CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
-
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/159,574, filed May 11, 2015, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, but not limited to those portions that specifically appear herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
-
The present invention relates to different sized basketball rims to improve player skills. More particularly, the present invention relates to oversized and undersized basketball rims and nets.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
-
It is well known that the sport of basketball generally involves shooting a basketball through a basketball rim attached to a backboard wherein the basketball rim is 18 inches in diameter.
-
Typically, two basketballs will fit simultaneously within a standard basketball rim.
-
The present invention discloses basketball rims and nets that are larger or smaller than regulation rims and nets.
-
Other efforts to provide different sized basketball rims have been restricted to add-on or retrofitted basketball rims. For example see U.S. Pat. No. 7,597,635.
-
Other modifications to standard basketball rims have included add-on devises designed to improve the arch on a basketball shot at a standard basketball rim (U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,486).
-
Other add-on devices that have been disclosed were designed to assist in practicing rebounding basketballs (for example see U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,840).
-
Another add-on device that has been revealed, designed to improve shooting accuracy, was the addition of flexible guides on conventional basketballs, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,414.
-
However in all of the prior art, no one has disclosed a basketball rim directly mounted on a basketball backboard for which the interior diameter of the basketball rim was made larger or smaller.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
-
Although the sport of basketball has been in existence for decades, no one has proposed a stand-along basketball rim sized larger or smaller than a regulation basketball rim.
-
The present invention comprises a basketball rim and net, wherein the basketball rim is sized to have an interior diameter of from about thirteen to about seventeen inches, and the basketball rim is attached directly to a basketball backboard. The net is sized to fit the size of the basketball rim. These undersized basketball rims may be mounted on a standard basketball backboard at the desired height, typically ten feet for conventional rims. The undersized basketball rims may be positioned at lower heights, typically between eight feet and 10 feet. The interior diameter of these undersized basketballs may be determined by the skill level of the player.
-
Practicing on undersized basketball rims for skillful players will enhance their shooting accuracy when shooting at a regulation sized basketball, nominally eighteen inches in diameter.
-
Beginners and less skilled basketball players often become frustrated when their inability to successfully shoot goals when shooting at a conventional basketball rim of eighteen inches. Lack of success when attempting to shoot goals through a conventional basketball rim often leads to loss of confidence. Since many coaches and players believed an important component for being a successful shooter in basketball is confidence, using an oversized basketball rim fix practice may boaster confidence and lead to improved play. Thus, this invention is a basketball rim and mount, wherein the basketball rim is sized to have an interior diameter of from about nineteen inches to about thirty-six inches.
-
Practicing on oversized basketball rims for beginning or less skilled basketball players will improve the confidence of such basketball players and thus improve their ability to successfully shoot basketballs.
-
The present invention also comprises a basketball net having an opening of from about thirteen inches to about seventeen inches for undersized basketballs, and a basketball. net having an opening of from about nineteen inches to about thirty-six inches for oversized basketballs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
-
FIG. 1 is a top view of a basketball rim and net, made in accordance with the principles of the present invention.
-
FIG. 2 is a top view of an undersized basketball with two basketball therein,
-
FIG. 3 is a top view of an oversized basketball with three basketballs therein.
-
FIG. 4 is a view of the mounting bracket used to attach a basketball rim to a basketball backboard.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS
-
Reference is made to FIG. 1, in which is shown a basketball rim [1] and net [9], made in accordance with the principles of the present invention. In one embodiment of the invention, the rim may have an interior diameter be between about thirteen incites and seventeen inches, which is smaller than a standard basketball rim, which measures about eighteen inches for its interior diameter. This smaller than standard basketball rim is called a “Shark Rim.”
-
The interior diameter of the Shark Rim may be determined by the basketball coach or basketball player based on the shooting skills of the basketball player.
-
The Shark Rim may be attached to a basketball backboard using a mounting bracket [3]. There are a plurality of holes, [11], [13], [15], [17], and [19], for attaching the Shark Rim's mounting bracket [3], a basketball backboard, as shown in FIG. 5.
-
As shown in FIG. 2, a Shark Rim [1] of about seventeen inches will allow two standard sized basketballs [7] to fit simultaneously within the Shark Rim. Smaller sized Shark Rims would allow only one basketball to fit through the basketball rim.
-
In another embodiment, the interior diameter of the basketball rim [1] is sized to be between nineteen inches and thirty-six inches, which are lager in diameter than a standard sized basketball rim.
-
The lager diameter basketballs rims are called “Whale Rims”. As shown in FIG. 3, a larger Whale Rim will allow three standard sized basketballs [7] to fit simultaneously with in the Whale Rim. The Whale Rim may be attached to a standard basketball backboard by the mounting bracket [3].
-
The Shark Rim and the Whale Rim were attached directly to a standard backboard at heights between eight feet and ten feet.
-
The advantage of directly attaching an undersized rim or an oversized rim to a standard basketball backboard is that the rest of the game is unchanged. When retrofitted or add-on devises are used in conjunction with standard rims, it is difficult to play a regular game. The ball reacts differently when going through the retrofitted basketball rim. With the present invention, a basketball player may play all aspect of the game in a normal way except for how easily the basketball goes through the basketball rim.
