Patent Publication Number: US-2004058756-A1

Title: Basketball shooting kit

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention relates to a basketball shooting kit which has board with a hoop and a fabric wrapped around a mandrel. A stand is located from a distance to the board and the fabric is connected to the stand. The kit can be easily expanded and collapsed.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] A conventional basketball shooting kit generally includes a board with a hoop and a foldable frame system is connected to the board. A fabric is connected to the frame and can be expanded together with the frame such that balls are stopped by the fabric and the players need not to chase the balls. The frame system has a complicated structure which takes time to set it up and to expand the frame system. Besides, the whole set of the kit is bulky and not convenient for storage.  
       [0003] Players expect the basketball shooting kit to be easily to expand and can be convenient folded.  
       [0004] The present invention intends to provide a basketball shooting kit that can be quickly set up by pulling a retractable fabric from a lower edge of the board and a stand is set a desired distance from the board so that the fabric is engaged to the stand.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a basketball shooting kit which comprises a board with a hoop and a fabric is wrapped onto a mandrel located to a lower edge of the board. A stand is put at a desired distance from the board and the fabric is pulled and connected to the stand. The stand can be folded to be a small size and the board can be engaged with the folded stand.  
       [0006] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a basketball shooting kit that is easily to set up by using a torsion spring and a mandrel onto which fabric is wrapped.  
       [0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a basketball shooting kit that has less number of links.  
       [0008] The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009]FIG. 1 shows the board and the stand of the basketball shooting kit of the present invention;  
     [0010]FIG. 2 shows the basketball shooting kit of the present invention is in its folded status;  
     [0011]FIG. 3 shows the stand and the board can be separated;  
     [0012]FIG. 4 shows the fabric is expanded and connected to the stand;  
     [0013]FIG. 5 shows the gear on an end of the shaft in the mandrel and the pawl is engaged with the gear;  
     [0014]FIG. 6 shows the fabric is connected to two side fabrics by zippers;  
     [0015]FIG. 7 shows the stand can be put at a short distance from the board which is movably connected to two rails on a wall;  
     [0016]FIG. 8 shows a detection member is connected to the hoop and a display member is connected to the board;  
     [0017]FIG. 9 shows a guide member is mounted to the shaft in the mandrel, and  
     [0018]FIG. 10 shows the perspective view wherein the guide member is mounted to the shaft. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0019] Referring to FIGS. 1, 4 and  5 , the basketball shooting kit of the present invention comprises a board  1  having a hoop  10  connected thereto and two L-shaped side rails  41  are pivotably connected to two sides of the board  1  by rings on the sides of the board  1 . Two side fabrics  42  are connected to two side rails  41  and each have a zipper member  43  on an inclined edge thereof. Four hooks are connected to the back of the board  1  so as to hang the board  1  on a wall as shown in FIG. 4.  
     [0020] A fabric  21  is wrapped around a mandrel  24  located at a lower edge of the board  1  and the mandrel  24  includes a shaft  25  received in the mandrel  24 , a torsion spring  26  mounted to the shaft  25  and a gear  28  connected to an end of the shaft  25 . A pawl  27  is pivotably engaged with the gear  28  and functions as a ratchet mechanism so as to limit the gear from turning in reverse direction. Therefore, the fabric  21  is normally wrapped on the mandrel  24  if the player does not pull the fabric  21 .  
     [0021] A stand  30  is located at a distance from the board  1  and includes a U-shaped upright frame and two U-shaped frames  33 ,  34 . Two sleeves  31  are connected to two ends of the upright frame and the two U-shaped frames  33 ,  34  connected to the two sleeves  31  in a horizontal plain. Two receiving tubes  35  are connected to an inside of the upright frame and a rod  29  on a leading end of the fabric  21  is engaged.  
     [0022] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the U-shaped frame  34  can be detached from the sleeves  31  and the two side rails  41  are folded toward the board  1  so that the board  1  together with the two side rails  41  can be inserted in the space  32  between the upright frame  30  and the U-shaped frame  33 . The detached U-shaped frame  34  is supported on the hooks on the back of the board  1  Referring to FIG. 6, the fabric  21  has two zipper members  23  as shown in FIG. 4 and can be engaged with the zipper members  43  on the two side fabrics  42 . The fabric  21  and the side fabrics  42  are then define a U-shaped space in which balls can be kept therein so that the players need not to purchase the balls all the time.  
     [0023]FIG. 7 shows that the board  1  may also be movably connected to two rails  50  on a wall and the height of the board  1  can be adjusted by a push-button switch. FIG. 8 shows a detection member  11  connected to the hoop and a display member  12  is connected to a top of the board  1 . The detection member  11  is activated when a ball passes through the hoop and the number of shooting or score shooting is displayed on the display member  12 .  
     [0024]FIGS. 9 and 10 show that a guide member  60  is mounted to the shaft  25  and has a cone-shaped surface  61  contacting a side of the fabric  21  and this makes sure that the fabric  21  can be rewound properly.  
     [0025] While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.