Hockey practice shooter

• US 4,070,017 A
• Filed: 06/24/1976
• Issued: 01/24/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ontario Toronto
• Original Assignee: Ontario Toronto
• Inventors: Toronto, Ontario
• Primary Examiner(s): Shapiro, Paul E.
• Application Number:
  US05/699,270
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 273/1 B, 273/184
• US Class Current: 473/446
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0091 Balls fixed to a movable, tiltable or flexible arm

Abstract

This invention relates to a device which may be conveniently installed in a desired location on a flat surface to permit practice shooting of a hockey puck in rapid succession to develop technique, coordination and strength. In an alternate embodiment, the invention also provides an indicator of the relative power with which the puck is shot. The device includes a hollow elongated track which may be fixed to a floor or the ground, a puck rotatably attached to a wheeled carriage and a spring loaded plunger fixed to one end of the track. The carriage is located inside the hollow track and rolls freely up and down the track carrying the puck in a horizontal plane slightly above the track. In use, the puck is shot along the track towards the plunger. When the puck strikes the plunger, the momentum of the puck and carriage compresses the spring which then expands to return the puck along the track to its original position. In the alternate embodiment, an upwardly extending indicating scale is fixed to the track adjacent the plunger, and receipt of the puck by the plunger operates to transfer some of the momentum of the puck and carriage to an indicator which is projected upwardly along the indicating scale. The maximum height reached by the indicator on the scale provides the shooter with an indication of the relative velocity or power at which he shot the puck. In a further embodiment without the indicating scale, the spring loaded return plunger may be replaced by a member formed of a suitable resilient material such as rubber, from which the travelling puck rebounds to its original position.

Claims

1. A hockey puck practice shooting device comprising:

a. puck means including a practice puck and a wheeled puck carriage, and connection means for rotatably mounting said practice puck above said puck carriage;

b. elongated track means having a width less than about twice the width of said practice puck and comprising a first shooting end and a second return end and adapted to be located in a desired position on a substantially horizontal surface, said track means having a substantially uniform cross-section and defining a longitudinal channel having an upwardly opening longitudinal slot, the track means in cross-section having rounded upper outer corners, said corners having a radius of curvature which is of the general order of magnitude of the height of said track means, said channel wider than said puck carriage, said slot narrower than said puck carriage, said channel defined in part by substantially flat webs extending the length of said slot on either side thereof, sand channel engagingly receiving said puck carriage to restrict travel thereof to travel along said track means, said practice puck slightly spaced above said track means, said connection means extending through said longitudinal slot, whereby as the puck carriage moves along the longitudinal channel in the track means the puck is rotatably carried in a horizontal plane slightly spaced above the track means simulating movement of a puck on an ice surface;

said track means made of extruded plastic and permitting said webs and said entire track means to flex to absorb the force of blows upon said puck means and upon said track means; and

c. return means attached to the track means adjacent the second end of the track means to engage a puck which has been shot from said first end to said second end to return the puck to said first end,

d. stop means attached to the track means adjacent the first end of the track means to prevent a returned puck means from passing out of said track means,

said puck means, said track means and said return means cooperating to quickly return a shot puck to its starting position for practice puck shooting in rapid succession.

2. A hockey puck practice shooting device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the return means comprises a resilient member secured in a position to resiliently receive the puck means arriving from the direction of the first end of the track means, the resilient member being formed of a suitable material to rebound the puck means substantially to the starting position.

3. A hockey puck practice shooting device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising velocity indicating means to indicate the velocity at which the puck means is travelling along the track means at a predetermined position, the velocity indicating means comprising:

i. an indicating scale fixedly secured to the track means to extend vertically upward adjacent the second end of the track means,

ii. an indicator which travels upward along the indication scale to a maximum position indicating the velocity of the puck means, and

iii. momentum translation means located adjacent the second end of the track means between the return means and the indicator, said momentum translation means including pivotal means attached to the device whereby horizontal momentum imparted by receipt of the puck means by the return means is translated to vertical momentum in the indicator to project the indicator vertically upward over the indicating scale.