Sports apparatus

• US 20090069123A1
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matrix Sports Group Limited
• Original Assignee: Matrix Sports Group Limited
• Inventors: Nugent, Richard Joseph John
• Application Number:
  US11/887,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20090069123A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/422
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0037 on a target surface or at impact on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/0204 Standing on the feet
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/53 Force of an impact, e.g. blow or punch
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/00 Targets or goals for ball games golf cups A63B57/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/004 Goals of the type used for football, handball, hockey or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0053 Apparatus generating random stimulus signals for reaction-time training involving a substantial physical effort
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0097 Ball rebound walls with holes or in combination with nets A63B63/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/023 Supports, e.g. poles
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0616 Means for conducting or scheduling competition, league, tournaments or rankings
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0669 Score-keepers or score display devices

Abstract

Sports practising apparatus 1 for practising close ball control, includes a plurality of generally planar elements 2 arranged in a generally circular array, each planar element 2 having thereon an impact face 3 having at least one target area 8 facing in a generally inward direction. The apparatus 1 includes means to selectively activate individual target areas 8 sequentially in a predetermined or random manner, the target areas 8 being responsive to being hit by a ball impacting on the target to de-activate the target area 8 and to activate the next individual target area 8 in the sequence.

Claims

1. A sports practicing apparatus for practicing close ball control, including a plurality of generally planar elements arranged in a generally circular array, each planar element having thereon an impact face having at least one target area facing in a generally inward direction, the apparatus including means to selectively activate individual target areas sequentially in a predetermined or random manner, the target areas being responsive to being hit by a ball impacting on the target area to de-activate the impacted target area and to activate the next individual target area in the sequence.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined delay is generated in the time between a target area being deactivated and the next individual target area in the sequence being activated.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined delay is adjustable.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined delay is variable at each step in the sequence.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each planar element includes indicia indicative of the or each target area being activated, the planar element being impacted by a ball but the target area missed, a predetermined time delay being exceeded, and/or the sequence being completed.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the planar elements are generally rectangular and adapted to be releasably secured together linearly by coupling means which includes an electrical connection.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the electrical connections on each planar element include on one end of the element a male electrical connection with a female electrical connection on the other end, adapted to engage with a male electrical connection on an adjacent element.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each target area comprises a rebound board whose coefficient of restitution between a ball impacting the board and the impact surface of the board is comparatively high.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means to selectively activate individual target areas is an acoustic and/or visual signal.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein means is provided to record ball impact(s) as a score.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the planar elements are provided as a kit which is portable.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises one or more floor sensors.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises visual display means.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a canopy.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is controlled using a control unit such as a computer in the form of a hand-held computer or PDA

16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a control unit is adapted to be connected to the internet via a suitable computer link, such as PC, and software, whereby players worldwide can be networked together to play against each other and have their scores recorded and displayed to other players.

18. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein sensors may be provided in a ball and in shoes of a player.

19. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shoes of a player include an electronic chip or tag.

20. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the planar elements are provided with wireless network capability such as Bluetooth, zigbee or WiFi.

17. A sports apparatus comprising a plurality of targets arranged in an array in a generally vertical plane, ball delivery means arranged to deliver balls to a player spaced in front of the target array, and ball returning means arranged to collect used balls and return them to the ball delivery means, wherein the targets have zero or at least substantially zero coefficients of restitution, so that after impacting a target, a ball will not rebound to any great extent, if at all, and merely fall under gravity to the ball collecting and returning means.