Basketball goal assembly

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure include a basketball goal assembly with a vertical support assembly formed with a lower support assembly and an upper support assembly. The basketball goal assembly facilitates packaging, transport, display and installation of the assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A basketball goal assembly, comprising:
 a lower support assembly including a pole section having opposed, spaced-apart sides defining a hollow interior therebetween, each side having an inner surface and an outer surface, the pole section further including a plurality of mounting tubes extending between the sides, each mounting tube having a hollow interior and having first and second open ends, the lower support assembly having a lower end supported by a support surface;   an upper support assembly including a pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars, the pole section being received between the side bars, each side bar including an inward surface facing a respective outer surface of the sides of the pole section, the side bars including a plurality of hollow bushings, the bushings being aligned with and positioned adjacent to the mounting tubes, the respective bushings and mounting tubes defining a through passageway for reception of fasteners, the respective bushings and adjacent mounting tubes forming gaps spacing apart the inward surfaces of the side bars from the outer surfaces of the pole section;   at least one connection between the pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars above the lower support assembly;   the upper support assembly further including at least one support arm mounted to the side bars and supporting a backboard assembly; and   a plurality of lower fasteners securing the pole section with the side bars, each lower fastener extending through the passageway of the aligned bushings and mounting tubes to secure the bushings adjacent to the ends of the mounting tubes.   
     
     
         2 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the ends of the mounting tubes protrude from the pole section, and define the gap spacing the side bar inward surfaces apart from the pole section sides. 
     
     
         3 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the lower fasteners is matched to a respective one of the mounting tubes, wherein each lower fastener defines a length between a proximal end and a distal end, with the distal end engaging a bushing on one side bar, and the proximal end engaging a bushing on the other side bar and the length extending through the mounting tube. 
     
     
         4 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein one end of each lower fastener is threaded and engages a threaded portion of a respective bushing. 
     
     
         5 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection between the pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars above the lower support assembly comprises an upper fastener extending through and pivotally supporting the at least one support arm. 
     
     
         6 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection between the pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars above the lower support assembly comprises a pair of upper fasteners extending through and pivotally supporting a pair of support arms. 
     
     
         7 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one connection between the pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars above the lower support assembly comprises a bracket with a planar plate spanning the rear sides of the side bars and the distance separating them and connecting the side bars. 
     
     
         8 . A basketball goal assembly, comprising:
 a lower support assembly including a pole section having opposed, spaced-apart sides defining a hollow interior therebetween, each side having an inner surface and an outer surface, the pole section further including a plurality of mounting tubes extending between the sides, each mounting tube having a hollow interior and having first and second open ends, the lower support assembly having a lower end supported by a support surface;   an upper support assembly including a pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars, the pole section being received between the side bars, each side bar including an inward surface facing a respective outer surface of the sides of the pole section, each side bar including a plurality of hollow bushings, the bushings on one side bar being aligned with and positioned adjacent to the first ends of respective mounting tubes, the bushings on the other side bar being aligned with and positioned adjacent to the second ends of respective mounting tubes, the respective bushings and mounting tubes defining a through passageway for reception of fasteners, the respective bushings and adjacent mounting tubes forming gaps spacing apart the inward surfaces of the side bars from the outer surfaces of the pole section;   the upper support assembly further including at least one support arm extending between and mounted to the side bars and supporting a backboard assembly;   at least one upper fastener extending through the at least one support arm and the side bars to mount the support arm to the upper support assembly above the lower support assembly; and   a plurality of lower fasteners securing the pole section with the side bars, each lower fastener extending through the passageway of the aligned bushings and mounting tubes to secure the bushings adjacent to the ends of the mounting tubes.   
     
     
         9 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the ends of the mounting tubes protrude from the pole section, and define the gap spacing the side bar inward surfaces apart from the pole section sides. 
     
     
         10 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 8 , wherein one end of each lower fastener is threaded and engages a threaded portion of a respective bushing. 
     
     
         11 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the mounting tubes are parallel and offset in a triangular arrangement. 
     
     
         12 . A basketball goal assembly, comprising:
 a lower support assembly including a pole section having opposed, spaced-apart sides defining a hollow interior therebetween, each side having an inner surface and an outer surface, the pole section further including a plurality of mounting tubes extending between the sides, each mounting tube having a hollow interior and having first and second open ends, the lower support assembly having a lower end supported by a support surface;   an upper support assembly including a pair of spaced-apart, parallel side bars, the pole section being received between the side bars, each side bar including an inward surface facing a respective outer surface of the sides of the pole section, each side bar including a plurality of hollow bushings, the bushings on one side bar being aligned with and positioned adjacent to the first ends of respective mounting tubes, the bushings on the other side bar being aligned with and positioned adjacent to the second ends of respective mounting tubes, the respective bushings and mounting tubes defining a through passageway for reception of fasteners, the respective bushings and adjacent mounting tubes forming gaps spacing apart the inward surfaces of the side bars from the outer surfaces of the pole section;   the upper support assembly further including at least one support arm mounted between the side bars above the lower support assembly and supporting a backboard assembly; and   a plurality of lower fasteners securing the pole section with the side bars, each lower fastener extending through the passageway of the aligned bushings and mounting tubes to secure the bushings adjacent to the ends of the mounting tubes.   
     
     
         13 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the ends of the mounting tubes protrude from the pole section of the respective mounting tubes, and define the gap spacing the side bar inward surfaces apart from the pole section sides. 
     
     
         14 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the parallel side bars are connected above the lower support assembly. 
     
     
         15 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the parallel side bars are connected by an upper fastener above the lower support assembly. 
     
     
         16 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the upper fastener is adjacent upper ends of the parallel side bars. 
     
     
         17 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the upper fastener pivotally supports the at least one support arm. 
     
     
         18 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the parallel side bars are connected by a bracket above the lower support assembly. 
     
     
         19 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 18 , wherein the bracket comprises a planar plate spanning the rear sides of the side bars and the distance separating them. 
     
     
         20 . The basketball goal assembly of  claim 19 , wherein upper and lower edges of the bracket are bent forward and extend between the side bars.