AU1360600A

AU1360600A - Practice net apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU1360600A
Application number: AU13606/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Andrew Pitt Soane
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-07-09
Filing date: 2000-01-25
Publication date: 2001-01-11
Anticipated expiration: 2019-07-09
Also published as: AU738556B2

Description

P00011 Regulation 3.2 Revised 2/98

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act, 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 0 0 TO BE COMPLETED BY THE APPLICANT NAME OF APPLICANT: ACTUAL INVENTOR: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: ANDREW PITT SOANE ANDREW PITT SOANE Peter Maxwell Associates Level 6 Pitt Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 0 *00 *0 0Er 0 INVENTION TITLE: DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED APPLICATION NO: PRACTICE NET APPARATUS Divisional Application of Australian Patent Application No 39,132/99 filed on 9 July 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me:- The present invention relates to a practice net apparatus and, in particular, to a rebounding net apparatus that can be used to practice ball games or the like Although the invention will be described with reference to a rebounding net apparatus for practicing the game of football, hereinafter referred to as soccer to avoid confusion with other games that have also come to be known more recently as football, it is to be understood that the rebounding net apparatus of the invention is not to be limited thereto and that it has application to a wide variety of games where a rebounding net apparatus is useful.

10 The goal nets used to play soccer are an effective way of trapping the ball when a goal has been scored and are also helpful in identifying, in some circumstances, when the ball has passed between the goal posts. Goal nets, however, are less helpful during practice sessions concentrating on goal shooting skills in circumstances where players need to take quick turns at 15 striking the ball towards the goal mouth, given that whenever a goal is scored, the ball must be retrieved from the net, usually by the goal keeper, thus leading 0 000 0to delay in executing the next strike on goal. Although constant retrieval of the 0 ball from the net can be avoided by using a large number of balls and saving retrieval until after all the balls are in the net, the large number of balls needed for this often make this option cost prohibitive, particularly where the whole team squad are given individual balls to strike.

In circumstances where goal shooting skills are practiced without a goalkeeper, the problem of retrieval is further exacerbated, because it is usually the striker of the ball that retrieves the ball from the net.

25/01/00 Some teams utilize walls to practice their goal scoring marksmanship by painting simulated goalposts thereon and using the rebounding characteristics of the wall to avoid the retrieval problem. However, most practice walls cause costly damage to the ball arising from prolonged impact of the usually lightweight polymer material of the ball against the harsh surface of the wall.

Furthermore, most practice walls have less than desirable rebounding characteristics. The construction of a "ball friendly" wall with desirable rebounding characteristics is a costly option and also suffers from lack of relocatability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a practice net apparatus that can be easily erected, is relocatable, and has effective ball rebounding characteristics without causing damage to the ball through prolonged use.

It is another object of the present invention to overcome, or at least substantially ameliorate, the deficiencies and shortcomings of the prior art.

According to the present invention there is provided a practice net S' apparatus comprising a planar net, post means for holding the net vertically upright, the post means comprising a first post and a second post arranged at S. respective opposite ends of the net, each post being adapted to grip its respective net end under an applied tension provided by tensioning means, whereby the tension applied to each net end is sufficient to confer substantially elastic ball rebounding characteristics to the net, and wherein the tensioning means includes a guide rope for each post, the guide rope being fixed at one end to its respective post and being anchored around a fixed reference point, the tension along the guide rope being adjustable by a tension adjusting member frictionally engaged to the guide rope so that changing the position at which the tension adjusting member is frictionally engaged to the guide rope 25/01/00 will adjust the tension along the guide rope, thereby applying tension to the net end gripped by the post.

In a further preferred form, the tensioning means includes a substantially elastic cord for each post, the cord having its opposite ends fixed relative to the net or to the post and being so connected between an end of the net and the post adjacent to that net end that changing the length of the cord between its fixed ends will adjust the tension along the cord, thereby applying tension to the net end gripped by the post.

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into 10 practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig 1 is a front elevational view of a soccer practice net apparatus

OIIOO:

S"according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

::*Fig 2 is a front elevational view of one end of the net used in the practice net apparatus of Fig 1, and of the tensioning means used to provide tension to that net end, Fig 3 is a side elevational view of a post used in the practice net apparatus of Fig 1, and Fig 4 is an isolated view of a connection device for releasably connecting a portion of the net (shown in cross-section) to a tensioning cord which is, in turn, attached to the post used in the apparatus of Fig 1.

The soccer practice net apparatus shown in Fig 1 has a planar net 12, a pair of posts 14, 16 (also shown isolated in Fig 3) arranged at respective opposite ends of the net 12 that hold the net 12 vertically upright, and means for tensioning the net ends against the posts 14, 16 so as to confer 25/01/00 substantially elastic ball rebounding characteristics to the net 12. At each net end, the tensioning means includes a cord 18 having substantially elastic properties, and a guide rope 20 (shown in Fig 2).

The elastic cord 18 is preferably of the kind used in octopus straps and passes both through the rings 21 of a series of "dog-clip" style connectors 23 (shown in Fig 4) which are releasably secured to eyelets 22 formed along the margin webbing 24 at the end of the net 12, and through the eyes of a series of closed hooks 26 secured along the post 14, 16 in alternating order as shown in Figs 1 and 2. The upper end of the cord 18 is fixed to the uppermost eyelet 10 22a. The lower end of the cord 18 is fixed to the lowermost closed hook 26a.

The tension applied between the fixed ends of the cord 18 enables the post 14, "16 to grip the net end.

The guide rope 20, which has substantially non-elastic properties such S. as is provided by nylon, is fixed at one end to the top of the post 14, 16 and, at its other end, passes around a tent stake 28 driven firmly into the ground and terminates by being secured through a first hole of a slidable rope tension adjustment member 30. The member 30 also has a second hole through which an intermediate portion of the rope 20 frictionally passes. The rope 20 is maintained at a suitable tension between its ends by slidably adjusting the position of the member 30 along the intermediate portion of the rope 20 so that the member 30 is frictionally jammed against the rope 20. The stake 28 is driven into the ground at a location which is, in use, rearwardly of the vertically upright position of the planar net 12.

The post 14, 16 is fabricated of aluminium and has a square crosssectional upright member 32 with an enlarged plate shaped foot 34 for standing upon the ground and a spike 36 descending therefrom for driving into the ground. A transversely extending member 38, which is also square in 25/01/00 cross-section, is welded halfway along the upright member 32 and pivotally supports a square cross-sectional, inclined brace member 40 that extends rearwardly of the upright member 32, having reference to the front view of the apparatus in Fig 1. The brace member 40 also has an enlarged plate shaped foot 42 with spike 44 for ground support. The angle at which the brace member 40 is inclined to the upright member 32 may be adjusted by pivoting the brace member 40 about a pivot pin 46 secured to opposed overlapping portions of the transversely extending member 38 and brace member Angular variation of the brace member 40 with respect to the upright member 10 32 may be required to locate the apparatus on sloping grounds.

e The net 12 consists of a sufficiently strong and non-deformable mesh 48 .:ee formed from conventional soccer goal net material, such as 3 mm diameter nylon, and a margin webbing 24 formed from any of vinyl, canvas, gauze or the like material. Appropriate stitching or overlocking 47 secures the edges of the mesh 48 within the margin webbing 24. The mesh 48 has 100 mm x 100 mm 0 0square gaps and the net 12 is 4m in height and 10m in width, although the dimensions may vary depending on the age, size or requirements of the person(s) using the apparatus.

In order to assemble the practice net apparatus in such a way that the net 12 has substantially elastic ball rebounding characteristics, the net 12 is firstly laid flat on the ground, and then the posts 14, 16 (with cord 18 already passing through the eyes of the closed hooks 26 and with connectors 23 individually engaging the cord 18 between each pair of closed hooks 26) are laid adjacent respective opposite ends of the net 12. Whilst on the ground, the four eyelets 22 chosen to be uppermost when the apparatus is assembled are engaged by respective connectors 23. This is carried out at both ends of the net 12.

25/01/00 A first post 14 is then stood upright and driven into the ground via its spikes 36, 44. The guide rope 20, that is connected to that post 14 and which has tension adjustment member 30 slidably connected thereto, is then engaged around a stake 28 which is sunk rearwardly of the post 14 into the ground and the rope 20 is adjusted to a first tension level for post 14.

The second post 16 is then stood upright (bringing the net 12 finally up with it) and driven into the ground (at a suitable site given the width of the net 12 and the degree of slack in the cord 18) via its spikes 36, 44. The guide rope for the second post 16 is then also engaged around a ground sunken stake 28 at the rear of the post 16 and the rope 20 is adjusted to a first tension level *for post 16.

SThe four lowermost eyelets 22 are then engaged by respective connectors 23, usually by pulling across with some force the loose lower end of Snet 12 towards the post 14, 16. This is carried out at both ends of the net 12.

Once all the connectors 23 have been used to connect the net 12 to the cord 18 extending along the posts 14, 16, the tension on the two guide ropes may be further adjusted to respective second tension levels so as to confer substantially elastic soccer ball rebounding characteristics to the net 12. If deemed necessary, the tension in the cord 18 may be adjusted by refixing the lower end of the cord 18 to the lowermost hook 26 at any stage during this assembly process.

As will be apparent from the aforementioned, each post 14, 16 will grip its respective net end under a tension applied, in the main, by the degree to which the guide rope 20 is tensioned and by the degree of tension in the cord 18.

Various other modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope or ambit of the invention.

25/01/00

Claims

1. A practice net apparatus comprising a planar net, post means for holding the net vertically upright, the post means comprising a first post and a second post arranged at respective opposite ends of the net, each post being adapted to grip its respective net end under an applied tension provided by tensioning means, whereby the tension applied to each net end is sufficient to confer substantially elastic ball rebounding characteristics to the net, and wherein the tensioning means includes a guide rope for each post, the guide rope being fixed at one end to its respective post and being anchored around a fixed reference point, the tension along the guide rope being adjustable by a tension adjusting member frictionally engaged to the guide rope so that 9 changing the position at which the tension adjusting member is frictionally ***engaged to the guide rope will adjust the tension along the guide rope, thereby ::applying tension to the net end gripped by the post. 9 9

2. The practice net apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tensioning means *ogo includes a substantially elastic cord for each post, the cord having its opposite ends fixed relative to the net or to the post and being so connected between an end of the net and the post adjacent to that net end that changing the length of the cord between its fixed ends will adjust the tension along the cord, thereby applying tension to the net end gripped by the post.

3. A practice net apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 25 day of January, 2000 ANDREW PITT SOANE Patent Attorneys for the Applicant PETER MAXWELL ASSOCIATES C, C C C. C C C. CC C C CCC. C C C C CCC. CC 4C C CCC C CC C C C C C.