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Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surfaceRelated Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Projectile, Per Se; Part Thereof Or Accessory ThereforBall storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060063621, Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] This application has a priority date based on provisional patent application No. 60/611,835, which was filed on Sep. 20, 2005. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The instant invention relates generally to sports equipment and more specifically it relates to a anti-theft storage device for game balls, such as basketballs, soccer balls, kickballs and four square playground balls mountable to a stationary object. [0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art [0005] There are many public facilities, such as basketball courts, which have no on-site supervisor and no on-site ball dispensary. Thus, users of the facilities must carry a game ball to such public facilities. Sometimes younger players travel to such facilities on their bicycles, making the transport of a game ball, such a basketball, a difficult task. Sometimes, these players will choose to leave their ball behind for use on the next day instead of having to lug the ball home on their bicycle. This is a risky proposition due to the potential for theft. What is needed is a way to leave a basketball or other game ball at an outdoor venue without the risk of the ball being stolen or lost. [0006] There is also a similar need to store game balls at a home location in a container where they cannot be removed without the involvement of a responsible individual, such as a parent. [0007] The present invention attempts to solve the abovementioned problem by providing a lockable game ball holder that can be secured to a fence, a wall, or other permanent structure. [0008] The use of receptacles suited for containing sports balls is known in the prior art. More specifically, receptacles suited for containing sports balls heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of holding sports balls for transport are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. [0009] By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,946 to McClain discloses a game ball anti-theft device including a sperical web dimensioned for completely enclosing the game ball therein. The spherical web is comprised of a plurality of cables. [0010] U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,711 to Knable, III discloses a ball holder for supporting a ball that includes a hoop portion and a bracket portion. A preferred embodiment includes means for supporting a football, means for mounting to various support surfaces, means for supporting an air pump, and means for storing needle valves. [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,951 to Hunt discloses a cylindrical storage device for mounting to a basketball backboard stanchion. A preferred embodiment of the device has sufficient interior space for storing two basketballs and includes a lockable hinged front cover which may be opened to store and retrieve basketballs. [0012] U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,844 to Sircy discloses a storage device for storing sports equipment that is adapted for securement to a substantially vertical surface of an object situated adjacent the site of a playing court or field. The device includes an open-toped receptacle for holding the sports equipment, such as game balls and a lid hingedly attached to the receptacle for opening and closing the top thereof. [0013] U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,360 to Stine discloses a ball bag comprised of webbings and straps capable of being attached to the handlebars of a bicycle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,576 to Reardon discloses a portable locker device for sports equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,320 to Scott discloses a bag for carrying a game ball. [0014] U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,117 to Reichert and U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,353 to Moore both disclose devices which encapsulate a game ball so that it can be tether to a person or a spike, respectively for training purposes and for retrieval of the ball. However, these devices not adequately secure the ball so as to prevent its theft. [0015] While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a game ball anti-theft device for preventing a game ball from being removed from a public area. [0016] In this respect, the game ball anti-theft device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of for preventing a game ball from being removed from a public area. [0017] The existing game ball anti-theft devices have certain disadvantages. Firstly, those ball retainers which do not fully enclose the ball needlessly expose the ball to the sun and the elements, resulting in a much shortened life span for the a ball so stored. Secondly, most of the anti-theft ball retainers are overly complex, expensive to manufacture, and expensive to purchase. Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved game ball anti-theft device which can be used for preventing a game ball from being removed from a public area and that is easily manufactured and economical to purchase. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0018] In the view of the disadvantages inherent in the known types of receptacles suited for containing sports balls now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved game ball anti-theft device. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved game ball anti-theft device which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. [0019] To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises an equatorially-split spherical container having a generally hemispherical lid portion that is hinged to a generally hemispherical base portion. The base portion has an annular ring that fits within the lid portion to prevent water from flowing into the container. Each portion has a locking tab which aligns with the locking tab of the other portion. A padlock may be used to lock the lid portion to the base portion. The base portion also has a rectangular extension that fits flush against a vertical planar surface and by means of which the container may be bolted thereto. The rectangular extension has a plurality of bolt holes therein that extend into the interior of the container. Lag bolts may be installed from inside the container to prevent their removal when the container is closed and locked. [0020] For a preferred embodiment of the invention, the container is either blow molded or rotationally molded from a tough polymeric resin or copolymer such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), or polystyrene (PS). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0021] FIG. 1 is a right-side elevational view of the new partially-opened anti-theft game ball container; Continue reading about Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface... Full patent description for Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: End configuration for a baseball bat Next Patent Application: Bladder Industry Class: Games using tangible projectile ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Ball storage container mountable to a vertical planar surface patent info. 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