Basketball stopping wall

• US 9,717,973 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Indian Industries Incorporated (Escalade Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Indian Industries Incorporated (Escalade Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hughes, Andrew, Elpers, Philip, Guerzini, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davison, Laura L
• Application Number:
  US13/911,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20130331208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,517 Days
• Field of Search: 473421, 473431-435, 473447, 473472, 473476-484, 135 90, 160 8407
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2210/50 Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/09 Adjustable dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/083 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a basketball stopping apparatus arranged for attachment to a basketball goal assembly. In some embodiments, the basketball stopping apparatus is configurable between a first position and a second position, the first position being arranged for the deflection of errant basketball shots and the second position being arranged for storage of the basketball stopping apparatus before and/or after use. Additionally, some embodiments include a wall coupled to base arms that are pivotably mounted to a bottom end of the basketball goal assembly.

Claims

1. A method of using an apparatus for stopping an errantly shot basketball, comprising:

attaching an upper edge of a flexible wall of a net material to a top end region of a post of a basketball goal, the flexible wall comprising left and right wall portions, said wall portions defining left and right wall upper perimeter portions;

pivotally connecting a rigid left base arm to a bottom end region of the post, the left base arm having a length secured along a bottom edge of the left wall portion;

pivotally connecting a rigid right base arm to the bottom end region of the post, the right base arm having a length secured along a bottom edge of the right wall portion;

attaching a left intermediate arm to the left wall portion and a right intermediate arm to the right wall portion, wherein the left and right intermediate arms have base ends positioned at or near the bottom end region of the post and outer ends positioned at or near a periphery of the respective wall portion, and wherein the left and right intermediate arms extend diagonally and push the respective left and right wall upper perimeter portions radially away from the bottom end region of the post when the flexible wall is in a spread open configuration;

spreading the left and right wall portions of the flexible wall laterally away from the post to the spread open configuration to form a wall to stop an errantly shot basketball by pivoting the left and right base arms from a vertical configuration to a horizontal configuration wherein said left wall upper perimeter portion extends in an outward and downward direction away from the top end region of the post, and said right wall upper perimeter portion extends in an outward and downward direction away from the top end region of the post;

gathering the entirety of the flexible wall near the post by pivoting the left and right base arms from the horizontal configuration to the vertical configuration; and

,

storing the flexible wall and the left and right base arms in a gathered position adjacent the post;

wherein said left wall upper perimeter portion extends from the top end region of the post to the outer end of the left intermediate arm, and the right wall upper perimeter portion extends from the top end region of the post to the outer end of the right intermediate arm; and

,

wherein gathering the entirety of the flexible wall includes pivoting the left and right intermediate arms to a vertical configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the left and right intermediate arms are pivotally connected to the bottom end region of the post.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the left and right intermediate arms are flexibly resilient along their length.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in the horizontal configuration the left and right base arms are generally parallel to a supporting surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the left and right base arms are positioned behind a backboard of the basketball goal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the post of the basketball goal enters a hole in the ground or is bolted to the ground.

7. A method of using an apparatus for stopping an errantly shot basketball, comprising:

positioning a base on the ground below a basketball goal;

pivotally connecting a rigid left base arm and a rigid right base arm to the base so that the left and right base arms are pivotable between a vertical configuration and a horizontal configuration;

attaching a bottom edge of a left wall portion of a flexible wall of a net material along the length of the left base arm;

attaching a bottom edge of a right wall portion of the flexible wall along the length of the right base arm;

attaching an upper portion of the flexible wall to an elevated portion of the basketball goal wherein said flexible wall defines left and right wall upper perimeter portions;

attaching a left intermediate arm to the left wall portion and a right intermediate arm to the right wall portion, wherein the left and right intermediate arms have base ends positioned at or near the base and outer ends positioned at or near a periphery of the respective wall portion, and wherein the left and right intermediate arms extend diagonally and push the respective wall portion radially away from the base when the flexible wall is spread in an open configuration, wherein said left wall upper perimeter portion extends from the basketball goal to the outer end of the left intermediate arm, and the right wall upper perimeter portion extends from the basketball goal to the outer end of the right intermediate arm;

rotating the left and right base arms to a horizontal configuration wherein the left and right base arms spread the left and right wall portions of the flexible wall laterally away from the base so as to spread the flexible wall portions into the open configuration behind a backboard of the basketball goal wherein said left wall upper perimeter portion extends in and outward and downward direction away from the basketball goal, and said right wall upper perimeter portion extends in an outward and downward direction away from the basketball goal; and

,

rotating the left and right base arms to the vertical configuration and gathering the entirety of the flexible wall above the base;

wherein gathering the entirety of the flexible wall includes pivoting the left and right intermediate arms to a vertical configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the left and right intermediate arms are pivotally connected to the base.

9. The method of claim 7, comprising:

selectively securing the base arms and wall in the vertical configuration for storage.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

in the horizontal configuration the wall portions are generally parallel to and offset rearward from the backboard of the basketball goal.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein:

attaching the bottom edge of the left wall portion to the left base arm includes sliding the left base arm into a left sleeve that extends along the bottom edge of the left wall portion; and

attaching the bottom edge of the right wall portion to the right base arm includes sliding the right base arm into a right sleeve that extends along the bottom edge of the right wall portion.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein:

attaching the left intermediate arm to the left wall portion includes sliding the left intermediate arm into a left sleeve extending along and secured to the left wall portion; and

attaching the right intermediate arm to the right wall portion includes sliding the right intermediate arm into a right sleeve extending along and secured to the right wall portion.

13. A method of operating an assembly for stopping an errantly shot basketball the assembly including a flexible wall of a net material having an upper portion secured to an elevated portion of a basketball goal and left and right wall portions, the left wall portion having a bottom edge secured along a length of a left base arm and the right wall portion having a bottom edge secured along a length of a right base arm, the left and right base arms pivotally connected to a bottom end region of the basketball goal, wherein the assembly includes a left intermediate arm secured to the left wall portion and a right intermediate arm secured to the right wall portion, wherein the left and right intermediate arms each have a base end, an outer end, and a length, and wherein the wall includes a left wall upper perimeter portion and a right wall upper perimeter portion, the method, comprising:

spreading the assembly attached to the basketball goal to a spread arrangement by pivoting the left and right base arms to a horizontal configuration so as to stop an errantly shot basketball, the left wall upper perimeter portion extending in an outward and downward direction away from the elevated portion of the basketball goal, and the right wall upper perimeter portion extending in an outward and downward direction away from the elevated portion of the basketball goal, wherein the left and right intermediate arms each spread the secured wall portion along the length of the intermediate arm when the assembly is in the spread arrangement; and

,

collapsing the assembly to a vertical configuration in which the entirety of the flexible wall, the left and right intermediate arms, and left and right base arms are gathered near a basketball post of the basketball goal by pivoting the left and right base arms to the vertical configuration.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the base ends of the left and right intermediate arms are adjacent to a base of the basketball goal and the outer ends are adjacent a peripheral edge of the respective flexible wall portion.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the flexible wall supports the outer ends of the left and right intermediate arms, holding the left and right intermediate arms in a diagonal configuration relative to the basketball goal when the assembly is in the spread arrangement.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising

selectively securing the left and right base arms and the flexible wall in the gathered arrangement for storage.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the left and right base arms are rigid along their length.