Pickleball and Tennis Ball Scoop Collector

Abstract

A scoop collector for court balls includes a container with an open front into which balls can roll through the open front. A push handle is operably connected to the container. A ball retaining device allows the balls to roll into the container and prevents the balls from rolling out of the container. The ball retaining device can include a plurality of flappers, an elastic cord, and / or a roller that extend(s) across the open front of the container. The container can be translucent and can be removably supported on a frame. The push handle can be secured in a fixed position by a hook. Wings can be provided adjacent the open front of the container to funnel balls into the container.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from and benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63 / 694,136 filed Sep. 12, 2024, and the entire disclosure of said provisional application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present specification.BACKGROUND

[0002] Pickleball and tennis are indoor or outdoor racket or paddle sports where two or four players hit a ball over a net using a stringed racket or solid-faced paddle. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction or scores a point.

[0003] Players often take lessons in which the instructors usually have an elevated basket of balls called a ball caddy on their side of the court so they can grab balls and hit them to the student at different speeds and in different locations to teach the student how to return the ball in each situation. On other occasions a student may use a ball machine that propels balls to them for practice hitting the balls. In either of the above situations the result is a large quantity of balls spread around the court that have to be picked up by hand one by one.SUMMARY

[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the present development, a scoop collector for court balls comprises a container with an open front into which associated balls can roll through the open front; a push handle operably connected to the container; a ball retaining device that allows the associated balls to roll into the container through the open front of the container and that prevents the associated balls from rolling out of the container through the open front of the container.

[0005] In accordance with a further aspect, the ball retaining device comprises a plurality of movable flaps located adjacent a top edge of the open front of the container, wherein the flaps are pivotable in a first direction to allow the associated balls to roll into the container through the open front and wherein the flaps are prevented from pivoting outwardly away from the open front in a second direction whereby the flaps to block the associated balls from rolling out of the open front of the container.

[0006] In accordance with another aspect, a lever is movably connected to the container and engaged with one or more of the flappers and selectively operable to pivot the one or more flappers in the first direction to allow release of the associated balls from the container through the open front of the container.

[0007] In accordance with another aspect, the lever is connected to a pin that is engaged with the one or more flappers.

[0008] In accordance with one alternative, the ball retaining device comprises an elastic cord extended across the open front of the container.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect, the elastic cord can be positioned such that a vertical space is defined between a bottom edge of the open front of the container and the elastic cord, wherein the vertical space is less than 100% of an outside diameter of the associated balls.

[0010] In accordance with another aspect, the elastic cord is positioned such that the vertical space is less at least 60% of the outside diameter of the associated balls.

[0011] In one alternative, the elastic cord is selectively manually movable to a release position to allow the associated balls to roll out of the container through the open front of the container.

[0012] A lever can be connected to the elastic cord such that movement of the lever moves the elastic cord to its release position.

[0013] In one version, the container comprises a translucent material that allows a user to see the associated balls located in the container.

[0014] In another alternative, the scoop collector further comprises a hook, wherein the push handle is selectively engaged with the hook to secure the handle in a fixed location relative to the container.

[0015] The container can be supported on a frame and is selectively removable from the frame.

[0016] Wheels or pads can be provided for movably supporting the container on an associated court surface.

[0017] In one embodiment, the ball retaining device further comprises a roller that extends across the open front of the container and that is connected to wheels that movably support the container on an associated court surface such that rotation of said wheels rotates said roller whereby said roller engages associated balls on the associated court surface and propels the associated balls under the roller into the container through the open front. The roller can comprise a foam roller.

[0018] In another alternative, the container and the roller are supported on a frame, and the container is selectively removable from the frame for dumping balls out of the container through the open front of the container.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a ball scoop collector provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present development including flappers.

[0020] FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the ball scoop collector of FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the ball scoop collector of FIG. 1 and shows operation of the flappers.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows a ball scoop collector provided in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present development including an elastic cord.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a ball scoop collector of FIG. 4 with the elastic cord in a lifted position.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows another alternative embodiment of a ball scoop collector that includes a roller that can be used alone or with the flappers of FIG. 1-3 or the elastic cord of FIG. 4-5 (the handle is omitted to simplify the drawing).

[0025] FIG. 7 shows a ball scoop collector with a removable collector box (the handle is omitted to simplify the drawing).DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The subject of this invention is a wide mouth scooping device (see FIG. 1) for scooping up and containing court balls (B) such as pickleballs or tennis balls or the like. The collector device includes a scooping collector or container (1) that includes an open front is open in the front (F) so that balls can enter the container and tapered in the back for a desirable appearance. A push handle (2) is mounted on the top of the container (1) or to a frame (18) (FIGS. 7 & 8) on which the container (1) is mounted using a universal joint (3) that is commonly used in household items like mops and brooms. This universal joint (3) allows the collector to be turned by twisting the handle (2). There is a wheel (4) on each side of the container (1) so the collector can be rolled around the court. As an alternative to using wheels, the wheels (4) can be omitted, in which can felt or nylon or similar sliding pads (5) (see FIG. 2) can optionally be provided and adhered to the bottom of the container (1) so it slides smoothly around the court, or the optional pads (5) can be omitted.

[0027] There can be flexible resilient (e.g., rubber) wings (6) at the two opposite left and right front corners of the container (1) on opposite lateral sides of the open front (F) that help funnel balls toward and into the open front (F) of the container (1) as well as protect the container (1) from damage if it is brushed along a chain link fence. The wings (6) diverge outwardly away from each other as the extend away from the container (1). The container (1) of this ball collector can hold as many as 50 or more tennis balls or pickleballs. The container (1) can be constructed with translucent polycarbonate open core material which is very lightweight. You can also see through this material to see how many balls (B) are in the container (1).

[0028] One version of this ball collector (see FIG. 3) has a ball retaining device such as a row of flappers (7) located adjacent the front opening (F) and across the top edge of the front opening (F) which allows the balls (B) to be pushed into the open front (F) of the container (1) of the collector but won't allow the collected balls (15) to roll out of the open front (F) of the container (1) by gravity. These flappers (7) swing on a shaft that is supported by multiple support blocks secured to the top front edge of the front opening (F). Gravity causes the flappers (7) to hang downward. A plastic or aluminum channel (C) covers the flappers (7). A front leg of the channel (C) is long which stops the flappers (7) from swinging in the outward direction away from the container (1), the rear leg of the channel is shorter which allows the flappers (7) to swing in the inward direction such that the flapper (7) act as a one-way ball control device that allows balls (15) to roll into the container by way of the open front (F) and that prevents balls (15) from rolling out of the container by way of the open front (F). Hence, these flappers provide a ball retaining device and system and that allows the balls (B) to roll into but not out of the collector. The ball retaining device is selectively manually movable from a normal, operative position where it allows balls (15) to roll into the container by way of the open front (F) but prevents balls (15) from rolling out of the container by way of the open front (F) to a release position where the ball retaining device allows balls to be dumped or otherwise roll out of the container (1) by way of the open front (F). In the illustrated example, on one or both sides of the container (1) there is a lever (8) that pivots on the same shaft that the flappers (7) swing on. This lever (8) has a pin (9) that extends toward the center of the collector and in front of one or a plurality (such as e.g., three) of the flappers (7), which flappers (7) that are engaged by the pin (9) can be referred to as the one or more engaged flappers (10). The other end of the lever (8) is designed as a handle that is easily accessible to rotate manually with by a user's hand. Rotating this lever (8) causes the pin (9) to move / swing the engaged flappers (10) with which the pin (9) is engaged (three flappers (10) in the illustrated example) rearward toward the interior of the collector which creates an opening for the balls (B) to roll out of the collector by gravity when the collector is dumped. The operator can hook the push handle (2) under a rear mounted hook (11) that is connected to the container (1) (or frame (18)) to selectively secure the push handle (2) in a fixed location to facilitate picking the collector up and tilting the front opening (F) in the direction of a basket or ball caddy, so that the balls will roll out of the container (1) and into the basket or other ball storage location.

[0029] An alternative (see FIG. 4) to having the flappers (7) provide the ball retaining device / system for allowing balls (B) to be pushed into the open front (F) of the container (1) but not allowing the balls (B) to roll out of the open front (F) of the container (1) by gravity is to have an elastic cord (12) provide the ball retaining system / ball retaining device. The elastic cord (12) can be strung across the open front of the container (1) of the collector slightly below the outer diameter of the ball (B) such that the vertical space defined between the bottom edge of the open front of the container (1) and the elastic cord (12) is slightly less than the outside diameter of the ball (B). In one example, the vertical space defined between the bottom edge of the open front of the container (1) and the elastic cord (12) is less than 100% but at least 60% and preferably at least 70% of the outside diameter of the ball (B). Hence when the balls (B) are pushed against a fence or wall or other obstruction, they are forced under the elastic cord (12) which deflects upwardly to allow the balls (B) to enter the container (1) through the open mouth, but the elastic cord (12) traps the balls (B) in the container (1) of the collector because the weight of the balls (B) is not sufficient to deflect the elastic cord (12) to allow the balls (B) to exit container (1) through the open mouth, i.e., the elastic cord obstructs the open mouth of the container (1) and inhibits exit of the balls (B). The elastic cord 912) can be selectively manually lifted or deflected with a lever (13) to provide a release position for the ball retaining device as shown in FIG. 5 where the elastic cord does not obstruct the open front (F) of the container to allow the balls (B) flow out of the open mouth of the container (1) for dumping the balls (B) into a caddy or basket or other container or location. A wave spring or other friction member can be provided under the handle pivot bolt to provide sufficient friction to hold the lever (13) in the up (ball exit / release) position (FIG. 5) or down (ball capture / operative) position (FIG. 4).

[0030] A roller (16) can be added to the ball collector of either of the above embodiments or can be provided as a ball retaining device or ball retaining system in lieu of the flappers (7) or elastic cord (12). The roller (16) spans the open mouth of the container (1) and forces the balls to roll into the open mouth of the container (1) (see FIG. 6) when the roller frictionally engages a ball (B). As shown in FIG. 6, by re-locating the wheels (15) to the front of the collector, one on each side of the front opening, a polyethylene foam roller (16) can share the same axle (17) as the wheels. When the collector is pushed around the court the polyethylene foam roller will rotate in the counterclockwise direction so when the roller (16) makes contact with a ball (B), the roller (16) frictionally engages the ball (B) and deforms somewhat such that the roller (16) forces the ball (B) rearwardly under the roller (16) into the open mouth of the container (1).

[0031] FIGS. 6 & 7 also show that the container (1) can be provided as a collector box that can be lifted off the framework or frame (18) for dumping out the balls (see FIG. 7). In this case, the wheels (15) and roller (16) are also operably connected to the frame (18). As noted, the container (1) can be selectively manually separated from the frame (18) for dumping balls (B) out of the open front (F). The roller (16) can be used alone as a ball control device, as an alternative to the row of flappers (7) or as an alternative to the elastic cord (12), or the roller (16) can be added to the embodiment of FIG. 3 or to the embodiment of FIG. 4 so that the roller (16) is provided in combination with the row of flappers (7) of FIG. 3 or in combination with the elastic cord (12) of FIG. 4.

[0032] The development has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Modifications and alterations will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains, and it is intended that the claims be construed as broadly as possible while maintaining their validity in order to encompass all such modifications and alterations.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0026]The subject of this invention is a wide mouth scooping device (see FIG. 1) for scooping up and containing court balls (B) such as pickleballs or tennis balls or the like. The collector device includes a scooping collector or container (1) that includes an open front is open in the front (F) so that balls can enter the container and tapered in the back for a desirable appearance. A push handle (2) is mounted on the top of the container (1) or to a frame (18) (FIGS. 7 & 8) on which the container (1) is mounted using a universal joint (3) that is commonly used in household items like mops and brooms. This universal joint (3) allows the collector to be turned by twisting the handle (2). There is a wheel (4) on each side of the container (1) so the collector can be rolled around the court. As an alternative to using wheels, the wheels (4) can be omitted, in which can felt or nylon or similar sliding pads (5) (see FIG. 2) can optionally be provided and adhered to the bottom of the c...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from and benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63 / 694,136 filed Sep. 12, 2024, and the entire disclosure of said provisional application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present specification.BACKGROUND

[0002] Pickleball and tennis are indoor or outdoor racket or paddle sports where two or four players hit a ball over a net using a stringed racket or solid-faced paddle. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction or scores a point.

[0003] Players often take lessons in which the instructors usually have an elevated basket of balls called a ball caddy on their side of the court so they can grab balls and hit them to the student at different speeds and in different locations to teach the student how to return the ball in each situation. On other occasions a student may use a ball machine that propels balls to them for practice hitting the balls. In either of the above situations the result is a large quantity of balls spread around the court that have to be picked up by hand one by one.SUMMARY

[0004] In accordance with one aspect of the present development, a scoop collector for court balls comprises a container with an open front into which associated balls can roll through the open front; a push handle operably connected to the container; a ball retaining device that allows the associated balls to roll into the container through the open front of the container and that prevents the associated balls from rolling out of the container through the open front of the container.

[0005] In accordance with a further aspect, the ball retaining device comprises a plurality of movable flaps located adjacent a top edge of the open front of the container, wherein the flaps are pivotable in a first direction to allow the associated balls to roll into the container through the open front and wherein the flaps are prevented from pivoting outwardly away from the open front in a second direction whereby the flaps to block the associated balls from rolling out of the open front of the container.

[0006] In accordance with another aspect, a lever is movably connected to the container and engaged with one or more of the flappers and selectively operable to pivot the one or more flappers in the first direction to allow release of the associated balls from the container through the open front of the container.

[0007] In accordance with another aspect, the lever is connected to a pin that is engaged with the one or more flappers.

[0008] In accordance with one alternative, the ball retaining device comprises an elastic cord extended across the open front of the container.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect, the elastic cord can be positioned such that a vertical space is defined between a bottom edge of the open front of the container and the elastic cord, wherein the vertical space is less than 100% of an outside diameter of the associated balls.

[0010] In accordance with another aspect, the elastic cord is positioned such that the vertical space is less at least 60% of the outside diameter of the associated balls.

[0011] In one alternative, the elastic cord is selectively manually movable to a release position to allow the associated balls to roll out of the container through the open front of the container.

[0012] A lever can be connected to the elastic cord such that movement of the lever moves the elastic cord to its release position.

[0013] In one version, the container comprises a translucent material that allows a user to see the associated balls located in the container.

[0014] In another alternative, the scoop collector further comprises a hook, wherein the push handle is selectively engaged with the hook to secure the handle in a fixed location relative to the container.

[0015] The container can be supported on a frame and is selectively removable from the frame.

[0016] Wheels or pads can be provided for movably supporting the container on an associated court surface.

[0017] In one embodiment, the ball retaining device further comprises a roller that extends across the open front of the container and that is connected to wheels that movably support the container on an associated court surface such that rotation of said wheels rotates said roller whereby said roller engages associated balls on the associated court surface and propels the associated balls under the roller into the container through the open front. The roller can comprise a foam roller.

[0018] In another alternative, the container and the roller are supported on a frame, and the container is selectively removable from the frame for dumping balls out of the container through the open front of the container.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a ball scoop collector provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present development including flappers.

[0020] FIG. 2 shows a bottom view of the ball scoop collector of FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of the ball scoop collector of FIG. 1 and shows operation of the flappers.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows a ball scoop collector provided in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present development including an elastic cord.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a ball scoop collector of FIG. 4 with the elastic cord in a lifted position.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows another alternative embodiment of a ball scoop collector that includes a roller that can be used alone or with the flappers of FIG. 1-3 or the elastic cord of FIG. 4-5 (the handle is omitted to simplify the drawing).

[0025] FIG. 7 shows a ball scoop collector with a removable collector box (the handle is omitted to simplify the drawing).DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The subject of this invention is a wide mouth scooping device (see FIG. 1) for scooping up and containing court balls (B) such as pickleballs or tennis balls or the like. The collector device includes a scooping collector or container (1) that includes an open front is open in the front (F) so that balls can enter the container and tapered in the back for a desirable appearance. A push handle (2) is mounted on the top of the container (1) or to a frame (18) (FIGS. 7 & 8) on which the container (1) is mounted using a universal joint (3) that is commonly used in household items like mops and brooms. This universal joint (3) allows the collector to be turned by twisting the handle (2). There is a wheel (4) on each side of the container (1) so the collector can be rolled around the court. As an alternative to using wheels, the wheels (4) can be omitted, in which can felt or nylon or similar sliding pads (5) (see FIG. 2) can optionally be provided and adhered to the bottom of the container (1) so it slides smoothly around the court, or the optional pads (5) can be omitted.

[0027] There can be flexible resilient (e.g., rubber) wings (6) at the two opposite left and right front corners of the container (1) on opposite lateral sides of the open front (F) that help funnel balls toward and into the open front (F) of the container (1) as well as protect the container (1) from damage if it is brushed along a chain link fence. The wings (6) diverge outwardly away from each other as the extend away from the container (1). The container (1) of this ball collector can hold as many as 50 or more tennis balls or pickleballs. The container (1) can be constructed with translucent polycarbonate open core material which is very lightweight. You can also see through this material to see how many balls (B) are in the container (1).

[0028] One version of this ball collector (see FIG. 3) has a ball retaining device such as a row of flappers (7) located adjacent the front opening (F) and across the top edge of the front opening (F) which allows the balls (B) to be pushed into the open front (F) of the container (1) of the collector but won't allow the collected balls (15) to roll out of the open front (F) of the container (1) by gravity. These flappers (7) swing on a shaft that is supported by multiple support blocks secured to the top front edge of the front opening (F). Gravity causes the flappers (7) to hang downward. A plastic or aluminum channel (C) covers the flappers (7). A front leg of the channel (C) is long which stops the flappers (7) from swinging in the outward direction away from the container (1), the rear leg of the channel is shorter which allows the flappers (7) to swing in the inward direction such that the flapper (7) act as a one-way ball control device that allows balls (15) to roll into the container by way of the open front (F) and that prevents balls (15) from rolling out of the container by way of the open front (F). Hence, these flappers provide a ball retaining device and system and that allows the balls (B) to roll into but not out of the collector. The ball retaining device is selectively manually movable from a normal, operative position where it allows balls (15) to roll into the container by way of the open front (F) but prevents balls (15) from rolling out of the container by way of the open front (F) to a release position where the ball retaining device allows balls to be dumped or otherwise roll out of the container (1) by way of the open front (F). In the illustrated example, on one or both sides of the container (1) there is a lever (8) that pivots on the same shaft that the flappers (7) swing on. This lever (8) has a pin (9) that extends toward the center of the collector and in front of one or a plurality (such as e.g., three) of the flappers (7), which flappers (7) that are engaged by the pin (9) can be referred to as the one or more engaged flappers (10). The other end of the lever (8) is designed as a handle that is easily accessible to rotate manually with by a user's hand. Rotating this lever (8) causes the pin (9) to move / swing the engaged flappers (10) with which the pin (9) is engaged (three flappers (10) in the illustrated example) rearward toward the interior of the collector which creates an opening for the balls (B) to roll out of the collector by gravity when the collector is dumped. The operator can hook the push handle (2) under a rear mounted hook (11) that is connected to the container (1) (or frame (18)) to selectively secure the push handle (2) in a fixed location to facilitate picking the collector up and tilting the front opening (F) in the direction of a basket or ball caddy, so that the balls will roll out of the container (1) and into the basket or other ball storage location.

[0029] An alternative (see FIG. 4) to having the flappers (7) provide the ball retaining device / system for allowing balls (B) to be pushed into the open front (F) of the container (1) but not allowing the balls (B) to roll out of the open front (F) of the container (1) by gravity is to have an elastic cord (12) provide the ball retaining system / ball retaining device. The elastic cord (12) can be strung across the open front of the container (1) of the collector slightly below the outer diameter of the ball (B) such that the vertical space defined between the bottom edge of the open front of the container (1) and the elastic cord (12) is slightly less than the outside diameter of the ball (B). In one example, the vertical space defined between the bottom edge of the open front of the container (1) and the elastic cord (12) is less than 100% but at least 60% and preferably at least 70% of the outside diameter of the ball (B). Hence when the balls (B) are pushed against a fence or wall or other obstruction, they are forced under the elastic cord (12) which deflects upwardly to allow the balls (B) to enter the container (1) through the open mouth, but the elastic cord (12) traps the balls (B) in the container (1) of the collector because the weight of the balls (B) is not sufficient to deflect the elastic cord (12) to allow the balls (B) to exit container (1) through the open mouth, i.e., the elastic cord obstructs the open mouth of the container (1) and inhibits exit of the balls (B). The elastic cord 912) can be selectively manually lifted or deflected with a lever (13) to provide a release position for the ball retaining device as shown in FIG. 5 where the elastic cord does not obstruct the open front (F) of the container to allow the balls (B) flow out of the open mouth of the container (1) for dumping the balls (B) into a caddy or basket or other container or location. A wave spring or other friction member can be provided under the handle pivot bolt to provide sufficient friction to hold the lever (13) in the up (ball exit / release) position (FIG. 5) or down (ball capture / operative) position (FIG. 4).

[0030] A roller (16) can be added to the ball collector of either of the above embodiments or can be provided as a ball retaining device or ball retaining system in lieu of the flappers (7) or elastic cord (12). The roller (16) spans the open mouth of the container (1) and forces the balls to roll into the open mouth of the container (1) (see FIG. 6) when the roller frictionally engages a ball (B). As shown in FIG. 6, by re-locating the wheels (15) to the front of the collector, one on each side of the front opening, a polyethylene foam roller (16) can share the same axle (17) as the wheels. When the collector is pushed around the court the polyethylene foam roller will rotate in the counterclockwise direction so when the roller (16) makes contact with a ball (B), the roller (16) frictionally engages the ball (B) and deforms somewhat such that the roller (16) forces the ball (B) rearwardly under the roller (16) into the open mouth of the container (1).

[0031] FIGS. 6 & 7 also show that the container (1) can be provided as a collector box that can be lifted off the framework or frame (18) for dumping out the balls (see FIG. 7). In this case, the wheels (15) and roller (16) are also operably connected to the frame (18). As noted, the container (1) can be selectively manually separated from the frame (18) for dumping balls (B) out of the open front (F). The roller (16) can be used alone as a ball control device, as an alternative to the row of flappers (7) or as an alternative to the elastic cord (12), or the roller (16) can be added to the embodiment of FIG. 3 or to the embodiment of FIG. 4 so that the roller (16) is provided in combination with the row of flappers (7) of FIG. 3 or in combination with the elastic cord (12) of FIG. 4.

[0032] The development has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. Modifications and alterations will occur to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains, and it is intended that the claims be construed as broadly as possible while maintaining their validity in order to encompass all such modifications and alterations.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0026]The subject of this invention is a wide mouth scooping device (see FIG. 1) for scooping up and containing court balls (B) such as pickleballs or tennis balls or the like. The collector device includes a scooping collector or container (1) that includes an open front is open in the front (F) so that balls can enter the container and tapered in the back for a desirable appearance. A push handle (2) is mounted on the top of the container (1) or to a frame (18) (FIGS. 7 & 8) on which the container (1) is mounted using a universal joint (3) that is commonly used in household items like mops and brooms. This universal joint (3) allows the collector to be turned by twisting the handle (2). There is a wheel (4) on each side of the container (1) so the collector can be rolled around the court. As an alternative to using wheels, the wheels (4) can be omitted, in which can felt or nylon or similar sliding pads (5) (see FIG. 2) can optionally be provided and adhered to the bottom of the c...

Claims

1. A scoop collector for court balls, said scoop collector comprising:a container with an open front into which associated balls can roll through the open front;a push handle operably connected to the container;a ball retaining device that allows the associated balls to roll into the container through the open front of the container and that prevents the associated balls from rolling out of the container through the open front of the container.

2. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ball retaining device comprises a plurality of movable flaps located adjacent a top edge of the open front of the container, wherein said flaps are pivotable in a first direction to allow the associated balls to roll into the container through the open front and wherein said flaps are prevented from pivoting outwardly away from the open front in a second direction whereby the flaps block the associated balls from rolling out of the open front of the container.

3. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a lever movably connected to the container and engaged with one or more of the flappers and selectively operable to pivot said one or more flappers in the first direction to allow release of the associated balls from the container through the open front of the container.

4. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 3, wherein said lever is connected to a pin that is engaged with said one or more flappers.

5. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ball retaining device comprises an elastic cord extended across the open front of the container.

6. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 5, wherein the elastic cord is positioned such that a vertical space is defined between a bottom edge of the open front of the container and the elastic cord, and the vertical space is less than 100% of an outside diameter of the associated balls.

7. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 6, wherein the elastic cord is positioned such that the vertical space is less at least 60% of the outside diameter of the associated balls.

8. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 6, wherein the elastic cord is selectively manually movable to a release position to allow the associated balls to roll out of the container through the open front of the container.

9. The scoop collector for court balls as set forth in claim 8, further comprising a lever connected to the elastic cord, wherein movement of the lever moves the elastic cord to its release position.

10. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 1, wherein the container comprises a translucent material that allows a user to see the associated balls located in the container.

11. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a hook, wherein the push handle is selectively engaged with the hook to secure the handle in a fixed location relative to the container.

12. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 1, wherein the container is supported on a frame and is selectively removable from the frame.

13. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 1, further comprising wheels or pads that movably support the container on an associated court surface.

14. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 2, wherein said ball retaining device further comprises a roller that extends across the open front of the container and that is connected to wheels that movably support the container on an associated court surface such that rotation of said wheels rotates said roller whereby said roller engages associated balls on the associated court surface and propels the associated balls under the roller into the container through the open front.

15. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 5, wherein said ball retaining device further comprises a roller that extends across the open front of the container and that is connected to wheels that movably support the container on an associated court surface such that rotation of said wheels rotates said roller whereby said roller engages associated balls on the associated court surface and propels the associated balls under the roller into the container through the open front.

16. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ball retaining device comprises a roller that extends across the open front of the container and that is connected to wheels that movably support the container on an associated court surface such that rotation of said wheels rotates said roller whereby said roller engages associated balls on the associated court surface and propels the associated balls under the roller into the container through the open front.

17. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 16, wherein said roller comprises a foam roller.

18. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 17, wherein said container and said roller are supported on a frame, and wherein said container is selectively removable from the frame for dumping balls out of the container through the open front of the container.

19. The scoop collector as set forth in claim 1, further comprising flexible resilient wings located at opposite front corners of the container on opposite lateral sides of the open front to funnel associated balls toward the open front.

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