Method and apparatus for basketball shooting skill development

• US 5,807,195 A
• Filed: 11/04/1996
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Franklin D. Westbrook
• Original Assignee: Franklin D. Westbrook
• Inventors: Westbrook, Franklin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/743,043
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 473/447, 473/479-484
• US Class Current: 473/447
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball

Abstract

A system for aiding basketball players to improve their skill at successfully shooting the basketball from any place on the basketball court, by application of the principle of successive approximation. The system incorporates a three piece floor mat that covers one half of a basketball court, and a height adjustable basketball goal mounted upon a wheeled frame. The mat maps the floor of the half court with equidistantly spaced semicircles so that the distance to the basket can be readily determined. The semicircles radiate from the center of an imaginary point falling directly under the hoop and extending to both the endline and the side lines of the court. The basketball goal may be raised or lowered to allow application of the successive approximation principle. The wheeled frame also serves to store and move the mat.

Claims

1. An apparatus for developing basketball shooting skill in a basketball trainee, comprising:

a movable rigid frame, a basketball goal and backboard assembly connected to a height adjusting mechanism, said mechanism including a cable and winch assembly connected to said movable rigid frame;

a carrier borne on wheels, said carrier supporting said movable rigid frame;

a floor mat bearing basketball court location indicia;

one or more spindles connected to said carrier, each including ratcheted ends, each spindle adapted to receive said floor mat; and

whereby said basketball goal and backboard assembly is adjusted in height by said cable and winch assembly to match a selected height suitable for said trainee standing upon any of the location indicia borne on said floor mat;

whereby said one or more spindles, said floor mat, said movable rigid frame and said basketball goal and backboard all being supported by and transportable by said carrier.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said movable rigid frame comprises two laterally spaced apart, right triangularly shaped elements, the planes of each element being parallel to each other, the spacing of said triangularly shaped elements being maintained by a cross-brace attached to each of said elements, the sloped leg or hypotenuse of each of said elements supporting said basketball goal and backboard assembly in an upright position, and said sloped leg or hypotenuse imposeable upon said basketball court.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said movable rigid frame includes positioning indicia.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said height adjusting mechanism further includes an automatic height maintaining safety device, said safety device being capable of preventing rapid decent of said basetball goal and backboard assembly wherein when said cable breaks or is sufficiently slack, the safety device causes the basketball goal and backboard assembly to contact said sloped leg or hypotenuse thereby breaking the rapid descent of the basketball goal and backboard assembly.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wheeled carrier is integral with said movable frame, and said wheels are retractable.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said floor mat comprises a plurality of discrete sections, which when joined together cover an area of a regulation basketball court extending in length from the center line to an end line, and in which between the sidelines of said court.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said movable rigid frame comprises structural elements at least one of which has a triangular cross-section.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said movable rigid frame comprises structural elements at least one of which has a square cross-section.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said movable rigid frame comprises structural elements at least one of which has a circular cross-section.

10. A method for developing basketball shooting skill in a basketball game trainee, comprising the steps of:

I. placing a basketball goal at a vertical height approximately equal to the height of a shoulder of said trainee;

II. selecting iteratively, a first position from among a plurality of equally spaced positions concentrically arranged around said goal, said positions extending outwardly therefrom, each position forming a concentric circle or semicircle terminating at a baseline of said basketball goal, the geometric center of each respective concentric circle or semicircle falling along a vertical line passing through the center of said basketball goal and wherein said positions being indicated by a floor mat covering one half of a basketball court;

III. directing said basketball trainee to both stand on a first selected position and shoot a basketball into said basketball goal;

IV. recording the outcome of a shot;

V. repeating said method steps II, III and IV for the same first selected position until about one hundred successful basketball goals are shot by said trainee of said position; and

VI. selecting a second position from among the plurality of positions and repeating steps III, IV and V.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising;

VII. selecting a third position from among the plurality of positions and repeating steps III, IV and V.

12. An apparatus for developing basketball shooting skill in a basketball trainee, comprising:

a manually movable support means;

backboard assembly including a basketball goal, means for increasing or decreasing the height of said backboard assembly attached to said movable support means, means for securing said backboard assembly at a desired height, and means for preventing uncontrolled descent of said backboard assembly functioning in conjunction with said means for increasing or decreasing the height to maintain said desired height, said backboard assembly being supported by said support means and movable therewith;

removable planar location indicia means for covering that area of a basketball court occupying the space between the sidelines and extending from the centerline to an end line thereof; and

storage means for said location indicia means, said storage means in contact with and adapted for movement along with said movable support means and said backboard assembly, whereby said backboard assembly is adjustable in height by the means for increasing or decreasing the height in coordination with basketball shooting attempts of said trainee positioned upon any location indicia appearing on said location indicia means, to successfully shoot a basketball into said basketball goal.

13. A method for developing basketball shooting skill in a basketball game trainee with a flexible basketball court floor covering and an adjustable basketball goal and backboard apparatus, the adjustable basketball goal and backboard apparatus being movable, said apparatus comprising an elevation selecting means for changing the height of a basketball goal, means for maintaining a selected elevation, and means for preventing the rapid descent of said basketball goal, said apparatus further comprising means for storing said floor covering, the method comprising the steps of first placing a basketball goal at a vertical height approximately equal to the height of a shoulder of said trainee;

second, selecting iteratively, a first position from among a plurality of equally spaced positions concentrically arranged around said goal, said positions extending outwardly therefrom, each position forming a concentric circle or semicircle terminating at a baseline of said basketball goal, the geometric center of each respective concentric circle or semicircle falling along a vertical line passing through the center of said basketball goal and wherein said positions being indicated by a floor mat covering one half of a basketball court;

third, directing said basketball trainee to both stand on a first selected position and shoot a basketball into said basketball goal;

fourth, recording the outcome of a shot;

fifth, repeating said method steps II, III and IV for the same first selected position until about one hundred successful basketball goals are shot by said trainee of said position; and

sixth, selecting a second position from among the plurality of positions and repeating steps III, IV and V.