| Color coded teaching system -> Monitor Keywords |
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Color coded teaching systemRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Playing Field Or Court Game; Game Element Or Accessory Therefor Other Than Projector Or Projectile, Per Se, Practice Or Training Device, For Game In Which Play Involves Base Running (e.g., For Baseball, Cricket, Etc.)Color coded teaching system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070173356, Color coded teaching system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Ser. No. 11/083,587, filed Mar. 18, 2005 and published on Sep. 21, 2006 as No. US 2006/0211522, the entire specification of which is incorporated hereinto by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a color coded sport teaching device and, in particular, to a system for teaching skills employed in playing hardball and/or softball. (Albeit the word "baseball" may be used synonymously with "hardball," softball is considered a form of baseball and that term is therefore sometimes used herein to connote both hardball and softball.) [0003] When a novice begins to play a sport such as hardball, softball, cricket, stickball, and the like, he or she often learns through observation and experimentation the difficult skills involved in properly gripping a bat, positioning his or her body for batting, and striking the ball; as a result, the player's abilities are not, in many instances, well or correctly developed. Learning to throw a ball properly is also difficult, especially for players who want to be pitchers, as is learning to properly field and then throw a ball, particularly in regard to positioning of the feet and hands. The optimal acquisition of such skills will usually require good instruction and considerable practice and time, due in large part to the need to coordinate feet, hands, eyes, and body movements. [0004] Indicative of the prior art pertinent in the field of the invention are the following patents, all of which are of the United States: [0005] U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,258,858, to Cariffe, and 5,244,233, to McCraney, both relate to markings, such as with paint or stickers, that are applied to designate left and right shoes and gloves for assisting children in putting them on properly. [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,344, to Masstab, provides a golf grip and glove having self-attractive surfaces that permit the glove to be secured to the handle of a golf club for preventing relative movement. [0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,029, to Worrell, provides golf practice apparatus that includes luminescent material, preferably on a decal, secured to a golf head and a practice mat to permit visual observation of club head movement relative to a desirable path. [0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,290, 043, to Vidinic, provides a target with sections of different colors, and a shoe with corresponding colored sections, to designate the portion of the foot that should be used to kick a ball into a corresponding section of the target. A special shoe may be provided, or an ordinary shoe may be adapted by applying stickers or Velcro (hook-and-loop type) attachments. [0009] U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,280, to Dickerson, provides a golf training device comprising a full glove, used on the leading hand and having a diagonal strip for indicating placement of the golf club and, on the back of the thumb and running the length of the thumb, a strip of material carrying a plurality of hook-like members to be hooked with a corresponding strip of material on a half glove on the other hand. [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,126, to Harvanek, discloses the use of a glove having markings for providing the wearer with a visual indication of the proper position for gripping a golf club or baseball bat. [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,880, to Wiseman, discloses a training mat for teaching proper baseball batting position. The mat is marked with first indicia, designating home plate, and a plurality of second indicia showing sequential segments for foot placement. Wiseman normally provides color coding to match one of a plurality of front-foot markings with one of a plurality of back-foot markings, and to match the foot markings with markings on a tee. [0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,828, to Sinton, provides to a golf training system for aligning the hands on a club, wherein the upper hand glove may have indicia or color coding for relative positioning of the lower hand and for aligning the thumb along the centerline of the club. [0013] U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,845, to Canelas, discloses a combination of soccer shoes and a soccer ball in which an exterior surface of each shoe is marked to correspond with selected areas of the ball so as to facilitate striking a particular area of the ball with a particular area of the shoe. [0014] U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,164, to Martin, discloses interlocking gloves worn by a batter to help in hitting a baseball. The gloves inhibit the batter from rotating her hands while holding a bat, and they help to maintain proper knuckle alignment throughout the swing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0015] Despite the foregoing, the need remains for a novel system for teaching and developing a plurality of baseball playing skills, which system is conveniently and effectively utilized, is incomplex, is readily transported, and is facile and inexpensive to manufacture. The broad objects of the invention are therefore to provide such a system, and to provide a novel teaching method utilizing it. [0016] More specific objects of the invention are to provide a system and method having the foregoing features and advantages, which are particularly adapted for teaching both pitching and also batting and/or fielding skills. [0017] It has now been found that certain of the foregoing and related objects of the invention are attained by the provision of a system, having ambidextrous applicability, which are particularly adapted for teaching baseball (i.e., softball and/or hardball) skills, comprised of a double-sided panel having a face on both of the opposite sides thereof, and a pair of foot-marker pieces. The panel has indicia on one of its faces designed for teaching ball-pitching skills and comprising an elongated pitcher's rubber representation and a rectilinear power-line representation, the power-line representation extending from a location adjacent to the pitcher's rubber representation and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis thereof. The construction of the panel is such that disengageable attachment of the foot-marker pieces is enabled, at least at a plurality of spaced locations along the pitcher's rubber representation and along the power-line representation. Each of the foot-marker pieces has a visually distinguishing feature that enables it to be readily distinguished from the other foot-marker piece of the pair, and is constructed to enable disengageable attachment, at least at locations along the pitcher's rubber and the power-line representations on the "one" face of the panel. The panel also has indicia, or other means, on the other of its faces indicating at least one area for placement of a student's feet adjacent to at least one edge, for teaching batting skills, fielding skills, or both. [0018] Preferably, the panel will comprise a mat, and it will normally be rectangular and longer than it is wide. The pitcher's rubber representation will usually extend crosswise, between lateral edges of the panel adjacent a narrow end thereof, and the power-line representation will usually extend lengthwise and generally centrally between the lateral edges. [0019] In certain embodiments of the teaching system of the invention, indicia on the "other" side of the panel will comprise a plurality (desirably, three) of pairs of foot-marker representations disposed adjacent one edge, with the foot-marker representations of each pair being mutually spaced and readily distinguishable visually from one another and with the respective mutual spacing between the foot-marker representations of each of the pairs being different. Generally, the foot-marker representations of a relatively narrowly spaced inner pair will be disposed between the foot-marker representations of a more widely spaced outward pair, and the length dimension of the more outward pair will be greater than the length dimension of the inner pair. The indicia comprising the pairs of foot-marker representations will desirably be integral with, and non-removable from, the panel. [0020] The indicia on the "other" of the panel faces may be adapted for teaching batting skills and may, in that instance, comprise a batter's box representation. Such a panel may be constructed to enable disengageable attachment of foot-marker pieces within the batter's box representation, in which case the indicia may designate locations for placement of the foot-marker pieces. [0021] The indicia on the "other" side of the panel may alternatively, or additionally, be adapted for teaching ball-fielding skills and may, in that event, comprise an element that designates a location for hand (glove hand and bare hand) placement, spaced away from one edge of the panel and forwardly toward an opposite edge thereof. The indicia provided may also include a rectilinear throwing-line representation, extending forwardly from the hand-placement element. Most desirably, indicia provided for teaching ball-fielding skills will additionally include a generally rectilinear element, extending along the "one" edge of the panel, designating locations for foot placement and forming the base of an equilateral triangle having the hand-placement element at its apex. In such embodiments, the panel will desirably be constructed to enable disengageable attachment of foot-marker pieces at a plurality of spaced locations along both the throwing-line representation and also along the triangle base-forming rectilinear element. Continue reading about Color coded teaching system... Full patent description for Color coded teaching system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Color coded teaching system patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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