Tethered ball apparatus

• US 3,924,855 A
• Filed: 07/16/1974
• Issued: 12/09/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hillius Pretorius
• Original Assignee: Hillius Pretorius
• Inventors: Pretorius, Hillius
• Primary Examiner(s): Oechsle, Anton O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, T.
• Application Number:
  US05/489,065
• Time in Patent Office: 511 Days
• Field of Search: 273/26EA,95A,184B,2A,29A,29BC
• US Class Current: 473/575
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0084 the line or cord being fixed to at least two points

Abstract

A ball game apparatus which includes a pair of support members adapted for mounting above ground level; an elongated flexible line extending between the support members; a ball slidably suspended from the line so as to be displaceable by hitting along the line; and a weighted element attached to at least one end of the line and adapted resiliently to maintain the line taut between the support members.

Claims

1. A ball game apparatus which includes a pair of support members adapted for mounting above ground level;

an elongated flexible line having at least one free end and extending essentially horizontally between the support members;

a ball slidably suspended from the line intermediate the support members so as to be displaceable along the line by hitting; and

a separate weighted element attached to each free end of the line and adapted to maintain the line resiliently taut between the support members;

the line being disposed so that it does not have a slope which favors displacement of the ball in a particular direction along the line.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which includes a pair of posts on which the support members are mounted.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the posts are adjustably elongatable.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which includes a pair of brackets having mounting means for attaching them to a surface and on which the support members are mounted.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the ball is slidably suspended from the line via a flexible element attached to a slider element encircling the line.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which a swivel connection is provided intermediate the ball and the slider element.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the support members are in the form of freely rotatable pulleys over which the line is strung, each weighted element being attached to a downwardly depending end of the line.

8. A ball game apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the elongated flexible line has ends which depend downwardly.

9. A ball game apparatus which includes a pair of support members adapted for mounting above ground level;

an elongated flexible line having downwardly-depending free ends and extending essentially horizontally between the support members;

a ball slidably suspended from the line intermediate the support members so as to be displaceable along the line by hitting; and

wherein a weighted element is attached to each downwardly-depending free end of the line, adapted to maintain the line resiliently taut between the support members and adapted to apply a controlled degree of resilience to the line;

the line, when the ball is hit, being displaceable in any one of a plurality of radial directions at its point of interconnection, for the time being, with the suspended ball.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 in which the support members are in the form of freely-rotatable pulleys over which the line is strung to permit free displacement of the line relative to the support members.