Sound absorbing rebounding device

• US 9,844,713 B1
• Filed: 04/24/2017
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dream Dribble, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dream Dribble, LLC
• Inventors: Kaufmann, Dylan S., Braunstein, Eric A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berdichevsky, Aarti B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, Rayshun
• Application Number:
  US15/494,771
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• Field of Search: 473449, 473434, 473435, 473447, 273395-396
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/14 with form or shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2210/50 Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/0037 Basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 5/11 Trampolines
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

A sound absorbing rebounding device provides a way for a person to practice dribbling a basketball while minimizing sounds and vibrations emanating from the basketball and the device during such practice. The device has a frame, a rebounding surface that mimics or replaces the hard surface on which a user would normally dribble to cause a rebounding effect, and a base to separate or space the rebounding surface from the floor, so that sounds and vibrations during bouncing of the basketball are not transferred to the surface on which the device is resting. The frame shape allows the user to practice dribbling in all different directions around the user'"'"'s body placed relative to the user'"'"'s legs, such as a T, an H, or the number 8. The device may be collapsible via hinges placed within its frame that allow the device to be collapsed in varying degrees of compactness.

Claims

1. A sound absorbing rebounding device comprising:

a frame enclosing a dribbling area;

a base attached to the frame and configured to space the frame from a supporting surface on which the device rests, wherein the frame is configured such that the dribbling area has a T-shape comprising a horizontal section and a vertical section, a first end of which is arranged at an approximate midpoint of the horizontal section; and

a rebounding surface attached to the frame and extending across the dribbling area, wherein the rebounding surface is made from a material which allows a ball, when bounced thereon, to rebound with a reduced amount of noise as compared to when the ball is bounced on an average hardwood floor.

2. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein a portion of the frame is configured to be placed between a user'"'"'s legs and a portion of the frame is configured to be placed in front of and/or behind the user'"'"'s legs.

3. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 2, wherein the frame is configured such that the dribbling area has an H-shape comprising the T-shape and further comprising an additional horizontal section, wherein a second end of the vertical section is arranged at an approximate midpoint of the additional horizontal section, or a closed H-shape comprising the H-shape further comprising a first additional vertical section arranged between a first end of the horizontal section and a first end of the additional horizontal section and a second additional vertical section arranged between a second end of the horizontal section and a second end of the additional horizontal section.

4. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein the base comprises a plurality of legs.

5. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein the base has a cushioning to absorb vibrations caused by the ball when bounced on the rebounding surface.

6. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein the base has a friction surface to prevent the base from sliding on the supporting surface when the ball is bounced on the rebounding surface.

7. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein an attachment of the rebounding surface to the frame is capable of being adjusted so as to provide the ball bounced on the rebounding surface with an equal returning energy as compared with the ball bounced on an average hardwood floor.

8. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein an attachment of the rebounding surface to the frame is capable of being adjusted so as to provide the ball bounced on the rebounding surface with a greater returning energy as compared with the ball bounced on an average hardwood floor.

9. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein an attachment of the rebounding surface to the frame is capable of being adjusted so as to provide the ball bounced on the rebounding surface with a lower returning energy as compared with the ball bounced on an average hardwood floor.

10. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein the rebounding surface comprises a plurality of interlocking elastic cords.

11. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein the rebounding surface comprises an elastic fabric.

12. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, wherein:

the frame has a plurality of hooks attached thereto;

the rebounding surface has a plurality of loops attached to a periphery thereof; and

wherein the rebounding surface can be attached to the frame by attaching the plurality of loops to the plurality of hooks.

13. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of loops are formed from an elastic material.

14. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of hinges within said frame.

15. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 14, wherein said frame is configured to be folded by way of said hinges.

16. A sound absorbing rebounding device comprising:

a frame enclosing a dribbling area, wherein said dribbling area has a T-shape comprising an elongated horizontal section and a short vertical section arranged at an approximate midpoint of the elongated horizontal section;

a base attached to the frame and configured to space the frame from a supporting surface on which the device rests; and

a rebounding surface attached to the frame and extending across the dribbling area, wherein the rebounding surface is made from a material which allows a ball, when bounced thereon, to rebound with a reduced amount of noise as compared to when the ball is bounced on an average hardwood floor.

17. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 16, wherein the short vertical section is configured to be placed between a user'"'"'s legs and the elongated horizontal section is configured to be placed in front of or behind the user'"'"'s legs.

18. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 16, wherein the dribbling area has an H-shape further comprising a second elongated horizontal section arranged at an approximate midpoint thereof with respect to the short vertical section but at an opposite end of the short vertical section than the first elongated horizontal section.

19. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 18, wherein the short vertical section is configured to be placed between a user'"'"'s legs and the two elongated horizontal sections are configured to be placed in front of and behind the user'"'"'s legs.

20. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of hinges within said frame.

21. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 20, wherein said hinges are situated in said frame at corners thereof between the two elongated horizontal sections and the short vertical section to allow said frame to be folded in thirds.

22. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of hinges within said frame.

23. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 22, wherein said frame is configured to be folded by way of said hinges.

24. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 22, wherein said hinges are situated in said frame above the elongated horizontal section and below the short vertical section to allow said frame to be folded in half.

25. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 22, wherein two said hinges are situated in said frame above the elongated horizontal section and other of said hinges are situated at corners between the elongated horizontal section and the short vertical section, to allow said frame to be folded into a square.

26. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 25, wherein said hinges situated at corners between the elongated horizontal section and the short vertical section allow flexing of said frame about two axes.

27. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 16, wherein the rebounding surface comprises a plurality of interlocking elastic cords.

28. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 16, wherein the rebounding surface comprises an elastic fabric.

29. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 16, wherein the base comprises a plurality of legs.

30. The sound absorbing rebounding device of claim 27, wherein the plurality of legs are configured to be moved from a deployed configuration to a folded configuration in which they are substantially flat against or within the frame.