SELF-CONTAINED PORTABLE RETRACTABLE SPORTS TRAINING BACKDROP APPARATUS

Abstract

A self-contained, portable and retractable apparatus is described that transforms a sufficient smaller space into a suitable place, either indoors or outdoors, where a large space is unavailable, into a practice facility for sporting activity skills. This backdrop apparatus allows practice of hitting or throwing of a ball or other object in a contained environment and may also be used for virtually playing at any famous location.

Claims

1. A sports projectile backstop apparatus comprising: an outer housing with and end cap at each end; a central roller tube configured to rotate about its longitudinal axis and housed within the outer housing along a center axis bar and comprising an at least one recess; a center flexible backdrop attached to the central roller tube at a first end and configured to wrap around the central roller tube when the central roller tube rotates in a first direction and to unwrap and suspend from the central roller tube when the central roller tube rotates in a second, opposite direction; an at least two side support arms configured to pivotally attach, one at each end of the central roller tube inside the outer housing end caps, and further configured to nest, one on top of the other in the at least one recess of the central roller tube when folded inward, and further configured to attach a side flexible backdrop; an at least two side flexible backdrops, one each attached to each side support arm at a first end and configured to wrap around the central roller tube and nested folded side support arms when folded in the recess when the central roller tube rotates in a first direction and to unwrap and suspend from the side support arms when the central roller tube rotates in a second, opposite direction and the side support arms unfold; and an at least two supplemental support arms configured to pivotally attach, one at each end of the central roller tube inside the outer housing end caps, and further configured to attach and support a top netting material when unfolded and configured to tuck into the at least one recess of the central roller tube on top of the nested folded side support arms when folded.

2. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a means for rotating the center axis bar which is configured to rotate the central roller tube, side support arms and supplemental support arms only when said side support arm and supplemental support arms are folded and nested into the recess of the central roller tube, in both a first direction and an opposite direction.

3. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: the side support arms configured to substantially complete a circular structure with the central roller tube when folded and nested into the recess.

4. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: the central roller tube recess comprising a magnetic catch to keep the side support arms in place when folded and nested into the recess.

5. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: the side support arms and the supplemental support arms further configured to rest into support brackets when in the unfolded state such that the side support arms and supplemental support arms remain unfolded and locked into position until they are unlocked out of the support brackets.

6. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 5 further comprising: the side support arms and the supplemental support arms further comprising a spring mechanism configured to assist with the unfolding of the side support arms and supplemental support arms when they are unlocked out of the support brackets.

7. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 wherein the overall dimensions are substantially approximately 135 inches wide when fully opened by approximately 36″ deep and 7 feet tall.

8. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 wherein when the side support arms are unfolded, the at least two supplemental support arms automatically unfold erecting the top netting which is supported above the entire length of the center flexible backdrop and when the side support arms are folded, the supplemental support arms automatically fold flat and within the recess in the central roller tube.

9. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 wherein the center flexible backdrop and the side flexible backdrops further comprise a weighted rod along their entire width at their end opposite the attachment to the central roller tube and the support arms.

10. A sports projectile backstop apparatus of claim 1 wherein the center flexible backdrop and the side flexible backdrops are comprised of a material suitable for projecting a virtual background and the apparatus further comprising a virtual reality computer set-up to project any desired environment and detect and project each ball stike and advance the desired environment accordingly.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] FIG. 1 depicts an exploded view of the salient component parts contained in one embodiment of the teachings herein. A Roller Tube (1) that contains a Recess (3) into which the side netting Support Arms (4) and Supplemental Support Arms (14) (for supporting a top netting—not shown) can pivot into and be hidden is diagrammed unassembled. The Roller Tube (1) has Support End Caps (5) that mount the structure into an Outer Housing (15) via Outer Housing End Caps (18) and support a rollable Backdrop (2) that has a Weighted Rod (8) installed for assisting with unrolling. The Roller Tube may be driven by a Drive Motor (6) inserted into the center of the Roller Tube and attached to a Center Axis Support (7). The Support Arms have attached a Side Backdrop (9) and attach to the Roller Tube End Caps via a Pivot Fixture (10) and further contain Support Arm End Caps (11). When folded into the Recess, the Support Arms and Supplemental Support Arms remain intact with the assistance of a Magnetic Catch (12).

[0018] FIG. 2 depicts a close up view of one end of one embodiment of the disclosure herein showing the Roller Tube (1), Roller Tube End Caps (11), Support Arm (4) mounted pivotally to the Roller Tube End Caps, the Supplemental Support Arm (14) and the Backdrop (2) in an assembled state.

[0019] FIG. 3 depicts one embodiment of the main Backdrop (2), the Side Backdrops (9), the Top Netting (13) as supported by the Roller Tube (1) and the Support Arms (4) and Supplemental Support Arms (14) in an opened position.

[0020] FIG. 4 depicts a close up view of one embodiment of the disclosure herein showing the Support Arm (4) supporting a Side Backdrop (9) and beginning to unfold from the pivot (10) attached to the Roller Tube and its End Cap with the Main Backdrop (2) remaining attached to the Roller Tube (1).

[0021] FIG. 5 depicts a close up view of one embodiment of the disclosure herein showing the Support Arm (4) unfolded from the Roller Bar (1) with the Side Backdrop (9) and the Main Backdrop (2) unfolded and attached and the Supplemental Support Arm (14) unfolded into position to support the Top Netting (13).

[0022] FIG. 6 depicts a view of one embodiment of the disclosure herein where the Support Arms and Supplemental Support Arms are folded into the Recess in the Roller Tube and from this position can either unfold into the deployed and ready to use state or be rolled up and all tucked neatly into the Outer Housing. In the embodiment shown, the unit is mounted to a ceiling. In other non-limiting embodiments, it could be mounted to the wall from behind or in a free standing base unit (much like a portable basketball hoop mounting). In the embodiment shown, the Support Arms have a reverse concave shape such that when folded into the Recess in the Roller Tube, they form the continuous circular shape of the Roller Tube for ease of rolling and unrolling.

[0023] FIG. 7 depicts a view of one embodiment of the disclosure herein where, from the view in FIG. 6, the unit is fully unfolded into place and ready for use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] For clarity of disclosure, and not by way of limitation, the detailed description set forth is divided into the following subsections that describe or illustrate certain features, embodiments or applications of the present invention.

Definitions

[0025] “Roller Tube” as used herein means a substantially circular tube, that may have flattened areas and/or with a recess, to which a backdrop is attached and through which a center axis is located such that it can roll and unroll the attached backdrop and certain attached structures can fold into the recess.

[0026] “Recess” as used herein means a concave component of the roller tube into which at least support arms and supplemental support arms may fold and still maintain the substantially circular overall tube shape.

[0027] “Support Arm” as used herein means a support structure to which a side backdrop is attached and which can fold into a recess of the roller tube.

[0028] “Supplemental Support Arm” as used herein means a support structure to which a top netting is attached and which can fold into the recess of the roller tube.

[0029] “Backdrop” as used herein means a suitable flexible material that can attach to the roller tube and/or support arm and roll and unroll as well as absorb sufficient energy from a projectile to stop and restrain said projectile.

[0030] “Outer Housing” as used herein means a containing structure that can house the roller tube, support arms and supplemental support arms and backdrops and top netting and contain all in a rolled stored state such that the entire structure is self-contained and unobtrusive.

The System and Method of the Present Invention

[0031] In one embodiment, the apparatus disclosed herein incorporates a ballistic projection screen or netting or other appropriate flexible backdrop that attaches at one end to a specialized roller tube that can roll the entire backdrop (the main backdrop, side backdrops and top netting folded flat into the recess on the support arms and supplemental support arms) onto the tube and when rolled, can be fully located within an outer housing that is comprised of an extruded tube and attached end plates. The housing protects the rolled backdrop and also provides a centerline for rolling. In one embodiment, in an active position ready for use, the device described herein provides a partial enclosure suitable to receive, catch, block, and capture objects hit or thrown at it and in certain embodiments, capable of measuring attributes of the said objects such as speed, angle, trajectory and the like. In one embodiment, the device described herein can be rolled and compacted into the outer housing in a configuration that does not impede other uses of the space and stored for later use.

[0032] In one embodiment, a motor, a manual crank, or other appropriate method of power allows the assembly to be rolled directly or remotely and also automatically defines the exact location of retraction and extension such that the assembly is not over rolled or over unrolled. This definition of retraction and extension may be mechanical based on predefined length measurements or may incorporate sensors and may be controlled and set by the user to match his particular environment.

[0033] In one embodiment, a pivotable support arm is attached at each end of the center screen assembly that holds a section of ballistic projection screen or netting or other appropriate flexible backdrop approximately the same length as the center backdrop material and a width that does not exceed the width of the center backdrop material. Each arm pivots inward and outward such that when pivoted inward, the entire arm is essentially parallel with the center rolling tube and folds into the recess to create an essentially round rolling tube, thus, allowing all backdrops, top netting, and support arms to roll and unroll as one contiguous unit. When pivoted outward, the support arm extends out to some angle less than 180 degrees with the center tube.

[0034] In one embodiment, when each pivotable support arm is pivoted inward, there is a recess in the center roller tube within which it comes to rest, forming a continuous radius that allows the projection screen backdrop, both the center section and the side sections and support arms to be rolled or unrolled as a single entity.

[0035] In one embodiment, after unrolling to the predefined length, the folded pivotable support arms are pivoted outward to a predefined angle that provides a backdrop with a center section and two side sections.

[0036] In one embodiment, when pivoted outward to the fully predetermined outward angle, each pivotable support arm come to rest on support arm rests that are attached to each corresponding end plate of the outer housing. The support arm rests anchor the pivotable support arms and their corresponding attached unrolled backdrop at a specific desired predetermined angle to the center backdrop and prevent any further unrolling or premature re-rolling.

[0037] In one embodiment, after the backdrops are unrolled on the roller tube, the support arms on each end pivot and unfold to bring the side backdrops into place. Then, the entire unit as one piece begins to unfold, and, in one embodiment, while that is occurring, at least two additional supplemental support arms also unfold and extend and raise up into place supporting a top netting that stretches across the total width of the unit. In one embodiment, these supplemental arms are pulled open with the unfolding of the top netting. In another embodiment, the supplemental support arms are mechanically geared into place and they pull the top netting into place. In yet another embodiment, there is a cable attached at the far end of the support arms and at the other end to the end of supplemental support arms near the roller tube and as the support arm opens, the cable tension increases pulling the supplemental support arm open. In yet another embodiment, it is a combination of mechanisms that open the supplemental support arms and the top netting into place. In yet another embodiment, the supplemental support arms are pulled into place after the main backdrop and side backdrop are unrolled and unfolded fully into place and expose the supplemental support arms and top netting structure.

[0038] In one embodiment, no matter what method is used for connecting and operating the supplemental support arms, upon closing, the reverse of opening occurs releasing the tension on the supplemental support arms and they fold closed into the recess in the roller tube causing the top netting to drape flat across the main backdrop allowing the entire assembly to be neatly rolled onto the roller tube. In one embodiment, a spring mechanism may be employed to assist with the folding back of the supplemental support arms.

[0039] When fully rolled, the unit is compact with all support arms (main and supplemental) recessed into the roller tube and all backdrops and top netting neatly rolled onto the roller tube and the entire rolled apparatus contained within the outer housing. The completely stowed unit is unobtrusive and may even be ostensibly mounted in a manner that pivots it into a recess at the mounting spot. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the unit could be bracket mounted and simply slipped off of its bracket and stowed in a closet. In yet another embodiment, the unit could be mounted on a free standing, telescoping pole and when fully rolled, pivoted to be parallel with the pole, the pole then telescoped to a shorter length and the whole thing stowed.

EXAMPLES

[0040] The present invention is further illustrated, but not limited by, the following examples.

[0041] In one embodiment, the device as described herein may be implemented with a golf simulation system wherein the backdrop may be that as used in certain golf simulators that incorporate a video projection screen and are capable of simulating golf courses and recording ball flight and distances. In an alternate embodiment, a similar implementation may be with a baseball field. In this manner, a person can ‘play’ virtually a famous golf course or play in a famous baseball stadium without ever leaving the confines of his or her home or office or anywhere it is of sufficient space to set up the embodiment as described.

[0042] It should be appreciated that the foregoing techniques may be implemented with any sports activity utilizing a restraining backdrop. While the detailed example herein is demonstrated with a golf ball backdrop to restrain struck golf balls, it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, that the structure should not be so limited and may be used with struck baseballs, thrown baseballs, soccer, archery, lacrosse and the like, each where suitable backdrop materials are utilized and where a high level of directional accuracy is desired.

[0043] In one embodiment, a device is designed according to FIG. 1 wherein a central roller tube is attached to a ballistic projection screen backdrop or other protective netting backdrop. The roller tube incorporates a recess designed to allow nesting of two separate support arms one each attached at each end of the roller tube and pivotally so and each in a reverse concave shape such that one folds over the other and when fully nested completes the substantially circular shape of the roller tube. A roller tube end cap attaches at each end of the roller tube and incorporates the pivot point attachment mechanism to pivotally attach the support arms. The end caps also contain a mounting for both a drive motor and a center axis to facilitate the rolling movement of the roller tube. The main backdrop attaches at one end to the roller tube and the side backdrops attach each at one end to each of the two support arms. When the support arms are folded in a nested configuration in the roller tube, the each of the two side backdrops and the main backdrop appear and act as one contiguous material and can roll and unroll onto and from the configured roller as the drive motor rotates the center axis. A weighted rod can be inserted into the bottom of the backdrop materials to facilitate unrolling and to keep the backdrop wrinkle free when rolling.

[0044] In one embodiment, the attachment of the backdrop material to the roller tube and/or the support arms is through a containment slide opening that allows for easy attachment and unattachment of the material by simply sliding it in and out wherein the material of the backdrop has an end with a slightly larger profile that cannot directly pull out of the slide opening. The roller tube and/or support arms have an end cap that seals the ends preventing premature sliding of the material out of the slide opening.

[0045] In one embodiment, there is a magnetic catch on the recess of the roller tube that can maintain the support arms in the nested folded position. Any suitable mechanism can be employed, such as for example, hook and loop fastener, snaps, etc.

[0046] In one embodiment, a drive motor is inserted into the roller tube or attached thereto via the roller tube end cap and is attached to the center axis rod and can be powered via any of a number of known powering mechanisms, such as for example, battery power, direct DC plug in power, AC power, solar power, etc. In one embodiment, the motor can have a remote transceiver that is controlled by a remote operator controlled transmitter. In the absence of power, the unit may be rolled and/or unrolled via a mechanical means such as for example a crank.

[0047] In one embodiment, a folding top material, which may be a netting or other suitable material, attaches between the support arms at the top of the main and side backdrops and is supported in place by supplemental support arms that fold outward via a spring mechanism that keeps the top netting material in place overhead the backdrops. In one embodiment, there are support arm and supplemental support arm brackets into which the support arms and supplemental support arms rest when opened. In this manner, the support arms and supplemental support arms are cradled and prevent sagging and additionally prevent the assembly from rolling when in active use where the support arms and/or supplemental support arms are deployed.

[0048] In one embodiment, an outer housing is configured to contain the roller tube, support arms, supplemental support arms, backdrops, top netting, motor and all pivot and mounting mechanisms, and on its outer portion, configured to mount the entire mechanism to a wall, ceiling or other suitable mounting area, such as for example a free standing pole.

[0049] In an alternate embodiment, and referring to FIG. 2, the roller tube has two recesses, one on each side, one into which the support arms each nest and fold and the other into which the supplemental support arms can fold.

[0050] In an alternative embodiment, the entire structure as described herein may further comprise a base section that provides a playing surface for a user to strike a ball therefrom or simply a surface to stand on. In various embodiments, the base section may physically attach to the unrolled ends of the main and side backdrops, may be of various thicknesses and materials to provide a suitable playing surface, may be of various lengths and widths to accommodate the various activities with which the device will be implemented. In one embodiment, the base section may be permanently physically attached to the center main backdrop section such that it may be completely rolled and stored in the device when in the storage configuration.

[0051] In one embodiment, the device as described herein may be of various heights and widths suitable for the activity with which it will be used and the space within which it will be used. In a preferred indoor golf practice implementation, the space will have ceilings at least ten feet high to accommodate a full golf swing with various clubs from a driver to irons to wedges. In this embodiment, the main backdrop will be approximately 106″ across the main screen. When fully opened, in this embodiment with 36″ support arms, the entire width is approximately 135″ depending upon the angle desired of the 36″ fold out support arms.

[0052] Publications cited throughout this document are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Although the various aspects of the invention have been illustrated above by reference to examples and preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is defined not by the foregoing description but by the following claims properly construed under principles of patent law.

[0053] Each and every feature described herein, and each and every combination of two or more of such features, is included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in such a combination are not mutually exclusive.