Multi-purpose sports apparatus

Abstract

The subject of the utility model is a multi-purpose sports apparatus particularly for improving footballers' technical skills, comprising a foundation body (10) containing a playing surface (11) and an obstacle element (20). The distinctive feature of the method is that the playing surface (11) of the foundation body (10) looking from the interior of the foundation body (10) has an at least partially convex top surface (15) and the foundation body (10) has a support structure (30) which separates the playing surface (11) from the base (2).

Claims

1. A multi-purpose sports apparatus comprising a foundation body (10) containing a playing surface (11) and an obstacle element (20) placed on the foundation body (10), wherein the playing surface (11) of the foundation body (10) looking from the interior of the foundation body (10) has an at least partially convex top surface (15) and the foundation body (10) has a support structure (30) which separates the playing surface (11) from the base (2), and wherein the foundation body (10) has an upper member (10a) fitted with the top surface (15) containing the playing area (11) and a lower member (10b) located under the upper member, where the upper member is made at least partially of flexible material and the lower member of rigid material, and furthermore a curvature adjustment mechanism (40) to change the curvature of the upper member is interposed between the upper member (10a) and the lower member (10b).

2. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of the convex top surface (15) is between 300 and 2000 cm.

3. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the convex top surface (15) comprises a cylindrical shell section consisting of a single curve.

4. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the convex top surface (15) comprises a spatial curve consisting of several curved sections.

5. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the separation (T) of the lowest point of the top surface (15) of the foundation body (10) from the base supporting the sports apparatus (1) is between 45 and 75 cm.

6. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the width (SZ) of the perpendicular projection of the top surface (15) on the base (2) supporting the sports apparatus (1) is between 130 and 180 cm, while the length (H) of the perpendicular projection is between 270 and 330 cm.

7. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support structure 30 has an additional height adjustment unit (31) which has a first connecting body (31a) fastened to the support structure (30) and another connecting body (31b) attached to the foundation body (10) containing the playing area (11), and an actuator component (31c) interposed between the first connecting body (31a) and the other connecting body (31b).

8. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the area covered by a lower part (32) of the support structure (30) contacting the base (2) is less than the area bounded by the perpendicular projection of the foundation body (10) on the base (2) supporting the sports apparatus (1).

9. The sports apparatus of claim 1, wherein the obstacle element (20) is made of rigid material.

10. The sports apparatus of claim 9, wherein the obstacle element (20) is accompanied with a spacing adjuster component (22) to adjust the distance between the upper edge (21) of the obstacle element (20) and the convex top surface (15) of the upper member (10a) of the foundation body (10).

Description

(1) The following is a detailed description of the sports apparatus of the utility model for one version of implementation, on the basis of a drawing. On the drawing of the FIGURE, there is a possible version of the sports apparatus of the utility model, partly in cross-section.

(2) The FIGURE shows a version of the sports apparatus 1 of the utility model on which the main physical characteristics in terms of playing the game may be adjusted. Note that the sports apparatus 1 has a support structure 30 placed on the base 2 and has a foundation body 10 held by support structure 30. This version of the foundation body 10 also has an upper member 10a and a lower member 10b. The upper member 10a contains the playing area 11, whose external side 12 opposite the base 2 has a convex top surface 15. On the convex top surface 15 is the obstacle element 20, which is a plate-like body made of an appropriately rigid, preferably transparent material and whose task is to divide the playing area 11 into two halves and prevent the ball (which is not shown on the FIGURE) from simply rolling over the convex top surface 15 of the foundation body 10. In order to permit the height of the obstacle element 20 to be adjusted, the spacing adjuster component 22 is assigned to the obstacle element 20. The spacing adjuster component 22 rests on the convex top surface 15 of the upper member 10a of the foundation body 10 so that it also supports the obstacle element 20. The upper edge 21 of the obstacle element 20 may by means of the spacing adjuster component 22 be raised or lowered relative to the convex top surface 15. In the simplest case, the spacing adjuster component 22 is a rod projecting from the convex top surface 15 and having slots one under the other on its side, so that the obstacle element 20 may fit into one of these slots.

(3) The upper member 10a is made from plywood treated by a suitable timber industry process and may be bowed into a curve within certain limits. By contrast with the material of the upper member 10a, the lower member 10b of the foundation body 10 is made of rigid material and this lower member 10b essentially connects the upper member 10a of the foundation body 10 with the support structure 30.

(4) The radius of curvature of the convex top surface 15 of the upper member 10a should be between 300 and 2000 cm. In the present case, the radius of curvature of the convex top surface 15 may be changed within the limits using the curvature adjustment mechanism 40. The curvature adjustment mechanism 40 in this version comprises the connection pieces 41 fastened to the upper member 10a and the tensioning mechanism 42. One connection piece 41 is placed near each shorter edge 14 of the upper member 10a and fastened to the inner side 13 of the upper member 10a and runs parallel to each shorter edge 14 of the upper member 10a. The tensioning mechanism 42 is placed between connection pieces 41 and consists in this case of several threaded rods placed side by side and linked to the lower member 10b of the foundation body 10.

(5) The length L of foundation body 10 should be between 270 and 330 cm, and in the present case is 300 cm. The width W of foundation body 10 should be between 130 and 180 cm, and in this version is 140 cm. The spacing S between the lowest point of the convex top surface 15, which in this case is that part of the convex top surface 15 at the shorter edge 14, and base 2 may be between 45 and 75 cm. In the present version, this distance may also be adjusted using height adjustment unit 31 of support structure 30.

(6) The height adjustment unit 31 comprises connecting body 31a and connecting body 31b, with actuator component 31c arranged between them. One of the connecting bodies 31a of height adjustment unit 31 rests on the lower part 32 of support structure 30, while the other connector body 31b of support structure 30 connects to the lower member 10b of foundation body 10. The actuator component 31c is a hydraulic cylinder which can be actuated manually to continuously alter the spacing S between foundation body 10 and base 2. It is advantageous to make spacing S adjustable so that the convex top surface 15 of the playing area 11 may be lowered to enable smaller persons, such as children, to play the game. It should be noted that the height adjustment unit 31 is not the only means of adjusting the spacing between foundation body 10 and base 2. Another version is conceivable, in which the height of support structure 30 is constant but several support structures 30 of different heights are available, and the spacing S between base 2 and foundation body 10 may be set by exchanging the whole support structure 30.

(7) The FIGURE also shows that the lower part 32 has been designed so that the whole of the foundation body is within the perpendicular projection outline of base 2. This means that the support structure 30 does not disturb the users even if the ball, impinging with low energy on the convex top surface 15 of the upper body 10a of the foundation body 10, only bounces to a short distance from the convex top surface 15 to the area outside the foundation body 10.

(8) To use the sports apparatus 1 of the utility model, the desired spacing S between the foundation body 10 and the base 2 is set using the height adjusting unit 31 of the support structure 30. For this, by pumping the actuator component 31c, the foundation body 10 and thus the convex top surface 15 of the upper member 10a may be raised from the lowest spacing S of 45 cm from the base 2 up to a maximum of 75 cm from the base 2.

(9) Then the radius of curvature of the convex top surface 15 may be adjusted. This involves rotating the tensioning mechanism 42 of the curvature adjustment mechanism 40 so that the shorter edges 14 of upper member 10a of the foundation body 10 become closer or further away from each other. When the shorter edges 14 move closer to each other, the radius of curvature of the convex top surface 15 decreases. When the shorter edges 14 move away from each other, the radius of curvature of the convex top surface 15 increases. A longer radius of curvature reduces the bounce of the ball from the convex top surface 15, and a shorter radius of curvature causes the ball to bounce further from the foundation body 10.

(10) After making the adjustments, the persons using the sports apparatus 1 arrange themselves opposite the shorter edges 14 of the foundation body 10 and one person in accordance with the rules of the game kicks the ball so that it bounces on of the playing area 11 of the foundation body 10 on the part which is separated by the obstacle element 20 from the player who kicked the ball. The ball bouncing upwards and outwards from the convex top surface 15 of the foundation body 10 is returned by the other person using his or her foot or head in such a way that the ball flies over the obstacle element 20 and bounces on the other side of the convex top surface 15 of the foundation body 10. The rally continues until one player mis-returns the ball, which bounces on playing area 11 on the part between the player and the obstacle element 20 or does not impinge on the convex top surface 15 of the foundation body 10 at all.

(11) The sports apparatus of the utility model is of use in all cases where it is desired, by means of an enjoyable game involving intensive movement and on a small area, to develop ball control and ball direction, increase strength and improve concentration, rapid appraisal skills and decision-making ability.