U.S. patent application number 14/714060 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-19 for elastic band that can be applied to a basketball and used for tactile and visual guidance for throwing or shooting a basketball.
The applicant listed for this patent is Josiah Lake. Invention is credited to Josiah Lake.
Application Number | 20150328519 14/714060 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54537689 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150328519 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lake; Josiah |
November 19, 2015 |
Elastic band that can be applied to a basketball and used for
tactile and visual guidance for throwing or shooting a
basketball
Abstract
An elastic band that can be applied to a standard basketball in
order to create a training basketball to assist with proper and
consistent shooting technique. The removable band can be applied to
any standard basketball to offer hand alignment cues for assisting
a player in properly placing their fingers and hands in preparation
for throwing or "shooting" a ball. The removable band can also be
applied to offer a visual cue indicating the proper rotational
alignment of the ball upon being thrown or "shot". If the ball is
thrown or "shot" correctly, the band will stay perpendicular to the
direction of flight, and provide the user with immediate feedback
that the proper technique was used.
Inventors: |
Lake; Josiah; (Beaverton,
OR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lake; Josiah |
Beaverton |
OR |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54537689 |
Appl. No.: |
14/714060 |
Filed: |
May 15, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61994297 |
May 16, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
473/447 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 2071/0655 20130101;
A63B 2208/0204 20130101; A63B 2210/50 20130101; A63B 2071/0694
20130101; A63B 47/00 20130101; A63B 43/008 20130101; A63B 2209/14
20130101; A63B 43/00 20130101; A63B 69/0071 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 69/00 20060101
A63B069/00 |
Claims
1. The invention shown and described herein.
2. A method of using the invention shown herein as a training tool
for athletes, particularly for basketball.
3. A device comprising: an elastic band
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to basketball
training device. More particularly, the present invention relates
to a basketball training system, device, and method that presents a
tactile and visual reference for proper basketball "shooting"
instruction when used by an athlete or player. The present
invention further relates to such devices, systems, and methods
that do not require the athlete or player to wear specialized
equipment, but rather rely on a removable elastic band that can be
placed around the entire circumference of a basketball. This
removable band is used as a tactile guide for a player's hand
position or "grip of the basketball", as well as providing
immediate visual feedback to the athlete when the proper technique
was employed to throw or "shoot" the basketball with proper
rotation or "backspin" during flight.
[0002] Athletes participating in basketball are required to
maintain proper and consistent hand position on a basketball when
shooting in order to achieve accurate results. Especially important
is the position and location of the fingertips on the throwing or
"shooting" hand as the primary control of directional spin,
rotation, and trajectory of the ball in flight. The direction of
the spin, the rate of rotation, and the trajectory of the object
towards the target are all critical to monitor and practice thru
repetition in order to create proper and consistent techniques.
[0003] On traditional basketballs, there is a lack of tactile or
visual guidance to help instruct a player in proper hand placement
or proper backspin on the release. Shooting a basketball properly
and consistently is very complex, and it is very important for
player's to practice proper shooting mechanics in high repetition
in order to train or re-train the proper muscle memory. In many
cases, not being aware of the proper mechanics to practice will
result in players building incorrect muscle memory for shooting,
and it will affect the accuracy of their shot. Because of this
complexity, players, especially newer players, have a particularly
difficult time developing the proper shooting mechanics without the
ability to measure the correctness of their hand placement or
"grip" and rotation or "backspin". Therefore, a system, device, and
method that can help a player quickly feel the proper hand
placement thru a removable tactile guide, and visualize the proper
backspin on the release thru a removable visual guide would be
advantageous.
[0004] It is not uncommon for sport equipment balls to include
special training features for improving a player's performance and
accuracy. Some prior-art attempts include non-removable visual
markings on a basketball, as described by Sowders in U.S. Pat. No.
7,041,015 B2. Sowders teaches a basketball shooting aid having
visually distinctive designs, configurations and colors for the
purpose of sending immediate visual feedback to the athlete,
informing the athlete whether the proper technique was employed in
the athlete's grip of the basketball, the athlete's release of the
shot and the arc and rotation of the basketball during flight.
However, this device gives no tactile indication of hand
positioning, nor is it removable to allow it to be utilized with
existing basketballs.
[0005] Page et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 8,632,429 teaches a training
game ball is 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 includes
hand alignment cues for assisting a player in properly positioning
his or her hands for throwing the ball. Each of the cues may have a
different appearance, so that they may be visually distinguished.
However, this device is not removable, and cannot be applied to an
existing basketball.
[0006] Another example of a basketball training device that offers
training guides is describe by Viramontez in U.S. Pat. No.
D727,445, which is a basketball formed with a raised element that
extends over a central portion of the panel, such as a raised rib
or other structure. However, this device is not removable, and
cannot be applied to a standard basketball.
[0007] While some of the prior solutions are similar, none of the
prior art devices provide a method where the solution is removable,
or applicable to a standard basketball.
[0008] Thus, it would be advantageous to have a sports training
device that could be applied to an existing standard basketball as
shown in FIG. 4, and create a tactile and visual reference for
proper basketball "shooting" instruction when used by an athlete or
player. It would further be advantageous to be able to remove the
training device from the basketball once the training session was
complete in order to return the standard basketball to its normal
state. It would be further advantageous to offer several color
options to enhance color contrast between the basketball and the
training device, thus enhancing visibility during use. Therefore,
there remains a need for a system, device, and method that provides
a removable solution for converting a standard basketball into a
training device to enhance tactile hand position or "grip of the
ball" as well as visualization of the alignment and rotation of the
ball as it is thrown or "shot" towards a target.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a first embodiment of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a 3/4 view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0011] FIG. 3 is side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a visual diagram of the application of the present
invention to a standard basketball.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Possible embodiments will now be described with reference to
the drawings and those skilled in the art will understand that
alternative configurations and combinations of components may be
substituted without subtracting from the invention. Also, in some
figures certain components are omitted to more clearly illustrate
the invention.
[0014] In one contemplated embodiment, the present invention, when
applied to a ball, enhances tactile hand position or "grip of the
ball" as well as visualization of the alignment and rotation of the
ball as it is thrown or "shot" towards a target. This embodiment is
detailed herein: However, those skilled in the art will appreciate
that subtle changes or reconfigurations are possible, making the
present invention easily adaptable for training other sports with
projectile balls, but not limited to, soccer, baseball, volleyball,
and other team or individual sports.
[0015] FIGS. 1 thru 3 illustrate a contemplated device of the
present invention. The device includes an autoclave elastic band
made of food grade silicon with a 25 A durometer, and a heat
capacity of 700 degrees Fahrenheit. However there are variations in
those materials and construction of the band, as would be
appreciated by those skilled in the art. FIG. 4 illustrates one
preferred embodiment of the present invention when applied to a
standard basketball.
[0016] With particular reference to FIG. 4, the present invention
is a device 15 that has the proper elastic properties to fit
appropriately to a regulation men's or women's basketball without
slipping off during use. One contemplated dimension is:
Men's--12''.times.1.0''.times.0.079'',
Women's/Youth--10''.times.1.0''.times.0.079''. However there are
variations in those dimensions, as would be appreciated by those
skilled in the art.
[0017] Method of Use.
[0018] A player/coach/parent will set up the device 15 by applying
it directly around the entire circumference of a standard
basketball, perpendicular to the basketball seams. Once applied,
the player grips the ball in shooting position, placing the index
finger and middle finger from their shooting hand on either side of
the elastic band, using the elastic band as the tactile guide. This
will insures that the athlete's shooting hand is centered in the
middle of the basketball, creating balanced grip and hand
position.
[0019] The players guide hand will be placed on the side of the
ball with no contact with the elastic band. This will ensure the
guide hand is only used for balancing the ball on the shooting
hand, and not used to propel the throw or "shot". Upon throwing or
"shooting" the basketball, the player will execute the shooting
motion in a way that allows the ball to roll off the index and
middle fingers on the shooting hand. By placing the index finger
and middle finger on each side of the elastic band, that will
ensure those two fingers are controlling the spin, rate of
rotation, and trajectory of the ball in flight. After the ball is
released, the present invention will provide the athlete with
immediate feedback if the ball was shot with the proper release or
not. If the present invention is clearly visible in consistent
rotational alignment with the target, it will provide immediate
feedback to the athlete that the shot was released with the proper
form. If the present invention is not clearly visible or "wobbly",
the rotational alignment is not aligned with the target, it will
provide immediate feedback to the athlete that the shot was
released with improper form.
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