Basketball Shooting Visor

Abstract

A unique short-billed visor shortened and marked on its underside specifically created for proper alignment technique and unrestricted motion of the hands and arms of a wearer shooting a basketball at a basket, blocking the wearer's upward vertical lined vision of the basketball while in flight above the wearer's head providing greater alignment, focus and arc of the shot when worn over the brow section of the forehead with the short-billed visor positioned over the eyes of the wearer by means of an elastic moisture absorbing headpiece affixed to unique short-billed visor by an interconnecting top flap member.

Description

BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a Basketball Shooting Aid that is economical and has a unique basketball shooting short-billed visor in combination with, but not limited to a moisture absorbing headband component affixed together to make one product the Basketball Shooting Visor. The Basketball Shooting Visor invention is a physiological and fashion friendly approach to shooting a basketball with higher arc, greater focus and quicker alignment at the basket while at practice or in actual competition.

Currently the market is flooded with strap fasteners to train users how to properly shoot a basketball. These fasteners are expensive and complex. Commonly, when a person shoots a basketball, they depend on their sight perception and range within given sight of a basket. Many people suffer from shooting a basketball flat or straight at the basket because of erroneous height and distance perception, and incorrect shooting form. However when upward vertical sight of a person shooting a basketball is blocked above the forehead, the reflex need of a person's eyes to follow the flight of the ball ceases and the shooter is able to focus much better on the basket without the distraction of watching the ball as it travels through the air towards the basket target. Subsequently the user is instructed to put on the Basketball Shooting Visor with the unique short-billed visor worn right above the eyes and to picture in his or her mind the basketball shot being released from above their heads in a rainbow pattern while exclusively focusing on the basket fully extending their arms and whipping their wrists at the basket target for proper release. In competition the sight of the basket can be blurred due to the movement of the ball and the pace of the game, although with timing and concentration on the basket, a player can score baskets even on the stop of a dime. This is why a natural feel and alignment with the basket is necessary. Uniquely the Basketball Shooting Visor trains a person shooting the basketball to feel for the right amount of arc and applied force to shoot the ball with at variable distances from the basket helping the shooter to develop crucial hand-eye coordination. After repetitive use with the Basketball Shooting Visor, arc, focus and alignment will then become a key part of the user's shooting memory and technique to score at will as the user learns how to shoot straight up instead of out at the basket, achieving arc not from sight but due to picturing the shot and the flight of the ball in their minds and memorizing how the shot felt each and every time a basket was made by only looking at the basket, not the ball.

Although all visors will limit upward vertical lined vision of a wearer, the traditional lengths manufactured to date are not conducive to what is needed in the problems solved by the Basketball Shooting Visor invention in that traditional length visors will get in the way by getting knocked off the user's head as a result from coming in contact with either the basketball or the user's hands interrupting the natural flow of the user's shooting technique. Most people wearing regular length visor caps will turn the cap visor backwards so not to have interference while shooting a basketball. Not so with the Basketball Shooting Visor, particularly because it's unique short-billed visor is sufficiently short enough to accommodate without interruption, the correct shooting form of a user when shooting a basketball.

More specifically the Basketball Shooting Visor's vertical index finger alignment line centered vertically on the underside of the Basketball Shooting Visor invention's unique short-billed visor makes this visor unlike any other created to date due to its specificity for vertical center alignment with the index finger on the shooting hand of a user for proper alignment while shooting a basketball at a basket and seen peripherally by the user.

In the past, it has been common to have headbands for absorbing the perspiration on the forehead or brow of a person to keep the perspiration out of the eyes thus traditionally called sweatbands for athletic sports, the headband component of the Basketball Shooting Visor will provide the same benefit. The Basketball Shooting Visor may one day be used in the NBA or collegiate levels sporting an array of colors and logos due to its simplicity and value attributes in the evolution and refinement of the sport of basketball. In addition the Basketball Shooting Visor will provide the same honing skills developed from innovative shooting improvement techniques as a person shooting a basketball in the dark and at the same time will block glare when worn by the user when shooting outside on outdoor courts. The Basketball Shooting Visor's unique short-billed visor can quickly be turned around to the back of the user's head while playing in competition utilizing it as a regular sweatband frontally without any restrictive physiological results from the short-billed visor being in the back of the head bearing in mind that some basketball players have long hair in many styles that do not physiologically restrict their play of the game respectively. Finally the Basketball Shooting Visor will save the user time while at practice because there are no complex hand or arm strap fasteners to undo. A near perfect prototype has been tested here in Beachwood, Ohio by a professional basketball trainer and children, to test the accuracy of the Basketball Shooting Visor's claims, and the results were phenomenal whereas up to as many as ten 3 point jump shots were made in a row the very first time the Basketball Shooting Visor was tested.

Detailed Description of Drawings (FIG. 1) Front side view of thin Interconnecting top flap member of front headband lining material manufactured, sewn or affixed to rear edge of unique short billed visor is thinner than unique short-billed visor material and is sewn up and in between headband's double row of moisture absorbent headband fabric fitting in concavely and uniformly becoming a part of a headband's circular configuration to fit flush around the head resembling the frontal portion of a thin-lined cotton or similar soft material circular padding member manufactured inside traditional caps and sun visor headpieces.

(FIG. 2) A unique short-billed visor acting as a vertical blinder so as to block the user's upward vertical lined vision of a basketball in flight upon the user shooting the ball above the forehead, and has a sufficient unique short length so not to get in the way of the natural hand, wrist and arm motion of a person shooting a basketball at a basket.

(FIG. 3) Front Topside view of Unique Short-Billed Visor seen as Bottom Member as in (FIG. 2), stitched together by method of sewing or affixed together by other means to the Interconnecting Top Flap Member, Top Member as seen in (FIG. 1) is a combination assembly ready to be inserted up and in between the bottom cut seam of a double layered headband.

(FIG. 4) Underside Flat Horizontal view of FIG. 3 displaying unique Index Finger Alignment Line vertically marked by a white or brightly straight-lined strip of material from the underside rear edge to the underside front edge of the unique short-billed visor to be stitched on by means of sewing or affixed by other means on the underside of the unique short-billed visor and peripherally within sight of the wearer for proper alignment and shooting technique at the basket when worn.

(FIG. 5) Frontal view of a moisture absorbing double layered headband for use in sporting activities worn for fashion or to keep sweat from getting into the user's eyes.

(FIG. 6) Front Horizontal View of Basketball Shooting Visor with cross-patterned phantom view of topside interconnecting top flap member/unique short-billed visor combination assembly as seen in (FIG. 3), positioned into a headband by the cutting of the headbands bottom seam with said cut being a 180 degree-like cut of headband's double layered material showing the position of the interconnecting top flap member as it will be sewn or affixed by other methods up and in between the double layers of a moisture absorbing headband.

(FIG. 7) Backside Horizontal and Elevated—Ready to put on user's head view—of the Basketball Shooting Visor with back of headband closest in view with unique short-billed visor shown on the far opposite side of back of headband extending out horizontally and away from backside of circular headband to be worn over the brow of a user with unique short-billed visor right above the eyes, and displaying on its underside the vertical unique index finger alignment line seen peripherally by user as the user looks up to the basket target.

(FIG. 8) Frontal View of Completed Basketball Shooting Visor end product with Index Finger Alignment Line not seen in-view due to being utilized on the underside of the unique short-billed visor of the Basketball Shooting Visor invention which will improve the shooting technique of a novice or professional by wearing the Basketball Shooting Visor headband over the brow section of the user's forehead with the unique short-billed visor worn right above the eyes so to block the user's upward vertical lined vision of the flight of a basketball when shot by the user above the forehead, training the user to feel the shot instead of watching the shot at the basket and will improve shooting technique with higher arc, greater focus on the basket and quicker alignment due to the index finger alignment line on the underside of the short-billed visor while at practice or in actual competition without inhibiting the natural motion of the users shot. The Basketball Shooting Visor blocks the vision of the wearer above the brow section of the forehead not allowing the wearer to have visual contact with their hands, arms, and most importantly the basketball when a shot is attempted above the wearer's forehead, conditioning the user for a natural feel for basket distance and uniquely the right amount of arc to shoot the ball with and Arc-Time it takes for the basketball to reach the basket without the wearer watching the basketball's in-flight pattern from its release, to its highest peak and then to the descent point until the ball falls within the user's view below the unique short-billed visor's position above the user's eyes, upon which time the user can see the ball either go into the basket, bounce off the metal ring of the basket, or miss the entire basket.

A number of prior U.S. Patents have dealt with sweat bands, focus visors, and Basketball Shooting Aids with attachments, these include:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,110, which teaches a pair of blinders secured to each side edge of said visor limiting horizontal vision thereof. This patent is directed to focus problems like the Basketball Shooting Visor, yet does not state claims specifically as a basketball shooting aid and is different than that solved by the Basketball Shooting Visor invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,903, which teaches a sweatband with removable sun visor attachment to block out sun glare respectively. This patent is directed to problems in the field of golf and tennis, but does not state claims as a basketball shooting aid and is therefore different than that solved by the Basketball Shooting Visor invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,936, Kirkpatrick, which teaches keeping the elbow of the shooting arm in towards the center line of the body during shooting. This patent is directed to similar problems yet the attachment straps to hand and arms are not associated with the claims made within the Basketball Shooting Visor invention.

Term                Definition
Unique Short-Billed A shortened visor worn on the brow of a
Visor               person by the connecting means of a
                    headband or other headpiece that blocks
                    the upward vertical lined vision of a
                    basketball in flight when a person shoots
                    at a basket.
Arc-Time            The time it takes for a basketball to be
                    seen by the wearer from release to its
                    bow-like descent below the visual
                    limitations of the unique short-billed
                    visor in or near the basket.
Index Finger        A thin brightly colored or white vertical
Alignment Line      line of material permanently affixed on
                    the underside of the unique short-billed
                    visor centered to act as an imaginary
                    vertical line down the center of a
                    person's body when worn for the
                    purpose of aligning the index finger of a
                    person's shooting hand to the alignment
                    line when shooting a basketball.
Basket              a) The goal, a round, open net hanging
                    from a metal ring attached to a raised
                    backboard used in a sport called
                    Basketball. b) a score made by sending
                    the ball through this net, from the field
                    or court.
Shoot/Shot          To throw or hurl a basketball;
Arc                 The bow-like or rainbow patterned flight
                    of a basketball once it has been shot
                    above the shooter's head at a basket.

Claims

1. A method for shooting a basketball which comprises shooting the basketball while wearing a shooting aid that has three main elements consisting of a visor element, an interconnecting top flap element, and a double layered moisture absorbing headband.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein visor is a unique short-billed visor (FIG. 2), having a sufficient short length elongated surface extending horizontally over wearer's eyes having been sewn into a double layered moisture absorbing headband element which is worn around the head and over the brow of wearer.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the unique short-billed visor is defined by its short front edge, and is a blinder so as to obstruct the user's upward vertical lined vision of a basketball when user shoots at a basket.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a unique short-billed visor providing on its underside a distinctive vertical Index Finger Alignment Line (FIG. 4) & (FIG. 7), permanently marked by a bright or white sewn on strip of material or affixed by other means to the underside of the short-billed visor from the rear edge to front edge of unique short-billed visor.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a unique short-billed visor having side edges shorter in length as it contours into the headband and around the forehead outward towards the temple areas of the wearer.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a unique short-billed visor ideally having a sufficient width to limit the vertical lined vision of the head size of an adult or children alike covering the area from one temple of the wearer to the other.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a unique short-billed visor is ideally from 1/16 to ¼ of an inch thick, is bendable like most cap and open-headed visors covered with brushed cotton twill or other soft material and said bendable material includes but is not limited to plastics or other bendable synthetics that are washer and dryer friendly.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a headpiece ideally is an elastic, moisture-absorbing fabric stretchable to fit around the head (FIG. 5).

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an interconnecting top flap member (FIG. 1), manufactured, sewn, or affixed perpendicular to rear edge of short-billed visor adapted for the unique short-billed visor's attachment to a double layered moisture absorbing headband.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein top flap member is fitted up and in between, then sewn or affixed up and in between double layer moisture absorbing headband by the means of a 180 degree-like cut of headband bottom seam.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an interconnecting top flap member is made from circular padding of soft acrylic or other suitable lining material manufactured in most visor caps.

12. A method for shooting a basketball which comprises shooting the basketball while wearing a shooting aid called The Basketball Shooting Visor, wherein worn properly over the eyes will produce higher arc in the flight of a basketball, greater focus on the basket and proper alignment with the basket target.