Patent Application
20120292211
This invention relates to storage systems and particularly to a system for storing sports and playground balls.
A place and means for storing a plurality of balls for sports and playground should have a number of features. It should be locatable in a place that is accessible to a place of play. It should be capable of storing balls in an area that is accessible to where a team will practice.
It should be able to hold a number of balls, perhaps a dozen or so, that can accommodate a plurality of players, perhaps twenty or more for a team or class group. It should be designed to accommodate a rambunctious group of youngsters that are intent on getting out onto the area of play or not overly concentrated on collecting and storing the balls after play or the game period has ended.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,951 discloses a basketball storage system having a stanchion extending from a court floor, a backboard on the top end of the stanchion, a rim attached to the backboard, a net hanging down from the rim and a container for holding basketball. The container is attached to the stanchion so at least one basketball (30) is available for a basketball game.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,461 discloses a ball storage apparatus including a ball container defined by a wall and having an upper portion and a lower portion. The ball container has a mouth large enough for a ball to pass there through. The mouth is disposed toward the upper portion of the ball container. An opening, large enough for the ball, is disposed in the wall, toward the lower portion of the ball container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,006772 discloses a collapsible structure that can be easily and quickly folded into a compact configuration. The collapsible structures have at least three foldable frame members, each having a folded and an unfolded orientation. A fabric material covers each frame member to form a panel for each frame member when the frame member is in the unfolded orientation, with the fabric assuming the unfolded orientation of its associated frame member.
None of these systems provide a system of ball storage that provides the ease of accessibility for the number of balls, contemplated for the present invention.
It is an object of this invention to provide a container for storing a dozen or so sports and playground balls. It is contemplated that the container be arranged and have sufficient capacity to permit a stream of players to haphazardly throw or drop the balls into the container and retrieve the balls without having to “stretch down” over an edge of the container to reach a ball at the bottom of the container.
It is another object that the container be fixable in a convenient location such as a gym, locker, garage, outdoor wall, fence or training facility.
It is another object that the container be lightweight.
It is another object that the container be easy to assemble and dissemble as required.
This invention is directed toward a container being a frame of elongated members over which a cloth cover is fitted. The container is open on top to facilitate “dropping” balls into the container.
Openings are provided in at least one side of the container through which balls can be conveniently withdrawn.
One vertical side of the container is attachable to a fitting that is bolted to a wall.
In another embodiment each of the two vertical elongated openings in the front wall of the container are fitted with a zipper that can be locked when the zippers are in the closed position.
In yet another embodiment, a cloth roof is attached along the top edge of the rear vertical wall. The roof can be extended over the container and locked to the top edge of the front vertical wall
When the container of balls is closed and locked, balls inside the locked container are inaccessible.
Turning now to a discussion of the drawings,
A lid 12 is poised over an open canvas box 11. The rectangular opening of canvas box 11 is formed by two rods 14 C,D joined to two bars 14A,B
One end each of bars 14C,D, respectively, engage a pair of rectangular anchor plates 16A,B. Anchor plates 16A,B may be bolted to a vertical wall (wall not shown) if it is required that the container 10 be kept stationary in a designated location.
Lid 12 comprises a cloth sheet 12C having an opposite pair of sleeve edges 12D secured which slide onto beams 12A and 12B. Beams 12A and 12B each have a pair of slots 12 E so that lid 12 may rest on the top edge of container 11 with slots 12E respectively engaging rods 14C,14D. A pair of support rods 14C,D are shown. Each rod has an end dimensioned for fitted insertion into a hole 16C,D in a respective anchor plate 16A,B. When an end of each rod 14C,D is inserted into a respective hole 16C,D of a plate 16A,B bolted to a wall, each rod 14C,D is anchored perpendicular to the wall parallel to the other rod 14D,C.
The pair of bars 14A,B are shown with a hole 14E in each end of the bars 14A,B. The free end of each rod 14D,E fits snuggly into a hole 16E in a respective one of the plates 16D,E
Each bar 14A,B has hole 14E in each end. The holes 14E in each bar 14A,B are dimensioned to permit sliding an end of each rod 14C,D through a respective hole 14E in the bars 14A,B thereby forming a rectangular frame.
When an end of each rod 14C,D of the frame is fitted into a hole 16C,D in the plate bolted to the wall, the frame of bars and rods is perpendicular to the wall.
There has been described a container that is conveniently adaptable to storing athletic equipment, particularly sports and playground balls. The container is supported by a rigid frame that is attachable to a vertical wall. The lightweight cloth-frame construction ensures ease in moving the container from one location to another.
