GB2367252A

GB2367252A - A wheeled ball deflefctor panel

Info

Publication number: GB2367252A
Application number: GB0120617A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Allan Turner
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-08-24
Filing date: 2001-08-24
Publication date: 2002-04-03
Also published as: GB0020914D0; GB0120617D0

Abstract

A wheeled ball deflector panel 1 comprises a substantially planar upwardly extending deflector panel 2 mounted in front of a support structure 28a,b,20 having rotatable ground engaging members 26a,b for easy manoeuvrability and the deflector panel's front face 10 being unobstructed with its lower edge 8 in close proximity to the ground. The deflector panel may be made from impact resistant weatherproof plywood, plastics or metal. The support structure 28a,b,20 may comprise a polygonal framework and may be made from metal, alloy tubing, plastics or wood, having the rotatable ground engaging members 26a,b which may be steerable and driven by electric motors. The panels may also be connected along mutually cooperating edges and may be collapsible or foldable.

Description

Skill-Improvement Apparatus The present invention relates to a sports skill-improvement apparatus, particularly a skill-improvement apparatus for sports involving projection of a ball.

Many sports involve one or more players projecting e. g. by kicking, punching, throwing or striking with a bat/racket, a ball. Well known examples of such sports are football, basketball, tennis and squash.

For players to improve their playing skills at their respective sports, repetitive practice is often required.

Such practice often requires the presence of another player (s) to return a ball or otherwise participate in the practice session. Alternatively (or additionally) it may require a player to repeat the same action (s) a large number of times e. g. footballers often practice kicking a ball using their favoured foot then their unfavoured foot to ensure that the player can be proficient in use of both feet in a match. Such exercises often cannot be readily performed especially where there are no other players available to return the ball. For some other sports, such as tennis or squash, there is no requirement for there to be another player, but during a match a tennis ball must pass over the net, and in squash, a squash ball must strike a wall between a set of two parallel service lines when a player is serving. Such requirements generally

mean that players must use a specially designated playing area provided with a said tennis net or service lines.

Additionally, with sports such as squash, players may need to utilise a number of walls set at predetermined angles to each other, and strike the ball so that it bounces from one wall onto another.

The availability, or lack thereof, of such suitable playing areas e. g. tennis or squash courts, may restrict a player from practising with a desired frequency.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate and/or minimise one or more of the abovementioned problems or disadvantages.

The present invention provides a manually manoeuvrable and substantially self-supporting skill-improvement apparatus suitable for use in improving a user's skill in sports involving projection of a ball, wherein said apparatus comprises : a substantially planar upwardly extending, at least in use, deflector panel having a front face for deflecting therefrom a ball which impacts thereupon in use of said apparatus; said deflector panel being supported at its rear side by a support base so that substantially the whole area of said front face

of the deflector panel is unobstructed ; and said deflector panel being supported in close proximity to the ground along substantially its whole width at a lower edge thereof, the support base being provided with ground engaging rotatable support means for facilitating relocation of the apparatus and being formed and arranged for substantially maintaining said deflector panel upright when a ball is projected against it, in use of the apparatus.

One advantage of the skill-improvement apparatus of the present invention is that a user can manually manoeuvre the apparatus to a desired location for use thereof, and move the apparatus to a storage location when no longer required for use. Nevertheless, if desired, the apparatus could include one or more driven motors, typically one or more electric motor means or the like for driving one or more wheels to facilitate manoeuvring of the apparatus.

The deflector panel is generally formed and arranged to be able to withstand repeated impacts thereon from a substantially resiliently deformable sports ball (e. g. a kicked football, a basketball, a tennis ball, a squash ball, etc), without sustaining any significant damage thereto.

Conveniently it is formed from one or more layers of one or more impact and weather-resistant materials such as WBP or

other exterior grade plywood, a plastics material, a metal, or alloy, or combinations thereof.

It will be understood that the deflector panel could be of any desired thickness which has sufficient strength and resilience to withstand repeated impacts from the sports ball type with which the apparatus is being used. There is however no particular benefit in having a thickness greater than around 50mm and it will be appreciated that larger thicknesses will result in increased weight and thus greater effort being required to move the apparatus. The preferred thickness will also depend on the particular material used. Typically, though, a suitable thickness would be in the range from 10 to 35mm, preferably from 15 to 25mm.

Preferably, at least the front face of the deflector panel presents in use a relatively rigid surface from which a said sports ball is deflected with a minimum concomitant loss in momentum which is achieved by said one or more impact resistant materials being substantially rigid in use and not deforming appreciably under the impact of a said sports ball and therefore not absorbing a significant proportion of the impact energy from a said sports ball upon impact thereof with the deflector panel.

Desirably the deflector panel has a width of at least 50 cm and preferably from 50 cm to 3 metres, desirably from 1 to 2 metres, and a height of at least 1 metre and preferably from 1 metre to 4 metres. It will of course be appreciated that the dimensions of the deflector panel may be varied to a greater or lesser extent outwith the above stated dimensions. The shape of the deflector panel when deployed for use may be square or rectangular, although other shapes may be envisaged, such as circular, oval, or part thereof e. g. semi-circular etc.

The base portion is formed and arranged to support the deflector panel where in use, the base conveniently comprises a generally square or rectangular framework which may be formed from metal or alloy tubing. Other materials such as plastic materials, wood, MDF or other composite materials or woods may also be used instead of, or in addition to metals and/or alloys.

The ground engaging rotatable members may be wheels, castors, rollers or other similar means. Preferably, the ground engaging rotatable members are provided with lockable braking means which when engaged and locked, in use of the present invention, maintain the position of the apparatus, which is especially desirable where repeated strikes there against by a sports ball (e. g. a kicked football) would likely cause the apparatus to move from a desired position/location. Alternatively the base is provided with means of disengaging the rotatable members from the ground e. g. by raising them and/or lowering the main body of the base.

Desirably, one or more of said rotatable member (s) is/are steerable in more than one direction of travel such that the apparatus can be moved from one location to another with ease.

Suitable such rotatable members would be castors or wheels which are pivotable about an axis orthogonal to the axis of rotation of said castors or wheels.

The relative positions of the rotatable members define a foot print area within which the centre of mass (or centre of gravity) of the apparatus at least when deployed for use, should fall so that in use the apparatus is stable and balanced without the need for additional supporting means. A particularly convenient means of increasing the stability of said apparatus comprises at least one counterbalancing element mounted on said support base remote from said deflector panel with the centre of mass of said counterbalancing element outside the wheel base.

Nevertheless, additional support stabiliser means may be provided to increase the inherent stability of the apparatus in use thereof generally, and especially in, for example, adverse weather conditions such as high winds, and/or where the apparatus is positioned on uneven or steeply sloped ground. Such stabiliser means could simply comprise ballast disposable on a ballast support portion provided on the support base. Such stabiliser means could also take the form of, for example, laterally extensible legs or struts attached at a first end thereof to the apparatus e. g. at the base portion, and being ground engaging at a second end thereof.

Preferably, the stabiliser means are collapsible or foldable from a support ground engaging condition to a stored condition when the apparatus is to be moved or stored. This may be achieved using pivots or hinge means between the first end and the base portion.

The stabiliser means may additionally or alternatively take the form of guy wires or ropes which are attached at a first end to the apparatus, and affixed, desirably under tension, 1 a fixed point e. g. to the ground or to a portion of an adjacent fixed structure.

The stabilisers are conveniently attached to said counterbalancing element for optimal stability of said apparatus. Suitable attachment means include a plurality of fixed eyelets, typically screwed into said counterbalancing element. Connection of said eyelets to at least one suitable ground penetrating anchor device, typically hooks, pegs, corkscrew pegs or the like, preferably being in the form of snap links.

Desirably, the stabiliser means is removable from the apparatus when not required.

In another aspect of the present invention, the deflector panel of the apparatus is collapsible from an in use condition wherein substantially all of said front face is available to a user to strike a ball there against, to a storage and/or transport condition wherein the deflector panel is in an at least partly collapsed and/or folded state.

Preferably, the deflector panel is formed and arranged from at least two portions or panels joined to one another along mutually co-operating edges (at least in use) by joint means such as for example a pivot or hinge means. The joint means are preferably provided with locking means which maintain said panels of the deflector panel locked in an in-use condition wherein each of said panel is substantially co-planar and thereby form said deflector panel. The locking means may be a simple sliding bolt arrangement comprising complementary male and female portions located between two adjacent panels. To lock the panels in an in-use condition, a said male portion on a first panel is moved into a complementary female portion of an adjacent second panel when both of said first and second panels are in a substantially upright position forming a single substantially continuous deflector panel.

Preferably, the locking means are located on the rear side of the deflector panel. Additionally, or alternatively the locking means are located along the sides of the deflector panel. It is highly desirable to ensure that the front face of the deflector panel (including the panels forming the deflector panel) is maintained in a substantially continuous flat form when deployed for use in order to minimise undesirable deviations in the rebound trajectory of the ball.

Other locking means will be apparent to those skilled in the art thereof, and are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

The deflector panel may also be hinged at the lower edge thereof adjacent the support base and can be folded preferably backwards onto the support base. A locking means as described above may be used to lock the panel in an upright in-use condition.

Preferably the deflector panel is formed and arranged to be collapsible onto the base wherein the deflector panel and/or each of the panels forming the deflector panel have length and width dimensions which do not substantially exceed those of the base. For example, if the length and width of the base are 1.5 metres and 1.0 metres respectfully, then the length and width of the deflector panel and/or each of the panel segments forming the deflector panel should not substantially exceed 1.5 metres and 1.0 metres respectfully.

In the collapsed and/or folded state, the apparatus may be more easily transported and/or stored, especially where the dimensions of the deflector panel are of the order of, for example, 1 metre or more in width and 2 metres or more in height, as dimensions of this order or more would give rise to problems in the apparatus being moved through ordinary doorways into interior storage.

The apparatus is desirably provided with connector means for connecting two or more units of said apparatus together so as to provide a single, substantially continuous deflector panel which, depending on the mutual arrangement of said apparatus units, may be planar or angular e. g. the deflector panels of the individual apparatus units may be arranged to be at right angles to one another.

Preferably, the connector means are formed and arranged along vertically extending edges of the deflector panel of adjacent first and second apparatus units so that two (or more) units of the apparatus can be connected together with substantially no gap between adjacent deflector panels of each adjacent apparatus unit of apparatus.

Suitable connector means may be series of inter-engaging complementary male and female portions arranged between abutting edges of said first and second apparatus units respectively, wherein said male portions are retained within corresponding female portions in use of the present invention by a locking pin which prevents the male portion from being removed from the female portion.

The relative heights of adjacent apparatus units of the present invention can be altered (if for example the ground was uneven) by inserting a said male portion (of a first apparatus unit) into a female portion (of a second apparatus unit) other than the female portion which would be used if both adjacent first and second apparatus units were standing on level and even ground.

Where two or more apparatus units of the present invention are connected to one another as described above, this allows more than one user to utilise the invention simultaneously without undue crowding other users, and/or allows two or more players to practice together using the same sports ball.

To aid a user in furthering his or her sports skills in use of the present invention, the deflector panel is preferably provided with markings thereon which indicate target areas and/or point scoring portions used in a sport of choice. Such markings may represent a service line for squash, or the net height of tennis; the markings may also indicate desired target areas for football e. g. top and/or bottom corners of a goal-mouth. Additionally, attachment points may be provided for attaching a basketball hoop (or other sports apparatus) thereto to allow a user to practice basketball shots or layups.

A number of different markings for different sports may be present simultaneously on the same deflector panel. This can be achieved without unnecessary confusion to a user (s) by use of different coloured markings for different sports e. g. on a neutral grey coloured deflector panel, a horizontal white line may be used to represent the height of a tennis net, while simultaneously two parallel horizontal green lines may be used to represent the service height for playing squash.

The combination and variance of such markings is not intended to be limited by those given above.

Further preferred features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description given by way of example of some preferred embodiments illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 4 is a rear view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 ; Fig. 6 is a schematic view of side portions of two adjacent inter-lockable apparatus units of another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 7A shows a plan view of the two apparatus units of the embodiment shown in Fig. 6 inter-locked at 900 to one another; and Fig. 7B shows a front view of two apparatus units shown in Fig. 6 inter-locked side by side; Fig. 8 shows a detail side view of another embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention; Fig. 9 shows a detail plan view of the embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 shows a detail side view of part of the inner side of the embodiment of Figs. 9 and 10.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a manually manoeuvrable, self-supporting skill-improvement apparatus as indicated by reference numeral 1. The apparatus 1 comprises a rectangular deflector panel 2 which extends vertically upwardly. The deflector panel 2 (see Fig. 2) has vertically extending left and right 4a, b relatively long side edges, and horizontally extending upper 6 and lower 8 relatively short edges.

The deflector panel 2 has a front face 10 which is planar and completely unobstructed by any portion of the apparatus 1 (see especially Fig. 3), allowing a user (not shown) to project a ball (not shown) towards and rebound from the front face 10 of the deflector panel 2.

The deflector panel 2 is supported at its rear side 12 along the lower edge 8 (see Figs. 4 and 5) by a support base 14.

The support base 14 comprises a planar rectangular framework having left and right relatively long side members 16a, b which extend parallel to the ground and at right angles to the vertically extending deflector panel 2, and extends horizontally in a direction opposing that of the front face 10 of the deflector panel 2. Front 18 and rear 20 relatively short side members of the support base 14 are disposed between the left and right long side members 16a, b at the ends thereof. The front short side member 18 is disposed against and parallel to the rear side 12 of the deflector panel 2 and extends along the lower edge 8. The rear short side member 20 is spaced apart from and extends parallel to the front side member 18.

The support base 14 has parallel front 22 and rear 24 axles (Fig. 5) which are attached to and extend between and at right angles to the left and right long side members 16a, b. The front 22 and rear 24 axles are located adjacent to front 18 and rear 20 relatively short side members. Left and right wheels 26a, b are located on each of the front and rear axles 22,24 adjacent to the left and right long side members 16a, b respectively.

The wheels 26a, b distance the support base 14 from the ground so that the lower edge 8 of the deflector panel 2 is in close proximity but not engaging the ground by a distance which is less than the diameter of a sports ball (not shown), so that a said ball cannot pass or become wedged between the lower edge 8 and the ground in use of the apparatus 1 while allowing the apparatus to be easily manoeuvred without the panel 2 fouling ground. Nevertheless, it is also possible to employ retractable wheels whereby in use the apparatus can be lowered so that the bottom edge of the panel rests on the ground.

Left and right support struts 28a, b are attached at a first end 30a, b thereof to and extend downwardly and rearwardly from a rearward facing point of the deflector panel 2 located approximately two-thirds of the way along the length of the left and right vertically extending long side edges 4a, b thereof. The left and right support struts 28a, b are attached at a second end 32a, b thereof to the left and right relatively long side members 16a, b respectively at a point adjacent the left and right wheels 26a, b of the rear axle 24.

The support struts 28a, b provide additional structural length to the apparatus 1 which may be needed to a greater or lesser extent depending upon the size (i. e. the mass) of the sports ball and the velocity with which the ball impacts upon the deflector panel 2 in use of the apparatus 1, i. e. a football which is kicked hard against the deflector panel 2 has a significantly higher momentum than that of a squash-ball striking against the deflector panel, therefore more structural support would generally be required when the apparatus is used for football practice than for squash practice.

Fig. 6 shows a left side member 116a of a first apparatus unit 100 (See Figs 7A and 7B) of the present invention. The left side member 116a is"L"-shaped in section, having a first relatively short side 102 facing outwardly in the same direction of the front face deflector surface 110 and a second relatively long side 104 at right angles to the short side 102. The relatively long side 104 is provided with a horizontally extending locating peg 105 projecting therefrom.

Fig. 6 also shows a right side member 216b of a second apparatus unit 200 of the present invention, the right side member also being"L"shaped in section and having a relatively short side 202 facing outwardly in the same direction of the front face deflector surface 210 and a relatively long side 204 at right angles to the short side 202.

Each of the short and long sides 202,204 has three apertures 206a, b, c and 208a, b, c respectively, wherein the apertures are vertically arranged one above the other at the upper end 217 of the right side member 216b.

In use of the apparatus, when a user wishes to join the first and second apparatus units 100,200 of the present invention together, the locating peg 105 is inserted into one of the apertures 206a, b, c, or 208a, b, c by manoeuvring the first and second apparatus units 100,200 into the appropriate relative position (s). To ensure that the first and second apparatus units 100,200 do not move apart in use of the apparatus, a

securing pin 106 is passed through the aperture 108 at the distal end of the locating peg 105.

The first and second apparatus units 100,200 are arranged in Fig. 7A such that the respective deflector surfaces 110 and 210 thereof are at right angles to one another. This is achieved by the locating pin 105 being inserted through the middle aperture 206b on the second apparatus unit 200 (where both apparatus units are on level ground). Should the second apparatus unit 200 be on uneven ground such that it is raised or lowered relative to an adjacent first apparatus unit 100, then the locating peg 105 can be inserted through either of the apertures 206a or 206c.

Fig. 7B shows a first 100 and a second apparatus unit 200 inter-locked in a side-by-side arrangement. This is achieved by the locating pin 105 being inserted through the middle aperture 208b, both apparatus units 100,200 standing upon level ground.

It will be appreciated that the features of the left side member 116a and the right side member 216b described could be in the reverse orientation, with side member 116a accommodating the apertures 206a, b, c and 208a, b, c and side member 216b bearing the horizontally extending locating pin.

Figs. 8,9 and 10 show in detail a further embodiment of the present invention where the support base 14 has an elongate counterbalancing element 34 disposed horizontally between the left 16a and right 16b long side members, the width thereof extending rearwardly from the rear relatively short side member 20. The centre of gravity of the counterbalancing element 34 is outside and to the rear of the wheel base and increases the stability of the apparatus by displacing the centre of gravity thereof rearwardly of the deflector panel 2 and closer to the centre of the wheel base. The counterbalancing element 34 is provided with an upwardly projecting eyelet 36a screwed into the counterbalancing element 34, at each corner portion 38 of the counterbalancing element most remote from the deflector panel 2, though it will be appreciated that additional eyelets could be attached at other positions of the counterbalancing element 34 and/or support base 14. Also alternative means of securing the eyelets to the counterbalancing element could be used. The eyelets 36 are for attaching a stabiliser means in the form of a corkscrew peg ground penetrating anchor device and a guy device by snap links 44. In more detail the guy device 42 comprises a cable 46 provided with snap link connectors at each end 44.

As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the apparatus wheels 26a, b are conveniently mounted on stub axles 48 on which they are

retained by nuts engaging a screwthreaded end portion 50 of the stub axle 48. By fully tightening up the nuts against the wheels 26a, b, the wheels can be locked up against rotation in order to hold the apparatus in a desired position. In order to prevent inadvertent loosening or tightening up of the nuts 50, there are desirably also provided lock nuts.

Further variations and modifications to the apparatus of the present invention will be apparent to the skilled person, and those variations and modifications are intended to be encompassed in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A manually manoeuvrable and substantially self-supporting skill-improvement apparatus suitable for use in improving a user's skill in sports involving projection of a ball, wherein said apparatus comprises: a substantially planar upwardly extending, at least in use, deflector panel having a front face for deflecting therefrom a ball which impacts thereupon in use of said apparatus; said deflector panel being supported at its rear side by a support base so that substantially the whole area of said front face of the deflector panel is unobstructed; and said deflector panel being supported in close proximity to the ground along substantially its whole width at a lower edge thereof, the support base being provided with ground engaging rotatable support means for facilitating relocation of the apparatus and being formed and arranged for substantially maintaining said deflector panel upright when a ball is projected against it, in use of the apparatus.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein there is provided at least one drive motor for driving said ground engaging rotatable support means.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said at least one drive motor comprises an electric motor.
4. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said deflector panel is of an impact resistant construction for withstanding repeated impacts from a substantially resiliently deformable sports ball.
5. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein said deflector panel is of a weather-resistant construction.
6. An apparatus according to claims 4 or 5 wherein said deflector panel is formed of one or more layers of one or more exterior grade plywood, a plastics material, a metal and an alloy.
7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel has a thickness of from 10 to 35mm.
8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel has a thickness from 15 to 25mm.
9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel has a width from 50cm to 3m.
10. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel has a width from 1m to 2m.
11. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel has a height from 1m to 4m.
12. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel is substantially rectangular in its deployed condition.
13. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said support base comprises a substantially polygonal framework.
14. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said support base is formed from one or more of metal, alloy tubing, plastics material and wood.
15. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said rotatable members comprise at least one of wheels, castors and rollers.
16. An apparatus according to claim 15 wherein at least one of said rotatable members is provided with lockable braking means.
17. An apparatus according to claims 15 or 16 wherein said support base is provided with at least one jacking device formed and arranged for disengaging said rotatable member (s) from the ground.
18. An apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 17 wherein at least one of said rotatable members is steerable.
19. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the centre of mass of said apparatus when deployed for use is disposed substantially inside of the footprint of the ground engaging rotatable support means.
20. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said apparatus is provided with at least one counterbalancing element mounted on said support base remote from said deflector panel so as to increase the stability of said apparatus.
21. An apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said counterbalancing element is cantilevered rearwardly of the ground engaging rotatable support means most remote from the deflector panel.
22. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein said support base is provided with at least one

ballast support, for supporting, in use of the apparatus, removable ballast.
23. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein said support base is provided with retractable, removable or collapsible stabiliser legs.
24. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said support base is provided with a plurality of releasable ground anchor devices.
25. An apparatus according to claim 24 wherein said anchor devices are selected from ground penetrating peg and screw anchors.
26. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel comprises at least two portions or panels joined and secured to one another along mutually cooperating edges.
27. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel is collapsible or foldable along any one or more of the joining edges between the panels and/or of the joining edges between the lower end of said deflector panel and said support base.
28. An apparatus according to claim 27 wherein said deflector panel is collapsible or foldable onto said support base for stowage thereon.
29. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein said apparatus is provided with connector means for connecting said apparatus to at least one further said apparatus.
30. An apparatus according to claim 29 wherein said connector means are provided at vertically extending edges of said deflector panels.
31. An apparatus according to claim 30 wherein said connector means is in the form of male and/or female elements for interengagement in respective complementary female and/or male elements provided on a said further apparatus.
32. An apparatus according to any one of claims 29 to 31 wherein said connector means is formed and arranged for interengagement and connection to a said further apparatus to provide a single substantially continuous deflector panel of planar or angular arrangement and formation.
33. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said deflector panel is provided with at least one

marking thereon for indication of a target area and/or a point scoring portion for one or more different sports.
34. A skill-improvement apparatus comprising at least two of the herein described skill-improvement apparatus connected together as claimed in any one of claims 29 to 32.
35. A manually manoeuvrable skill improvement apparatus substantially as herein described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.