MINIATURE SOCCER GOAL

Abstract

A miniature soccer goal has a frame including a front lateral tube, left and right upright tubes attached onto the left and right sides of the front lateral tube, left and right side tubes each having a front end attached at lower end of the left and right upright tubes, respectively, and a back end attached to a back lateral tube. Each of the front and back lateral tubes, and the left and right uprights and the left and right side tubes has a net slot leading into an internal channel. The internal channel may be formed by an arc section and side walls. A net is supported on the frame with edges of the net captive in the channels of the tubes. The frame has left and right net tubes attached to left and right back corners of the net and optionally applying tension to the net.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many different types of soccer goals have been used for different game play, from children's leagues up to professional team competitions. The goal typically has a net supported on a rigid frame made of metal or plastic tubes. Small size goals have been provided for play by small children. Generally, these types of children's goals are similar to the larger goals, but made proportionally smaller. While these types of goals have been used with varying degrees of success, improvements in goal design remain to be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A miniature soccer goal has a frame including a front lateral tube, left and right upright tubes attached onto the left and right sides of the front lateral tube, left and right side tubes each having a front end attached at lower end of the left and right upright tubes, respectively, and a back end attached to a back lateral tube. Each of the front and back lateral tubes, and the left and right upright tubes and the left and right side tubes has a net slot leading into an internal channel. The internal channel may be formed by an arc section and side walls. A net is supported on the frame with edges of the net captive in the channels of the tubes. The frame has left and right net tubes attached to left and right back corners of the net holding up the back of the net and optionally applying tension to the net.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a miniature soccer goal.

FIG. 2 is a left side perspective view of the frame of the soccer goal shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3. is a back perspective view of the frame shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a left side exploded perspective view of the frame shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along a lateral centerline of the frame.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged section view of the back lateral tube and corner fitting of the frame.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the upright fitting shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the net ring shown in FIGS. 1-5.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the corner fitting shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a miniature soccer goal 10 has a net 16 supported on a frame 14. The goal 10 may be compact so that it may be used by young children, indoors or outdoors. For example, the goal 10 may have a width WW of 50-60 cm and a height HH of 30-40 cm high. The frame 14 may be made of hollow plastic tubes, such as extruded PVC. FIG. 1 shows a standard soccer ball 12 having a diameter of about 22 cm to indicate a relative size of one example of the goal 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the frame 14 may be symmetrical about its lateral centerline CC in FIG. 2, with the left side of the frame a mirror image of the right side of the frame. For purpose of explanation, the left side of the frame 14 is primarily described below, with the understanding that this description applies to the right side of the frame as well. The left side components of the frame are the same as, or mirror images of, the right side components.

A the lower end of a left upright tube 22 is releasably attached onto a left upright fitting 28. The upper end of the left upright tube 22 is similarly releasably attached to a vertical leg of a left elbow fitting, with the left end of a front lateral tube 24 attached to a horizontal leg of the left elbow 26 fitting.

A left side tube 30 is releasably attached to the left upright fitting 28 and to a left corner fitting 34. The left end of a back lateral tube 32 is also attached to the left corner fitting 34, perpendicular to the left side tube 30. A left net tube 36 extends up from the left corner fitting 34, with a net ring 38 at the top end of the left net tube 36.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, a net slot 42 is provided at the back surface of the left and right upright tubes 22 and the back surface of the front lateral tube 24. A net slot 42 is also provided on the top surface of the left and right side tubes 30 and the back lateral tube 32. As shown in FIG. 6, the net slot 42 may be formed via sidewalls 44 of the tubes 22, 24, 30 and 32 projecting radially inwardly from the outer cylindrical surface of the tube to form an inner rail 40. In the example shown, the net slot 42 is formed between spaced apart side walls 44 which join an arc section 48, with a channel 46 formed in the arc section 48. Referring momentarily to FIGS. 6 and 9, the tubes and the arc section 48 may be round (except at the gap formed at the net slot 42), with the arc section 48 offset from the center of the tube, creating a crescent shaped space 64 between them. The tubes and the arc section may alternatively have other non-round geometric shapes.

Referring to FIG. 7, the upright fitting 28 may have an upright or insert section 52 having a upright rail slot 54, and a side tube or insert section 56 having a side rail slot 58. The upright rail slot 54 allows the inner rail 40 in the upright tube 22 to slide down over the upright section 52 of the upright fitting 28. Similarly, the side rail slot 58 allows the side tube to slide over the side tube section 56 of the fitting 28, during assembly of the frame.

The fittings 26, 28 and 34 may be cast or molded from PVC or other plastic. The tubes 22, 24, 30 and 32 may have a uniform cross section, i.e., the cross section does not change along the length of the tube. As shown in FIG. 7, the fittings 28 and 34 may have a receptacle rail 60 dimensioned to slide into the channel 46 of the inner rail 40 in the tubes.

The edges of the net 16 have knots or a braid 18 which is thicker than the width of the net slot 42. During initial assembly of the goal 10, the knots or braid 18 at the edges of the net installed into the tubes 22, 24, 30 and 32 by sliding them in through the open end of the tube. The edges of the net 16 are captive in the tubes as the knots or braid 18 cannot pass through or pull out of the net slots 42.

The goal may be provided from the factory dismantled, with the tubes detached from the fittings 26, 28 and 34, with the edges of the net optionally already threaded into the tubes. The goal 10 may then be quickly and easily set up by attaching the tubes to the fittings. The tubes and fittings may be manufactured so that they fit together via nominal hand force, and with friction forces holding the tubes onto the fittings in ordinary use. One or more fasteners may optionally be used to more securely or more permanently hold the fittings and tubes together. Of course, one or more of the tubes and fittings may optionally be permanently attached to each other, or formed together as a single piece.

The tubes 22 and 24 may have a larger diameter than the tubes 30 and 32. For example, the tubes 22 and 24 may have an outside diameter of 45 to 55 mm while the tubes 30 and 32 have a diameter of 20 to 30 mm, each optionally with a wall thickness of 0.7 to 2 mm. Alternatively, all of the tubes may have the same diameter.

The net tubes 36 may be flexible and set at an outward and backward angle so as to exert tension on the net 16, as shown in FIG. 1. The net 16 may then be held on the frame 14 with generally flat and parallel vertical left and right side panels perpendicular to a back net panel and to a top net panel, forming a four-sided rectangular enclosure.

Any of the tubes, and especially tubes 22 and 24 may have ballast compartments for holding sand or water, to better stabilize the goal 10. Fill ports 62 having cap seals may be used for this purpose. Although described as a soccer goal, the goal 10 may of course be used for other sports as well, in miniature form, or scaled up to full size for use by adult players.

Thus, a novel soccer goal has been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except to the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A miniature soccer goal, comprising: a frame including a front lateral tube, a left upright tube attached to a left side of the front lateral tube, a right upright tube attached to a right side of the front lateral tube, a left side tube having a front end attached at a lower end of the left upright tube and a back end attached to a back lateral tube, a right side tube having a front end attached at a lower end of the right upright tube and a back end attached to the back lateral tube, wherein each of the front lateral tube, the back lateral tube, the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the left side tube, and the right side tube include a net slot leading into an internal channel;a net supported by the frame, the net having edges including knots thicker than a width of the net slot, the knots retained in each of the internal channels such that the edges of the net are slidable within the net slot; andthe frame further including left and right net tubes supporting left and right sides of the net.

2-3. (canceled)

4. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein each of the front lateral tube, the back lateral tube, the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the left side tube, and the right side tube are rigid, and each of the left and right net tubes are flexible and exert tension on the net.

5. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein each of the net slots is formed by an arc section and side walls forming a rail, the left side tube and the left upright tube are releaseably attached to a left upright fitting, the rail of the left upright tube projects through an upright rail slot in the left upright fitting, and the rail of the left side tube projects through side rail slot in the left upright fitting.

6. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube have a diameter D1, and the left side tube and the right side tube have a diameter D2, and wherein D1 is at least 1.5 times D2.

7. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein the net slots of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube face a back end of the frame, and the net slots of the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube face up toward a top of the net.

8. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein each of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the lateral tube, the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube has a uniform cross section.

9. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein the frame holds the net into a suspended configuration, and wherein the net has left and right side panels perpendicular to a back panel and a top panel.

10. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 further including one or more ballast compartments in at least one of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the left side tube, and the right side tube.

11. The miniature soccer goal of claim 1 wherein the net slot is formed by an arc section and side walls.

12. A miniature goal, comprising: a left upright tube having a lower end releasably attached onto an upright insert section of a left upright fitting;a left side tube having a front end releasably attached onto a side insert section of the left upright fitting, perpendicular to the upright insert section, and with a back end of the left side tube releasably attached to a corner insert section of a left corner fitting;a back lateral tube having a left end releasably attached to a back insert section of the left corner fitting, perpendicular to the corner insert section;a left net tube attached to the left corner fitting;a right upright tube having a lower end releasably attached onto an upright insert section of a right upright fitting;a right side tube having a front end releasably attached onto a side insert section of the right upright fitting, perpendicular to the upright insert section, and with a back end of the right side tube releasably attached to a corner insert section of a right corner fitting;a right end of the back lateral tube releasably attached to a back insert section of the right corner fitting, perpendicular to the corner insert section;a right net tube attached to the right corner fitting;the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube each including a first inner rail formed by a first arc section and first side walls, with a first net slot disposed between the first sidewalls and a first channel in the first arc section;the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube each including a second inner rail formed by a second arc section and second side walls, with a second net slot disposed between the second sidewalls and a second channel in the second arc section;a net supported by the frame, the net having front edges including knots thicker than a width of the first net slots and slidably retained within the first net slots of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube, and the net having lower edges including knots thicker than a width of the second net slots and slidably retained within the second net slots of the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube.

13. The miniature goal of claim 12 wherein the first slot is between 2 and 8 millimeters wide.

14. The goal of claim 12 wherein the first arc section is offset from a centerline of the upright tube.

15. The miniature soccer goal of claim 6 wherein a diameter of the back lateral tube is substantially equal to D2.