Patent Application
20200290810
The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for storing, organizing, and/or conveying objects in a selected order, such as sports equipment.
Sports played on a court such as pickleball, tennis, badminton, etc., are popular, and at public courts and clubs there are typically players waiting to play. In order to keep track of the order of players, players often arrange their racquets or other sporting equipment in the order of who is next up to play. Such arrangements may be made by putting racquets into openings in a chain link fence, or arranging racquets in a line on the ground, on a bench, etc. Players that are next up to play retrieve their racquets from the head of the line, and players coming off the court place their racquets at the end of the line. The problem with such arrangements is that each time a new player is up to play, all racquets in the line must be advanced. Where racquets are placed in a fence, racquets may fall and the player's place in line may be lost. Placing racquets on the ground or in a fence can also subject them to damage. Accordingly, there is a need for improvements to systems for organizing and conveying sports equipment to determine the order of play.
The present disclosure concerns systems and methods for storing, organizing, and/or conveying objects, such as sports equipment. In a representative embodiment, an assembly comprises a first pulley, a second pulley spaced apart from the first pulley, and a continuous belt extending between the first pulley and the second pulley. The belt is movable by rotation of the first pulley and the second pulley. The assembly further comprises a plurality of engagement members coupled to and movable with the belt such that the engagement members travel along a path extending from the first pulley to the second pulley and back to the first pulley when the belt is in motion, the engagement members being configured to engage and convey sports equipment along the path. The assembly also includes a stop member located along the path of the engagement members. The second pulley is spaced apart from the first pulley along a first axis, and the second pulley is spaced apart from the first pulley along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis such that the belt is inclined toward the second pulley, and such that sports equipment engaged with an engagement member beneath the first pulley will advance toward the second pulley. The stop member is offset from the path of the engagement members such that when the belt is in motion, empty engagement members proceed along the path beyond the stop member, and the stop member is configured to stop motion of the belt upon contacting sports equipment conveyed by an engagement member.
In some embodiments, the first pulley, the second pulley, and the belt are at least partially enclosed in a housing, and the engagement members extend out of the housing such that the path of the engagement members extends around an exterior of the housing.
In some embodiments, the stop member is disposed beneath the second pulley.
In some embodiments, the engagement members are angled relative to the belt such that sports equipment coupled to engagement members beneath the belt hang parallel to the second axis.
In some embodiments, each engagement member comprises a support member coupled to the belt at one end, and a pair of clamping members extending from the support member at the other end such that the clamping members are offset from the belt along the second axis.
In some embodiments, the first pulley is configured to rotate about a first rotation axis, the second pulley is configured to rotate about a second rotation axis, and the clamping members extend from the support members parallel to the first and second rotation axes.
In some embodiments, the clamping members are configured to engage sports equipment to be conveyed along the path such that longitudinal axes of the conveyed sports equipment are oriented perpendicular to the axes of rotation of the first and second pulleys.
In some embodiments, a motor is coupled to the first pulley or to the second pulley to drive the belt.
In some embodiments, the stop member comprises a limit switch configured to stop operation of the motor when the limit switch contacts sports equipment conveyed by an engagement member.
In some embodiments, the assembly further comprises a base having a first portion configured to be mounted to a support, and a second portion coupled to the first portion and offset from the first portion. The first pulley and the second pulley are coupled to the second portion of the base such that at least a portion of the path of the engagement members is offset from the first portion of the base.
In some embodiments, the base further comprises a third portion between the first portion and the second portion, the third portion extending outwardly from the first portion such that the second portion is spaced apart from the first portion.
In some embodiments, the engagement members are configured to engage handles of sports equipment, and the base further comprises a tray configured to receive game balls.
In some embodiments, the first and second pulleys are coupled to an opposite side of the second portion of the base from the tray.
In some embodiments, the stop member is coupled to the second portion of the base, and comprises an extension portion oriented perpendicular to the direction of motion of engagement members along the path.
In another representative embodiment, an assembly comprises a first pulley configured to rotate about a first rotation axis, a second pulley spaced apart from the first pulley and configured to rotate about a second rotation axis, and a continuous belt extending between the first pulley and the second pulley and movable by rotation of the first pulley and the second pulley. A plurality of engagement members are coupled to and movable with the belt such that the engagement members travel along a path extending from the first pulley to the second pulley and back to the first pulley when the belt is in motion, the engagement members being configured to engage and convey sports equipment along the path such that longitudinal axes of the conveyed sports equipment are oriented perpendicular to the axes of rotation of the first and second pulleys. A stop member is located along the path of the engagement members and offset from the path of the engagement members. The stop member is configured to allow empty engagement members to proceed along the path beyond the stop member, and to stop motion of the belt upon contacting sports equipment conveyed by an engagement member.
In some embodiments, the first pulley, the second pulley, and the belt are at least partially enclosed in a housing, and the engagement members extend out of the housing such that the path of the engagement members extends around an exterior of the housing.
In some embodiments, the stop member is disposed beneath the second pulley.
In some embodiments, the second pulley is spaced apart from the first pulley along a first axis, and the second pulley is spaced apart from the first pulley along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis such that the belt is inclined toward the second pulley, and the engagement members are angled relative to the belt such that sports equipment coupled to engagement members beneath the belt hang parallel to the second axis.
In some embodiments, each engagement member comprises a support member coupled to the belt at one end, and a pair of clamping members extending from the support member at the other end such that the clamping members are offset from the belt along the second axis.
In another representative embodiment, a method comprises coupling an assembly to a support, the assembly comprising a first pulley, a second pulley spaced apart from the first pulley, and a continuous belt extending between the first pulley and the second pulley and movable by rotation of the first pulley and the second pulley. The assembly further comprises a plurality of engagement members coupled to and movable with the belt such that the engagement members travel along a path extending from the first pulley to the second pulley and back to the first pulley when the belt is in motion, the engagement members being configured to engage and convey sports equipment along the path. The assembly further comprises a stop member located along the path of the engagement members. The second pulley is spaced apart from the first pulley along a first axis, and the second pulley is spaced apart from the first pulley along a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis such that the belt is inclined toward the second pulley, and such that sports equipment engaged with an engagement member beneath the first pulley will advance toward the second pulley. The stop member is offset from the path of the engagement members such that when the belt is in motion, empty engagement members proceed along the path beyond the stop member, and the stop member is configured to stop motion of the belt upon contacting sports equipment conveyed by an engagement member.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed technology will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.
The present disclosure pertains to systems and methods for storing, organizing, and conveying sports equipment such as paddles, racquets, bats, or any other object including a long handle or neck. In some embodiments, the systems comprise a conveyor assembly including two pulleys spaced apart in two axes, and a belt extending between the pulleys. The belt can be angled or sloped from the first pulley toward the second pulley. Objects to be conveyed, such as paddles, can be coupled to engagement members on the lower span of the belt such that the paddles hang vertically from the belt. The weight of the paddles hanging from the belt above or upstream of the second pulley can cause the belt to move around the pulleys, conveying the paddles toward the lower second pulley (in other words, motion of the belt can be gravity-driven). A stop member positioned in or adjacent the path of the engagement members can stop the belt upon contacting a paddle, while letting empty engagement members pass. In this manner, players can engage their paddles with the engagement members on the belt in a desired order of play, and the conveyor system can automatically advance the paddles toward the stop member while preserving the selected order. Players who are next up to play can remove their paddles stopped at the stop member, and players wishing to be added to the queue can add their paddles to empty or open engagement members on the belt upstream of the second pulley.
The second portion 18 can extend from an edge of the third portion 20 that is opposite the first portion 16, and can be parallel to the first portion 16. In other words, the second portion 18 can be offset from the first portion 16 by the third portion 20. As used herein, unless stated in absolute terms such as “completely parallel,” the term “parallel” includes the term “substantially parallel.” For example, an object is substantially parallel with respect to a reference object or plane when the object is oriented at an angle of ±20° or less with respect to the reference object or plane. In certain embodiments, the first portion 16 can be configured for mounting on a support 21, such as on a wall, a beam, a post, etc., and such that the second portion 18 is offset from the support by the third portion 20.
In certain embodiments, the first, second, and third portions 16-20 of the base 12 can be integrally formed with one another. As used herein, the terms “unitary construction” and “integrally formed” refer to a construction that does not include any welds, fasteners, or other means for securing separately formed pieces of material to each other. For example, in certain embodiments the base 12 can comprise stamped sheet metal, or molded plastic. In other embodiments, the various portions of the base 12 can be separately formed and secured together.
The conveyor assembly 14 can be coupled to the second portion 18 of the base 12. Referring to
Still referring to
The belt 30 can comprise a plurality of engagement members generally indicated at 32 that are coupled to the belt and spaced apart from each other along the belt.
Referring to
With reference to
Referring to
The tab portion 52 of the stop member 50 can define a stop location or stop plane 56 along the x-axis at which objects conveyed by the assembly 14 can be stopped by the tab portion. With reference to
Returning to
Referring again to
In use, objects to be stored or conveyed using the assembly 10 can be inserted between the clamping members 44 of the engagement members 32 such that the objects are gripped by the clamping members 44. In the illustrated embodiment, the exemplary objects to be conveyed are paddles 72 such as may be used for playing pickleball or table tennis. With the handles 74 of the paddles 72 clamped between the clamp members 44, the paddles 72 can hang from the engagement members 32 with their axes (e.g., longitudinal axis 46 of
A paddle 72 in contact with the stop member 50, and thereby stopped at the stop plane 56, can indicate that the owner of that paddle is next up at play. When the paddle 72 is removed from the respective engagement member 32, the belt 30 can automatically advance the remaining paddles along the path until the next paddle contacts the stop member 50. In this manner, the assembly 10 can maintain the paddles in a selected order, can indicate who is next up to play by positioning that player's paddle at the stop member 50, and can automatically advance the position of players' paddles along the path in the selected order as paddles are removed and added without requiring further interaction with the assembly 10. In some embodiments, one or both of the pulleys 22 and 24, and/or the belt 30, can comprise a pulley speed tensioner, a belt speed tensioner, and/or a clutch bearing configured to slow the rate of advance of the belt along the path. In embodiments with a pulley speed tensioner, the pulley speed tensioner can apply friction to the pulley in order to slow the rate of rotation of the pulley, and thereby control the speed of the belt.
In other embodiments, the system may be used to convey any of a variety of objects, including sports equipment such as pickleball paddles, tennis racquets, table tennis paddles, badminton racquets, squash racquets, baseball bats, golf clubs, etc. The systems described herein may also be used to store and convey any other type of object where it is desired to preserve a selected order of the objects, such as name badges (e.g., indicating a selected player order, such as a batting order), food or beverage containers, tools, etc.
In other embodiments, the system 10 may also be driven by an electric motor 80 shown in dashed lines in
In other embodiments, the engagement members 32 can comprise any of a variety of other structures for engaging objects, including magnets, hooks, clips, alligator clips, cradles, etc.
The conveyor assembly 104 can be contained at least partially within a cover or housing 132. The housing 132 can be coupled to the second portion 108 of the base 102, such as to the lower surface of the second portion 108.
The belt 116 can comprise a plurality of engagement members 118 coupled to and spaced apart along the belt 116. The engagement members 118 can comprise support members 120 coupled to the belt 116 at one end, and including clipping or clamping arms 122 at the opposite end of the support members. In certain embodiments, the clamping members 118 can be configured as spring clamps, as described above. In certain embodiments, the belt can be contained in the housing 132, and the clamping arms 122 can extend out of the housing 132.
The conveyor assembly 104 can comprise a motor 124 coupled to a first gear 126. The first gear 126 can be meshed with a second, larger gear 128 coupled to, or incorporated in, the first pulley 112. Rotation of the gears 126 and 128 by the motor 124 can drive the pulley 112 and move the belt 116, thereby moving the engagement members 118 in a path around the housing 132 indicated by arrows 134 (
Referring to
The stop member 50 can include a limit switch 97 configured substantially as described above, and positioned adjacent the path of the engagement members 32 to stop the motor 94 upon contacting a paddle or other object conveyed by the engagement members. For example, in certain embodiments the limit switch 97 can be mounted to the tab portion 52 (
General Considerations
For purposes of this description, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the embodiments of this disclosure are described herein. The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems are not limiting in any way. Instead, the present disclosure is directed toward all novel and nonobvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations and sub-combinations with one another. The methods, apparatus, and systems are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combination thereof, nor do the disclosed embodiments require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved. The scope of this disclosure includes any features disclosed herein combined with any other features disclosed herein, unless physically impossible.
Although the operations of some of the disclosed embodiments are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forth herein. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed components can be used in conjunction with other components.
As used in this disclosure and in the claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Additionally, the term “includes” means “comprises.” Further, the terms “coupled” and “associated” generally mean electrically, electromagnetically, and/or physically (e.g., mechanically or chemically) coupled or linked and does not exclude the presence of intermediate elements between the coupled or associated items absent specific contrary language.
In some examples, values, procedures, or apparatus may be referred to as “lowest,” “best,” “minimum,” or the like. Such descriptions are intended to indicate that a selection among many alternatives can be made, and such selections need not be better, smaller, or otherwise preferable to other selections.
In the description, certain terms may be used such as “up,” “down,” “upper,” “lower,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “left,” “right,” and the like. These terms are used, where applicable, to provide some clarity of description when dealing with relative relationships. But, these terms are not intended to imply absolute relationships, positions, and/or orientations. For example, with respect to an object, an “upper” surface can become a “lower” surface simply by turning the object over. Nevertheless, it is still the same object.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of components, angles, molecular weights, percentages, temperatures, times, and so forth, as used in the specification or claims are to be understood as being modified by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, implicitly or explicitly, the numerical parameters set forth are approximations that can depend on the desired properties sought and/or limits of detection under test conditions/methods familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art. When directly and explicitly distinguishing embodiments from discussed prior art, the embodiment numbers are not approximates unless the word “about” is recited. Furthermore, not all alternatives recited herein are equivalents.
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed technology may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Rather, the scope of the disclosure is at least as broad as the following claims. We therefore claim all that comes within the scope and spirit of these claims.
