U.S. patent application number 09/855516 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-24 for portable basketball hoop assembly.
Invention is credited to Pearson, Malcolm.
Application Number | 20020010041 09/855516 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26900774 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020010041 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pearson, Malcolm |
January 24, 2002 |
Portable basketball hoop assembly
Abstract
A portable basketball hoop assembly includes a post having at
least one hinge connecting two portions thereof together to enable
the post to be in an elongated operative position or a folded
transportable position, a backboard and hoop carried by the post at
one end thereof, and an attachment member adjacent the other end of
the post to enable the post to be detachably secured to a
support.
Inventors: |
Pearson, Malcolm; (Grimsby,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GOWLING, LAFLEUR, HENDERSON LLP
Suite 560
P.O. Box 1045 LCD1
120 King Street West
Hamilton
ON
L8N 3R4
CA
|
Family ID: |
26900774 |
Appl. No.: |
09/855516 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60205802 |
May 17, 2000 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/479 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2210/50 20130101;
A63B 71/023 20130101; A63B 63/083 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/479 |
International
Class: |
A63B 063/08 |
Claims
1. A portable basketball hoop assembly including a post having at
least one hinge connecting two portions thereof together to enable
the post to be in an elongated operative position or a folded
transportable position, a backboard and hoop carried by the post at
one end thereof, and an attachment member adjacent the other end of
the post to enable the post to be detachably secured to a
support.
2. A hoop assembly according to claim 1 also including a net
detachably securable to the hoop or backboard so as to extend
laterally behind the hoop and downwardly towards the ground to
prevent a ball from travelling past the hoop assembly in the area
of the net.
3. A vehicle having a basketball hoop assembly in accordance with
claim 1 secured to the rear thereof, said vehicle having a hitch at
the rear thereof, and the attachment member of the hoop assembly
being secured to the hitch with the portion of the post adjacent
the attachment member extending upwardly therefrom to enable the
post to be in the elongated operative position or the folded
transportable position.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/205802 filed May 17, 2000.
[0002] This invention relates to portable basketball hoop
assemblies.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Basketball is of course a very popular game, and basketball
hoop assemblies are often found at private homes for use in
practice throwing at the hoop. Such known hoop assemblies are not
however readily portable and, if portable at all, are not easily
transportable to another site, for example a temporary site such as
a cottage or campground.
[0004] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
portable basketball hoop assembly which is readily portable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to the invention, a portable basketball hoop
assembly includes a post having at least one hinge connecting two
portions thereof together to enable the post to be in an elongated
operative position or a folded transportable position, a backboard
and hoop carried by the post at one end thereof, and an attachment
member adjacent the other end of the post to enable the post to be
detachably secured to a support.
[0006] The hoop assembly may also include a net detachably
securable to the hoop or backboard so as to extend laterally behind
the hoop and downwardly towards the ground to prevent a ball from
travelling past the hoop assembly in the area of the net.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] One embodiment of the invention will now be described, by
way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of
which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of portable basketball
hoop assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention
attached to a ground support,
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side view thereof,
[0010] FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 but showing the hoop assembly
detached from the ground support,
[0011] FIG. 4 is a front view of the hoop assembly,
[0012] FIG. 5 is a similar view but showing the post in the folded
position for transportation,
[0013] FIG. 6 is a side view showing the folded hoop assembly
secured to the rear of a vehicle,
[0014] FIG. 7 is a similar view but showing the hoop assembly in a
first stage of transition to an operative position,
[0015] FIG. 8 is a similar view but showing the hoop assembly in a
further stage of transition,
[0016] FIG. 9 is a similar view but showing the hoop assembly in
the operative position, and
[0017] FIG. 10 is a front view of the hoop assembly and the rear of
the vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] Referring first to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, a portable
basketball hoop assembly 10 includes a post 12 which has a lower
portion 14 and an upper portion 16 connected together by a hinge
18. The upper end of the upper post portion 16 carries a
conventional backboard 20 and hoop 22 with basket 24. The lower
post portion 14 carries a pair of laterally spaced guides 26, 28
the purpose of which will become apparent later.
[0019] An attachment bracket 30 has a main body portion 32 slidably
mounted on the lower end part of the lower post portion 14. The
lower post portion 14 has a series of longitudinally spaced
apertures 34, and the main body portion 32 of the attachment
bracket 30 has an aperture 36. A pin 38 can be pushed through the
bracket aperture 36 and a selected post aperture 34 to secure the
attachment bracket 30 at a desired position on the lower end part
of the lower post portion 14. The main body portion 32 of the
attachment bracket 30 also has a vertical mounting member 40
extending from the body member 32, the mounting member 40 having
two vertically spaced apertures 42, 46 therein. A screw-threaded
foot member 46 is mounted in a threaded aperture (not shown) in the
lower end of the lower post portion 40, and is adjustable so that
it engages the ground to assist in supporting the remainder of the
hoop assembly when it is in the operative position.
[0020] FIGS. 1 to 3 show the hoop assembly 10 secured to a ground
support 50 which includes a vertical main portion 52 whose lower
end is anchored in concrete 53 in the ground 54. A horizontal arm
portion 55 extends from the upper end of the main portion 52 and,
at its end remote from the main portion 52, carries a mounting
member 56 (see FIG. 3) to which the post mounting member 40 can be
secured. The support mounting member 56 has two vertically spaced
apertures 58, 60 with which the apertures 42, 44 respectively in
the post mounting member 40 can be aligned, with pins 62, 64 being
provided to complete the attachment. The mounting bracket 30 is
located at an appropriate position on the lower end part of the
lower post portion 14, and the foot member 46 is adjusted so as to
firmly engage the ground.
[0021] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a ball return net assembly 70 can
be mounted on the hoop assembly 10 to prevent ball from going past
the hoop assembly. The ball return net assembly 70 includes a net
72 with horizontal upper and lower ends 74, 76 respectively and
downwardly diverging side edges 78, 80 so that the bottom edge 76
is longer than the upper edge 74. A stiffening rod 82 extends along
the upper edge 74 of the net 72, and a hang cord 84 attached to
opposite ends of the stiffening rod 82 is secured to the rear of
the hoop 22. A weighting rod 86 extends along the lower edge 76 of
the net 70 to retain the lower edge 76 in the desired position on
the ground. As shown in FIG. 2, the net 72 can be positioned to
extend downwardly and forwardly so as to return balls to the
thrower, or can be positioned vertically as indicated by the hoop
assembly 70.
[0022] FIGS. 1 and 2 show the hoop assembly 10 secured to the grand
support 50 which may be located in the back yard of a house. The
ground support 50 is a permanent fixture, but the hoop assembly 10
can readily be detached therefrom by loosening the foot member 46
and removing the pins 62, 64 as indicated in FIG. 3. A front view
of a separated hoop assembly 10 is shown in FIG. 4.
[0023] To reduce the overall size of the hoop assembly 10, the
upper post portion 16 can be hinged downwardly so as to be adjacent
the lower post portion 14, as shown in FIG. 5. In this position,
the upper post portion 16 fits between the guides 26, 28 on the
lower post portion 14. When in this collapsed condition, the hoop
assembly can easily be transported to another site.
[0024] The collapsed hoop assembly 10 can be transported to another
site by mounting on the rear of a vehicle 90, as shown in FIG. 6.
The vehicle 90 has a hitch 92 which carries an auxiliary hitch
member 94 secured thereto, the auxiliary hitch member 94 having a
mounting member 96 which is similar to the mounting member 56 of
the ground support 50. The hitch mounting member 96 has two
vertically spaced apertures 98, 100 for receiving pins 62, 64
respectively to secure the attachment bracket 30 to the auxiliary
hitch member 94.
[0025] For added safety during transportation, the top of the hoop
assembly 10 may be secured by a rope 102 to a roof rack 104 on the
vehicle 90. The basket 24 is removed at this time for
transportation within the vehicle.
[0026] The collapsed hoop assembly can readily be transformed to
the operative condition while it is attached to the vehicle hitch
92. The rope 102 is removed and, as shown in FIG. 7, the upper pin
64 is removed so that the attachment bracket 30 can be pivoted
about the lower pin 62 until the back board 20 and hoop 22 touch
the ground. The upper post portion 60 is then hinged back to its
operative position and the basket 24 is reattached, as shown in
FIG. 8. The hoop assembly 10 is then pivoted about the pin 62 to
the operative position and the pin 64 is replaced, as shown in FIG.
9. The net 70 is also reattached, as shown in FIG. 10.
[0027] Thus, the hoop assembly 10 can easily be transported by
vehicle from a permanent location such as a back yard to a desired
site, such as a cottage or campground, and the hoop assembly can
easily be converted back to the operative position and used as
required.
[0028] Other embodiments of the invention will now be readily
apparent to a person skilled in the art, the scope of the invention
being defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *