Tethered ball and support structure

• US 5,688,195 A
• Filed: 06/17/1996
• Issued: 11/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Frank J. Caso
• Original Assignee: Frank J. Caso
• Inventors: Caso, Frank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/670,243
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 273/413, 273/26 R, 273/26 E, 273/26 EA, 273/29 A, 273/58 C, 473/139, 473/145, 473/147, 473/175, 473/179, 473/423, 473/426, 473/427, 473/429, 473/430
• US Class Current: 473/429
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/357 for golf cups or holes, e.g. flags
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 57/40 Golf cups or holes
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 61/00 Tennis nets or accessories for tennis or like games , e.g. volley-ball devices for holding or carrying balls A63B47/00; for table tennis A63B67/04
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0079 Balls tethered to a line or cord A63B43/007 takes precedence; other games using tethered balls A63B67/10; games using a bat or racket with a ball tethered thereto A63B67/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/028 Floor sockets for removable poles

Abstract

An outdoor overhead arch forms a unique support for an appliance, such as a batting aid having a tethered ball. The arch is formed as two vertical posts, two slanted posts, and an upper horizontal post. The posts are connected to one another by elbow sections. The vertical posts are supported in ground mounted sleeves so that they may be manually lifted from the ground. The sleeves receive the vertical posts to a sufficient depth of penetration to provide rigid vertical support. Illustratively, should the tether of the batting aid become wound around the horizontal post to which it is attached, it is easily reached when the appliance is manually lowered. The appliance is readily removed from the sleeve for seasonal storage, and is readily reerected. The sleeve has a cap for safety and to prevent clogging when not in use. The cap may be formed to have a shallow recess, so that the sleeve serves as a golf hole. A variation shows the arch spanning a swimming pool.

Claims

1. An outdoor support means for a sporting appliance comprising;

two vertical sleeve means imbedded in the ground at positions horizontally separated from one another;

two vertical support posts having a lower end slidably receivable in said vertical sleeve means;

lower elbow joints fixed on an upper end of said vertical support posts;

two angled support posts attached at their lower ends to said lower elbow joints;

upper elbow joints fixed on an upper end of said angled support posts;

a horizontal support post fixed at each end to said upper elbow joints;

wherein

said vertical posts, said angled posts, and said horizontal post lie substantially in a common plane forming an overhead arch and said overhead arch is supported in a vertical position from the ground when said vertical posts are inserted into said sleeves and said overhead arch is lowerable to the ground when said vertical posts are lifted from said sleeves

said outdoor support means, further comprising;

a suspended tether rotatably supported at its upper end on said horizontal post;

a ball attached to a lower end of said tether, wherein

said arch, suspended tether, and ball comprise a batting aid whereby a user may practice batting said ball without retrieving the ball after each time it is batted.

2. The outdoor support means of claim 1, further comprising a ring means for rotatably supporting said tether on said horizontal post.

3. The outdoor support means of claim 2, wherein said ring means comprises;

a ring surrounding said horizontal post and including an aperture for tying off said tether; and

a knot in said tether for preventing said tether from disengaging from said aperture in said ring.

4. The outdoor support means of claim 2, wherein said ring means comprises;

a loop in said tether surrounding said horizontal post; and

a knot in said tether securing said loop around said horizontal post.

5. The outdoor support means of claim 2, wherein said upper elbows serve as stop means preventing said ring means from sliding off said horizontal post thereby preventing said suspended tether and ball from moving to an inoperative position too close to said vertical posts.

6. The outdoor support means of claim 2, further comprising ball attachment means for attaching said ball to said tether.

7. The outdoor support means of claim 6, wherein

said ball is a solid ball, and

said ball attachment means comprises;

a hole drilled through said ball,

a support washer, and

a knot tied in said tether after it has been passed through the hole in the ball and the washer.

8. The outdoor support means of claim 6, wherein

said ball is a solid ball, and

said ball attachment means comprises;

a hole drilled through said ball,

a sleeve lining said hole in said ball, and

a knot tied in said tether after it has been passed through said sleeve.

9. The outdoor support means of claim 6, wherein

said ball is an inflated ball, and

said ball attachment means comprises;

an adhesive patch adhered to an outer surface of said ball, and

a tab on said patch suitable for tying to said tether.

10. The outdoor support means of claim 1, further comprising caps cooperating with and sealing said sleeve means.

11. The outdoor support means of claim 10, wherein said caps include means defining an upwardly open concave recess therein, whereby a golf ball is received and accessibly stored in said recess.