Towable/Rollable Baseball Batting Cage

Abstract

A baseball batting cage, steadied and stabilized by a mechanical framework of struts, stiffening tubes, braces and clamps so as to be towable and rollable in use, with reduced chance of undesirable collapse.

I claim: 
     
         1 . In a towable/rollable baseball batting cage, the combination
 a plurality of hinged struts, a first one of which defines a front opening of the cage and a second one of which defines a rear closure of the cage;   first and second pairs of inside and outside spaced-apart rings secured to said first strut and to said second strut, respectively;   and a plurality of linear stiffening tubes, first individual ones of which are cradled between the spaced-apart rings of each pair, and second individual ones of which are braced against the inside rings of said pair.   
     
     
         2 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said struts include intercoupled inner straight sections and outer curved sections, and wherein said pairs of rings are welded to said outer curved sections. 
     
     
         3 . The combination of  claim 1 , including U-shaped clamps on upper and lower ends of said linear stiffening tubes. 
     
     
         4 . The combination of  claim 1  including:
 first, second, third and fourth struts; 
 first and second pairs of spaced-apart rings welded to said first strut; 
 third and fourth pairs of spaced-apart rings welded to said second strut; 
 fifth and sixth pairs of spaced-apart rings welded to said third strut; and 
 seventh and eighth pairs of spaced-apart rings welded to said fourth strut; 
 first and second linear stiffening tubes having upper clamps connected between said first and second pairs of said spaced-apart rings on said first strut and lower clamps connected between said third and fourth pairs of spaced-apart rings on said second strut; 
 third and fourth linear stiffening tubes having lower clamps connected between said seventh and eighth pairs of spaced-apart rings on said fourth strut and upper clamps connected between said fifth and sixth pairs of spaced-apart rings on said third strut; and 
 fifth and sixth linear stiffening tubes having upper clamps braced against inside rings of said third and fourth pairs of spaced-apart rings on said second strut and lower clamps braced against inside rings of said fifth and sixth pairs of spaced-apart rings on said third strut. 
 
     
     
         5 . The combination of  claim 4  including netting stretched along substantially the entire length of said first, second, third and fourth struts. 
     
     
         6 . The combination of  claim 5  including means coupled to said first strut for rolling said batting cage. 
     
     
         7 . The combination of  claim 6  including means coupled to said second strut for towing said batting cage. 
     
     
         8 . In a towable/rollable baseball batting cage, the combination comprising:
 a plurality of struts having interlocking straight and curved sections defining a framework for the cage;   individual pairs of stops predeterminedly placed along said struts; and   a plurality of linear tubes between adjacent struts for stiffening said framework, said tubes incorporating clamps at opposite ends thereof, with outside ones of said plurality of linear tubes cradled to fit between individual stops of said pairs of stops, and with inside ones of said plurality of linear tubes braced against individual stops of said pair of stops.   
     
     
         9 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein said pairs of stops include rings welded onto said struts. 
     
     
         10 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein said pairs of stops are predeterminedly placed on said curved sections of said struts, adjacent to said interlocking straight sections of said struts. 
     
     
         11 . The combination of  claim 8  wherein said pairs of stops include rings welded on said curved sections of said struts, adjacent to said interlocking straight sections of said struts. 
     
     
         12 . The combination of  claim 11  including U-shaped clamps on upper and lower ends of said plurality of linear tubes.