SYSTEM FOR USE WITH A MOVABLE SPORTS EQUIPMENT

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for use with a moveable sports apparatus such as, for example, a football goal.BACKGROUND

[0002] Sports apparatuses, such as football goals and basketball posts, commonly need to be robust. The apparatus must be capable of withstanding impact regularly without moving from position, and in the case of outdoor apparatus can be exposed to extreme weather conditions. Football goals in particular can have significant weight because of this. A potential consequence of this is that the apparatus can be difficult to move, which is problematic where a space needs to be multi-functional (such as a school sports field) and the sports apparatus is moved regularly. While many sports apparatus such as football goals are marketed as "moveable" or "portable", these are often unwieldy and difficult to move in practice. Further, there may be risk of injury when moving these goals.

[0003] CN205055360U relates to a sports apparatus, more specifically football goal comprising lights that are powered by solar energy. The football goal comprises a wheel, and a light to provide illumination, such that the football goal can be moved at night the person of facilitating the use play football at night, the energy can have been saved and convert the electric energy use into by the absorbed light to the device. The upper end of support is connected with solar cell panel, and the lower extreme and the football door bulk phase of support are connected, and the illumination lamp holder install in football door main part, and the light is installed on illumination lamp holder. The net sets up in football door main part, and the chassis setting is in football door main part, and pneumatic cylinder, connecting piece, universal wheel support and universal wheel all set up the inside at the chassis. The control box sets up in football door main part, and control chip, solenoid valve, battery and converter all set up in the inside of control box, in the control panel football door main part to be located the lower extreme of football door main part.

[0004] US2292109A relates to a cage made up of a series of sections removably connected together. When the sections are connected together, a rigid and strong cage. Alliteratively, the sections to be disconnected and reassembled to form a comparatively compact bundle to facilitate movement of the cage.

[0005] US3934852A relates to a jack for supporting and adjusting the elevation of a trailer tongue comprising a ground support post, having either a caster wheel or foot plate at its lower end, extending downwardly through a jack mechanism housing which is bolted to the trailer tongue. The post can be raised or lowered either by manually sliding a post manual release of latching means in the housing and tilting of a crank. The mechanism in the housing comprises a pivotally movable support member on which a crank-driven worm and an intermeshing worm gear are rotatably mounted. The support member is spring biased and releasably latched into an upward position wherein the worm gear engages the rack (and functions as a pinion gear) and manual rotation of the crank is necessary to move the post up or down. Upon manual release of the latch, tilting of the crank moves the support member to a downward position wherein the worm gear is disengaged from the rack, whereupon the post is free to be slid manually to a desired position.

[0006] Figures 1a and 1b illustrate a conventional "moveable" football goal. The goal comprises a frame 120, a net 130 and four wheels 110 (only two are pictured). As can be seen in Figure 1b, each wheel 110 is connected to the frame 120 by a connecting bar 115. The end of the connecting bar 115 is rotatably coupled to the frame 120 with a bolt 116, such that the connecting bar 115 is rotatable about the bolt 116. A stopper 117 prevents rotation of the connecting bar 115 past the "raised position" (as in Figure 1a), to ensure that the apparatus 100 remains raised up on the wheel 110. To move the sports apparatus 100, the apparatus 100 must be raised from the ground and the wheel 110 rotated into place. This often requires multiple people, and a significant amount of physical effort. There is also a risk of injury associated with this action - one of the users may drop the goal, or even receive an injury caused by impact with the rotating wheel or trapped skin in the rotation mechanism. Even once the wheels 110 are in place, manoeuvring the goal can be difficult. Football goals are large and cumbersome, often sized around 24 foot (7.5 metres) long and 8 foot (2.4 metres) high and deep. As such, steering football goals across a pitch and potentially through relatively narrow gaps can be awkward.

[0007] A solution to at least the above mentioned problems is desirable.SUMMARY

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system configured for use with a moveable sports apparatus as defined in claim 1. Optional and / or preferable features are defined in the dependent claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1a is an example prior art sports apparatus; Figure 1b is an example prior art wheel assembly, used in the sports apparatus of Figure 1a; Figure 2a is a schematic view of an embodiment showing a perspective view of the wheel assembly; Figure 2b is a schematic view of the same embodiment showing a top-down view of the wheel assembly; Figure 2c is a schematic view of the same embodiment showing a side view of the wheel assembly; Figure 3 is a schematic exploded view of the same embodiment; Figure 4a is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment showing a perspective view of the wheel assembly; Figure 4b is a schematic view of the same embodiment as Figure 4a showing a top-down view of the wheel assembly; Figure 4c is a schematic view of the same embodiment as Figures 4a and 4b showing a side view of the wheel assembly; Figure 5 is a schematic exploded view of the same embodiment as Figures 4a-c; Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the second embodiment, shown as integrated into a sports apparatus; and Figure 7 is a schematic view of a moveable sports apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] Figures 2a-c and 3 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention (perspective view, top-down view and side view respectively). The wheel system 200 comprises three wheels and an axle 240 passing through the centre of the wheels 230. This allows the wheels 230 to rotate freely with the axle 240 as the rotation axis. The wheels 230 are supported by a support frame 250. The support frame 250 is coupled to each end of the axle 240. The support frame 250 is also rotatably coupled to a shaft 210, with a pressed bearing 255 (Fig. 2c), such that the frame 250 (and, by extension, the wheel 230) is rotatable with respect to the shaft 210 about the axis of the shaft 210. The shaft 210 is substantially perpendicular to the axle 240. In the illustrated embodiment, the shaft 210 comprises a rack-and-pinion assembly. The pinion gear 213 is coupled to a bar 215, such that rotation of the bar 215 about its longitudinal axis rotates the pinion gear 213, and raises and lowers a rack 212. This in turn raises and lowers the wheels 230. The rack 212 and pinion assembly 213 are enclosed by a casing 211, leaving the bar 215 protruding for access by a user. The casing comprises a series of plates 211a, 211b which each comprise a series of apertures for receiving attachment means 211c. Plate 211a is otherwise a solid, single backing plate. In contrast, plate 211b comprises a recess for the pinion gear 213 such that the gear 213 can be rotated, and may comprise a plurality of smaller plate components. In the illustrated example, the attachment means 211c comprises a plurality of bolts and associated nuts. The modular construction of the casing 211 allows the user to replace any defective / worn parts easily, but the casing could also comprise a single component (i.e. with the rack and pinion assembly not accessible by the end user at any point, and with the plates permanently attached or forming one larger component). A ratchet wedge 214 holds the shaft 210 at the desired height (i.e. to prevent the goal sinking when resting on the wheels 230) by engaging with the pinion gear 213 and preventing reverse rotation. The wedge 214 can be released with a release handle 216. Pulling the release handle 216 releases the wedge 214 (i.e. the default position of the wedge 214 is locked). In the illustrated embodiment, the perpendicular bar has a hexagonal cross-section. The shaped cross section allows the user to attach a separate handle in order to rotate. In an alternative example, the bar may have a shaped end for gripping by the user by hand.

[0011] The shaft 210 is received by an aperture in an enclosure 260, such that the shaft 210 is coupled to the support frame 250 after passing through the enclosure 260. The enclosure 260 surrounds the support frame 250, and couples to two mounting bars 270, which are configured to connect the system 200 to a sports apparatus.

[0012] The enclosure 260 comprises a top member 261, two arcuate connecting arches 263, two plates 264, and a base ring 262. The top member 261 is configured to receive the shaft 210 through a central aperture 261a. The top member 261 is coupled to the mounting bars 270, and connected to the base ring 262 by the connecting arches 263 and plates 264. The top member 261 may comprise separate 'forks' 261b, 261c which sit either side of the top of the mounting bars 270, improving the stability of the connection between the components. The connecting arches 263 and plates 264 comprise protrusions P configured to enter slots S in the top member 461 and base ring 262 such that the parts interlock. The base ring 262 is substantially circular, with two substantially rectangular discontinuities protruding on opposite sides of the ring, to contact the mounting bars 270. The arcuate connecting arches 263 may differ, such that a first arch 263a comprises an extension at the top end to support the shaft 210, and a second arch 263b comprised a rounded end for ease of removal of a front plate 211d of the shaft casing 211.

[0013] In this embodiment, the mounting bars 270 are hollow cuboids, or box sections, but could conceivably be cylindrical. Indeed, any shape would be possible provided the bars fit inside a frame 610 (figure 7) of the sports apparatus 700 (figure 7), with which the system 200 is configured for use.

[0014] Figures 4a-c and 5 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the present invention (perspective view, top-down view, side view and exploded view respectively). The wheel system 400 comprises a wheel and an axle 440 passing through the centre of the wheel 430. This allows the wheel 430 to rotate freely with the axle as the rotation axis. The wheel 430 is supported by a support frame 450. The support frame is coupled to each end of the axle 440. The support frame 450 comprises two arms 451, which are configured to couple to the axle 440 either side of the wheel 430 by receiving the end of the axle 440 into an aperture, and a bar 452 substantially perpendicular to the arms 451. It is this bar 452 that is rotatably coupled to the shaft 410 with the pressed bearing 455. In this embodiment, the bar and arms are separate components which interlock. The support frame could alternatively be one integral component.

[0015] The support frame 450 is also rotatably coupled to a cylindrical shaft 410, with a pressed bearing 455 (Fig. 2c), such that the frame 450 (and, by extension, the wheel 430) is rotatable with respect to the shaft 410 about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft 410. The shaft 410 is substantially perpendicular to the axle 440. A lever 420 is connected to the top end of the shaft 410. The shaft 410 comprises a piston cylinder 411 and a piston 415 inside the piston cylinder 411. The lever 420 is connected to the shaft 410 by receiving a pin through an aperture 421, allowing the lever 420 to pivot to be raised and lowered. The lever has a cam-shaped end, and the aperture 421 is positioned such that raising the lever 420 increases the length within the piston cylinder 411. This extra length causes the lever 420 to engage with the piston 215, which applies a downwards vertical force to the support frame 450. This lowers the support frame 450 (and, by extension, the wheel 430) which causes the sports apparatus 700 (fig. 7) to be raised such that the wheels 430 are the only points of contact with the ground, enabling the apparatus to be moved.

[0016] The shaft 410 is received by an aperture 461a in an enclosure 460, such that the shaft 410 is coupled to the support frame 450 after passing through the enclosure 460. The enclosure 460 surrounds the support frame 450, and couples to two mounting bars 470, which are configured to connect the system 400 to a sports apparatus. The enclosure 460 comprises a top member 461,two arcuate connecting arches 463, two plates 464, and a base ring 462. The top member 461 receives the shaft 410 through a central aperture 461a. The top member 461 is coupled to the mounting bars 470, and connected to the base ring 462 by the connecting arches 463 and plates 464. The connecting arches 463 and plates 464 comprise protrusions P configured to enter slots S in the top member 461 and base ring 462 such that the parts interlock. The base ring 462 is substantially circular, with two substantially rectangular discontinuities protruding on opposite sides of the ring, to contact the mounting bars 470.

[0017] In this embodiment, the mounting bars are hollow cuboids, but could conceivably be cylindrical. Indeed, any shape would be possible provided the bars fit inside a frame 610 (figure 6) of the sports apparatus 700 (figure 7) the system 400 is configured for use with.

[0018] Figure 6 illustrates the same embodiment as Figures 4a-c and 5, integrated into a sports apparatus frame 610. The system 400 (with exception of the lever 420) is enclosed by a housing 480. While the system 400 will function the same without the housing 480, the housing 480 provides protection to the system 400 from external conditions. The housing 480 may be separable from the system 400, to allow the user to inspect and / or maintain the system 400 should any issues occur. For example, the housing 480 may sit on the shaft 410, and clip onto the bottom of the base ring 462, being held in place due to the tensile force placed upon it. Alternatively, the housing 480 may be an integrated part of the wheel assembly 400. This may increase the sturdiness of the assembly 400, which in turn may increase the expected lifespan of the wheel assembly 400. The housing 480 can be made from any suitable material, such as a metal (e.g. aluminium or steel) or a sufficiently strong, tough plastic such as polypropylene or PVC.

[0019] Figure 7 illustrates an example moveable sports apparatus 700, comprising a frame 610 and four wheel assemblies 400 integrated into the frame 610. The frame can be made of any suitable material, such as a metal (e.g. aluminium or steel) or a sufficiently strong, tough plastic such as polypropylene or PVC.

[0020] Although specific embodiments have been described, these are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, which should be determined with reference to the accompanying claims. A number of modifications and variations are possible, which are intentionally within the scope of the claims.

[0021] For the sake of completeness it is also stated that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, the term "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality, and reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A system (200) configured for use with a moveable sports apparatus (700), the system (200) comprising: a wheel assembly (200) comprising: an axle (240); and at least one wheel (230) mounted on and rotatable with respect to the axle (240); a shaft (210) substantially perpendicular to the axle (240), wherein the wheel assembly (200) is configured to rotate about the shaft (210) and to translate longitudinally about the shaft; a height locking mechanism comprising: a ratchet wedge (214), configured to prevent the shaft (210) rising when engaged; and a ratchet release handle (216) configured to release the ratchet wedge (214) when actuated; and one or more connectors (270) configured to connect the wheel assembly to a moveable sports apparatus (700).

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a support frame coupled to the axle, and rotatably coupled to the shaft so as to permit the wheel assembly to rotate around the shaft.

3. The system (200) of claim 2, wherein the support frame (250) is coupled to the axle (240) on each side of the at least one wheel (230) and, optionally or preferably, wherein the support frame (250) comprises two arms (451) for coupling to the axle (240) and a bridge therebetween; and / or wherein the support frame (250) is rotatably coupled to the shaft with a bearing and, optionally or preferably, wherein the bearing is a pressed bearing.

4. The system (200) of any preceding claim, wherein the wheel assembly (200) is configured to translate substantially perpendicularly to the connectors (270).

5. The system (200) of claim 4, further comprising: one or more engaging elements configured to engage with a separate engagement mechanism, wherein movement of the engaging elements relative to the engagement mechanism provide said translation.

6. The system (200) of claim 5, wherein the shaft (210) is or comprises a toothed bar (215), or rack, and is configured to engage with a complementary configured engagement mechanism; and, optionally or preferably, wherein the system (200) further comprises a toothed gear, or pinion (213) configured to engage with the toothed bar or rack (212); and, optionally or preferably, further comprising a bar (215) coupled perpendicularly to the pinion (213), such that rotation of the bar (215) around its longitudinal axis rotates the pinion (213); and, optionally or preferably, wherein the rack and pinion (213) are engaged such that rotation of the bar (215) raises and lowers the rack (212); and wherein the rack (212) is configured to raise and lower the wheel assembly (200) when the bar (215) is rotated.

7. The system (200) of any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the shaft (210) is or comprises a piston (415) located in a piston cylinder (411), the piston (415) being operable to cause the translation of the wheel assembly (200).

8. The system (200) of claim 7, further comprising: a lever (420) coupled to the top of the piston cylinder (411), wherein operation of the lever (420) causes the wheel assembly (200) to translate; and, optionally or preferably, wherein the lever (420) has a cam shaped end configured to engage the piston (415) when raised.

9. The system (200) of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more connectors (270) are or comprise one or more mounting bars (470).

10. The system (200) of any preceding claim, wherein, in use, the axle (240) is substantially parallel to the ground, and the shaft is substantially perpendicular to the ground.

11. The system (200) of any preceding claim, wherein the at least one wheel (230) comprises one, two, three, four or more wheels.

12. The system (200) of any preceding claim, further comprising: a frame; and one or more wheel assemblies, wherein each of the one or more wheel assemblies comprises: an axle; and at least one wheel mounted on and rotatable with respect to the axle; wherein the each of the one or more wheel assemblies are releasably connectable to the frame with the one or more connectors.

13. The system (200) of claim 12, wherein at least two wheel assemblies are connected to the frame.