Patent ID: 7059980

Claim:
A singles stick for holding the top edge of a tennis net at its regulation height above the ground for singles play, which comprises: (a) a base comprising a single, rigid, fixed length piece having a bottom for engaging the ground and an upper end spaced above the ground when the bottom of the base engages the ground; (b) a staff slidably connected to the base such that the base and staff can be pulled apart or pushed together between collapsed and extended positions thereof by sliding the base and staff relative to one another, wherein the staff comprises a single, rigid, fixed length piece having a bottom and a top, wherein the bottom of the staff is adjacent the upper end of the base when the base and staff are disposed in the extended position thereof, and wherein the base and staff are the only two pieces that slide relative to one another to vary the length of the singles stick; (c) a notch on the top of the staff with the notch having an upwardly facing bottom, wherein a top support cord or cable of a tennis net can be placed within the notch and when so placed the top support cord or cable rests against and is retained against vertical movement by the bottom of the notch; (d) a lock which releasably secures the base and staff against sliding movement relative to one another when the lock is engaged, wherein the lock is configured to hold the base and staff in a predetermined, extended and locked position by acting between a location on the staff which is adjacent to the bottom of the staff and a location on the upper end of the base after the staff has been slid relatively to the base to raise the bottom of the staff to a position adjacent the upper end of the base; and (e) wherein the combined length of the base and staff in the predetermined, extended and locked position of the base and staff is selected to hold the top edge of the tennis net above the ground by an amount required to conform the tennis net for regulation singles play when the singles stick is installed at a predetermined court location between a singles line and doubles line on one side of a tennis court, wherein a user can quickly and easily conform one side of the tennis net for regulation singles play without measurement by pulling the base and staff of the singles stick apart, by locking the base and staff of the singles stick together in the predetermined, extended and locked position that is provided therefor, and by then wedging the singles stick between the top support cord or cable and the ground at the predetermined court location, the singles stick when so wedged having the top cord or cable of the tennis net resting against the bottom of the notch on the staff with the bottom of the base resting against the ground.