BALL CATCHING DEVICE

Abstract

A ball catching device that can be formed from a single piece of cardboard or other material is provided. Once formed by folding the single piece of cardboard in a predetermined configuration, the ball catching device has a ball receiving opening and a lower portion that is sized to be handled by the hand of a user. During use, the user extends the ball catching device upward (like a glove) so as to extend the ball receiving opening into the air, while holding the bottom or lower portion with their hand.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/145,891 filed on Jan. 20, 2009.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for catching balls. More particularly, it relates to box configured to be folded into a shape and faun suitable for catching a ball.

2. Description of the Prior Art

When attending a baseball game, one of the thrills of being a fan is the possibility of catching a foul ball, or even a home run depending on your seat location in the stadium.

Often times, children will bring their baseball glove in the hopes of a ball coming their way. The glove becomes another item of the children's that must be watched after and carried both to and from the game.

Adults often attempt to catch the ball with their bare hands, which generally works, however can result in hand injuries or the like.

SUMMARY

It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide a ball catching device that is: 1) easy to operate; 2) can be constructed from cardboard or other disposable/recyclable material; and 3) that can be obtained at the ball park or stadium for little or no money to the consumer.

This and other aspects are achieved in accordance with an embodiment of the invention wherein the ball catching device includes a single piece of cardboard or other flat sheet line material having a plurality of panels folded along predetermined fold lines and secured to itself using at least one receiving slot and corresponding tab. A ball receiving opening is formed in an upper portion of the folded panels, and a ball cavity is formed in a lower portion of the folded panels and in direct communication with the ball receiving opening.

Other objects and features of the present principles will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the present principles, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals denote similar components throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is perspective view of an assembled ball catching device according to an implementation of the present invention;

FIG. 2a is cardboard cutout from which the ball catching device of the present invention can be formed;

FIG. 2b is a cardboard cutout from which the ball catching device of the present invention can be formed; and

FIGS. 3-5 show the steps of folding the cardboard cutout of FIG. 2 to form the ball catching device according to an implementation of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring generally to FIG. 1, there is shown the ball catching device 100 according to an implementation of the invention. The ball catching device has a ball receiving opening 120, a ball cavity 122 and includes at least one finger receiving indentation or opening 105. As will be evident from the following description, the ball receiving opening 120 is in the upper portion of the catching device and is sized to fit the ball being caught. The user holds the lower portion of the catching device 100 and extends the ball receiving opening 120 into the air to catch a ball. A caught ball will immediately fall into the ball cavity 122 which is in direct communication with the ball receiving opening 120.

The formation/creation of the ball catching device 100 is now described with reference to FIGS. 2-5. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the ball catching device 100 can be formed from a single piece of cardboard or other sufficiently rigid paper like material. The dimensions of the single piece of cardboard can be a matter of design choice. For purposes of this description a die cut piece of cardboard approximately 16″×18″ is used.

The dotted lines in FIGS. 2 and 3 represent fold lines for the cut cardboard. The ball catching device 100 is made up of several panels 1-11 as shown. Panel 7 includes a slot 107 configured to receive the tab 108 situated on panel 8, while panel 9 includes a tab 109 configured to be inserted into slot 110. Finger receiving portions 105a and 106a are disposed in the lower portions of panels 5 and 6, respectively.

FIG. 2b shows a slightly different implementation where finger receiving portions 105b and 106b) are flipped such that the fold line is on the top side of the opening formed by the receiving portion. In this configuration, the user's fingers that are within the receiving portion will be covered by the tab protruding into the ball catching device.

FIG. 3 shows the first assembly step where panels 1 and 2 are brought inward into an overlapping arrangement by folding panels 5 and 6 along the fold lines adjacent with back panel 11. FIG. 4 shows when panels 1 and 2 are overlapped, panel 9 is folded over overlapping panels 1 and 2 and secured by inserting tab 109 into slot 110. At this stage, panels 7 and 8 are folded inward toward each other along the fold line adjacent panels 5 and 6, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the lower portions of panels 7 and 8 overlap in the front such that tab 108 is inserted into slot 107 so as to secure the ball catching device 100 into its operable configuration. The finger receiving hole or slots 105 and 106 are punched in to allow the user to hole the ball catching device substantially as shown in FIG. 1.

In this manner, the ball catching device 100 can be used by a patron to the sporting event to assist in catching a ball that has left the playing field.

As shown throughout the embodiments, the ball catching device 100 is generally tapered in design such that the lower portion is narrower than the upper ball receiving portion. Those of skill in the art will recognize that this taper can be modified according to a particular design choice. In one contemplated implementation, the lower portion can be sufficiently narrow such that a ball that is caught engages the internal sides of the ball catching device and does not necessarily fit in the bottom of the device. Alternatively, the overall size can be such that the ball being caught fits perfectly within the device and rests on the bottom of the same. Again, the size of the device can be modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In accordance with another contemplated implementation of the invention, the outside (and even inside) surfaces of the ball catching device 100 can be used to print material for the user. For example, the ball catching device can be printed with relevant team information (e.g., team roster, team program information, etc), relevant league information (e.g., playoff runs, standings, etc), or may simply be printed with sponsor advertisements and/or any combination of both.

While there have been shown, described and pointed out fundamental novel features of the present principles, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the methods described and devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the same. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the present principles. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or implementation of the present principles may be incorporated in any other disclosed, described or suggested form or implementation as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A ball catching device formed from a single piece of a paper like material, the ball catching device comprising:

a plurality of panels folded along predetermined fold lines and secured to itself using at least one receiving slot and corresponding tab;

a ball receiving opening formed in an upper portion of the folded panels; and

a ball cavity formed in a lower portion of the folded panels and in direct communication with the ball receiving opening.

2. The ball catching device of claim 1, further comprising at least one finger receiving indentation in an outer surface of one of the folded panels of the ball cavity.