U.S. patent number 3,856,302 [Application Number 05/378,796] was granted by the patent office on 1974-12-24 for football goal posts.
This patent grant is currently assigned to G.E.K. Enterprises, Inc.. Invention is credited to George E. Karkoska.
United States Patent |
3,856,302 |
Karkoska |
December 24, 1974 |
FOOTBALL GOAL POSTS
Abstract
A football goal post is provided wherein the U-shaped target
portion consisting of the cross-bar and uprights is attached to one
end of an elongated boom. The other end of the boom is pivotably
connected to a ground anchored vertical support member so that the
U-shaped target can be raised out of position when it is not
needed. Also provided within the uprights is a photocell field for
properly registering the passage of a football through the
target.
Inventors: |
Karkoska; George E. (Berwyn,
IL) |
Assignee: |
G.E.K. Enterprises, Inc.
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23494591 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/378,796 |
Filed: |
August 8, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/477;
250/222.2; 340/323R; 273/371 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B
63/008 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63B
63/00 (20060101); A63b 067/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;273/55R,12.1C,12.2B
;246/125 ;49/35,124 ;119/15.5R,15.5A |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Oechsle; Anton O.
Assistant Examiner: Brown; Theatrice
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Chadd; Charles M.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A football goal post for use as a field goal and extra point
scoring target comprising:
a horizontal bar with two vertically directed bars attached to said
horizontal bar and forming a U-shaped target means;
goal post support means adapted for anchoring to the ground;
an elongated boom pivotably connected to said goal post support
means at one end and connected to the horizontal bar of said
U-shaped target means at its opposite end and having a first
position wherein said U-shaped target means is in its scoring
target position; and
means for pivoting said boom about its pivotable connection to said
goal post support means to a second position at an angle above the
horizontal.
2. A football goal post as in claim 1 wherein said elongated boom
is at least ten yards long.
3. A football goal post as in claim 1 wherein said means for
pivoting said boom include a cable connected between said boom and
a motor attached to said goal post support means wherein the
operation of the motor on the cable raises and lowers said boom
between said first and second positions.
4. A football goal post as in claim 1 including means responsive to
an object passing through said U-shaped target means for
registering said occurance.
5. A football goal post as in claim 4 wherein said registering
means are arrays of photocells located in the inner face of each of
the vertically directed bars of said U-shaped target means which
create a triggerable photocell field within said U-shaped target
means.
6. A football goal post as in claim 5 wherein said photocell field
is arranged to be triggerable in only one direction.
7. A football goal post for use as a field goal or extra point
scoring target comprising:
goal post support means;
a horizontal bar with two vertically directed bars each of said
vertical bars including an inner face attached to said horizontal
bar and forming a U-shaped target means which is connected to said
support means; and
an array of photocells located on the inner face of each of said
vertical bars and creating a triggerable photocell field within
said U-shaped target means, wherein said photocell field is
triggerable by an object moving through the photocell field only in
a selected direction.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to football goal posts and eliminates their
tendency to be both a safety hazard to the player and an
obstruction to the flow of the game.
A goal post is used as a scoring target for field goals and extra
points in a football game. The conventionally used goal post
consists of a U-shaped target comprising a horizontal cross-bar and
two vertical uprights located at the opposite ends of the
horizontal cross-bar, and a ground-anchored vertical member affixed
to the U-shaped scoring target to support it at a fixed,
pre-determined vertical distance above the ground.
A football playing field is laid out so as to include a goal line
which represents the touchdown scoring marker and an end-zone
extending for ten yards behind the goal line. The end-zone is part
of the playing field and the area behind the end-zone is
out-of-bounds. A substantial amount of play during a game takes
place in the end-zone area.
In professional football, the goal post is constructed so as to
have its ground-anchored vertical suport member located in the
end-zone two or three yards behind the goal line and its cross-bar
and uprights located in a vertical plane extending upward from the
goal line. Therefore, the goal post is a fixed obstruction placed
in the midst of the playing area.
This conventional goal post construction is both a safety hazard to
the players and an unwanted obstruction to the flow of the game.
The presence of ground-anchored supports in the middle of the
end-zone presents a serious hazard to the players on the field,
because if a player runs into a support member at full speed he is
liable to suffer serious injury. This hazard is especially
dangerous to a defensive back who is easily led into the ground
support by a receiver; it is also very dangerous to a receiver who
can crash into a support because he must keep his eyes on the
ball.
Furthermore, the location of the ground support in the middle of
the end-zone interferes with the patterns of play in the game. For
example, the ground support can be an obstruction to a receiver
running his designated pass pattern and can upset the precise
relationship between the quarterback and the receiver.
The uprights and cross-bar also obstruct the normal flow of the
game because they are located in a plane extending directly over
the goal line at a relatively low distance from the ground. Because
of their location the uprights and cross-bar present a blocking
surface against passes directed at a receiver located in the
end-zone. It is not unusual for an end-zone directed pass to hit
either the cross-bar or the uprights and, of course, if such a
deflection occurs the play is unnecessarily obstructed. These
members also present a blocking surface to a punter attempting to
kick the ball out of the end-zone.
The goal post is only used when the offensive team is either
kicking a field goal or an extra point; therefore, it is not
necessary that it be in its target position over the goal line at
all times of play and, in fact, at all other times a goal post
hinders rather than assists the play of the game. It is an object
of this invention to eliminate both the afore-mentioned hazardous
and obstructive character of the present goal post by allowing the
goal post to be moved out of target position when it is not
needed.
A further shortcoming in conventional goal posts is that the fact
of the success or failure of a field goal or an extra point attempt
must be determined solely by the visual judgment of the referee.
The judgment factor includes the possibility of an error which
could vitally affect the outcome of a game. This shortcoming arises
because the uprights contain no way of registering a score in
response to a ball passing through and it is an object of this
invention to provide a means for automatically registering a
successful score.
In accordance with the present invention, a goal post is provided
which overcomes all of the afore-mentioned difficulties. This goal
post is anchored behind the end-zone in a position where it
presents no real safety hazard to the players. The uprights and
cross-bar can be pivoted out of an obstructing position when they
are not needed as a field goal or extra point target. Furthermore,
the goal post includes a detector for registering a successful
field goal or extra point which is activated by the football
passing through the uprights.
In the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, the goal post
comprises a ground-anchored vertical support member and a pivotably
attached upright and cross-bar boom extending toward the goal line
and of sufficient length to allow the vertical support member to be
planted in a non-hazardous position. A conventionally U-shaped
cross-bar and upright configuration is located at the opposite end
of the pivotable boom. When the boom is in its lowermost position,
the cross-bar and uprights are in target position for field goals
and extra points; however, when a target is not needed, the boom
and cross-bar and uprights can be pivoted upwardly into a
non-obstructing position.
The embodiment disclosed herein also includes a series of
photocells on the inner face of each vertical upright. These
photocells create a unidirectional photocell field which will be
tripped by a football passing through the uprights from the field,
but not by an object passing through the uprights in the opposite
direction.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent
from the following description and claims and are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings which show structure embodying preferred
features of the present invention and the principals thereof, and
what is now considered to be the best mode in which to apply these
principles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification,
and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts
throughout the same:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a goal post constructed according to the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is the front view of the same goal post; and
FIG. 3 shows the inner face of one of the goal post uprights.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows the goal post and its relationship to the playing
field. The vertical support member 10 is anchored at a safe
distance behind the end-zone line 11. The support member 10 is
preferably constructed of force resistant material, such as, a
steel I-beam. The support 10 is surrounded by a cushioning and
protective shield 12 around its base to give some added protection
to the players and to protect the goal post from vandalism by the
spectators to a game. A pivot support 13 is affixed to support 10
at about the required cross-bar height and contains boom pivot 14.
An upright and cross-bar boom 15 is pivotably connected to pivot
support 13 and vertical support 10 by boom pivot 14. The upright
and cross-bar boom 15 is of sufficient length to extend from the
support 10 to a position directly over the goal line 11a when in
its lowermost position. The upright and cross-bar boom 15 is
pivoted upward through the operation of a motor 16, located at the
top of vertical support 10, acting on a steel (or equivalent)
tension cable 17 affixed to the boom 15 at point 18. In the present
embodiment, the motor is 5 hp. and is arranged for a cable speed of
60 fpm.
The uprights and cross-bar are affixed to the free end of boom
15.
FIG. 1 shows the boom 15 in its upright position 15' and
demonstrates how when not required as a target the uprights and
cross-bar can be moved to and kept in a nonobstructing
location.
FIG. 2 shows the U-shaped cross-bar and upright configuration in
greater detail. Cross-bar 19 is fixed horizontally at the free end
of boom 15; it is of standard regulation length and when the boom
is in its lowermost position is ten feet above the goal line 11a.
Uprights 20, 21, which can be in the form of elongated
rectangularly cross-sectioned thermoplastic bars, extend vertically
from the opposite ends of cross-bar 19 and can be of any desired
height. In fact, the uprights of the present invention can be
longer than those in conventional use to heighten the detection
feature that will be subsequently described.
FIG. 3 discloses the inner face of upright 20 which contains two
rows of photocells 22 and 23. The inner face of upright 21 (not
shown) contains a corresponding array of photocells. The photocells
are wired according to conventional methods so as to create a
unidirectional photocell field system that will detect a football
traveling from the playing field through the uprights. A football
passing through the target will trip the field in proper sequence
and activate the scoring register, exemplified in FIG. 2 at 25. The
field is arranged so that an object traveling in the opposite
direction will not activate the scoring register.
The response of the scoring register 25 can be delayed to
accomodate the situation wherein the football passes through the
uprights and then hits one of the members and bounces back toward
the field; this would not be a socre and would not register as
one.
The goal post constructed according to the present invention would
operate in game conditions as follows:
1. the pivotable boom 15 normally would be positioned in its
uppermost position where it does not obstruct the flow of the
game;
2. when cross-bar and uprights are needed for a field goal or extra
point attempt the boom can be activated from the field and lowered
to its target position;
3. if the kick passes through the uprights, then the photocell
field is activated and the score is registered and if it does not
pass through the field, of course, no score will be registered;
and
4. after the kick attempt the cross-bar and uprights can be
pivotably raised back to their non-obstructing position.
Thus, while preferred constructional features of the invention are
embodied in the structure illustrated herein; it is to be
understood that changes and variations may be made by those skilled
in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the
appended claims.
* * * * *