# US 11,077,349 B2 · Ball tee with motorized retrieval

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- Number: US 11,077,349 B2
- Document ID: US11077349B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/730,598
- Filed: 2019-12-30
- Published: 2021-07-01
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-30
- Applicants: Noah Smith
- Inventors: Noah Smith
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077349B2

## CPC

- A63B 69/0079: {Balls tethered to a line or cord (A63B43/007 takes precedence; other games using tethered balls A63B67/10; games using a bat or racket with a ball tethered thereto A63B67/20)}
- A63B 69/0075: {Means for releasably holding a ball in position prior to kicking, striking or the like (golf tees A63B57/10)}
- A63B 69/0002: {for baseball}
- A63B 2069/0008: {for batting}
- A63B 2225/093: Height
- A63B: APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT (apparatus for passive exercising, massage A61H)

## Abstract

A ball tee with motorized retrieval for re-seating a ball after hitting includes a base having a top surface. A housing is attached to and extends upwardly from the base. The housing has a top wall and an interior surface. The top wall has an aperture extending therethrough to the interior surface. A tether container is positioned within the housing. A tee is attached to and extends upwardly from the top wall. A ball is attached to the tether container by a tether. A driver mechanism is mounted on the interior surface. The driver mechanism is coupled to a drive roller such that the drive roller is rotatable by the driver mechanism. An actuating mechanism actuates a wheel toward the drive roller to engage with the tether and the drive roller. The drive roller rotates to retract the tether into the tether container and reseat the ball.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A motorized ball tee and tether assembly comprising:
a base including a top surface;
a housing being attached to and extending upwardly from said base, said housing having a top wall and a perimeter wall extending between said top wall and said base, said top wall having a top side and a bottom side, said perimeter wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, an interior surface and an exterior surface;
said top wall having an aperture extending therethrough from said top side to said bottom side;
a tether container being positioned within said housing;
a tee being attached to and extending upwardly from said top wall;
a ball being attached to said tether container by a tether;
a driver mechanism being mounted on said interior surface, said driver mechanism being coupled to a drive roller such that said drive roller is rotatable in a first direction by said driver mechanism; and
an actuating mechanism being attached to said interior surface, said actuating mechanism being coupled to a wheel such that said wheel is actuatable between a stored position wherein said wheel is disengaged from both of said tether and said drive roller and rests nearer said interior surface, and a retrieval position wherein said wheel is moved toward said drive roller to engage with said tether and said drive roller such that said drive roller pulls said tether into said tether container from said tee when said drive roller rotates in said first direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said base includes a bottom surface and a perimeter edge extending between said top surface and said bottom surface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said aperture is centrally positioned along a central axis of said top wall and said housing.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 3, wherein said aperture increases in diameter between said bottom side and half the distance between said bottom side and said top side.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said tether container has a top lip, an end wall and a side wall extending downwardly toward said base between said top lip and said end wall, said top lip extending outwardly from said side wall to attach to said interior surface of said housing.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 5, wherein said top lip is positioned offset from said top edge at a distance between 1.00 inch and 4.00 inches apart.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 5, wherein said side wall has a larger diameter near said top lip compared to a smaller diameter near said end wall.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said tee comprises:
a first section being attached to and extending upwardly from said aperture of said top wall;
a second section being telescopically coupled to and extending away from said first section, said second section having free end positioned opposite said housing, a cup being attached to and extending upwardly from said free end, said cup having an increasing diameter opposite said free end; and
a locking member releasably engaging each of said first section and said second section to selectively secure said first section and said second section at a selectable position relative to each other.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 5, wherein said tether has a first end attached to said ball, and a second end attached to said end wall of said tether container, said tether having a length to allow said ball to travel between a first position wherein said ball is engaged with said cup and said tether is within said tee and said tether container, and a second position wherein said ball is traveling away from said tee and said tether is traveling out of said tether container and outside of said tee until said second end engages with said tether container to stop said ball's travel.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said ball has an outer shell bounding a hollow core, said ball having voids extending therethrough said outer shell to access said hollow core.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said drive roller is aligned with said tether when said tether passes between said tether container and said aperture of said top wall.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 1, wherein said driver mechanism sends a seated input when said driver mechanism senses a sharp increase in torque being required to rotate said drive roller due to said tether being unable to move further into said tether container.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 12, wherein a control is in communication with said driver mechanism and said actuating mechanism, said control actuating said actuating mechanism to move said wheel into said retrieval position and actuating said driver mechanism to rotate said drive roller in said first direction when said control receives the retrieve input, said control actuating said driver mechanism to stop rotating said drive roller in said first direction and to actuate said actuating mechanism to move said wheel into said stored position when said control receives said seated input from said driver mechanism.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 13, wherein said control is mounted on said interior surface.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 13, wherein a button is mounted to and extending upward from said base being in communication with said control, said button being actuated to send said retrieve input to said control when a user wants the ball to be seated within said cup.

### Claim 16 (depends on 13)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 13, wherein a power supply is electrically coupled to said control.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The motorized ball tee and tether assembly according to claim 16, wherein said power supply is positioned within said base.

### Claim 18

A motorized ball tee and tether assembly comprising:
a base including a top surface, a bottom surface and a perimeter edge extending between said top surface and said bottom surface;
a housing being attached to and extending upwardly from said base, said housing having a top wall and a perimeter wall extending between said top wall and said base, said top wall having a top side and a bottom side, said perimeter wall having a top edge, a bottom edge, an interior surface and an exterior surface;
said top wall having an aperture extending therethrough from said top side to said bottom side, said aperture being centrally positioned along a central axis of said top wall and said housing, said aperture increasing in diameter between said bottom side and half the distance between said bottom side and said top side;
a tether container being positioned within said housing, said tether container having a top lip, an end wall and a side wall extending downwardly toward said base between said top lip and said end wall, said top lip extending outwardly from said side wall to attach to said interior surface of said housing, said top lip being positioned offset from said top edge at a distance between 1.00 inch and 4.00 inches apart, said side wall having a larger diameter near said top lip compared to a smaller diameter near said end wall;
a tee being attached to and extending upwardly from said top wall, said tee comprising:
a first section being attached to and extending upwardly from said aperture of said top wall;
a second section being telescopically coupled to and extending away from said first section, said second section having free end positioned opposite said housing, a cup being attached to and extending upwardly from said free end, said cup having an increasing diameter opposite said free end;
a locking member releasably engaging each of said first section and said second section to selectively secure said first section and said second section at a selectable position relative to each other;
a ball being attached to said tether container by a tether, said tether having a first end attached to said ball, and a second end attached to said end wall of said tether container, said tether having a length to allow said ball to travel between a first position wherein said ball is engaged with said cup and said tether is within said tee and said tether container, and a second position wherein said ball is traveling away from said tee and said tether is traveling out of said tether container and outside of said tee until said second end engages with said tether container to stop said ball's travel, said ball having an outer shell bounding a hollow core, said ball having voids extending therethrough said outer shell to access said hollow core;
a driver mechanism being mounted on said interior surface, said driver mechanism being coupled to a drive roller such that said drive roller is rotatable in a first direction by said driver mechanism, said drive roller being aligned with said tether when said tether passes between said tether container and said aperture of said top wall, said driver mechanism sending a seated input when said driver mechanism senses a sharp increase in torque being required to rotate said drive roller due to said tether being unable to move further into said tether container;
an actuating mechanism being attached to said interior surface, said actuating mechanism being coupled to a wheel such that said wheel is actuatable between a stored position wherein said wheel is disengaged from both of said tether and said drive roller and rests nearer said interior surface, and a retrieval position wherein said wheel is moved toward said drive roller to engage with said tether and said drive roller such that said drive roller pulls said tether into said tether container from said tee when said drive roller rotates in said first direction;
a control being mounted on said interior surface, said control being in communication with said driver mechanism and said actuating mechanism, said control actuating said actuating mechanism to move said wheel into said retrieval position and actuating said driver mechanism to rotate said drive roller in said first direction when said control receives the retrieve input, said control actuating said driver mechanism to stop rotating said drive roller in said first direction and to actuate said actuating mechanism to move said wheel into said stored position when said control receives said seated input from said driver mechanism;
a button being mounted to and extending upward from said base being in communication with said control, said button being actuated to send said retrieve input to said control when a user wants the ball to be seated within said cup; and
a power supply being electrically coupled to said control, said power supply being positioned within said base.