Field of Invention:

The present invention is a complete specification filed as a cognate application to the provisional applications 201621005633 and 201621005632 filed at the Mumbai office of the IPO on 18.02.2016. The present invention relates to a trainer for ball hitting which can be adapted to sports such as tennis, table-tennis, cricket, golf, baseball, football and all such sports that are based on hitting or kicking a ball. More specifically the invention relates to a device that can be rotated along horizontal and vertical axes to provide both variable heights for practicing different strokes as well to make the device suitable for right handed as well as left handed players. Further, the present invention also relates to a device that brings the ball to rest within 1 -4 oscillations so as to maximise the practice time of the player. Further, it's a device which is a coaching aid for ball hitting game to help improve stance, footwork and hand to eye coordination.

Background of invention:

Currently, in conventional training, the player requires participation of other people such as coaches and other players for throwing / retrieving the balls. A lot of time and efforts are wasted in this. Also, this requires presence of and hence dependence on other people for training. Cricket, tennis, table tennis, golf and baseball among others are sports which require perfect hand to eye coordination, perfection in stance and positioning of the player, footwork, strength and timing.

Several training devices have been designed to fulfill the purpose of providing stroke practice. We cite only prior art closest to our invention.

In the prior art a British patent No. GB2335369 claims a training aid which comprises a base member securely positionable with respect to the ground and an elongate support member having two ends, one end of the support member being secured to the base member in a configuration in which the support member extends operatively upwardly from the base member when securely positioned with respect to the ground, in use, and the other end of the support member having a mounting formation whereby a ball can be securely mounted at this end of the support member, the support member being configured to permit resilient deformability between its opposite ends. However, this invention has no positioning unit to quickly position the ball to desired position and uses coil springs.

Another British patent No. GB2105202 claims a device for improving batting skills comprising a ball suspended above ground height by affixation to a lower extremity of a flexible rod, the upper extremity of such flexible rod being attached to a collar moveable in relation to a supporting mounting arm. The major drawback of this invention is the use of suspended ball which causes a huge time lag before it comes to its original position. Further, this device has no damping or stopping in desired position for and no free standing base.

Still another Chinese patent application No. CN203803079U is a utility model that relates to a tennis trainer which comprises a base, a lower rod fixedly connected to the base, an upper rod connected with the lower rod through a first connecting piece, an elastic rod inserted into the upper end of the upper rod, and a tennis ball. A rubber band is tied in the elastic rod, and one end of the rubber band is bound on the tennis ball. Spring structures are arranged at the joints of the rods, when a user practices tennis, the user hits the ball with all strength, due to the fact that the springs gradually reduce strength level by level, the tennis trainer cannot be thrown to the ground or move, the user can hit the tennis ball repeatedly with all strength, and the tennis trainer is small in size, simple in structure, low in weight, capable of being integrally assembled and disassembled, convenient to carry and low in manufacturing cost.

Yet another Chinese patent application No. CN204034227U refers to a utility model that relates in particular to a tennis training device with a rotatable tennis ball. A plastic disc is fixedly arranged on the bottom of the front end of a bottom metal support, an inverted-T-shaped metal frame is fixedly connected to the middle of the bottom metal support through screws, a metal tube is connected to the upper end of the inverted-T- shaped metal frame in an inserted mode through a connecting pin, two small springs are fixed to the upper end of the metal tube in a pressure casting mode, fixed together in a pressure casting mode through a metal sheet and sleeved with a plastic sleeve, the plastic sleeve is sleeved with a large spring, the upper ends of the small springs are fixedly connected with the lower end of a Y-shaped device, and the rotatable tennis ball is connected to the upper end of the Y-shaped device through a metal pin. The tennis training device is simple in structure. The rotatable tennis ball is arranged on the top of the tennis training device and can swing back and forth through the springs after being hit, the muscle memory of swinging a racket correctly is quickly established by repeatedly hitting the rotatable tennis ball which is relatively fixed in position, the ball hitting hand feeling can be improved, and the ball hitting level can be increased.

Patent No. GB2525401 cites a ball game practice device comprises a base portion, a ball attached to an upper end of a rod , the lower end of the rod being mounted for rotary motion relative to the base portion on an axis extending transverse to the length of the rod, the device further comprising an elastic cord for effecting return of the rod after the ball has been struck, one end of the chord being anchored to move in synchronism with the rod and the other end being anchored to the base portion, and a catch for engagement with the cord whereby further return movement of the rod is restrained. The lower end of the rod is preferably attached to a carrier mounted for rotary motion. The carrier may comprise an arcuate surface, with the cord being deployed in contact with the surface. The carrier is most preferably a wheel.

Further, in both the above cited inventions there is no provision to rest the ball away from the player so that he may practice hitting and running.

Object of the Invention:

One or more of the problems or limitations of the prior art cited hereinabove may be overcome by various embodiments of the present invention. It is an object of current invention henceforth referred to as Rebound

Trainer for Ball Hitting, to have an equipment or device which allows the player to train independently by repeatedly bringing the ball back to its original or desired position. Yet another object of the invention is to have a single handed operation of the device to change the position of the ball for various stroke heights and for left or right handed orientation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device that can be rotated along vertical and horizontal axes and locked in multiple positions to provide both variable heights for practicing different strokes as well as make the unit suitable for right handed as well as left handed players and also brings the ball to rest within 1 -4 oscillations so as to maximise the practice time of the player. It is also a further objective of this invention to provide training equipment, which is portable, reliable, rugged and economically viable to the end user.

Summary of the invention:

Provided herein is a portable trainer for ball hitting to improve hand-eye coordination, muscle memory, stance correction and shot-shaping comprising:

A base assembly unit with base fabricated from heavy solid material or hollow structure that can be filled with heavy material to render stability to the portable ball hitting device when in use, with said base bearing a central fabricated structure for clamping the vertical post assembly and levellers and damping mat;

A vertical shaft assembly unit for providing elevation to the ball shaft assembly comprising a vertical post with clamping mechanism to attach to the base assembly unit at one end and the positioning assembly unit at the other end;

A positioning assembly unit to lock position of the ball shaft assembly unit mounted on the vertical shaft unit assembly by a rapid indexing and locking mechanism comprising enmeshing face gears or clutch plates or pressure plates along with retraction or disengagement lever and fitted with push-back spring(s) to mount the pivot unit assembly;

A pivot assembly unit mounted on the rapid indexing and locking mechanism comprising pivot arm housing to allow the ball shaft assembly unit to oscillate around vertical/horizontal axis upon being hit, with said pivot arm housing fitted suitably with polyurethane truss spring block, along with damping wear pads, damping control knobs and damping control screws to absorb the energy of the impact in order to bring the ball shaft unit to rest within 1 -4 oscillations and a pivot pin to secure the ball shaft at one end;

A ball shaft assembly unit comprising a composite shaft having an over- moulded steel sleeve with a wear resistant thermoset or thermoplastic composite wear pad at one end secured with the pivot pin to the pivot assembly unit and a ball connector glued to the composite shaft with a ball attached at the other end; wherein said device provides rapid angular adjustment flexibility of the pivot assembly unit about the horizontal axis in a vertical plane through 345 degrees and vertical axis in a horizontal plane through 345 degrees and can be locked in multiple positions to provide both variable heights for practicing different strokes as well as make the unit suitable for right handed as well as left handed players and also brings the ball to rest within 1 -4 oscillations so as to maximise the practice time of the player.

Brief Description of the Drawings:

Figure (1a) is an isometric view of the Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting.

Figure (1 b) is an isometric view of the units or sub-assemblies that form the Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting and the following table summarises the list of components with details

Figure (1 c) is an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of the Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting unit without the vertical shaft unit assembly. Figures (2a), (2b) and (2c) are isometric views of the Base Assembly unit of the Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting with detailed parts and the following table summarizes the details of the parts.

Figure (5) is an isometric view of the Pivot assembly unit of the Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting with detailed parts and the following table summarizes the details of the parts

Figure (7) is an isometric view of the Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting showing rotation of the unit to adjust positions for Left handed and Right handed players. Figure (8) shows representative Variation of shaft positions for Right handed player.

Figure (9) shows representative Variation of shaft positions for Left handed player.

Figure (10) shows tilting possibilities of Rebound Ball Hitting Device wherein pivot housing tilts in axis parallel to pivot axis in both left and right orientation. Here (a) represents tilting of the pivot housing assembly unit in an axis parallel to pivot axis; (b) represents tilting of the pivot housing assembly unit in right direction;

(c) represents tilting of the pivot housing assembly unit in left direction.

Figure (11) shows tilting possibilities of Rebound Ball Hitting Device wherein pivot housing tilts in axis perpendicular to pivot axis in both left and right orientation

Here (d) represents tilting of the pivot housing assembly unit in an axis perpendicular to pivot axis;

(e) represents tilting of the pivot housing assembly unit in right direction;

(f) represents tilting of the pivot housing assembly unit in left direction. Detailed description:

Rebound Trainer for Ball Hitting is a portable trainer for ball hitting that has a base assembly unit (10) attached by suitable means to a vertical post assembly unit (20) which is further attached to a ball shaft positioning assembly unit (30) by suitable means which in turn is attached by means of a pivot assembly unit (40) to a ball hitting assembly unit (50).

The base assembly unit (10) comprises a main pipe (1 1 ) with side pipes (12) fitted perpendicularly by suitable means. Both main and side pipes are fabricated from heavy solid material or hollow structure that can be filled with heavy material to render stability to the device when in use. The pipes are fitted with levellers (13) or balancer pipes (17) to adjust level and balance of the entire device. The main pipe additionally bears a central quick female clamp (14) for clamping the stand of the vertical post assembly (20) on its dorsal centre using quick clamp male unit or any such suitable means required to fasten stand to the base.

In some of the embodiments of the invention, the base is selected from solid or hollow metallic or polymeric materials, with a central horizontal member fitted by suitable means with solid or hollow end blocks, and fitted by suitable means with detachable or swivelling stabilising arms (13 and 16), wherein the said hollow components are filled with sand or iron filings or any other suitable liquid/solid material prior to use to render stability to the device.

In yet other embodiments of the invention, the base unit has a base (16) fitted with balancer pipes (17) and leveller screws (12) fitted on top of base (16). Rubber mat (18) to absorb shock and vibrations is fitted by suitable means on the other end of the base facing the ground.

Other embodiments of the invention include the base unit selected from a single piece heavy structure in C or Z or S or other suitable frame shapes in hollow or solid construction, wherein the said hollow components are filled with sand or iron filings or any other suitable material prior to use to render stability to the device.

The vertical shaft assembly unit (20) is designed to provide vertical elevation to the ball shaft assembly unit. It comprises a vertical stand(22) with a quick clamp male (23) that fits into the quick female clamp(14) of the base assembly unit for clamping the stand of the vertical post assembly and at its other end the vertical shaft assembly has a quick clamp female to connect to the positioning unit assembly(30). In yet other embodiments of the invention, the vertical shaft of the positioning unit is selected from solid rod or hollow pipe or tube with circular or square or polygonal cross section, made from metallic or polymeric materials, wherein the said hollow components are filled with sand or iron filings or any other suitable material prior to use to improve its strength.

The positioning assembly unit (30) is designed to lock position of the ball shaft assembly unit. It is mounted on the Vertical post assembly unit by means of a quick clamp male (31 ) that fits into the quick clamp female of the vertical post assembly (21 ). The lower and upper positioning hitches (32 and 33 respectively) along with the handle (34) comprise a rapid indexing and locking mechanism to mount the pivot unit on to the vertical post of the positioning unit.

Embodiments of the invention include the rapid indexing and locking mechanism selected from enmeshing face gears or face friction plates or face clutch plates in flat or conical shape or cam locks of various designs such as screw threads, wedges, multi start threads and high lead threads or suitable mechanism known in the art wherein these components are assembled in a way so that they can be quickly disengaged by a simple lever or switch mechanism or with retraction or disengagement lever and push-back spring(s).

The indexing is carried out to adjust the ball shaft and ball to required new position and then the mechanism can be locked into the new position by means of a suitable spring which re-engages the disengaged parts thus enabling single handed operation of the device to change the position of the ball for various stroke heights and for left or right handed orientation. Embodiments of the invention include mounting of the positioning unit directly to the base assembly unit thereby omitting the vertical post assembly.

Another embodiment of the invention also include attaching the positioning assembly unit to the base assembly unit without the vertical shaft assembly unit by means of screws or bolts fitted into the lower bracket (31 ) and upper bracket (36) as shown in figure 4b.

The pivot assembly unit (40) mounted on the rapid indexing and locking mechanism comprises pivot arm housing (41 ) to allow the ball shaft unit to oscillate around vertical axis upon being hit, with said pivot arm housing fitted suitably with polymeric truss spring block (43), along with damping wear pads built into the housing spacers(42), damping control knobs(44) and damping control screws/pivot pin (45) along with pivot pin lock grommet (46) to absorb the energy of the impact in order to bring the ball shaft unit to rest within 1 -4 oscillations and a pivot pin to secure the ball shaft at one end.

The pivot assembly unit comprises an assembly of various parts of metal and/or plastic, cast or formed and various insert moulded parts joined together to form a housing to contain a polymeric spring block (43) which has arrangements to adjust damping or allow control over amount of damping applied in order to bring the ball shaft to rest within 1 -4 oscillations.

Embodiments of the invention include polymeric spring block selected from suitable thermoplastic or thermosetting elastomeric material, two part cast silicon, polyurethane with construction and shape selected from single ended or double ended rectangular, circular, semi-circular, elliptical, semi-elliptical or polygonal shapes with or without internal cross members. This block includes prototypes which are monolithic to an extent that it requires no housing or damping separately and is effective in any direction of oscillation for effecting maximum damping and absorbing energy of the impact in order to bring the ball to rest within 1 -4 oscillations.

The ball shaft assembly unit (50) comprises a composite shaft (53) having an over-moulded steel sleeve with a wear resistant thermoset or thermoplastic composite wear pad (54) at one end secured with the pivot pin (45) to the pivot unit and a ball connector (52) glued to the composite shaft with a ball (51 ) attached at the other end.

An alternate embodiment includes a Y shaped pronged ball connector(55) with the ball mounted by means of a shaft and screws (56) to the connector as given in Figure (6b) thereby rendering rotational freedom to the ball enabling players to practise spin hits and simulate field conditions.

In further embodiments of the invention the ball shaft assembly unit comprises composite shaft selected from pultruded fibre glass, carbon fibre, Kevlar fibre, Aramid fiber, Spectra fibre, Dyneema fibre or similar other fibres which are having high modulus and high resilience or straight or helical metal spring, metal rod or polymeric rod or an assembly of all above materials suitably placed so as to enhance usage of specific properties of each of the materials and with suitable mechanical and chemical means to ensure optimum durability.

In further embodiments of the invention, the device is provided with telescopic ball shaft whose length is adjustable or multiple ball shafts of variable length. The ball (51 ) is made from polymers, leather, rubber, cloth, metal or a composite thereof and is glued, moulded or mechanically fixed to the said ball shaft. Embodiments of the invention bear suitable means of attachment in the device include screwing, bolting, gluing, over-moulding, welding, pasting, press-fitting and all means known in the art.

In further embodiments of the invention, the device is provided with ball shaft of up to 100,000 impact cycles at its full amplitude.

The unit can be easily positioned for left or right handedness by swivelling it around by the ball shaft positioning unit (30) through 180 degrees as shown in Figure (7).

To adjust to the required handedness the handle (34) is released, this in turn springs open the serrated joint (33, 34) in the hitch and makes the pivot unit free to be positioned to any position as required as shown in Figure (7).

The user can in turn select the required position of the pivot unit and the ball and again lock the handle to rigidly maintain the position. Figure 8 shows the position for a right hand player and Figure 9 shows the position for a left hand player.

Further as shown in Figure 10 Rebound Ball Hitting Device has tilting possibilities wherein pivot housing tilts in axis parallel to pivot axis in both left and right orientation. The pivot housing assembly unit can be tilted in an axis parallel to pivot axis(a) in both right (b) and left(c) direction. Still further as shown in Figure 1 1 Rebound Ball Hitting Device has tilting possibilities wherein pivot housing tilts in axis perpendicular to pivot axis in both left and right orientation. The pivot housing assembly unit can be tilted in an axis perpendicular to pivot axis(d) in both right (e) and left(f) direction. Furthermore the ball shaft positioning unit is used to bring the ball from ground position to vertical position also. This makes it very easy to position the ball for a required stroke or shots.

The Rebound Trainer for ball hitting is thus a trainer for ball hitting which can be adapted to sports such as tennis, table-tennis, cricket, golf, baseball, football and all such sports that are based on hitting or kicking a ball.

Working of the invention:

The unit is used for practicing various strokes or shots for cricket, tennis, baseball, squash, hockey and the likes, by providing appropriately positioned ball that comes to quick rest (within 1 -4 oscillations on being struck).

As such, this unit can be used to groove or polish or shape the shots, correct stance, improve hand-eye coordination, impart muscle memory at a very high rate as compared to normal practicing means and methods. Moreover the compact nature of this unit also allows indoor use during inclement weather conditions, thus avoiding a break in practice.

The user can position the ball from ground level to a maximum height limited by the length of the shaft, by using the quick-adjust pivot clamping mechanism. The rocking of the ball shaft is controlled by a damping mechanism which permits the damping rate to be adjusted as per the training needs. The player can now hit the ball by taking any stance and position as per the required training needs. This repeatedly brings back the ball to the hitting position for multiple practice actions. Alternatively, using a separate attachment, the shaft can be 'held' at its extreme end of the swing after being hit, so that the practitioner can practice taking runs after hitting the shot. Here, the mechanism is such that the shaft can easily be released and brought back to hitting position even while wearing batsman's gloves.

The unit is completely adjustable in terms of height of the ball and a complete 180 degrees mirror orientation about its central axis. This allows not only practicing various shots at any height of approaching ball but also allows the same machine to be used by right-handed as well as left- handed players.

This is done very easily and quickly by single handed disengaging of the rapid indexing and locking mechanism, moving the shaft with other hand to the desired location and then releasing the lever so that the ball shaft gets locked into the new position, thus changing the height of the ball to required practice stroke height and also right-handed / left-handed batsman, striker or player orientation.

The height adjustments are possible from the ball almost touching the ground to the highest position when the shaft is totally vertical, which is decided by the shaft length.

The invention extends also to all such other configuration training devices for ball hitting which incorporate the principles of the invention as defined and described above.

Advantages of the present invention:

1 . The present invention relates to a trainer for ball hitting which can be adapted to several sports such as tennis, table-tennis, cricket, golf, baseball, football and all such sports that are based on hitting or kicking a ball.

Further the trainer that can be rotated along horizontal and vertical axes to provide both variable heights for practicing different strokes. The multiple angular and planar rotation makes the device suitable for right handed as well as left handed players.

Further, in the present invention the ball comes to its rest position within 1 -4 oscillations so as to maximise the practice time of the player.

The device can also be used for hit and run practise.

Further, it a device which is a coaching aid for ball hitting game to help improve stance, footwork and hand to eye coordination.