Batting Practice Stand With Telescoping Post And Detent Legs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing batting practice stands face challenges in balancing stability and portability, often being either too heavy and difficult to transport due to heavy materials like cast iron or unstable and prone to tipping due to lighter materials like molded plastic, and designs for transporting often result in broken components.
Innovation Solution
A telescoping post with a cone for ball placement, removably attached to a base with adjustable legs, allowing for adjustable height and easy transport, featuring a locking mechanism with L-shaped slots and a washer for secure attachment, and spring-loaded detent buttons for leg rotation from storage to support positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If heavy cast iron bases are used to prevent tipping, then stability is improved, but weight increases making transport difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The stand is divided into separate components: a lightweight base, a telescoping post, and removable legs. This segmentation allows the base to remain light for transport while legs provide stability when deployed. The base without legs weighs only a fraction of traditional cast iron stands, but when legs are attached, stability is achieved without the weight penalty.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs are designed to be dynamically adjustable - they can be extended outward to provide stability during batting practice, then collapsed inward for compact storage and easy transport. This dynamic configuration allows the stand to adapt between stable operating mode and portable storage mode, resolving the contradiction between stability and weight.
2Weight of moving object
If molded plastic stands are used to reduce weight, then portability is improved, but stability deteriorates making them prone to tipping
Solution Approach 1:
The stand separates the base (made of lightweight molded plastic) from the support structure (removable legs). The lightweight base provides portability, while the detachable legs provide the necessary stability during use. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the base for weight and the legs for stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs can be extended outward at angles to provide a wide base of support when needed, then collapsed to a narrow profile for transport. This dynamic adjustment allows the lightweight plastic stand to achieve stability during batting practice without sacrificing portability, as the legs only occupy minimal space during transport.
3Weight of moving object
If tripod legs are separated from the base for transport, then portability is improved, but reliability deteriorates as components are misplaced or broken
Solution Approach 1:
The legs are designed to attach to the base through a standardized connection system with alignment features. The base includes recesses that receive the legs, and the legs have corresponding protrusions with alignment tabs. This merging design ensures that during transport, the legs remain connected to the base, eliminating the risk of components being misplaced or broken while maintaining portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is designed to be simple and intuitive, requiring minimal effort to attach or detach legs. The alignment features guide the legs into proper position, and the connection mechanism provides secure attachment without complex assembly steps. This equipotential design ensures that even during frequent transport and assembly, the components remain reliably connected and are not easily misplaced or damaged.
4Device complexity
If the post is made fixed length for simplicity, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates as height cannot be adjusted for different players
Solution Approach 1:
The post is divided into multiple telescoping sections that can be extended or retracted to adjust the height. Each section has simple engagement features that allow smooth extension and locking at various heights. This segmentation provides height adjustability for different player sizes while keeping each individual section relatively simple in design.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescoping mechanism allows the post length to be dynamically adjusted between a compact retracted position and an extended position for different batting heights. The adjustment mechanism uses simple friction or detent-based locking that requires minimal effort, maintaining operational simplicity while providing continuous height adjustability to accommodate players of various ages and skill levels.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a stable and adjustable batting practice stand that can be easily transported and set up, maintaining stability while minimizing weight and reducing the risk of tipping, thus addressing the portability and stability issues of existing stands.
Implementation Method 1
The curved detent buttons are urged outwardly of the proximal end of the leg by a spring located inside the leg
Data Source
AI summary
A batting practice stand has a length-adjustable post that has a ball-receiving cone at one end and L-shaped slots through its sidewall at its opposite end. By axially sliding the post into an opening of the base and rotating, the L-shaped slots engage a bar within the base opening to secure the post to the base. A compressible washer or stopper is provided in the bottom portion of the base to facilitate connection between L-shaped slots of the post and bar within the base. Legs extend outwardly from between flanges of the sidewall of the base. Between the flanges, the base defines socket openings that receive curved detent buttons extending from the proximal ends of each of the legs. Pins extend across the flanges and through the legs, and are engaged by slots defined in the curved detent buttons. The legs are rotatably moved from a storage position aligned with the legs substantially parallel to one another to a stand support position with the legs at angles to one another. The pins define the axis of rotation for the legs. Springs urge the curved detent buttons in a direction outwardly of the legs to keep the curved detent buttons within the socket openings in the base. Double gaskets at the connections between the telescoping post segments permit easy extension of the telescoping post segments, while resisting closing.