Backboard and rim kit for wall mounting

• US 5,980,401 A
• Filed: 11/26/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Erlewine, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/979,229
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 473/447, 473/472, 473/479, 473/481, 473/485, 473/487, 473/480, 473/488, 273/398, 273/400, 273/401, 273/402
• US Class Current: 473/481
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 for basketball

Abstract

The invention provides a backboard which is mountable on any wall surface, and which may be readily removed from the wall surface without leaving a mark or disfiguring the surface. The backboard is made of a thin, flexible sheet of material with a rear surface which firmly attaches to a wall, is held against the wall and is removable from the wall without marking the wall. A basketball rim and support is mounted on a lower position on the backboard material by a double-stick foam tape. One side of the foam tape adheres to the backboard in a pre-marked space. A vertical member of a support is attached to the other face of the foam tape, and a horizontal hoop is cantilevered from the support. A fabric net hangs down from the hoop to slow the descent of a ball which is used with the backboard. The net may be formed of lightweight flexible plastic filaments. The plastic rim and support may be molded of a high strength, lightweight reinforced plastic material. The double-stick foam tape is of a type used permanently to adhere trim signs on automobiles. The backboard is made of a flexible rollable plastic sheet material which is capable of self-sustaining on a wall, and which may be held against a wall through repeated usage over long periods of time, and which may be peeled from a wall, leaving no marks.

Claims

1. A basketball backboard kit comprising a removably mountable backboard for mounting on mounting surfaces and for readily removing from the surfaces without marking or disfiguring the surfaces, wherein the backboard is of a flexible rollable self-sustaining plastic sheet material.

2. The backboard kit of claim 1, wherein the backboard is a thin, flexible sheet of material.

3. The backboard kit of claim 1, wherein the backboard has front and rear surfaces, and wherein the rear surface is firmly and removably attachable to the mounting surfaces.

4. The backboard kit of claim 1, further comprising a basketball rim and support mounted on the backboard.

5. The backboard kit of claim 4, wherein the rim and support are mounted proximal a lower portion of the backboard in a premarked space.

6. The backboard kit of claim 1, wherein the backboard is removable and reusable for repeated usage over long periods of time at differing locales, and further comprising an adhesive rear surface of the backboard, wherein the backboard is peelable from a mounting surface without leaving any marks.

7. A basketball backboard kit comprising a removable mountable backboard for mounting on surfaces and for readily removing from the surfaces without marking or disfiguring the surfaces, further comprising a basketball rim and support mounted on the backboard, further comprising a double-stick foam tape having opposing sides, wherein one side of the foam tape removable connects to the backboard.

8. The backboard kit of claim 7, further comprising a vertical member on the rim and support for removably connecting to another side of the foam tape, and horizontal hoop cantilevered from the support.

9. The backboard kit of claim 8, further comprising a net suspended from the hoop.

10. The backboard of claim 9, further comprising a ball for inserting in the hoop, and wherein the net is a fabric net for slowing descent of the ball inserted in the hoop.

11. The backboard kit of claim 9, wherein the net is of lightweight flexible plastic filaments.

12. The backboard kit of claim 7, wherein the rim and support are of molded high strength, lightweight reinforced plastic material.

13. The backboard kit of claim 7, wherein the double-stick foam tape is permanently adherent to the backboard.

14. A wall-mountable apparatus comprising a backboard for mounting on wall surfaces and for readily removing from the surfaces without marking or disfiguring the surfaces, and a support mounted on the backboard, and a rim connected to the support, wherein the backboard is of a flexible rollable self-sustaining plastic sheet material.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the backboard is a thin, flexible sheet of material.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the backboard has front and rear surfaces, and wherein the rear surface is firmly and removably attachable to the wall.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the rim and the support are mounted on the backboard.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the support and the rim are mounted proximal a lower portion of the backboard in a premarked space.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the rim and the support are of molded high strength, lightweight reinforced plastic material.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the backboard is removable and reusable for repeated usage over long periods of time at differing locales, and further comprising an adhesive rear surface of the backboard, wherein the backboard is peelable from a mounting surface without leaving any marks.

21. A wall-mountable apparatus comprising a backboard for mounting on wall surfaces and for readily removing from the surfaces without marking or disfiguring the surfaces, and a support mounted on the backboard, and a rim connected to the support, further comprising a double-stick foam tape having opposing sides, wherein one side of the foam tape is connected to the backboard.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a vertical member on the support for removably connecting to another side of the foam tape, and a horizontal hoop cantilevered from the support.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a ball for inserting in the hoop.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a net suspended from the hoop.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the net is a fabric net for slowing descent of the ball inserted in the hoop.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the net is of lightweight flexible plastic filaments.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the double-stick foam tape is permanently adhered to the backboard.