U.S. patent application number 12/015396 was filed with the patent office on 2008-05-15 for training basketball.
This patent application is currently assigned to NIKE, INC.. Invention is credited to Paul A. Gaudio, Charles D. Kraeuter, Chris S. Page, Geoffrey Charles Raynak.
Application Number | 20080113831 12/015396 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39369899 |
Filed Date | 2008-05-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080113831 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Page; Chris S. ; et
al. |
May 15, 2008 |
Training Basketball
Abstract
A training game ball is described having cues for visually
indicating the rotational alignment of the ball when it is thrown.
If the ball is improperly thrown so that the axis of rotation does
not stay perpendicular to the direction of flight, then the
rotational alignment cue line will appear to wobble as the ball
travels. The ball also has a rotational speed cue formed from a
plurality of spaced panels arranged parallel with the alignment
cue. If the ball is thrown with a high rotational speed, the panels
will appear to the player as a solid line. Still further, the ball
also includes hand alignment cues for assisting a player in
properly positioning his or her hands for throwing the ball. The
hand alignment cues include finger positioning pads, which are
positioned sufficiently close together about the circumference of
the ball to allow even a small youth's hand to easily reach a
finger positioning pad from any position of the ball. The hand
alignment cues may also include a stabilizing hand positioning mark
located over one or both opposite poles of the ball. Each of the
cues may have a different appearance, so that they may be visually
distinguished. The hand alignment cues may also have a different
surface to provide a tactile indication of their location to a
player.
Inventors: |
Page; Chris S.; (Portland,
OR) ; Gaudio; Paul A.; (Portland, OR) ;
Raynak; Geoffrey Charles; (Lake Oswego, OR) ;
Kraeuter; Charles D.; (Lake Oswego, OR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BANNER & WITCOFF, LTD.
1100 13th STREET, N.W.
SUITE 1200
WASHINGTON
DC
20005-4051
US
|
Assignee: |
NIKE, INC.
One Bowerman Drive
Beaverton
OR
97005
|
Family ID: |
39369899 |
Appl. No.: |
12/015396 |
Filed: |
January 16, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11312246 |
Dec 20, 2005 |
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12015396 |
Jan 16, 2008 |
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10295763 |
Nov 14, 2002 |
7037224 |
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12015396 |
Jan 16, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/447 ;
473/596 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 43/008 20130101;
A63B 69/0071 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/447 ;
473/596 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/00 20060101
A63B069/00; A63B 43/02 20060101 A63B043/02 |
Claims
1. A basketball, comprising: a plurality of more than eight panels
extending longitudinally across the basketball; and a plurality of
seams, such that a seam separates each panel from an adjacent
panel.
2. The basketball recited in claim 1, wherein the basketball has
twelve panels.
3. The basketball recited in claim 1, wherein at least two of the
panels converge at a first pole of the basketball and at a second
pole of the basketball opposite the first pole.
4. The basketball recited in claim 3, wherein at least two of the
panels converge at locations displaced from either the first pole
or the second pole.
5. The basketball recited in claim 3, further comprising a
rotational alignment cue positioned between the first pole and the
second pole.
6. The basketball recited in claim 1, further comprising a
rotational speed cue or a finger positioning pad on two or more of
the seams.
7. The basketball recited in claim 6, further comprising a
rotational speed cue on each of the seams.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] The present patent application is a continuation of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 11/312,216, filed Dec. 19, 2005,
entitled "Training Basketball" and naming Chris Page et al. as
inventors, which application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/295,763, filed Nov. 14, 2002, entitled
"Training Basketball" and naming Chris Page et al. as inventors
(now U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,224). These earlier applications are each
incorporated entirely herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a game ball, such as a
basketball, having a plurality of panels. Further, the invention
relates to a game ball having a rotational alignment cue and a
separate rotational speed cue, so that a user may accurately judge
both the straightness and rotational speed of the use of the game
ball. The invention also relates to a game ball having hand
alignment cues, so that a user may properly locate his or her hands
for throwing the ball.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is not uncommon for sporting equipment balls to have
special training features for improving a player's performance and
accuracy. For example, in many sports, it is important that a user
be able to throw or kick a ball so as to properly align it with a
hole, a hoop, a net, or other target for purposes of scoring in a
game. Training to properly kick or throw a ball is particularly
important for younger players, such as teenagers and adolescents,
as these age groups are still developing their playing skills.
[0004] In many sports, including basketball, accuracy of a thrown
ball or "shot" is affected by the ball's rotation. The rotation of
a ball can generally be segregated into two components: speed of
rotation and alignment of the ball. The speed of rotation is how
fast the ball is revolving about an axis, while alignment relates
to the degree to which the angle of that axis remains constant
relative to the direction of the flight of the ball toward the
target. To some extent, these components are related, as a faster
rotational speed helps to maintain a ball's alignment.
[0005] Visual and tactile features on a ball can aid a user in
obtaining the proper alignment when throwing a ball. Thus, these
features can be useful training tools, even if they may not be
permitted in an official game. Basketball players have been
particularly interested in improving their accuracy with a
basketball, as the game of basketball requires a player to throw or
"shoot" the ball through a hoop not much larger than the ball
itself to score. Some types of basketballs have employed markings
in the shape of a hand to teach proper placement of the player's
hand on the ball for shooting a basket. One example of this type of
basketball is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,876 to Williams. This
type of hand placement marking, however, does not help a player to
judge either the rotational speed of the ball when thrown, or the
accuracy of the ball's alignment during flight. Further, it does
not tactilely assist a user in positioning his or her hands to
throw the ball.
[0006] Still other basketballs provide a single circumferential
line on a ball. This type of line may be used to assist a player in
aligning the ball with an intended line of travel to a target.
While this type of line can inform a player of the ball's
rotational alignment, the use of only a single line to provide this
information does not assist a player in visually discerning the
separate physical components of rotational speed and alignment of a
shot in order to effectively recommend improvement to a player.
[0007] Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a game ball that
assists a player in both detecting alignment of the ball during
flight and detecting the rotational speed of the ball during flight
in such a way that both alignment and rotational speed can be
separately evaluated and adjusted to improve a player's shooting
performance. Moreover, it would be useful to have a game ball that
provides a user with guidance as to hand placement when throwing
the ball. Still further, it would be beneficial to have a game ball
that makes these training features available to younger players,
who are still developing their skills and thus will obtain the most
benefit from these training features.
SUMMARY
[0008] Various embodiments of the invention advantageously relate
to a game ball having segregated markings for indicating both the
rotational speed and rotational alignment of a ball when thrown.
More particularly, a game ball according to some embodiments of the
invention may include a rotational alignment cue, such as one or
more lines extending about its circumference. The line or lines can
be solid, or made up of a plurality of line segments. If the
rotational alignment cue is aligned with a hoop or other target
before the ball is shot, it will stay in alignment with the target
if the ball is properly shot. If, however, the ball is improperly
shot, so that the axis of rotation of the ball does not stay
aligned relative to the direction of flight, then the rotational
alignment cue line will appear to wobble as the ball travels.
[0009] A ball according to various embodiments of the invention may
also include a rotational speed cue, which may be formed from a
plurality of spaced markers or other indicia arranged parallel with
the rotational alignment cue. The markers or other indicia are
positioned such that, if the ball is thrown with a high rotational
speed, the markers will appear to the player as a solid line. If,
however, the ball is shot with a low rotational speed, then the
player will be able to individually distinguish the markers during
flight. With some embodiments of the invention, the plurality of
markers forming the rotational speed cue are be wider than the
rotational alignment cue, be of a different color than the
rotational alignment cue, or otherwise have a different appearance
than the rotational alignment cue, so that a player or coach can
easily distinguish between the rotational alignment and rotational
speed of a shot while the ball travels to the target.
[0010] Still further, with some embodiments of the invention the
ball may include a plurality of hand alignment cues for assisting a
player in properly positioning one or both of his or her hands for
shooting the ball. The hand alignment cues may have a texture that
is different from other surface areas of the ball, to help a player
tactilely locate the hand alignment cues. Further, with some
embodiments of the invention, the hand alignment cues may also have
finger pads for aligning the fingers of the player's shooting hand
with the center circumference of the ball. The hand alignment cues
may be positioned sufficiently close together about the
circumference of the ball to allow even a small youth's hand to
easily reach a hand alignment cue from any position of the ball.
The hand alignment cues may also include markers to assist a player
in properly positioning his or her supporting hand for a shot.
[0011] Various advantages and features of novelty that characterize
the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims. For
a better understanding of the invention, however, reference should
be made to the drawings and to the accompanying descriptive
matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a side view a ball according to one embodiment of
the invention having rotational speed cues, a rotational alignment
cue, and hand alignment cues;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a top view of the ball shown in FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ball shown in FIG. 1;
and
[0015] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the region encircled in FIG.
1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a basketball 10 according to one
embodiment of the invention. As seen in this figure, the basketball
10 has a first pole 12 and a second pole 14. A series of connected
panels 16 running longitudinally between the first pole 12 and the
second pole 14 then forms the body of the basketball 10. In
particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the basketball 10 is made up of
twelve panels 16, but various embodiments of the invention may
employ more or fewer panels. For example, some embodiments of the
invention may employ 6, 8, or 9 or more panels 16. As will be
discussed in detail below, having more than the 8 panels of a
conventional basketball allows the training features of a
basketball according to the invention to be more accessible to
younger players with smaller hands. At the widest circumference
between the poles 10 and 12 (that is, at the equator of the ball
10), the widths of the panels 16 are equal. Thus, the seams 18
formed between two adjacent panels 16 in the illustrated embodiment
are spaced at regular intervals of 30.degree. about the equator of
the ball 10.
[0017] Returning now to FIG. 1, the basketball 10 includes a
rotational alignment cue 20, which appears as a narrow line or
stripe encircling the ball 10 about its equator. In the illustrated
embodiment, the rotational alignment cue 20 is a segmented line
formed of segments 22, which are equally spaced about the equator
of the ball 10. With other embodiments of the invention, however,
the rotational alignment cue 20 may be a continuous line. With
still other embodiments of the invention, the alignment cue 20 may
be formed from two or more parallel and continuous or segmented
lines.
[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, each of line segments 22 is
similar in width to the seams 18. For example, the line segments 22
may have a width of about 3/8 inch (about 5.0 mm), while seams 18
may have a width of about 7/16 inch (about 6.0 mm). Of course, it
should be appreciated that the width of the line segments 22 may be
wider or narrower, as desired. Further, if the rotational alignment
cue 20 is formed from a continuous line, or from multiple
continuous and/or segmented lines, then these lines may have any
suitable width.
[0019] The basketball 10 also includes a plurality of separate
rotational speed cues or markers 24. The markers 24 are positioned
parallel with the rotational alignment cue 20, and are equally
spaced about the equator of the ball 10. As will be discussed in
detail below, for various embodiments of the invention, the markers
24 are positioned such that, when the ball is thrown or kicked so
that the ball rotates at a minimum desired speed, the markers 24
will appear to the human eye to form a single line. If, however,
the ball is thrown or kicked so that the ball rotates below the
minimum desired speed, the markers 24 will still be separately
distinguishable. For example, with the basketball 10, the markers
24 may be positioned such that, when the ball 10 rotates at
approximately 120 rpm, the markers 24 will appear to form a single
line. If the ball 10 is thrown at only 100 rpm, however, then the
markers 24 will still be separately distinguishable by an
onlooker.
[0020] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, each marker 24 is
centered on the rotational alignment cue 20. Further, each marker
24 has a rectangular shape with its long edge or axis transverse to
the rotational alignment cue 20. While the straight ends of the
rectangular shape are easier for some viewers to track, with
alternate embodiments of the invention the markers 24 may have any
desirable shape. Thus, the markers 24 may be oval, rectangular with
indentations, protuberances, shaped edges, or any other suitable
shape.
[0021] Still further, the markers 24 may be formed in pairs, with
the markers 24 of each pair being positioned at an equal distance
to either side of the rotational alignment cue 20. Of course, the
markers 24 may be arranged in larger groups equally spaced about
the equator of the ball 10. For example, if the rotational
alignment cue 20 is formed of two or more continuous or segmented
lines, then a group of markers 24 could be positioned such that a
marker 24 is located on each side of the rotational alignment cue
20 lines.
[0022] With various embodiments of the invention, the markers 24
are significantly wider than the rotational alignment cue 20, so
that the markers 24 may be more easily distinguished from the
rotational alignment cue 20. In the illustrated embodiment, for
example, each marker is approximately 1.0 inch long in the
direction parallel to the rotational alignment cue 20, and about
3.0 inches long in the direction transverse to that of the
rotational alignment cue 20. As will be explained in detail below,
the greater width of the markers 24 than the rotational alignment
cue 20 will allow a player or observer to readily distinguish the
markers 24 from the rotational alignment cue 20 when the ball is
thrown.
[0023] It should be appreciated, however, that the dimensions of
the markers 20 may vary, and need not be significantly wider than
the rotational alignment cue 20. For example, with some embodiments
of the invention, the markers 24 may be much longer in the
direction parallel to the rotational alignment cue 20, and narrower
in the direction transverse to that of the rotational alignment cue
20. With still other embodiments of the invention, the markers 24
may be very narrow in the direction parallel to the rotational
alignment cue 20, and much wider in the direction transverse to
that of the rotational alignment cue 20.
[0024] The ball 10 may further include hand alignment cues, for
assisting a player to properly position his or her hands on the
ball when making a shot. As will be appreciated by those of
ordinary skill in the art, one desirable hand position for throwing
a basketball is with the fingers of the player's throwing hand
positioned along or close to the seams of the basketball.
Accordingly, the hand alignment cues of the ball 10 may include
finger-positioning pads 26, to assist a player in correctly
positioning the fingertips of his or her throwing hand on or close
to the seams 18 of the ball 10.
[0025] In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the hand
alignment cues include finger-positioning pads 26 located at each
intersection of the equator of the ball 10 with a seam 18. Each
finger-positioning pad 26 indicates a position at which the user
may place the middle finger of his or her throwing hand to ensure
that his or her fingertips are on or near a seam 18. Alternatively,
a user may place may place his or her index finger and middle
finger (or middle finger and ring finger) on either side of a
positioning pad 18. With still other embodiments of the invention,
the hand alignment cues may include a group of two or more
finger-positioning pads 26 located at each intersection of the
equator of the ball 10 with a seam 18. For example, some
embodiments of the invention may have a pair of finger-positioning
pads 26 located at each intersection of the equator of the ball 10
with a seam 18, one finger-positioning pad 26 positioned on either
side of the equator. Thus, the finger-positioning pads 26 indicate
to a player where the player should place his or her fingertips
when shooting the ball.
[0026] Advantageously, because the ball 10 has more than the
conventional number of panels 16 and corresponding seams 18, the
finger-positioning pads 26 occur frequently enough along the
equator of the ball 10 so that even a youth's smaller fingers can
easily locate a finger-positioning pad 26 from most locations,
without the user having to readjust the position of the ball 10.
For example, by having 12 panels rather than the 8 panels typically
employed with conventional basketballs, youths of all ages can
easily employ the positioning pads 26 to position their fingertips
on or near a seam 18 of the ball 10. It should be noted that, while
the illustrated embodiment of the invention has 12 panels, still
other embodiments of the invention may have 9, 10, 11 or more than
12 panels.
[0027] The finger-positioning pads 26 may have a different surface
texture than the other surfaces on the ball 10, and may
additionally or alternately be recessed to form a dimple in the
ball 10 or raised to form a bump on the ball 10. Providing a
distinctive texture for one or more of the finger-positioning pads
26 and/or providing a recess or raised area corresponding to one or
more of the finger-positioning pad 26 serves to aid a player in
tactilely locating the proper shooting hand position. Thus, a
player will be able to use the distinctive texture, recess or
raised area to quickly position his or her middle finger over a
finger-positioning pad 26 without having to actually take the extra
time to look at the basketball 10. If the ball 10 includes an air
valve for inflating the ball 10, this valve may be conveniently
located at one of finger-positioning pads 26, to improve the
aesthetic appearance of the ball 10.
[0028] As will also be apparent from FIG. 1, by positioning the
finger-positioning pads 26 in the seams 18 along the rotational
alignment cue 20, the finger positioning pads 26 are located in the
center of the markers 24. Accordingly, the markers 24 may also be
configured to assist a player in correctly positioning his or her
fingertips close to a seam 18. For example, the markers 24 may have
a texture that is different from a majority of the surface area of
the ball 10. This difference in surface texture may also help a
player to tactilely locate the rotational speed marker 24, and thus
its associated finger-positioning pad 26.
[0029] The texture can be formed by, for example, a plurality of
ridges 28, such as those schematically illustrated in FIG. 4. The
ridges 28 may be, for example, about 1/64 inches (about 0.5 mm) in
height and transversely positioned in relation to rotational
alignment cue 20. In addition to helping the player tactilely
identify the marker 24, this type of texture will also improve the
player's grip to maximize rotational spin of ball 10 when thrown.
Of course, still other types of surface textures can be used to
assist a player in tactilely locating a convenient marker 24 (and
thus a close finger-positioning pad 26).
[0030] In addition to the finger-positioning pads 26, the hand
alignment cues may also include a stabilizing hand positioning mark
30 at one or both poles 12 and 14. As will be appreciated by those
of ordinary skill in the art, when a basketball is properly thrown,
the stabilizing hand should have little effect on the trajectory of
the ball. Accordingly, the stabilizing hand positioning marks 30
are located over the poles 12 and 14, where positioning a user's
hand will not have a great impact on the rotational alignment and
speed of the ball 10 when thrown.
[0031] Thus, a user may shoot the ball 10 by placing fingers of a
left hand at one of the finger-positioning pads 26 and a right hand
over a stabilizing hand positioning mark 30, or shoot the ball by
placing fingers of a right hand at one of the finger-positioning
pads 26 and a left hand over a stabilizing hand positioning mark.
Like the markers 24, the stabilizing hand positioning marks 30 may
have a different surface texture than the rest of the ball 10. For
example, the stabilizing hand positioning marks 30 may have a
smooth surface, a slightly indented surface, or other tactile
identifier. If the stabilizing hand positioning marks 30 are formed
with a smooth surface, however, then the stabilizing hand may be
less likely to influence the shot due to the lower coefficient of
friction.
[0032] When a player wishes to use the basketball 10 for training,
the player first positions the basketball 10 for a shot. Using the
distinctive texture of the markers 24, or the distinctive texture
or dimpling of the finger-positioning pads 26, a player can quickly
position his or her fingers using a finger-positioning pad 26
without even looking at the basketball 10, as described above.
Moreover, because of the large number of panels 16 and seams 18,
even a youth with small hands will be able to quickly and properly
place his or her fingers using a positioning pad 26 without having
to significantly reposition the basketball 10. As previously noted,
by using a positioning pad 26, the player can place the fingertips
of his or her throwing hand at the recommended location on or near
a seam 18. The player can then position his or her stabilizing hand
at a pole 12 or 14 of the basketball 10 using the stabilizing hand
positioning marks 30.
[0033] Once the player has used the hand alignment cues to properly
align his or her hands on the ball 10, the player then vertically
aligns the alignment cue 20 with a target, and shoots the ball 10
toward that target. As the ball 10 rotates about its rotational
axis (that is, the axis perpendicular to the plane formed by the
alignment cue 20), the alignment cue 20 will also rotate about the
ball's rotational axis. If the ball 10 is thrown with the proper
alignment, the alignment cue 20 will not appear to move from an
observer's perspective. On the other hand, if the ball 10 is thrown
without the proper alignment, then the alignment cue 20 will appear
to wobble back and forth over the trajectory to the target.
Advantageously, because the alignment cue 20 illustrated in FIG. 1
is narrow, even slight wobbling of the alignment cue 20 can easily
be distinguished. If, however, viewability at greater ranges is
desired, then the alignment cue 20 can be widened so that it may be
more easily seen at a distance.
[0034] As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the
art, when the player throws the ball 10, the rotational speed cues
or markers 24 will also rotate about the ball's rotational axis. If
the ball 10 is thrown with a high rotational speed, as is
desirable, then to an observer the individual markers 24 will
appear to blend together to form a single ring. If, however, the
ball is thrown with a low rotational speed, then an observer will
still be able to distinguish individual markers 24. Thus, the
appearance of the markers 24 will inform an observer as to the
rotational speed of the ball 10 when thrown. Further, because the
markers 24 are wider the alignment cues 20, the rotational speed of
the ball 10 can be easily distinguished from its rotational
alignment. Moreover, the larger width of the marker 24 will allow
an observer to accurately judge the ball's rotational speed even if
the ball's rotational alignment is poor and the ball 10 is wobbling
significantly.
[0035] It should be noted that the rotational alignment cue 20, the
rotational speed cues or markers 24, and finger-positioning pads 26
may each have a unique color different from the majority of the
surface area of the ball 10, in order to more easily allow an
observer to distinguish these cues from each other and the majority
of the surface area of the ball 10. For example, the panels 16 can
be orange while the seams 18 may be black, just as with a
conventional basketball. The rotational speed cues 24, however, may
be yellow, so as to be easily recognizable to the human eye.
Alignment cue 20 may then be a white line, so that it stands out
from both the yellow of the rotational speed cues 24 and the orange
of the panels 16. By making the colors of the rotational speed cues
24 and the rotational alignment cue 20 visually separable, a
player, coach or other observer may individually evaluate the
rotational alignment and rotational speed of a shot. Of course,
other contrasting color, shade and tint combinations may
alternately be used for this purpose.
[0036] The basketball 10 may be constructed using conventional
methods. For example, the basketball 10 may have an inner bladder.
Further, the panels 16 may be formed of a leather or synthetic
material, and may have a texture to enhance gripping. A layer of
sealing material, such as rubber, may be applied at seams 18. Any
type of dyeing, laminating, or other coloring process can then be
used to color the various features of the ball 10 as described
above.
[0037] While the invention has been described with respect to
specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying
out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that
there are numerous variations and permutations of the above
described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
* * * * *