Patent Abstract:
An assembly for modifying/adapting a practice goal to serve as a sporting game practice aid. The assembly suitably includes a target and/or plurality of target pockets that can be removably coupled to the practice goal. This provides a physical target towards which to aim a sporting object (including a puck, ball, and/or the like), and thereby a means of evaluating one&#39;s progress towards mastery of the task at hand.

Full Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a practice goal for a sporting game. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a goal for a sporting game (e.g., hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc.) that features certain practice-related elements for enabling a sport player to refine his/her skill. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     In conventional approaches, individuals practice their shooting technique by shooting a puck or ball-like article into an open goal, often times to certain locations that are harder for a goalie to defend. However, when shooting at an open goal without a goalie present, individuals are forced to visualize the boundaries of these select locations and must determine their performance by eye, without the aid of a physical feedback mechanism with which to measure their progress. While some current models attempt to address the aforementioned issues using a fixedly coupled assembly, the invention instead comprises various individually removable/replaceable elements, alleviating the need to frequently replace the entire assembly due to wear/deterioration caused by multiple repetitions of high velocity impacts. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     A first embodiment provides an assembly for modifying/adapting a sporting goal comprising of a plurality of target pockets and a pocket fastener. The plurality of target pockets is adapted to be removably coupled to a front frame of the sporting goal proximate to the corners and/or edges of the frame. The pocket fastener is adapted to be removably coupled to the front frame of the sporting goal and/or the plurality of target pockets running at least partially around the perimeter of the front frame of the sporting goal. The pocket fastener further comprises of an adjustment mechanism for pulling the pocket fastener taut when coupled with the front frame of the sporting goal. 
     A second embodiment provides an assembly for modifying/adapting a sporting goal comprising of a target adapted to be removably coupled to a front frame of the sporting goal. The target is adapted with at least one fastening mechanism including a double d-ring, snap closure, Velcro™, or the like for attaching the target to the front frame of the sporting goal. 
     A third embodiment provides an assembly for modifying/adapting a sporting goal comprising of a plurality of target pockets and a target. The plurality of target pockets is adapted to be removably coupled proximate to the corners of the sporting goal and/or various holes/openings in the target. The target is adapted to be removably coupled to the front frame of the sporting goal and/or the plurality of target pockets. The target is equipped with at least one fastening mechanism including a double d-ring, snap closure, Velcro™, or the like for attaching the target to the front frame of the sporting goal. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary goal frame with a removable target device including a plurality of target pockets. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of an exemplary target that may be removably coupled to the goal frame. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the exemplary target of  FIG. 2  with target pockets that may be removably coupled to the goal frame. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a back view of the exemplary target of  FIG. 2  that may be removably coupled to the goal frame. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a back view of the exemplary target of  FIG. 2  with the target pockets of  FIG. 1  coupled together. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a back view of the exemplary target of  FIG. 2  in which the plurality of target pocket fasteners for the target pockets have been removed or bundled out of the way. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a close-up view of a top corner of a goal frame with the removable target device of  FIG. 1  and target of  FIG. 2  installed. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates another close-up view of the corner of a goal frame with the removable target device of  FIG. 1  and target of  FIG. 2  installed. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a close-up view of a bottom corner of a goal frame with the removable target device  100  of  FIG. 1  and target of  FIG. 2  installed. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a close-up view of a target pocket fastener coupled to an adjustment mechanism (e.g., double D-rings) of a target. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed is an assembly for modifying/adapting a sporting goal. As will be further explained hereinafter, the assembly features certain modifying/adapting elements that can configure a goal to serve as a sporting game practice aid. For example, the assembly may be coupled to any type of sporting goal, preferably one in which a ball-like article is aimed and shot at a net-bearing goal, such as ice hockey, field hockey, soccer and the like, for the use of honing one&#39;s shooting abilities. Under current conventions, an individual must often practice using an empty goal, lacking a goalie, and thus must visualize certain desirable target locations that are considered hard to defend. The invention alleviates this by providing a tangible/physical target as well as a physical mechanism for evaluating the progress of one&#39;s shooting abilities. 
     The following detailed description discusses the invention in terms of exemplary embodiments. The description is not to be construed as limiting, but is merely a discussion of the general principles of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary goal frame  102  with a removable target device  100  including a plurality of target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 . The goal frame  102  may be a sporting goal that includes a front frame comprising two vertical support members and a horizontal support member along the top, with no horizontal support member along the bottom face of the goal opening. The removable target device  100  may include a plurality of target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  coupled together by a fastening element  105 , such as a rope, strand, ribbon, cable, etc. In one example, the target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  may be permanently coupled or affixed to the fastening element  105 . The removable target device  100  may be removably coupled to the goal frame  102  while the fastening element  105  may be adjustable to tighten around the goal frame  102  face or opening. 
     The target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  of the target device  100  may be fastened or coupled to each corner of the goal frame  102  (top right corner target pocket  104 , bottom right corner target pocket  106 , bottom left corner target pocket  108 , top left corner target pocket  110 ). Note that, in other embodiments, additional target pockets may be coupled to the fastening element  105  along edges of the frame  102 . The placement of the target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  preferably corresponds to certain target areas of the goal frame  102  considered hard to defend, and thus may provide a physical target to aim at for shooting practice. 
     Since shooting practice often consists of multiple repetitions of high velocity shots into such target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 , the removable coupling of the target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  allows them to be removed and/or replaced as they suffer from wear/deterioration. In one example, the target device  100  may be removable and replaceable as a unit. In other examples, individual pockets may be removable and/or replaceable from the fastening element  105 . 
     Despite the target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  being pictured as composed of netting (see  FIGS. 1-2, 4-7 ), it should be noted that any suitable material may be used to fashion these target pockets. This may include, but is not limited to, openwork (including netting) or a continuous material (including cloth, mesh, canvas, etc.). 
     As a previously noted, the plurality of target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  may be linked together by a fastening element  105 . The fastening element  105  may run at least partially around the perimeter of the goal frame  102  and may be equipped with an adjustment mechanism (see element  404  in  FIG. 4 ) for pulling the fastening element  105  taut when coupled to the goal frame  102 . 
     While the target device  100  is illustrated as a single, continuous unit running along the entire perimeter of the goal frame  102 , other implementations of the target device may include multiple separate pieces or sections that run along one or more select portions/sides/edges of the goal frame  102 , and couple/link/connect any plurality of target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 . The fastening element  105  may run along at least the bottom edge of the goal frame  102  and may be fixedly or removably coupled to the target pockets  106 ,  108  at the bottom left and bottom right corners of the goal frame  102 . By fastening the target pockets  106 ,  108  at the bottom left and bottom right corners to the goal frame  102 , this permits tightening the fastening element  105  along the bottom edge of the goal frame  102 . In turn, this acts to support the target pockets  106 ,  108  and enables them to retain their shape in the absence of a bottom segment of the goal frame  102 . 
     In some embodiments, rather than coupling all target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  together to a single fastening element  105 , target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110  may be coupled together in pairs. For instance, a first target pocket  106  and second target pocket  108  may be coupled together using a first fastening element while a third target pocket  104  and fourth target pocket  110  may be coupled together using a second fastening element. In such example, the first target pocket  106  and second target pocket  108  are separate and not coupled to the third target pocket  104  and fourth target pocket  110 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of an exemplary target  202  that may be removably coupled to the goal frame  102 . This allows for future replacement of the target and also allows the goal frame  102  to be used in multiple ways. The target  202  covers/obstructs at least 50% of the front opening or face of the goal frame  102 , leaving a physical border around certain target regions of the goal frame  102 . The target  202  may be made of any suitable material, preferably a non-rigid/flexible material with the ability to absorb force from an object striking it, including vinyl, cloth, polyethylene, or the like. The target  202  may also define one or more additional target openings  204  to which one or more additional target pockets may be removably coupled. One such exemplary target pocket  202 , located in the region of the goal that corresponds to that between the goalie&#39;s legs, is shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The target  202  may include a plurality of frame fasteners  206  adaptable to couple the perimeter of the target  202  to the vertical support members and top horizontal support member of the goal frame  102 . Additionally, the target  202  may include a plurality of target pocket fasteners  208  adaptable to couple the target  202  to one or more target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108  and  110 . Likewise, another plurality of target pocket fasteners may be adaptable to couple a target pocket around the perimeter of the additional target opening  204 . 
     The target  202  is also include a supportive strap  210  proximate to the bottom edge of the target  202 . The supportive strap  210  may be made using any suitable material (including polypropylene, rope, cord, fabric, etc.) and may be equipped with some form of attachment mechanism including a loop or fastener (e.g. double d-ring, snap closure, Velcro™, etc.) on both ends for attachment to the goal frame  102 . The supportive strap  210  assists in keeping the bottom edge of the target  202  taut and flat against the ground when coupled to the goal frame  102 . 
     Note that the target  202  and removable target device  100  may be used independent of each other or in combination with one another. For example, in a first mode of use, the target  202  may be coupled to the goal frame  102  without the removable target device  100 . In a second mode of use, the removable target device  100  may be coupled to the goal frame  102  without the target  202 . In a third mode of use, the removable target device  100  and the target  202  may be coupled together and also to the goal frame  102 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the exemplary target  202  of  FIG. 2  with target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 , and  110  that may be removably coupled to the goal frame  102 . As can be perceived, an additional pocket  302  has been coupled to the opening  204 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a back view of the exemplary target  202  of  FIG. 2  that may be removably coupled to the goal frame  102 . The target  202  may be equipped with at least one fastening mechanism  402  (including a double d-ring, snap closure, strip of Velcro™, or the like) for attaching the target  202  to the goal frame  102  and/or additional fastening mechanisms  404  for coupled the target  202  to target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 ,  110 ,  302  and for pulling/stretching the target  202  taut and/or flat across the goal frame  102 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a back view of the exemplary target  202  of  FIG. 2  with the target pockets  104 ,  106 ,  108 , and  110  of  FIG. 1  coupled together. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a back view of the exemplary target  202  of  FIG. 2  in which the plurality of target pocket fasteners  208  for the target pockets have been removed or bundled out of the way. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a close-up view of a top corner of a goal frame with the removable target device  100  of  FIG. 1  and target  202  of  FIG. 2  installed. The fastening element  105  may extend at least partially around the perimeter of the goal frame  102  and is equipped with an adjustment mechanism  404  (e.g., double D-rings that receive target pocket fasteners  208 ) for pulling the target pocket fastener  208  taut as when coupled to the goal frame  102 . Another fastening mechanism  402  may serve to secure the plurality of frame fasteners  206  around the goal frame  100 . The target pocket  104  may be adapted to be removably coupled to the goal frame  102  by some fastening mechanism  406 , such as hook, double d-ring, snap closure, Velcro™, or the like, that attaches to a receiving mechanism on the goal frame  102 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates another close-up view of the corner of a goal frame  102  with the removable target device  100  of  FIG. 1  and target  202  of  FIG. 2  installed. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a close-up view of a bottom corner of a goal frame with the removable target device  100  of  FIG. 1  and target  202  of  FIG. 2  installed. As can be appreciated here, the supportive strap  210  helps keep the bottom edge of the target pocket  108  tight. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a close-up view of a target pocket fastener  208  coupled to an adjustment mechanism  404  (e.g., double D-rings) of a target  202 . 
     Although the invention has been described with regard to certain preferred example embodiments, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only, and that improvements, changes and modifications in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Such improvements, changes and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be covered by the scope of the present disclosure and claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0