RELATED APPLICATIONS

Priority is claimed from US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/060,163 filed October 6, 2014 and entitled "BALL LAUNCHING, HITTING, AND CATCHING TOY", the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The invention is directed to active play toys. More specifically the invention is directed to a device for launching, hitting, and catching a projectile such as a ball.

Description of Related Art

Baseball has been described as "America's national pastime." A game over a century old and having several variations (e.g., Softball), baseball is immensely popular. People, especially children, are looking for new ways to enjoy the sport.

One of the most satisfying aspects about baseball is actually hitting the ball with the bat. However, this is easier said than done. Professional baseball players who miss 70% of the time (i.e., have a batting average of .300) are considered great. The steep learning curve makes many novices frustrated and they tend to lose interest in a fun game quickly. Also, when one makes contact with the ball, one would typically like to crush it and send it flying. This does not happen very often, owing to angle of incidence, strength of batter, etc. Put another way, the further one can hit the ball, the more satisfying most people find the experience. Also, being able to perform some actions other than simply hitting the ball with the bat would make the game play more interesting and would play to the varied strengths of different people. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a ball launching, hitting, and catching toy. Shaped substantially like a baseball or whiffle ball bat, the device has two primary sections: a handle section and a launching section. The two sections are hingedly attached together at a distal end of the handle section and a proximal section of the launching section. Preferably the launching section is rotatable with respect to the handle section, but only to a certain extent, i.e., approximately from 180° to 90° (i.e., substantially collinear to substantially orthogonal). Preferably, the minimum angle between the sections is between 90° and 120°, and more preferably approximately 105°. That is, the preferred swing angle of the launching section with respect to the handle section is approximately 60-90°, more preferably approximately 75°.

The hinge between the two sections preferably includes a detent mechanism with at least one protrusion on one of the sections and at least one divot or dent adapted to receive the protrusion on the other section. The detent mechanism can be made integral with or as a separate piece or pieces from the handle and launching sections.

The distal end of the launching section preferably includes a scalloped ball receiving area in which a ball may be placed for launching or in which a ball may be caught.

The device lets the user make a high velocity swing without requiring as much strength as a traditional bat. This is important, because strike energy is equal to swing speed times mass. The device accomplishes this by shortening the center of mass of the bat (meaning the weight is closer to your hands during the swing). The batter can accelerate the bat faster into the strike zone with less effort/strength, so the batter has a little more time to see where the ball is going for greater success, i.e., more hits. A later swing translates into more time to watch the ball, thereby increasing the chances of hitting it. A user can swing and hit one handed with as much effect as a conventional two- handed swing, well-suited for fungo-type play in which the batter "pitches" the ball to himself or herself by throwing it up into the air and hitting it on its way down. Distance is also augmented, as one can hit and/or launch balls up to 175 feet. The scalloped ball launcher feature allows for instant success. The user swing-launches the ball -which is great for learning ball placement and confidence building, in a play pattern similar to T-ball.

The invention is an active play toy shaped substantially like a baseball bat, having a proximal handle section grippable by a user and a distal launching section rotatably attached to the handle section and rotatably movable with respect to the handle section from a first angled striking configuration to a second substantially straight configuration by swinging the toy. When the toy is in the first angled striking configuration, an angle between the handle section and the launching section is substantially between 90° and 120°, and more preferably 105°. At least one

detent mechanism is provided to keep the toy in at least one of the first or second

configurations until moved by the user. Preferably, a detent mechanism keeps the toy in the first angled striking configuration until the toy is swung by the user like a bat. Optionally, the toy includes a scalloped ball holding region formed in a distal portion of the launching section.

Preferably, the toy includes an angle delimiter preventing over-rotation of the launching section with respect to the handle section smaller than the angle in the first angled striking configuration. Optionally, a second angle delimiter is provided preventing over- rotation of the launching section with respect to the handle section greater than 180°.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a side perspective of a ball launching, hitting, and catching toy in accordance with the invention in an extended configuration. Fig. 2 is a side perspective of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 1 in a striking configuration.

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a hinge mechanism of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a magnified exploded perspective view of the hinge mechanism of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top elevational view of the hinge hub of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 3-4.

Fig. 6 is a side perspective view of a ball holder in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Figs. 1-6.

Fig. 8A is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a ball launching, hitting, and catching toy in accordance with the invention in striking configuration.

Fig. 8B is a side elevational view of an alternate embodiment of a ball launching, hitting, and catching toy in accordance with the invention in straight configuration.

Fig. 8C is a side sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a ball holder of ball launching, hitting, and catching toy in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 8D is an exploded perspective view of the toy of Fig. 8 A.

Fig. 8E is a perspective view of the toy of Fig. 8B in straight configuration.

Fig. 8F a perspective view of the toy of Fig. 8 A in striking configuration.

Fig. 9A is an exploded perspective view of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 8.

Fig. 9B is a perspective view of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 8 in straight configuration. Fig. 9C is a perspective view of the ball launching, hitting, and catching toy of Fig. 8 in striking configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND DRAWINGS

Description will now be given with reference to the attached Figs. 1-9. It should be understood that these figures are exemplary in nature and in no way serve to limit the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims appearing hereinbelow.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7, toy 9 is a bat-shaped device for launching, catching, or hitting a ball. Toy 9 has two primary sections: a handle section 20 and a launching section 40. Handle section 20 preferably includes ribs or knurls 22 on its proximal end to improve the user's grip on the device. The distal end 24 preferably is forked and includes a through hole 26 enabling handle 20 to be hingedly attached to launching section 40 at a proximal end of the launching section 40.

Launching section 40 has a main striking area 42 similar to that of a conventional baseball or whiffle ball bat. At its distal end, launching section 40 optionally includes a concave region 44 into which a ball holder 45 is press fit, glued, overmolded, or otherwise secured. Alternatively, a separate ball holder 45 may be dispensed with and the concave region 44 could itself serve as the ball holder.

The proximal end of launching section 40 includes a hub 46 having detent grooves 48 for defining discrete positions of launching section 40 with respect to handle section 20, as described below. The proximal end of launching section 40 also includes an angled face 47 for delimiting the swing angle of the launching section with respect to the handle section, as will be described below. Through hole 49 enables launching section 40 to be hingedly attached to handle section 20. In one embodiment, e.g., as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the launching section is directly attached to the handle section, and hub 46 is provided with depressions 50 that mate with one or more bumps/detents 52 on the handle to lock the device into two positions: straight and striking (angled, to be discussed below). In the preferred embodiment, as shown in Figs. 3-5 and 7, a central connecting hub 30 is provided between handle section 20 and launching section 40. Connecting hub 30 includes a through hole 36 to be collinear with through holes 49 and 26 so that, while launching section 40 hingedly rotates with respect to handle section 20, hub 30 does not move or rotate with respect to either section 20 or 40. In either embodiment, angle delimiting flange 37 prevents launching section 40 from over-rotating with respect to handle section 20 (see below). That is, angled face 47 will abut against flange 37 to prevent further rotation. A similar flange 39 is provided on the opposite side of connecting hub 30 to prevent over-rotation in the other direction. In the embodiment of Figs. 3-5 and 7, flange 37 is provided on hub 30. In the embodiment of Figs. 8-9, flange 37 is provided on one of handle section 20 or launching section 40 (as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, it is provided on handle 20).

As shown in Fig. 5, a detent ridge 38 is provided inside connecting hub 30 and is engageable with the detent grooves 48 of hub 46. The engagement of groove 48 to ridge 38 locks the device in a discrete position, but not so strongly that the user cannot overcome the locking forcing the e with a swing of the device.

Because of flange 37 and angled face 47 (or similar angular limiting structure), the launching section is preferably rotatable with respect to the handle section only to a certain extent, i.e., approximately from 180° to 90° (i.e., substantially collinear to substantially orthogonal). Preferably, the minimum angle between the sections is between 90° and 120°, and more preferably approximately 105°. In the striking position as shown in Fig. 2, launching section 40 is at an angle a to handle section 10. Instead of starting from a completely flat 0° position with respect to the handle section 20, providing the starting angle a maximizes the force delivered to the ball, thereby also typically maximizing its speed and distance, while minimizing the effort required hitting the ball. This owes, in part, to a reduction of the angular distance one must impel the launching section from rest to release positions. Also, this is the most energy efficient position of launching section 40 in as it converts the user bat swinging motion into rotational acceleration. If the angle were significantly smaller than 105°, there would be slower acceleration of the launching section around pivot point. If the angle were significantly greater than 105°, there would be little difference between toy 9 and a conventional baseball bat.

Toy 9 can be used in several different ways. The user can use it to hit a ball by first configuring it as shown in Fig. 2. The user performs a swinging motion at a ball, either one s/he has tossed in the air or one that someone else has thrown. The bat swinging motion causes launching section 40 to rotate rapidly about hinge 40 in the direction of arrow A, overcoming the locking force of the first detent. As launching section 40 rotates, assuming it strikes the ball, centripetal force causes the ball to fly a great distance, much further than hitting the ball with a conventional bat. At the end of the swinging motion, toy 9 is in its straight or extended configuration as shown in Fig. 1.

Toy 9 can also be used to launch a ball. The user would keep the device in its extended or straight configuration, place the ball in the scalloped ball holder 45, and whip the device forward and downward, or laterally, or the like, thereby flinging the ball. Depending on the ball, the device can also be used to catch an incoming ball, i.e., with the ball holder.

Having described certain embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the above description or the attached exemplary drawings. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims appearing hereinbelow and includes any equivalents thereof as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.