Patent Publication Number: US-2007111830-A1

Title: Ball retrieval device

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to a device for use in the retrieval of balls, particularly balls used during sport.  
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
      In tennis a player must retrieve a ball by bending to pick it up, bouncing it with a racket or lifting it by securing it between a foot and racket. These are rather cumbersome methods, particularly for handicapped or elderly players.  
      As a result, many devices have been developed in an attempt to address this problem. Some of these as disclosed in the following US patents:  
      U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,666, to Ross; 3,989,247 to Zimmerman; 4,834,393 to Feldi; 4,053,156 to Bai; 5,458,328 to Dubose; 4,004,806 to Malik; 4,116,436 to Bjorhn; 4,575,081 to Cavanagh; 4,568,089 to Jenkins; 4,948,129 to Bartasius; 4,919,421 to Vandeveld; 4,895,366 to Bartasius; D355,232 to Hodges; 5,056,786 to Bellettini; 4,210,327 to Schubert; 4,993,712 to Urwin; 4,045,068 to Nelson; 4,114,881 to Norton; 4,997,185 to Bartasius; 5,333,854 to Woollard; 5,383,661 to Beck; 5,947,850 to Gray; 6,652,397 to Lamson.  
      None of these inventions has provided an effective solution to the problem and this is borne out by the fact that, as far as the applicant is aware, no device exists on the market at present which addresses this problem.  
      Two basic approaches have been followed in the prior art. The first approach is to provide a hook fastener, such as Velcro, or adhesive fastener on a tennis racket. It is intended that the hook fastener attach to the nap covering a tennis ball. This approach does not work well. Firstly, it is not reliable, especially when the covering is worn. Secondly, it tends to accelerate removal of the covering. Patents that propose this approach in various guises include U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,666, U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,185, U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,327 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,397.  
      A variation of this approach is to provide a special covering on the tennis ball to overcome adhesion problems. These inventions are generally less successful as the special covering invariably affects the performance and flight characteristics of the ball. Patents that describe this approach include U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,393 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,786.  
      These designs are of doubtful effectiveness because hook material will not securely grasp all tennis balls. The Schubert design is difficult and expensive to implement because it calls for a specially designed racket, substantially increasing expense and decreasing the players choice of rackets. As an additional limitation, none of the above designs retrieve playing objects other than fresh, nappy tennis balls.  
      The second approach is to provide means on the racket to capture to ball between a pair of surfaces. Examples of such devices are to be found in U.S. Pat. No. D355,232, U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,712, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,247, U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,850, U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,854 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,661. These devices suffer the disadvantages that they are either cumbersome, are easily damaged during play, are likely to hinder play by adding wind resistance or require careful aim or reversal of the racket to retrieve the ball. U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,068 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,881 are not racket based at all, but require an additional, cumbersome and expensive retrieval devices. These devices are intended for retrieving numerous balls after a practice session, not for the continuous, effortless retrieval of balls during play.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,328 and others use a specially designed net to capture tennis balls, creating a significant additional expense. These devices are limited in function to the capture of balls hit into the net only. Other designs employ special netting and duct work or other elaborate devices to return balls to the players, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,806, U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,436, U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,081, U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,089, U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,129, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,366. These systems are too expensive for most players, do not capture or retrieve all balls played, do not work in sports other than tennis, and therefore do not accomplish the goal of eliminating bending to retrieve struck playing balls.  
      To be useful, a ball retrieval system must be racket-mounted, effective at grasping the ball, inexpensive, light weight, and must not increase wind resistance to the racket during play. Previously attempted solutions have been plagued by elaborate and expensive design, intrusion on play, aesthetic obtrusiveness, and ineffectiveness.  
      In this specification the term “racket” shall have its widest meaning and includes any strung racket.  
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of this invention to provide a ball retrieval device which at least partially alleviates some of the abovementioned problem.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In accordance with this invention there is provided a ball retrieval device comprising a pair of jaws spaced apart from each other to provide an entrance for a ball which is substantially less than the diameter of the ball such that a ball inserted into the entrance will be deformed and captured between the jaws, and wherein the jaws are configured to extend from a racket.  
      Further features of the invention provide for the jaws to extend from the racket opposite the handle thereof; for the end of each jaw adjacent the entrance to terminate in at least two teeth; for the outermost teeth of each jaw to be inclined away from each other; for the distance between the jaws at the entrance about two thirds the diameter of the ball; and for the end of each jaw to be at least partly inwardly concave at the entrance.  
      According to one aspect of the invention there is provided for the jaws to form part of a string protector which is securable to a racket frame.  
      Further features according to this aspect of the invention provide for the jaws to be separate from each other; for there to be means for positioning the jaws on a racket; and for the jaws to be moulded from a plastics material.  
      According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided for the jaws to be integral with the frame of the racket.  
      Further features according to this aspect of the invention provide for the frame to be inwardly concave intermediate the jaws; and for the concavity to extend into the strung area of the frame.  
      A still further feature of the invention provides for the racket to be selected from a tennis racket, a squash racket and a racket ball racket  
      The invention also provides a racket having a pair of jaws remote from a handle substantially as defined above.  
      A further feature of the invention provides for the racket to be a strung racket, preferably one of a tennis racket, a squash racket and a racket ball racket. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of part of a tennis racket having a ball retrieval device;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the ball retrieval device in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a plan view of the tennis racket in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIGS. 4 and 5  are plan views of the racket in  FIG. 1  being used to retrieve a ball;  
       FIG. 6  is plan view of a second embodiment of a tennis racket having a ball retrieval device;  
       FIG. 7  is a top elevation of part of the ball retrieval device in  FIG. 6 ; and  
       FIG. 8  is plan view of the racket in  FIG. 6  with the ball retrieval device in use. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      One embodiment of a ball retrieval device ( 1 ) for a racket ( 2 ), in this embodiment a tennis racket, is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  secured to the frame ( 3 ) of the racket ( 2 ). The ball retrieval device ( 1 ) includes a pair of elongate wedge-shaped elements ( 5 ) which are curved in their length to provide a complementary fit over the frame ( 3 ) opposite the handle ( 7 ) of the racket ( 2 ). Each element ( 5 ) is of substantially similar width to that of the frame ( 3 ).  
      Each element ( 5 ) is moulded from an abrasion resistant plastics material and has a central groove ( 9 ) extending along its outer surface ( 10 ), as shown in  FIG. 2 . A series of holes ( 12 ) extend between the outer surface ( 10 ) and inner surface ( 13 ) within the groove ( 9 ) of each element. These correspond to holes (not shown) in the frame ( 3 ) of through which strings ( 15 ) are strung.  
      The end ( 18 ) at the thick part ( 19 ) of each element ( 5 ) is inwardly concave and is shaped to form a pair of teeth ( 20 ) which are slightly outwardly and upwardly inclined from the upper surface ( 10 ).  
      In use, the elements ( 5 ) are secured to the frame ( 3 ) by aligning the holes ( 12 ) of the elements ( 5 ) with those in the frame ( 3 ) with the end ( 18 ) of each spaced apart adjacent each other and then stringing the strings ( 15 ) of the racket ( 2 ) through the aligned holes. To assist in positioning the elements ( 5 ) on the frame ( 3 ), tubular projections (not shown) could extend from the each element ( 5 ) over each hole ( 12 ) and shaped to fit within the holes in the frame ( 3 ). When strung to the tension required for play, the strings ( 15 ) secure the elements ( 5 ) firmly in place with the thick ends ( 15 ) of the elements ( 5 ) providing a pair of jaws.  
      The ends ( 18 ) of the elements have a height of approximately one third the diameter of a tennis ball ( 30 ) and are spaced apart on the frame with their teeth ( 20 ) about two thirds the diameter of a tennis ball ( 30 ) apart to form an entrance.  
      Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a ball ( 30 ) can be lifted from a surface by simply positioning the jaws centrally over the ball ( 30 ), either with the handle upright or inclined to upright (as shown), and then pressing the racket ( 2 ) into the ball ( 30 ). This causes the ball ( 30 ) to become pinched between the teeth ( 20 ). Hereafter it can be lifted and easily removed from the jaws ( 5 ). To assist in aligning the jaws over the ball, a mark ( 31 ) can be placed on the inner surface of the frame centrally of the jaws. However, as the teeth ( 20 ) are spaced apart and slightly outwardly inclined, there is a natural tendency for the ball to be centralised between them if the racket is lightly rested on the ball.  
      The ball retrieval device ( 1 ) is highly effective and does not interfere with play even in the operative condition. It permits players to retrieve balls by simply touching the jaws to the ball and thus avoids the player having to bend or use one of the other more cumbersome methods of retrieval. It is also acts as a string protector preventing the frame and strings from becoming scuffed and is unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, it slightly increases the striking area of the frame thus resulting in more successful frame shots.  
      It also has the advantage that it can be used to provide more weight to the racket. It has been found that the extremely light construction of modern rackets often leads to tennis elbow or similar conditions on players. The weight of the ball retrieval device can be selected to assist in preventing this. To this end, cavities could be provided on the inner surface of the elements to receive weights to permit a user select the most appropriate weight.  
      It will be appreciated, however, that many other embodiments of a ball retrieval device exist which fall within the scope of the invention, especially as regards the configuration thereof. As shown in FIGS.  6  to  8 , a racket ( 60 ) can be provided with an inward concavity ( 62 ) in its frame ( 63 ) opposite the handle ( 65 ). The concavity ( 62 ) extends partly into the strung area ( 66 ) of the racket ( 60 ) but is shallow, being less than one fifth the diameter of a tennis ball ( 70 ) in depth. As such it does not extend to the level of the first cross-string ( 71 ) and does not interfere with the performance of the racket. A pair of elongate wedge-shaped elements ( 75 ) is secured to the frame ( 63 ) on either side of the concavity ( 62 ) to provide a pair of jaws. The elements ( 75 ) are substantially the same as the elements ( 5 ) described above except in that the thick part ( 76 ) of each is thinner than that ( 19 ) of the elements ( 5 ). The elements ( 75 ) thus have a much lower profile than the elements ( 5 ) and this is achieved through use of the concavity ( 62 ) in the frame ( 63 ).  
      To reduce the depth of the concavity ( 62 ) required to accommodate a ball ( 70 ), the frame ( 63 ) tapers in it width towards the centre ( 76 ) of the concavity ( 62 ), as shown in  FIG. 7 . Furthermore, the outer surface ( 77 ) of the frame ( 63 ) is inwardly concave, as shown in the inset to  FIG. 7 .  
      Similarly to the embodiment described above, the jaw provided by each element ( 75 ) terminates in two teeth ( 79 ) which are inclined outwardly away from each other. Grooves ( 80 ) are provided in each tooth ( 79 ) extending inwardly for the outer edge ( 81 ) thereof.  
      The distance between the jaws is also about two thirds the diameter of a ball ( 70 ) whilst the uppermost part of each is about one third the diameter of a ball ( 70 ) above the frame ( 63 ) measured from the centre of the concavity ( 62 ).  
      It has been found, however, that for squash balls the distance between the jaws can be less than two thirds the diameter of a squash ball and the depth less than one third the diameter.  
      The jaws can be made of any suitable material and can have any suitable shape. In particular, the jaws could be integral with the frame or could be joined together and could be made of a rubber like material. Clearly, the ball retrieval device can be made to fit any racket and its shape will vary from racket to racket. It could be secured in position in any suitable manner, including, for example, by clips. Also, wind resistance can be reduced by providing apertures through the ball retrieval device.