Basketball rebounder

Abstract

A basketball rebounder may releasably attach to a backboard. The basketball rebounder may include a frame for supporting the basketball rebounder off the floor at a substantially fixed position relative to the backboard. The basketball rebounder may further include a plurality of nets which may be attached to the frame allowing the basketball rebounder to return a basketball substantially in a direction away from the backboard.

1 . A basketball returning apparatus, comprising:
 a plurality of poles comprising,
 at least one front center pole; 
 at least two front poles, each front pole having a top end portion and a bottom end portion, and each front pole configured to be joined to the at least one front center pole near the bottom end portion; 
 at least one back center top pole; 
 at least two front-to-back poles, each front-to-back pole having a front end portion and a back end portion, and each front-to-back pole configured to be joined to the at least one front center pole near the front end portion and to the at least one back center top pole near the back end portion; 
 at least two back top poles, each back top pole having a bottom end portion, and each back top pole configured to be joined to the at least one back center top pole near the bottom end portion; 
 at least two back bottom poles, each back bottom pole having a top end portion, and each back bottom pole configured to be joined to the at least one back center pole near the top end portion; and 
 at least one back center bottom pole having a right end portion and a left end portion, the at least one back center bottom pole configured to be joined to the at least two back bottom poles at the right end portion and the left end portion; 
   at least one bottom net, the at least one bottom net having a front end portion configured to attach to the at least one front center pole and the at least one bottom net having a back end portion configured to attach to at least one of the at least one back center bottom pole;   at least two side nets, each side net having,
 a front side portion configured to attach to one of the at least two front poles, 
 a back side portion configured to attach to one of the at least two back top poles, where the back side portion is longer than the front side portion, 
 a top side portion, and 
 a bottom side portion, where the bottom side portion is longer than the top side portion; and 
   support means for supporting the basketball returning apparatus at a substantially fixed position relative to a backboard.   
     
     
         2 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising means for joining the plurality of poles such that the basketball returning apparatus is configured to collapse from an installed configuration to a substantially flat configuration while the plurality of poles remain substantially joined. 
     
     
         3 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 2 , where the means for joining the plurality of poles comprises a plurality of joints, each joint having a first joining portion for radially coupling to an end portion of a first pole from the plurality of poles and a second joining portion for substantially perpendicularly coupling to a selected portion of a second pole from the plurality of poles, the second joining portion holding the selected portion of the second pole from the plurality of poles through an amount of friction exerted on the selected portion of the second pole from the plurality of poles such that the basketball returning apparatus is configured to collapse into the substantially flat configuration by reducing the amount of friction exerted on the selected portion of the second pole from the plurality of poles. 
     
     
         4 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , comprising a second back center bottom pole having a right end portion and a left end portion, the second back center bottom pole configured to be joined to the at least two back bottom poles near the right end portion and the left end portion for giving additional rigidity to the basketball returning apparatus. 
     
     
         5 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , where the at least one bottom net comprises elastic strings, the elastic strings woven or attached together to form the at least one bottom net. 
     
     
         6 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , the back end portion of the at least one bottom net further configured to wrap 45 to 135 degrees around the at least one back center top pole. 
     
     
         7 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , the support means comprising at least two hanging hooks, each hanging hook configured to connect to the at least two front poles for releasably hanging the basketball returning apparatus from the backboard. 
     
     
         8 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 7 , the at least two front poles configured to slide along the at least one front center pole thereby allowing adjustment of the basketball returning apparatus to accommodate various backboard sizes. 
     
     
         9 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , the support means including the at least two back bottom poles configured to support the basketball returning apparatus off a floor. 
     
     
         10 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the distance between the at least two back top poles is larger than the distance between the at least two front top poles such that the distance between the top side portions of the at least two side nets is relatively larger near the at least two back top poles than near the at least two front poles. 
     
     
         11 . The basketball returning apparatus of  claim 1 , where the front side portion of at least one of the at least two side nets is configured to detach from the at least two front poles, and where the back side portion of at least one of the at least two side nets is configured to detach from the at least two back top poles to allow for removal of at least one of the at least two side nets at a time to further facilitate basketball shooting from a side line side of the basketball returning apparatus. 
     
     
         12 . A basketball returning system configured to operate in conjunction with a backboard and a floor, comprising:
 a first side net and a second side net, each of the first side net and the second side net having,
 a front top corner; 
 a front bottom corner; 
 a back top corner; and 
 a front bottom corner; 
   side net holding means configured to hold the first side net and the second side net such that the distance between the front top corner of the first side net and the front top corner of the second side net is less than the distance between the back top corner of the first side net and the back top corner of the second side net, while the distance between the front bottom corner of the first side net and the front bottom corner of the second side net is substantially the same as the distance between the back bottom corner of the first side net and the back bottom corner of the second side net;   a bottom net;   bottom net holding means configured to hold the bottom net at a slope relative to the floor thereby enabling the bottom net to return a basketball impacting the bottom net substantially in a direction away from the backboard;   attachment means for attaching the first side net and the second side net to the side net holding means, and the bottom net to the bottom net holding means; and   support means for one or more of releasably attaching the basketball returning system to the backboard and sustaining the basketball returning system upon the floor.   
     
     
         13 . The basketball returning system of  claim 12 , where the side net holding means, the bottom net holding means and the support means comprise a plurality of poles, at least some of the plurality of poles joined by joints, each joint having a first joining portion for radially coupling to an end portion of a first pole from the plurality of poles and a second joining portion for perpendicularly coupling to a selected portion of a second pole from the plurality of poles, the second joining portion holding the selected portion of the second pole from the plurality of poles through friction exerted on the selected portion of the second pole from the plurality of poles such that the basketball returning system is configured to fold into a substantially flat configuration while the plurality of poles remains substantially joined by reducing the friction exerted on the selected portion of the second pole from the plurality of poles. 
     
     
         14 . The basketball returning system of  claim 12 , the bottom net holding means comprising at least a first bar and a second bar, the bottom net holding means further configured to hold the bottom net such that the bottom net partially wraps around the first bar and attaches to the second bar. 
     
     
         15 . The basketball returning system of  claim 12 , the support means including releasably attaching means selected from the group consisting of straps, hooks, snaps, bands, fasteners, clips, clasps, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The basketball returning system of  claim 12 , the support means including means of sustaining the basketball returning system upon the floor selected from the group consisting of legs, poles, bars, rods, shafts, stands, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The basketball returning system of  claim 12 , the first side net and the second side net each having a substantially trapezoidal shape with a front side connecting the front top corner and the front bottom corner being of shorter length than a back side connecting the back top corner and the back bottom corner, and with a top side connecting the front top corner and the back top corner being of shorter length than a bottom side connecting the front bottom corner to the back bottom corner. 
     
     
         18 . The basketball returning system of  claim 12 , the attachment means configured for reattachable detachment of the first side net and the second side net from the side net holding means for removal of the first side net or the second side net to further facilitate basketball shooting in a direction generally towards the backboard from a position on a side line side of the basketball returning system. 
     
     
         19 . A basketball rebounding apparatus for releasably attaching to a backboard holding a basketball rim, comprising:
 a frame having a at least two hooks configured to releasably engage the backboard and having a plurality of legs for supporting the basketball rebounding apparatus off a floor at a substantially fixed position relative to the backboard, the frame extending outwardly around and beneath the basketball rim;   a plurality of nets releasably attached to the frame, the plurality of nets in conjunction with the backboard defining a basketball capturing receptacle for receiving a basketball, where the plurality of nets includes opposing side nets and a bottom net, the bottom net extending between bottom portions of the side nets, the bottom portions of the side nets being substantially parallel while top portions of the side nets open away from each other as they extend outwardly away from the backboard, and where the bottom net is disposed slightly below and away from the basketball rim and at a downward slope relative to a line parallel to the floor thereby enabling the bottom net to return a basketball impacting the bottom net substantially in a direction away from the backboard.   
     
     
         20 . The basketball rebounding apparatus of  claim 19 , the side nets configured for removal of at least one side net at a time to further facilitate shooting of a basketball towards the basketball rim from a position to the side of the basketball rebounding system. 
     
     
         21 . The basketball rebounding apparatus of  claim 19 , the frame configured to fold to a substantially flat configuration while the plurality of nets remains releasably attached to the frame and the frame remains integral. 
     
     
         22 . The basketball rebounding apparatus of  claim 19 , the at least two hooks configured to adjust along an axis substantially parallel to the top of the backboard to releasably engage various different sizes of backboards.