Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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SPORTS TRAINING APPARATUS
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates broadly to a sports training apparatus and
relates
particularly to a ball retaining means of such an apparatus.
Background to the Invention
The patent literature includes a large number of published specifications
disclosing
various arrangements of a sports ball tethered to a person via an elastic
cord. The sports
ball may be either:
(i) modified to include a ring for attachment to the elastic cord, for example
WO 94/09862 by Webb; or
(ii) located within a net which is connected to the elastic cord, for example
US 5094462
by Doyle et al, WO 96/01669 by Hauter, or WO 99/13951 by James.
The sporting apparatus of WO 99/13951 is relatively complicated in its
preferred
embodiment including a net in the form of a bag connected to a braided elastic
ribbon
which in turn is connected to a wrist strap. The bag has a mouth together with
a
drawstring through which a ball is inserted and thereafter the drawstring
effects tight
closure of the mouth to prevent the ball from falling out. The apparatus
includes a swivel
arrangement which interconnects the elastic ribbon and the ball to prevent
entanglement.
The sporting apparatus of WO 99/13951 suffers from at least the following
drawbacks:
(i) the net does not snugly contour to the shape of the ball and is prone to
snagging or
entangling a person's fingers and inhibits gripping of the ball in catching
and
throwing;
(ii) the apparatus is unnecessarily complicated including the swivel and mufti-
part
wrist strap arrangements; and
(iii) the wrist strap is relatively heavy and complicated in construction and
requires a
high degree of skill and another person's assistance in fitting.
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Summary of the Invention
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided ball
retaining
means of a sports training apparatus including a tethering line at one end
anchored to a
person, the ball retaining means being adapted to releasably retain one of
differently sized
balls and connect at or adjacent an opposite end of the tethering line, and
comprising
adjustment means configured to permit retention of said one of the differently
sized balls
within the retaining means.
According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a sports
training
apparatus comprising:
a tethering line at one end being adapted to detachably anchor to a person;
and
ball retaining means connected at or adjacent an opposite end of the tethering
line,
and including adjustment means being configured to permit releasable retention
of
one of differently sized balls.
Preferably the ball retaining means includes a mounting member connected to
said
opposite end of the tethering line and having a cavity shaped complementary to
a portion
of the ball. More preferably the mounting member is fabricated of a
resiliently flexible
material which deforms so as to contour to said portion of the ball.
Preferably said adjustment means includes an elastic strap or membrane which
is
constructed of a continuous skin and is designed to detachably attach to the
mounting
member and wrap about and thus rigidly retain the ball within the retaining
means. More
preferably the elastic strap or membrane includes fastening means such as
VELCRO which
releasably attaches to the mounting member at a variable position depending on
the size of
the ball.
Preferably the tethering line is at least in part fabricated of an elastic
material which
serves to draw the ball back toward the person from whom it is propelled. More
preferably the ball is propelled away from the person by passing, throwing or
kicking.
Even more preferably the tethering line is selected from different fixed
lengths to
accommodate the requirements of junior, teenager and senior users.
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Preferably the sports training apparatus also comprises attachment means being
adapted to releasably attach to the person and provide anchoring for said one
end of the
tethering line. More preferably said attachment means is in the form of an
wrist, ankle or
waist band or belt worn by the person. Even more preferably the wrist band is
fabricated
in different sizes to allow for the requirements of both junior and senior
users.
Preferably the ball retaining means is of a two-piece construction including
the
mounting member and the elastic strap or membrane, respectively.
Preferably the ball retaining means is fabricated of predominantly a non-slip
material such as a rubber or elastomeric material. More preferably the non-
slip material is
on at least its exposed surfaces coloured fluorescent or illuminescent for
improved
visibility particularly at night. The retaining means may also be
distinctively branded, for
example in sporting club colours.
Generally the ball is a rugby or gridiron ball.
Brief Description of Drawinus
In order to facilitate a better understanding of the nature of the present
invention a
preferred embodiment of a sports training apparatus and in particular a ball
retaining
means will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a player together with a tethering
line and ball
retaining means arranged in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the ball retaining means together
with
the ball of figure 1; and
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the ball retaining means of
figures 1
and 2.
Detailed Descriution of the Preferred Embodiment
As shown in figure 1 there is a sports training apparatus comprising a
tethering line
at one end being detachably anchored to a person or player 12, and ball
retaining means
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designated generally as 14 connected at an opposite end of the tethering line
10. The ball
retaining means is designed to releasably retain a selected one of differently
sized balls
such as 16. The tethering line 10 is in this example anchored to the player 12
via
attachment means in the form of a wrist strap 18. The tethering line 10 is
fabricated of an
elastic cord.
As is shown in figures 2 and 3 the ball retaining means 14 includes a mounting
member 20 and adjustment means including an elastic strap or membrane 22 . The
mounting member 20 is in this embodiment generally dome-shaped having a cavity
24
shaped complementary to in this case an end portion of the football 16. The
mounting
member 20 is fabricated of a resiliently flexible material such as a neoprene
material which
deforms so as to contour to the end portion of the ball 16. The tethering line
or elastic cord
is fixed to an apex of the dome-shaped mounting member 20.
The adjustment means or elastic strap 22 is at opposing ends 23A and 23B,
respectively, designed to releasably fasten to the mounting member 20 via
fastening means
which in this embodiment is in the form of VELCRO 28A and 30A, respectively.
The
dome-shaped mounting member 20 includes corresponding and inter-engaging
VELCRO
surfaces such as 28B and 30B for variable fastening of the elastic strap or
membrane 22. In
this embodiment the opposing ends 23A/B of the elastic strap 22 are shaped
triangular to
substantially cover the dome-shaped mounting member 20. This results in
increased grip
and "feel" around the ball 16 with a relatively smooth and comfortable
catching surface for
the user.
The elastic strap or membrane 22 is constructed of a continuous skin and is
designed to wrap about the football 16. The continuous skin is constructed of
a rubber or
elastomeric material which contours to the shape of the football 16 and
rigidly retains the
ball 16. The variable adjustment of the fastening means together with the
elastic strap or
membrane 22 allows the ball retaining means to be fitted to a variety of
differently sized
and shaped balls. For example, it is expected that the ball retaining means of
this
embodiment can be fitted to a rugby union or rugby league ball, or an
Australian rules
football. Within each of these "codes" there may also be a differently sized
balls. For
example, in rugby league there are "mini" balls for the juniors, "rnod" balls
for the
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teenagers, and "max" balls for the seniors as well as training balls which are
the same size
as "max" balls except heavier.
The ball retaining means is thus of a two-piece construction including the
mounting member 20 and the elastic strap or membrane 22, respectively. These
components are advantageously fabricated of a non-slip material which may be
gripped
with ease and in contouring to the shape of the football retains the natural
feel of the ball
itself. The ball retaining means may also on its exposes surfaces be coloured
fluorescent or
luminescent for improved visibility at night and may be distinctively branded
with
sporting club colours.
The neoprene strap 22 of this embodiment is relatively waterproof and can be
used
for training in wet and slippery conditions which are generally characteristic
of winter
sports such as the football codes. The waterproof strap or membrane 22 also
inhibits dew
from the grass, which normally makes a ball slippery, from accumulating on the
surface of
the ball 16. The neoprane strap 22 provides a spongy surface for gripping and
improves
the users development of passing, throwing and catching.
The sports training apparatus of the embodiment encourages the development of
ball handing skills and for example can be used as a means of rehabilitation
whilst
recovering from injury. The apparatus also encourages the development of:
(i) correct placement of the legs and feet whilst passing or throwing the
ball;
(ii) correct positioning of the torso for passing, throwing and catching the
ball; and
(iii) correct placement of the fingers, hands and arms when passing, throwing
and
catching the ball.
The general steps involved in playing with the sports training apparatus are
as
follows:
(i) the ball 16 is fitted within the ball retaining means as best illustrated
in figure 2;
(ii) the wrist strap or band 18 is attached to the person or player's 12 wrist
as illustrated
in figure 1; and
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(iii) the ball 16 is passed by the player 12 and the tethering line or elastic
cord 10 returns
the ball 16 toward the player 12.
Now that a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in
some detail it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the sports
training apparatus
has at least the following advantages over the admitted prior art:
(i) the ball retaining means can be snugly fitted to a variety of differently
shaped
and/or sized balls;
(ii) the ball retaining means being of a continuous membrane contours to the
shape of
the ball and is relatively unobstructed for a person catching and passing the
ball;
and
(iii) the ball retaining means and sports training apparatus can be
appropriately
coloured and branded for visibility and association with a sporting club.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein
is
susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically
described. For
example, the specific configuration and materials of construction for the
retaining means
may vary provided it has adequate adjustment for retention of a variety of
differently sized
balls. The two-piece construction of the preferred embodiment may be replaced
with a
one-piece construction of for example a rubber skin which fits about the ball.
All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope of
the
present invention the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing
description.
It is to be understood that an acknowledgment of prior art in the patent
specification is not an admission that this prior art forms part of the common
general
knowledge in the relevant art.
