Wavable basketball backboard and rim

• US 20070078033A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewitt Mullins
• Original Assignee: Hewitt Mullins
• Inventors: Mullins, Hewitt
• Granted Patent: US 7,374,503 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/481
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/30 Imitations of miscellaneous apparatus not otherwise provided for, e.g. telephones, weighing-machines, cash-registers savings boxes A45C1/12; toy ticket punches G07B9/02

Abstract

When a rod extending out of the bottom of a hollow rigid plastic trunk encasing a collapsible basketball backboard is pushed up, the backboard comes out of the top of the trunk and opens and a rim rotates 90 degrees to an “up” position perpendicular to the trunk. A pulley system inside the trunk, one end of which is connected to the push rod, controls rotation of a hinge attached to a rim, the hinge sitting in an opening in the top of the trunk. When the rod is pulled, the planar segments of the backboard fold to a point one behind the other and go downward to fit into the trunk and the hoop moves to a “down” position. In open position the backboard segments fan out. The rod has a V-shaped attachment piece connecting the top of the rod to the common bottom border of the backboard.

Claims

1. A collapsible basketball backboard assembly, comprising:

a hollow trunk having a bottom end and a top end, the top end having a groove bounded by a left and right bracket, the left bracket having a left slot and the right bracket having a right slot,

a push rod inside the trunk substantially throughout its length and extending out of the bottom end of the trunk,

a hinge having rigidly attached thereto a rim with a net, the hinge including a horizontal pin and fitting rotatably into the groove when the pin fits into the left and right slots in the left and right brackets

a pulley system inside and attached to the trunk for controlling rotation of the hinge, one end of the pulley system connected to the push rod and another end of the pulley system connected to the hinge,

a basketball backboard comprising parallel planar segments extending from a common bottom border, the common bottom border being foldable lengthwise, the segments fitting one behind the other when the assembly is in collapsed position, the segments, fanning out to form the backboard when the assembly is in open position,

a top portion of the push rod connected to the common bottom border of the basketball backboard so that when the push rod is pulled down the planar segments and bottom border fold and enter the hollow space of the trunk and the rim falls so that said rim is substantially parallel to the trunk, and when the push rod is pushed, the backboard opens and the rim rotates so that it is substantially perpendicular to the trunk.

2. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the trunk is rigid.

3. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the push rod has a lower end extending out of the trunk, said lower end including a handle.

4. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the pulley system has a lower wheel and an upper wheel, the lower wheel holding multiple revolutions of string when the assembly is in a collapsed position.

5. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the planar segments meet at a common bottom point along the common bottom border.

6. A collapsible basketball backboard assembly, comprising:

a rim having an attached net,

a hollow trunk having a bottom end and a top portion, the top portion attached to a rotation control structure that controls rotation of the rim,

a push rod inside the trunk, said push rod extending out of the bottom end of the trunk,

a pulley system inside and attached to the trunk, one end of the pulley system connected to the push rod and another end of the pulley system connected to the rotation control structure,

a basketball backboard comprising parallel planar segments, the segments fitting one behind the other when the assembly is in collapsed position, the segments fanning out to form the basketball backboard when the assembly is in open position,

a top portion of the push rod connected to the basketball backboard so that when the push rod is pulled down the planar segments fold and enter the hollow space of the trunk and the rim falls so that said rim is substantially parallel to the trunk, and so that when the push rod is pushed, the basketball backboard opens and the rim rotates so that said rim is substantially perpendicular to the trunk.

7. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the parallel planar segments extend from a common bottom border, the common bottom border being foldable lengthwise.

8. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 7, wherein the top portion of the push rod is connected to the common bottom border.

9. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the push rod inside the trunk is substantially throughout a length of said trunk.

10. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the top portion of the push rod includes a push rod assembly.

11. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the push rod assembly includes a V-shaped structure that connects the common bottom border of the basketball backboard to the push rod.

12. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the push rod assembly also includes a spring.

13. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the trunk is rigid.

14. The collapsible basketball backboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the push rod has a lower end extending out of the trunk, said lower end including a handle.