Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove
Tethered ball device for attachment to a baseball glove including a ball, a reticulated tether, a tether to glove attachment, one end of the tether penetrating the ball and including a restraint to prevent the ball from becoming detached during the operation of throwing the ball, the opposite end of the tether slidably and frictionally attached to the glove attachment device. The attachment consisting of a strip of flexible material, one end of which terminates in a buckle, the opposite end terminating on one side in a hook type fastener and on the opposite side in a loop type fastener, and the attachment strip also including first and second tether restraining eyelets that allow the tether to be slid and frictionally retained thereby adjusting the overall length of the tether. A preferred embodiment includes the attachment can be easily affixed to most conventional baseball gloves.
Provisional Patent Application No. 60/488,167 titled Adjustable Ball Catching and Throwing Device For Attachment to Ball Catching Glove. Express Mail Number EU824053075US Filed Jul. 12, 2003
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIXNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to the field of baseball practice devices and more specifically to tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove. The game of throwing and catching a ball is many hundreds of years old. During the recent evolution of the game, baseball has evolved into a national pastime. The game requires the player to have the skill of throwing a ball and catching it in a baseball glove. The glove is typically made of leather or vinyl or other flexible material and usually includes one or more discrete finger retaining portions that the user slips his or her hand into.
Unfortunately, there are times when a player may not have access to an additional player and yet still wishes to practice throwing and catching a ball. In some cases a player can throw a rubber ball against a wall and catch it on the rebound. However, there may not be a suitable wall present or the player may throw the ball and miss the catch thereby causing him or her to have to retrieve the ball thereby wasting valuable time that might be otherwise spent on practice.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe primary object of the invention is to provide a way for a person to throw a ball and have it automatically return to his or her standard baseball glove.
Another object of the invention is to provide an easy way for a tethered ball to removably attach to a standard baseball glove.
Another object of the invention is to provide a way for one end of the tether to attach securely to a ball.
A further object of the invention is to provide a way to easily adjust the length of the tether.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a way to neatly retain excess tether to a baseball glove.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove comprising: a ball, a reticulated tether, a tether to glove attachment means, one end of said tether penetrating said ball and including a restraining means to prevent said tether from becoming detached from said ball during the operation of throwing said ball, the opposite end of said tether slidably and frictionally attached to said glove attachment means, said attachment means consisting of a strip of flexible material one end of which terminates in a buckle, the opposite end terminating on one side in a portion of hook type fastener and an adjacent portion of loop type fastener, and said attachment strip also including first and second tether restraining eyelets that allow the tether to be slid and frictionally retained thereby adjusting the overall length of said tether.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
In the above described and illustrated way, the present invention can be used by a ball player to help him or her practice catching and throwing a ball without the need for an additional player. Because the length of the tether is adjustable, the player can select a practice mode that includes throwing the ball longer or shorter distances and practice catching the ball from longer or shorter distances, The ball can be bounced on the ground or thrown directly into the air. The present invention allows a player to use his or her own baseball glove thereby giving the player valuable practice time that will improve the user's play during actual game conditions.
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove comprising:
- a ball;
- a reticulated tether;
- a tether to glove attachment means;
- one end of said tether penetrating said ball and including a restraining means to prevent said ball from becoming detached from said ball during the operation of throwing said ball;
- the opposite end of said tether slidably and frictionally attached to said glove attachment means;
- said attachment means consisting of a strip of flexible material one end of which terminates in a buckle, the opposite end terminating in a loop type fastening material and an adjacent portion of hook type fastening material; and
- said attachment strip also including a first and second pair of tether restraining eyelets that allow the tether to be slid and frictionally retained thereby adjusting the overall length of said tether.
2. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said attachment means can be easily affixed to most conventional baseball gloves by sliding said attachment strip between the fingers of said glove and then retaining said strip by said hook and loop fastener.
3. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tether is constructed of a reticulated elastic cord.
4. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first eyelet is positioned at the interior surface of said ball glove and said second eyelet is positioned at the exterior surface of said ball glove, said first eyelet acting as a tether restraining means and said second eyelet acting as a tether retaining means for keeping the unused tether from interfering with the ball throwing and catching activity.
5. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said eyelets are large enough to allow said tether to pass, yet small enough to frictionally retain said tether even when said tether is being stressed during the process of throwing said tethered ball.
6. Tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein additional eyelets may be added to said strap to further retain said elastic cord.
7. Tethered ball device for attachment to a tethered ball device for attachment to a standard baseball glove as claimed in claim 1 wherein said a user of any age, height or gender can practice throwing and catching a ball by throwing said ball, allowing said tether to extend fully, the elastic nature of the tether causing said ball to recoil back into the user's standard baseball glove.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 8, 2004
Publication Date: Jan 20, 2005
Inventors: Elizabeth Silman (Corte Madera, CA), Aaron Silman (Corte Madera, CA)
Application Number: 10/886,129