Patent Publication Number: US-7582031-B2

Title: Tennis ball holder

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to devices to hold tennis balls and more particularly devices used to hold large volumes of tennis balls for practice sessions. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Tennis is a game enjoyed by millions for exercise, sport and recreation. Many people choose to improve their game and will obtain the services of a tennis professional. Practice sessions with a professional, played on the court, typically involve the professional directing a ball toward the student for the student to hit. Hundreds of balls can be thrown in such a manner during the course of a session. As a result, professionals have found it necessary to have a large bin of tennis balls at their disposal for such session instead of one ball that is chased around after every swing. 
   Numerous products have been developed to aid the tennis professional in this regard. For instance, devices to pick up and hold tennis balls are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,926,328; 6,494,340; 6,398,040; and 6,354,643 are a few examples. A drawback to all these devices is that they do not allow easy access to balls in the bottom of the bin. As the balls are depleted, the professional must reach deeper and deeper into the bin. A shallower bin is not an option as the bin should hold a sufficient amount of balls for a session. 
   What is needed is a tennis ball holder that alters its configuration such that the professional does not need to reach deeper and deeper as the balls are depleted. That is the tennis ball holder should be adjustable to lower an upper edge to an elevation commensurate with that of the bottom of the bin when the balls are nearly gone. The ball holder should have a mechanism that retains the balls in the altered configuration such that balls that are in the bin do not inadvertently fall out. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is a tennis ball holder that alters its configuration such that the professional does not need to reach deeper and deeper as the balls are depleted. That is the tennis ball holder is adjustable to lower an upper edge to an elevation commensurate with that of the bottom of the bin when the balls are nearly gone. The ball holder also has a mechanism that retains the balls in the altered configuration such that balls that are in the bin do not inadvertently fall out. 
   The present invention is a tennis ball holder which may include a frame joined to a carriage with tennis balls disposed in the carriage. The carriage may include a bin being rotatable within approximately a ninety-degree range between at least one upper rail of the frame. The bin preferably engaged the at least one upper rail at the extreme points of the rotational range. The bin is desirably fixable intermediate in the range via a selective lock to selectively preclude rotation. 
   The invention further includes a method of retaining and presenting tennis balls, having the steps of selectively locking a bin in an upright position intermediate a range of rotation; filling a bin with tennis balls; withdrawing tennis balls as desired; and unlocking the bin and rotating the bin to a tilted position as the balls are depleted. 
   Advantageously, the present tennis ball holder allows easy access to tennis balls within the bin such that the user does not have to reach down to the bottom of a deep bin. 
   As a further advantage, the bin is tiltable to better reach tennis balls in the bottom of the bin. 
   As still yet another advantage, the bin may have a stop that prevents balls from rolling out of the bin when in a tilted position. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the tennis ball holder of the present invention with the bin in a locked position; and 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the tennis ball holder of the present invention showing the bin n a tilted position and tennis balls disposed in the bin. 
   

   The drawings are for illustrative purposes to show and describe the best mode of making and using the invention known at the time of filing. The drawings are not limiting to the invention and those skilled in the art will understand that departures may be made from the drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 
   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The present invention is a tennis ball holder  10  provided with a frame  20 , a carriage  40  and optionally tennis balls  14 . The tennis ball holder  10 , for use in tennis training on a tennis court  12 , is structured to ease the effort required to remove tennis balls  14  positioned deep within the bin  60  as the number of balls  14  in the bin  40  is being depleted. Each of the major components are described below with reference to the best mode of making and using the invention. 
   The frame  20  has legs  22  joined with at least one upper rail  24  and at least one tray  28 . The legs  22  may be joined to castors  26  for ease of transport across a tennis court  12 . In the preferred mode, the legs  22  are an inverted U-shaped piece of metal or other solid support material. In such configuration, the upper part of the inverted U forms an upper rail  24 . Two such inverted U-shaped parts, provide a total of four legs  22  and two upper rails  24 . The upper rails  24  aid in conjunction with other components in preventing the legs  22  from spreading or otherwise dislocating relative to the other legs  22  under the weight of the carriage  40  and the balls  14 . Likewise, the tray  28  fixedly joins a lower portion of the legs  22 , preventing the legs  22  from spreading or dislocating relative to each other. The tray  28  further provides a convenient area to place other equipment. 
   The carriage  40  may at least one support, preferably a first support  42  and second support  44 , and is joined to the bin  60 . The first and second supports  42 , 44  may join to the legs  22  functionally providing the same resistence to spreading that the upper rail(s)  24  provide. The first and second supports  42 , 44  rotatably join to the bin  60  with a pivot  46  and may fixedly join to the bin  60  with at least one selective lock  48 . The at least one selective lock  48  is positioned to selectively preclude rotation of the bin  60 , e.g. holding the bin  60 , in an upright orientation, which is normally used when the bin  60  is full of tennis balls  14 . The selective lock  48  may be disengaged to rotate the bin  60  to rest on an upper rail  24 , preferably either side, lowering an upper edge  74  of the bin  60  such that the balls  14  at the bottom of the bin  60  are more easily accessed. The first and second supports  42 , 44  may be joined integrally or with attachment mechanism to at least one C-shaped handle  50 . 
   The bin  60  may have first and second sidewalls  62 , 64  and first and second spill walls  66 , 68 . The first and second spill walls  66 , 68  preferably are joined to first and second ball stops  70 , 72  respectively. The ball stops  70 , 72  are sized and positioned, generally toward the edge  74  of the bin  60  further the bottom  76 , to retain tennis balls  14  within the bin  60  when the bin  60  is positioned at an extreme end of the rotational range. The range of rotation is the area between the upper rails  24  in which the bin  60  can turn up to the point where the bin  60  is resting on an upper rail  24 , which point is the extreme part of the rotational range. The bin  60 , which may be trapezoidal shaped in cross section perpendicular to the axis of rotation may be rotatable within approximately a ninety-degree range engaging the at least one upper rail  24 , either side, at the extreme points of the range. The degree of rotation is determinable in conjunction with the outward slant of the spill walls  66 , 68  of the bin  60  wherein the spill walls  66 , 68  are oriented horizontal to the ground or with a slight tip toward the bottom  76  of the bin  60  thereby retaining the tennis balls  14  within the bin  60 . That is, as the spill walls  66 , 68  are more vertical when locked in the upright position, the range of rotation can exceed ninety degrees. When the spill walls  66 , 68  are more horizontal, the range of rotation may be less than ninety degrees. The bin  60  is desirably fixable intermediate in the range of rotation via the selective lock  48  to selectively preclude rotation. Tennis balls  14  may be disposed within the bin  60  for easy access to the tennis instructor. 
   In operation, the method of retaining and presenting tennis balls  14 , may include the steps of selectively locking a bin  60  in an upright position intermediate a range of rotation; filling a bin  60  with tennis balls  14 ; withdrawing tennis balls  14  as desired; and unlocking the bin  60  and rotating the bin  60  to a tilted position as the balls  60  are depleted. The bin may be rested on an upper rail  24 , precluding further rotation in the same direction of the tilt, when in the tilted position and the user may select the direction to rotate the bin  60 . 
   The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment. This is not limiting as changes may be made in form and substance without departing from the spirit and scope of the legal rights this inventor is entitled to receive under the patent laws of the United States of America.