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Tennis serve ball machine cum training device iiTennis serve ball machine cum training device ii description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080096698, Tennis serve ball machine cum training device ii. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]The tennis serve is a challenging part of the game, and probably one of the most frustrating and the weakest link in a good tennis player's game. Though ball machines exist that allow practicing ground strokes like forehand, backhand, volley and overhead, there is practically no device that assists the student of tennis with their serve on the tennis court today. [0002]Patents that aid the ball toss to provide target practice exist, but none seem to put the ball in the right place and allow the player to actually hit it. The challenge of a tennis coach, as she watches the student struggle with the toss as a beginner or intermediate player, is to first get the player to toss the ball at the desired location, before getting her to hit the correct ball at the desired height. Coaching time is partly wasted because the student is actually tossing the ball in the incorrect position and thus hitting faulty serves. [0003]This invention will toss the ball for the student at the desired location at the desired instant, so the student can actually hit the ball and realize for herself the fruits of tossing the ball at the desired location. The kinetic and visual memory built by repeatedly hitting the ball at the correct location and instant will be invaluable in finally realizing where to toss the ball, so as to hit the correct serve. [0004]For the intermediate player, a tennis coach has to struggle with finer points like refining the point of contact. No device exists that provides visual feedback on ideal point of contact between the racket and ball elevation when hitting the serve. Also, on the same lines it is very common for intermediate players to make contact with the ball lower than optimum, hitting incorrect serves. No visual feedback is currently available to a tennis coach to literally highlight this point. [0005]This application is related to patent application Ser. No. 11/582,597 by the same applicant on the same topic. This application differs from the patent application Ser. No. 11/582,597 in the ball tossing mechanism BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0006]This invention is a sophisticated ball machine that tosses the ball to the tennis student at the appropriate height and allows the student to practice the serve without actually releasing a tennis ball from her tossing arm. The machine is first setup on the tennis court by the student, either alone or with the assistance of the coach, who sets the machine to toss the ball at the appropriate height and depth into the court. [0007]The machine operates in one of two modes. In the auto-sense mode, the device detects the rising tossing arm of the student, by an interruption of a light beam or microwave motion sensor device to start a timer. After a customizable delay of a few hundred milliseconds, a ball is tossed from the overhead ball toss canister, which is slightly above and to the side of the player's head. The ball is tossed in a parabolic path and is marked by a horizontal laser beam with a bright red dot as it falls through the optimum point of contact with the racket. [0008]If the ball is not hit by the player it falls lower and is marked by another horizontal line laser, which signifies that the ball has fallen beyond the strike zone. With some trial and error, the player can set the adjustable time delay between the start of the serving action, which is the raising of the tossing arm and the toss of the tennis ball from the overhead canister. [0009]In the auto-feed mode, a ball is tossed once every 8 to 10 seconds from the overhead canister with an audible alert to start her serving motion. With some trial and error, the student can set the delay between the alert to start the serving motion and the ball release. Once this is set, the student can practice hitting about 10 to 12 serves with the balls in the Magazine, before stopping to reload the magazine. [0010]A critical part of the invention is the canister that holds the ball to be tossed. The ball toss canister, which holds one ball, has an electrical or pneumatic hammer mechanism, to toss the ball about 18-24 inches into the air in a parabolic path. The canister is attached to and fed by a magazine, which is a slightly inclined horizontal pipe with a funnel at the other end. [0011]The balls in the magazine roll into the ball toss canister, one at a time regulated by a servo activated Ball feed control. The magazine is attached to a cross beam that can ride vertically on a threaded vertical rod. The cross beam also supports the sensor and laser mechanisms. This cross beam can be raised and lowered with electrical power assistance. The cross beam can be lowered, so the magazine is at about 6 feet above ground, to enable easy loading of the balls. The fine adjustments for the laser and motion sensor mechanisms will also be performed when the cross beam is in the lowered position. [0012]The delay controllers for the time delays will be provided on a control box attached to the main post at eye level. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS [0013]FIG. 1--Perspective View of the Invention showing all the major components [0014]FIG. 2--Perspective View of the Invention in relation to the tennis court [0015]FIG. 3--Elevation of the Invention in relation to the tennis court from the side of the court, close to the base line with magazine raised [0016]FIG. 4--Side Elevation of the Invention in relation to the tennis court from behind the Baseline The Ball toss trajectory is also shown in this figure [0017]FIG. 5--Close-up of the Tossing arm sensor unit, showing the detection of the student's tossing arm. [0018]FIG. 6--Close-up of the Magazine, Funnel, Ball-toss canister and the riding support beam, showing the raising/lowering mechanism [0019]FIG. 7--Close-up of the Ball-toss canister and Ball feed control [0020]FIG. 8--Close-up of the Laser marker system [0021]FIG. 9--Elevation of the Invention in relation to the tennis court from the longer side of the court, close to the Base line with the Magazine in lowered position. Continue reading about Tennis serve ball machine cum training device ii... Full patent description for Tennis serve ball machine cum training device ii Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Tennis serve ball machine cum training device ii 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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