Multi-Configuration Batting Tee With Non-Linear Track Guide
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batting tees provide limited flexibility in practice zones, restricting players' ability to simulate various hitting scenarios, particularly for left- and right-handed batters, as they often offer fixed or adjustable heights without the capability to change tee locations effectively.
Innovation Solution
A multi-configuration batting tee system featuring a base assembly with a non-linear track guide path and a guided tee assembly that includes telescopic segments and a guide structure, allowing the tee to be positioned at multiple nodes along a Y-shaped track for adjustable height and location, accommodating different batting zones and accommodating both left- and right-handed batters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a batting tee has a fixed tee with no adjustment, then the structure is simple and stable, but the batter only has a single practice zone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic tee structure that can be moved along a track within the base. The tee assembly includes a guide structure that engages with a track, allowing the tee to be repositioned to multiple locations while maintaining stability during use. This dynamic capability provides multiple practice zones without requiring complete structural redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
The base is segmented into functional zones with a track defined by guide paths. The tee assembly is separated into a movable component that can be independently repositioned along the track. This segmentation allows the tee to access multiple practice zones while the base remains stable and simple in overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a batting tee has an adjustable tee height, then the batter can practice various batting zones at different heights, but the tee location remains fixed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes both the tee height and tee location dynamic. The tee assembly includes height adjustment capability through telescopic segments or adjustable mechanisms, combined with lateral movement capability along the track. This allows the same adjustable mechanism to provide multiple functions: height variation and position variation, maximizing adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a batting tee allows moving the tee to various locations within a track, then the batter gets different practice zones along the track length, but the track structure increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The base serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, defines the practice area boundaries, and incorporates the track system for tee movement. The track is integrated into the base structure rather than being a separate complex assembly. The guide paths are formed as recesses or channels within the base, allowing the tee to move laterally while the base itself remains a single stable structure.
4Manufacturing precision
If the track plate guide path has a smaller width than the base guide path, then the tee is precisely guided along the track, but the alignment tolerance between tracks becomes more critical
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system is segmented into two levels: the base guide path provides the primary, wider guidance channel that ensures stable overall alignment, while the track plate guide path provides secondary, narrower guidance that precisely positions the tee within the base path. This segmentation of guidance functions allows both precision and reliability to be achieved.
Data Source
AI summary
A base assembly for a batting tee includes a base having a base guide path formed in an upper surface of the base, and a track plate positioned such that the track plate covers at least a portion of the upper surface of the base. The track plate includes a first segment and a second segment that surrounds at least a portion of the first segment. A position of the first segment relative to a position of the second segment defines a track plate guide path that extends between the first segment and the second segment such that the track plate guide path has a same shape as the base guide path and is positioned above the base guide path. Alignment of the track plate guide path and the base guide path form a non-linear track, such that the track is configured to slidably receive a portion of a tee.