| Game machine for practicing pitching -> Monitor Keywords |
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Game machine for practicing pitchingGame machine for practicing pitching description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080045362, Game machine for practicing pitching. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]1. Field of Invention [0002]The present invention relates to game machines and more particularly to a highly interesting game machine for practicing baseball pitching. [0003]2. Description of Related Art [0004]Conventionally, a relatively large space, a pitcher, and a catcher all are required for practicing baseball pitching. However, for urban people this is difficult because available space is limited. Further, finding another person to play as a pitcher or catcher is difficult because they are many singles in our society. [0005]Moreover, no conventional game machines enable a person playing as a pitcher to know his or her pitch speed because the cost of installing a baseball pitch speed measurement device is prohibitively high. [0006]Hence, a need has arisen for an interesting, cost effective game machine for practicing baseball pitching and further the game machine enables a player practicing baseball pitching to know his or her pitch speed and whether a pitched ball has hit a strike zone so that the player can adjust his or her next pitch. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007]It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a game machine for practicing baseball pitching in which the game machine enables a player to immediately know whether a pitched ball has hit a strike zone so that the player can adjust his or her next pitch. [0008]It is another object of the present invention to provide a game machine for practicing baseball pitching in which the game machine enables a player to immediately know his or her pitch speed so that the player can adjust his or her next pitch. [0009]To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a game machine for practicing baseball pitching comprising a cage having nets on its top and both sides and including a rear display assembly including a numerical current pitch speed display, a numerical high pitch speed display, a numerical current score display being set to zero when the game machine is turned on, a numerical high score display, and a numerical remaining time display; and a front console including a coin insertion slot and a calculation and display circuit; a target mounted below the display assembly and including a plurality of flexible panels on its front face, a rear frame divided into a plurality of compartments, equal in number to the panels, each compartment including a flexible member mounted rearward of the panel, and a plurality of micro-switches each mounted rearward of the flexible member and spaced therefrom wherein each panel is marked by a numeral as a score; and an optoelectronic pitch speed measurement device including a first speed sensor mounted on an intermediate portion of the cage, a second speed sensor mounted proximate the target, a first light mounted on a top of the cage immediately above the first speed sensor, and a second light mounted on the top of the cage immediately above the second speed sensor, whereby inserting one or more coins into the coin insertion slot will cause the console to supply one or more balls, and pitching a ball toward one of the panels (i) will cause the first speed sensor to sense the ball as light emitted from the first light to the first speed sensor is interrupted by the ball and record a first time, cause the second speed sensor to sense the ball as light emitted from the second light to the second speed sensor is interrupted by the ball and record a second time, and cause the calculation and display circuit to calculate a current pitch speed by subtracting the first time from the second time, show the current pitch speed on the current pitch speed display, compare the current pitch speed with a previous high pitch speed shown on the high pitch speed display, and update the high pitch speed display if the current pitch speed exceeds the previous high pitch speed; and (ii) in response to hitting the panel, the flexible member associated with the panel will flex to close the micro-switch by contacting, activate the calculation and display circuit to increment a current score shown on the current score display by the score marked on the panel, cause the current score display to update same, compare the current score with a previous high score shown on the high score display, and update the previous high score if the current score exceeds the previous high score. [0010]The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of game machine for practicing baseball pitching according to the invention; [0012]FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1; [0013]FIG. 3 is a side elevation in part section of FIG. 1; [0014]FIG. 4 is a rear view of FIG. 1; [0015]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of FIG. 1; [0016]FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of the target; [0017]FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of one of the target units shown in FIG. 6A; [0018]FIG. 6C is a sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. 6B; [0019]FIG. 6D is a view similar to FIG. 6C for illustrating the panel being flexed and the micro-switch being closed by the flexing in response to ball hitting thereon; [0020]FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a process for calculating score according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; and [0021]FIG. 8 is a flowchart depicting a process for calculating pitch speed according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Continue reading about Game machine for practicing pitching... Full patent description for Game machine for practicing pitching Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Game machine for practicing pitching 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. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Game machine for practicing pitching or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Method of holding a putter and putting a golf ball Next Patent Application: Expandable broadhead with rear deploying blades Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Game machine for practicing pitching patent info. 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