US3768709A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Tennis ball holder
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-03-29
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Granted: 1973-10-30
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Expires: 1991-03-29
Abstract
Abstract A holder for elastically gripping a tennis ball and capable of being secured to an article of clothing is described. In a preferred embodiment the holder may be bent from wire in the form of a pair of loops for holding the ball and a pair of U-shaped portions for nipping or crimping an article of clothing, such as a belt or the like.
Inventors
- 👤 W Kinard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 23:36
CPC Classifications
A; A63; A63B; A63B47/00; A63B47/001; A63B57/00; A63B57/20; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S224/00; Y10S224/919; Y10T; Y10T24/00; Y10T24/13
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
311 words
A ball holder comprising: a base; means for fastening the base to an article of clothing; ball gripping means at least partly spaced apart from the base a distance greater than the equator parallel to the base of a ball to be held therein; biasing means for elastically biasing the ball gripping means together towards an empty position with sufficient force to hold a ball against the principal body accelerations encountered in an athletic game and insufficient to prevent hand insertion and withdrawal of a ball against the elastic deformation of the biasing means; and access means for accomodating a person''s finger within a distance from the base less than the equator of a ball held therein; and wherein the ball gripping means and biasing means include a pair of spaced apart loops extending outwardly from the base; each of the loops comprises a U-shaped portion of wire integral with the base; and wherein the base comprises a first U-shaped portion of wire having the bight of the U at the top and the ends of the legs of the U at the bottom; and a second U-shaped portion having the bight of the U at the bottom and the ends of the legs at the top, the width of the second U-shaped portion being greater than the first U-shaped portion and the bight of the second U-shaped portion being adjacent the open end of the first U-shaped portion, the first U-shaped portion being at least partly forward of the second U-shaped portion and sufficiently close thereto for nipping or crimping an article of clothing if passed therebetween for forming the means for fastening the base to an article of clothing, the pair of loops extending forwardly of the U-shaped portions, each of the loops interconnecting a leg of the first U-shaped portion with a leg of the second U-shaped portion.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
311 words
A ball holder comprising: a base; means for fastening the base to an article of clothing; ball gripping means at least partly spaced apart from the base a distance greater than the equator parallel to the base of a ball to be held therein; biasing means for elastically biasing the ball gripping means together towards an empty position with sufficient force to hold a ball against the principal body accelerations encountered in an athletic game and insufficient to prevent hand insertion and withdrawal of a ball against the elastic deformation of the biasing means; and access means for accomodating a person''s finger within a distance from the base less than the equator of a ball held therein; and wherein the ball gripping means and biasing means include a pair of spaced apart loops extending outwardly from the base; each of the loops comprises a U-shaped portion of wire integral with the base; and wherein the base comprises a first U-shaped portion of wire having the bight of the U at the top and the ends of the legs of the U at the bottom; and a second U-shaped portion having the bight of the U at the bottom and the ends of the legs at the top, the width of the second U-shaped portion being greater than the first U-shaped portion and the bight of the second U-shaped portion being adjacent the open end of the first U-shaped portion, the first U-shaped portion being at least partly forward of the second U-shaped portion and sufficiently close thereto for nipping or crimping an article of clothing if passed therebetween for forming the means for fastening the base to an article of clothing, the pair of loops extending forwardly of the U-shaped portions, each of the loops interconnecting a leg of the first U-shaped portion with a leg of the second U-shaped portion.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
33 words
A ball holder as defined in claim 1 wherein each of the U-shaped portions of wire forming the loops comprises a curved central portion extending in a direction generally forwardly of the base.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A ball holder as defined in claim 1 wherein the U-shaped portion of each of the loops comprises a curved central portion having a principal curvature extending in a direction approximately parallel to the base.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
193 words
A ball holder comprising: a first loop; a second loop spaced apart from the first loop a distance sufficient to hold a ball with sufficient force to hold the ball against the principal body accelerations encountered in an athletic game; means interconnecting the first and second loops and cooperating therewith for elastically deforming an amount sufficient to receive a ball between the loops; and means for attaching the means for interconnecting to an article of clothing; and wherein the upper end of each loop is connected to a generally rearward portion of the means for attaching aNd the lower end of each loop is connected to a generally forward portion of the means for attaching, said rearward and forward portions forming means for nipping or crimping an article of clothing therebetween; the generally rearward portion of the means for attaching comprises a U-shaped member having a first leg connected to one loop and a second leg connected to the other loop at their respective upper ends; and the generally forward portion of the means for attaching is narrower than the U-shaped portion so as to fit at least partly between the legs thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
193 words
A ball holder comprising: a first loop; a second loop spaced apart from the first loop a distance sufficient to hold a ball with sufficient force to hold the ball against the principal body accelerations encountered in an athletic game; means interconnecting the first and second loops and cooperating therewith for elastically deforming an amount sufficient to receive a ball between the loops; and means for attaching the means for interconnecting to an article of clothing; and wherein the upper end of each loop is connected to a generally rearward portion of the means for attaching aNd the lower end of each loop is connected to a generally forward portion of the means for attaching, said rearward and forward portions forming means for nipping or crimping an article of clothing therebetween; the generally rearward portion of the means for attaching comprises a U-shaped member having a first leg connected to one loop and a second leg connected to the other loop at their respective upper ends; and the generally forward portion of the means for attaching is narrower than the U-shaped portion so as to fit at least partly between the legs thereof.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
44 words
A ball holder as defined in claim 4 wherein the generally forward portion of the means for attaching comprises a U-shaped member having a first leg connected to one loop and a second leg connected to the other loop at their respective lower ends.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
167 words
A wire tennis ball holder comprising: a U-shaped portion having a bight and a pair of legs; a center portion between the legs of the U-shaped portion and sufficiently close thereto for nipping or crimping a fabric or the like if passed therebetween; and a pair of spaced apart side loops extending away from the U-shaped portion, each of the loops interconnecting a leg of the U-shaped portion with a part of the center portion, the loops in cooperation with the center portion and the U-shaped portion being sufficiently elastically deformable for holding a tennis ball therebetween against the principal body accelerations encountered in a game of tennis and also for permitting hand insertion and withdrawal of a tennis ball; and wherein the center portion comprises a second U-shaped portion in a plane at least partly forward of the first U-shaped portion in the direction of extension of the loops, the bight of the second U-shaped portion being adjacent the open end of the first U-shaped portion.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
167 words
A wire tennis ball holder comprising: a U-shaped portion having a bight and a pair of legs; a center portion between the legs of the U-shaped portion and sufficiently close thereto for nipping or crimping a fabric or the like if passed therebetween; and a pair of spaced apart side loops extending away from the U-shaped portion, each of the loops interconnecting a leg of the U-shaped portion with a part of the center portion, the loops in cooperation with the center portion and the U-shaped portion being sufficiently elastically deformable for holding a tennis ball therebetween against the principal body accelerations encountered in a game of tennis and also for permitting hand insertion and withdrawal of a tennis ball; and wherein the center portion comprises a second U-shaped portion in a plane at least partly forward of the first U-shaped portion in the direction of extension of the loops, the bight of the second U-shaped portion being adjacent the open end of the first U-shaped portion.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
223 words
A wire tennis ball holder comprising: a U-shaped portion having a bight and a pair of legs; a center portion between the legs of the U-shaped portion and sufficiently close thereto for nipping or crimping a fabric or the like if passed therebetween; and a pair of spaced apart side loops extending away from the U-shaped portion, each of the loops interconnecting a leg of the U-shaped portion with a part of the center portion, the loops in cooperation with the center portion and the U-shaped portion being sufficiently elastically deformable for holding a tennis ball therebetween against the principal body accelerations encountered in a game of tennis and also for permitting hand insertion and withdrawal of a tennis ball; and wherein the center portion comprises a second U-shaped portion in a plane at least partly forward of the first U-shaped portion in the direction of extension of the loops, the bight of the second U-shaped portion being adjacent the open end of the first U-shaped portion; and the first and second U-shaped portions are each substantially planar and the plane of the second U-shaped portion is canted relative to the plane of the first U-shaped portion, the second U-shaped portion being narrower than the first U-shaped portion and having the bight at least partly between the legs of the first U-shaped portion.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
223 words
A wire tennis ball holder comprising: a U-shaped portion having a bight and a pair of legs; a center portion between the legs of the U-shaped portion and sufficiently close thereto for nipping or crimping a fabric or the like if passed therebetween; and a pair of spaced apart side loops extending away from the U-shaped portion, each of the loops interconnecting a leg of the U-shaped portion with a part of the center portion, the loops in cooperation with the center portion and the U-shaped portion being sufficiently elastically deformable for holding a tennis ball therebetween against the principal body accelerations encountered in a game of tennis and also for permitting hand insertion and withdrawal of a tennis ball; and wherein the center portion comprises a second U-shaped portion in a plane at least partly forward of the first U-shaped portion in the direction of extension of the loops, the bight of the second U-shaped portion being adjacent the open end of the first U-shaped portion; and the first and second U-shaped portions are each substantially planar and the plane of the second U-shaped portion is canted relative to the plane of the first U-shaped portion, the second U-shaped portion being narrower than the first U-shaped portion and having the bight at least partly between the legs of the first U-shaped portion.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
40 words
A tennis ball holder as defined in claim 7 wherein the legs of the second U-shaped portion are substantially parallel to each other; and further comprising a sheet-like tab extending between the legs of the U-shaped portion for bearing indicia.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-29 | 1977-04-30 | 1977-10-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-29 | 1981-04-30 | 1981-10-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-29 | 1985-04-30 | 1985-10-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |