Games using tangible projectile – Playing field or court game; game element or accessory... – Practice or training device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-30
2001-05-01
Pierce, William M. (Department: 3711)
Games using tangible projectile
Playing field or court game; game element or accessory...
Practice or training device
C473S436000, C473S447000, C124S006000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224503
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for collecting and returning shot or thrown balls to individuals dispersed about the device, and, more particularly, relates to a collection and automatic return device for returning a succession of shot basketballs to practicing players dispersed about a playing surface in stationary locations or moving thereon to different locations and in the process receiving the ejected basketballs and then shooting them at a pole or wall-supported backboard and rim positioned above the device.
In sports or athletic activities which require a player or players to throw a ball, such as a baseball or basketball, at a target or which requires the player or players to hit, strike or receive a thrown or pitched ball, it is extremely advantageous for the players involved to have the means to practice such motions and movements in a constant, repetitive manner to thereby improve and sharpen their skills. When a number of players are available for a particular practice session, one or several players can shoot the basketball at the rim attached to a basketball backboard which itself is either pole-supported or wall-supported, while the remaining players cover the court in order to chase down, retrieve, and then subsequently return the errantly shot basketballs to the practicing player or players. The practicing player or players will certainly not maximize their practice time when they are limited to manually chasing down and retrieving errantly shot basketballs, and more time may be spent chasing down basketballs that have unpredictably ricocheted off the rim, backboard, and the wall (if the backboard is wall-supported) than will have actually been spent in practice shooting. Moreover, should the practicing players wish to incorporate sophisticated movements, set plays, and half-court or full court tactics, which would require the practicing players to weave, sprint, dribble, pass, and shoot while continuously moving about the playing surface constantly receiving shot basketballs that have either passed through the rim or that have rebounded and must be chased down and collected, it is simply inadequate and impractical to have a single player stand directly beneath the rim and feed basketballs to various locations about the playing surface as the basketballs fall through the rim. Therefore, in view of the fact that the skills of basketball players are improved by continuous and repetitive practice, and the elimination of dead time involved in chasing, retrieving, collecting, and delivering the basketballs to practicing players obviously increases the amount of valuable practice time available for the players, the sports, games, and amusements fields have developed numerous systems and devices to continuously collect and deliver balls of all sorts, including basketballs, to practicing players whereupon the players can repetitively throw or shoot the balls at some type of target, such as the rim of a basketball backboard. Thus, both the intensity of the practice session and the amount of real practice time are increased for the mutual benefit of each player as well as the team.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The prior art discloses a number of devices which return a succession of balls to a player or players stationed within the throwing range of the respective device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,393,049 (Nelson) discloses a frame structure secured to the backboard for guiding basketballs to a bendable tubular member whereupon the basketballs traverse the tubular member and exit therefrom to a waiting player.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,211 (Adamek) discloses a basketball return device which is mounted to the basketball rim and includes a curvilinear basketball return chute which returns basketballs to the practicing shooter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,196 (Morrison et al.) discloses an automatic ball projection device which uses a net to collect the basketballs and a continuously rotating drive wheel and drive belt to physically eject basketballs from the device's chute section.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,230 (Krings) discloses an automatic ball return apparatus which ejects basketballs by using a T-shaped ejector arm propelled by elastic bands. The ejector arm is mounted to a pivotable shaft whereby remote signals can be sent to the controller for altering the direction from which or to which the basketballs are ejected.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,668 (Ochs) discloses a basketball retrieval apparatus and shooting system which includes a curvilinear, elongated, pivotable ramp which is attached at one end to a funnel-shaped basketball collection mechanism attached to the basketball backboard, and has an opposite end terminating at an upright stand, whereupon basketballs roll down the curvilinear ramp to a practicing player standing adjacent the upright stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,018 (Simpson et al.) discloses a basketball collection, passing, and shot analysis system which ejects basketballs that have passed through the rim or have been collected by a collection net assembly to practicing players by passing the basketballs by a pair of spaced-apart passing rollers, with one passing roller spaced from and above the second passing roller in order to allow basketballs to travel therebetween for ejection therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,926 (Vance) discloses a basketball free-throw training apparatus which includes a framework disposed in front of and generally above the height of the basketball rim whereby the practicing player must attain the proper basketball trajectory in order to shoot the basketball over the framework and then into and through the rim attached to the basketball backboard.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,699 (Mirando et al.) discloses a basketball game apparatus which includes a plurality of vertically-aligned basketball rims with the medial basketball rim capable of selective displacement from the vertical alignment of the other two basketball rims so that the practicing individual must time his or her shot at just the appropriate moment to allow the shot basketball to fall through all three basketball rims when they are in their vertical alignment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprehends basketball return devices, and, more particularly, comprehends a portable basketball retrieval and return device positionable on a playing surface for collecting and then ejecting shot basketballs with varying velocities and distances, and at various time intervals, to either stationary or moving players dispersed about the playing surface.
The basketball retrieval and return device includes a support platform having casters for positioning and repositioning the device on the playing surface. A rectangular-shaped slidable frame is mounted to the rear of the support platform and is capable of slidable, upward movement toward a basketball backboard and rim attached thereto, and downward toward the support platform for selectively extending and retracting a plurality of netting support arms to which flexible netting material is attached for collecting shot basketballs and directing the basketballs to structural elements which successively eject the basketballs to practicing players.
The structural elements which receive, guide, and throw the basketballs are mounted to the support platform and are enclosed within a protective cover. Attached adjacent to the lower funnel-shaped opening of the netting material is a basketball funnel member through which basketballs pass whereupon the basketballs are successively directed downwardly along a basketball guide bars whereupon one basketball at a time rests on the seating ring of a pivotable catapult arm that is in the cocked positsion. The catapult arm pivots between a cocked position and a throwing position, and when in the cocked position the catapult arm is held under tension applied by a pair of throwing springs that have one end attached to the catapult arm and their opposite ends attached to a rectangular-shaped spring mounting and adjustment frame. A wheel is mounted to the underside of the catapult arm, and is rotat
Atwell George C.
Pierce William M.
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