Ball Holder

This invention is concerned with a ball holder, particularly a tennis ball holder adapted to hold one or two tennis balls.

In tennis, the server usually carries two or three balls to use for his particular service. If he serves and faults with the first ball he can immediately serve another. If he serves with a second ball and nets it he has the third ball to serve. If the first or second service is in play, the player has to carry one or two balls while playing which may interfere with his game, particularly if he uses both hands for some shots.

Some players place any unused balls in the pocket of their tennis shorts. However this may disturb concentration and the ability of the player to manuever on the court since the balls rub against the player's leg and hamper his motion.

Some players dispose of the second and/or third ball by dropping it or throwing it somewhere on the court after the first successful service. This may be distracting to his opponent and also presents the problem of retrieving one or two balls for the next service.

In view of the problems in dealing with extra balls after a successful service, there have been provided in the art, ball holders worn on the player's clothing which are capable of carrying one or two balls, the object of which is to keep the hands free for volleying after a successful service. Ball holders have also been used for golfers as a convenient alternative to reaching into a golf bag for a new ball.

In British Pat. No. 326,425 to Kachow et al, for example, a golf-ball holder or pouch is provided comprising a pair of substantially semi-spherical members hingedly connected together with the lower part of each member cut away to form an opening when the members are in the closed position, through which a part of the ball placed in the holder will protrude and means for attaching one of the members to a part of the clothing of the user.

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,074,180 to F. J. Halley, a tennis ball holder capable of holding one tennis ball is provided comprising a pair of resiliently mounted rings made of a material such as spring wire, whose diameter is substantially less than that of a tennis ball. The rings are mounted to a base at one point in the circumference of each ring to resiliently resist separation. A tennis ball can be inserted in the space between the rings to enter the holder whereafter the rings close upon the ball and retain it.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,708,061 to J. Kotchka, provides a ball holder capable of retaining one or more balls in spaced relationship with respect to the holder whereby each of the balls is readily accessible to a player. The invention employs a curved base to which is secured a helically wound spring having a plurality of convolutions, the number of which is dependent upon the number of balls which the holder is adapted to retain. At each point along the length of the helical spring at which a ball is to be received, the successive convolutions of the helical spring are formed with a space therebetween sufficiently large to insure that a ball forced against said helical spring will automatically seat into the desired space between the successive convolutions.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,709 to W. C. Kenard, a tennis ball holder is provided for elastically gripping a tennis ball which is capable of being secured to an article of clothing. Preferably, the holder is bent from wire in the form of a pair of loops for holding the ball and a pair of U-shaped portions for nipping or crimping an article of clothing, such as a belt or the like.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,290 to C. A. Sperling, a tennis ball holder is provided comprising a light weight concave plastic shell having a plurality of fingers which grip the ball to retain the ball within the shell. The holder is secured to the player's clothing by means of a plate and key/keyhole arrangement.

The present invention, on the other, hand provides a ball holder for holding one or two balls, particularly tennis balls, attachable to the attire of the player which can be loaded or unloaded rapidly without putting stress on the wearer's attire and securely retains a ball or balls even during the strenuous movements of the player such as serving, running and jumping.

The design of the present ball holder employs a novel combination of ball retaining members made of lightweight, solid and inexpensive plastic. The holder does not employ hingedly connected semi-spherical members, resiliently mounted spring wire, helically wound springs, wire loops or a concave plastic shell containing gripping fingers as described in the above patents. Moreover, in certain embodiments of the invention one of the members, besides functioning to retain balls in the holder, can also be used to assist in loading or unloading the holder without causing stress to the attire of the wearer. Such feature is not present in ball holders provided heretofore.

In one embodiment of the present invention a ball holder, particularly a tennis ball holder, is provided capable of retaining one or two balls and easily attachable to the clothing, such as the belt or waistband of the wearer comprising:

(a) a vertical strut member;

(b) an upper planar ball retaining member extending outwardly from the upper edge of said strut member;

(c) a lower planar ball retaining member extending outwardly from the lower edge of said strut member; and

(d) a cylindrical ball retaining member joined to the central portion of said strut member and lying between said upper and lower planar ball retaining members.

Preferably the ball holder further contains an upper pair of elastic ball retaining members extending from the outer edges of the upper planar ball retaining member to the lower edges of the cylindrical ball retaining member. Similarly, a lower pair of elastic ball retaining members extend from the outer edges of the lower planar ball retaining member to the upper edges of the cylindrical ball retaining member. These upper and lower elastic members further prevent a ball or balls retained by the holder from bouncing within and out of the holder.

The holder is also equipped with a means for fastening the holder to the clothing of the player such as a spring clamp located at the top portion of the strut member.

In another embodiment of this invention a single ball holder is provided essentially comprising the lower half of the above described ball holder, viz a vertical strut member, a lower planar ball retaining member and a cylindrical ball retaining member joined to the upper portion of the strut member. This single ball holder also preferably contains a pair of elastic ball retaining members extending from the outer edges of the lower planar ball retaining member to the cylindrical ball retaining member.

The cylindrical member, besides retaining a ball or balls, is also used to assist in loading and removing balls from the holder. By pressing the member in the direction of the body, the holder is held tightly against the body thus permitting fast loading and unloading while reducing pull or stress on the clamp attached to the wearer's attire.

In still another embodiment of this invention, a single ball holder is provided having a vertical strut member, a lower planar ball retaining member and a pair of elastic ball retaining members. In place of the cylindrical ball retaining member there is provided a pair of curved or arched ball gripping members mounted to the top of the strut member forming an outer space therebetween for insertion of the fingers. The strut member is of a width equal to about the width of the inner diameter of the gripping members and has formed therein a pair of vertical elongated slots for insertion over the waistband or belt of the user. Loading of the holder takes place by placing the ball at the top of the gripping members, pressing the ball toward the body and rolling it down over a segment of the elastic members extending across the upper surface of the ball gripping members into the holder. Unloading takes place by inserting the fingers through the space between the gripping members, pressing the ball against the body and rolling the ball upward over the segment of the elastic ball retaining members. This allows fast loading and unloading without stress on the wearer's attire.

By virtue of the present invention, a player can keep balls off the tennis court and within easy reach of the player while at the same time allowing full use of both hands when playing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the ball holder of this invention for retaining one or two balls;

FIG. 2 is a sideview of the ball holder of FIG. 1 illustrating the dimensions and spacings of component parts;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the ball holder of this invention containing elastic ball retaining members;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another ball holder of this invention for retaining one ball; and

FIGS. 5 & 6 show a perspective and front view, respectively, of still another ball holder of this invention for retaining one ball.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the tennis ball holder of this invention which is adapted to hold one or two tennis balls.

The holder is shown generally by 11 in its normal operating position containing two tennis balls as indicated by the dotted lines. The holder 11 consists of a strut member 12 about 41/2 inches long and about 11/2 inches in width made of a solid plastic material such as polyethylene. The inside surface of the strut member 13 may either be flat or rounded to accommodate the rounded surface of a tennis ball and to enhance the strength characteristics of the strut member. Extending outwardly from the strut member 12 at the center portion thereof is a cylindrical ball retaining member 14 also made of a solid plastic. The inside diameter of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 is substantially the same as the diameter of a tennis ball, i.e. about 25/8 inches.

Extending from the upper and lower edges 15 and 16 of strut member 12 above and below cylindrical member 14 are planar ball retaining members 17 and 18 which can also be made of a solid plastic material. Each planar ball retaining member can be positioned at right angles to the strut member. Preferably, however, each planar ball retaining member 17 and 18 is positioned to extend above and below the strut member 12 respectively, at some acute angle from the horizontal or from a plane normal to the strut member 12 at each edge thereof. Preferably this acute angle is from about 10.degree. to about 50.degree. and more preferably about 20.degree. as indicated in FIG. 2. It has been found that by employing an angled aspect to the planar ball retaining members, the tendency of the balls to bounce out of the holder is substantially reduced. The outer portion 19 of each planar ball retaining member as well as the edges thereof should be rounded to avoid sharp surfaces which could injure the wearer or other persons who contact the holder. As shown in FIG. 1, the outer portion 19 of each planar ball retaining member is in a rounded "paddle-like" configuration having a diameter substantially the same or greater than the width of the strut member 12.

Attached to the outside surface of strut member 12 near the top thereof is a means for securing the holder to the wearer such as spring clamp 24. The clamp 24 can then be secured to the wearer's belt or clothing when using the holder. Other means for securing the holder to the wearer may also be employed such as a strap, clip or other fastening means as well known in the art. The width of the clamp or other fastening means should preferably be greater than the width of the strut member 12 e.g. about 21/2 inches to reduce the tendency of the holder to sway when in use attached to the attire of the player.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the holder 11 of FIG. 1 showing some of the dimensions thereof. The distance a from each of the strut member 12 to the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 is approximately 11/2 inches. The width w of the cylindrical ball retaining member is about 11/2 inches. As previously mentioned, the inside diameter d of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 is about 25/8 inches, the diameter of a tennis ball. The two planar ball retaining members 17 and 18 extend outwardly from the edges of the strut member a distance e of about 2 inches. The distance b from the end of each planar ball retaining member to each edge of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 is about 21/4 inches. The thickness of each member 12, 14, 17 and 18 is about 5/64 of an inch. Clamp 24, is shown connected to strut 12 by means of rivet 25 secured to one arm of clamp 24 to prevent rotation of the holder.

FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the ball holder of this invention which further comprises elastic ball retaining members connected between the planar ball retaining members and cylindrical ball retaining member to prevent bouncing of the balls within and out of the holder during playing.

In this embodiment, each planar ball retaining member 17 and 18 has a pair of opposing grooves 20 notched in the edge of each "paddle" at the outer region thereof about 11/2 to 2 inches apart. The cylindrical ball retaining member 14 has two pairs of opposed grooves 21 notched in the upper and lower edges thereof near the junction of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 and strut member 12.

A rubber band or other thin elastic band material extends around the top surface of the upper planar member 17 at the outer regions thereof through grooves 20 to the grooves 21 in the lower inside edges of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 and then across the lower surface thereof to provide a pair of elastic ball retaining members 22. Similarly, another rubber band or thin elastic material extends around the lower surface at the outer regions thereof of the lower planar member 18 through grooves 20 of the lower member to the grooves 21 in the upper inside edges of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 and then across the upper surface thereof to provide a second pair of elastic ball retaining members 23. The elastic ball retaining members 22 and 23 can also be provided by fastening thin elastic materials to the grooves in any suitable manner as for example by knotting, glueing, pinning and the like.

By virtue of the elastic ball retaining members, a ball or balls placed in the holder are more securely restrained from bouncing within or out of the holder during the jostling motions of the wearer while playing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the grooves 20 and 21 are triangularly shaped. However, notches or other geometrical shapes may also be suitably employed such as semicircular, oblong etc.

It is also within the scope of this invention to use other means for retaining the flexible ball retaining members such as holes instead of grooves located at the outer region of the planar ball retaining members. It is also possible to eliminate grooves or holes by merely securing the flexible members directly to the outer region of each planar ball retaining member and cylindrical ball retaining member by any suitable method i.e. glueing, tacking, pinning etc. It is preferred, however, to maintain the segments or sections of the flexible ball retaining member across the lower and upper surface of the cylindrical ball retaining member.

The tennis ball holder of this invention is attached to the clothing i.e. shorts, blouse, belt etc., e.g. at the back of the tennis player, by means of clamp 24 or other suitable fastening means in the position shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3. Preferably, the holder is attached to the tennis player about belt high and off center about two inches toward the direction of the player's arms which does not hold the tennis racket when the player is serving.

Two tennis balls are placed in the holder by either placing one ball at a time in the lower and upper section of the holder or by placing one ball in either section followed by displacing that ball with a second ball to the unoccupied section of the holder. Cylindrical ball retaining member 14 acts to restrain both balls from moving in an outward direction from the holder in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the strut member 12. However, one of the most important features of the cylindrical member 14 is to reduce pull or stress on the wearer's attire when loading and removing balls to and from the holder. By pressing the member 14 with a free hand in the direction of the body, the holder can be held tightly against the body while loading or unloading using the fingers of the same free hand thus eliminating stress on the clamp and preventing damage to the wearer's attire. Such feature was not a consideration in ball holders provided heretofore. However, it is essential in sports like tennis where it is necessary that a holder not only be capable of securely holding balls therein during playing but also be capable of fast loading and unloading without developing tears or holes in the player's attire. The planar ball retaining members 17 and 18 prevent movement of the balls in a vertical direction. When angled in the manner described above, they also reduce the tendency of the balls to bounce within their confined space. This tendency to bounce is offset by the inclination and declination of the planar members which acts to set the balls inwardly toward the strut member. The elastic ball retaining members 22 and 23, as previously mentioned keep tension on the ball they bear upon during loading and releasing to further prevent balls from bouncing out of the holder. Each elastic member also holds its respective ball in place to prevent bouncing around when the player is very active such as in running, jumping, quick stops and changing direction. The location of the claimp 24 at the top of the strut 12 reduces sway since the majority of the weight of the holder and balls is located below the clamp.

When one ball is placed in the holder or when one ball is removed from the holder retaining two balls, either the top or bottom ball, the single ball is retained in the holder by a section of the strut member 12, a section of the cylindrical ball retaining member 14, a planar ball retaining member 17 or 18 and a pair of elastic retaining members 22 or 23, as shown in FIG. 3, if also employed. After the second ball is removed, the holder is then loaded with one or two balls and the procedure is repeated.

If the lower ball is removed first, the cylindrical ball retaining member 14 guides the upper ball downward to the lower section of the holder should the upper ball tend to drop as a result of gravity and the movements of the player.

The holder including strut member 12, upper and lower planar ball retaining members 17 and 18 and cylindrical ball retaining member 14 may be fabricated as one unit by plastic molding techniques well known in the art. If flexible ball retaining members are employed, grooves can be easily formed in the appropriate edges of the planar ball retaining members and cylindrical ball retaining member before, during or after fabrication. Alternatively, two or more members may be fabricated as one unit and the remaining unit or units added on by bonding methods well known in the art.

FIG. 4 shows a ball holder according to the invention designed to hold a single ball. Such a holder essentially comprises the lower half of the ball holder of FIG. 3 with the clamp 24 moved to a central position with regard to strut member 12. Elements identical to those of FIG. 3 are shown by identical reference numerals and the letter a. Loading and unloading of the holder is the same as described above.

FIGS. 5 & 6 show a perspective and front view of still another one ball holder according to the invention. Elements identical to those of FIGS. 3 or 4 are shown by identical reference numerals and the letter b. In this embodiment the cylindrical ball retaining member 14a of FIG. 4 is substituted by a pair of curved ball gripping members 25 molded to the surface of strut member 12b. Such gripping members essentially comprise a cylindrical ball retaining member with an outer segment removed. The strut member 12b has a width of about the same as the inside diameter of the strut member i.e. 25/8". The fastening means associated with the strut member 12b comprises a pair of vertical elongated slots 26 which fit over the waistband of the user's clothing to securely retain the holder on the user. This fastening means may also be substituted for the clamp shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

To load the holder, a ball is inserted downwardly from the top of the strut members 25, pressed toward the body and rolled down over segment 27 of the elastic ball retaining member 23b. To unload the ball from the holder, the user inserts his fingers through the space between the curved ball gripping member 25, presses the ball towards the body and rolls the ball upward over segment 27 of the elastic ball retaining member 23b. Since the ball is pressed toward the body when loading or unloading the ball to and from the holder, there is no pressure on the wearer's attire.

The holders of this invention are also suitable for holding balls other than tennis balls such as golf balls, squash balls or hand balls for example, or any other small ball or balls used in individual or team sporting events. The dimensions of the holder are altered depending on the size of the ball or balls to be held. In such case, the strut member may be made shorter or longer; the planar ball retaining members may also be lengthened, shortened or changed in shape depending on the nature and size of the ball; and the cylindrical ball retaining member or arched ball gripping members are structured such that the inside diameter thereof is substantially the same as the diameter of a ball or balls to be retained in the holder.