Abstract:
A container or can- for balls or the like for a racket sport, in particular for tennis balls or badminton shuttlecocks, is provided. The container or can includes a hollow tube containing the balls or shuttlecocks, to which a cap is fastened. The cap includes a ring suitable for being secured to the hollow tube and a cover that hinged relative to the ring. The joint between the cover and the ring includes at least one hinge and a return member suitable for moving the cover into a position oriented at an angle of more than 90° relative to the ring when opening the cover.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention relates to a container or can for balls or the like for a racket sport, in particular for tennis balls or badminton shuttlecocks. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    In the field of sports accessories and more particularly cans of balls in particular for tennis or tubes of badminton shuttlecocks, or balls for a racket sport in general, it is common to lose or misplace the covers of the cans of balls or shuttlecocks on the courts. In order to overcome this problem, it is known, in particular in US-A-2004/065669 to use covers with hinges allowing the cover to remain integral with the can. 
         [0003]    Another disadvantage with existing cans of balls or shuttlecocks resides in the fact that they have a tendency to roll on the courts, in particular under the effect of the wind for cans of tennis balls. The known solutions, in particular of FR-B-2 823 723, consist of using covers of a non-circular shape and of which the contour has straight edges making it possible to stop the cans of balls in rotation. 
         [0004]    The techniques using non-circular covers have the disadvantages of causing difficulties when storing such cans of balls, as the irregularities of the covers extending beyond the cylinders of the cans of balls have a tendency to stick to one another and to cause untimely openings of the covers of the cans of balls. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    An object of the present invention may overcome these disadvantages by proposing a new can of balls for racket sport making it possible to provide for the function of loss prevention of the cover and also to prevent the can of balls from rolling on the courts, while still avoiding the use of non-circular covers. 
         [0006]    For this purpose, the present invention provides a can or container of balls or the like for a racket sport, in particular for tennis balls or badminton shuttlecocks including a hollow tube containing the balls or shuttlecocks, to which a cap is fastened including a ring that is suitable for being made integral with the hollow tube, and a cover that is hinged in relation to the ring. This can of balls is characterized in that the joint between the cover and the ring includes at least one hinge and a return member suitable for moving the cover into a position oriented at more than 90° in relation to the ring when opening the cover. 
         [0007]    In accordance with the present invention, the cover opens automatically, under the effect of a slight force provided by a user, in a position allowing for the stoppage in rotation of the can of balls. When the can of balls is closed, it does not have any irregularities able to cause storage or industrial handling problems. The fastening of the cover to the ring makes it possible to provide the function of loss prevention of the cover. 
         [0008]    According to advantageous but not mandatory aspects of the invention, such a can of balls may incorporate one or several of the following characteristics, taken in any technically permissible combination: 
         [0009]    The cover is moved by the return member or members into a position wherein the angle between the cover and the ring is approximately 180°. 
         [0010]    The cover is moved by the return member or members into a position wherein the angle between the cover and the ring is strictly less than 180°, for example equal to 135° or 150°. 
         [0011]    The return member or members are bistable. 
         [0012]    The joint comprises a single central hinge and two return members installed on either side of the hinge. 
         [0013]    The joint comprises two hinges installed on either side of a single return member installed at the center of the joint. 
         [0014]    The cover is suitable for being made integral with the hollow tube in the closed configuration of the cap. 
         [0015]    The cover is suitable for being made integral with the ring in the closed configuration of the cap. 
         [0016]    The return member or members are suitable for springing back when opening the cover. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The present invention shall be better understood and other advantages shall appear more clearly when reading the following description of three embodiments of a can of balls in accordance with the principle of the invention, provided solely by way of example and in reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cap belonging to a can of balls in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a view according to the arrow II of the cap of  FIG. 1  mounted on a tube belonging to the can of balls, with this tube shown via a silhouette as a dotted line; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a view according to the arrow III of the cap of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a cap belonging to a can of balls in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a view according to the arrow V of the cap of  FIG. 4  in a configuration analogous to that of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is a view according to the arrow VI of the cap of  FIGS. 4 and 5 ; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a cap belonging to a can of balls in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]    The cap  2  of the can of balls shown in  FIGS. 1 to 7  comprises a ring  4  and a cover  6  that is hinged in relation to the ring  4 , by the intermediary of a joint  8 . The cover  6  is suited to pivot in relation to the ring  4  according to an axis of articulation X-X′. The ring  4  and the cover  6  form together an angle designated by the reference B in  FIGS. 3 and 5 . 
         [0026]    The ring  4  and the cover  6  are of circular shape. The cover  6  comprises, opposite the joint  8 , a tab  61 . The tab  61  is used to open the cover with a finger. 
         [0027]    The ring  4  is suitable for being made integral with a can B of balls comprising a hollow tube T, shown as a dotted line in  FIG. 2 . The hollow tube T is intended to contain the balls. The term “balls” is used here in the broad sense of the term, entailing an object exchanged in the practice of a racket sport. This entails more particularly, for example, tennis balls, badminton shuttlecocks or the like. The can B comprises a bottom not shown that blocks off the tube T opposite the open end of this tube around which the cap  2  is mounted. The ring  4  comprises, on an interior surface  47 , elements  41  protruding towards a central axis Y 4  of the ring and allowing the ring  4  to be fastened to the tube T. 
         [0028]    The tube of balls T is in rotational symmetry around a longitudinal axis Y-Y′. This geometry induces a possibility of rotation of the tube T around the Y-Y′ axis and the tolling of its external cylindrical surface on planar surfaces such as tennis courts. This rolling would produce noise that is unpleasant for the concentration of the players and could lead the can of balls onto the playing area during a match. 
         [0029]    The cover  6  is suitable for being made integral with the tube of balls T when it is closed and comprises for this purpose a rib  63  carried out on the internal side of the cover  6 . The ring  4  is suited to the tube T in such a way that an edge T 1  of the tube T extends beyond the ring  4  on the closing side of the cover  6 , so that the cover  6  can nest into the tube T. 
         [0030]    The joint  8  comprises a central hinge  82  allowing for a pivoting movement according to an axis X-X′ of the cover  6  in relation to the ring  4 . The pivoting movement is authorized by the deformation according to the X-X′ axis of the two portions of the hinge  82 . 
         [0031]    On either side of the hinge  82 , two return members  84  extend between an external surface  43  of the ring  4  and an external surface  65  of the cover  6 . The return members  84  each have the shape of a single-piece blade with the ring  4  and the cover  6 . 
         [0032]    The return members  84  are stretched in the closed configuration of the cap  2 . 
         [0033]    When opening the cover  6 , a slight opening force from the user is sufficient to cause the springing back and the refraction of the return members  84  and move the cover  6  into a position parallel to the ring  4  i.e. into a position wherein the angle B is approximately 180°. 
         [0034]    The greatest length L 84  of the return members  84  measured perpendicularly to the X-X′ axis in the configuration of  FIGS. 1 to 3  is between  3  and  9  millimeters. 
         [0035]    The elements of the second and third embodiments that are common to the first embodiment bear the same references. 
         [0036]    According to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in  FIGS. 4 to 6 , the joint  8  of the cap  2  comprises a single central return member  84  and two hinges  82  located on either side of the return member  84 . This return member  84  also extends between the external surface  43  of the ring  4  and the external surface  65  of the cover  6 . In the same manner as hereinabove, this central return member  84  springs back when opening the cover  6  in order to reach the opening position of the cover  6  parallel to the ring  4 . In this configuration, the return member  84  has, in open configuration, a curved shape around the X-X′ axis. 
         [0037]    According to this embodiment, the ring  4  comprises a protruding cylindrical skirt  45  suited to receive around it the cover  6  in the closed configuration of the cap  2 . 
         [0038]    According to a third preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the cover  6  comprises fastening means  67  suited to cooperate with a closing rib  46  of the ring  4  located on the external surface  45  opposite the joint  8 . The fastening means  67  are carried out in the form of a lug protruding from the external surface  65  of the cover  6 . In this case, the tube T does not extend beyond the ring  4 . 
         [0039]    The automatic opening of the cover  6  into a position oriented at an open angle at approximately 180° in relation to the ring  4  makes possible an automatic stopping in rotation of the can B of balls on the ground by preventing the rotation around the Y-Y′ axis, without the user having to remember to sufficiently open the cover in order to provide for this function. 
         [0040]    In this embodiment, the return members  84  are bistable, in that an exterior action is required in order to move them from their relaxed configuration to their stretched configuration, and vice versa. 
         [0041]    The hinges  82  and the return members  84  of the three embodiments of the invention are carried out during the molding of the cap  2  in plastic material. In order to allow for the elastic force that moves the cover  6  into its open position, the cap  2  is manufactured in its open configuration so that the return members  84  are in a relaxed configuration in the open configuration of the cap  2 . The closing of the cover  6  therefore consists of overcoming the return force towards the open position exerted by the return member or members  84 . 
         [0042]    The return force exerted by the return member or members  84  is based on the length of the return members  84  between their installation points in relation to the external surface  43  of the ring  4  and the external surface  65  of the cover  6 . 
         [0043]    The opening of the cover  6  in relation to the ring  4  can be limited to a position wherein the angle β between the cover  6  and the ring  4  is, for example, slightly greater than 90° and is for example 100°. More preferably, the opening angle B of the cover is significantly greater than 90° and is less than or equal to 180°. It is for example 135 or 150°. 
         [0044]    The characteristics of the three embodiments can be combined within the scope of this invention.