Patents Examined by Paul T. Sewell
  • Patent number: 6776733
    Abstract: An overhead supported net system including a net and a spaced pair of masts pivotally connected to an overhead structure to pivot about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the net between a stored position and a play position. A pair of braces are connected to the overhead structure and the masts to lock the masts in the play position. The mast terminates short of the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: Porter Athletic Equipment Company
    Inventor: Edward A. Schroeder
  • Patent number: 6777640
    Abstract: A golf club with an enhanced degree of freedom with respect to design, and a method for manufacturing the same. A head 1 is formed with a face 3 on the front face, a cavity 9 on a rear face and a shaft attachment portion 8 on one side, to which is connected a shaft 2. If a maximum height of a bottom surface 9A of the cavity 9 in the top-to-sole direction is denoted by H1, and a maximum width thereof in the toe-to-heel direction is denoted by W1, the cavity 9 is formed to satisfy an inequality: H1/W1≳0.6. Further, if a maximum height of the face 3 is denoted by H1, then the cavity 9 is formed to satisfy an inequality: 0.7≲H1/H2≲0.85. Thus, the face 3 can be easily resiliently bent at the time of striking balls, thereby developing a greater repulsive force, elongating travelling distances of balls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2004
    Assignee: K.K. Endo Seisakusho
    Inventor: Hitoshi Takeda
  • Patent number: 6761649
    Abstract: A ball return apparatus for providing a moveable, netted frame that would redirect balls toward the shooter, after the ball passes through the hoop or if the player misses. The ball return apparatus includes a frame assembly having a plurality of vertical support members. The frame assembly has a plurality of horizontal support members. The netting assembly forms a plurality of walls between the horizontal and the vertical support members of the framing assembly. A ball return assembly is positioned interior to the netting assembly. The ball return assembly is for returning a ball to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Inventor: William H. Medley, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6736739
    Abstract: A soccer training device, which fits into and is used in conjunction with a standard backyard soccer goal, uses a motorized simulated goalie. The goalie traverses across the mouth of the goal and a cam mechanism is used to impart an oscillating motion about the vertical axis of the goalie while traversing. A ball return device is included which returns the ball to the player after it has entered the mouth of the goal. A speed control varies the speed of the goalie enabling players of various ages and levels of skill to use the training device to hone their skills.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Inventor: Leonard S. Epworth
  • Patent number: 6723134
    Abstract: A multi-component lacrosse stick head, made of at least two materials, including a base lacrosse head structure of one material and one or more overlays made of one or more other materials strategically located on the base structure. The base structure and overlays provide particular performance characteristics for the lacrosse head. An embodiment of the invention includes a base lacrosse head structure, and at least one of a ball stop overlay, a sidewall overlay, an edge overlay, a thread opening overlay, and a scoop overlay. The overlays are affixed to the base lacrosse head structure by, for example, insert molding, over molding, reaction injection molding, spray application, rotational molding, dual extrusion, casting, or an interference fit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Inventor: Richard B. C. Tucker, Sr.
  • Patent number: 6716120
    Abstract: The hockey training aid is a blade having a shank for inserting a stick handle and containing a channel along the lower edge of the blade. A string is fastened at one end to a puck and at the other end to a ball-shaped bead that is freely movable within the channel. The string attached to the bead extends outward from the channel through a slit that also extends along the length of the channel. During use, as the puck moves back-and-forth during stick-handling drills, the bead freely moves back-and-forth within the channel and the tether freely moves along the slit. An additional optional hole is provided at the top of the blade for use as an alternative stationary attachment of an elastic tether to the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Inventor: John Normand
  • Patent number: 6716121
    Abstract: A baseball-training device that improves the accuracy and power of a batter's swing. The device comprises a wheeled base, telescoping vertical stand, and an automotive tire. The wheeled base provides mobility for the device. The telescoping vertical stand has a top arched portion that supports the automotive tire. The telescoping vertical stand also comprises a hinge means and a tensioning means. The tire is capable of being hit by a baseball bat on a marked side tread portion of the tire so that the motion of the baseball bat is resisted by a natural resilience of the tire and the tensioning means. The device is easy to manufacture and relatively inexpensive, thereby making it available to all baseball or softball player enthusiasts. The device is of a durable, long life construction and able to sustain repeated attempts by practicing hitters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Inventor: Kent F. Brown
  • Patent number: 6712716
    Abstract: The present invention describes a golf ball with a center, at least one wound layer, optionally, at least one intermediate layer, and at least one cover layer. The center is at least about 1 inch in diameter and includes polybutadiene, natural rubber, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene, or styrene-propylene-diene rubber. The at least one wound layer includes one or more of polyether urea, polyester urea, polyester block copolymers, polyethylene, polyamide, polyketon, poly (p-phenylene terephthalamide), or polyisoprene. The at least one intermediate layer includes polybutadiene, natural rubber, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene, or styrene-propylene-diene rubber. The at least one cover layer includes a thermoplastic resin or a thermoset material. This unique construction gives the ball characteristics both of a wound and a solid construction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Acushnet Company
    Inventor: Roman D. Halko
  • Patent number: 6712722
    Abstract: A basketball shot training device including a platform having a lower surface and an upper surface. The lower surface is positionable on a flat recipient surface. The upper surface receives a practicing player's feet thereon in a standing orientation. A tether is provided having a first end and a second end. The first end is adjustably secured to the platform. A glove is coupled with the second end of the tether. The glove has an opening therein for receiving a hand of the practicing player therein. The device is capable of detecting the angle and position of the glove following a shot to ascertain whether a shot was properly executed with the requisite “follow-through”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Inventor: Gerald Mosley
  • Patent number: 6712710
    Abstract: A multi-level pool game apparatus having two or more generally horizontal ball-supporting playing surfaces supported in stacked relation, spaced sufficiently apart from one another to allow player access to the lower surfaces to strike balls with a cue or the like. Each surface may have one or more ball-receiving pockets. Conduits extend between pockets at adjacent surfaces to provide pathways between such adjacent surfaces. In one form of the game, each player has a set of visually distinguishable balls, and the objective is for each player to advance his/her balls along a predetermined route from surface to surface, while impeding the advance of the other players' balls along the route. In the preferred embodiment there are three or more playing surfaces and at least one set of conduits are aligned with a pocket at an intermediate playing surface to provide both upward and downward pathways from that surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Inventor: Kent Pearson
  • Patent number: 6712214
    Abstract: A stackable display tray including a shell having a plurality of sides defined by an equal number of corners, a substantially closed bottom having bottom corners corresponding with the corners of the shell, and a top having top corners corresponding with the corners of said shell. The top includes at least two first openings each adjacent to an independent top corner, and the bottom includes at least two second openings each adjacent to an independent bottom corner. The display tray also includes a side panel member having at least two angular panels positioned within the shell adjacent at least two of the corners and including a tab projecting from the top of at least two of the angular panels. At least two of the first openings each receive the tab of one of the angular panels positioned within the shell and at least two of the second openings are each adapted to receive a tab of an angular panel of a side panel member which projects out from a top of an adjacent display tray positioned below the bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2004
    Assignee: Mars, Inc.
    Inventors: William Wintermute, Jason Middleton, Steve Cassin, Dave Hoffman, Frank DeBrincat, Cameron Lodi
  • Patent number: 6709343
    Abstract: A golf putt training apparatus is provided which assists a golfer in maintaining the putter head along an intendded target line while practicing a putting stroke. The training apparatus includes a pair of mutually opposing guide rails having plurality of substantially rigid teeth projecting in the direction of the opposing guide rail which stop the putter head from advancing off the intended target line. By leaving to advance the putter head between the guide rails without engaging the rigid teeth a golfer can develop a habit of keeping the putter head on the desired target line during a putting stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: Mystic Golf, L.L.C.
    Inventors: William T. O'Connor, Paul E. Reehil
  • Patent number: 6699145
    Abstract: A curling broom, comprises a broom head, a broom handle attached to the broom head, and a delivery accessory adapted for attachment to either the broom handle or the broom head in both a first position and a second position. The delivery accessory improves the balance of a person delivering a curling stone in the first position. The delivery accessory is stored in a nonobtrusive manner in the second position enabling the curling broom to be used for conventional sweeping in front of a delivered curling stone. The delivery accessory for comprises a support stand and a mount adapted for attaching the support stand to the curling broom. The accessory is also useable with tools such as shovels, rakes, and the like. A method for delivering a curling stone is also disclosed. The method comprises the steps of attaching a delivery accessory to a curling broom, and delivering the curling stone with one hand and holding onto the curling broom with a second hand as the curling stone is being delivered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Inventor: Robert S. Scott
  • Patent number: 6695723
    Abstract: A propulsion member (e.g. a bat) has an external switch and an internally disposed transistor which transmits signals when the switch is manually closed. A receiver in a tee mechanism receives the signals and causes a tee in the mechanism to move upwardly from a rest position to an operative position. As the tee moves upwardly to the operative position, an element (e.g. a wiffle ball) moves on a ramp to a supportive position at the top of the tee. When the tee is in the operative position, a player holding the propulsion member swings the member against the ball. This is helpful to young children (e.g. eight (8) years old or younger) in learning how to hit a baseball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Sport Fun, Inc.
    Inventors: Jose E. Leal, John F. Barletta
  • Patent number: 6695710
    Abstract: The training device is comprised of two vertically mounted separated rods, which are connected by two strings. The vertically erected rods have two component structures, namely a base rod subsection and a height adjustable rod subsection. Each rod comes with a rotatable hook that can be mounted in slits to hook to the two strings. The rods are equipped with a bubble level on their top to adjust for a perpendicular mounting position. The ball is placed on the ground immediately under the lower one of two strings which serve as a sightline by which the direction of the swing of the putter is defined and to which the striking face of the putter is perpendicularly maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Graphite Design International Incorporation
    Inventor: Megumi Yamada
  • Patent number: 6695309
    Abstract: A modular hidden maze game for multiple players is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, the game includes a playing board having a playing surface on which can be defined a plurality of playing spaces. Each of the playing spaces can include at least one recessed portion. A plurality of partition pieces can be removably attached to the playing surface at a substantially normal angle, thereby forming a plurality of mutable paths across the playing surface. A plurality of covering pieces are provided. Each of the covering pieces can be dimensioned to removably engage the recessed portion of one of the plurality of playing spaces while at least partially covering any partition pieces that abut the playing space occupied by the covering piece. The playing board can be formed of discrete modules which allow players to separate sections of the board to facilitate set up and concealment of a maze before rejoining the sections to reform the board having at least two concealed mazes thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Inventor: Martin Pepper
  • Patent number: 6695725
    Abstract: A baseball hitting-pitching practicing device for permitting a user to practice pitching a ball into a strike zone. The baseball hitting-pitching practicing device includes a base member that has an upper surface. An elongate support member is provided that has first and second opposed ends with the first end being mounted to the base member. The support member may extend perpendicularly away from the base member and a pair of spaced zone members is slidably mounted on a portion of the elongate support member for defining a strike zone, whereby a user pitches a baseball adjacent to the strike zone. Each of the zone members comprises a generally planar plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Inventor: Donald R. Burns, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6695713
    Abstract: A slip-resistant shock absorbing golf club grip that includes a felt layer, a fabric mesh formed of fibers and a polyurethane coating covering the mesh and felt, the fibers of the mesh defining grooves in the surface of the slip-resistant polyurethane which are engaged by a golfers' hands, with the polyurethane coating being buffed to partially expose the fibers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Inventor: Ben Huang
  • Patent number: 6695708
    Abstract: A golf putter includes a polyhedrally-shaped head having a plurality of generally vertically disposed ball-impacting faces which have different ball impacting characteristics and a shaft having at the lower end thereof a hosel terminated by a prism-shaped lower shaft end that has a polygonal transverse cross section. The head has protruding perpendicularly downwards from an upper surface thereof a centrally located bore having a polygonal cross section of the same shape but slightly larger than that of the prism-shaped end of the hosel, which is inserted into the bore at a selected angular orientation relative to the head to position a selected ball impacting face in a conventional ball-impacting disposition relative to the shaft grip, and releasably secured at that position by a screw inserted through the sole of the head and tightened into a threaded bore provided in the hosel end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Inventor: Dale P. Fisher
  • Patent number: 6695722
    Abstract: A method of playing a ball game involving three players. The equipment consists of 2 bases, 6 cans, a ball and a bat. The players attempt to score points by hitting the cans with the ball or touching each of the bases while the pitcher is retrieving the ball.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Inventor: Quincy Ann Butler