Abstract:
A basketball return apparatus designed to return a thrown basketball substantially in the direction of the player shooting the ball is mounted beneath a basketball goal assembly and includes a resilient rebound panel, a panel retainer assembly, and a panel support assembly. The resilient rebound panel, in multiple embodiments, is provided with flexible and adjustable tensile connections to the goal assembly that allows a limited degree of rotation when the resilient rebound panel is impacted by a thrown basketball. The rotational motion of the rebound panel and the resilience of the rebound panel, combined with the tension and untensioning of the flexible and adjustable tensile connections to the goal assembly, tends to return a thrown basketball substantially back towards the player shooting the ball. The basketball return apparatus is adjustable for a plurality of heights and angles of return, and is easily removable from the field of play.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of basketball return devices; particularly, to devices that are easily mounted and dismounted from a basketball goal assembly and act to return a basketball thrown towards a basketball goal apparatus to a player shooting the ball.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The development of proficiency in any sport requires many hours of practice and many repetitions of basic skills. The sport of basketball poses several particular hardships to any aspiring player willing to spend the many hours necessary to improve his or her game. First, the development of shooting skills requires a nearly countless number of repetitions of shooting acts performed from varying distances and angles towards the goal apparatus, more commonly called the “net.” Second, the ball is often deflected away from the shooter as it rebounds off the backboard, rim, other parts of the goal, or misses the goal apparatus entirely, called an “air ball.” Even if the ball passes cleanly through the net, backspin or topspin on the ball can cause the ball to be irregularly reflected when it strikes the playing surface beneath the net. Lastly, while many of these problems are minimized by having another person retrieve shot balls, it can be difficult for a player to recruit another person to practice with, and sharing practice time with another person will decrease the amount of practice that a single player could gain on his or her own in an equivalent time period.  
           [0003]    What has long been needed is a simple and inexpensive mechanical device, that can easily be located in an operational position for practice and then removed entirely or moved to a unobtrusive position for actual play, that reflects a basketball shot, regardless of whether the shot is errant or scoring, and which tends to reflect the basketball back towards the shooter.  
           [0004]    Many attempts have been made to satisfy these needs. One general class of devices might be considered to utilize a net capture system. Examples of these devices include U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,313 to Pearson, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,540,428 and 6,224,503 to Joseph. In addition to being extremely bulky, these net capture device have several other drawbacks and do not have the versatility of the present invention. Net capture systems either tend to return the ball to a fixed position, as with the Joseph &#39;428 device, or to return the ball in no particular place or direction, as with the Pearson &#39;313 device. Further, the Pearson &#39;313 device will not return balls that fall straight down through the net, and the Joseph &#39;428 and &#39;503 devices partially block and obscure the basketball goal from certain angles. Similar such devices are U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,696 to Mabe, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,652 to Lees, et al., which substantially also limit the possible shooting positions which can be taken relative to the net.  
           [0005]    Another class could be denominated the hoop mounted director, such as that seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,569 to Townsend, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,258 to Kinsella, or U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,211 to Adamek. These devices act to direct balls falling through the net into a scoop shaped trough that returns the ball in whichever direction the trough is aimed, which is not, of course, necessarily in the direction of the shooter. Also, these hoop mounted director devices are completely ineffectual for any ball not passing through the net. Another type is the ground mounted reflecting net, as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,877 to Warnick, which would require surface damaging fixation points to the floor or playing surface to be adapted to basketball use, as otherwise the reflector net will tend to tip over and slide away when it is struck by a ball. The relatively great distance, compared to a goal apparatus mounted device, at which a ground mounted reflector would lie relative to the basketball goal means that a very large reflector net would have to be employed to reliably receive even a portion of the missed shots. Additionally, balls that impact the net at an angle will generally be reflected away from the location in which the shot originated.  
           [0006]    There are also flat plate reflecting systems designed to be mounted on the rim or on the goal supports. In the former category is U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,870 to Merino. The non-adjustable plate of Merino &#39;870 will tend to reflect the ball away from the shooter, as the angle of reflection will be reciprocal to the angle of incidence, and thereby substantially defeat the utility of such a system. The rigid plate of Merino &#39;870, being mounted to the rim support, will require an awkward reaching to a level of 10 feet, the height of a standard basketball rim and well above the reaching height of nearly any player, in order to put the device on, or take it off, the rim support structure. In the goal apparatus mounted class is, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,276 to Warren, which provides for a rigid reflecting plate that will allow the ball to bounce against the plate and be reflected to a pre-set position. The Warren &#39;276 device requires that the player adjust the apparatus in advance to determine the point to which the ball will be returned. A player cannot move quickly between different shooting positions, since a re-positioning of the apparatus is required for each change in shooting position. The number of positions to which a ball can even be theoretically returned is limited by the number of azimuthal and elevation locking pin stops provided, unless the device is further fine tuned through its pivot points. A player would have to estimate, or learn through trial and error, which pin stops and pivot point fine tuning adjustments should be selected to accomplish a given direction of return. The rigid reflection plate is unlikely to reflect the ball any great distance, especially should the ball fall gently through the net. In a converse situation, when the ball strikes the reflecting plate with some force, especially if it strikes the plate near the edge, the rigid reflecting plate will directly transfer very large impact forces to the central pivot mounting. This will tend to cause a high level of wear, and possible breakage, by concentrating the force of a sudden impact at a single point.  
           [0007]    Many of the shortcomings of the prior art result from the use in these goal assembly mounted devices of fixed attachments to the basketball goal apparatus. Such fixed points tend to restrict the direction in which the ball can be returned without cumbersome adjustments of the mountings, dissipate the kinetic energy which is needed for ball return, and concentrate undesirable loads at vulnerable points of the apparatus. The present invention, in contrast, uses flexible mounting attachments at several key points to the goal assembly, which allow the return apparatus a slight degree of rotational movement when struck by an incoming ball. This motion tends to re-direct the ball back to the shooter in a reciprocal direction to that of the incoming trajectory, or in other words, towards the shooter. This effect takes place as an incident of the design, and requires no adjustment of the apparatus to change the direction of reflection. As a result, the player is free to quickly vary his or her shot distance and angle, and yet still have the ball returned, without any adjustment of the return apparatus. Such flexible mountings also tend to conserve the momentum of the basketball during reflection for returning the ball and minimize the wear on the return apparatus. The device may be mounted within the reach of nearly any player, and can be easily removed or adjusted out of the way of the playing court from the goal apparatus if desired.  
           [0008]    What continues to be needed but is missing from the field of basketball return devices is a lightweight device that reliably returns the basketball in the direction of the shooter, is easy to set-up, adjust, and is constructed to endure the abuse associated with repeated impacts. Further, the device must be easy to fabricate to ensure the apparatus is economical. While some of the prior art devices attempted to improve the state of the art of basketball return devices, none has achieved the cost optimized capability that is easy to fabricate and convenient to use of the present invention. With these capabilities taken into consideration, the instant invention addresses many of the shortcomings of the prior art and offers significant benefits heretofore unavailable.  
         SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
         [0009]    In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior devices in new and novel ways. In its most general sense, the present invention overcomes the shortcomings and limitations of the prior art in any of a number of generally effective configurations.  
           [0010]    The basketball return apparatus of the present invention is designed to function with any of the numerous basketball goal assembly configurations commercially available. Generally, a basketball goal assembly includes a goalpost, at least one backboard support attached to a backboard and the goalpost, and a rim attached to the backboard.  
           [0011]    In one of the many preferable configurations, the basketball return apparatus incorporates, among other elements, a resilient rebound panel positioned beneath the backboard, a panel retainer assembly adapted to flexibly and adjustably connect the upper section of the resilient rebound panel to the goal assembly, and a panel support assembly adapted to releasably and adjustably connect the lower section of the resilient rebound panel to the goal assembly. Numerous embodiments incorporate variations of the resilient rebound panel, the panel retainer assembly, and the panel support assembly.  
           [0012]    In one of the many variations of the present invention, the resilient rebound panel may include a rebound panel frame upon which a resilient material may be secured. Additionally, the resilient material may include an elasticized membrane, a plurality of interconnected elasticized cords, or any of the myriad of resilient materials known to one skilled in the art.  
           [0013]    Alternatively, the rebound panel may include a non-stretch material that is connected with elastic devices to the rebound panel frame. For example, but not limitation, the elastic devices connecting the frame to the material may includes springs, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, and bands constructed of virtually any resilient material.  
           [0014]    The present invention incorporates unique panel retainer and support assemblies that assist in returning a basketball to the player at substantially the same angle with which the basketball approached the backboard. Numerous embodiments incorporate variations of the panel retainer assembly and the panel support assembly.  
           [0015]    In one such embodiment, the panel retainer assembly incorporates at least one upper panel elastic retainer to flexibly and adjustably join the resilient rebound panel with the goal assembly. The at least one upper panel elastic retainer may be flexibly and adjustably joined to any component of the goal assembly. In one such variation two upper panel elastic retainers are used with each one secured to opposite ends of a rebound panel frame edge and secured to a common backboard support.  
           [0016]    As with the panel retainer assembly, numerous panel support assembly variations exist. Perhaps the most simple panel support assembly includes at least one support brace that is releasably and adjustably connected to the goal assembly at one end via at least one support brace goal assembly mounting device, and is connected to the rebound panel at the opposite end. The connection of the support brace to the rebound panel is generally a rotatable connection, but may be rigid or flexible.  
           [0017]    Now, with at least one variation of the rebound panel, retainer assembly, and support assembly described, the unique result of the unique components may be described. Generally, a player shooting at roughly a forty-five degree angle from the right side of the court would like the basketball to return to approximately the same location from which it was released. Typically a good basketball player will be able to shoot the basketball through the rim without the basketball hitting the rim. When this occurs the basketball will continue to substantially follow its flight path as it passes through the basketball net and beyond. Therefore, the basketball will strike the left half of the rebound panel. One unique advantage of the present invention is that when a basketball strikes the rebound panel at a location other than the center of the panel, the panel will rotate and the tension in one of the upper panel elastic retainers will increase while the tension in the opposite upper panel elastic retainer will decrease. Therefore, as the upper panel elastic retainer with the increased tension quickly returns to the pre-strike tension it returns the panel to the normal position thereby imparting a return angle of a substantially reciprocal direction on the basketball. This same basic principal applies to all the embodiments described herein.  
           [0018]    In a further variation, the panel retainer assembly may incorporate at least one retainer brace having a distal end and a proximal end, at least one retainer brace goal assembly mounting device, and an upper retainer cross-member. The at least one retainer brace&#39;s distal end connects to the upper retainer cross-member, and the retainer brace&#39;s proximal end may be releasably and adjustable joined to the at least one retainer brace goal assembly mounting device. Additionally, the upper retainer cross-member may be flexibly and adjustably joined to the resilient rebound panel with at least one upper panel elastic retainer. An alternative embodiment may not include the upper retainer cross-member, and the resilient rebound panel may be flexibly and adjustably attached to the at least one retainer brace with at least one upper panel elastic retainer.  
           [0019]    Additional variations may include alternative panel support assemblies that may incorporate at least one support brace having a distal end and a proximal end, at least one support brace goal assembly mounting device, and a lower retainer cross-member. The at least one retainer support brace&#39;s distal end connects to the lower retainer cross-member, and the at least one support brace&#39;s proximal end may be releasably and adjustably joined to the support brace goal assembly mounting device. Additionally, the lower retainer cross-member may be flexibly and adjustably joined to the resilient rebound panel with at least one lower panel elastic retainer. An alternative embodiment may not include the lower retainer cross-member, and the resilient rebound panel may be flexible and adjustably attached to the at least one support brace with at least one lower panel elastic retainer.  
           [0020]    In yet a further variation the panel support assembly may include at least one panel vertical frame cross member connecting the resilient rebound panel to an adjustable intermediate support, a torsion device releasably and adjustably connecting the adjustable intermediate support brace to at least one support brace, and a support brace goal assembly mounting device releasably and adjustably connecting the at least one support brace to the goal assembly.  
           [0021]    Further, any of the preceding embodiments may include at least one articulable adjustable support brace joint and at least one articulable adjustable retainer joint. Such joints would allow the rebound panel to be quickly and easily positioned beneath the backboard, as well as quickly and easily repositioned into a “storage position” that is out of the playing court and does not pose a danger to players: Additionally, adjustment of the articulable joints would allow the player to adjust the angle, and thereby the height, at which the ball is returned.  
           [0022]    These variations, modifications, alternatives, and alterations of the various preferred embodiments, arrangements, and configurations may be used alone or in combination with one another as will become more readily apparent to those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    Without limiting the scope of the present invention as claimed below and referring now to the drawings and figures:  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a detailed right side elevation view, in reduced scale, of the basketball return apparatus.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a detailed front elevation view, in reduced scale, of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a detailed right side elevation view, in reduced scale, of a variation of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a detailed front elevation view, in reduced scale, of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 3.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a detailed right side elevation view, in reduced scale, of a variation of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a detailed front elevation view, in reduced scale, of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a detailed right side elevation view, in reduced scale, of a variation of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 1.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 is a detailed elevated perspective view, in reduced scale, of the basketball return apparatus shown in FIG. 1 in use. 
     
    
       [0032]    Also, in the various figures and drawings, the following reference symbols and letters are used to identify the various elements described herein below in connection with the several figures and illustrations: BB, BS, CS, GA, GP, N, P, Q 1 , Q 2 , R, RT, X, Y, and Z.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0033]    The apparatus for installing a frame and related appurtenances of the instant invention enables a significant advance in the state of the art of basketball return devices. The preferred embodiments of the apparatus accomplish this by new and novel arrangements of elements that are configured in unique and novel ways and which demonstrate previously unavailable but preferred and desirable capabilities.  
         [0034]    The detailed description set forth below in connection with the drawings is intended merely as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the designs, functions, means, and methods of implementing the invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and features may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.  
         [0035]    With reference now to the accompanying figures and specifically to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in one of the many preferable configurations, the basketball return apparatus  100 , generally consisting of, among other elements, a resilient rebound panel  120  positioned beneath the backboard BB, a panel retainer assembly  104  adapted to flexibly and adjustably connect the upper section of the resilient rebound panel  120  to the goal assembly GA, and a panel support assembly  106  adapted to releasably and adjustably connect the lower section of the resilient rebound panel  120  to the goal assembly GA. Numerous embodiments incorporate variations of the resilient rebound panel  120 , the panel retainer assembly  104 , and the panel support assembly  106 .  
         [0036]    In one of the many variations of the present invention, the resilient rebound panel  120  may include a rebound panel frame  152  upon which a resilient material  150  may be secured. Additionally, the resilient material  150  may include an elasticized membrane, a plurality of interconnected elasticized cords, or any of the myriad of materials known to one skilled in the art.  
         [0037]    Alternatively, the rebound panel  120  may include a non-stretch material that is connected with elastic devices to the rebound panel frame  152 . For example, but not limitation, the elastic devices connecting the frame  152  to the material may includes springs, pneumatic cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, and bands constructed of virtually any resilient material.  
         [0038]    As shown in FIG. 2, the rebound panel frame  152  is preferably substantially rectangular and at least as wide as the backboard BB. However, the resilient rebound panel  120 , and the rebound panel frame  152 , may be of any size and shape.  
         [0039]    The present invention incorporates unique panel retainer  104  and support  106  assemblies that assist in returning a basketball to the player P at substantially the same angle with which the basketball approached the backboard BB. Numerous embodiments incorporate variations of the panel retainer assembly  104  and the panel support assembly  106 .  
         [0040]    For example, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the panel retainer assembly  104  incorporates at least one upper panel elastic retainer  110  to flexibly and adjustably join the resilient rebound panel  120  with the goal assembly GA. The at least one upper panel elastic retainer  110  may be flexibly and adjustably joined to any component of the goal assembly GA. In one such variation, shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, two upper panel elastic retainers  110  are used with each one secured to opposite ends of a rebound panel frame  152  edge and secured to a common backboard support BS.  
         [0041]    As with the panel retainer assembly  104 , numerous panel support assembly  106  variations exist. Perhaps the most simple panel support assembly  106  includes at least one support brace  130  that is releasably and adjustably connected to the goal assembly GA at one end via at least one support brace goal assembly mounting device  140 , and is connected to the rebound panel  120  at the opposite end. The connection of the support brace  130  to the rebound panel  120  is generally a rotatable connection, but may be rigid or flexible.  
         [0042]    The at least one support brace goal assembly mounting device  140  may be configured in any number of ways to connect with any of the commercially available goalposts GP. For example, the mounting device  140  may be configured to mount to square, rectangular, or round goalposts GP.  
         [0043]    Now referring to FIG. 8, the unique result of this apparatus  100  may be described. For example, during the course of practicing shooting basketball players often need to practice shoots that are not directly in front of the basket, i.e. at locations other than that along the Y-axis of the coordinate system CS shown in FIG. 8. Therefore, a player P shooting at roughly a forty-five degree angle from the right side of the court, between the positive X-axis and the positive Y-axis, also identified as quadrant number one Q 1 , would like the basketball to return to approximately the same location from which it was released. Typically a good basketball player P will be able to shoot the basketball through the rim R without the basketball hitting the rim R. When this occurs the basketball will continue to substantially follow its flight path as it passes through the basketball net N and beyond. Therefore, the basketball will strike the left half of the rebound panel  120 . One unique advantage of the present invention is that when a basketball strikes the rebound panel  120  at a location other than the center of the panel  120 , the panel  120  will rotate, as shown by rotation indicator RT, and the tension in one of the upper panel elastic retainers  110  will increase while the tension in the opposite upper panel elastic retainer  110  will decrease. Therefore, as the upper panel elastic retainer  110  with the increased tension quickly returns to the pre-strike tension it returns the panel  120  to the normal position thereby imparting a return angle of a substantially reciprocal direction returning the basketball to quadrant number one Q 1 . Conventional deflector plate type basketball return devices would typically return a ball shoot from quadrant number one Q 1  to the opposite side of the court, quadrant number two Q 2 . This same basic principal applies to all the embodiments described herein. Additionally, the resilient rebound panel  120  may be formed in a substantially concave manner to assist in imparting the substantially reciprocal return angle.  
         [0044]    In a further variation illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the panel retainer assembly  104  may incorporate at least one retainer brace  160  having a distal end and a proximal end, at least one retainer brace goal assembly mounting device  180 , and an upper retainer cross-member  170 . The at least one retainer brace&#39;s  160  distal end connects to the upper retainer cross-member  170 , and the retainer brace&#39;s  160  proximal end may be releasably and adjustable joined to the at least one retainer brace goal assembly mounting device  180 . Additionally, the upper retainer cross-member  170  may be flexibly and adjustably joined to the resilient rebound panel  150  with at least one upper panel elastic retainer  110 . An alternative embodiment, not shown, may not include the upper retainer cross-member  170 , and the resilient rebound panel  120  may be flexibly and adjustably attached to the at least one retainer brace  160  with at least one upper panel elastic retainer  110 .  
         [0045]    As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, additional variations may include alternative panel support assemblies  106  that may incorporate at least one support brace  130  having a distal end and a proximal end, at least one support brace goal assembly mounting device  140 , and a lower retainer cross-member  220 . The at least one retainer support brace&#39;s  130  distal end connects to the lower retainer cross-member  220 , and the at least one support brace&#39;s  130  proximal end may be releasably and adjustably joined to the support brace goal assembly mounting device  140 . Additionally, the lower retainer cross-member  220  may be flexibly and adjustably joined to the resilient rebound panel  120  with at least one lower panel elastic retainer  210 . An alternative embodiment, not shown, may not include the lower retainer cross-member  220 , and the resilient rebound panel  220  may be flexible and adjustably attached to the at least one support brace  130  with at least one lower panel elastic retainer  210 .  
         [0046]    Now referring to FIG. 7, a further variation the panel support assembly  106  may include at least one panel vertical frame cross member  250  connecting the resilient rebound panel  120  to an adjustable intermediate support brace  260 , a torsion device  230  releasably and adjustably connecting the adjustable intermediate support brace  260  to at least one support brace  130 , and a support brace goal assembly mounting device  140  releasably and adjustably connecting the at least one support brace  130  to the goal assembly GA. An additional panel horizontal frame cross-member  240  may be added to increase the strength of the apparatus  100 .  
         [0047]    Further, any of the preceding embodiments may include at least one articulable adjustable support brace joint  190  and at least one articulable adjustable retainer joint  200 , as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 5, and FIG. 7. Such joints would allow the rebound panel  120  to be quickly and easily positioned beneath the backboard BB, as well as quickly and easily repositioned into a “storage position” that is out of the playing court and does not pose a danger to players. Additionally, adjustment of the articulable joints would allow the player to adjust the angle, and thereby the height, at which the ball is returned.  
         [0048]    Numerous alterations, modifications, and variations of the preferred embodiments disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art and they are all anticipated and contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the instant invention. For example, although specific embodiments have been described in detail, those with skill in the art will understand that the preceding embodiments and variations can be modified to incorporate various types of substitute and or additional or alternative materials, relative arrangement of elements, and dimensional configurations for compatibility with the plurality of commercially available basketball goals. Accordingly, even though only few variations of the present invention are described herein, it is to be understood that the practice of such additional modifications and variations and the equivalents thereof, are within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.  
         [0049]    The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or acts for performing the functions in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed.