Folding Baseball Base with Attachable Batting Tee

Abstract

A folding plate for baseball that can be used either independently or as part of a batting tee assembly. The base has a center panel and two flap panels that are attached to opposite sides of the center panel with hinged connections. The hinged connections enable the flap panels to be selectively folded against the center panel in a folded configuration and unfolded into a common plane with the center panel in an open configuration. The folding base can be used in conjunction with a tee stand that selectively connects to the base. The base supports the tee stand in an upright position. The tee stand can be selectively detached from the base. The tee stand can then be strapped against the base for convenient transportation and storage.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

In general, the present invention relates to the structure of baseball plates and batting tees. More particularly, the present invention relates to plates and baseball batting tees that are collapsible or foldable so as to be easily transported and stored when not in use.

2. Prior Art Description

A baseball batting tee is a device that holds a ball in place at an elevated position, so that the ball can be struck with a bat. The use of a baseball batting tee helps a batter practice hitting a ball to develop better hand-to-eye coordination. A baseball batting tee is very useful for developing a proper swing. Baseball batting tees are also commonly used by coaches to hit balls into the field for fielding practice.

Although baseball tees come in a large variety of shapes and styles, a traditional baseball tee has a base that is shaped like home plate and a ball support that extends upwardly from the center of the base. The official shape of home plate is that of an irregular pentagon. Home plate has a forward edge that faces the pitching mound. Two parallel sides extend back from the ends of the forward edge. Two angled sides then converge at a point from the parallel sides. These angled sides align with the first base line and the third base line of the baseball field. Officially, home plate has an area over 1800 square centimeters. As such, a home plate is rather large and can be expensive to package and ship. The same is true for baseball tee assemblies that have bases sized as home plate.

Baseball batting tees have a tendency to tip over if impacted by a bat while swinging at a ball. For this reason, it is preferable to use a large wide base on a baseball batting tee, rather than a small narrow base. Large bases provide more support and are harder to tilt, therein making the baseball batting tee harder to knock over. The manufacturers of baseball tees are therefore presented with opposing problems. On one hand, a manufacturer wants the base of a baseball batting tee to be small, so that it is easier and cheaper to manufacture and ship. On the other hand, a manufacturer wants to provide a large base on the baseball batting tee so that the baseball tee is hard to knock over during use.

In the prior art, these opposing problems have been partially addressed by using baseball tees with bases that can be selectively assembled and disassembled. Such prior art baseball tees are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 9,925,445 to Su, and U.S. Design Pat. No. D810,214, to Su. Such prior art baseball tees have bases that are made from multiple parts. The parts are assembled to form the base. The parts mechanically interconnect and cannot be readily disassembled after assembly. This makes the baseball batting tee difficult to transport and store after it is assembled. The parts are purposely made difficult to disconnect to prevent the parts from inadvertently coming apart when knocked over by a bat. Furthermore, if the parts are disassembled, the parts are separate and can easily be lost when the baseball tee is transported and stored.

A need therefore exists for an improved baseball batting tee design that is made from component parts but is easy to assemble and disassemble without the danger of losing or misplacing parts. A need also exists for a baseball batting tee with a base that is large and stable, yet can be readily reduced in size for transport and storage. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a folding plate for baseball that can be used either independently or as part of a batting tee assembly. The base has a center panel and two flap panels that are attached to opposite sides of the center panel with hinged connections. The hinged connections enable the flap panels to be selectively folded against the center panel in a folded configuration and unfolded into a common plane with the center panel in an open configuration.

The folding base can be used in conjunction with a tee stand that selectively connects to the base. The base supports the tee stand in an upright position. The tee stand can be selectively detached from the base. The tee stand can then be strapped against the base for convenient transportation and storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a baseball batting tee assembly;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a base assembly in a partially folded configuration;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a base assembly in a fully folded configuration; and

FIG. 5 shows a tee stand assembly and a bat strapped to a base assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the present invention baseball base and hitting tee can be embodied in many ways, only one exemplary embodiment is illustrated and described. The exemplary embodiment is being shown for the purposes of explanation and description. The exemplary embodiment is selected in order to set forth one of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiment, however, is merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a baseball batting tee 10 is shown. The baseball batting tee 10 includes a base assembly 12 and a tee stand assembly 14. The tee stand assembly 14 can be selectively attached to, and detached from, the base assembly 12, as will later be explained. Once attached, the base assembly 12 rests on the ground and supports the tee stand assembly 14 in a vertical orientation. The tee stand assembly 14 is used to hold a ball at an elevated position where it can be readily hit with a bat. Both the base assembly 12 and the tee stand assembly 14 are designed to be collapsible, therein making these assemblies 12, 14 easier to transport, store, and ship.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the base assembly 12 is first described. The base assembly 12, when fully open, has the shape of a traditional home plate. That is, the open base assembly 12 has a forward edge 16, two parallel side edges 17, 18 and two angled edges 19, 20. The base assembly 12 is comprised of a center panel 22 and two flap panels 24, 26. The flap panels 24, 26 are attached to the center panel 22 with stop hinges 28. This enables the flap panels 24, 26 to selectively rotate between an open configuration (FIG. 1) and a folded configuration (FIG. 4). In the open configuration (FIG. 1), the flap panels 24, 26 are coplanar with the center panel 22 and form the full shape of home plate with the center panel 22. In the folded configuration (FIG. 4), the flap panels 24, 26 fold under and against the center panel 22. As such, the flap panels 24, 26 and the center panel 22 are in separate but parallel planes. The flap panels 24, 26 attach to the center panel 22 along parallel hinge lines 30. The hinge lines 30 are perpendicular to the forward edge 16 of the open base assembly 12. The hinge lines 30 are also positioned so that the width of the center panel 22 is as least twice as wide as the width of each of the flap panels 24, 26. This enables both flap panels 24, 26 to fold flat against the center panel 22 without interference from one another.

Multiple stop hinges 28 are provided along each hinge line 30. The stop hinges 28 have a limited 180 degrees of motion. This enables the flap panels 24, 26 to rotate from the closed configuration to the open configuration. The stop hinges 28 prevent the flap panels 24, 26 from rotating beyond their open configuration. The stop hinges 28 can be separate units that are mounted to the center panel 22 and the flap panels 24, 26. However, in the preferred configuration, the stop hinges 28 are integrated into the molded construction of the center panel 22 and the flap panels 24, 26.

The center panel 22 contains a handle opening 32 adjacent its forward edge 16. This enables the base assembly 12 to be easily carried when either in its open configuration or its closed configuration. Two sets of strap slots 34, 35 are formed through the center panel 22 below the handle opening 32. Two straps 36 are provided that extend through the strap slots 34, 35. The straps 36 are used to affix secondary objects to the base assembly 12 as it is being carried by the handle opening 32, as will later be explained.

The base assembly 12 can be used independently of the tee stand assembly 14 as home plate in a game of baseball. Alternatively, the base assembly 12 can be used as part of the overall baseball batting tee 10. The center panel 22 contains a receptacle 38 for selectively receiving the tee stand assembly 14. Referring to FIG. 5 in conjunction with FIG. 2, it can be seen that the tee stand assembly 14 is a telescoping stand made of two pole segments 40, 41. The lower pole segment 40 has a bottom end 42 that is configured to selectively engage the receptacle 38 in the center panel 22. The engagement is preferably a mechanical coupling, such as a bayonet coupling or a threaded coupling. The lower pole segment 40 has a telescoping interconnection with an upper pole segment 41. The upper pole segment 41 can be moved relative the lower pole segment 40, wherein the upper pole segment 41 is held in position by friction and molded position detents 44. As such, it will be understood that the tee stand assembly 14 can be adjusted to selected lengths within the range of movement between the lower pole segment 40 and the upper pole segment 41.

The upper pole segment 41 terminates with an enlarged head structure 46. A depression 48 is formed atop the enlarged head structure 46. The depression 48 receives and holds a ball that is placed atop the tee stand assembly 14.

The tee stand assembly 14 can be selectively attached to, and detached from, the base assembly 12. Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that once detached, the tee stand assembly 14 can be strapped to the folded base assembly 12 for easy transport. This is achieved by opening one of the straps 36 that extends through one set of strap slots 34 and tightening the strap 36 around the tee stand assembly 14 below the enlarged head structure 46. The enlarged shape of the head structure 46 prevents the tee stand assembly from slipping through the strap 36, therein ensuring that the tee stand assembly 14 is secured to the base assembly 12 during transport. Likewise, the overall baseball batting tee 10 may be sold with a bat 50. The bat 50 can also be secured to the folded base assembly 12. This is achieved by opening the second of the straps 36 that extends through a second set of strap slots 34, 35 (FIG. 2) and tightening the strap 36 around the handle of the bat 50. The bat 50 has an end cap 52 that prevents the bat 50 from slipping through the strap 36, therein ensuring that the bat 50 is secured to the base assembly 12 during transport.

To ready the baseball batting tee 10 for use, the bat 50 and the tee stand assembly 14 are unstrapped and removed. The flap panels 24, 26 are unfolded to their open configuration. The tee stand assembly 14 is then locked into the receptacle 38 on the base assembly 12. The baseball batting tee 10 is placed on the ground and is ready for use.

It will be understood that the embodiment of the present invention that is illustrated and described is merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to that embodiment. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A batting tee assembly, comprising:

a center panel having a forward edge and two parallel sides that are perpendicular to said forward edge;

flap panels that attach to said parallel sides of said center panel, wherein said center panel and said flap panels have a molded construction;

hinges integrated into said molded construction of said center panel and said flap panels forming hinged connections between said center panel and said flap panels, wherein said hinged connections enable said flap panels to be selectively folded against said center panel in a folded configuration and unfolded into a common plane with said center panel in an open configuration; and

a tee stand that selectively connects to, and disconnects from, said center panel.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said tee stand has a first end, an opposite second end and a length between said first and said second end.

3. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein said length of said tee stand between said first end and said second end is selectively adjustable.

4. The assembly according to claim 1, further including a receptacle formed on said center panel for selectively receiving said first end of said tee stand and supporting said tee stand in a vertical orientation from said center panel.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, further including at least one strap extending from said center panel for strapping said tee stand to said center panel.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, further including slots formed in said center panel, wherein said slots are parallel to one another and perpendicular to said forward edge of said center panel, and wherein said at least one strap extends through said slots.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said hinges are stop hinges and said hinged connections have a 180 degree range of rotational motion.

8. (canceled)

9. The assembly according to claim 1, further including a handle opening formed in said center panel.

10. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein said center panel and said flap panels form a shape of a baseball home plate when in said open configuration.

11. A folding baseball base assembly, comprising:

a center panel having a top surface, a bottom surface, a forward edge, and two opposite side edges;

flap panels that are attached to said side edges of said center panel, wherein said center panel and said flap panels have a molded construction;

hinges integrated into said molded construction of said center panel and said flap panels forming hinged connections between said center panel and said flap panels, wherein said hinged connections enable said flap panels to be selectively folded against said bottom surface of said center panel in a folded configuration and unfolded into a common plane with said center panel in an open configuration.

12. The assembly according to claim 11, further including a receptacle formed on said center panel for selectively receiving a tee stand.

13. The assembly according to claim 11, further including at least one strap extending from said center panel for strapping an object to said top surface of said center panel.

14. The assembly according to claim 13, further including slots form in said center panel of said base, wherein said slots are parallel to each other and perpendicular to said forward edge of said center panel, and wherein said at least one strap extends through said center panel.

15. The assembly according to claim 11, wherein said hinged connections have a limited 180 degree range of motion.

16. (canceled)

17. The assembly according to claim 11, further including a handle opening formed in said center panel.