Rebounding apparatus

• US 5,833,234 A
• Filed: 05/30/1995
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ralph Vavala
• Original Assignee: Ralph J. Vavala, Tzuu-Hong Bernard Fu
• Inventors: Fu, Tzuu-Hong Bernard, Vavala, Ralph J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Theatrice
• Application Number:
  US08/453,977
• Time in Patent Office: 1,260 Days
• Field of Search: 273/26 A, 273/29 R, 273/30, 273/410, 273/411, 273/400
• US Class Current: 473/434
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0097 Ball rebound walls with holes or in combination with nets A63B63/00

Abstract

A rebound apparatus used to deflect a thrown ball back in the general direction from which the ball was thrown. The fabric support frame angle is adjustably positioned and the polymeric woven fabric supported by the fabric support frame is adjustably tensioned to provide the desired rebound angle and distance, to simulate ground balls, line drives and fly balls. The fabric support frame has lower brackets which are pivotally secured to the distal ends of a U-shaped brace member. Upper brackets on the fabric support frame pivotally secure telescoping members on one end, with the other end releasably secured to a selected aperture on the U-shaped brace member. Bottom portions of the fabric support frame and the telescoping members provide ground engaging feet to support the rebound apparatus during use. The U-shaped brace member may be folded substantially parallel with the fabric support frame, and the telescoping members releasably secured in aligned apertures in the U-shaped brace member, for ease of transport and storage. Indicia, such as a target may be releasably secured to the woven fabric, and at least one wheel may be rotatably secured to the fabric support frame, for ease of transport.

Claims

1. A rebound apparatus, comprising:

a) a fabric support frame having a first frame side, a top frame side, a second frame side and a bottom frame side, the first frame side having a first bottom portion extending below the bottom frame side, a first lower bracket and a first upper bracket secured to the first frame side, the second frame side having a second bottom portion extending below the bottom frame side in alignment with the first bottom portion, and a second lower bracket and a second upper bracket secured to the second frame side in alignment with respective said first lower bracket and said second upper bracket;

b) a generally U-shaped brace member having a first brace side, a back brace side, and a second brace side, the distal end of the first brace side being pivotally secured to the first bottom bracket on the first frame side, and the distal end of the second brace side being pivotally secured to the second bottom bracket on the second frame side;

c) an adjustably secured extending and contracting first telescoping member, one end portion of said first telescoping member pivotally secured to the first upper bracket on the first frame side and the other end portion of said first telescoping member adjustably positioned and releasably secured to a selected aperture on the first brace side of the generally U-shaped brace member, a bottom portion of the first telescoping member extending beneath the first brace side of the generally U-shaped brace member, and an adjustably extending and contracting second telescoping member, one end portion secured to the second upper bracket on the second frame side and the other end portion adjustably positioned and secured to a selected aperture on the second brace side of the generally U-shaped brace member, a bottom portion of the second telescoping member extending beneath the second brace side of the generally U-shaped brace member;

d) a high strength polymeric woven fabric sized to fit in spaced relation within the fabric support frame, the woven fabric having a plurality of grommets extending in spaced relation about the outer periphery of the woven fabric; and

e) a plurality of springs secured at one end to the grommets in the outer periphery of the woven fabric, and secured at the opposite end to the fabric support frame, to provide a resilient woven fabric resiliently supported within a fabric support frame which may be adjustably positioned in relation to the ground to selectively provide rebounds simulating ground balls, line drives and fly balls.

2. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one rod is secured to the opposite ends of the springs on at least one side of the fabric support frame, with bolts secured upon each of said rod(s) on at least one side of the fabric support frame, said bolts having a threaded end extending through apertures in one wall of the fabric support frame, with nuts threadably secured to the threaded bolt portion to adjustably tension the woven fabric within the fabric support frame.

3. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the woven fabric is a high strength, high modulus polymeric woven fabric having a fabric count of at least 40 by 30 strands per square inch, a finished square yard weight of at least 6 ounces, and a grab tensile strength of at least 400×

300 pounds.

4. The rebound apparatus of claim 3, wherein the woven fabric is a polypropylene woven fabric having a fabric count of 60×

50 strands per square inch, a finished square yard weight of 7.9 ounces, and a grab tensile strength of 475×

415 pounds.

5. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the grommets positioned about the outer periphery of the woven fabric are spaced from one inch to six inches apart.

6. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one wheel is rotatably secured to the bottom frame side of the fabric support frame, for ease of transport.

7. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bottom portion of the first and second frame sides, and the bottom portion of the first and second telescoping members are each capped with a resilient material.

8. The rebound apparatus of claim 7, wherein indicia is adjustably positioned and releasably secured to the woven fabric with a hook and loop type fastening means.

9. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second lower brackets are secured from one to seven inches from the respective first and second bottom portions of the fabric support frame.

10. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the number of bolts secured to a selected rod are less than the number of springs secured to said selected rod.

11. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped brace member may be folded in substantially parallel alignment with the fabric support frame, and the first and second telescoping members may be folded in substantially parallel alignment with the fabric support frame and releasably secured to an aligned aperture in the U-shaped brace member, for ease of transport and storage.

12. The rebound apparatus of claim 1, wherein said U-shaped brace member may be folded in substantially parallel alignment with the fabric support frame, and said first and second telescoping members may be substantially folded in parallel alignment with the fabric support frame and secured to an aligned aperture in the U-shaped brace member, for ease of transport and storage.

13. A rebound apparatus, comprising:

a) a fabric support frame having a first frame side, a top frame side, a second frame side and a bottom frame side, said first frame side having a first bottom portion extending below the bottom frame side, a first lower bracket and a first upper bracket secured to said first frame side, said second frame side having a second bottom portion extending below the bottom frame side in alignment with said first bottom portion, a second lower bracket and a second upper bracket secured to said second frame side in alignment with respective said first lower bracket and said first upper bracket;

b) a generally U-shaped brace member having a first brace side, a back brace side, and a second brace side, the distal end of said first brace side being pivotally secured to said first bottom bracket secured to said first frame side, and the distal end of said second brace side being pivotally secured to said second bottom bracket secured to said second frame side, said first and second sides of said U-shaped brace member having a plurality of spaced apertures therein sized to receive a removable fastening means therein;

c) an adjustably secured extending and contracting first telescoping member, a top end portion of said first telescoping member pivotally secured to said first upper bracket on said first frame side, and a bottom end portion of said first telescoping member pivotally secured to a selected aperture on said first brace side of said U-shaped brace member, said bottom end portion of said first telescoping member extending beneath said first brace side of the U-shaped brace member, and an adjustably secured extending and contracting second telescoping member, a top end portion of said second telescoping member pivotally secured to said second upper bracket on said second frame side, and a bottom end portion of said second telescoping member pivotally secured to a selected aperture on said second brace side of said U-shaped brace member, said bottom end portion of said second telescoping member extending beneath said second brace side of said U-shaped brace member in alignment with the bottom end portion of said first telescoping member, said first and second telescoping members each having a plurality of apertures therein sized to receive said removable fastening means therein;

d) a polymeric woven fabric sized to fit in spaced relation within said fabric support frame, said woven fabric having a fabric count of at least 40×

30 strands per square inch, a finished square yard weight of at least six ounces, and a grab tensile strength of at least 400×

300 pounds, said woven fabric having a plurality of grommets extending in spaced relation selected from one to seven inches apart about the outer periphery of the woven fabric;

e) a plurality of springs secured at one end to said grommets, said springs secured at the opposite end to said fabric support frame on a selected one of said first and second frame sides, and to said fabric support frame on a selected one of said top frame side and said bottom frame side, a first rod extending along the unselected one of the first and second frame sides for securement of the opposite end of said plurality of springs extending on the unselected one of the first and second frame sides, and a second rod extending along the unselected one of said top frame side and said bottom frame side for securement of the opposite end of said plurality of springs extending on the unselected one of said top frame side and said bottom frame side, a plurality of bolts having a rod securing end and a threaded end, the rod securing end secured to one of said first and second rods, the threaded end passing through a selected one of a plurality of apertures in the fabric support frame, the plurality of bolts being less in number than the plurality of springs on respective said first and second rods, and a plurality of nuts threadably secured to said threaded ends of said bolts to adjustably tension the spring members to selectively adjust the resiliency of said rebound apparatus; and

f) said first and second telescoping members are adjustably and releasably secured and adjustably positioned to provide rebounds selected from ground balls, line drives and fly balls.

14. The rebound apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one wheel is rotatably secured to the bottom frame side of the fabric support frame, for ease of transport.

15. The rebound apparatus of claim 13, wherein the bottom portion of said first and second frame sides, and the bottom portion of said first and second telescoping members are each capped with a resilient material.

16. The rebound apparatus of claim 13, wherein indicia is adjustably positioned and releasably secured to the woven fabric with hook and loop type fasteners.

17. The rebound apparatus of claim 13, wherein said first and second lower brackets are secured from one to seven inches from respective first and second bottom portions of said fabric support frame.

19. The rebound apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one wheel is rotatably secured to said bottom frame side of said fabric support frame, for ease of transport.

20. The rebound apparatus of claim 13, wherein indicia is adjustably positioned and releasably secured to the woven fabric with hook and loop type fastening means.

18. A rebound apparatus, comprising:

a) a fabric support frame having a first frame side, a top frame side, a second frame side and a bottom frame side, said first frame side having a first bottom portion extending below the bottom frame side, a first lower bracket and a first upper bracket secured to said first frame side, said second frame side having a second bottom portion extending below the bottom frame side in alignment with said first bottom portion, a second lower bracket and a second upper bracket secured to said second frame side in alignment with respective said first lower bracket and said first upper bracket, said first and second lower brackets secured from one to seven inches from the respective first and second bottom portions of the fabric support frame;

b) a generally U-shaped brace member having a first brace side, a back brace side, and a second brace side, the distal end of said first brace side being pivotally secured to said first bottom bracket secured to said first frame side, and the distal end of said second brace side being pivotally secured to said second bottom bracket secured to said second frame side, said first and second sides of said U-shaped brace member having a plurality of spaced apertures therein sized to receive a removable fastening means therein;

c) an adjustably secured extending and contracting first telescoping member, a top end portion of said first telescoping member pivotally secured to said first upper bracket on said first frame side, and a bottom end portion of said first telescoping member pivotally secured to a selected aperture on said first brace side of said U-shaped brace member, said bottom end portion of said first telescoping member extending beneath said first brace side of the U-shaped brace member, and an adjustably secured extending and contracting second telescoping member, a top end portion of said second telescoping member pivotally secured to said second upper bracket on said second frame side, and a bottom end portion of said second telescoping member pivotally secured to a selected aperture on said second brace side of said U-shaped brace member, said bottom end portion of said second telescoping member extending beneath said second brace side of said U-shaped brace member in alignment with the bottom end portion of said first telescoping member, said first and second telescoping members each having a plurality of apertures therein sized to receive said removable fastening means therein;

d) a polymeric woven fabric sized to fit in spaced relation within said fabric support frame, said woven fabric having a fabric count of at least 40×

30 strands per square inch, a finished square yard weight of at least six ounces, and a grab tensile strength of at least 400×

300 pounds, said woven fabric having a plurality of grommets extending in spaced relation selected from one to seven inches apart about the outer periphery of the woven fabric;

e) a plurality of springs secured at one end to said grommets, said springs secured at the opposite end to said fabric support frame on a selected one of said first and second frame sides, and to said fabric support frame on a selected one of said top frame side and said bottom frame side, a first rod extending along the unselected one of the first and second frame sides for securement of the opposite end of said plurality of springs extending on the unselected one of the first and second frame sides, and a second rod extending along the unselected one of said top frame side and said bottom frame side for securement of the opposite end of said plurality of springs extending on the unselected one of said top frame side and said bottom frame side, a plurality of bolts having a rod securing end and a threaded end, the rod securing end secured to one of said first and second rods, the threaded end passing through a selected one of a plurality of apertures in the fabric support frame, the plurality of bolts being less in number than the plurality of springs on respective said first and second rods, and a plurality of nuts threadably secured to said threaded ends of said bolts to adjustably tension the spring members to selectively adjust the resiliency of said rebound apparatus; and

f) said first and second telescoping members are adjustably and releasably secured and adjustably positioned to provide rebounds selected from ground balls, line drives and fly balls, wherein the U-shaped brace member may be folded in substantially parallel alignment with the fabric support frame, and the first and second telescoping members may be folded in substantially parallel alignment with the fabric support frame and releasably secured to an aligned aperture in the U-shaped brace member, for ease of transport and storage.