Abstract:
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a clamp-on plastic arcuate element of C-shaped cross-section is provided for snapping-onto an upper portion of a tennis racket head frame, and continuous with and fused to substantially opposite ends of the arcuate element is a correspondingly arcuate semi-rigid substantially flexible lever element biased normally to a predetermined position in an open state away from the upper-most part of the tennis racket and arcuate element at a predetermined distance substantially less than a diameter of a tennis ball such that when the arcuate element is mounted on the tennis racket head frame the tennis racket by a person holding the handle thereof may be used as a pick-up device for retrieving tennis balls without any need of bending over or flexing the back, the arcuate base member also defining a substantially C-shaped pair of flanges as a part of an upper-most part of the arcuate element opposite the pick-up lever for anchoring the lever in a recessed lock-down position when in a closed state not in use as a pick-up device.

Description:
This invention relates to a novel tennis racket accessory for picking-up a tennis ball by use of a tennis racket as an elongated lever. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     Heretofore there have been no provisions whereby people of advanced age or people with back infirmities or knee or leg-muscle problems may avoid repeated stooping and/or bending to retrieve tennis balls, and accordingly such people have been discouraged because of such necessity from playing tennis which otherwise could be of substantial healthful value both emotionally and physically. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, objects of the present invention are directed to overcome difficulties and disadvantages heretofore faced by such tennis players, together with the providing of novel and advantageous tennis racket accessory(ies) and new designs of tennis rackets which have structure incorporating fixedly such accessory(ies), as an integral part of the tennis racket. 
     Another object is to obtain a tennis racket detachable accessory utilizable with already personally selected racket(s) of a person&#39;s choice by an individual tennis player, providing for convenient pick-up of the tennis ball. 
     Another object is to provide a tennis racket accessory characterized by perfection in design avoiding interference with a tennis game intermittently between use of such device for tennis-ball picking-up purposes. 
     Another object is to obtain a tennis racket incorporating a tennis ball pick-up accessory or mechanism utilizable of convenient opening and closing mechanisms which do not interfere with the use of the racket in the conventional playing of the tennis game. 
     Other objects become apparent from the preceding and following disclosure. 
     One or more objects are obtained by the invention defined herein. 
     Broadly the invention may be defined as a tennis or other ball-pickup device, utilizable in association with a racket having a handle of the racket as a lever, preferably in the nature of a tennis racket in which the pick-up device is associated with the head of the tennis racket in a manner which avoids interference with the playing of the tennis game, while by the nature of its specific design being highly efficient in the utilization of the tennis racket for retrieving a tennis ball easily and rapidly during the course of the playing of a tennis game. In one basic embodiment of the invention, the pick-up device is a detachable device in the nature of a snap-on arcuate base element having a substantially C-shaped clamp-on cross-section clampable around the outer end portions of a tennis racket head frame. In a more preferred embodiment, the composition of snap-on base is of a substantially firm but flexible composition of plastic or rubber or the like, possibly of fiberglass, having a pick-up lever also of a correspondingly arcuate shape anchored preferably by a fusion of the opposite ends thereof with a base support arcuate element at opposite ends of the arcuate member (element), such that when not in a locked-down position the upper most mouth portion of the pick-up lever is biased to a pick-up open-state position located a distance slightly less than a diameter of a tennis ball, and preferably the arcuate base member includes characteristically C-shaped paired flange members integral with and extending from an upper-most part of the arcuate element as a support base such that the pick-up lever is susceptable of being snapped-retainably thereinto into a locked down position, flush with a face or top of the racket head frame in an out-of-the-way location during tennis play with the racket but easily flipped to an open position by insertion of a finger into a cut-out portion of the arcuate element itself. 
     In another embodiment, the pick-up lever is anchored at opposite ends thereof by threading through one or more slits in and at opposite ends of the arcuate element, and preferably a proximal end of the lever is inclusive of a bent portion and a distal end is also inclusive of a bent portion, and the proximal end including spaced-apart arcuate flanges extending in about opposite directions substantially transversly to a longitudinal elongated axis of the pick-up lever, whereby in a mounted state on the base member extending through one or more slits thereof in an anchoring fashion, the arcuate pick-up lever is biased into a pick-up opened-state position defining a wedge-pickup space at an intermediate point of the pick-up lever, between the lever and the racket head frame or base member (arcuate element) mounted thereon, substantially less than a diameter of a tennis ball, and in this embodiment, as in the prior described embodiment, there is provided preferably a lock-down flanges-combination preferably jointly also defining a C-structure into which the pick-up lever may be pressed retainably and lockably when not in use as a pick-up device for retrieving tennis balls. In this particular embodiment, the pick-up lever is preferably of a metallic composition, but not necessarily, being possibly of a semi-rigid but substantially flexible material such as polypropylene or the like. 
     In a still further embodiment of the invention, the pick-up lever has as a supporting base a tennis racket itself onto which the lever is mounted in association with a biasing spring preferably biasing the tennis racket lever inwardly to a closed state with sufficient biasing action as to substantially retain the racket pick-up lever in a closed state when not in use, and including lever-opening mechanism associated preferably with and along the handle whereby the pressing or turning of the lever portion which is the pick-up lever, to an open and locked-open (preferably) state, and a reverse movement of the lever permitting a spring-biasing closing of the lever after completion of the ball picking-up procedure. The actuation levers associated with the handle(s) are so-located as to be of little or no consequence or interference in so far as normal and conventional playing of the game, but such that convenience is provided for the actuation of the lever for the opening of the pick-up device without materially interrupting the play of the tennis game. In one such embodiment, a button associated with and adjacent an upper portion of the handle is pressible downwardly by the thumb, for example. In another such embodiment, a gear engageable lever portion located at the base of the handle grip is movable axially to engage with the gears and is turnable of the gears in either clock-wise or counter-clock-wise directions, as the case may be per the construction mechanism, to open and in an opposite direction to close the pick-up lever before and after its use for purposes of retrieving a tennis ball. Also in preferred embodiments of the invention, the mounting base and/or the tennis racket itself, includes a recess along a circumscribing surface of a tennis racket head frame receivable of flushly the pick-up lever in a snap-down locked use intermediate between pick-up uses, such that during play the pick-up lever is not capable of reasonably interfering with the normal playing of the tennis game with the racket. 
     The invention may be better understood by making reference to the Figures as follow. 
    
    
     THE FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of a typical attachable tennis racket accessory pick-up device of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates an in-part cross-sectional view as taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1, also illustrating relative open pick-up position of the pick-up lever relative to the supporting base thereof. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a view comparable to that of FIG. 2 but along line 3--3 as taken through the cut-away finger-opening portion of the device of FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a further view as taken through the anchoring mechanism of the embodiment of FIG. 1 as taken along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1 in cross-section. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a side perspective view of solely the pick-up lever itself, of the embodiment of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a side cross-sectional view comparable to that of FIG. 2 of an alternate embodiment of the invention in which the pick-up lever is seatable within a recess locking structure of the supportbase where the recess is located at the upper most portion of the base member and thereby making possible the movement of the pick-up lever in either of opposite directions relative to the support base and to a tennis racket on which the support base would be mounted. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of a tennis racket embodying a pick-up device in accord with one embodiment of the present invention, also illustrating the position of the pick-up lever and of a tennis ball being picked-up thereby. 
     FIG. 7A illustrates an elevation plan view as taken along lines 7A--7A of FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates an elevation cross-sectional view as taken along lines 8--8 of the handle of the embodiment of the FIG. 7, illustrating a gear-type mechanism for the actuation lever of the embodiment of FIG. 7. 
     FIG. 9A illustrates a view as taken along the cut-away illustrative portion of FIG. 7, illustrating in cross-sectional view in the closed state a position of an eccentric rotatable disk element fixedly mounted on an end of the rotatable shaft extending from the handle and actuatable by the turning of the handle actuation lever when engaged, such that the pick-up lever snaps-in and is locked temporaryily and intermittently into an open position as illustrated in the FIG. 9 view. 
     FIG. 9 illustrates the same mechanism, as that of FIG. 9A as it would appear in cross-section, when the actuation lever is twisted to a locked-open state as it would be viewed similarly along line 9A--9A except in an open state. 
     FIG. 9B illustrates an alternate embodiment comparable to that of FIG. 9, in which a spring is anchored within the wood of a racket, and an opposite end of the spring is anchored into the disk mounting a pick-up rod(lever) centrally thereof extending toward the handle, and mounting on its periphery a pick-up lever as illustrated in FIG. 10, as taken along lines 9B--9B of FIG. 10. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a view as taken along lines 10--10 of FIG. 9B, in an elevation plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 9B in an in-part view of a tennis racket illustrates the particular position of the pick-up lever in this embodiment where the lever extends around one edge of the tennis racket and is recessed within a seat-groove while also having preferably a locking device located along the edge of the racket frame. 
     FIG. 11 illustrates a view of the embodiment of FIG. 10 as taken in an in-part view along lines 11--11 of FIG. 10, also illustrating the pick-up lever in phantom in an open state and a ball wedged into position also shown in phantom. 
     FIG. 12 illustrates an embodiment shown in typically an elevation plan view as an alternate to the actuation handle arrangement of FIG. 7 embodiment. This is also an in-part view directed solely to the actuation mechanism handle of a tennis racket. 
     FIG. 13 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention of a detachable clamp-on base member shown in an in-part view in perspective side view comparable to the view of FIG. 1, except in this embodiment the pick-up lever being fused with the clamp-on base support structure. 
     FIG. 13A illustrates a view of the embodiment as taken along lines 13A-13B of FIG. 13, illustrating the recessed structure-nature of the embodiment whereby the pick-up lever in a closed state is held in a manner as illustrated in the alternate view of FIG. 13B in a locked-state as viewed through a cut-away portion of the base support member through which a finger may be inserted to force the pick-up lever to an unlocked location. 
     FIG. 14 illustrates an embodiment substantially comparable to that of FIG. 13, in a similar in-part perspective view, in which the separate pick-up lever is fused to a support base such as that of FIG. 1 embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIGS. 1 through 5 illustrate a common typical embodiment of the present invention, as a tennis racket head-snap-on integral unit 15 including a preshaped typically plastic mounting base 16 shaped to fit the semi-circular shape of the racket head frame at an upper end thereof, and shaped to fit clampingly around the body of the frame by virtue of what in transverse cross-sections of FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 appears as a C-shape. The mounting base 16 includes slits 17a, 17b at one terminal end and 17c, 17d at an opposite terminal end, such that the elongated clamping lever structure 18 may be and is threaded through, downwardly through 17a, and back outwardly to exterior space by virtue of 17b and inwardly through 17d and outwardly through 17c. The element 18 includes a bend at each of 18a and 18b preferably, thereby defining opposite ends 18c and 18d, the end 18c having flanges 18e and 18f of downwardly curved concave arcuate shape; these bends and shapes are functional, the bends 18a and 18b being such that when the element 18 is not locked into a closed position shown best in FIG. 2 locked between lips 19a and 19b within recess 19c, in the non-locked state the bends cause the central portion of the element 18 to assume an outwardly biased position and state as indicated by 18g in phantom in FIG. 2. The flange 18e serves to prevent the element 18 from twisting in a counter-clockwise direction in the views of FIGS. 1-3 which would be clockwise in FIG. 4 view, and flange 18f serves to prevent twisting in a clockwise direction in FIGS. 1-3 or counter-clockwise direction in FIG. 4 views, respectively. When pressing the element into a locked position of FIG. 2 for the element 18, there would be a tendency for the element to twist; by virtue of the flange 18e, the central portion of the element 18 at the locked position of FIG. 2 is thereby spring-biased outwardly, and whenever the central portion of the element 18 is pressed outwardly beyond the non-biased position 18g of FIG. 2, the element being pressed outwardly whenever a tennis ball is wedged between the element 18 and the support base 16(mounting base), the flange 18f causes the central portion of the element 18 to be biased inwardly toward the position 18g of FIG. 2. 
     The mounting base accordingly mounts the element 18 for movement in directions 20 and also forms recess space 21 into which a tennis racket head&#39;s upper portion may be snapped retainably. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates in cross-sectional transverse view along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 embodiment, the cut-out portion 22a provided for easy insertion of a person&#39;s finger, similarly the position 22b would be for alternate insertion of a finger, such that the central portion of the element 18 may be wedged outwardly from the locked state and position illustrated in each of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 4 in cross-section transversly along lines 4--4 of FIG. 1, shows the position of the element 18 as it extends between slits 17a and 17b beneath the intermediate strip(between slits 17a and 17b) 23 which is a part of the mounting base 16. In this view, also the flanges 18e and 18f are visible, arced along the outer curved surface of the mounting base 16. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the element 18 in an unmounted state, for purposes of better illustrating the overall shape of this lever structure. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment which would correspond substantially to that of FIGS. 1 through 5 except that the locking lips or flanges of the mounting base are on the upper-most surface defining recess 24 into which is locked an element 18&#39; which may be unlocked to flip outwardly in either direction of the racket upper frame and the mounting base; the flanges would be altered such that opposite flanges would bias the element 18&#39; toward the central locked position shown in this as shown in FIG. 6 for the mounting base 16&#39; defining the snap-in recess 21&#39; for receiving the upper end portion of a tennis racket head frame. 
     FIGS. 7A, and 7 and 8 and 9 and 9A all illustrate varying views of a common embodiment, FIG. 7A being an in-part view as taken along lines 7A--7A, FIG. 8 an in-part top-cross-sectional view along lines 8--8, and FIG. 9A a transverse in-part cross-sectional and in-part elevation axial view along lines 9A--9A, for the embodiment shown in elevation plan side view in FIG. 7. In this embodiment of the invention, the pick-up mechanism is mounted on, integral with the frame-handle structure itself, pivoting in the same upward direction as for the FIG. 1 embodiment. Accordingly there is disclosed a tennis racket head frame structure 25a, neck structure 25b, elongated handle-lever structure 25c, and the terminal end handle structure 25d, with regard to different integral portions of the overall tennis racket structure. Further is the handle total general structure 25e shown best in FIGS. 7 and 8, as it would appear in a typical embodiment thereof. Lever shaft 26 extends through a channel in the neck structure 25b, the handle-lever structure 25c, terminal end handle structure 25d, into a female gear recess of total general structure 25e at one end of the shaft, and into the clamping structure element 28--recess of the neck structure 25b at the other opposite end of the shaft 26. At the handle end, male gear of bevel-shape and annular shape is mounted around the end of the shaft 26 such that gear teeth thereof are engageable with female gear teeth 39 of the total general structure 25e when the total general structure 25e is moved in a slipping manner axially in direction 42 such that gears (gear teeth) engage after the wedge-angled portions 37 are forceably slipped from a wedged pushed-in position on the typically plastic (semi-resilient, for example) such as Teflon, as shown in the wedged non-engaged gear position in FIG. 8. The stepped abuttment face 35 spaced from the stepped abuttment face 36 becomes engaged when the total general structure 25e is forceably moved in direction 42 thereby preventing the total general structure 25e from slipping beyond and possibly off-of the central channel structure around which it is mounted. The plastic member 38 preferably is annular, extending around and mounted on the racket terminal end handle structure 25d, within a notched-out recess. The pin 41 typically centers the gear 40, and the teeth 39 are angularly inclined to mesh with the beveled gear teeth of gear 40 preferably. The shaft 26 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9A has an eccentric seating and wedge disk 27 mounted thereon with the lever structure 28 mounted within recess 37 of FIG. 7A and such that the lever structure 28 is always biased downwardly against the surface of the disk 27 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 9A. For FIG. 9A, and with reference to FIG. 8, when the FIG. 8 total general structure 25e is pulled axially outwardly to engage the gear teeth discussed above, and thereafter is rotated such that the disk as viewed in FIG. 9A moves in a clockwise direction as shown by the arrow of that FIG. 9A, with the result that the lever structure 28 is pressed upwardly to the FIG. 9 illustrated position with the element lever structure 28 resting in a stable seated position at which the lever structure will remain open in the position shown in phantom in FIG. 7 until thereafter the total general structure is rotated in an opposite direction back to the position shown in FIG. 9A by rotation of the disk in the direction as illustrated in FIG. 9. 
     For the different embodiment of FIGS. 9B, 10, 11 and 12, the racket neck 25b&#39; and handle-lever structure, and channel therethrough and the shaft 26&#39; substantially correspond to the preceeding embodiment, except having, in elevation plan view, push-button 25e&#39; for rotation of the shaft 26&#39; by pushing downwardly on the push-button 25e&#39; as with thumb pressure, for example, such that the lever structure 31&#39; is movable upward in the direction shown from its downwardly biased position of FIG. 9B as the mounted disk 27&#39; becomes rotated counter-clockwise as viewed in FIG. 9B, against biasing action of spring (spiral) element 32&#39; mounted at one end in disk aperture 33 and at an opposite end in recess 34 of the neck structure 25b&#39;, the lever structure 31&#39; being mounted within a outer circumscribing surface aperture of the disk 27&#39;. In a preferred embodiment of this particular racket embodiment of the invention, the side-wardly opening lever structure as shown best in FIGS. 10 and 11, is seated within a recess seat 30, and FIG. 11 illustrates in phantom the ball 30&#39; wedged between the seat 30 and the outwardly-forced lever structure positioned as position 31&#34;, thus movable in directions 46, but biased in direction 47. Preferably the lever structure is wedge locked(detachably) by wedge element 43 typically, such that finger pressure on lever push-button 25e&#39; forceably lifts the lever structure to the 31&#34; position and state for receipt wedgeably of a tennis ball 30&#39;. The lever structure 31&#39; is mounted on the disk 27&#39; within the recess 32&#39; of the neck structure 25b&#39;. 
     FIGS. 13, 13A, and 13B illustrate an alternate embodiment to but substantially the same as that of FIG. 1, in which the mounting structure 16&#34; is preformed with a recess groove formed by gradually heightened side projections or lips as shown in the FIG. 13A illustration as lips 19b&#39; and 19a&#39; defining seat 19c&#39; for element 18&#34; and snap-in recess 21&#34;, with the element 18&#34; being integrally fused at each of opposite ends to the mounting structure 16&#34; at fusion points such as fusion point 48, movable in the direction indicated by the arrow to the phantom illustrated position, and as shown in FIG. 13B locks between the high lips (at that position) 19b&#39; and 19a&#39;, with the aperture 22 being preferably (as shown) adjacent the locking flanges thereby making the finger-unlocking of the element 18&#34; easier -- less force being required at this point since there would be no opportunity for the element 18&#39; to bend before unlocking from its wedged position. 
     FIG. 14 illustrates an alternate embodiment to that of FIGS. 1 and 13, differing only basically in that the lever structure 18&#39;&#34; includes a fused portion 49 fusing with the mounting base 16&#39;&#34; which forms a snap-on recess 21&#39;&#34;, such that the lever structure 18&#39;&#34; is always biased toward a predetermined position and state as might be desired, there being not shown locking structure which is optional as in the other embodiments. 
     However, locking structure is desired normally to prevent the possibility of the lever structure from becoming opened in its state of being, during tennis play of a game, such that the playing of the game would be interfered with. 
     It is within the scope of the present invention to make such variations and modifications and substitution of equivalents as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill.