Football kicking tee

A kicking tee for holding a football in an upright position for kicking, comprises first, second and third legs having respective first and second end portions. The first and second legs first end portions are secured together to form an inverted "V" in a substantially vertical plane with the first and second legs second end portions engaging the ground. The third leg first end portion is secured to the first and second legs first end portions such that the third leg is disposed substantially horizontally when the third leg second end portion engages the tip of the football.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention generally relates to a football kicking tee and more 
particularly to a football holder for place kicking without the assistance 
of another person. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The place kicker in a football game could make or break a game. There had 
been several occasions in the past when the outcome of a game depended on 
a kicker making a field goal. Thus, accuracy in place kicking is an 
essential component in a team's eventual success in football. 
Typically, in actual play, one player assists the kicker in supporting the 
ball in an upright position, pressing the hall's upper tip downwardly with 
his index finger, with the other tip resting on the playing surface or a 
kicking plate commonly called a tee. 
Proficiency in place-kicking is attained through hours of practice 
throughout the year, during and out of season. The ideal practice 
condition is to have another person hold the ball for the place kicker. 
However, it is uneconomical to dedicate a player simply to hold the ball 
for the place kicker. Further, if the kicker were just to practice by 
himself, without anybody around, a holder would not be available. 
There is therefore a need for a football kicking tee that can be used by a 
place kicker during his hours of practice without employing another person 
to hold the ball while at the same time simulating a player holder for 
ideal practice conditions. 
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a football kicking tee 
that takes the place of a player holder during practice of the place 
kicker. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a football kicking 
tee that holds the ball in an upright position by pressing the ball's 
upper tip while the other tip is supported by the ground, thereby 
simulating a place holder. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a football 
kicking tee that is compact for carrying around and for storage. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a football kicking 
tee that is relatively simple to set up, operate and adjust. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a football 
kicking tee that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a football 
kicking tee that is adjustable to accommodate different sizes of 
footballs. 
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from 
the following detailed description. dr 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a football kicking tee in accordance with 
the present invention, shown supporting a football for kicking. 
FIG. 2 is the kicking tee of FIG. 1, shown in a folded or collapsed form 
for stowage. 
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1, showing the football engaging 
arm in phantom lines being extended or folded. 
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the pivot structure used in the 
kicking tee of FIG. 1. 
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom perspective view of the pivot 
structure of the kicking tee of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
A football kicking tee R made in accordance with the present invention is 
disclosed in FIG. 1. The kicking tee R is used to hold a football 1 in an 
upright position for kicking by a place-kicker. The tee R comprises three 
pivotable legs 2, 4 and 6, as best shown in FIG. 1. The legs 2, 4, and 6 
have one of their end portions 3, 5 and 7 pivotably secured to a pivot 
structure 8. The legs 2, 4 and 6 are preferably equal in lengths. 
The legs 2 and 4 are pivotable from their stored or collapsed positions 
where they are substantially parallel to each other to their deployed 
positions where they form an inverted "V" as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 
Similarly, the leg 6 is pivotable from its deployed position where it is 
substantially parallel to the ground to its stored or collapsed position 
where it is substantially parallel to the legs 2 and 4 in their stored 
positions, as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
The pivot structure 8 includes an angle bracket 12 which is substantially 
"L"-shaped in cross-section and a "U"-shaped bracket 14 integrally 
connected to bracket 12 at 13, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The angle 
bracket 12 has transverse sides 16 and 18. 
Pivots 20 and 22 secure the end portions 3 and 5 of the legs 2 and 4, 
respectively, to the side 16. The bracket 14 includes a pivot 24 that 
secures the end portion 7 of the leg 6 to the structure 8, as best shown 
in FIG. 5. The pivots 20, 22 and 24 are disposed such that the legs 2 and 
4 move along substantially the same plane while the leg 6 moves along a 
plane substantially transverse to the plane of the legs 2 and 4. 
The bracket 14 is advantageously formed from the side 18 of the angle 
portion 12. 
The end portions 3 and 5 include corners 30 and 32 that engage the side 18 
when the legs 2 and 4 are pivoted apart to their operative or deployed 
position, thereby providing a limit as to the maximum distance the legs 2 
and 4 can be spread apart, thereby affecting a vertical height 33 the leg 
6 in the horizontal position makes with the ground, as best shown in FIG. 
3. The corners 30 and 32 advantageously provide deployment stops for quick 
setup of the kicking tee R. 
It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the 
height 33 may be varied by how much the legs 2 and 4 are spread apart and 
also by how much away from the horizontal the leg 6 is pivoted. The 
adjustability of the legs 2, 4 and 6 advantageously provide for 
accommodating different sizes of footballs. 
The bracket 14 includes a portion 38 disposed at a distance from the pivot 
24 that acts as a stop for the leg 6 as it is pivoted from the stored to 
the deployed position. The portion 38 and the corners 30 and 32 are 
configured such that when the legs 2, 4 and 6 are spread apart to their 
deployed positions until the stops are engaged, the proper working 
position of the legs are advantageously repeatedly and quickly attained. 
The legs 2 and 4 are advantageously made from solid metal bars for added 
weight. The leg 6 is advantageously made from tubular material for reduced 
weight. The free end portion 34 of the leg 6 is flattened to provide 
sufficient contact surface for the apex or tip 36 of the football 1, as 
best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. With a substantial portion of the weight of 
the kicking tee R concentrated on the legs 2 and 4, the center of gravity 
of the kicking tee is substantially closer to the pivot structure 8 than 
to the end portion 34. Therefore, the holding pressure on the football 1 
is provided substantially only by a portion of the weight of the leg 6. 
This advantageously permits quick release of the holding pressure on the 
football 1 during kicking, thereby preventing interference with the kicker 
and substantially simulating the release of a player holder. 
In operation, the kicking tee R is deployed from its collapsed or stored 
position, as best shown in FIG. 2, to its operative position, as best 
shown in FIG. 1. The legs 2 and 4 are spread apart to form an inverted "V" 
about the pivots 20 and 22 until the corners 30 and 32 engage the side 18. 
The leg 6 is also deployed to its substantially transverse position 
relative to the legs 2 and 4 about the pivot 24 until the portion 38 is 
engaged. The legs 2, 4 and 6 may be adjusted until the correct height 33 
for the leg 6 is obtained, limited by the stops provided by the corners 30 
and 32 engaging side 18 and portion 38 engaging the leg 6, as best shown 
in FIGS. 4 and 5. The football 1 is then placed in an upright position 
with its upper tip 36 engaging the end portion 34 of the leg 6. The 
kicking tee R is deployed in its place-kicking position with the legs 2 
and 4 slightly leaning towards the football 1 such that the center of 
gravity of the assembly is between the legs 2 and 4 for a stable setup. 
The football 1 is now ready for kicking by the place kicker. 
While this invention has been described as having preferred design, it is 
understood that it is capable of further modification, uses and/or 
adaptations following in general the principle of the invention and 
including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known 
or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains, and as 
may be applied to the essential features set forth, and fall within the 
scope of the invention or the limits of the appended claims.