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[0001] Not Applicable
[0002] Not Applicable
[0003] Not Applicable
[0004] 1. Field of Invention
[0005] This invention relates to devices used in training for the sport of soccer (known in most of the world as “football”), as well as other sports that involve propelling a projectile toward a goal, and particularly to devices for rebounding a kicked soccer ball or other propelled projectile toward the kicker or other user to be kicked or struck a second or additional times.
[0006] 2. Background of the Invention
[0007] Various products exists for training in soccer, as well as other sports, known as “rebounders” or “bounce-back” or “return” nets or goals. When a practicing soccer player kicks a soccer ball into one of these devices, the device returns the ball to be kicked again. Such devices generally consist of a net with some elasticity, or other rebound surface, tautly stretched across a frame of aluminum, some other metal, PVC pipe or a similarly rigid material. These rebound devices differ from a conventional soccer goal with a baggy net with slack in it, in that the rebounder saves the user from having to retrieve the ball after each kick. This allows many more touches on the ball in a given period of time and thereby enhances soccer training. The same or similar products can be used for returning balls in other sports, for example, returning a thrown baseball, softball, lacrosse ball or basketball, or a struck tennis ball. These devices range in size from the full dimension of a standard soccer goal (8 feet high by 24 feet wide), to small devices such as 4 feet by 6 feet intended for backyard use. They are often portable, with some method for holding them in place during use, such as metal J-hooks that clamp over the base of the frame and are driven into the ground, or ropes that attach to the frame and are tied down to anchoring pegs.
[0008] Various devices of this kind are sold by Kwik Goal Ltd, 140 Pacific Drive Quakertown, Pa 18951, and can be seen at their web site at www.kwikgoal.com; by Jafco Sports of Springfield, Mo. (www.soccerrebounder.com); and by Goal Sporting Goods, Inc., 37 Industrial Park Road, Essex, Conn. 06426 (www.goalsports.com). One such rebounder product is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,634 to Strain et al. (2001), a sports apparatus for bouncing back a sports object, consisting of an elastomeric sheet stretched across a frame. Another is a device that can be used either as a soccer goal or as a ball-returning practice net for backyard use, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,561 to Daffer, Jr. (1978). A third is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,220 issued to Caruso (2001), which dispenses with upper and lower frames, but stretches a net between two vertical uprights held in place with guy ropes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,844 to Haseltine (1991) suggests a method of causing a ball struck along the ground into a net to rebound with an upward velocity component. A slightly different approach to the problem of returning a kicked ball to the kicker is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,106 issued to Jurcisin (1996), which describes a solid vertical screen that blocks the kicked balls, with a trough at the bottom that collects the kicked balls and funnels them to a conveyor that returns the balls to the kicker.
[0009] Another relevant device existing in prior art is the “batting cage” for practicing hitting in baseball or for practicing golf. These are commonly used to contain the ball struck by a batter or golfer. The surfaces of such cages generally consist of heavyweight knotted nylon netting or similar material. These devices will contain a projectile, but differ from rebounders in that they are not designed to rebound the projectile to the user. Cages of this kind made by Carron Net Company, Inc., 1623-17th Street, Two Rivers, Wis. can be seen at its web site at http://www.carronnet.com/sportbw.pdf.
[0010] All of the heretofore disclosed rebounder devices consist of a rebounding target in a single plane, that is placed perpendicular to the line of travel of the ball between the kicker and the target. The present invention differs from all these in that the user faces rebound surfaces on multiple sides, and may be substantially surrounded by rebound surfaces. For example, in the preferred embodiment, the rebound surfaces form an enclosure in the shape of a square, with each of four sides consisting of a rebounding net or other rebound surface. The user enters said enclosure through an opening and then closes the opening behind the user. In the preferred embodiment this opening is made by attaching one of the rebound surfaces to its frame with Velcro straps that the user can remove to permit entry and then re-attach to close the device. Once inside, the training athlete may kick the ball in any direction and have it returned by a rebound surface. This invention has advantages over the prior art of rebounders that are very significant in training for the sport of soccer, including:
[0011] (a) the prior art only allows the kicker to practice kicking the ball back in the direction from which it came, which is where the rebounder net is placed; in actual soccer game situations, one often wants to kick the ball perpendicular to the direction of its arrival, as when shooting at the goal a ball that has been struck across the field by a teammate; one also often wishes to practice facing in one direction to receive a ball, and then turning 180 degrees to face the other direction and kick the ball; the present invention allows practicing both these maneuvers, and indeed allows practicing repeatedly kicking the ball at any angle in relation to its direction of arrival;
[0012] (b) with the prior rebounder art, if the kicker misses the goal, he is forced to retrieve the ball, wasting practice time; with the current invention, the kicker is surrounded by rebound surfaces, so retrieving stray balls is eliminated; with the prior batting cage art, there is a complete enclosure that contains the projectile, but the ball is not returned to the kicker or other user; and
[0013] (c) a secondary use of the full enclosure embodiment of the invention is as the scene for a game between two or more soccer players, in which goals are inserted within the enclosure at opposite ends, and kicking the ball off of the net walls or other rebound surfaces of the enclosure is permitted as a tactic in trying to pass the opponent and move the ball toward the appropriate goal.
[0014] A device to use in soccer training in which the athlete is confronted on multiple sides, or substantially surrounded, by surfaces consisting of a stretched net or other material that will cause a ball or other projectile to rebound when kicked or otherwise propelled against said surfaces. The surface or surfaces must be in at least two different planes, and may substantially laterally enclose the user, forming a triangle, square, circle, or other geometric shape around the user. (The term “laterally enclose” or “laterally surround” is used throughout this patent application to mean that rebound surfaces appear on substantially all sides of the user, but not below the user and not necessarily above the user). Using the invention, a soccer player can kick the ball against a rebound surface, receive the ball back, and then kick it again in a different direction against another rebound surface or a portion of the rebound surface in another plane. This device may be used to practice many soccer maneuvers, including kicking the ball at various angles to its line of arrival, such as 90 degrees, or turning 180 degrees and kicking the ball in the same direction it was heading when it arrived at the kicker. In each case the ball or other projectile is captured by a rebound surface and therefore the user need not waste time retrieving the ball. A teammate to feed the ball to the user is also not necessary because the athlete can feed himself the ball by striking it against one rebound surface which returns the ball to prompt the user's next action.
[0015]
[0016]
[0017]
[0018]
[0019]
[0020]
[0021]
[0022] Preferred Embodiment
[0023] A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
[0024] In the preferred embodiment, in each of the four corners at the base of the rectangular solid shape stands a vertical frame element
[0025] In the preferred embodiment, each two adjacent vertical frame tubes and the horizontal frame tube that connects them form a vertical square. The surface of this square consists of a net
[0026] Additional stability of the device against lateral movement caused by the impact of the ball or other projectile against the vertical rebound surface is provided by guy ropes
[0027] Alternative Embodiments
[0028] The angle that the plane of each rebound surface makes with the ground, ninety degrees in the preferred embodiment, can be varied, which in turn varies the angle of flight of a ball as it returns to the user. In one embodiment, these angles at which the ball returns can be made variable at the option of the user by movements of the frame tubing. The angle of ball return can also be influenced by using a curved rather than straight frame to hold the net or other rebound surface.
[0029] In another alternative embodiment of the invention, there is an upper surface, top or roof to the lateral enclosure formed by the rebound surfaces. This upper surface functions to prevent the escape of a ball or projectile out of the enclosure. A disadvantage of this embodiment is that the roof prevents kicking the ball to an indefinite height without interference, which limits some potential practice applications. The roof or upper surface may be made of a net similar to the rebound surfaces or may be of any other material that will prevent escape of a ball or projectile.
[0030] There are many alternatives to the rectangular solid shape of the enclosure shown in the preferred embodiment. In some of these, the device still consists of an enclosed space in which the user may be substantially laterally surrounded by rebound surfaces. One example is an enclosure consisting of three vertical rebound surfaces, which can be at various angles to each other, such that a horizontal cross section of the enclosure would be in the shape of a triangle, as distinct from the four vertical walls of the preferred embodiment shown in
[0031] Other alternative embodiments of the invention consist of a plurality of rebound surfaces in different planes that differ from the single-plane rebounders existing in prior art, but yet do not completely enclose the user. For example, one alternative embodiment is a device consisting of two vertical rebound surfaces, at 90 degrees to each other, essentially the preferred embodiment with two sides removed. This is shown in
[0032] An noted, the preferred embodiment uses detachable Velcro straps
[0033] Operation of the Invention
[0034] In the preferred embodiment shown in
[0035] Once inside the enclosure (in the case of the preferred embodiment shown in
[0036] The ball or other projectile can be kicked or otherwise propelled any number of times in a continuous fashion, to practice timing and introduce an aerobic conditioning element to the practice session. The user of the device can follow a predetermined sequence of maneuvers, or one that is called out by a coach observing the practice session. The following are several examples of useful soccer practice routines enabled by the invention:
[0037] (a) In a 4-surface enclosure such as the preferred embodiment shown in
[0038] (b) In a 4-surface enclosure such as the preferred embodiment shown in
[0039] (c) In a 4-wall enclosure such as the preferred embodiment shown in
[0040] (d) In a 4-wall enclosure such as the preferred embodiment shown in
[0041] (e) Using either the preferred embodiment shown in
[0042] None of the practice routines described above are possible using the prior art. Many other novel practice techniques are also enabled by the invention. Those noted above are merely illustrative.
[0043] In addition to practice drills for individuals such as those described above, the invention also enables a novel form of competitive game between two or more soccer players. This game would be played within a 4-surface rectangular enclosure of perhaps 10 yards width and 20 yards length, similar to
[0044] In addition to enabling novel practice drills for individuals and the novel form of game described in the preceding paragraph, the current invention can serve as a practice tool for sports other than soccer that also involve propelling a projectile toward a goal, such as lacrosse, hockey and basketball. In this application, the device is used in a manner analogous to the soccer practice drills described above, except that instead of kicking a soccer ball, the user throws or strikes a lacrosse ball, hockey puck or basketball against the rebound surface. Some variation in materials might be necessary for such other sports, such as using net with a different mesh size, or a different rebound surface. In addition to the practice applications for other sports, a multi-person game analogous to that described in the preceding paragraph is also possible for other sports that involve propelling a projectile into a goal.
[0045] Advantages
[0046] Advantages of the invention include:
[0047] (a) It allows practicing repeated kicking or heading of a soccer ball (or throwing or striking another kind of ball or projectile) at any angle in relation to the ball or other projectile's direction of arrival;
[0048] (b) it allows practicing trapping and controlling a soccer ball coming from any direction;
[0049] (c) it retains a kicked or otherwise struck ball or other projectile near the user to avoid wasting time retrieving the ball or projectile;
[0050] (d) in addition to being usable as a training device by an individual, the invention enables a soccer competition between two or more users in which kicking the ball against the nets or other rebound surfaces of an enclosure is possible, or an analogous competition for other sports in which throwing or striking the ball or other projectile against the nets or other rebound surfaces of an enclosure is possible.