Ball collection system and playing area

Abstract

A ball collection system for a tennis court (1), configured to be provided along an edge (2a) of a tennis court, comprising: a first slope (11), extending along said edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the first slope decreases in a first direction away from said edge of the tennis court; a second slope 12), arranged adjacent to the first slope on the opposite side of the first slope from the edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the second slope decreases in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, from a first end that is no higher than the lowest part of the first slope to a second end; and a ball collector (14), arranged at the second end of the second slope and configured to receive balls that roll down the second slope.

Claims

1. A ball collection system for a tennis court, configured to be provided along an edge of a tennis court, comprising: a first slope, extending along said edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the first slope decreases in a first direction away from said edge of the tennis court; a second slope, arranged adjacent to the first slope on the opposite side of the first slope from the edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the second slope decreases in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, from a first end that is no higher than the lowest part of the first slope to a second end; and a ball collector arranged at the second end of the second slope and configured to receive balls that roll down the second slope; wherein the length of the first slope in the first direction is within the range of from 0.5 m to 1.5 m; and the ball collection system further comprises a third slope, arranged adjacent to the first slope on the opposite side of the first slope from the edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the third slope decreases parallel or anti-parallel to the second direction from a first end that is no higher than the lowest part of the first slope to a second end; and a second ball collector, arranged at the second end of the third slope such that it receives balls that roll down the third slope.

2. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein at the highest point of the first slope, it is level with a playing surface on which the tennis court is provided.

3. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein the first slope extends from the edge of the tennis court.

4. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, further comprising a section of a playing surface on which the tennis court is provided that is at the same height as the tennis court and extends from the edge of the tennis court; wherein the first slope extends from the edge of said section of the playing surface.

5. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the first slope, relative to horizontal, is within the range of from 2 to 15.

6. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 5, wherein the angle of the first slope, relative to horizontal, is 10.

7. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the second slope and/or, where used, the third slope, relative to horizontal, is within the range of from 1.5 to 2.5.

8. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 7, wherein the angle of the second slope and/or, where used, the third slope, relative to horizontal, is 1.8.

9. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein the width of the second slope and/or, where used, the third slope in the second direction is within the range of from 69 mm to 75 mm.

10. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 9, wherein the width of the second slope and/or, where used, the third slope in the second direction is 70 mm.

11. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first slope, second slope and, where used, third slope is formed from the same material as the playing surface on which the tennis court is provided.

12. A ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein the second slope and/or, where used, the third slope is formed from a different material from the playing surface on which the tennis court is provided.

13. The ball collection system for a tennis court according to claim 1, wherein the length of the first slope in the first direction is 0.9 m.

14. A ball collection system for a tennis court, configured to be provided along an edge of a tennis court, comprising: a first slope, extending along said edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the first slope decreases in a first direction away from said edge of the tennis court; a second slope, arranged adjacent to the first slope on the opposite side of the first slope from the edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the second slope decreases in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, from a first end that is no higher than the lowest part of the first slope to a second end; and a ball collector arranged at the second end of the second slope and configured to receive balls that roll down the second slope; wherein the length of the first slope in the first direction is within the range of from 0.5 m to 1.5 m; wherein the second slope is formed from a pair of parallel bars, separated from each other by an appropriate distance to support a tennis ball.

15. A playing area, comprising a playing surface on which at least one tennis court is provided and at least one ball collection system is provided along an edge of the playing area that corresponds to an edge of said at least one tennis court; wherein the ball collection system is configured to be provided along an edge of a tennis court and comprises: a first slope, extending along said edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the first slope decreases in a first direction away from said edge of the tennis court; a second slope, arranged adjacent to the first slope on the opposite side of the first slope from the edge of the tennis court, and configured such that the height of the second slope decreases in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, from a first end that is no higher than the lowest part of the first slope to a second end; and a ball collector arranged at the second end of the second slope and configured to receive balls that roll down the second slope; wherein the length of the first slope in the first direction is within the range of from 0.5 m to 1.5 m; wherein the playing area comprises two of said ball collection systems, each provided along respective edges of the playing area that meet at a corner; wherein said two ball collection systems share a common ball collector, arranged at said corner.

16. A playing area according to claim 15, wherein at least a second tennis court is provided on said playing surface.

17. A playing area according to claim 15, wherein said edge of said tennis court is one of the ends and the sides of the tennis court.

18. A playing area according to claim 15, further comprising a fence adjacent the playing surface; wherein at least a part of said at least one ball collection system is provided between the fence and the playing surface.

19. A playing area according to claim 18, wherein the fence is configured to be damped such that balls striking the fence have a tendency to drop onto the ball collection system between the fence and the playing surface.

20. The playing area of claim 15, wherein the length of the first slope in the first direction is 0.9 m.

Description

(1) The present invention will now be described by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a ball collection system according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 depicts in greater detail a part of the ball collection system of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 depicts in greater detail a part of the ball collection system of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 4 depicts in greater detail a part of the ball collection system of FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 depicts in greater detail a part of the ball collection system of FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 6 depicts a variant of the ball collection system of FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 depicts a further variant of the ball collection system of FIG. 1;

(9) FIG. 8 depicts a variant of the ball collection system of FIG. 1; and

(10) FIG. 9 depicts a ball collection system according to an embodiment of the invention.

(11) FIG. 1 depicts a playing area 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the playing area 1 includes a horizontal playing surface 2, on which a tennis court 3 is defined by a plurality of lines 4. A fence 5 surrounds the playing area 1. However, it will be appreciated that, depending on the circumstances, the fence 5 may be provided on only one or a limited number of sides of the playing area.

(12) As shown in FIG. 1, the playing area 1 further includes a ball collection system 10. This is depicted in further detail in FIG. 2. As shown, the ball collection system 10 is provided along an edge 2a of the playing surface 2, corresponding to an edge 3a of the tennis court 3.

(13) The ball collection system includes a first slope 11 that slopes downwards away from the edge 2a of the playing surface. Accordingly, the height of the first slope 11 decreases in a first direction that is perpendicular to the edge 2a of the playing surface 2. Accordingly, any balls on the first slope 11 will roll away from the edge 2a of the playing surface 2. Beyond the first slope 11, namely on the opposite side of the first slope 11 from the playing surface 2, there is provided a second slope 12 and a third slope 13. These are both arranged to slope in a direction perpendicular to the first direction, namely to decrease in height in a direction perpendicular to the first direction. Accordingly, any balls on the second and third slopes 12,13 will tend to roll in a direction parallel to the edge 2a of the playing surface 2 at which the ball collection system 10 is provided.

(14) In the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second and third slopes 12,13 are arranged to slope in opposite directions from respective first ends 12a,13a which are provided at the same level as the lowest parts of the first slope 11, to respective second ends 12b,13b. The second and third slopes 12,13 are arranged such that the second ends 12b,13b meet at a common ball collector 14 which may be, for example, a bucket, wire net, or other suitable container for collecting tennis balls. The ball collector 14 may be removable from the collection system 14 to enable easy removal of the tennis ball. A handle 14a may project from the ball collector 14 to facilitate removal of the ball collector.

(15) FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a ball collection system of the present invention provided at one end of a playing area 1, namely that is configured to collect balls that pass beyond one end of the tennis court 3. It should be appreciated, however, that similar, or differently arranged, ball collection systems may be provided along any side of the playing area 1, corresponding to one or both of the ends of the tennis court 3 and/or one or both of the sides of the tennis court 3.

(16) Furthermore, variations of the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be provided. For example, in place of the second and third slopes 12,13, a single slope may be provided that corresponds to an extended version of either the second or third slope 12,13. In that case, it will be appreciated that the ball collector 14 will be located at the corner of the playing area 1 corresponding to the lowest end of the slope. Furthermore, the second and third slopes 12,13 could be replaced by any desirable number of slopes in order to ensure that the angle of each slope can be provided in a desired range to encourage tennis balls to roll down the slopes into the collector(s).

(17) If a ball collection system is also provided along the adjoining edge of the playing area 1, namely the edge that connects to the same corner, the second ball collection system may also be configured to have a slope corresponding to the second or third slope 12,13, that feeds tennis balls into the same collector in the corner. Such an arrangement is depicted in FIG. 7, in which a ball collection system 10 arranged along one side of a playing area 1 shares a common collector 14 with a ball collection system 10 arranged along one end of the playing area 1. In such an arrangement, the common collector may be arranged at the adjoining corner, as shown.

(18) Accordingly, it will be appreciated that if ball collection systems are to be provided on four sides of a rectangular playing area 1, it may only be necessary to provide ball collectors in each of the four corners.

(19) If two or more tennis courts 3 provided on a playing area 1 are to share a common ball collector, either as part of a common ball collection system or as part of respective ball collection systems, the ball collector may include a divider, which may be removable, that may be used to separate the balls received from the different tennis courts. This may prevent different players balls being mixed.

(20) In a further variation of the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second and third slopes 12,13 may be swapped, such that the highest ends 12a,13a of the second and third slopes 12,13 meet partway along the edge 2a of the playing surface, for example in the middle, and the lower ends 12b,13b of the second and third slopes 12,13 are provided in the corners of the playing area 1. If only a single ball collection system 10 is provided for a single edge 2a of the playing area 1, such an arrangement may be undesirable because it would be necessary to provide two ball collectors 14, one at each corner, in contrast with the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which a single ball collector is provided. However, as discussed above, if ball collection systems are to be provided at all four edges of a playing area 1, ball collection systems on respective edges that meet at a corner may share a common ball collector. Accordingly, in such an arrangement, it is only necessary to provide a ball collector 14 at each of the four corners of the playing area 1.

(21) In a further variation of the arrangement depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, more than one ball collection system may be arranged along a single edge of a playing area 1. Such an arrangement is depicted in FIG. 6, in which two ball collection systems are provided along an end of the playing area 1. It will be appreciated that greater numbers of ball collection systems may also be used along a single edge of the playing area. As shown in FIG. 6, in such an arrangement, the ball collection systems may share a common first slope 11 but have separate respective second and third slopes 12,13 leading to separate respective ball collectors 14. Such an arrangement may permit the use of steeper slopes for the second and third slopes for a given depth of ball collector and a given length of the edge of the playing area.

(22) FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 depict some further detail of the embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. As shown, the first slope 11 may be arranged at an angle .sub.1 to the horizontal H of from approximately 2 to approximately 15. In a particular embodiment, it may be at an angle .sub.1 of approximately 10 to the horizontal H. This is expected to be sufficient to ensure that tennis balls on the first slope 11 roll away from the playing surface 2 towards the second and third slopes 12,13. Once the balls reach the edge 11a of the first slope furthest from the playing surface 2, the tennis ball will drop onto either the first or second slope 12,13.

(23) In an arrangement, the length D1 of the first slope 11 in the first direction, namely perpendicular to the edge 2a of the playing surface 2 at which the ball collection system 10 is provided may be approximately 0.5 m to approximately 1.5 m (when measured horizontally, as shown). In a particular embodiment, the length may be approximately 0.9 m. It is considered that this provides a sufficiently large area of the first slope 11 such that balls that strike the fence 5 may be expected to fall back onto the first slope 11 and therefore be retained in the ball collection system 10, whilst not significantly increasing the size of the playing area 1, for a given size of playing surface 2 or significantly reducing the size of a playing surface 2 for a given size of playing area 1.

(24) The length D2 of the second and third surfaces 12,13 are fixed by the length of the edge 2a to which the ball collection system 10 is provided. It is further determined by the decision regarding whether to use an arrangement such as that depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which second and third slopes 12,13 are provided, or to use an arrangement in which only one slope is provided beyond the first slope 11. In an arrangement such as that depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, in which second and third slopes 12,13 are provided and the ball collection system 10 is provided to an end of the tennis court 3, the length D2 of the second and third slopes 12,13 when measured horizontally, may be just under 9 m.

(25) It will be appreciated, however, that the angle .sub.2 of the second and third slopes 12,13, which will desirably be as large as possible to promote rolling of the balls down the slopes 12,13, will be determined by the length D2 of the second and third slopes 12,13 and the drop in height provided between the upper ends 12a,13a and lower ends 12b,13b of the slopes 12,13. The greater the height drop, the greater the angle but the greater the cost of providing the ball collection system 10 and the greater the inconvenience of removing the tennis balls from the ball collector 14, which must be provided below the lowest point of the second and third slopes 12,13.

(26) It has been found that the second and third slopes may be provided at an angle .sub.2 relative to the horizontal, in the range of approximately 1.5 to approximately 2.5. In an embodiment, the angle .sub.2 may be approximately 1.8. This corresponds to a drop in height between the first ends 12a,13a and second ends 12b,13b of the second and third slopes 12,13 for an arrangement as above of approximately 0.23 m to 0.39 m, or approximately 0.28 m for the preferred embodiment.

(27) The width D3 of the second and third slopes 12,13 should be minimized in order to minimize the size of the gap between the edge of the first surface 11 and the fence 5, if provided. Accordingly, the width D3 of the second and third slopes 12,13 should be only just larger than the maximum permissible size of the tennis ball but sufficiently larger to avoid jamming of a tennis ball, for example if there is movement of the fence 5. Accordingly, the width D3 of the second and third slopes 12,13 may be approximately 69 mm to approximately 75 mm. In a particular embodiment, it may be approximately 70 mm wide.

(28) Any one of the first, second and third slopes 11,12,13 may be formed from the same material as the playing surface 2. In particular, this may be convenient for the first slope 11, which is immediately adjoined to the playing surface 2 and is sufficiently large that the players may run onto it whilst playing tennis. Accordingly, it is desirable that it should have a consistent level of friction. In contrast, the second and third slopes 12,13 may never be run on by the players. Accordingly, the second and third slopes may be specifically configured to promote rolling of the tennis ball along the slopes, without being constrained by providing a desirable surface for a player to run on. Furthermore, this may also be desirable because, as discussed above, the angle of the second and third slopes 12,13 may be significantly less than the angle.

(29) It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the specified angles of the slopes discussed above and/or the dimensions discussed above. In particular, the desirable angles to be used, which will also determine the size of the slopes to be used, will depend upon the specific material to be used and the conditions under which it may operate. For example, a material for an outdoor court may be used in both dry and wet conditions, which may affect the rolling of a tennis ball down the slope. In any arrangement of the invention it may be appropriate to perform simple experiments with the surface materials that are desired to be used, under the expected conditions, in order to determine the appropriate angle for use.

(30) In an embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 8, the second and/or third slopes 12,13, may be formed from a respective pair of rods 21,22 or such that a ball rolling down the second and/or third slopes is supported on a pair of rods 21,22 rather than the base surface. Within each pair of rods 21,22, the rods may be parallel and set apart by an appropriate distance such that the tennis balls are stably supported by the rods and will roll down the rods to the ball collector 14.

(31) As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ball collection system 10 may be arranged such that there is a section of the playing surface 2 between the edge 3a of the tennis court 3 and edge 2a of the playing surface 2. Accordingly, there is space for a player to stand and run beyond the edge 3a of the tennis court 3 which is level with the tennis court 3. This may be particularly important at the ends of the tennis courts.

(32) However, it should be appreciated that the playing surface 2 may only extend as far as the edge 3a of the tennis court 3. Accordingly, the edge 2a of the playing surface 2, at which the first slope 11 of the ball collection system 10 starts, may be provided at the edge 3a of the tennis court 3. Such an arrangement is more likely to be provided along the sides of a tennis court, where players do not stand. Accordingly, it may be sufficient to provide space along the sides of the tennis court 3 by means of the first slopes 11 of ball collection systems 10 provided along the sides of the tennis court 3.

(33) In an embodiment, the fence 5 may be damped in order to reduce the bounce of a ball back from the fence. This may increase the likelihood of a ball being retained in the ball collection system 10 after it has struck the fence 5. In an embodiment, the fence may be damped by hanging damping materials onto the fence. For example, heavy plastic, which may be durable, may be hooked onto the fence, especially is a chain-link fence is used, for example.

(34) As discussed above, in an embodiment, the ball collection system 10 may be arranged between the edge of the playing surface 2 and/or tennis court 3 and the position of the fence 5. However, in an embodiment, the fence 5 may be positioned at least partially above the ball collection system 10. For example, the lower edge of the fence 5 may be suspended above the ball collection system 10 at a height appropriate for balls to pass under the fence 5.

(35) In an embodiment, the fence 5 may be provided above the interface between the first slope 11 and the second and/or third slopes 12,13. This may be arranged such that a tennis player running beyond the edge of the tennis court 3 may still run on to the first slope 11 but reduces the risk of a player placing a foot onto the second and/or third slope 12,13, reducing any possible risk of an injury caused at a location where there is a significant drop from the edge of the first slope 11 to the top surface of the second or third slope 12,13.

(36) In such an arrangement, it may be desirable to provide an additional barrier beyond the edge of the second and/or third slope 12,13 in order to prevent any tennis balls from passing below the fence 5 and then going beyond the edge of the ball collection system 10.

(37) Similarly, in an alternative or additional variation of the embodiment discussed above, the ball collector 14 may be partially or completely provided beyond the fence 5, namely on the opposite side of the fence 5 to the tennis court 3. In such an arrangement, the height of the fence 5 may be selected, locally if necessary, to ensure that tennis balls may pass below the fence 5 to reach the ball collector 14. Furthermore, in similar manner to that discussed above, an additional barrier may be provided beyond the ball collector 14 to ensure that tennis balls do not pass below the fence 5 and then beyond the ball collector 14.

(38) In the embodiment discussed above, the ball collection system comprises at least two discrete slopes, the first slope 11 sloping in a first direction corresponding to the direction in which a tennis ball may travel when passing beyond the edge of the playing surface 2 and/or tennis court 3, and at least a second slope 12,13 that slopes in a perpendicular direction and functions to gather tennis balls rolling off the edge of the first slope 11 at one of a range of positions and guide them to a single point or region, namely the location of the ball collector 14. In an alternative embodiment, which may be combined with the variations discussed above where appropriate, in place of at least two discrete slopes, a single curved sloping surface may combine the function of both, namely to assist in transporting balls away from the edge of the playing area 2 or tennis court 3 and to gather the tennis balls together in a single point or region for collection.

(39) FIG. 9 depicts an embodiment in which this is achieved by means of a concave surface 30. The concave surface 30 slopes down from a curved edge 31 provided at the edge of the playing area 2 and is configured such that regardless of the position along the curved edge 31 at which a tennis ball may start, a tennis ball will roll down to a common lowest point of the concave surface 30, at which the ball collector 14 may be provided.