Abstract:
A lacrosse stick holder mounts on a vertical surface and serves as complete storage system for the stick, horizontally or vertically, and other equipment. The holder has a base or mounting plate, and one or more forked projections. The forked projections define a notch or slot that receives the shaft of the lacrosse stick, and may be formed of spring-loaded jaws that spread to allow the shaft to pass and close over the shaft to secure it removably in place. A hook or hooks are provided on the base plate for attaching a sports bag, gloves, pads or other ancillary equipment. Spacers permit a series of these holders to be attached in a row for storing multiple sticks.

Description:
[0001]     This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/588,969, filed Jul. 19, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention concerns a holder for a lacrosse stick, which mounts on a wall or other vertical surface and removably clamps the shaft of the lacrosse stick. The invention is more broadly concerned with a holder for an article of sports equipment that is in the form of a shaft, e.g., a hockey stick, badminton racket, etc., and can hold the equipment in a vertical or horizontal orientation for storage. The invention is further concerned with a device that permits convenient storage of the lacrosse stick and other equipment at a place that is off the floor. This device can also be used to protect the stick, and for display purposes.  
         [0003]     To date, there have been no convenient wall-mounted devices for convenient storage of shaft-based sports equipment such as lacrosse sticks, and most commonly these items are kept in a sports bag or simply laid in a location on a shelf or on the floor. There has also been no means for convenient storage of the other sports equipment, e.g., balls, etc., except to have them in a player&#39;s travel bag.  
         [0004]     In many cases, a player may have two or more lacrosse sticks, but does not have a convenient means for easy storage and immediate access when it is desired to swap one for another.  
         [0005]     Several preferred embodiments are presented which are specifically designed to hold, protect and organize lacrosse sticks (men&#39;s, women&#39;s and children&#39;s), securing the stick for convenient access to a wall, door, locker, window, or other vertical surface.  
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to holder for shafted sports equipment, e.g., a lacrosse stick, which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art, and provides a convenient means for storage, with the stick being easily accessible when needed.  
         [0007]     It is another object to provide a straightforward device that can be easily mounted to a vertical surface and which allows the lacrosse stick to be easily held in place in the device by clamping or snap action.  
         [0008]     Likewise, it is an object to provide a device that can be temporarily, permanently, or semi-permanently mounted on a wall (or other vertical surface), while the lacrosse stick handle or shaft can be manually snapped into and manually removed from the holder device.  
         [0009]     It is a related object to provide a holder device that holds the lacrosse stick securely in place for storage, but which permits the player to manually remove the device simply by pulling or lifting the shaft out of the holder device.  
         [0010]     It is a further object to provide a holder device that can be mounted for holding shafts in a vertical or a horizontal orientation.  
         [0011]     In accordance with an aspect of this invention, a holder for a lacrosse stick (or other shaft-type item of sports equipment) is formed with a base portion or mounting plate that mounts, temporarily or permanently, against a wall, window, locker, or other convenient vertical surface. One or more notched or forked projections extending proximally outward from the base portion, with the forked projections each including a notch that is dimensioned to received and hold the lacrosse stick shaft. The latter is of a predetermined profile and the notch, i.e., recess, is dimensioned to allow the shaft to be pushed in and pulled out, and still secure the shaft in place for storage. The projection(s) can include pairs of resilient (spring loaded) jaws that permit the shaft to be snapped in and out of the notch defined between the two jaws, or the projection(s) may include a rubber or similar resilient material that can be deflected or squeezed out to admit the shaft to be inserted and will permit it to be pulled out by the player. In a simple form, the projection can be more or less rigid, and the head of the lacrosse stick rests on the top surface. The projection(s) provide means to hold the shaft in place in the notch but to release said shaft when the shaft is grasped by a player and pulled out from the notch.  
         [0012]     In order to provide the player with a convenient place to store lacrosse balls, gloves, and other ancillary lacrosse equipment, there may be hooks or similar provisions on the base plate or elsewhere on the holder so that the lacrosse player can suspend the ancillary equipment from the holder, e.g., a mesh bag containing the lacrosse balls.  
         [0013]     For temporary mounting on a smooth vertical surface, a pair of suction cups are provided that are fitted into receptacles in the base plate. A small slot or other opening can be provided at the back of the base plate for insertion of a small flat tool, e.g., a screwdriver, to break the vacuum when needed to remove the holder device.  
         [0014]     Spacers are provided for installing a row of these holders, so that a number of lacrosse sticks can be stored together.  
         [0015]     The lacrosse stick holders can be used either for horizontal or vertical storage of the lacrosse sticks, without requiring any adaptation or extra parts.  
         [0016]     The concepts and designs as disclosed could be easily adapted for use in holding other types of sports equipment that have an elongated handle in the form of a shaft, e.g., rackets or poles. The description is given in terms of the preferred embodiment, which is for holding lacrosse sticks, but the invention should be interpreted to embrace holders that may be used for other types of shafted sports equipment.  
         [0017]     The above and many other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will be more fully appreciated from the ensuing description of selected preferred embodiments, with the description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying Drawing. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING  
       [0018]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views from the front and from a front quarter, respectively, showing a lacrosse stick holder according to a preferred embodiment of this invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view.  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation.  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the holder.  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view, taken at  6 - 6  of  FIG. 4 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view showing a multiple of the holders with spacer elements.  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a section view of one of the spacer elements.  
         [0025]      FIGS. 9 and 10  are front and top views of another embodiment.  
         [0026]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are a perspective and a top plan view of yet another embodiment.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0027]     With reference now to the Drawing, and initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a lacrosse stick holder  10  according to on preferred embodiment is shown mounted onto a vertical surface, such as a wall, and holding a lacrosse stick  12 , here with a shaft  14  that is being retained in the holder  10 , and a head  16  situated above the holder. As illustrated here, the holder  10  is mounted for keeping the lacrosse stick  12  in a vertical, up and down orientation. However, it should be understood that this holder could be installed at an orientation that is rotated by ninety degrees for storing the lacrosse stick in a transverse or horizontal orientation.  
         [0028]     The holder  10  has a base portion or mounting plate  18  that is temporarily or permanently secured to the wall, and two forward or proximally projecting members  20  situated at opposite ends of the base portion  18 . These projecting members  20  have a slot or notch  22  for receiving the shaft  14  and retaining it in place. The notch  22  itself has a base that is spaced ahead of the base portion, so that there is a space between the shaft  14  and the base portion  18 , which facilitates the player grasping the shaft here to remove it from the holder. Also shown here are hook receptacles  24 , into which hooks  25  or the like may be attached for suspending bags etc., which will be discussed more fully later. There are also similar receptacles  24  formed on one of the sides so that the hooks can be attached when the holder is in a horizontal orientation.  
         [0029]     As shown in more detail in  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  5 , and  6 , the lacrosse stick holder  10  of this embodiment is favorably molded of a durable rigid or semi-rigid plastic resin material. Here, the projections  20  that are molded at ends of the base portion  18  each have a pair of opposed jaw members  26  hinged at the side of the projection  20 . Each jaw member  26  has an inwardly projecting head  28 , formed with sloping walls, so that the jaw member deflects outwardly from the slot  22  that is defined between the jaw members when the lacrosse shaft  14  is inserted. The heads  28  of the jaw members  26  snap back over the lacrosse stick shaft  14  to hold if firmly in place. Then, when a player grasps the lacrosse stick and pulls it forward, i.e., proximally, out from the holder  10 , the jaw members deflect outward to release the shaft  14 .  
         [0030]     In this embodiment, there is a U-shaped steel spring  30  (See  FIG. 6 ) situated within the projection  20 . The spring  30  has ends that are received in receptacles  32  formed on the underside of the heads  28  of the two opposed jaw members  26 .  
         [0031]     A base of floor portion  34  is formed in the slot or notch  22  to define a space between the lacrosse stick shaft  14  and the base portion of mounting plate  18 . Rubber pads  36  (See  FIG. 5 ) are mounted on the floor portion of the notch  22  to provide an amount of friction and compression for the lacrosse stick shaft.  
         [0032]     Also shown here are receptacles  38  for screw fasteners, for permanent mounting of the lacrosse stick holder. In this embodiment, suction cups  40  (See  FIG. 4 ) are provided for temporary mounting on a window or on another smooth vertical surface. Receptacles  42  are formed in the base portion for receiving the heads or mounting knobs of the suction cups  40 . Favorably, there are two suction cups  40  each of about three inches in diameter, to provide sufficient holding power to hold the holder itself, plus the lacrosse stick and any additional equipment.  
         [0033]     In this embodiment, the base portion  18  of the holder has a hollow back portion, defined by side flanges  44  that project distally, i.e., towards the wall. Here, there are notches  46  or other suitable openings provided in the side flange  44  on one side, to allow a screw driver or other elongated tool to be inserted for lifting the cups  40 , to break the vacuum seal so the holder  10  can be removed when desired.  
         [0034]     Hooks  25  are shown here mounted in the hook receptacles  24 , either in an end wall for vertical installations or in one side wall (e.g., as shown in  FIG. 3 ) for a horizontal installation.  
         [0035]     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a multiple of these holders  10  can be installed in a row across a wall, for storing a number of lacrosse sticks  12 . Here, there are spacers  50  provided for installation between successive ones of these holders  10 . Favorably, the spacers may be generally flat members, approximately nine by three inches, with side channels  52  as shown in  FIG. 8 . The side channels are adapted to receive the edges of the flanges  44  of the two successive lacrosse stick holders  10 .  
         [0036]     Here, one of the holders is shown with a mesh bag  54  containing lacrosse balls, with the bag  54  being suspended from the hook  25 .  
         [0037]     A second embodiment of this invention is shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , in which similar elements to those described in the prior embodiment are identified with similar reference numbers but raised by  100 . Here, a lacrosse stick holder  110  has a base plate or mounting plate  118  formed of a durable rigid plastic (or other durable solid material), with a notched or forked projection  120  that is formed of a hard rubber or another elastomeric material. The projection  120  is formed with opposed resilient fingers  121  on the left and right sides of a notch or slot  122  defined between them. The slot is dimensioned so as to receive the shaft  14  of a lacrosse stick, and to deflect resiliently and hold the shaft securely in place, until pulled out of the slot by a player. The slot has a base  134  situated well ahead of the mounting plate  118 , so as to create a space behind the shaft  14  of the lacrosse stick. There is a hook  124  projecting from one side, or from both sides, of the base plate  118  for hanging equipment. Mounting holes  126  are provided for receiving threaded fasteners for permanent attachment. Also, receptacles  128  are shown on the wall-facing side of the mounting plate for a pair of suction cups (not shown here).  
         [0038]     A third embodiment is shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , in which similar elements to those described in prior embodiments are identified by similar reference numbers but here raised by  200 . Here, a lacrosse stick holder  210  has a solid, generally rigid base plate  218 , and a rigid or semi-rigid forked projection  220 , with a slot or notch  222  dimensioned to match the profile of the shaft of the lacrosse stick  12 . In this embodiment, the sides of the projection  220  do not compress against the sides of the shaft  14 , and the head  16  rests on the top surface of the projection  220 . The holes or receptacles for mounting hardware or suction cups are not shown here. Equipment hooks  224 , or other suitable equipment holding clips or clamps, project out from the base plate  218 .  
         [0039]     The lacrosse stick holders of the present invention are intended as a complete storage system, permitting the lacrosse player to store one or more lacrosse sticks off the floor at a convenient place, and also store the player&#39;s pads, gloves, lacrosse balls, and other ancillary lacrosse equipment off the floor.  
         [0040]     As mentioned before, the same concepts can be applied to other sports equipment for storing a stick or racket, plus other equipment for that sport.  
         [0041]     While the invention has been described with reference to a specific preferred embodiment, the invention is certainly not limited to that precise embodiment. Rather, many modifications and variations will become apparent to persons of skill in the art without departure from the scope and spirit of this invention, as defined in the appended claims.