Site News  |   Monitor Keywords  |   Monitor Archive  |   Organizer  |   Account Info  |

System for picking up, tossing, and striking a ball

System for picking up, tossing, and striking a ball description/claims

The present application is a continuation of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/105,263, filed Apr. 17, 2008, which is a nonprovisional of:

U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/925,010, filed Apr. 17, 2007;

U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/994,180, filed Sep. 18, 2007; and

U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/045,607, filed Apr. 16, 2008.

In addition, the present application is a non-provisional patent application of, and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/994,180, filed Sep. 18, 2007, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/045,607, filed Apr. 16, 2008.

The entirety of each of the foregoing applications is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and of other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

1. Field of the Present Invention

The present invention relates generally to multi-purpose ball implements, and, in particular, a system for picking up, tossing, and striking a ball in such a way that the ball does not come in contact with a user's hands.

2. Background

It can be appreciated that implements for hitting or striking a ball have been in use for years. Typically, ball strikers include, but are not limited to, baseball bats, tennis racquets, cricket bats, and the like.

One problem with most conventional implements for striking a ball is that they have no device which retains a ball, where a user can eject the ball upward in order to strike the ball without touching the ball. Several attempts have been made to solve this problem, at least with regard to baseball bats and the like, as set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,115,342, 3,169,019 and 4,930,772, but each bat disclosed therein suffers at least from the problem that the means for holding the ball and enabling it to be flipped or tossed in the air also causes interference with the proper striking of the ball; i.e., the openings or attached ball-cups cover or eliminate part of the hitting surface from proper use.

In addition, neither these implements nor any other known ball implements have a device or method or means to pick up a ball without bending down and/or touching the ball with at least one hand. Furthermore, no known implement in the form of other types of ball-striking implements, such as that of a tennis racquet or the like, has been developed.

Thus, while conventional devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not suitable for persons to pick up a ball, toss a ball, and strike a ball, while not touching the ball with at least one hand.

In these respects, a system for picking up, tossing, and striking a ball in such a way that the ball does not come in contact with a user's hands, according to the present invention, substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing, provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of persons to pick up, toss, and strike a ball, while not touching the ball with at least one hand.

The present invention provides a new hands free ball pick up, toss, and strike system wherein the same can be utilized for persons to pick up, toss, and strike a ball, while not touching the ball with their hands. Broadly defined, the present invention according to at least one aspect includes a device which may be attachable to an implement used to strike a ball, or may be part of an implement used to strike a ball, that is capable of retrieving a ball from the ground, holding the ball, and facilitating tossing the ball into the air to allow the implement it is attached to or implement that it is part of, to subsequently strike the ball. In one embodiment, the device used to pick up the ball is a scoop or shovel shape. In another embodiment, the device used to pick up the ball is a press-fit ball grabber.

A purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new hands free ball pick, toss, and strike system that has many of the advantages of the ball-striking implements mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new hands free ball pick up, toss, and strike system which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art ball pick up, toss, and/or strikers, either alone, or in any combination.

• Provisional Patent
• Utility Patent

• What Is a Patent?
• What Is a Trademark or Servicemark?
• What Is a Copyright?
• Patent Laws