A multi-use net includes a frame formed from a single wire. The frame is arranged to have an upper frame portion and a lower frame portion. The lower frame portion forms a base that supports the upper frame portion in a generally upright orientation on a generally horizontal surface with the base extending in a forward direction relative to the upper frame portion. A fabric section is connected to the frame and arranged for a projectile to be incident thereon. A pair of rear support members is connected to the frame and arranged to extend therefrom in a direction opposite to that of the lower frame portion. A pair of straps extend between the upper and lower frame sections to retain the upper and lower frame sections at a selected orientation with respect to one another.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods that allow a 
person to practice hitting or throwing a ball or the like in a confined 
space without having the ball travel a large distance or hit other persons 
or objects and cause injury or damage. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The multi-use net according to the invention has several advantages over 
the prior art. The multi-use net preferably includes a frame that 
preferably comprises a single wire. The multi-use net according to the 
present invention is easy to manufacture, requires no assembly, is sturdy, 
self-standing, easily collapsible for storage or transit and can be used 
indoors or outdoors. 
A multi-use net structure according to the present invention comprises an 
elastic frame member arranged to have an upper frame portion and a lower 
frame portion. The lower frame portion forms a base that supports the 
upper frame portion in a generally upright orientation on a generally 
horizontal surface when the multi-use net is in its erected configuration 
with the base extending in a forward direction relative to the upper frame 
portion. A fabric section is connected to the frame and arranged for a 
projectile to be incident thereon. A pair of rear support members is 
connected to the frame and arranged to extend therefrom in a direction 
opposite to that of the lower frame portion. A pair of straps extend 
between the upper and lower frame sections to retain the upper and lower 
frame sections at a selected orientation with respect to one another. 
A band preferably extends between opposite sides of the frame to cooperate 
with the pair of straps to retain the upper and lower frame sections at 
the selected orientation with respect to one another. The multi-use net 
according to the present invention further comprises a pair of weighted 
bags connected to the rear support members. Each of the rear support 
members preferably further comprises a rod connected to the frame and a 
fabric connected to the rod and to the frame and arranged to provide 
support to the frame. 
The rod preferably is connected to the frame by a mounting bracket. The 
mounting bracket may be removable from the frame when the net is to be 
folded. Alternatively, the mounting bracket may be rotatably mounted to 
the frame. 
An appreciation of the objectives of the present invention and a more 
complete understanding of its structure and method of operation may be had 
by studying the following description of the preferred embodiment and by 
referring to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1--3, a multi-use net 10 comprises a frame 12 that 
includes a wire frame member 12 that preferably is formed as a continuous 
loop. The wire frame member 12 is formed into an upper portion 14 and a 
base portion 16. A pair of rear supports 18 and 20 extend from the wire 
frame 12 and cooperate with the base portion 16 to hold the net 10 in an 
upright position when the net 10 is in use. A pair of weights 22 and 24 
may be attached to the rear supports 18 and 20, respectively, to aid in 
stabilizing the multi-use net 10. 
The wire frame 12 preferably is formed of steel spring wire. The ends of 
the wire frame member 12 preferably are connected together by any 
convenient means so that the frame member 12 is a continuous loop. The 
wire frame member 12 preferably is placed inside a sleeve 12A or the like. 
A first strap 30 extends between a first location 32 on one side of the 
front portion of the base 16 and a location 34 on the upright portion. The 
strap 30 is preferably connected to the sleeve 12A at the locations 32 and 
34. The upper end of the strap 32 preferably is attached to the sleeve a 
distance of three to five feet above the lowest portion of the base 16. A 
second strap 36 extends between a location 38 on the base portion 16 
opposite from the location 32 to a location 40 on the upright portion 14. 
The straps 30 and 36 preferably are formed of a suitable fabric or other 
similar material. The straps 30 and 36 and the sleeve 12A cooperate to 
hold the wire frame in the desired shape to form the base 16 and upright 
portion 14. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the upright portion 14 and the base 
16 and preferably have generally planar end portions 14A and 16A, 
respectively. 
A fabric section 42 is connected to the sleeve 12A so that the entire 
region bounded by the wire frame 12 and sleeve 12A is covered by the 
fabric section 42. The fabric section preferably is formed of netting or 
the like and is arranged to absorb the impact of a projectile such as a 
golf ball, tennis ball, baseball, football or the like. The fabric section 
42 absorbs the impact so that the projectile has no appreciable recoil 
velocity after it hits the fabric section 42. Instead of using the sleeve 
12A, the net 42 may be attached to the wire frame 12 by means of straps or 
other convenient means.. 
The wire frame 12 has curved regions 44 and 46 that form a transition from 
the base 16 to the upright portion 14. The angle between the base 16 and 
upright portion 14 may be any suitable angle for reflecting the projectile 
back generally in the direction from which it was traveling before 
striking the net 42. 
A band 50 extends between the curved regions 44 and 46. The band 50 
preferably is a few inches wide and serves to help retain the wire frame 
12 in the desired configuration shown in FIG. 1. The band 50 preferably is 
formed of a suitable fabric. 
The rear support member 18 includes a rod 52 that is mounted to the wire 
frame 12 at a location 56 that may be generally in the curved region 44. 
The rod 52 may be attached to the wire frame 12 by any convenient means 
such as a bracket 60 that encloses the wire frame 12. When the frame is 
erected, the rod 52 extends away from the wire frame 12. The rod 52 
preferably is attached to a fabric section 62 that may be generally 
triangular in shape. The apex 64 of the triangular fabric section is 
formed by engaging the outer end 66 of the rod 52 with the fabric. The 
edges of the fabric section 62 are attached to the sleeve 12A by any 
convenient means such as stitching or hook and loop fasteners. 
The rear support 20 includes a rod 70 that is connected to the frame 12 by 
a bracket 72. The rear support 20 includes a fabric section 74 that is 
essentially identical to the fabric section 62 of the first rear support 
member 18 and that is attached to the frame 12 in the same way as the 
fabric section 62. 
The brackets 60 and 72 may be removable from the frame 12 when the net 
apparatus is to be folded for storage. The brackets 60 and 72 may 
alternatively be rotatable on the frame 12 when the net apparatus is to be 
stored. The support members 18 and 20 thus may be rotated toward the band 
50 so that the wire frame 12 may be coiled when the net apparatus 10 is to 
be stored or transported. 
Because of the memory of the frame 12 for the erected configuration, unless 
it is constrained, the spring forces in the frame members 12 will cause 
the multi-purpose net 10 to spontaneously assume the erected 
configuration. Therefore, the multi-purpose net 10 is self-erecting if the 
frame 12 is not constrained to some other configuration. 
The first step in folding the multi-use net 10 for storage is to pull the 
extreme edges of the upright portion 14 and the base 16 toward one another 
so that they are substantially adjacent so that the frame 12 is shaped 
generally as a "taco shell." The folding process continues by twisting the 
frame 12 to form a pair of loop, which may be then held close together and 
secured by a strap or the like. The multi-purpose net 10 is thus coiled up 
in a compact configuration suitable for storage or transport. The method 
of folding the multi-use net 10 is essentially disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
5,569,094, which issued Oct. 29, 1996 to the present inventor, Anthony G. 
Macaluso. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,094 is hereby incorporated 
by reference into this disclosure. 
The structures and methods disclosed herein illustrate the principles of 
the present invention. The invention may be embodied in other specific 
forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The 
described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as exemplary 
and illustrative rather than restrictive. Therefore, the appended claims 
rather than the foregoing description define the scope of the invention. 
All modifications to the embodiments described herein that come within the 
meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are embraced within the 
scope of the invention. The foregoing detailed description is to be 
clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only, the 
spirit and scope of this invention being limited solely by the appended 
claims.