Patents by Inventor Michael E. April

Michael E. April has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9737777
    Abstract: A lightweight sweet spot trainer includes a sleeve that is slipped over the barrel end of any bat. The sleeve covers the barrel over the primary contact area of the bat. The sleeve holds a force sensor placed inside it such that, when slid over the bat, the force sensor is coincident with the sweet spot of the bat. When a ball comes in contact with the sweet spot, the force sensor directly beneath it is triggered such that instantaneous feedback is given to the athlete thereby making him/her aware of accurate sweet spot contact. Moreover, an array of cylindrical contact/force sensors can be positioned such that the user gets feedback that would depend on how far from the sweet spot the user strikes/contacts the ball. The user may be notified by audio, visual, or sensory cues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2017
    Inventors: Michael E. April, Marc H. Cohen
  • Publication number: 20160346659
    Abstract: A lightweight sweetspot trainer includes a sleeve that is slipped over the barrel end of any bat. The sleeve covers the barrel over the primary contact area of the bat. The sleeve holds a force sensor placed inside it such that, when slid over the bat, the force sensor is coincident with the sweetspot of the bat. When a ball comes in contact with the sweetspot, the force sensor directly beneath it is triggered such that instantaneous feedback is given to the athlete thereby making him/her aware of accurate sweetspot contact. Moreover, an array of cylindrical contact/force sensors can be positioned such that the user gets feedback that would depend on how far from the sweetspot the user strikes/contacts the ball. The user may be notified by audio, visual, or sensory cues.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2016
    Publication date: December 1, 2016
    Inventors: Michael E. April, Marc H. Cohen