Patent Application
20100304903
Various forms of miniature basketball hoops are well known for mounting on bedroom, dorm room, and office doors. Such prior art miniature hoops normally include a backboard with a rounded top edge and one or two hooks on the backboard for mounting over the top edge of the door. The construction of these prior art mini hoops is generally lightweight, such that the hoops do not withstand slam dunks or other abuse. For example, such miniature hoops typically are rigid, such that a slam dunk either breaks the rim or breaks the hooks which mount the hoop to the door.
Prior art hoops also tend to be noisy during use, when the ball hits the backboard or the rim, because there is no padding or sound dampening material between the backboard and the door. Typically, the rear face of the backboard typically engages the surface of the door loosely, and thus rattles when hit by a ball. The door is also subject to scratches by the direct contact between the backboard and the door.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop for mounting on a door.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door-mounted miniature basketball hoop having sound dampening material between the backboard and the door.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a miniature basketball hoop for use on a door without scratching or damaging the door.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved door-mounted miniature basketball hoop having a break-away rim.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop for mounting on a door whose appearance from the front of the door closely resembles an NBA-style backboard and rim.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop which can be quickly and easily mounted and dismounted on a door.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved miniature basketball hoop for door mounting which is durable and safe in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The basketball hoop 10 of the present invention generally includes a polycarbonate, shatterproof backboard 12 to which a break-away rim 14 is mounted. The backboard 12 is rectangular and includes front and rear faces. The backboard 12 is transparent substantially across its full dimension, except for an outer perimeter strip or band 16 adjacent the four perimeter edges of the backboard 12, and the bank target 18 above the rim 14. A pair of hooks 20 are mounted on the rear face of the backboard 12 and extend rearwardly and downwardly from the upper edge of the backboard 12. Thus, the hooks 20 are substantially hidden by the door when the hoop 10 is mounted on the door. Preferably, the hooks 20 are a squared C-shape, with a forward leg 21, a rearward leg 23, and a top web 25. The front leg 21 is secured to the backboard 12 by one or more bolts 27. The lower end 29 of the rear leg 23 may be flared to facilitate mounting of the hoop 10 on the door.
The rim assembly 14 includes a pair of mounting plates 22, 24 positioned on opposite sides of the backboard 12 and secured thereto by a plurality of bolts 26. A horizontal plate 28 is pinned to the front mounting plate 22 via a hinge 30. A metal rim 32 is welded to the front edge of the upper horizontal plate 28. The hinge 30 includes first and second pairs of hinge tubes or collars 31, 33 welded to the plates 22, 28 respectively, with a hinge pin 35 extending through the aligned collars, so that the horizontal plate 28, to which the rim 32 is welded, can pivot relative to the plate 22. A lower horizontal plate 34 is welded to the front mounting plate 22. A spring 36 extends between the upper and lower horizontal plates 28, 34 such that the rim 32 is spring biased, so as to be a break-away rim which pivots resiliently downwardly when a ball is dunked through the rim 32. The spring 36 normally biases the rim 32 back to a horizontal position after a dunk is completed.
The rim 32 includes a plurality of hooks 38 to which a basketball net 40 is removably mounted.
At least one sound dampener 42 is provided on the rear face of the backboard 12. Preferably, the sound dampener 42 is in the form of a resilient, soft rubber or foam strip extending around the outer perimeter of the rear face of the backboard 12 so as to engage the door when the hoop 10 is mounted on the door. The sound dampener 42 also protects the door against scratches from the backboard 12. A secondary sound dampener 44 may be provided on the rear face of the backboard 12 immediately behind the target 18. The first and second sound dampeners 42, 44 form substantially concentric inner and outer rings, as seen in
A miniature basketball (not shown) is provided for shooting through the rim 32 and the net 40.
The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of a provisional application Ser. No. 61/181,092 filed May 26, 2009, and which application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61181092 | May 2009 | US |
