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
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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).
Claims20
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 regulation size ball 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 regulation size ball;
- 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 regulation size ball;
- a non-elastic, upper connector line that affixes to the non-elastic, upper ball line line at one end and to a slidable first collar at its opposite end, said slidable first collar adapted for sliding back and forth in a substantially horizontal direction along a forward end, nearest the regulation size ball, of 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;
- a non-elastic, lower connector line that affixes to the non-elastic, lower ball line line at one end and to the slidable first collar at its opposite end, said upper elastic connector line and said lower elastic connector line forming a non-elastic, V-shaped connection between the regulation size ball 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.
In a swing training device consisting of:
- 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 regulation size 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 regulation size ball;
- 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 regulation size baseball or softball;
- a non-elastic, upper connector line that affixes at an uppermost end to the non-elastic, upper ball line;
- a non-elastic, lower connector line that affixes at a lowermost end 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 regulation size ball and a front end of a strip having 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) encasing the strip having a plurality of LED lights in a rigid or semi-rigid, transparent tube made from a damage resistant polymer.
A method for making a swing training device more damage resistant, said swing training device including a practice baseball or softball on a bungee connection to a netted frame and a strip having plurality of LED lights that electronically sequence for simulating a pitched ball, said method comprising:
- (a) encasing the strip having a plurality of LED lights in a rigid or semi-rigid, transparent tube made from a damage resistant polymer;
- (b) connecting one end of each bungee connection to the practice baseball or softball to an O-ring that slidably engages along the transparent tube when a user's bat contacts with the regulation size baseball or softball.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.