Retractable Batter Eye with Semi-Permeable Mesh Backdrop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional batter's eye devices are not durable and immobile, suffering from adverse weather conditions and requiring fixed installation, which limits their lifespan and functionality.
Innovation Solution
A retractable, sectioned batter's eye with a semi-permeable mesh backdrop that can be raised and lowered manually or automatically, providing contrast to a propelled object while allowing wind penetration and featuring a detachable anchoring system for easy relocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional stationary batter's eye is constructed with a fixed aluminum or mesh skin backdrop, then it provides a dark background for contrast, but it suffers from reduced durability and immobility due to exposure to adverse weather conditions and fixed installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming the stationary batter's eye into a movable structure. The backdrop is mounted on a frame with wheels or casters, allowing the entire device to be rolled to different locations. This dynamic configuration maintains durability through protected construction while achieving mobility for adaptability to different playing positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the batter's eye into modular components: a frame structure, a removable backdrop, and mobility mechanisms. The backdrop itself is divided into sections that can be independently replaced. This segmentation allows the device to be moved as a unit while enabling easy maintenance of individual components, resolving the contradiction between durability and mobility.
2Area of stationary object
If a conventional batter's eye is constructed as one piece, then it provides complete backdrop coverage, but it degrades quicker due to full exposure to high winds and inclement weather
Solution Approach 1:
The backdrop is divided into multiple removable sections or panels rather than being a single piece. Each section can be independently inspected, removed, and replaced. This segmentation reduces the lifespan degradation because only the weathered sections need replacement rather than the entire backdrop, while still providing complete coverage when all sections are assembled.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a replaceable backdrop system where worn sections can be discarded and new sections installed. The frame structure is designed to accommodate backdrop replacement without requiring replacement of the entire device. This allows selective recovery of the durable frame while replacing only the degraded backdrop sections, extending the overall system lifespan.
3Productivity
If a conventional batter's eye remains exposed during adverse weather conditions, then it is always available for use, but it suffers from reduced durability and faster degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The movable batter's eye can be dynamically positioned - moved into protective cover or storage areas during adverse weather conditions, then deployed when needed. This dynamic positioning allows the device to maintain high availability for use while protecting it from degradation during off-season or inclement weather, resolving the contradiction between productivity and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A device, such as a batter's eye, is provided for improved contrast of a propelled object, such as a baseball, to a subject, such as a batter, located in contraposition to the propelled object and the device. The device includes a backdrop component which includes a fabric semi-permeable to wind which is adapted to provide contrast to the propelled object when raised behind the propelled object. The backdrop further includes at least two vertically spaced sections of at least about two feet in height. The device also includes means for raising and lowering the backdrop between closed and opened positions and means for securely, but detachably, anchoring the device at a pre-determined location but which also permit ready removal of the device. Methods for utilizing the device are also provided.