Patent Application
20250041691
The invention relates generally to lighting systems, and more specifically, for a portable pickleball lighting system.
Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports. The game is played on a pickleball court having two sides separated by net. Players on each side of the net swing a racquet moving a pickleball over the net, in bounds, to a side of an opposing player.
One feature of a pickleball court is that the dimensions are smaller than a tennis court, allowing makeshift courts to be converted temporarily from a garage driveway, a backyard area, a street area, a basketball court, or even within a tennis court. Some of these facilities have sufficient, permanently installed artificial lighting and daytime play can also provide sufficient natural lighting.
However, nighttime play in non-lighted areas or where lighting is not optimal can hinder pickleball games. For example, a garage driveway can be temporarily converted for play on a weekend and then de-converted for regular use during the week. These existing garage lighting system often are not easily adjusted for pickleball play. In the garage driveway example, the lighting may be fixed on top of the garage and be oriented to only sufficiently illuminate one side of the pickleball court.
Currently there are no affordable, portable lighting systems on the market designed for individual consumer use. Conventional stadium lighting systems often have to be professionally installed, typically including post construction set within concrete on property, which is a permanent and expensive commitment. Conventional portable lighting systems are often not sufficient for pickleball courts due to the height and size of lighting that is ideal or regulated.
What is needed is a robust technique for a portable lighting system that is portable for lighting a temporary pickleball court. The portable lighting system should integrate with a temporary pickleball frame for additional support of optimized lighting.
To meet the above-described needs, methods, computer program products, and systems of portable lighting for a pickleball court.
In one embodiment, a lighting system includes a rigid frame having two opposing vertical members with a bottom end attached to a portable base and a top end. The rigid frame can further comprise a bottom horizontal member spanning between the bottom ends of the two opposing vertical members, and providing crossbar support. A net can be disposed within the rigid frame horizontally between the two opposing vertical members and vertically between the bottom horizontal member and a top end of the two opposing vertical members, a bottom of the net attached to the bottom horizontal member. Two rigid posts, include a first rigid post detachably affixed to a first vertical member and a second rigid post affixed to a second vertical member. Each of the two rigid posts are taller than the vertical members and supporting a top mounted light directed towards a game court for pickleball. The bottom horizontal member provides crossbar support by tying together forces of the two opposing vertical members. Other embodiments have a single rigid pole for lighting.
In another embodiment, a power cord with a plug for a power source and a least two connectors, the power cord running across the bottom horizontal member of the frame, and running up each of the two rigid posts for connection to the top mounted lights via the at least two rigid posts.
In still another embodiment, a processing device provides control of lighting. For example, the processing device can allow enhanced or intelligent lighting features, remote control from a mobile application, in and out of bound sensors, Bluetooth and Internet connectivity.
Advantageously, lighting is easily added to portable pickleball courts.
In the following drawings, like reference numbers are used to refer to like elements. Although the following figures depict various examples of the invention, the invention is not limited to the examples depicted in the figures.
Systems and methods for a portable pickleball lighting system are described herein. The following disclosure is limited only for the purpose of conciseness, as one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize additional embodiments given the ones described herein.
The lighting system 100, in one embodiment, includes light fixtures mounted on posts supported by a rigid frame for netting. The rigid frame is rectangular-shaped with two opposing vertical members separated by a horizontal member connecting the two opposing vertical members onto a common chassis. The rigid frame provides significantly more support to the combination of posts individual support of a single post by a single base. In more detail, each of those vertical members of the rigid frame have a bottom end attached to a portable base and a top end. The base can have wheels, and stoppers to anchor the wheels during gameplay. The rigid frame can further include a bottom horizontal member spanning between the bottom ends of the two opposing vertical members, thereby providing crossbar support for more stable lighting. In one embodiment, dimensions of the bottom horizontal member and the two opposing vertical members are sized to support 22 feet wide and 3 feet high net, according to USA Pickleball (USAPA) regulation size nets. The lighting system 100 can be integrated with the portable net 120 during manufacture (e.g., sold with or without lighting), or added separately off the shelf after manufacture by a third-party.
The portable net 120, in an embodiment, is disposed within the rigid frame, horizontally between the two opposing vertical members, and vertically between the bottom horizontal member and a top end of the two opposing vertical members. A bottom of the net can be attached to the bottom horizontal member. A horizontal support for the net can stretch from a top of the first and second posts, for instance, a cord, a rope, or other material suitable for pickleball net support. In one embodiment, the net is detached from the supports and stored separately. Dimensions of the net can be 22 feet wide and 3 feet high, in one embodiment. Other dimensions are possible. During storage or movement to a new location, the net 120 can be detached and rolled up to fit compactly into a bag.
The two rigid posts comprise a first rigid post detachably affixed to a first vertical member of the rigid frame, and a second rigid post affixed to a second vertical member of the rigid frame (see
In one embodiment, the bottom horizontal member provides crossbar support by tying together forces of the two opposing vertical members. The bottom horizontal member, in a fully integrated system, can be designed for larger sizing to provide additional crossbar support beyond normal pickleball requirements.
One embodiment of the two rigid posts collapse down from, for example, 10 or 25 feet down to 3 feet, for easy storage. More particularly, smaller-diameter concentric inner sections of a post can fold down into larger-diameter outer sections having a larger diameter. The rigid post can be attached to the vertical member with a row of spaced-out U-bolts 310A, 310B, 310C, as shown in
The mounted lights illuminate the pickleball court during play. In some embodiments, the mounted lights have a rechargeable power source for use when too far away from an outlet, and for recharging during storage. Other embodiments rely upon a power cord for power. The lights can be 100 Watt, 150 Watt or 300 Watt with 105,000 Lumen with a bright white or daylight color, for instance. The light type can be outdoor or indoor, stadium or parking lot type lights. A color appearance of lighting can be, for instance, 4000K or 5000k. In one implementation, a mounted LED light supplies 30 footcandles with a maximum or minimum ratio of 2.0 or under, for players to see the pall moving at a high speed. Lighting can be glass free for safety. A photocell can sense current lighting conditions and automatically turn on mounted lights when ambient lighting has waned due to cloudiness or sundown.
In other embodiments, additional infrared sensors can be attached to the mounted lights for assistance on in and out calls. In another embodiment, strip LED lighting around the court can be plugged into the lighting system 100. A remote control or mobile app can control the mounted lights wirelessly.
A power cord can be integrated within the portable net frame 120 and lighting support posts. For example, channels can have a built-in power cord, or allow a power cord to be inserted through the channel. Alternatively, the power cord can be weaved externally around the frame. In other embodiments, the power cord can support Internet connectivity or Wi-Fi support.
The court surface 110 can be any type of firm surface, indoors or outdoors, such as asphalt, concrete, brick, grass or artificial surf. In one case, dimensions of a playing area are 20 foot wide and 44 foot long, over the court surface 110. Permanent boundary lines can be painted on the surface 110, or temporary boundary lines can be taped. Multiple playing courts can be configured on the court surface 110. Lighting can be directed at just the court or to other areas outside the court as well.
Specifically, at step 410, a rigid frame comprising two opposing vertical members is connected with a bottom end attached to a portable base and a top end. The rigid frame further comprises a bottom horizontal member spanning between the bottom ends of the two opposing vertical members. a net is attached within the rigid frame horizontally between the two opposing vertical members and vertically between the bottom horizontal member and a top end of the two opposing vertical members. A bottom of the net is attached to the bottom horizontal member.
At step 420, two rigid posts, comprising a first rigid post detachably affixed to a first vertical member and a second rigid post affixed to a second vertical member, are each of the two rigid posts being taller than the vertical members and supporting a top mounted light directed towards a game court for pickleball. The rigid post can be broken down or folded down to smaller segments. Other embodiments can include a single rigid post, or more than two rigid posts for multiple courts.
At step 440, a power cord with a plug provides a power source and at least two connectors. The power cord can run across the bottom horizontal member of the frame, and run up each of the two rigid posts for connection to the top mounted lights via the at least two rigid posts.
This description of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form described, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teaching above. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical access applications. This description will enable others skilled in the art to best utilize and practice the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to a particular use. The scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.
The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) to U.S. Provisional App. No. 63/628,578, filed on Aug. 2, 2023, by Monica Moran Kelly, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63628578 | Aug 2023 | US |
