Pickleball Retrieval Tube and Expandable Bag for High-Capacity Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pickleball collection devices are cumbersome and have limited capacity, making it difficult for players to efficiently gather a large number of balls without causing noise and strain during practice, training, or competitive games.
Innovation Solution
A hollow elongated tube with a ball retrieval device at one end and a flexible, expandable ball collecting bag at the other end, featuring one-way gating arrangements to facilitate efficient intake and storage of multiple pickleballs without the need for electric power, allowing for high-capacity collection with minimal manual effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If existing pickleball collection devices are used, then players can collect balls, but the devices are cumbersome and have limited capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The collection device is divided into two main segments: a tube portion for holding balls and a bag portion for additional storage. This segmentation allows the device to accommodate a larger total number of balls while maintaining a manageable structure that is easy to operate and carry during play.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag portion is designed to attach to and expand from the tube portion, creating a nested configuration where the bag can be stored within or alongside the tube. This nesting approach increases the overall capacity without significantly increasing the footprint or complexity of the device.
2Productivity
If players manually collect balls traditional ways, then no additional equipment is needed, but it requires significant time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The device enables players to automatically collect balls as they are played. The tube and bag configuration allows balls to be gathered and stored without requiring players to manually pick up each ball, significantly reducing the time and effort needed for ball collection during practice or games.
3Quantity of substance
If a large capacity collection device is used, then more balls can be collected, but the device becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into a tube portion and a bag portion that can be attached or detached. This modular segmentation allows for high capacity while keeping each individual component simple in structure, making the overall device easy to understand and operate despite the increased capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The bag portion utilizes a flexible material that can expand to accommodate additional balls. This flexible design increases capacity without requiring complex mechanical structures, as the bag simply expands to hold more balls while maintaining a relatively simple attachment mechanism to the tube.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enables convenient, high-capacity collection of pickleballs with reduced noise and strain, allowing players to collect a larger number of balls efficiently, enhancing the usability and enjoyment of pickleball sessions.
Implementation Method 1
The first end of the tube or the ball retrieval device comprises a first one-way gating arrangement to allow pickleball movement into the tube and prevent pickleball movement in the opposite direction
Implementation Method 2
The ball collecting bag may be configured to expand with a number of pickleballs in the ball collecting bag. The ball collecting bag may be expandable from a predetermined initial capacity to a predetermined maximum capacity
Implementation Method 3
A soft padding material may be attached to the bottom of at least the inner concentric circular part. The soft padding material may be configured to reduce the impact and noise generated when the inner concentric circular part makes contact with a surface
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides pickleball retrieval and collection apparatuses. An example pickleball retrieval and collection apparatus comprises a hollow elongated tube having an inner area configured to accommodate a first plurality of pickleballs arranged in a single column, a ball retrieval device arranged at a first end of the tube and configured to provide for a pickleball to enter the tube when placed over the pickleball and pressure is applied by contact on the pickleball, and a ball collecting bag constructed from a flexible material, where one end of the ball collecting bag is connected to a second end of the tube and configured to hold a second plurality of pickleballs.