United States Patent
[19]
Falitz
[54]
1111
3,902,749
[45]
Sept. 2, 1975
TENNIS BALL RETRIEVER WITH HINGED
2,544,281
3/1951
GATE
3,215,293
11/1965
Seil ................................... .. 248/130
[76]
Inventor:
Leonard Falitl, 212-30 23 Ave,
3,227,298
3,804,449
1/1966
4/1974
Shoemaker....
294/19 A X
Falitz ....................... .. 294/19 A
Bayside, N.Y. l 1360
3,820,836
6/1974
Seewagen et al. .............. .. 294/19 A
[22]
Filed:
Apr. 17, 1974
Kelly et a1 . . . . . .
. . . .. 294/19 A x
_
[21] APP]- NO-I 461,627
Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher
Assistant Examiner-Johnny D. Cherry
[52]
[57]
[51]
[58]
US. Cl. ............................. .. 294/19 A; 214/356
,
"""""""" " B65F 3/00
Field of Search .................... .. 294/19 A, 57, 58;
56 328 R_ 214/356 220/94 R‘ 248/130 163
/
’
’
’
’
_
[56]
References C'ted
UNITED STATES PATENTS
704,848
7/1902
Minton ........................... .. 294/19 A
1,877,464
9/1932
Huston...
1,965,726
7/1934
Smith ............................ .. 248/130 x
ABSTRACT
A tennis ball retriever having a handle in the form of
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.
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a yoke and a pair of ground engagmg rmgs intercon
nected by spaced bars and a hinged gate to provide for
access of tennis balls picked up through the spaced
bars after rolling action of the rings along the ground.
A Y-shaped handle is provided to facilitate use of the
tennis ball retriever and to provide a stand therefore.
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_
l Clalm, 4 Drawmg Flgllres
3,902,749
1
2
TENNIS BALL RETRIEVER WITH IIINGED GATE
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
REFERENCE RELATED APPLICATION
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the tennis ball re
This application is related to application Ser. No.
triever;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the ten
312,800 ?led Dec. 7, 1972, now U.S. Pat. No. 5
nis ball retriever shown picking up a ball;
3,804,449, for TENNIS BALL RETRIEVER.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view thereof; and
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing
the details of the gate and locking mechanism.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a tennis ball retriever and
more particularly to a device for retrieving tennis balls
With continuing reference to the accompanying
drawing wherein like reference numeral 10 generally
by rolling a mechanism along the ground. During the
playing of tennis and especially during practice and
designates a tennis ball retriever constructed in accor
dance with the concept of the present invention. The
tennis ball retriever 10 includes a Y-shaped handle 12
in the form of a yoke 14 having a pair of diverging U
teaching sessions, numerous tennis balls are used for
demonstration and practice strokes. The picking up of
these tennis balls by hand usually requires excessive
bending, which will tire the player and make learning
or instructing tennis more fatiguing and less rewarding.
shaped arms 16 and 17 which are adapted to form a
stand as shown in FIG. 3. The yoke includes a pair of
parallel legs 18 and 20 which have a pair of discs 22
and 24 rotatably attached thereto as by stub shafts 26,
20 28 or the like. A pair of spaced broken rings 30 and 32
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices have in the past been developed as
are provided and are rigidly connected to the discs 22
tennis ball retrievers. In the Stap U.S. Pat. No.
and 24 by radius rods 34 and 36 which have concentric
3,371,950, there is disclosed a tennis ball retriever
rings 38, 39, 40, 41 and 42, 43, 44 and 45 attached
which requires the successive pressing down of the re
thereto. The rings are spaced from each other a dis
ceptacle over the tennis balls. This has two great disad 25 tance less than the diameter of a tennis ball, so that no
vantages, one of which is that the device still requires
tennis ball can pass therebetween.
a stooping and bending operation. The second disad
A plurality of spaced bars 50 are welded to the inner
vantage is that the Stap device requires a variety of rods
surface of the rings 30 and 32 and extend therebe
which are pressed over the ball and which in actual use
tween. The bars 50 are spaced from each other a dis
generally through the tilting of the receptacle until an 30 tance which is slightly less than the diameter of a tennis
edge thereof strikes the tennis court causes the marring
of the surface thereof to an undesired degree. Retriev
ers for various ball shaped objects such as shown in
ball T. The tennis ball is slightly squeezed as the tennis
ball retriever is passed along the ground and passes into
the interior of the tennis ball retriever through adjacent
bars 50 in the direction.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,485,398, 3,227,298 and 3,215,293
have also been deivsed but have likewise proved unsat 35
isfactory because of the excessive weight of these de
vices as compared to the surface of a tennis court,
which would cause marring of the surface of the court.
In applicant‘s copending application there is dis
closed a tennis ball retriever which overcomes the
aforesaid disadvantages but requires the removal of a
rod for access to the picked up tennis balls.
40
In order to permit access into the interior of the ten
nis ball retriever, a hinged gate 60 is provided which is
pivotable about the ring 42 by means of hinge 62. The
gate includes two spaced bars 64 and 66 and ring sec
tions 68 and 71 which complete broken rings 30 and
32. A latching mechanism 70 is provided for normally
holding the gate 60 closed. This latch 70 includes a
plate 72 having a hole 74 for receiving a bolt 76 slid
ably attached to bar 66 by brackets 78 and 80. A spring
82 connected to bracket 80 and bolt 76 normally urges
45
the
bolt into hole 74. Manual manipulation of the bolt
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages
76 in the direction of arrow 84 can cause release of bolt
of the prior art devices by providing an extremely light
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
weight tennis ball retriever having spaced bars through
which the tennis balls are squeezed above the surface
76.
In use, the tennis ball retriever is rolled along the
of the ground, with the only contact with the ground 50 ground, picking up balls by squeezing them throughout
the adjacent bars 50. When it is desired to remove the
being by way of a pair of spaced rings. A hinged gate
balls from the retriever, the hinged gate 60 may be piv
for access to the interior is provided. The construction
oted and all of the balls removed. The tennis ball re
of this invention features a Y-shaped handle providing
triever may be stood on end as shown in FIG. 3 for fa
a stand for the tennis ball retriever while also facilitat
cilitating access to the balls.
55
ing the use of the tennis ball retriever.
A latitude of modi?cation, substitution and change is
It is therefore an object of the present invention to
intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some in
provide a tennis ball retriever which has a hinged gate
stances some features of the invention will be employed
for facilitating access to the pick-up balls, that is light
Without a corresponding use of other features.
in weight and simple of construction, capable of being
I claim:
manufactured out of readily available materials and 60
1. A tennis ball retriever comprising a Y-shaped han
which is efficient in use.
dle having a pair of divergent U-shaped handle mem
bers for forming a stand, a pair of spaced mounting
features of the invention which will become apparent
discs rotatably attached to said handle, a plurality of
as the following description proceeds, are attained by 65 sets of rings concentrically disposed about each of said
this tennis ball retriever, a preferred embodiment of
discs, each of said rings of each set of rings being
which has been shown in the accompanying drawing by
spaced from each other a distance less than the diame
ter of a tennis ball, mounting means connecting said
way of example only, wherein:
These. together with the various ancillary objects and
3,902,749
3
4
rings to said discs, a broken ring secured to the outer
most of the rings of each set of rings, a plurality of bars
of ring segments for closing said broken rings, mcans
extending between and interconnecting said broken
rings, said bars being spaced from each other less than
the diameter of a tennis ball, and a gate including a pair 5
25
35
45
50
55
60
65
pivotally mounting said gate to one of said outermost
rings, and latch means for holding said gate closed se
cured to the other of said outermost rings.
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