US2710189A - Means for practicing tipping of basketballs - Google Patents

Description

June 7, 1955 11B. CARROLL F MEANS FOR PRACTICING TIPPING OF BASKETBALLS Filed Dec. 19, 195

INVENTOR fiezzms l1 l'm'mll ATTORNEY United States Patent MEANS FOR PRACTICING TIPPING 0F BASKETBALLS Dennis B. Carroll, Jasper, Ga.

Application December 19, 1951, Serial No. 262,389

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-1.5)

The present invention pertains to a means of drilling or practicing the art of tipping a ball into the goalbasket of the game of basket-ball.

As is most generally known, the game of basket-ball is universally played and many games are won by goals scored by players, at or under the basket, tipping the ball into the basket. Tipping is accomplished by a player stationed near the goal-basket and who, with the fingers of one or both hands, while jumping, meets a ball that has bounced oil of the back-board of the goal or off of the rim or ring of the basket thus causing the ball to drop into the basket and scoring a goal. Tipping in a goal is distinguished from tossing or throwing a goal where the ball is actually tossed or thrown into the basket and tipping is usually performed when a ball so tossed or thrown has missed the basket and rolls ofi the rim or ring of the basket without falling through the basket or rebounds from the back-board without touching the basket. Tipping the ball is, therefore, an important play in basket-ball; but, many players never become eflicient at tipping in goals because of the difiiculties existing in present methods of drilling or teaching it and because it is very difficult for players to acquire and maintain the feel, that a good player must have, in order to tip in goals where the drill or practice is interrupted by the ball dropping through the basket or by the ball not dropping repeatedly to proper tipping positions.

The aim and object of the present invention is to provide a method of drilling for practicing tipping the ball to make basket-ball goals so that the practicing of the act of tipping can be a continuous action back and forth from one player to another grouped about and under the basket-ball goal basket as the ball rolls oif the basket or rebounds from the back-board and without the ball falling through the basket, should a proper tip-in shot be made, and without having to stoop to retrieve the ball after it has passed through the basket.

The invention further resides in the apparatus employed in conjunction with the basket for accomplishing the aim and object above mentioned. To carry out the present invention, the usual and conventional goal basket of a basket-ball game (comprising a rigid ring of a diameter larger than the ball employed and having a horizontal attachment bracket and having depending circumferentially from the ring a netted sleeve) is provided with a removable cover or lid which closes the aperture of the ring. Therefore, the invention resides in all that is herein shown and described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention as now devised and used and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a basket-ball goal basket equipped with the present invention and supported in the usual manner in front of a back-board and illustrating the manner in which players may practice tipping-in basket-ball goals in practice play or drill:

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the basket-ball goal 2,710,189 Patented June 7, 1955 ice equipped with the present invention as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the removable cover or lid for the goal basket; and

Figure 4 is a fragmental horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings in which like characters refer to similar like parts throughout the several views, G represents the goal basket of a basket-ball game supported in position in front of a back-board or stop S and at a suitable level above the playing-floor F as is customary. The goal basket may be of the usual and conventional construction which consists of a horizontally disposed rigid ring 10, of suitable material, of a diameter larger than that of the basket-ball B employed and which, at one point in its circumference, has outwardly projecting from it a bracket 11 suitably secured as at 12 to the lower edge portion of the back-board S as illustrated in Fig. 1. Depending circumferentially from the ring 10 is an inverted frusto-conical sleeve 13 usually composed of a net-like corded material, said sleeve being open at both ends so that a ball B may drop through the basket vertically on to the playing-floor F. It will be observed that the back-stop is so positioned and is of such area that a ball thrown, tossed or tipped toward the basket, but not dropping through the basket, may hit the back-board and rebound therefromsometimes going into the basket, other times striking the ring of the basket or rebounding from the back-board exteriorly of the basket and without touching it. The present invention resides in the improvement of providing a removable cover or lid 14 which will fill, or substantially fill, the area on the upper side of the ring 10 at the mouth of the basket and which is to be employed only during practice of tipping the ball B into the goal basket G.

The lid or cover 14 may be made of plywood, fibreboard, plastic material or metal or any other suitable material and is disc-like to substantially fill the area between the confines of the ring 10. In order to hold the disc-lik lid or cover 14 removably in position on the ring, the underside of said cover 14 is provided at its peripheral portion with clip members 15 which may engage over the ring and so formed as to releasably hold The clips 15 may take the form the cover 14 in position. as shown in the drawings, as one example, which comprise flat strips of rigid material arranged radially of the cover on its underside and projecting beyond the circumferential edge thereof for a distance whereby said strips will engage the upper surface of the ring. These strips 15, at their point of engagement with the ring 10,

may be bent upon themselves to form inverted U-shaped channels which receive and straddle the ring 10 so as to 9 center the cover 14 in position on the ring 15). At least two of these strips 15 are provided with straight strips 15 of similar material which lie on their under surface and in contiguous relation thereto, each of these strips 15 being pivotally held in position by a thumb-nut 16 threaded on a bolt 17 which extends through the topsurface of the lid 14 and through openings in the strips 15 and 15 The outer end of each of the strips 15 underlies the channeled end of strip 15 so as to close the same and to clamp the same about the ring 10 as shown in Fig. 4. The strips 15 may be secured to the cover 14 in any suitable manner such as by screws or rivets or the like 18. The under-side of the cover 14 may be further reinforced against warping or buckling by at least one batten strip 19 similarly secured to the cover 14.

It will be observed that all of the rivets or bolts or other fasteners may be flush with the upper surface of the cover 14 so as to offer no obstruction that may deflect the ball rolling thereover. It will also be observed from Figs. 1 and 4 that the relationship of the clips 15 and the upper surface of the cover 14 is such that said upper surface is maintained slightly above the ring 10, when the cover is positioned in place on said ring, this distance being not more than: about Ms but sufficient to enable the.

ball to roll ofi of said upper surface and over thering without obstruction or difficulty. It will also be further observed that the cover may be applied and removed with facility by tightening or loosening the nuts 16 and by swinging the clamping strips 15 to one side out of align ment with the ring 10, or conversely. The cover 14 may be attached to or removed fromthe basket G in less than one minute of time.

In .drilling or teachingplayers to tip the ball into a goal-basket, it is best to use at least three players at a time, whoassume positions around the under-side of the basket, although practice may beconducted by one or two players .as is obvious.

With. the playerspositioned as indicated and with the basket-cover 14 installed on the basket as indicated in Fig. l, the-ball B is put into practice by the coach or anotherplayer, who throws or tosses it softly toward the upper end of the basket G and against the back-board S just above the goal-basket. The ball, then, rebounds to cover 14 and rolls ofi its upper surface or it may hit and bounce from thecover 14-but, in either case, the ball moves or drops naturally from the goal-basket G toward the players stationed around the goal-basket G who have assumed a jumping position or stance.

As the ball B drops from the cover 14 over the ring and exteriorly of the goal-basket G, the player, toward whom the ball B is dropping, times his jump to meet the ball at the highest possible point or elevation that he can, using one or both hands (as indicated in Fig. l) whichever is preferred by the individual player, and tips theball B.with the ends of his fingers to cause it to rebound .therefrom properly so that the ball moves to a position where it would enter the ring 10 and drop through the goal-basket G to score a goal, if the cover 14 were not in position covering the goal-basket.

Some players like to use only one hand, as indicated at x in Fig. 1, while others prefer to tip the ball with both.

hands as indicated at y; and, some players like to tip the ball against the back-board S and cut it into the goalbasket G, as indicated at x, while others prefer to tip the ball into the basket without touching the back-board S, as indicated at y. In either case, with the cover 14 in place. on the goal-basket G the ball, instead of going through the goal-basket, will rollott the cover 14 and drop naturally off the rimor ring 10 and down. the outer side of the goal-basket toward a player for another prac-- ticetry for an under-the-goal tipping shot. This allows the'players a continuous practice of this important playas 1116 ball B passes from. one player to the cover 14 and then .drops toward another player and so on back and forth.-without the players having to stoop to retrieve the ball .as would 'be the case if the cover 14 was not employed and the ball passedthrough the basket.

The'drillor practice above outlined has proven to be most efictive in developing and maintaining a fine sense of timing in jumping by the player to meet the ball and, likewise, a fine sense of feel in his hands, wrists and arms to properly execute, so-called, tipping basket-ball shots, if used for two to five minutes each day, thus developing and maintaining accuracy and precision in the execution of such tipping shots.

Having described and illustrated the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed, it is to be understood that modifications and changes may be made therein which fall within the scope of the appended claims' That whichis claimed, as new, is:

1. In a basket-ball practice device for practicing the act of tipping goals, the combination with a basket-ball goal basket including a rigid ring and an open ended flexible sleeve depending from said ring; of a disc-like cover removably supported by said ring and dimensioned to substantially fill the area defined by said ring so that a. ball will not pass through said basket and having an unobstructed upper surface, and means for releasably attaching said 'cover to said ring.

2. A basket-ball device for practicing the act of tipping basket-ball goals comprising, in combination, a basketball goal basket including a rigid ring and an open ended flexible sleeve depending from said ring, a disc-like cover dimensioned to substantially fill the area defined by said ring, and means at the peripheral edges of said cover supporting .said cover upon and releasably clamping said' cover to said ring with the upper surface of said cover positioned relative to the upper surface of said ring to allow the ball .to roll therefrom over said ring.

3. In a basket-ball, practice device, the combination with abasket-ball flexible sleeve-like goal basket including a supporting-ring rimming its upper end, of a rigid flat disc-likecover dimensioned to lie Within and removably positioned planarly across the upper open end of the supporting-ring of said basket-ball goal basket to obstruct the passage of a ball through said basket, radially disposedinverted' U-shaped clips spaced about the peripheral edge of the underside of said cover to fit over and straddle the ring of said basket to support said cover in position on said basket ring and dimensioned to hold said upper surface elevatedslightly at least with respect to said upper. rim of said basket so that a ball may roll freely off said cover and basket without obstructing hindrance, and releasable clamp members arranged in cooperating position with said clips to bind said cover in position.

References Cited in the file 'of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS

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