Did You Know...
...that the inventor of the electric motor was a blacksmith named Thomas Davenport? Described as "a brilliantly unsuccessful inventor", Davenport invented the first rotary electric motor. In 1836 he headed out -- on foot -- from his Vermont home to file a patent application at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C. By the time he got there, he had squandered away his money and couldn't afford the $30 filing fee so he turned around and went home. When he later mailed in his application with money he'd raised, the Patent office was destroyed in a fire. He did finally get credit for his invention on Feb. 5, 1837.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7775912 | Soccer training device A soccer training device for enhancing ball-handling and physical coordination of a soccer player, includes a base member, a rotary member, an elongated arm having a free distal end and a proximal end pivotally attached to a top portion of the base member via the ro... | 08/17/2010 |
| 7435193 | Retrieval device for tethered articles The retrieval device for tethered articles is a portable, compact device well suited for use by solo players practicing various aspects of sports. For example, the device may be used by a football kicker to retrieve a tethered ball after each kick, thereby saving th... | 10/14/2008 |
| 7364517 | Soccer practice apparatus A soccer practice apparatus to assist a user in practicing the ability to power kick, ball control, mid-volley and/or head a soccer ball. The apparatus can be formed from an arm assembly comprised of a primary arm member angled with a smooth bend to a substantially ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7287793 | Detachable clearance wands Detachable Clearance Wands are disclosed. The wands provide a driver of a large vehicle having slideout compartments with a clear dimension for the extension length of the slideout. The wands are attachable to the vehicle's side prior to parking it to provide the ex... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7273428 | Baseball retrieval apparatus An apparatus for supporting a tethered baseball in position for batting practice and automatically retrieving the ball after it has been hit with a bat, which includes an adjustable height stand, a fishing reel and a variable speed motor connected thereto. Tethered ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7255658 | Baseball equipment bucket and pitching target A portable bucket for carrying baseball equipment (such as bases, gloves, balls) that is attached to a pitching target. The bucket, a bottom mounting bracket, a top mounting bracket and an extendable frame provide support for the pitching target. The pitching target... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7252607 | Anchor fitting for a hollow ball An anchor fitting for a hollow ball includes a pair of shoulder defining bodies and an anchor body. These are located within the ball, the anchor body holding the shoulder defining bodies in place with respect to the ball so that with the anchor body having a cord, ... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7252603 | Collapsible batting practice device and frame A hingedly collapsible batting practice device with a top v-shaped component hingedly connected to two side members and supportable in an approximate horizontal orientation. A rear member attaches to the top of each side member. A bottom v-shaped component hingedly ... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7226398 | Apparatus for practicing art of attack and defense An apparatus for practicing art of attack and defense includes a base, an elastic force regulating set and a cylindrical member. The elastic force regulating set further includes a spring, a hollow cylinder and a Y-shaped hollow post. The hollow cylinder and the Y-s... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7223186 | Apparatus, assemblies and methods for training athletes An athletic training assembly and methods suitable for use in training basketball players. The training assembly allows a ball to be suspended at a selectable height by a suspension member that is attached to a spring loaded reel. The spring loaded reel urges the ba... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7223185 | Hide-behind bunker system and kit with impact dampening anchors A hide-behind bunker system and kit for enabling a user to take cover behind at least one stand-alone, impact dampening structure. The system comprises at least one inflatable hide-behind structure cooperatively associated with an impact dampening anchor system. The... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7207565 | Bouncing ball board game A game in which a ball is thrown or bounced onto a horizontal game board from an adjacent bouncing surface such as a table, most of a target portion of the game board surface being covered with raised ball-deflecting projections in a grid pattern, the remainder of t... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7204769 | Ball hitting practice device A ball hitting practice device has a base member, a post projecting upwardly from the base member and a pivot joint between the lower end of the post and the base member for allowing pivoting of the post in any direction about the base member to any selected tilt an... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7198579 | Ball hitting practice apparatus A ball hitting practice apparatus for use by a hitter is provided. The ball hitting practice apparatus includes a substantially rigid member having a first end and a second end, a hinge capable of suspension from a frame and attached near the first end of the rigid ... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7186192 | Ball return system A ball return apparatus includes a base, a substantially vertical pole extending from the base, an extensible tether extending from the pole, and a ball connected to the tether. The preferred base has a hollow interior and a closure so that the base can be filled wi... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7186193 | Exercise training apparatus for tennis players A tennis ball holding apparatus includes a central tubular shaft that has a bore formed therein and has apertures formed along a length thereof. A base has legs radially extending outward from a central shaft bottom end and is monolithically formed with the central ... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7147527 | Apparatus for deploying a rope A miniature foam football with an internal weighting element and a swivel ring or clip is used for deploying a rope. The weighting element is insert-molded in the football foam for low cost of manufacture, and allows the ball to be thrown accurately for distances of... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7137909 | Soccer kicking training apparatus A soccer kicking practice apparatus is provided with an elongated soccer ball mounting arm comprised of a center shaft in the form of a roller chain positioned inside of a coil spring and a coil spring compression decompression device. An outside end of the elongate... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7137914 | Ball with receptacle to receive a key An inflatable ball capable of being attached to an external device includes an inflatable ball and a receptacle. The receptacle includes a cavity and an opening in communication with the cavity. The cavity and opening are configured to receive a key, which may be re... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7134975 | Ball game apparatus Apparatus for practicing the techinque of lofting a ball, the apparatus having a support frame containing two upright supports linked by a horizontal cross-bar. Two inclined guideways extend between ground anchors and the supports. A substantially inelastic reciproc... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7131916 | Baseball swing trainer The present invention relates to a baseball swing trainer. In a first embodiment, a ball is pivotally attached to a vertical arm which is slidably attached to an oblique arm, the oblique arm is attached to a horizontal arm which is attached to a support structure; t... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7115052 | Methods and devices for sport ball training Sport ball training devices and methods for releasably holding a tennis ball or other sport ball at an appropriate height for the practice of striking the ball, either directly or indirectly with a racket or the like. An embodiment may have a support device with a b... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7115051 | Practice equipment A training device can be used, for example, to practice punching and kicking techniques and to practice baseball batting and golf swing mechanics. ... | 10/03/2006 |
| 7070520 | Sports training device for hitting a ball A sports training device comprises a substantially vertical standard with a suitable ball at the top for practicing sports such as baseball or tennis or a bent over standard with a ball close to the ground for practicing sports such as golf. The ball is attached to ... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7066849 | Portable training device for soccer players A soccer training device includes a base member including a flexible handle for assisting a user to transport the device between remote locations. A plurality of mounting brackets are removably securable to the base member and a plurality of bearings are operably at... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7056236 | Soccer kicking training apparatus A soccer kicking practice apparatus is provided with an elongated soccer ball mounting arm comprised of a center shaft positioned inside of a coil spring. An outside end of the elongated soccer ball mounting arm is provided with a soccer ball mounting device. An ins... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7056239 | Throwing and catching training apparatus A throwing and catching training apparatus for sports is disclosed. The throwing and catching training apparatus provides an upright, rigid target panel having a plurality of elastomeric bumpers connected to the target panel wherein the bumpers are adaptable to defl... | 06/06/2006 |
| 7052443 | Martial arts practice device A kicking exercise device includes a frame adapted to be held by a first user. A head portion is carried by the frame through a coil spring. When a blow is delivered by a second user, the head portion deflects relative to the frame. ... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7048653 | Ball retrieval device for ball games, particularly for tennis rackets A ball retrieval device, particularly for integration in a tennis racket, includes a rotatable spool with a longitudinally displaceable carriage arranged thereon. Through rotation of the spool, a rubber-elastic thread element can be wound up on the latter or unwound... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7041016 | Volleyball spiking training system A volleyball training apparatus is disclosed that generally includes a standard assembly, a support assembly mounted on the standard assembly, a ball assembly, and a ball suspension assembly mounted on the support assembly and supporting the ball assembly. The ball ... | 05/09/2006 |
| 7033290 | Sports training assembly and a method for using the same A sports training assembly (10) and a method for using the assembly (10) to increase hand-eye coordination and muscle memory. Particularly, the sports training assembly (10) includes a bat portion (70) having a channel (76) formed ... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7014577 | Ball game apparatus Apparatus for improving the skills of a sports person comprises two diverging guidelines at least one of which is resilient and tensioned. A reciprocating line extends between and is connected to each guideline whose length is equal to or greater than the minimum sp... | 03/21/2006 |
| 6976926 | Extended-use ball striking training device A ball striking practice device is described in which a ball tethered to a pole can be struck by a player with a bat or racquet and will wrap around the pole and resile outwardly where it can be struck again. The device's service life is improved by providing a flat... | 12/20/2005 |
| 6974389 | Golf practice and exercise device A golf practice and exercise device having a frame with a horizontally projecting arm spaced from a base or from the ground and from which is suspended by a cord an object that may take various forms, such as similar to a standard softball, a teardrop-shaped punchin... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6926623 | Baseball server apparatus with a delay timer element for providing a delaying time period for serving-up a baseball A ball server apparatus for conducting batting practice wherein the apparatus ejects a ball into the air and the user swings a bat in order to hit the ejected ball. The ball server apparatus includes a base member connected to a server seat member, the base member f... | 08/09/2005 |
| 6918842 | Dual purpose child's baseball glove An elastic cord connects a tethered ball which is lightweight and of rubber to a tab on a child's fielding glove so when thrown it bounces back, wherein the connection to the tab is a slip knot which is readily untied and the glove then used for catching a regulatio... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6790150 | Ball hitting practice apparatus A ball hitting practice apparatus for use by a hitter is provided. The ball hitting practice apparatus includes a substantially rigid member having a first end and a second end, a hinge capable of suspension from a frame and attached near the first end of the rigid ... | 09/14/2004 |
| 6773365 | Basketball rebounding practice device A basketball rebounding practice device is provided. The device includes a support member that can removably attached onto a rim of a basketball hoop, and one or more arm members attached to the support member. Each of the arm members comprise a beam having one end ... | 08/10/2004 |
| 6716119 | Sports ball striking training device A sports ball striking practice device holds a variety of sports balls for striking practice purposes. The sports ball striking practice device includes a threadable tether, a rigid sleeve, a ball insert, and a sports ball. The ball insert is placed through the spor... | 04/06/2004 |
| 6705960 | Tetherball-type game apparatus The invention relates to a tether cord and ball arrangement for a tether ball-type game apparatus. The arrangement comprises a cord, a ball engaged with the cord at one end thereof and a tail assembly. The tail assembly includes an elongate anchor element that defin... | 03/16/2004 |
