A MULTIPURPOSE BALL THROWING AID

Technical Field of the Invention

[001] Present invention relates to a multipurpose ball throwing aid. More particularly, to a sports and/or dog ball throwing aid having angular adjustments to attain variable speeds, throwing distances, angles, curve or spin in the projected ball.

Background of the Invention

[002] Ball throwers are commonly used to project a ball to train dogs and in ball sports to provide practice for the players. These ball throwing aids leverage human effort to achieve better results in the form of speed and distance. Typically, Ball throwers are single molded components usually made out of plastic, with an elongated lever, which at one end has provision for hand grip and at the other end a ball holding cup. To throw a ball to a desired distance, trajectory or speed is limited as the ball holding cup in these ball throwing aids are at a fixed angle.

[003] For example in a dog ball thrower, the ball holding cup is fixed at an upward angle to release the ball into air and makes it to travel more distance. It would be difficult to throw a ball to a different height and distance as the ball holding cup is fixed at an angle. Similarly in sports, especially in cricket, because of the ball holding cup in the ball throwing aid is fixed at a particular angle, projecting a ball to a batsman from full cricket pitch and half cricket pitch is difficult. This scenario causes more stress and fatigue on the shoulder of the person who is using the aid. Apart from that, these ball throwing aids cannot be used for long distance catching practice, as the angle of the ball holding cup is meant for batting practice and not for the fielding practice. With typical ball projecting aids, imparting spin on the projected ball is not easy as the ball holding cup position is fixed at straight angle. [004] In order to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, there is a need to develop a ball throwing aid, capable of throwing the balls at various lengths and distances by incorporating angular adjustment mechanism to make it user friendly.

Brief Summary of the Invention

[005] The principle object of the present invention is to incorporate angular adjustments for a ball holding cup in a ball throwing aid, to attain varying lengths and positions for a projected ball with minimal effort.

[006] According to a first aspect of present invention, a multi-purpose ball throwing aid for users to hold it in their hands to throw the balls to leverage human effort is disclosed. The apparatus comprises of an independent ball holding cup with a provision to hold a ball and having an extension with a locking mechanism.

[007] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, the elongated lever is equipped with a hand gripping side at one end and a locking provision at another end to the extension of a ball holding cup.

[008] In accordance with the aspect of present invention, wherein both the elongated lever and the ball holding cup have suitable interlocking mechanisms with each other and the elongated lever and the ball holding cup are interlocked with each other with the provision to create different angular adjustments for the ball holding cup.

[009] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, the interlocking mechanism between the ball holding cup and the elongated lever can be set at a desired angle and locked and/or fixed with or without an external locking pin.

[0010] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, the multi-purpose ball throwing aid is characterized to have one or more angular adjustments for the ball throwing cup and one or more interlocking mechanisms to create angular adjustments for tilting and/or angular adjustments for the orientation of the ball holding cup.

[0011] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, wherein inter locking mechanism is characterized to be incorporated anywhere between the elongated lever and the ball holding cup and also characterized to be incorporated at multiple places between elongated lever and the ball holding cup.

[0012] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, further the ball holding cup of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid is characterized to be replaced with ball holding cups which have different angular extensions, those extensions allow different angles when interlocked with the elongated lever at a particular position.

[0013] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, the removable ball holding cup of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid is characterized to be replaced with different ball holding cups suitable to hold different sizes and types of the balls and is also characterized to be replaced with different object holding or gripping parts to throw different material, units or components, leveraging human efforts.

[0014] In accordance with the first aspect of present invention, the multipurpose ball throwing aid is characterized not to be limited or confined to be used only by hand, as this ball throwing aid can be attached to a mechanical system which imitates or creates motion of human throwing or yields a similar result of leveraging the effort with angular adjustments.

[0015] According to a second aspect of present invention, a multi part ball throwing apparatus comprising a ball holding cup for holding a ball for throwing to train in ball sports and/or in any other trainings like dogs training is disclosed. The ball holding cup is removable and interchangeable to use different ball holding cups, through one or more grooves at their corpus joint with a plurality of matching holes on opposite walls using a tongue inserted through the holes of a male part of an interlocking pin to fix tilt position at a desired angle. The ball holding cup is enabled to orient at a desired angle with reference to the axis of the elongated lever for creating a Magnus effect in the projected ball and is used to achieve desired distances, differential bounce and swing by adjusting the angles of the cup being held.

[0016] In accordance with the second aspect of present invention, the multi part ball throwing apparatus comprises of a single or multi-part elongated lever with a length extending between an interlocking arrangement with the ball holding cup and an apparatus holding end along with one or more interlocking arrangements to facilitate multi axes orientation.

[0017] In accordance with the second aspect of present invention, the multi part ball throwing apparatus further has the ball throwing end which is operable in an engaged position in which said engagement structure is frictionally engageable in said interlocking arrangements and orientation of the interlocking element and their connected ball holding end to impart spin on the projected ball.

[0018] According to the third aspect of present invention, a ball throwing apparatus comprises of a ball holding cup for holding different types and sizes of balls and a flexible, yet rigid elongated lever made of one or more parts and materials.

[0019] In accordance with the third aspect of present invention, the ball throwing apparatus further comprises of a ball joint mechanism to connect the ball holding cup and the elongated lever and the ball joint mechanism comprises of one or more interlocking mechanisms to create angular adjustments for tilting of the ball holding cup and/or angular adjustments of elongated lever to orient at a desired angle with reference to the axis of the elongated lever to attain a desired orientation.

[0020] The multi-purpose ball throwing aid is typically made out of molded plastic. Or, there can be one or more separate pieces of molded plastic or suitable materials which are attached with connecting elements as discussed. [0021] Among the advantages of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid of the present invention are that it helps thrower to project the ball at a desired angle, distance and swing or curve in the air by adjusting the angle of the ball holding cup accordingly.

[0022] The multi-purpose ball throwing aid can be used by anybody willing to improve their skill set in the ball sports like cricket, baseball, Jai Alai or the like. Importantly, the multipurpose ball throwing aid allows a thrower to throw the ball without changing natural throwing style to get desired result by changing the angle of ball holding cup. This significantly reduces the shoulder injuries to users using the ball throwing aids.

[0023] The multi-purpose ball throwing aid is simple, relatively low cost, and easy to use. It can be carried in a sports equipment bag or a player's practice bag or the like, and can be used during practice before games, or for practising at home in a small area, or outside in the yard. It helps the players in catching practice, by having a group of players standing at varied distances. By adjusting the cup, the ball can be thrown at different angles and distances, thereby providing the players quality fielding practice.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] FIGS. 1-2 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid with tilt adjustment according to the present invention.

[0025] FIGS. 3-4 illustrate the left side view and the right side view of the locking mechanism of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid according to the exemplary embodiment as shown in FIGS 1-2.

[0026] FIG. 5 illustrates the tilt and orientation of the elongated lever of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid according to the exemplary embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid with multiple elongated lever parts according to the present invention. [0028] FIG.7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid with ball joint interlocking mechanism according to the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 8a - 8i illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid having a multi part elongated lever for attaining an orientation over an axis of the elongated lever and an interlocking mechanism for attaining a desired distance according to the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 9a - 91 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid with ball joint interlocking mechanism according to the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 10a - lOd illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid having a single part elongated lever with an interlocking mechanism according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0032] The present invention is directed towards a multi-purpose ball throwing aid with tilt and orientation angle adjustment which has a tilt and orientation adjustable head and/or elongated lever to attain variable speeds, variable throwing distances, angles, curve or spin in the air and/or after bouncing off the ground. Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding systems, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described.

[0033] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus comprises of an independent ball holding cup having a provision to hold a ball and having an extension with a locking provision to an elongated lever. The elongated lever is equipped with a hand gripping side at one end and a locking provision at another end to the extension of a ball holding cup. Both the elongated lever and the ball holding cup have suitable interlocking mechanisms with each other. The elongated lever and the ball holding cup are interlocked with each other with the provision to create different angular adjustments for the ball holding cup. The apparatus further has interlocking mechanisms between ball holding cup and the elongated lever which can be adjusted at a desired angle and locked and/or fixed with or without an external locking pin.

[0034] In accordance with another exemplary embodiment of present invention, a multi part ball throwing apparatus comprising a ball holding cup for holding a ball for throwing to train in ball sports and/or in any other trainings like dogs training is disclosed. The ball holding cup is removable and interchangeable to use different ball holding cups, through one or more grooves at their corpus joint with a plurality of matching holes on opposite walls using a tongue inserted through the holes of a male part of an interlocking pin to fix tilt position at a desired angle. The ball holding cups are interchangeably used and also connected through a plurality of connecting pins to a ball joint mechanism at a distal end of a multi part elongated lever. The ball holding cup is enabled to orient at a desired angle with reference to the axis of the elongated lever for creating a Magnus effect in the projected ball and is used to achieve desired distances, differential bounce and swing by the angles of the cup being held.

[0035] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of present invention, the multi part ball throwing apparatus comprises of a multi-part elongated lever with a length extending between an interlocking arrangement with the ball holding cup and an apparatus holding end along with one or more interlocking arrangements for facilitating multi axes orientation.

[0036] In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment of present invention, a ball throwing apparatus comprises of a ball holding cup for holding different types and sizes of balls and a flexible, yet rigid elongated lever made of one or more parts and materials.

[0037] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of present invention, the ball throwing apparatus further comprises of a ball joint mechanism to connect the ball holding cup and the elongated lever and the ball joint mechanism comprises of one or more interlocking mechanisms to create angular adjustments for tilting of the ball holding cup and/or angular adjustments of elongated lever to orient at a desired angle with reference to the axis of the elongated lever to attain a desired orientation.

[0038] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid with tilt angle adjustment according to the present invention. The multi-purpose ball throwing aid 100 comprises of an independent ball holding cup 102 to hold a ball in the cup shaped portion and having an extension with a locking mechanism 104. An elongated lever 106 is equipped with a hand gripping side 108 at one end and the other end connected to the locking mechanism 104. The hand gripping side 108 is held by a person for throwing the ball placed in the ball holding cup.

[0039] The elongated lever 106 and the ball holding cup 102 are having suitable interlocking mechanisms with each other to create different angular adjustments for tilting the ball holding cup 102 and attain the angular adjustments. The cup 102 can be replaced with another ball holding cup with different angular extensions to interlock with the elongated lever 106 at desired positions.

[0040] The ball throwing aid having one or more locking mechanisms for creating angular adjustments for tilting of the ball holding cup 102 and/or angular adjustments for the orientation of the ball holding cup. This interlocking mechanism 104 similar to 516 as shown in FIG. 5, can be incorporated anywhere or at multiple places between elongated lever 106 and by adjusting the ball holding cup 102 (and/or 518 as shown in FIG. 5) at a desired angle and locking and/or fixing with or without an external locking pin (not shown).

[0041] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a multi-purpose ball throwing aid 200 of similar embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. The ball holding cup 202 is interconnected to an elongated lever 206 with a locking mechanism 204. The elongated lever 206 is attached with hand gripping side 208 to hold the aid by a person for throwing the ball or any object to get the desired results. In another embodiment, the multi-purpose ball throwing aid is capable of attaching to any mechanical system, which imitates or creates motion of human throw or yields a similar result of leveraging human effort with angular adjustments. [0042] FIG. 3 & 4 illustrates the left side view 300 and right side view 400 of the locking mechanism respectively of the ball throwing aid according to the exemplary embodiments as shown in FIG. 1. The ball holding cup 302 & 402 are interconnected to the elongated lever 306 & 406 with a locking provision 304 & 404. As shown in FIG. 3, the locking mechanism 304 comprises of a pin 310 for adjusting the angle of the locking mechanism to attain the desired results. On the other side of the locking mechanism 404 as shown in FIG. 4, there are pluralities of slots 412 for sliding the pin to attain different angular adjustments.

[001] FIG. 5 illustrates the multi-purpose ball throwing aid 500 according to the exemplary embodiments as shown in FIG. 1. The ball holding cup 502 is provided with an interlocking mechanism 504 to which an elongated lever 506 is connected. The hand gripping side 508 is provided at the bottom side of the elongated lever 506 between which an orientation means 510 is provided for adjusting the tiltable lever part 518. The apparatus as discussed is enabled to attain a desired angle with reference to the axis of the lever 506 to attain a desired orientation of the ball throwing cup, to ultimately attain a desired swing of the ball.

[002] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid 600 according to the present invention. The elongated lever 612 shown is made of multiple parts, provided with a provision of length adjustment and comprising one or more interlocking arrangements 604 facilitating multi axes orientation. The ball holding cup 602 of the ball throwing aid is capable of holding a ball being thrown by holding the apparatus at the hand gripping side 608 of the apparatus.

[003] The ball holding cup 602 and the multi part elongated lever 612 are capable of removable inserted into and out of the internal grooves of an interlocking arrangement 604. The ball throwing end is operable in an engaged position in which engagement structure is frictionally engageable in the interlocking arrangements 604. The interlocking arrangement 604 is oriented and therefore the ball holding cup can produce swing in the ball projected to a particular trajectory and varied distances. [004] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid 700 with ball joint interlocking mechanism according to the present invention. The ball holding cup 702 is connected to the elongated lever 706 through an interlocking mechanism, which is a ball joint 704, adjusted to create angular adjustments for tilting of the ball holding cup 702 and/or angular adjustments of the lever to orient at a desired angle with reference to the axis of the elongated 706 lever to attain a desired orientation. The other end of the lever 706 is connected to the hand gripping side 708.

[005] FIG. 8a - 8i illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid having multi part elongated lever for attaining an orientation over an axis of the elongated lever and an interlocking mechanism. The ball holding cup is locked in different angles as shown in 800d, 800e or 800g, with reference to an angle related to the elongated lever to attain a desired throwing distance and orientation.

[006] FIG. 9a-91 illustrates the exemplary embodiment with ball joint interlocking mechanism according to the present invention. The ball holding cup is locked in different throwing angles and orientations as shown in 900a-9001, with reference to an angle related to the elongated lever to attain a desired distance and orientation.

[007] FIG. 10a - lOd illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the multi-purpose ball throwing aid having a single part elongated lever with an interlocking mechanism to attain desired angles for throwing the ball. The ball holding cup is locked in different angles as shown in 1000a- lOOOd, with reference to an angle related to the elongated lever to attain a desired throwing distance.

[008] The multi-purpose ball throwing aid is not limited or confined to be used only by hand. This ball throwing aid can also be attached to a mechanical system which imitates or creates motion of human throwing or yields a similar result to leverage human effort with angular adjustments. [009] In some embodiments of a cup member, the radius of the inner surface of the cup member may be non-constant between the base of the cup member and the top of the cup member. The interlocking mechanism as shown in the above embodiments are exemplary, wherein all possible interlocking mechanisms are replaceable, integrated with the ball throwing aid without departing from the scope of the claims. Similarly, the size and shape of the ball holding cup and the hand gripping side as described above are not limiting the invention. Variations and modifications are possible without deviating from the scope of the claims.

[0010] Several embodiments of throwing aids of the invention have been described and shown herein. It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, throwing devices may omit features of one or more of the embodiments illustrated and described herein. Other embodiments may include additional features suitable for use in connection with throwing devices. In each case, such changes, modifications, omissions, and additions can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without diminishing its intended advantages.