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US 10,702,755 B2Granted
Ball mounting system, LED cable and tip protector for an improved swing training device
OwnerJames I. Sams, III, Michael J. Homer +1inventors
InventorsJames I. Sams, III, Michael J. Homer, Paul R. Chalifoux
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A new and improved training swing training device includes: (a) a deflector tube at a forward most end of its LED cable system; (b) an improved cable system sheathed in a transparent, more damage-resistant tubing; and (c) a new ball mounting system that employs an O-ring configuration for slidably engaging along the aforementioned cable system tubing with each successful contact swing with its tethered baseball (or softball).
Claims13
An improved swing training device that comprises:
- a substantially rigid frame;
- an upper, substantially horizontal member extending outwardly from the rigid frame and a lower, substantially horizontal member extending outwardly from the rigid frame;
- a baseball or softball for repeatedly hitting to practice a bat swing;
- a transparent tube through which a plurality of LED lights extend for electronically sequencing, from rear-to-front of the transparent tube, to simulate a pitched ball;
- an upper elastic line that extends substantially vertically downward from the upper, substantially horizontal rigid frame member and connects at its lower end to a non-elastic, upper ball line joined to an upper region of the baseball or softball;
- a lower elastic line that extends substantially vertically upward from the lower, substantially horizontal rigid frame member and connects at its upper end to a non-elastic, lower ball line joined to a lower region of the baseball or softball;
- a non-elastic, upper connector line that affixes to the non-elastic, upper ball line at a first end of the upper connector line and to a slidable first collar at a second end of the upper connector line, said slidable first collar adapted for sliding back and forth in a substantially horizontal direction along a forward end, nearest the baseball or softball, of the transparent tube;
- a non-elastic, lower connector line that affixes to the non-elastic, lower ball line line at a first end of the lower connector line and to the slidable first collar at its a second end of the lower connector line, said non-elastic upper connector line and said non-elastic lower connector line forming a non-elastic, V-shaped connection between the baseball or softball and the transparent tube;
- and
- a control box for varying the speeds at which the plurality of LED lights electronically sequence from rear to front in the transparent tube.
7 more elements
In a swing training device a substantially rigid frame;
- an upper, substantially horizontal, rigid frame member extending outwardly from a top of the rigid frame and a lower, substantially horizontal, rigid frame member extending outwardly from a bottom of the rigid frame;
- a baseball or softball for repeatedly hitting to practice a bat swing;
- an upper elastic line that extends substantially vertically downward from the upper, substantially horizontal, rigid frame member and connects at its lower end to a non-elastic, upper ball line joined to an upper region of the baseball or softball;
- a lower elastic line that extends substantially vertically upward from the lower, substantially horizontal, rigid frame member and connects at its upper end to a non-elastic, lower ball line joined to a lower region of the baseball or softball;
- a non-elastic, upper connector line that affixes at an of the upper connector line to the non-elastic, upper ball line;
- a non-elastic, lower connector line that affixes at a of the lower connector line to the non-elastic, lower ball line, said non-elastic, upper connector line and said non-elastic, lower connector line forming a non-elastic V-shaped connection between the baseball or softball and a front end of a strip having a plurality of LED lights that electronically sequence for simulating a pitched ball;
- and a control box for varying the speeds at which the plurality of LED lights electronically sequence from rear to front along the strip,
- the improvement which comprises:
- (a) the strip with the plurality of LED lights being encased in a rigid or semi-rigid, transparent tube made from a damage resistant polymer;
- and
- (b) a rear end of said non-elastic, upper connector line and a rear end of said non-elastic, lower connector line both being connected to an O-ring that slidably engages along the transparent tube when a user's bat contacts with the baseball or softball.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.