Modular all sports net assembly

• US 6,966,852 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Young W. Yoon
• Original Assignee: Young W. Yoon
• Inventors: Yoon, Young W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vidovich, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US10/417,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20030181264A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 473/421, 473/422, 473/478, 473/197, 473/159, 473/492, 473/426, 473/476
• US Class Current: 473/421
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2210/50 Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/004 Goals of the type used for football, handball, hockey or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/023 Supports, e.g. poles

Abstract

A modular sports net assembly of the type forming an enclosure and used for receiving and retaining a sports item, such as a ball or the like. The assembly is assembled for deployment as a prism of varying shapes and sizes on any relatively flat ground surface and disassembled for storage. The assembly includes a tubular interfitting frame and a plurality of planar net panels.

Claims

1. A modular sports net assembly of the type forming an enclosure and used for receiving and retaining a sports item, such as a ball or the like, wherein the assembly is assembled for deployment as a prism of varying shapes and sizes on any relatively flat ground surface and disassembled for storage, the assembly comprising:

a tubular interfitting frame having the shape of a polyhedron having two polygon sides in parallel planes and two sides formed in the shape of parallelograms formed from a plurality of intermediate tubular pole segments, at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments interconnecting a plurality of corner units to form a plurality of orthogonal edge peripheries, the corner units including projecting pole receiving portions extending along at least three independent axes, each pole receiving portion receiving an end of the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments, wherein the frame defines at least three interconnected planes; and

a plurality of planar netting panels removably attached to one of the edge peripheries of the frame so as to enclose the frame, except for at least one side plane when the frame assembled is deployed on the relatively flat ground surface, wherein the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments interconnecting the plurality of corner units comprise a plurality of articulating and interlocking portions having cooperating first and second mating ends, where an interior diameter of the first mating end is larger than an exterior diameter of the second mating end and receives the second mating end therein to positively connect the articulating and interlocking portions, and wherein a stretchable connecting cable interconnects at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions of the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments, the connecting cable including a first wire segment at each end thereof, the first wire segments including buttons located at opposite ends and positioned within two different ones of the articulating and interlocking portions, where the buttons protrude through apertures in the two different ones of the articulating and interlocking portions to positively connect the at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions together.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the shape of the frame is a cube.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the shape of the frame is an irregular prism and one of the projecting pole receiving portions of at least two of the corner units extends at an angle of less than 90°

relative another of the projecting pole receiving portions.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the netting panels further include fasteners at each upper corner of the netting panels for ready attachment and detachment of the upper corners of the netting panels to the edge peripheries of the frame.

5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the projecting pole receiving portions includes apertures for receiving buttons connected at opposite ends of a second wire segment that is positioned within one of the projecting pole receiving portions of each of the corner units and the end of an intermediate tubular pole segment for interlocking the corner unit to the end of one of the intermediate tubular pole segments.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein at least a portion of the second wire segment includes a coil section for providing spring action.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the corner units comprise orthogonally projecting pole receiving portions extending in four horizontal and one vertical depending directions, two of the horizontally extending receiving portions extending in directions opposite one from another and the other two of the horizontally extending receiving portions extending in directions opposite one from another, the corner units being capable of receiving four horizontal intermediate tubular pole segments, whereby the corner is adapted to be used as an intermediate upper unit for forming an extended flat horizontal top plane.

8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting cable comprises an elastomeric cord and a steel cable, the elastomeric cord being fixedly attached at a first end to a first end of the steel cable with one of the first wire segments secured to a second opposite end of the elastomeric cord and another of the first wire segments attached to a second opposite end of the steel cable, and wherein each of the second ends of the elastomeric cord and the steel cable are secured to one of the first or second mating ends of the intermediate tubular pole segment with the other of the second ends of the elastomeric cord and the steel cable secured to the opposite of the first or second mating end, where the first wire segments are positioned in the first and second mating ends so that the elastomeric cord is not exposed.

9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the connecting cable, when installed in the intermediate tubular pole segments, is stretched from an initial position to either assemble or disassemble the intermediate tubular pole segments.

10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the intermediate tubular pole segments are the same length and form a regular square prism.

11. A modular sports net assembly of the type forming an enclosure and used for receiving and retaining a sports item, such as a ball or the like, wherein the assembly is assembled for deployment as a prism of varying shapes and sizes on any relatively flat ground surface and disassembled for storage, the assembly comprising:

a tubular interfitting frame having the shape of a polyhedron having two polygon sides in parallel planes and two sides formed in the shape of parallelograms formed from a plurality of intermediate tubular pole segments, at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments interconnecting a plurality of corner units to form a plurality of orthogonal edge peripheries, the corner units including projecting pole receiving portions extending along at least three independent axes, each pole receiving portion receiving an end of the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments, wherein the frame defines at least three interconnected planes; and

a plurality of planar netting panels removably attached to one of the edge peripheries of the frame so as to enclose the frame, except for at least one side plane when the frame assembled is deployed on the relatively flat ground surface, wherein the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments interconnecting the plurality of corner units comprise a plurality of articulating and interlocking portions having cooperating first and second mating ends, where an interior diameter of the first mating end is larger than an exterior diameter of the second mating end and receives the second mating end therein to positively connect the articulating and interlocking portions, and wherein a stretchable connecting cable interconnects at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions of the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments, where each of the projecting pole receiving portions includes apertures for receiving buttons connected at opposite ends of a second wire segment and positioned within one of the projecting pole receiving portions of each of the corner units and the end of an intermediate tubular pole segment for interlocking the corner unit to the end of one of the intermediate tubular pole segments.

12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the shape of the frame is a cube.

13. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the shape of the frame is an irregular prism and one of the projecting pole receiving portions of at least two of the corner units extends at an angle of less than 90°

relative another of the projecting pole receiving portions.

14. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the netting panels further include fasteners at each upper corner of the netting panels for ready attachment and detachment of the upper corners of the netting panels to the edge peripheries of the frame.

15. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the connecting cable includes a first wire segment at each end thereof, the first wire segments including buttons located at opposite ends and positioned within two different ones of the articulating and interlocking portions, where the buttons protrude through apertures in the two different ones of the articulating and interlocking portions to positively connect the at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions together.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the first wire segment includes a coil section for providing spring action.

17. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the corner units comprise orthogonally projecting pole receiving portions extending in four horizontal and one vertical depending directions, two of the horizontally extending receiving portions extending in directions opposite one from another and the other two of the horizontally extending receiving portions extending in directions opposite one from another, the corner units being capable of receiving four horizontal intermediate tubular pole segments, whereby the corner is adapted to be used as an intermediate upper unit for forming an extended flat horizontal top plane.

18. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the connecting cable comprises an elastomeric cord and a steel cable, the elastomeric cord being fixedly attached at a first end to a first end of the steel cable with one of the first wire segments secured to a second opposite end of the elastomeric cord and another of the first wire segments is attached to a second opposite end of the steel cable, and wherein each of the second ends of the elastomeric cord and the steel cable are secured to one of the first or second mating ends of the intermediate tubular pole segments with the other of the second ends of the elastomeric cord and the steel cable secured to the opposite of the first or second mating end, where the first wire segments are positioned in the first and second mating ends so that the elastomeric cord is not exposed.

19. The assembly of claim 18, wherein the connecting cable, when installed in the intermediate tubular pole segments, is stretched from an initial position to either assemble or disassemble the intermediate tubular pole segments.

20. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the intermediate tubular pole segments are the same length and form a regular square prism.

21. A modular sports net assembly of the type forming an enclosure and used for receiving and retaining a sports item, such as a ball or the like, the assembly comprising:

a tubular interfitting frame having the shape of a polyhedron having two polygon sides in parallel planes and two sides formed in the shape of parallelograms formed from a plurality of intermediate tubular pole segments, at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments interconnecting a plurality of corner units to form a plurality of orthogonal edge peripheries, the corner units including projecting pole receiving portions extending along at least three independent axes, each pole receiving portion receiving an end of the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments, wherein the frame defines at least three interconnected planes; and

a plurality of panels removably attached to one of the edge peripheries of the frame so as to enclose the frame except for at least one side plane when the frame assembled is deployed on a relatively flat ground surface, wherein the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments interconnecting the plurality of corner units comprise a plurality of articulating and interlocking portions having cooperating first and second mating ends, where an interior diameter of the first mating end is larger than an exterior diameter of the second mating end and receives the second mating end therein to positively connect the articulating and interlocking portions, and wherein a stretchable connecting cable interconnects at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions of the at least a portion of the intermediate tubular pole segments, the connecting cable including a first wire segment at each end thereof, each of the first wire segments including at least one button located at a first end of the first wire segment and positioned within two different ones of the articulating and interlocking portions, where the at least one button protrudes through apertures in the two different ones of the articulating and interlocking portions to positively connect the at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions together, and where a second end of each of the wire segments is shaped to engage and be removably connected with one of the at least two of the articulating and interlocking portions.

22. The assembly of claim 21, wherein each of the projecting pole receiving portions includes at least one aperture for receiving at least one button connected at a first end of a second wire segment and positioned within one of the projecting pole receiving portions of each of the corner units and the end of an intermediate tubular pole segment for interlocking the corner unit to the end of one of the intermediate tubular pole segments.

23. The assembly of claim 22, wherein at least a portion of the wire segment includes a coil section for providing spring action.

24. The assembly of claim 21, wherein the connecting cable comprises an elastomeric cord and a steel cable, the elastomeric cord being fixedly attached at a first end to a first end of the steel cable with one of the first wire segments secured to a second opposite end of the elastomeric cord and another one of the first wire segments attached to a second opposite end of the steel cable, wherein each of the second ends of the elastomeric cord and the steel cable are secured to one of the first or second mating ends of the intermediate tubular pole segment with the other of the second ends of the elastomeric cord and the steel cable secured to the opposite of the first or second mating end, where the first wire segments are positioned in the first and second mating ends so that the elastomeric cord is not exposed.

25. The assembly of claim 24, wherein the connecting cable, when installed in the intermediate tubular pole segments, is stretched from an initial position to either assemble or disassemble the intermediate tubular pole segments.