Tennis ball retriever

Abstract

A spring wire loop is affixed to a tennis racquet to enable a player to conveniently scoop a tennis ball off the playing surface and retrieve it. In an add-on embodiment, the loop can be affixed by mounts secured to the strings of an existing racquet; alternatively, the loop can be secured to mounts built into the racquet at manufacture.

1 . A ball retrieving device for attaching to the strings of a racquet comprising: 
 a length of wire, and    a pair of mounting devices adapted to be securely affixed to the strings of the racquet, and comprising structure for receiving and retaining the ends of the length of wire,    wherein the length of the length of wire and the spacing of the mounting devices when affixed to the strings of the racquet are chosen cooperatively so that the wire is deformed into an approximately parabolic loop that extends away from the plane of the racquet strings at least one-half the diameter of a tennis ball in an outwardly direction, toward the edge of the racquet.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein each of the mounting devices is a generally flat member formed of a resilient material and having a slot around its periphery into which pairs of adjacent strings of the racquet are received, so that the mounting device is retained between the pairs of adjacent strings.  
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1 , further comprising end caps affixed to each end of the spring wire, and wherein said mounting devices each have recesses formed therein to receive and securely retain said end caps.  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the wire is spring wire.  
   
   
       5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the spring wire is made of Nitinol.  
   
   
       6 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the loop formed by the wire lies in a plane forming an angle of between 45 and 90 degrees to the plane of the strings.  
   
   
       7 . A ball retrieving device for attaching to the rim of a racquet comprising: 
 a length of wire, and    a pair of mounting devices adapted to be securely affixed to the rim of the head of the racquet, and comprising structure for receiving and retaining the ends of the length of wire,    wherein the length of the wire and the spacing of the mounting devices when affixed to the rim of the racquet are chosen cooperatively so that the wire is deformed into an approximately parabolic loop that extends away from the plane of the racquet strings at least one-half the diameter of a tennis ball in an outwardly direction, toward the edge of the racquet.    
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the mounting devices each comprise a recess for receiving an end cap affixed to the ends of the length of wire.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the mounting devices are affixed to the inside of the rim.  
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the mounting devices are affixed to the outer surface of the rim.  
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the wire is spring wire.  
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the spring wire is made of Nitinol.  
   
   
       13 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the loop formed by the wire lies in a plane forming an angle of between 45 and 90 degrees to the plane of the strings.