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Method and device to aid basketball practice

Method and device to aid basketball practice description/claims

This invention is in the field of sport and more specifically a way to practice basketball.

Whereas all sports require constant practice to reach proficiency, there are those that require a team or at least two people to practice the sport and there are those that can be practiced by the lone sportsman. Basketball is one of those sports where the player can practice throwing the ball into the basket by himself. One of the disadvantages of such lone play is the time wasted retrieving the ball after it has been thrown into the basket and it drops down to the ground. This time wasting can also apply when more than one person is practicing.

There have been a number of previous attempts to assist the basketball player as he practices alone. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,954 issued to Kerslaw which shows an attempt to return the ball to the player. Apart from technical difficulties involved with the apparatus it has a practical disadvantage that it requires special equipment to assemble and disassemble. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,074,313 and 6,595,877 issued to Pearson uses a large netting that reaches to the ground, to catch and return the ball. Also the clumsy net interrupts normal play at areas near the basket. U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,161 issued to Manix uses a panel to return the ball to the thrower. It has to be manually adjusted to change the direction of the rebound.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,403 issued to Courtright also uses a re-bound panel which would make it ineffective to practice with more than one person unless they both threw from the same position. Moreover a practicing player who throws from an angle at the basket will not have the ball returned to him. It will return to a different position.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description present embodiments of the invention, and are intended to provide an overview, or framework, for understanding the nature and character of the invention as it is claimed. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention and, together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the invention.

The main object of this invention is, in a situation of practice and training, to cause the ball that has passed through the ring of a basketball hoop to return in the direction of the person who threw the ball.

Another object of this invention is for the kinetic energy in the basketball when it leaves the basket to be as close as possible to the kinetic energy when it enters the basket. This ensures that the ball will return to the player at a high velocity which in turn will increase the chances of it having enough energy to reach the player who threw the ball, without him having to chase it.

Another object of this invention is to have a device that can be easily assembled by a single person without special equipment and be likewise removable when a regular basket and net is needed for a regular game.

In another embodiment of this invention the apparatus of the invention could stay permanently on the basketball hoop without interfering with a regular game and could be brought into position when required for training purposes.

Another object of this invention is for the frustum to be made of plastic, metal or other suitable material whether such material is solid or in web form.

Another object of this invention is for the length of the sloping sides of the frustum and their angles to be adjustable. A wider angle could be used for longer range throwing and a narrower angle for nearer range.

Another object of this invention is for a fixed attachment to be attached to the hoop. This fixed attachment, that is part of the invention, will enable both a net to be attached to it and the frustum to be attached to it, alternately.

This fixed attachment will enable a quick and easy switch between “normal basketball play” and “practice play” and vice versa.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain, by way of example only, the principles of the invention:

FIG. A is a schematic depiction of a conventional basketball hoop, backboard and stand.

FIG. B1 is a schematic depiction of a frustum of this invention.

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