Basketball retrieval apparatus and method

• US 3,901,506 A
• Filed: 12/13/1973
• Issued: 08/26/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caveney T. John
• Original Assignee: Caveney T. John
• Inventors: Caveney, T. John
• Primary Examiner(s): Shapiro, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US05/424,372
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 273/1.5R,1.5A,103,127B
• US Class Current: 473/433
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2063/001 Targets or goals with ball-returning means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball

Abstract

A novel, portable, foldable, ball-retrieving apparatus and method for use in conjunction with a basketball backboard and hoop and comprising a pair of side frame deflectors pivotally arranged on a main back frame adapted for mounting on a conventional backboard. Depending from these side and back frames is an open chute of flexible sheeting which provides means to intercept and capture a basketball and return it to a player at the foul line. The method induces concentration by the step of limiting access to the basket and varying the limits thereof with swingable lateral ball deflectors.

Claims

1. In a basketball retriever the combination of a basketball backboard of predetermined vertical dimension;

a ball-retriever apparatus comprising a central frame;

means on said frame for mounting the same on said backboard, lateral deflector members mounted on each side of said central frame each deflector being of a vertical dimension to extend above and below said backboard, and a chute depending from said central frame and lateral members forming means to return a ball directly to a user at a predetermined position.

2. A ball-retriever apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said deflector members are pivotally mounted on said central frame to fold from a position normal thereto to a position flatwise thereagainst.

3. A ball-retriever apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein said pivotal mounting forms means to pivot the deflector members to form an acute angle one with the other.

4. A ball-deflecting apparatus comprising:

a central frame member having means thereon for supporting the same on a basketball backboard;

deflector members mounted on each side of said central frame member, said deflector members being pivotally mounted to a said central frame member to form an acute angle one with the other and a chute of flexible material depending from said central frame member and from said deflector members, said chute being of predetermined length to extend down to floor level at a location in front of said members.

5. In combination with a backboard of predetermined vertical dimension having a basketball basket in the lower central portion thereof, mounted at a spaced distance above floor level, a basketball retrieval apparatus comprising:

a main back frame having a pair of side frames pivotally mounted on each opposite side thereof, said side frames being foldable outwardly from a position flatwise against, and in parallelism with, said main back frame to a position normal thereto;

means for detachably mounting said back frame on said backboard to position said frames above and alongside the hoop of said basket; and

flexible netting chute means covering said frames and extending downwardly therefrom to said floor level, to form an open, flexible chute for returning each successive thrown basketball to the player at the foul line.

6. Apparatus as specified in claim 5, wherein:

said main frames and said side frames are generally rectangular in outline and substantially equal in height to the height of said backboard, to extend above and below said basket.

7. Apparatus as specified in claim 5, wherein:

said detachable mounting means includes hooks on said main frame and an elongated handle of rigid material connected to said main back frame, whereby said frame may be lifted from the floor by said handle and hung up on the top edge of said backboard by said hooks.

8. Apparatus as specified in claim 5, wherein:

said back frame and said side frames are of substantially greater vertical dimension than the corresponding dimension of said backboard, whereby said apparatus intercepts basketballs which would have missed said backboard.

9. A method of inducing concentration during basketball practice, comprising the steps of:

providing means to retrieve a ball which hits but does not enter the basket; and

limiting the width of the access path of the ball from the court to the rim of the basket in such a way that failure of the ball to enter said access path will result in the ball missing the retrieval means;

said limiting of the access path being achieved by swinging lateral deflector members attached to a backboard inwardly toward the centre of said backboard.