Collapsible and Portable Strikezone & Backstop for WIFFLE® Ball (and other Plastic Baseball) Games
This invention, entitled “Collapsible and Portable Strikezone & Backstop for WIFFLE® Ball (and other Plastic Baseball) Games,” is a lightweight, portable strikezone and backstop for use in WIFFLE ball games. This invention calls pitches entering the strikezone, embedded on the collapsible backstop frame, “strikes” and stops “balls” hitting the backstop. This WIFFLE ball strikezone and backstop is portable and collapsible, being able to have its coilable frame rapidly unfurl and attach to lightweight rods in assembly. The invention's strikezone netting serves an objective “umpire” for pitches, while its backstop assists batters in retrieving “balls” faster—facilitating WIFFLE ball play. The invention's specific design for use with WIFFLE® and other plastic baseballs enables the backstop frame to be lightweight and portable, which is easily assembled by unfurling and attaching it to lightweight connectors maintaining it perpendicular to the playing ground.
U.S. Application No. 60/925,303 (filing date: Apr. 19, 2007), Pro se Inventor, Wei Hu, entitled: “Self-standing collapsible and portable strikezone and backstop for Wiffle ball (and other plastic-baseball) games.”
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNone.
REFERENCE TO A COMPUTER PROGRAMNone.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to recreational sports equipment, specifically a collapsible, portable and lightweight Strikezone and Backstop for use with W
473/454, 273/396, 473/476, 273/400, 473/454
BACKGROUND OF INVENTIONThis present invention, entitled “Collapsible and Portable Strikezone & Backstop for W
Prior W
The game of W
The W
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,776 to Newcomb, et al. (1990)
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,422 to Ma (1990)
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 4,871,169 to Autorino, et al. (1989)
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,238 to Newcomb, et al. (1978)
Since W
Whether W
Although the prior is fully replete with varied backstop and strikezone devices, (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 1,879,316 entitled “Baseball Strike Zone Target” issued on Sept. 27, 1932 to Kleb and U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,740, entitled “Practice Backstop for Ball Playing Sports” issued on Feb. 18, 1992 to Peterson)) which enable individuals to practice pitching and throwing of baseballs by him or herself, no similar invention has been introduced that is specifically designed for use with W
Another demand on the market is to provide a practice pitching target and backstop that enables a pitching practice specifically for W
(i) Relevant Strike Zone and Backstop Patents
The following listed below, represent the prior art involving strikezones and/or backstops that are all primarily intended for use with baseballs, not W
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 7,704,169 to Bove (2010)—Universal Baseball Practice System
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,245 to Cho (2007)—Portable Ball Retriever
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,214 to Rome (2007)—Portable Backstop Game Apparatus
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 7,134,977 to Campbell, et al. (2006)—Sports Training Target System
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,630 to Cho (2006)—Portable Ball Retriever
(6) U.S. Pat. No. 6,878,078 to Swanson (2005)—Padded Leather Pitching Target
(7) U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,889 to Yip (2001)—Portable Backstop Device
(8) U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,240 to Humboldt (1996)—Baseball Backstop for Pitching Training
(9) U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,291 to Scully (1994)—Ball Pitching Trainer
Relevant to Wiffle® ball play, but not exclusively invented therefor, is US2007/0054757 to Will, et al. (Mar. 8, 2007), entitled “Strike Zone Apparatus.” However, this device lacks a backstop, and is radically distinct in employing a solid board method for calling balls and strikes, rather than this invention, which uses a strikezone netting and backstop approach. Also, relevant to Wiffle® ball play, but not exclusively invented therefor, is U.S. Pat. No. 7,163,474 to Skinner, et al. (2007), entitled “Portable Backstop and Sport Equipment Set, Baseball Related Game, and Playing Field,” comprises of a different construction, as it employs a non-collapsible solid frame and only a partial backstop in its patent protection.
(ii) Relevant Portable Sports Device Patents
The following, listed below, represent the prior art involving portable structures, which employ collapsible steel coiling for its frame, but are not strikezones or backstops, include U.S. Pat. Nos.:
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 7,198,274 to Cho (2007)—Portable Net Device
(2) U.S. Pat. No. 6,793,594 to Grant (2004)—Sports Practice Net
(3) U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,717 to Cho (2003)—Portable Net Device
(4) U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,343 to Cho (2001)—Portable Net Device
(5) U.S. Pat. No. 5,796,023 to Cho (1999)—Collapsible Golf Net
(6) U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,892 to Norman (1989)—Collapsible beach cabana tent
This invention uses a collapsible and coilable frame member to support the backstop with the strikezone embedded within it.
(iii) Novelty from Prior Art
These prior inventions are made with sturdier and heavier components specifically designed for use with baseballs rather than W
No prior art exists for a strikezone and backstop designed for use with W
This present invention modifies the rules and facilitates the game of W
(A) “Umpire” Calling Balls and Strikes
The WiffleNet's strikezone and backstop enable an individual to practice throwing and pitching W
STRIKE. There are three strikes to an out. The following represent a strike:
-
- (1) A swing and miss at a pitched ball;
- (2) A foul ball or foul tip ball (except on a third strike);
- (3) A pitch which, before hitting the ground, travels through the strikezone into the netting within the backstop frame;
- (4) A pitch which hits the batter on the fly, if the thrown pitch would have likely traveled into the strikezone but for hitting the batter.
BALL. There are four balls to a walk. The following represent a ball:
-
- (1) Any pitch not a strike that is not swung at by the batter.
(B) Collapsible Frame and Strikezone
This present invention comprises primarily of: (1) a backstop member fabricated from synthetic fabric (or any other polyvinyl fabric or canvas) attached to a main frame member, which is a collapsible and flexible metal coil; (2) a strikezone area consisting of mesh netting material which forms a pouch that funnels into a ball reservoir at the base of the backstop; and (3) connecting rods and connectors. This invention is simple and minimalist in its design and intention for rapid assembly and simple disassembly, and since it is specifically designed for use with W
In general, the backstop device comprises of a synthetic fabric (or polyvinyl or canvas) panel supported by a collapsible and flexible metal coil or plastic frame. The preferred foldable cloth-like materials from which the panels of the portable structure of this invention are formed including the elongated pockets are those commonly used in fabricating tents and other portable structures. Strong, lightweight materials such as those made from fibers produced by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and sold under the trademarks Nylon are particularly preferable.
The material for the frame member is flat spring steel for its corrosion resistance although plated or coated spring steel stock can be used instead. Other materials which may be employed to form the frame include plastic materials having relatively high bending moduli which are in the shape of a flat strip or an oval tube. Round and square shaped tubing or solid stock can also be employed as material for forming the frame. For a portable structure having an approximate width across its base of about 6 feet and a height of up to 6 feet, the preferred material for the frame is a flat spring steel stock (coilable member) having a thickness of approximately 1.25 millimeters (0.050 inch) and a width of approximately 6.25 millimeters (0.25 inch). The frame member is attached to the backstop fabric by sewing a fabric strap over the frame member to the perimeter of the backstop.
When WiffleNet is collapsed, the coilable member forms overlapping loops over itself to minimize its shape for portability purposes. The coilable member has two ends (connected to the base of the invention) to form a closed loop (the body of the backstop), which is enclosed in a cylindrical shell containing the coilable member which permits it to axially rotate. The frame is preferably formed with a single 360-degree twist, particularly when it is formed from a flat stock. The coilable member can form overlapping loops by a slight manual enforcement thereon when the support means is detached for disassembly of the WiffleNet. The entire unit may be folded and collapsed into a smaller dimension for transport because of the collapsible and flexible metal coil frame and fabric composition. It is preferred that the frame member, which is attached by a fabric strap to the backstop, is coilable to overlapping loops to facilitate a pop-up assembly, coiled disassembly and attachment to the ball reservoir for pitched strikes.
(C) Supporting Connectors
The backstop is supported and balanced by two sets of retractable or collapsible plastic brace members—one at each side of the unit. The supports are a pair of rods whose ends are removable, connected to the sides of WiffleNet's base when fully assembled by either a Velcro-strap or fitted connecting-slot method.
Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.
Other advantages of the present invention are set forth in greater detail in the accompanying specification, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been chosen for illustration and description and are shown (not to scale), forming part of the specification herein:
For a detailed understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed summary of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings herein:
1 Backstop
2 Strikezone
3 Netting
4 Fastening Strap
5 Collapsible and Coilable Frame Member
6 Connector Attachments
7 Ball Reservoir
8 Connector Rods
9 Connector
7 of Drawing Sheeting, 7 of Figures
WRITTEN DESCRIPTION AND ENABLEMENT OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSThe preferred embodiment of the collapsible and portable WiffleNet strikezone and backstop, and its components, for W
Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of the WiffleNet according to the present invention comprises of an elliptical-shaped synthetic fabric (such as Nylon or Nylon Tyvek bonding fabric or any other polyvinyl fabric or canvas material) with a flat backstop (1) that contains a strikezone (2) aperture embedded therein. The base is preferably six feet (6′) wide and the height of the backstop is preferably six feet (6′) tall. The elliptical shape is formed and supported by a collapsible and coilable frame member or flat wire (5), which can be collapsed by twisting, folding and/or bending while still retaining its original elliptical shape (when popped back open). The coilable and collapsible nature of the member facilitates pop-up assembly, disassembly and portability of the invention.
In collapsed state as viewed in
As shown in the cut-out and in detail view of
In the embodiment of
As shown in
Since the present invention is made from lightweight synthetic fabric materials and a thin flexible metal coil 5, it is lightweight and simple to transport. The ability to fabricate the structures of this invention from light weight materials make this invention very portable, as its lightweight nature is beneficial for transport to parks, recreational areas, etc. To assemble the WiffleNet, a user must only unfurl the device so that the collapsible and coilable frame member 5 fully expands into its elliptical shape and attach the support connector rods 8 and connectors 9. As depicted in
It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein are merely the preferred embodiments, and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations or modifications to these embodiments utilizing functionally equivalent elements to those described herein. Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible by converting the aforementioned construction. In any case, all such variations or modifications as well as others that may become apparent to those skilled in the art, are intended to be included within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to minor details of the illustrated invention shown in the figures and that variations in such minor details will be apparent to one skilled in the art. While the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, but merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. For example, the frame of the WiffleNet may be constructed of other collapsible, portable and/or connecting light-weight material, and the shape of the WiffleNet may have other shapes, such as square, rectangular, semi-oval, semi-circular, etc. dimensions and sizes.
The claims therefore are to be accorded a range of equivalents commensurate with the advances made over the art.
Claims
1) A collapsible and portable strikezone and backstop for use with WIFFLE® (and other recreational plastic-baseball) ball games, serving as an “umpire” in calling pitches “strikes” and stopping “balls” at the backstop, is comprised in combination of:
- a. a main elliptical-shaped backstop consisting of a synthetic fabric attached to a collapsible and coilable frame member; and
- b. within the backstop, a target aperture, representing a strikezone for determining whether a pitched WIFFLE® (or other plastic baseball) ball is a “strike” or a “ball,” embedded within backstop frame; and
- c. a pouch netting, attached on the rear side of the backstop, surrounding the strikezone aperture opening that funnels pitched “strikes” into a ball reservoir located at the base of the backstop; and
- d. two detachable and retractable connectors/fasteners brace members connected the sides of the base and bottom of the backstop to support the strikezone and backstop perpendicular to the ground.
2) The collapsible and portable strikezone and backstop of claim 1 is collapsible by collapsing, bending, or folding the collapsible and coilable frame members (which retain its original shape when fully unfurled, such as steel wire) into a portable size, wherein:
- a. when the strikezone and backstop is collapsed, the collapsible and coilable frame member, being one continuous piece, forms overlapping loops over one another so that it can be coiled; and
- b. the collapsible and coilable frame member includes two ends which permit axial rotation for collapsing the unit for disassembly and transport of the device; and
- c. the supporting braces are attached to sides and base of the perimeter of the collapsible and coilable frame member in fully-assembled form; and
- d. further in fully-assembled form, the collapsible and coilable frame member and backstop is semi-elliptical and semi-rectangular in shape in a size suitable to serve as a backstop and strikezone for WIFFLE® (and other plastic baseball) ball games.
- e) The collapsible and portable strikezone and backstop of claim 1 is also collapsible by employing detachable frame members (such as fiberglass poles) and connectors as a modification of the preferred embodiment of the invention (instead of collapsible and coilable frame members) to establish the frame and shape of backstop and support it perpendicular to the ground.
3) The device of claim 1 facilitates and increases the enjoyment of WIFFLE® ball by modifying the rules of the game by employing the device to serve as an objective “umpire” in calling pitches either entering the strikezone aperture to count as a “strikes” or hitting the backstop to count as “balls.”
- a) The device of claim 1 has a strikezone target and backstop is specifically designed for use with pitched WIFFLE® (and other recreational plastic baseball) balls.
- b) The device of claim 1 reduces and minimizes the retrieval time of pitched WIFFLE® (and other recreational plastic baseball) balls, which either enters the strikezone aperture to funnel in a ball reservoir or hits backstop and stops in front of it, by the batter.
- c) The device of claim 1 can also being used in WIFFLE® ball games and tournaments as an objective umpire in calling “balls” and “strikes” instead of other currently-used inferior strikezone designs.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 5, 2012
Publication Date: Oct 10, 2013
Inventor: Wei Hu (Woodside, NY)
Application Number: 13/439,850
International Classification: A63B 71/00 (20060101);