Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~3233~
REFLEX SKILL PRACTICE DEVICE AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to reflex skill
development devices in athletic games, particularly
baseball. In particular, it relates to practice balls for
use in developing reflex skills necessary for such games.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Reflex skill development devices and more
25 particularly erratic bouncing balls, have been known for some
time in the art. U.S. Patent No. 2,362,064 to Giesinger,
November 1944, describes a balanced ball with a highly
irregular external surface which rebounds erratically upon
striking a surface. U.S. Patent No. 890,920 to Newbold, June
30 1908, teaches a ball with differing diameters and planes of
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section which, when thrown in such a way to hit and bounce
upon the ground, will return to the person throwing it.
Balls with erratic behaviour in other aspects are
also known as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 1,629,364 to
Scholly which teaches a throwing play ball with an enlarged
portion on one side to cause the ball to behave erratically
when thrown from one person to another. U.S. Patent No.
1,346,991 to Tatum teaches a ball with a metalic strip on
its interior and a means for holding this strip to one side
of the centre of the ball to provide for a ball which, when
rolled, returns to the person who rolled it.
Batting practice devices and other tethered ball
recreational devices are also known such as the batting aid
described in U.S. Patent No. 4,577,864 to Michael A.
Aldrich showing a molded foam rubber ball secured through a
braided tubular rope and an elongated wand or a handle.
U.S. Patent No. 4,032,145 to Max M. Tami discloses a
spherical baseball 20 affixed at one end of a long nylon
cord with a flexible handle fastened at the opposite end and
a slide control mounted between. U.S. Patent No. 3,907,287
to Fox et al, discloses a hollow, perforated, substantially
rigid ball secured to one end of a tether line, the opposite
end of 25 which is spring attached to a handle through
pivoting and rotating members.
Other skill development devices known are
illustrated by U.S. Patent No. 3,843,126 to Leon D. Bandy
which discloses a catching practice device comprising a
rubber ball secured to one end of a tether line, the
opposite end of which is attached to a partial glove.
Another catching practice device is described in
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U.S. Patent No. 3,731,927 to Thomas J. Rocco Jr. showing a
ball made of knotted rubber bands tethered to a glove by a
stretchable elastic rubber cord.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention was to provide
a practice ball which would be useful in development of a
plurality of reflex skills.
An object of the present invention was to provide
a hollow ball with a resilient collapsible wall that
combines a collapsible effect for safety with an internal
shape that sets up an erratic behavior in its contact with
the ground.
Another object of the present invention was to
provide a tether system where an easy wrapping of the
tether system about a simple one-piece handle adapts a
reflex skill development device from a batting practice
device requiring a tether line of 15-25 feet to a "bad hop"
catching device requiring only about 2-4 feet of tether
line. This adjustability allows the device to be
adjustable for comfort in both functions for all ages.
In particular, the invention relates to the
provision of a resilient practice ball comprising at least
two regions with respect to deformation upon impact with a
surface. An elongated band forms one region and subdivides
the ball into two other areas to opposite sides of the band
comprising the second region. Said band is several times
stronger with respect to deformation upon impact than said
second region, such that the rebounding
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characteristics of the ball are dependent upon the area of
the ball which impacts upon the surface. The ball of the
present invention can be used in a number of different
modes to practice different reflex skills. Thus, it may be
thrown back and forth between two players as in regular
practice to develop their skills at catching an erratically
thrown ball. It may also be tethered to a short resilient
tether such that upon being swung vertically by an operator
and striking the ground it rebounds erratically in
simulation of a bad hop to improve reflex action in
fielding. In a further mode of operation while tethered to
a longer tether, it may be swung in a horizontal direction
by a pitcher such that a batter may practice batting.
The present invention also provides for a reflex
skill development device for use in athletic games,
particularly baseball. The device comprises a rebounding
ball attached to one end of a resilient tether with a means
for gripping the tether in the hand attached to the second
end of the tether. The length of the tether between the
ball and the means for gripping the tether is preferably
about 2 to 5 feet to permit the ball to be swung by a user
of the device in a generally vertical circular motion and
thereafter to strike the ground such that the rebound
characteristic of the ball and the resiliency of the tether
cooperate to cause the ball to rebound toward the user in
imitation of the hop of a ball being fielded in the game of
baseball.
In an aspect of the invention, the ball has
properties to produce erratic rebounding behaviour such
that the rebound characteristic of the ball and the
resiliency of the tether cooperate to cause the ball to
rebound toward the user in imitation of the bad hop of a
ball being fielded in the game of baseball.
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In another aspect of the invention the ball has
regions of differing rebound characteristics such that the
apparent retractive force of the stretched tether can be
deflected depending upon the region of the ball which
strikes the ground to cause the ball to return to the user
influenced by the unexpected resultant force and direction
as a result of the deflection of the tether and the rebound
characteristics of the ball.
The present invention provides for a practice
ball which is useful in development of reflex skills for
use in athletic games, particularly baseball. In
particular, it relates to devices for use in developing
reflex skills necessary for fielding and catching of balls
in such games.
BRIEF DEScRIpTIoN OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a pictorial view illustrating two
athletes using the tethered ball in the batting practice
function of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a pictorial view of an athlete
utilizing the ball on a short tether in a second function
of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a partial cross-section of the ball
illustrating the fastening of the tether through two holes
around the band.
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Fig. 4 is a top view of the ball with the
elongate band shown by the hidden line.
Fig. 5 is a partial cross-section side view of
the ball illustrating the point of impact of the ground
with the band in a horizontal plane in the upper half of
the ball as in a low bounce.
Fig. 6 is a partial cross-section of the ball
illustrating the point of impact of the ground with the
band in the lower half of the ball as in a high bounce.
Fig. 7 is a side view of the handpiece
illustrating subsequent wraps of cord around the device.
Fig. 8 is a partial cross-section side view of a
2nd embodiment of the ball.
Fig. 9 is an end view of the handle detailing the
last wrap of the cord.
Fig. 10 is a 2nd embodiment of the handle of Fig.
8 where an elastic band is shown on the shank of the handle
illustrating the resting place of the elastic band when not
in use.
~32338~
Fig. 11 is a pictorial view of the 2nd
embodiment of the handle illustrating a function of the
elastic band.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The resilient practice ball 40 is useful for a
number of skill developments as illustrated in Figures 1
and 2. Figure 1 shows the ball 40 tethered by a tether
line 17 to a handle 19.
The ball may be swung in a horizontal patch by a
pitcher 23 to permit a batter 37 to practice batting.
Figure 2 illustrates a second reflex skill practice whereby
the practice ball 40 is tethered to a short tether line and
swung vertically by an operator 24. The swinging motion is
most likened to that of a skipping rope handle. The ball
40, upon striking the ground, rebounds erratically towards
the operator 24 in simulation of a bad hop.
One preferred embodiment of the ball of the
present invention is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4. Ball
40 comprises a resilient cover 58 with a plurality of
perforations 56 therethrough. The ball 40, in its
interior, has an elongated band 43 disposed along a circle
of the ball offset from the axial plane of the ball as
shown by the hidden line in Figure 4. The term "circle of
the ball" refers to the circle formed on the exterior
surface of the ball by the intersection of an imaginary
plane which passes through the ball. Preferably, the
elongated band 43 is offset from the axial plane of the
ball between one fifth and one half of the radius of the
ball 40, most preferably one third of the radius of the
ball 40. The elongated band 43 is preferably formed
integral with the cover 58 and of the same material as the
cover.
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The ratio of the thickness of elongated band 43
to the cover 58 is chosen depending upon the desired
rebound characteristics of the ball 40. The higher the
ratio of the thicknesses, the greater the differences in
deformation and resilient properties of the elongated band
and the remainder of the cover. The cover in regions other
than the elongated band readily collapses and deflates upon
forced impact with a surface, while the elongated band is
substantially stronger then the other regions of the cover
and only resiliently deforms upon forced impact with a
surface. With the thickness of the cover in regions other
than the elongated band being maintained constant, as the
thickness of the elongated band is increased and hence the
ratio of thicknesses is increased, the ability of the
elongated band to resiliently deform is decreased and the
difference between the behaviour of the elongated bands and
the remainder of the cover is increased. Preferably the
ratio of the thickness of elongated band 43 to the cover 58
is in the range of about 2:1 to about 6:1 and most
preferably in the range of about 3:1 to about 4:1.
The peripheral edges of the elongated band where
it joins the other regions of the cover provide for
tripping edges or turning edges as explained further
hereinbelow. To increase the erratic behaviour of the ball
the two peripheral edges may be constructed to have
dissimilar structures. The elongated band 43 may have a top
peripheral edge 54 having a slowly accelerating curve in
relation to a tangent at the outside of the ball 40 and a
bottom peripheral edge 53 having a faster accelerating
curve in relation to a tangent at the outside of the ball.
This difference in structure of the peripheral edges
between the elongated band and the rest of the cover
increases the erratic rebound characteristics of the ball
when the ball strikes the surface at or near the peripheral
edges.
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132~38~
Thus, when the ball 40 is tethered and used in
the simulation of fielding a ball as shown in Figure 2, the
surface of the ball 40 has regions of differing
collapsibility, a first region comprising the portion of
the cover 58 with the band 43 and a second region
comprising the portion of the cover 58 without the band.
The collapsibility of the two regions of the cover noted
above is directly proportional to their relative
thicknesses and the number and size of the perforations
provided in the cover. Additionally, if the ball strikes
on or near the peripheral edge between the elongated band
and the remainder of the cover, the pivoting of the ball
about the edge will further influence its behaviour.
Depending upon the portion of the ball 40 which strikes the
ground, the ball will either rebound with a normal high
rebound or will rebound low or off to the side as explained
further hereinbelow.
Band 43 also strengthens the cover 58 of the
ball to permit attachment of a tether 17. A simple mode of
attachment of tether 17 is shown in Figure 3 where the
tether is looped around the elongate band 43 by passing
through perforations 55 and 57 in the cover. Perforation
55 and perforation 57 are on vertical radial axial line so
that tether 17 may enter ball 40 in an upper perforation 55
wrap around the band 43, leave by a lower perforation 57
and tie at a knot 48 external of the ball. To help
withstand abrasions, the perforations could have rounded
corners to protect the tether at its point of contact with
the ball. A light plastic sliding covering might cover
tether 38 from knot to knot to protect the tether against
abrasions and allow the internal stretchable tether to
slide in and out of the covering in its stretch requirement
of 7 to 10 feet.
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The tether 17 of the present invention is
preferably constructed in two parts of two dissimilar
materials. A first part 38 (also called a short tether) of
short stretchable material is attached at one end to the
ball 40 and then attached at a second end through a swivel
arrangement 27 to a second part 21 of the tether. The
short tether 38 of the tether 17 is most preferably of a
stretchable material forgiving enough to allow a stretch
ratio of in the range 3:1 to 4:1 so that when it is of the
preferred length of 2 to 3 feet the tether system may
stretch to approximately 7 to 10 feet. The short tether 38
must have a stretch capability in bad hop function Fig. 2
that will pull the ball back towards the catcher 24 such
that the ball 40 will be presented to the catcher before
the tether system. Additionally, should the batter miss
the ball with the bat and strike the short tether, the
tether will stretch during its wrapping around the bat such
that injury to the operator will be prevented. An extended
rubber tubing (e.g. surgical tubing) with an internal
diameter of 1/16 inches and an external diameter of 1/4 to
5/16 inches has been found to perform adequately. The
short tether may be covered by a braided material, however
the weave of such braided material should be such to allow
for the required stretch capability.
The second part 21 of the tether line (also
called an adjusting line) is preferably of a smaller light
gauge material, most preferably multibraided nylon to keep
the bulk of the fully wrapped handpiece of the bad hop
function of Fig. 2 to a minimum size to be used by athletes
of all ages. The adjusting line 21 may be of any length
from 15-25 feet and is most preferably 18 feet long.
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This adjusting line 21 is in turn attached to a
handle 19, generally rigid in construction and manufactured
from any moldable material. In the preferred embodiment
the handle 19 is contructed of a smooth vulcanized rubber.
All external corners of the handle 19 are rounded to
prevent injury to anyone should the pitcher accidently
release the handle in the batting practice function.
The handle 19 has an offset tapered extension
shank 22 which in operation rests between the first finger
and middle index finger of the operator. By providing the
handle 19 as a modified T shape it rests more comfortably
between the first finger and middle finger of the
operator's hand as these are of a wider gap and accept the
substantially strong shank 22 more comfortably than the gap
between the middle and ring fingers. The extension shank
has a hollow passageway 26 smoothly rounded at the ends
allowing pas- sage without chafe or unnecessary wear of the
adjusting line 21.
A raised shoulder 25 directly opposite this
extension shank 22 prevents the adjusting line 21 from
piling up against the opening of the passageway 26 when the
line is wrapped about the handle. The adjusting line 21
passes through the passageway and is attached to the handle
19 at a point on the main handgrip of the handle by looping
around the handle 19 and entering a second round cornered
hollow passage 28 where it rests knotted 29 in the tapered
end of passage 28
As shown in Fig. 7 adjusting line 21 is therefore
adjustable by simply pulling it through passageway 26 and
looping
1323385
about the handle 19. Thus, it is possible to adjust the
total length of the tether line 17 from the short 2-4 feet
required for simulation of the bad hop to the longer 15-25
feet required in the batting practice embodiment.
In Fig. 10 and 11 there is a second embodiment
of the handle 19A wherein the shank 22A has been extended
lengthwise from the main body of the handle 32 to situate a
substantially wide strong elastic band 33 with a loop 35
which lies at rest noninterfering with the clasp of the
operator's hand. The band 33 when pulled over the end of
the handle l9A, secures the wraps of line 21 preventing
their unravelling and subsequent entanglement when not in
use.
In the practice of skills required in fielding
of ground balls as illustrated in Figure 2, the device
provides the required simulation of a ball bouncing along
the ground due to the resilient nature of both the ball 40
and the short tether 38. As the device is swung in a
generally vertical plane, the centrifugal force of the ball
40 results in stretching of the short tether 38. As the
ball 40 strikes the ground, this centrifugal force causing
the stretching of the tether 38 is released, thereby
allowing the tether 38 to spring back to its relaxed
position. The force exerted on the ball 40 by the
springing back action of the tether 38 in combination with
the rebound of the ball from the surface of the ground
results in the ball 40 being returned to the operator and
presented to the operator in advance of the tether 38.
The predictability of the rebound of the ball
may be varied depending upon the nature of the ball itself.
Thus, a ball having a fairly uniform rebounding
characteristic will tend to rebound towards the operator at
a generally 45 angle, the most common angle that the
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tether would present the ball to the ground, although there
may be slight variations to this. If the ball is provided
with properties to result in variations in its rebound
characteristics, then the angle of the rebound from the
ground will vary accordingly as a result of the division of
the apparent trajectory of the ball while overcoming the
immediate retraction force of the tether line when the ball
strikes the ground. Thus, in a ball having an elongated
band lying generally in the axial plane of the ball, there
will be some variation to the angle of rebound of the ball
depending upon the region of the cover of the ball which
strikes the ground. With a ball having the elongated band
offset from the axial plane resulting in an unbalanced
property to the weight of the ball as well as providing
different regions of rebound, the variations in the angle
of rebound of the ball are increased resulting in a ball
where the operator is not able to predict the exact nature
of the rebound. Thus, the device of the present invention
may be designed for varying skill levels. A person who is
just starting to learn to catch a rebounding ball would use
a ball having a fairly uniform rebound characteristics
while as one's skill level increases, the degree of erratic
behavior of the ball would be increased until one reached a
ball which would provide maximum properties of erratic
rebounding.
The behaviour of the ball 40 of one embodiment
of the present invention when tethered is illustrated
further in Figures 5 and 6. The ball 40, when swung in the
vertical plane, generally hits the ground at reference
point 55 at about a 45~ angle, the most common angle that
the tether 38 would present the ball 40 to the ground. The
differences in the properties of relative deformation and
collapse of the two portions of the cover of the ball
varies such that as the ball 40 hits the ground at point 55
the rebound of the ball is dependent upon the portion of
the ball striking the ground.
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Figure 5 illustrates a ball 90 where the portion
of the cover without the elongated band 43 strikes the
ground. T~e perforations provided in the cover offer
little or no resistance to collapse allowing the ball to
readily deflate as the cover collapses and buckles such
that the ball undergoes a gyration about the peripheral
edge between the elongated band and the remainder of the
cover. This gyration results in the point of attachment of
the tether 38 to the ball 40 being deflected downward. The
combination of the forces of the collapsing of the wall of
the ball resulting in a gyration of the ball; deflection of
the point of attachment of the tether; and the relaxation
of the stretched tether as a result of the release of the
centrifugal force on the tether results in a low bounce
toward the operator such that the ball would be presented
to the operator at or below knee level. The peripheral
edge of the elongated band upon such collapse and buckling
of the cover, acts as an internal tripping or pivoting edge
wherein the upper mass of the ball is top heavy and results
in the gyration of the ball about the peripheral edge to
direct the ball onto the deflatably collapsible perforated
cover.
In Figure 6 where the portion of the cover with
the elongated band 43 strikes the ground, the cover does
not collapse as readily. In this situation there is little
or no gyration of the ball as it strikes the ground and
hence little or no deflection of the point of attachment of
the tether. In this attitude, the combination of the
resilient rebound of the ball from the ground and the
relaxation of the tether results in a high bounce
presenting the ball to the operator at about chest level.
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In both Figures 5 and 6, the elongated band is
in a generally level attitude with respect to the point of
attachment of the tether and the ground, thereby resulting
in the ball rebounding directly towards the operator. As
the attitude of the elongated band varies from side to side
from this level with relation to the ground, the direction
of rebound varies from side to side with respect to the
operator. Thus, in addition to the variation in the high
or low bounce of the ball as a result of the region of the
cover striking the ground, the side to side variation in
the bounce of the ball is also variable dependent upon the
attitude of the plane of the elongated band as the ball
strikes the ground.
Figure 8 discloses another embodiment of the
practice ball 40A, wherein an attaching eye 46 is provided
extending from the surface of the practice ball for
attachment of the tether line. The ball of this embodiment
may be used in either of the functions illustrated in Fig.
1 and Fig. 2.
The behaviour of the ball as it strikes on or
near the tripping edge, namely the peripheral edge of the
elongated band, may be further modified by the structure of
this edge. Thus if the peripheral edge of the elongated
band is provided as a very sharp edge, then this will tend
to accentuate the tripping or turning action of the ball as
it strikes on or near this tripping edge. If the edge of
the elongated band is provided as a very gradual edge,
gradually reducing in thickness until it matches the
thickness of the remainder of the cover, then the tripping
or turning action of the ball will be less accentuated but
will be spread over a larger proportion of the surface of
the ball.
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The behaviour of the ball upon contacting a
surface is dependent upon both the area of the cover of the
ball which is in contact with the surface as well as the
attitude of the elongated band with respect to the point of
contact of the ball with the surface. If the ball contacts
the surface with the elongated band in a perfectly vertical
attitude then the ball will rebound from the surface with a
high bounce due to the ball resiliently deforming in areas
of the elongated band. With the elongated band in a
perfectly horizontal attitude with respect to the ground,
the ball will rebound with a very low bounce due to the
resilient collapse and deformation of the perforated region
of the cover. As the attitude of the elongated band
becomes less than 90 down to an attitude whereby the
peripheral edge of the elongated band is in contact with
the ground, there will be some gyration of the ball in the
direction of the attitude of the elongated band due to the
overbalancing of the ball as a result of the orientation of
the elongated band. Once the attitude of the elongated
band reaches the point where the peripheral edge of the
ball is brought into contact with the surface either
through direct contact with the surface at the point of
impact of the ball or contact with the surface as a result
of tne collapsing of the perforated region of the ball,
then the gyration of the ball due to the tripping or
turning over the peripheral edge is accentuated and the
rebound from the surface to that side is accentuated. Once
the attitude of the elongated band is such that the
peripheral edge does not come into contact with the surface
either directly or indirectly, then the ball will gyrate
slightly depending upon balancing of the weight of the ball
as a result of the attitude of the elongated band with
respect to the surface.
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With the ball shown in Figures 5 and 6 where the
elongated band is offset with respect to the axial plane of
the ball, then this degree of offset will affect the
behaviour of the ball such that it is dependent not only
upon the attitude of the elongated band with respect to the
point of contact of the ball but also the attitude of the
overall balance of the ball with respect to the point of
contact of the ball with the surface. Thus with an offset
elongated band, the offset of the elongated band provides
some imbalance to the ball even when the elongated band is
in a perfectly vertical attitude and thus the
predictability of the rebound of the ball is less than that
of the ball with the elongated band located on the axial
plane of the ball.
The ball of the present invention provides for
an erratic behaviour in its rebounding upon forced impact
with a surface. ~y tethering the ball with a resilient
tether, and swinging the tethered ball in a generally
vertical plane to forcibly strike a surface in front of an
operator, it is possible to control the general direction
of the rebound such that it rebounds towards the operator.
However, due to the erratic behaviour of the ball, the
actual rebound of the ball from the surface in the general
direction of rebound will be erratic within certain
parameters depending upon the exact structure of the ball.
Additionally, the behaviour of the ball as it strikes the
ground may be further accentuated depending upon the force
with which it strikes the ground. Thus, increasing the
velocity of the swinging action of the tether increases the
centrifugal force and momentum of the ball and thereby
increases behaviour of the ball upon impact with the ground
and the diversion of the resultant force and direction of
the rebound of the ball. For the substantial degree of
diversion of the resultant force away from the apparent
trajectory of the tether in the preferred embodiment, a
ball with such sufficient characteristics is employed to
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overcome the potential retractive force of the tether
during the moment of impact of the ball with the ground.
It will now be seen how the present invention
provides for a practice device for developing reflex skills
necessary, particularly in baseball for the fielding of
ground balls.
Although various preferred embodiments of the
present invention have been described herein in detail, it
will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the
variations may be made thereto without departing form the
spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended
claims.
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