Tennis net lifter system and associated method

• US 7,429,225 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2006
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James Shull
• Original Assignee: James Shull
• Inventors: Shull, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiu; Raleigh W.
• Application Number:
  US11/481,538
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 473/490, 473492-494, 473/459, 473/462, 473/473, 473/474
• US Class Current: 473/494
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/025 on rollers or wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2210/50 Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 61/006 Accessories for training purposes mounted on the net
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 61/04 Straining or adjusting devices for nets , e.g. centre strainers, single-double adjusters, net height meters straining or adjusting devices on the posts A63B61/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence

Abstract

A tennis net lifter system includes first and second portable lifter posts positioned adjacent to existing tennis net anchor posts in various positions. A mechanism is included for connecting the lifter posts to the anchor posts. A mechanism is included for telescopically locking the lifter posts at selected heights above the anchor posts. A mechanism is included for raising and lowering the lifter net section along a vertical plane aligned parallel with the existing net such that the player can uniformly bias the lifter net section along a width of the tennis court. In addition to providing at least four alternate net section embodiments, the present invention further includes a portable dolly and a hand-operable winding apparatus for storing and transporting the net sections, respectively.

Claims

1. A tennis net lifter system for assisting a player to practice various skills-improvement tests, said tennis net lifter system comprising:

first and second upstanding portable lifter posts positioned adjacent to stationary anchor posts of an existing tennis net assembly stretching across a width of a tennis court, said first and second lifter posts being registered parallel to said anchor posts and traveling along entire longitudinal lengths thereof respectively;

means for connecting said first and second lifter posts to said anchor posts such that said first and second lifter posts remain at a substantially stable and vertical positions during playing conditions;

means for telescopically locking said first and second lifter posts at selected heights above said anchor posts respectively;

a lifter net section operably coupled to said first and second lifter posts and positioned adjacent to an existing net of said tennis net assembly; and

means for selectively raising and lowering said lifter net section along a vertical plane aligned parallel with said existing net such that the player can vertically and uniformly bias said lifter net section along the entire width of the tennis court;

wherein the existing net remains stationary while said lifter net section is selectively raised and lowered along the vertical plane;

a plurality of rectilinear rods vertically aligned along a longitudinal length of said lifter net section, each of said rods being orthogonally registered to a around surface and being removably affixed to the existing net, each of said rods including a C-shaped locking clasp attached approximately midway a longitudinal length thereof, said C-shaped locking clasps being directly abutted with said lifter net section in such a manner that said rods can withstand lateral external forces from a tennis ball during playing conditions, said C-shaped clasps being slidably positional along the width of the existing tennis net such that said rods can be equidistantly juxtaposed side-by-side as desired by the player.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second lifter post connecting means comprises:

a plurality of bracket pairs having first and second arcuate regions seated about an outer periphery of said anchor posts and first and second lifter posts respectively, each of said bracket pairs being oppositely and diametrically opposed on opposite sides of said anchor posts and said first and second lifter posts respectively such that corresponding ones of said brackets pairs are directly fastened to each other and thereby maintain a static spatial relationship between said anchor posts and said first and second lifter posts respectively.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said first and second lifter post connecting means comprises:

a plurality of interlocking brackets having male and female portions monolithically formed with said first and second lifter posts and anchor posts respectively, said male and female portions being statically and directly conjoined for maintaining said anchor posts and said first and second lifter posts equidistantly spaced along the vertical plane.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said lifter posts comprises:

a male body and a female body slidably engageable with each other, said female body having a hollow center and remaining statically positioned directly on the ground surface while said male body is telescopically biased along a longitudinal length of said female body, each of said male and female bodies having corresponding apertures formed therein and equidistantly spaced apart, said telescopically locking means comprising an L-shaped locking pin removably positional into corresponding ones of said apertures aligned along a horizontal plane such that said male and female bodies remain statically fixed when said locking pin is inserted therethrough respectively, each of said locking pins including a J-shaped clasp slidably conjoined therewith.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said lifter net section raising and lowering means comprises:

a plurality of guides directly coupled to top ends of said lifter posts respectively;

a plurality of elastic and deformably resilient fasteners directly coupled to said first and second lifter posts and said lifter net section respectively;

a hand-operable winch anchored to said first lifter post;

a flexible cable having a fixed longitudinal length tethered to said winch and one of said locking pins respectively;

wherein said cable travels upwardly along an inclined path and is directed over one of said guides whereat said cable turns to a horizontal path and is intercalated along said lifter net section, said cable traveling along an entire longitudinal length of said lifter net section and thereafter traveling downwardly along a declining path wherein said cable terminates at said one locking pin, said cable being anchored to a corresponding one of said J-shaped clasps such that a tension in said cable can be manually adjusted by said winch.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

means for locking said locking pins to said lifter posts respectively, said locking pin locking means including a padlock positioned through one of said locking pins.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said lifter net section comprises:

one of the following bodies selected from the group including

a mesh screen having coextensively shaped linear top and bottom edges spanning parallel to the existing net, said mesh screen having a netted body spanning between entire longitudinal lengths of said top and bottom edges such that the player can maintain a clear line of sight through said mesh screen;

a planar screen having coextensively shaped linear top and bottom edges spanning parallel to the existing net, said planar screen having a uniformly thick opaque body spanning between entire longitudinal lengths of said top and bottom edges such that the player cannot maintain a clear line of sight through said planar screen; and

a linear headband having a longitudinal length spanning across the entire width of the tennis court, said headband being vertically spaced from the existing net such that a gap is formed between a top edge of the existing net and said headband respectively.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a hand-operable winding apparatus for winding and unwinding said headband during non-operating and operating conditions, said winding apparatus comprising

an L-shaped handle,

a linear central shaft threadably connected to said handle;

a pair of disc-shaped flanges journaled about said central shaft;

an auxiliary handle coupled directly to one of said disc-shaped flanges; and

a spool concentrically fastened to said central shaft such that said spool rotates in sync with said central shaft;

wherein said handle is attached to said central shaft;

wherein said spool includes at least one latching pin affixed thereto for catching said headband during winding and unwinding operations.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a portable dolly for winding and storing said lifter net section during non-playing and transport conditions, said portable dolly comprising

a base member including first and second pairs of casters rotatably

secured thereto and equidistantly offset from a center of said base member such that said base member can be tilted about one of said first and second caster pairs during transport,

an elongated and rectilinear spool having a bottom end directly connected to said base member and extending vertically upward therefrom,

a turn-table disposed above said base member,

first and second annular flanges seated above said turn-table and statically coupled to said spool, said first and second flanges being vertically stacked along a bottom end of said spool and further being rotatably and concentrically journaled about said spool,

a third annular flange statically coupled to said spool and axially aligned from said first and second flanges; and

a handle directly linked to said third flange, said handle protruding vertically upward from said third flange;

wherein said spool is rotatable in sync with said turn-table, said spool having at least one connector pin passing therethrough for latching onto said lifter net section during winding and unwinding operations.

10. A tennis net lifter system for assisting a player to practice various skills-improvement tests, said tennis net lifter system comprising:

first and second upstanding portable lifter posts positioned adjacent to stationary anchor posts of an existing tennis net assembly stretching across a width of a tennis court, said first and second lifter posts being registered parallel to said anchor posts and traveling along entire longitudinal lengths thereof respectively;

means for connecting said first and second lifter posts to said anchor posts such that said first and second lifter posts remain at a substantially stable and vertical positions during playing conditions;

means for telescopically locking said first and second lifter posts at selected heights above said anchor posts respectively;

a lifter net section operably coupled to said first and second lifter posts and positioned adjacent to an existing net of said tennis net assembly;

means for selectively raising and lowering said lifter net section along a vertical plane aligned parallel with said existing net such that the player can vertically and uniformly bias said lifter net section along the entire width of the tennis court, wherein said lifter net section raising and lowering means is spaced from the existing anchor posts;

wherein the existing net remains stationary while said lifter net section is selectively raised and lowered along the vertical plane; and

a portable dolly for winding and storing said lifter net section during non-playing and transport conditions, said portable dolly comprising

a base member including first and second pairs of casters rotatably secured thereto and equidistantly offset from a center of said base member such that said base member can be tilted about one of said first and second caster pairs during transport,

an elongated and rectilinear spool having a bottom end directly connected to said base member and extending vertically upward therefrom,

a turn-table disposed above said base member,

first and second annular flanges seated above said turn-table and statically coupled to said spool, said first and second flanges being vertically stacked along a bottom end of said spool and further being rotatable and concentrically journaled about said spool,

a third annular flange statically coupled to said spool and axially aligned from said first and second flange, and

a handle directly linked to said third flange, said handle protruding vertically upward from said third flange;

wherein said spool is rotatable in sync with said turn-table, said spool having at least one connector pin passing therethrough for latching onto said lifter net section during winding and unwinding operations.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said first and second lifter post connecting means comprises:

a plurality of bracket pairs having first and second arcuate regions seated about an outer periphery of said anchor posts and first and second lifter posts respectively, each of said bracket pairs being oppositely and diametrically opposed on opposite sides of said anchor posts and said first and second lifter posts respectively such that corresponding ones of said brackets pairs are directly fastened to each other and thereby maintain a static spatial relationship between said anchor posts and said first and second lifter posts respectively.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said first and second lifter post connecting means comprises:

a plurality of interlocking brackets having male and female portions monolithically formed with said first and second lifter posts and anchor posts respectively, said male and female portions being statically and directly conjoined for maintaining said anchor posts and said first and second lifter posts equidistantly spaced along the vertical plane.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each of said lifter posts comprises:

a male body and a female body slidably engageable with each other, said female body having a hollow center and remaining statically positioned directly on the ground surface while said male body is telescopically biased along a longitudinal length of said female body, each of said male and female bodies having corresponding apertures formed therein and equidistantly spaced apart, said telescopically locking means comprising an L-shaped locking pin removably positional into corresponding ones of said apertures aligned along a horizontal plane such that said male and female bodies remain statically fixed when said locking pin is inserted therethrough respectively, each of said locking pins including a J-shaped clasp slidably conjoined therewith.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said lifter net section raising and lowering means comprises:

a plurality of guides directly coupled to top ends of said lifter posts respectively;

a plurality of elastic and deformably resilient fasteners directly coupled to said first and second lifter posts and said lifter net section respectively;

a hand-operable winch anchored to said first lifter post;

a flexible cable having a fixed longitudinal length tethered to said winch and one of said locking pins respectively;

wherein said cable travels upwardly along an inclined path and is directed over one of said guides whereat said cable turns to a horizontal path and is intercalated along said lifter net section, said cable traveling along an entire longitudinal length of said lifter net section and thereafter traveling downwardly along a declining path wherein said cable terminates at said one locking pin, said cable being anchored to a corresponding one of said J-shaped clasps such that a tension in said cable can be manually adjusted by said winch.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising;

means for locking said locking pins to said lifter posts respectively, said locking pin locking means including a padlock positioned through one of said locking pins.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said lifter net section comprises:

one of the following bodies selected from the group including

a mesh screen having coextensively shaped linear top and bottom edges spanning parallel to the existing net, said mesh screen having a netted body spanning between entire longitudinal lengths of said top and bottom edges such that the player can maintain a clear line of sight through said mesh screen;

a planar screen having coextensively shaped linear top and bottom edges spanning parallel to the existing net, said planar screen having a uniformly thick opaque body spanning between entire longitudinal lengths of said top and bottom edges such that the player cannot maintain a clear line of sight through said planar screen; and

a linear headband having a longitudinal length spanning across the entire width of the tennis court, said headband being vertically spaced from the existing net such that a gap is formed between a top edge of the existing net and said headband respectively.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a hand-operable winding apparatus for winding and unwinding said headband during non-operating and operating conditions, said winding apparatus comprising

an L-shaped handle;

a linear central shaft connected to said handle;

a pair of disc-shaped flanges journaled about said central shaft;

an auxiliary handle coupled directly to one of said disc-shaped flanges; and

a spool concentrically fastened to said central shaft such that said spool rotates in sync with said central shaft;

wherein said spool includes at least one latching pin affixed thereto for catching said headband during winding and unwinding operations.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a plurality of rectilinear rods vertically aligned along a longitudinal length of said lifter net section, each of said rods being orthogonally registered to a ground surface and being removably affixed to the existing net, each of said rods including a C-shaped locking clasp attached approximately midway a longitudinal length thereof, said C-shaped locking clasps being directly abutted with said lifter net section in such a manner that said rods can withstand lateral external forces from a tennis ball during playing conditions, said C-shaped clasps being slidably positional along the width of the existing tennis net such that said rods can be equidistantly juxtaposed side-by-side as desired by the player.