[0001] Batting tees are commonly used in tee-ball games and practice, and may also be used as swing aids by baseball and softball players in a practice setting. Because batters vary in height and swing styles, batting tees are typically height adjustable to meet the needs of a variety of batters. And while it is typically desirable that batting tees be portable, they are often somewhat large and unwieldy.

SUMMARY

[0002] A batting tee includes a base and an attachment portion attached to the base. A first rod is optionally releasably connected to the attachment portion. A second rod having an outer diameter less than an inner diameter of the first rod is positioned at least partially in the first rod. One or more O-rings are positioned on the second rod within the first rod. A collar is attached to the first rod and positioned to allow the second rod to pass through the collar while resisting passage of the O-ring out of the first rod. A rod cap is attached to an end of the second rod and positioned to resist removal of the O-ring from the second rod. A ball holder is attached to the other end of the second rod. The second rod is movable telescopically within the first rod to raise and lower the ball holder.

[0003] Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:

[0005] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a batting tee in an extended configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0006] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a batting tee in a collapsed configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0007] Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of a ball holder of a batting tee in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0008] Fig. 4 is a perspective, exploded view of a batting tee in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0009] Fig. 5 is a section view of portions of a batting tee in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

[0010] Fig. 6 is a partial perspective view of a portion of an attachment mechanism that attaches a rod of a batting tee to a base in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The present technology is directed to a batting tee with a telescoping mechanism. Various embodiments of the technology will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments. Accordingly, the technology may have other embodiments with additional elements or without several of the elements described below with reference to Figures 1 -6.

[0012] The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.

[0013] Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word "or" is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of "or" in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "attached" or "connected" are intended to include integral connections, as well as connections between physically separate components.

[0014] Specific details of several embodiments of the present technology are described herein with reference to tee-ball, baseball, or softball. In other embodiments, the technology may be used to support balls in other sports, including cricket, tennis, or Wiffle® Ball. [0015] The present technology provides a telescoping or collapsible batting tee that extends or collapses to accommodate different batters and to improve portability of the tee. Examples of this technology are illustrated in Figures 1 -6.

[0016] Turning now to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate a batting tee 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology. A base portion or base 1 10 supports concentric telescoping rods 1 15 including a first or lower rod 120, a second or intermediate rod 130, and a third or upper rod 140. The base 1 10 may support the rods 1 15 by way of an attachment portion 150 that holds the lower rod 120 upright. The telescoping rods 1 15 support a ball holder 160, which may support a ball 170 in a position for a batter to hit. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the rods 1 15 can telescopically collapse and extend so that the tee 100 has an adjustable height. In particular embodiments, the upper rod 140 may have an outer diameter of approximately 0.75 inches, the intermediate rod 130 may have an outer diameter of approximately 1 inch, and the lower rod 120 may have an outer diameter of approximately 1.5 inches. In other embodiments, the rods 1 15 may have other suitable diameters. The rods 1 15 may have various lengths suitable for accommodating users of different height ranges.

[0017] A first or lower collar 180 may be attached to the lower rod 120 and positioned to allow the intermediate rod 130 to pass therethrough with sufficient friction to maintain the rods in a desired position. In some embodiments, the collar 180 may be glued or otherwise fastened to the lower rod 120. Similarly, a second or upper collar 190 may be attached to the intermediate rod 130 and positioned to allow the upper rod 140 to pass therethrough with sufficient friction to maintain the rods in a desired position. In some embodiments, the collar 190 may be glued or fastened to the intermediate rod 130. In other embodiments, the collars 180 and 190 may be sized such that they do not provide sufficient friction to maintain the height of the tee, and they may instead work in conjunction with the O-rings described below to maintain the tee's height.

[0018] The base 1 10 may comprise a heavy rubber material or other material suitable for providing a solid or resilient support for the tee 100 on the ground. The telescoping rods 1 15 may be made of aluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, plastic, rubber, or other suitable structural materials. In one embodiment, the lower rod 120 and the intermediate rod 130 may be made of aluminum, while the upper rod 140 may be made of fiberglass. The attachment portion 150 may be made of aluminum, steel, plastic, or another suitable structural material.

[0019] Turning now to Figure 3, a ball holder 160 is shown mounted atop the upper rod 140. In some embodiments, the ball holder 160 may comprise a generally tubular structure such as a roll, tube, or cone made of rubber or another suitably resilient material. Optionally, as illustrated in Figure 1 , for example, the ball holder 160 may include slots, notches, or cutouts 165 extending downward from the top of the ball holder 160 to vary the flexibility of the ball holder 160. Returning to Figure 3, the ball holder 160 may be attached to the upper rod 140 with tape or a sleeve 300, or with glue or another adhesive. With reference now to Figure 4, in some embodiments, the ball holder 160 may be releasably attached to the upper rod 140 using a threaded bolt 460. In other embodiments, the ball holder 160 may be attached to the upper rod 140 using other suitable removable or permanent attachments. [0020] The attachment portion 150 may include an attachment cup 400 that receives an end of the lower rod 120. The attachment portion 150 may also include an attachment plate 405 to provide stability to the attachment portion 150 on the base 1 10. The attachment portion 150 may further include a threaded attachment-plate extension or rod 410, which may mate directly with threads in the base 1 10, or with a threaded bore 415 in a lower plate 420. The lower plate 420 may be received in a corresponding recess 425 in the base 1 10. In some embodiments, the attachment cup 400 may be attached or mounted to the base 1 10 in other suitable ways.

[0021] Aspects of the telescoping rod mechanism are now described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. A first O-ring 430 may be positioned around a portion of the intermediate rod 130. The intermediate rod 130 with the first O-ring 430 may be telescopically received in the lower rod 120. The thickness of the O-ring 430 generally fills the gap between the lower rod 120 and the intermediate rod 130. The O-ring 430 provides friction or resistance to telescoping motion between the lower rod 120 and the intermediate rod 130 as it rolls or slides between an outer diameter of the intermediate rod 130 and an inner diameter of the lower rod 120. In some embodiments, additional O-rings may be used to modify the resistance to telescopic expansion or collapse.

[0022] To retain the O-ring 430 on the intermediate rod 130, a first rod cap 435 may be installed on the end of the intermediate rod 130 within the lower rod 120. The first rod cap 435 may be in the form of a washer 437 and a fastener or screw 439 threaded into the end of the intermediate rod 130. In another embodiment, the first rod cap 435 may be pressed or threaded directly into the intermediate rod 130, or it may be integral with the intermediate rod 130. [0023] The washer 437, rod cap 435, or other element includes a diameter large enough to block the O-ring 430 from falling from the intermediate rod 130 into the lower rod 120. The lower collar 180 also optionally prevents the O-ring 430 from falling from the intermediate rod 130 into the lower rod 120. The lower collar 180 may be attached to the lower rod 120 with a portion of the lower collar 180 on the inside of the lower rod 120, and a portion of the lower collar 180 on the outside of the lower rod 120. The intermediate rod 130 passes through the lower collar 180 while the lower collar 180 may resist passage of the O-ring 430 out of the lower rod 120. In some embodiments, the lower collar 180 may be sized to provide sufficient friction between the lower collar 180 and the intermediate rod 130 to help maintain the tee 100 at a desired height.

[0024] The telescoping connection between the intermediate rod 130 and the upper rod 140 may be similar to the telescoping connection between the lower rod 120 and the intermediate rod 130. A second O-ring 440 may be mounted on the upper rod 140 within the intermediate rod 130 to provide friction between the upper rod 140 and the intermediate rod 130 as the upper rod 140 moves telescopically within the intermediate rod

130. A second rod cap 445 may retain the second O-ring 440 on the upper rod 140 within the intermediate rod 130. The second rod cap 445 may include a washer 447 and a fastener or screw 449 threaded onto the lower end of the upper rod 140, or it may be pressed or threaded directly into the upper rod 140, or it may be integral with the upper rod

140. The second rod cap 445 has a diameter large enough to block the second O-ring 440 from falling from the upper rod 140 into the intermediate rod 130. Similar to the lower collar 180, the upper collar 190 resists passage of the second O-ring 440 out of the intermediate rod 130 and it may also prevent the second O-ring 440 from falling from the upper rod 140. The upper collar 190 may be sized to provide sufficient friction between the upper collar 190 and the upper rod 130 to help maintain the tee 100 at a desired height. In some embodiments, the O-rings 430 and 440 may comprise silicone, rubber, or other resilient or flexible materials.

[0025] As described above with respect to Figure 3, in some embodiments, the ball holder 160 may be mounted to the upper rod 140 using a tape or sleeve 300. Turning again to Figures 4 and 5, the ball holder 160 may additionally or alternatively be mounted to the upper rod 140 using a ball holder mount 450. The ball holder mount 450 may include a ball holder cap 455 installed on the upper rod 140 with a threaded rod, bolt 460, or other fastener that retains the ball holder 160. The threaded rod or bolt 460 may optionally mate with an adjoining nut or threaded portion in the upper rod 140.

[0026] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 4, for example, the threaded portion in the upper rod 140 may be a threaded plug 462 or other threaded receiving element pressed into an opening 463 in a side of the upper rod 140. In other embodiments, as shown in Fig. 5, for example, the threaded receiving portion may be fixed in the top end of the upper rod 140.

[0027] In some embodiments, the threaded fastener may be a screw or bolt 460 that passes through the ball holder cap 455 and the bottom of the ball holder 160 such that it is accessible for tightening by reaching into the ball holder 160 by hand or with a tool. In other embodiments, the cap 455 may be installed by pressing it onto the upper rod 140 without the need for a threaded rod, bolt 460, or other fastener. [0028] Turning to Figure 6, the lower rod 120 may have a groove 610 configured to receive a lug 620 extending from an interior surface of the attachment cup 400. When the lower rod 120 is positioned in the attachment cup 400, the lug 620 first slides through a vertical portion of the groove 610. The lower rod 120 may then be locked into the attachment cup 400 by rotating the lower rod 120 so that the lug 620 slides through a horizontal portion of the groove 610. In this manner, the lower rod 120 may be releasably locked into the attachment portion 150. Accordingly, the rods 1 15 may be readily attached to, and removed from, the base 1 10.

[0029] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the technology, and elements of certain embodiments may be interchanged with those of other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, only two telescoping rods 1 15 may be used, and in other embodiments, more than three telescoping rods 1 15 may be used. In other embodiments, the base attachment portion 150 may be integral with the base 1 10.

[0030] Further, while advantages associated with certain embodiments of the disclosed technology have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the technology. Accordingly, the disclosure and associated technology may encompass other embodiments not expressly shown or described herein, and the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.