In general, the present invention relates to sports goals, such as those used as goals for soccer, hockey, lacrosse and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to sports goals with folding corner joints that enable the sports goal to be selectively collapsed into a shape that is easier to store and carry.
Many sports, such as soccer, hockey, field hockey, lacrosse, and the like use goals that rest upon the ground. Such goals vary in dimensions depending upon the rules of the game being played. A great multitude of undersized goals also exist for use in practice and unofficial backyard play. Regardless of the size of the goal, sports goals tend to be large and bulky. As such, sports goals are difficult to package, difficult to transport and difficult to erect. It is for these reasons that many collapsible sports goals are available in the marketplace.
Collapsible sports goals are goals that are designed to be folded or disassembled when not in use. Such sports goals typically have corner joints that are used to interconnect various straight pieces of tubular frame. Often, the corner joints are fixed in shape. The tubular frame elements are simply connected to the corner joints when the sports net is erected and are disconnected from the corner joints when the net assembly is collapsed. That is, the sports goal is simply assembled when needed and dissembled for storage. Such prior art sports goals are U.S. Pat. No. 7,125,351 to Raber, entitled Portable Foldable Goal Assembly.
The problem associated with such prior art sports goals is that the sports goals take time and effort to assemble and disassemble. Furthermore, since the sports goal disassembles into pieces, all the pieces must be stored and carried together. If one piece gets misplaced, it may no longer be possible to properly assemble the sports goal. It is for this reason that many sports goals are made to be collapsible assemblies. In such a sports goal, the sports goal is assembled once by connecting straight tubular frame elements to hinged corner joints. The hinged corner joints have the ability to be adjusted between an open configuration and a collapsed configuration while remaining in an assembly with the tubular frame elements. The hinged corner joints typically have two sections that are joined at a hinge. A release mechanism is then used to enable the two sections to rotate about the hinge. Such prior art hinged corner joints are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,353 to Roche, U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,045 to Liao, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0356067 to James.
A problem associated with such prior art hinged corner joints is that the mechanism that controls the locking and release of the hinge is often complicated to manufacture and difficult to operate. This is especially true for hinged corner joints on toy play goals that are typically erected and collapsed by children at play.
A need therefore exists for a sports goal that is collapsible yet has a simple release mechanism. A need also exists for a sports goal with hinged corner joints that are inexpensive to manufacture and simple to use. These needs are met by the present invention as described and claimed below.
The present invention is a collapsible sports goal. The sports goal has a framework made from a plurality of frame elements that are interconnected with a plurality of connector joint assemblies. Each of the plurality of connector joint assemblies receives and interconnects two separate frame elements from the plurality of frame elements.
Each of the connector joint assemblies has a first leg and a second leg that are joined together by a hinge. The hinge enables the first leg and the second leg to move between a parallel configuration and a perpendicular configuration. When in a parallel configuration, the sports goal is collapsed with the frame elements densely stacked. In the perpendicular configuration, the sports goal is fully erected and ready for use.
In each connector assembly, the first leg has a spring-loaded locking finger extending therefrom. Additionally, the second leg has a finger engagement hole therein. The locking finger on the first leg engages the finger engagement hole on the second leg when the first leg and the second leg are in the perpendicular configuration. This locks the first leg and the second leg into the perpendicular configuration. The first leg and the second leg can be selectively rotated into the parallel configuration by manually pressing the locking finger on the first leg out of engagement with the second leg. The simple mechanical connection and release makes the sports goal easy to both erect and collapse.
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Although the present invention sports goal can be embodied in many ways, the embodiment illustrated is configured as a play soccer goal for use by children. This embodiment is selected in order to set forth one of the best modes contemplated for the invention. The illustrated embodiment, however, is merely exemplary and should not be considered a limitation when interpreting the scope of the appended claims.
Referring to
The six frame elements 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 include two vertical frame elements 14, 15, two horizontal frame elements 16, 17, a long top frame element 18, and a long bottom frame element 19. The long top frame element 18 and the long bottom frame element 19 have the same length. Likewise, the vertical frame elements 14, 15 have the same length and the horizontal frame elements 16, 17 have the same length. The vertical frame elements 14, 15 and the horizontal frame elements 16, 17 are also equal in length.
The first vertical frame element 14 has a first end 26 and a second end 27. The first horizontal frame element 16 also has a first end 28 and a second end 29. The second end 27 of the first vertical frame 14 element and the second end 29 of the first horizontal frame element 16 are joined together by the first connector joint assembly 20. The first connector joint assembly 20 enables the first vertical frame element 14 and the first horizontal frame element 16 to be selectively positioned between an open configuration and a folded configuration. In the open configuration, illustrated in
The second vertical frame element 15 has a first end 31 and a second end 32. The second horizontal frame element 17 also has a first end 33 and a second end 34. The second end 32 of the second vertical frame element 15 and the second end 34 of the second horizontal frame element 17 are joined together by the second joint assembly 21. The second joint assembly 21 enables the second vertical frame element 15 and the second horizontal frame element 17 to be selectively positioned between an open configuration and a folded configuration. In the open configuration, illustrated in
Flexible netting 35 is provided that attaches to each of the frame elements 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and each of the six connector joint assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. The netting 35 is flexible enough so as not to hinder the folding and unfolding of the sports goal 10.
The long top frame element 18 extends between the first end 26 of the first vertical frame element 14 and the first end 31 of the second vertical frame element 15. The long top frame element 18 engages the first end 26 of the first vertical frame element 14 with the third connection joint assembly 22. The opposite end of the long top frame element 18 engages the first end 31 of the second vertical frame element 15 with the fourth connection joint assembly 23. When the sports goal 10 is fully erect, such as is shown in
The long bottom frame element 19 extends between the first end 28 of the first horizontal frame element 16 and the first end 33 of the second horizontal frame element 17. The long bottom frame element 19 engages the first end 28 of the first horizontal frame element 16 with the fifth connection joint assembly 24. The opposite end of the long bottom frame element 19 engages the first end 33 of the second horizontal frame element 17 with the sixth connection joint assembly 25. When the sports goal 10 is fully erect, such as is shown in
It will be understood that six separate connector joint assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 are utilized within the sports goal 10. All six of the connector joint assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 are identical in structure and are interchangeable. Referring to
The first leg 40 has a tubular casing 44 that extends along a first central axis 46 between a first end 47 and an opposite second end 48. The first leg 40 defines a receptacle 50 that is accessible through the first end 47. The receptacle 50 is sized and shaped to receive the end of one of the frame elements 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 with a friction fit connection. The second end 48 of the first leg 40 is angled at a forty-five degree angle with respect to the first central axis 46. A spring-loaded locking finger 52 extends from the first leg 40 of each of the connector joint assemblies 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 in a direction parallel to the first central axis 46. The spring-loaded locking finger 52 is biased into an extended position by its internal spring 54. In the extended position, the locking finger 52 extends farther beyond the second end 48 of the first leg 40. However, the locking finger 52 can be retracted when engaged by a force in opposition of the spring 54 that is stronger than the spring 54. When retracted, the locking finger 52 can withdraw to a position behind the second end 48 of the first leg 40.
The second leg 42 has a tubular casing 56 that extends along a second central axis 57 between a first end 58 and an opposite second end 59. The second leg 42 defines a receptacle 60 that is accessible through the first end 58. The receptacle 60 is sized and shaped to receive the end of one of the frame elements 14, 15, 16, 17, 16, 19 with a friction fit connection. The second end 59 of the second leg 42 is angled at a forty-five degree angle with respect to the second central axis 57. A finger engagement hole 62 is formed in the second leg 42 just before the second end 59.
Referring to
Referring to
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It will be understood that the embodiment of the present invention that is illustrated and described is merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to that embodiment. All such embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.
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20210008424 A1 | Jan 2021 | US |