the appendage is a portion of the body that extends from the thumb and towards the index finger;

wherein the appendage has a thickness sufficient to move a first and a second contact point between the bat and the hand such that the first contact point is adjacent to or distal to a proximal interphalangeal joint of the index finger and the second contact point is adjacent to or distal to an interphalangeal joint of the thumb;

wherein the appendage has a length such that a ratio of the length to the thickness is between 1.81 and 2.83;

wherein the appendage has an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface contacting the web area of the batter'"'"'s hand when in use, and the lower surface contacting the bat when the batter grips the bat, wherein the upper surface has a radius of curvature of between 30 mm and 35 mm; and

further wherein the appendage has a thickest point located at a distance of less than twenty-five percent of the distance from the opening to the distal end.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the lower surface has a concave curvature having a radius of curvature of between 60 mm and 70 mm.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the thickest point of the appendage is located at or near the opening.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the opening has a diameter between 18 mm and 20 mm.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the body has a length between 58 mm and 65 mm and a width between 37 mm and 40 mm.

6. A batting pad device for aiding a batter in properly gripping and controlling a bat and for protecting a web area between a thumb and an index finger of a batter'"'"'s hand, including a proximal joint of the thumb and a proximal joint of the index finger, from injury, the device comprising:

a body made from a cushioning material and having an opening adapted to fit over the thumb and an appendage to cushion the web area, wherein the appendage is a portion of the body that extends from the thumb and towards the index finger; and

wherein the appendage has a thickness sufficient to move a contact point between the bat and the hand, the appendage having a thickness of between 12 mm and 16 mm and a length of between 29 mm and 34 mm, and the appendage has a thickest point located immediately adjacent the opening.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the appendage has an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface adapted to contact the web area when in use, the upper surface having a radius of curvature of between 30 mm and 35 mm.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the lower surface has a concave curvature having a radius of curvature of between 60 mm and 70 mm.

9. The device of claim 8 further wherein the appendage has a length selected such that, when the batter grips the bat, the appendage is substantially free of longitudinal compression.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the opening has a diameter between 18 mm and 20 mm.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein the body has a length between 58 mm and 65 mm and a width between 37 mm and 40 mm.

12. A batting pad device for aiding a batter in properly gripping and controlling a bat and for protecting a web area between a thumb and an index finger of a batter'"'"'s hand, including a proximal joint of the thumb and a proximal joint of the index finger, from injury, the device comprising:

a body made from a cushioning material and having an opening adapted to fit over the thumb and an appendage to cushion the web area, wherein the appendage is a portion of the body that extends from the thumb and towards the index finger;

wherein the appendage has a thickness sufficient to move a first and a second contact point between the bat and the hand such that the first contact point is adjacent to or distal to a proximal interphalangeal joint of the index finger and the second contact point is adjacent to or distal to an interphalangeal joint of the thumb;

wherein the appendage has an upper surface and a lower surface, the upper surface contacting the web area of the batter'"'"'s hand when in use, and the lower surface contacting the bat when the batter grips the bat, wherein the upper surface has a radius of curvature of between 30 mm and 35 mm; and

further wherein the appendage has a length (N) and a thickness (T) such that a ratio of N/T is between 1.81 and 2.83.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the appendage has a thickest point located no more than twenty-five percent of the distance from the opening to the distal end.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the lower surface has a concave curvature having a radius of curvature of between 60 mm and 70 mm.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein the appendage has an upper surface adapted to contact the web area.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the appendage has a thickest point located at or near the opening.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the opening has a diameter between 18 mm and 20 mm.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the body has a length between 58 mm and 65 mm and a width between 37 mm and 40 mm.