Abstract:
The present invention relates to sporting goods, and in particular to a device for retrieving hockey pucks. The device makes use of an array of retaining whiskers at the open end of the device to capture and retain hockey pucks. The design of the whisker array is such that the whiskers can suspend a large number of hockey pucks against the force of gravity while at the same time allowing for new pucks to be captured by the device with a minimum of downward pressure. One embodiment of the present invention is a puck shooting device incorporating one or more of the puck retrieval devices in a removable arrangement as a puck feed magazine for the puck shooter.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates in general to the field of sporting goods, and in particular, to devices and apparatus for retrieving hockey pucks.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In many sports, players use a large number of balls in practice. In baseball, for example, a batter practicing his hitting on the field may make use of a basketful of practice balls, in order that he does not have to stop between each practice swing to chase down the ball. Tennis and golf are two other examples of sports making use of a number of balls during practice.  
           [0003]    Efficient retrieval of the balls for reuse during practice is important in order to minimize the time wasted and maximize the time available for practice. Devices of various construction suitable for retrieving balls used in sports are known to those of skill in the art. One well-known design, for example, is a basket having a heavy gauge wire grid on its base to capture flexible balls such as tennis balls. The spacing of the grid is such that the balls flex and compress between the wire segments and into the basket as the grid is forceably pressed down over the balls.  
           [0004]    Other devices employ tubular structures for this application. In these designs, there is a “keeper” of some type at the end of the entry end of the device. In a similar manner to that described above with respect to the wire basket design, the device is employed by pressing the entry end of the device down over the ball to be retrieved. For devices designed to retrieve soft or flexible balls, the keeper structure can be rigid. For devices designed to retrieve hard balls, the keeper is generally flexible.  
           [0005]    Examples of devices designed for retrieving hard balls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. D411,278 to Sammons; 5,395,146 to Liu; 4,063,769 to Zimmer; and 4,058,336 to Parkinson. Examples of devices designed for retrieving soft or flexible balls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,811,980 to Ferrari; 4,522,438 to Logue; and 4,045,068 to Nelson. Examples of devices suitable for either type of balls are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,639,133 to Mote and 5,505,510 to Duncan.  
           [0006]    In general, the above-referenced devices make use of either separate keeper mechanisms or integral keeper features to capture and retain the balls. In certain cases, the keepers are formed as part of the main retrieval structure, for example as detents formed in the sidewall of a straight tube. Other designs make use of flexible retaining tabs disposed around the entry portion of the device.  
           [0007]    Although the various retaining structures incorporated into prior designs have been found suitable for capture and retention of hollow spherical shapes, it has been found that the retaining structures traditionally used for the capture and retention of balls are not suitable for the capture and retention of non-spherical objects, particularly those objects having a solid, rather than hollow, construction.  
           [0008]    For this reason outlined above, there remains a need for a retrieval device suitable for picking up non-spherical objects. In particular, there is a need for a device suitable for capturing and retaining cylindrical objects.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    The device of the present invention incorporates an improved object retention structure to allow the device to capture and retain non-spherical objects, in particular, hockey pucks.  
           [0010]    Hockey pucks have a significantly different structure than sports balls. While most sports balls are substantially hollow and are therefore generally lightweight, hockey pucks are solid rubber, and are therefore heavier than most balls. Whereas balls have a curved surface and a varying cross-section facilitating capture by a detent mechanism, hockey pucks are cylindrical and have an essentially constant cross-section along their vertical axis, making capture by a single capture mechanism much more difficult.  
           [0011]    While balls stack inefficiently in a tube, with significant air space surrounding them, hockey pucks stack extremely efficiently. As such, a tube full of hockey pucks will be much heavier than a tube full of balls of the same diameter and density, placing greater load on the retention features at the entry. Finally, while many balls have a relatively smooth surface, allowing them to slide past retention structures relatively easily, hockey pucks have a roughened rubber surface, making sliding motion difficult.  
           [0012]    In order to address the above difficulties, the present invention makes use of a novel multi-fingered retention structure to enable the capture and retention of hockey pucks and similar structures.  
           [0013]    In one embodiment, the present invention is a puck retrieval device comprising a puck receiving tube, a puck retainer attached to one end of the puck receiving tube and having an inside surface, and two or more puck retaining structures disposed on the inside surface of the puck retainer in a substantially regular pattern, such that a puck entering the puck retainer will be securely captured by the retaining structure.  
           [0014]    In another embodiment, the present invention is a puck shooting device incorporating a puck shooting mechanism, a puck receiving tube removably attached to the puck shooting mechanism in such a manner to feed the puck shooting mechanism with pucks, a puck retainer attached to one end of the puck receiving tube and having an inside surface, and two or more puck retaining structures disposed on the inside surface of the puck retainer in a substantially regular pattern, such that a puck entering the puck retainer will be securely captured by the retaining structure.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and in which:  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a puck retrieval device according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is an end view of the entry portion of a puck retrieval device according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is an end view of the entry portion of a puck retrieval device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a cut-away view of the entry portion of a puck retrieval device according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a cut-away view of the entry portion of a puck retrieval device according to one embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a puck shooting device according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]    While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below with reference to hockey pucks, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.  
         [0023]    As discussed above, a number of devices of various construction have been developed to facilitate the collection of balls used in sports are known to those of skill in the art. One well-known design of such a device is a basket having a heavy gauge wire grid on its base to capture flexible balls such as tennis balls. In general, prior ball-retrieval devices make use of either separate keeper mechanisms or integral keeper structures to capture and retain the balls. In certain cases, the keepers are formed as part of the main retrieval structure, for example as detents formed in the sidewall of a straight tube. Other designs make use of flexible retaining tabs disposed around the entry portion of the device.  
         [0024]    Although the various retaining structures incorporated into prior designs have been found suitable for capture and retention of hollow spherical shapes, it has been found that the retaining structures traditionally used for the capture and retention of balls are not suitable for the capture and retention of non-spherical objects, particularly those objects having a solid, rather than hollow, construction.  
         [0025]    Hockey pucks have a significantly different structure than balls. While most sports balls are substantially hollow and therefore generally lightweight, hockey pucks are solid rubber, and therefore heavier than balls. Whereas balls have a curved surface and a varying cross-section facilitating capture by a detent mechanism, hockey pucks are cylindrical and have an essentially constant cross-section along their vertical axis, making capture by a single capture mechanism much more difficult.  
         [0026]    While balls stack inefficiently in a tube, with significant air space surrounding them, hockey pucks stack extremely efficiently. As such, a tube full of hockey pucks will be much heavier than a tube full of balls of the same diameter and density, placing greater load on the retention features at the entry. Finally, while many balls have a relatively smooth surface, allowing them to slide past retention structures relatively easily, hockey pucks have a roughened rubber surface, making sliding motion difficult.  
         [0027]    In order to address the above difficulties, the present invention makes use of a novel multi-fingered retention structure to enable the capture and retention of hockey pucks and similar structures.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 1 shows a puck retriever according to one embodiment of the present invention, generally designated  10 . Puck retriever  10  includes main tube  12  and retainer  14 . In various embodiments, main tube  12  may be constructed of any of a variety of materials, including plastic, metal, or composite material. Depending on the material, main tube  12  may be opaque, translucent, or transparent. Retainer  14  may have any one of a variety of constructions suitable for retaining cylindrical objects, as described below.  
         [0029]    Puck retriever  10  may also incorporate a cap  18 . Cap  18  is opened or removed from the top of main tube  12  when the main tube  12  is to be emptied of pucks. Main tube  12  may have holes or slots  20  in it, so as to allow the user to easily ascertain the quantity of pucks within the main tube  12 . Main tube  12  may have a handle (not shown) attached thereto.  
         [0030]    In use, puck retriever  10  is lowered over a puck to be retrieved. The puck will then be situated at the entry  16  of retainer  14 . In certain embodiments, puck retriever  10  must be pressed down over the puck in order to force the puck through the entry  16  and into retainer  14 . The puck will then be captured securely by the retainer  14 . With the puck securely captured by the retainer  14 , the puck retriever  10  can then be moved into place over another puck. A number of pucks can be retrieved in sequence in this manner, until main tube  12  is full.  
         [0031]    The retention capability of retainer  14  must be sufficient to hold the weight of the puck within the retainer  14  as well as the total weight of the pucks resting above that puck. As the main tube  12  fills up with pucks, this weight becomes considerable. As mentioned above, the weight of a main tube  12  full of cylindrical pucks is considerably higher than the weight of a main tube  12  full of spherical balls, owing to the much higher packing efficiency of the cylindrical objects. Accordingly, the performance requirements of retainer  14  are much higher than the performance requirements for prior art designs developed for the retention of cylindrical shapes.  
         [0032]    In addition to the above, while most sports balls are substantially hollow and therefore generally lightweight, hockey pucks are solid rubber, and therefore heavier than balls. This fact exacerbates the loading on the retainer  14 , which is already increased due to the above-described increase in stacking efficiency.  
         [0033]    Furthermore, whereas balls have a curved surface and a varying cross-section facilitating capture by a detent mechanism, hockey pucks are cylindrical and have an essentially constant cross-section along their vertical axis, making capture by a single capture mechanism much more difficult. In other words, there is no feature on the side of a hockey puck corresponding to the lower hemisphere of a ball, which ball retention devices use for ball capture. Accordingly, hockey pucks must be captured by some other scheme.  
         [0034]    Finally, while many balls have a relatively smooth surface, allowing them to slide past retention structures relatively easily, hockey pucks have a roughened rubber surface, making sliding motion difficult. Accordingly, retention mechanisms suitable for capturing hockey pucks must have reduced sliding friction in the upward direction, so that the downward force required of the user is minimized.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 2 is an end view of the entry  16  of a puck retriever  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this view, the construction of the retainer  14  can be clearly seen. Retainer  14  is a tubular section having an array of whiskers, such as whiskers  22  and  24 , disposed about the periphery. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the whiskers  22  and  24  are disposed uniformly around the periphery of retainer  14 , though other geometries are possible. For example, whiskers  22  and  24  could be disposed in two or more patches about the periphery. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the retainer  14  has a larger outside diameter than main tube  12  and the whiskers  22  and  24  extend in past the edge of main tube  12 .  
         [0036]    Whiskers  22  and  24  may be made of any suitable material, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art, including polymers, elastomers, metals, and composites. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, it can be seen that whiskers  22  and  24  vary in length. This variance can provide the proper holding force while allowing for acceptable downforce characteristics. In varying embodiments, the diameter, as well as the material, of whiskers  22  and  24  may also vary to adjust the characteristics of retainer  14 . Whiskers  22  and  24  may have a low-friction material, such as PTFE, deposited on their lower edge to reduce downforce. The tips of whiskers  22  and  24  may be shaped to allow the puck to pass upward through the retainer  14 , but not downward.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 3 is an end view of the entry  16  of a puck retriever  10  according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Retainer  14  is a tubular section having an array of cones  26  disposed about the periphery. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the cones  26  are disposed evenly around the periphery of retainer  14 , though other geometries are possible. For example, cones  26  could be disposed in two or more patches about the periphery. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the retainer  14  has a larger outside diameter than main tube  12  and the cones  26  extend in past the edge of main tube  12 .  
         [0038]    Cones  26  may be made of any suitable material, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art, including polymers, elastomers, metals, and composites. In varying embodiments, the length, diameter, and material of cones  26  may vary to adjust the characteristics of retainer  14 . Cones  26  may have a low-friction material, such as PTFE, deposited on their lower edge to reduce downforce requirements. The tips of cones  26  may be shaped to allow the puck to pass upward through the retainer  14 , but not downward.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 4 is a cut-away side view of the retainer  14  of a puck retriever  10  according to one embodiment of the present invention as it is being lowered over a puck P. Retainer  14  incorporates an array of whiskers  22  about its periphery. Each of whiskers  22  has a base  30  and a tip  32 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, whiskers  22  are arranged in five rows as an illustration, but one of skill in the art will understand that more or fewer rows may be used in other designs without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In fact, there is nothing within the spirit and scope of the present invention necessitating the arrangement of whiskers  22  in regular rows.  
         [0040]    In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, whiskers  22  are shown extending straight and parallel to one another and perpendicular to the sidewall of retainer  14 . There is nothing within the spirit and scope of the present invention necessitating such an arrangement. Other embodiments may include, for example, whiskers  22  angled or curved upwardly from entry  16  to help guide the puck P into the retainer  14 .  
         [0041]    Whiskers  22  are secured to the inner wall of retainer  14  at bases  30 . Bases  30  may be secured to the inner wall of retainer  14  by adhesive or may be thermally welded, as examples. In certain embodiments, whiskers  22  may be made of a different material than bases  30 . In such embodiments, whiskers  22  may be more or less flexible than bases  30 , such that the flexing of whiskers  22  may take place primarily in the main shafts of the whiskers  22 , in the bases  30 , or equally in both. Any of these arrangements is within the spirit and scope of the present invention, so long as the whiskers  22  are allowed to flex in a sufficient degree to allow for the entry of puck P without undue downforce required of the user.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 5 is a cut-away side view of the retainer  14  of a puck retriever  10  after capture of a puck P. As shown in FIG. 5, puck P is retained within retainer  14  against the force of gravity by the ends  32  of whiskers  22 . In this embodiment, the bases  30  of whiskers  22  are rigid in comparison to the whiskers  22  themselves, so that flexure and displacement is accommodated by the whiskers themselves. As discussed above, alternate embodiments may employ rigid whiskers  22  working in combination with flexible bases  30  to the same effect.  
         [0043]    As shown in FIG. 5, puck P is wedged in between the opposing sets of whiskers  22 . In this position, puck P cannot pass out of the opening  16  of retainer  14  without displacing whiskers  22  to some degree, as there will be some friction between the ends  32  of the whiskers and the sides of the puck P. If there is sufficient friction between the ends  32  of the whiskers  22  and the sides of the puck P, the capturing action of the whiskers  22  will be “self-energizing,” such that an increase in the downward force on the puck P will increase the frictional holding force applied by the ends  32  of the whiskers  22 . With this arrangement, puck P cannot pass downward against the holding force of the whiskers  22  without buckling the whiskers  22  themselves. This arrangement allows for an increasing puck holding force as the device  10  fills with pucks.  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 6 shows a puck shooting device  40  designed for training hockey players, particularly goalies, according to certain embodiments of the present invention. Shooting device  40  comprises a shooter body  42 , puck delivery tube  44 , and puck receiving tube  46 . Shooting device  40  is designed to receive pucks through puck receiving tube  46 . Shooting device  40  accelerates each puck to a desired speed within shooter body  42  and expels each puck through puck delivery tube  44 . Puck delivery tube  44  is directed to shoot pucks in the direction of one or more hockey players to train them to intercept pucks traveling at high speed.  
         [0045]    As shown in FIG. 6, puck receiving tube  46  of puck shooting device  40  is designed to accept puck retrieval device  10  in an inverted orientation. Puck shooting device  40  may be originally manufactured to accept puck retrieval device  10 , or may alternately be modified using an adapter suitable for mating to puck retrieval device  10 . Operation is similar in either case. In use, shooting device  40  can be most efficiently used in combination with several puck retrieval devices  10 . While one puck retrieval device  10  is installed within puck shooting device  40 , one or more additional puck retrieval devices  10  can be employed by one or more people on the ice to retrieve the pucks as they are expelled from the puck shooting device  40 . With this scheme, a full puck retrieval device  10  can be supplied to immediately replace an empty puck retrieval device  10  as soon as it is emptied of pucks, so that there is no training downtime.  
         [0046]    Although puck shooting device  40  is shown accepting puck retrieval device  10  in a substantially vertical orientation, it will be understood by one of skill in the art that puck retrieval device  10  may be disposed at a significant angle from the vertical orientation without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Additionally, although puck shooting device  40  is shown accepting a single puck retrieval device  10 , it will be understood by one of skill in the art that alternate embodiments may incorporate the ability to accept two or more puck retrieval devices  10  simultaneously without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In short, there is nothing in the nature of the present invention limiting the applicable inventive concept to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0047]    While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications or embodiments.