SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMPROVING BASKETBALL SHOOTING PERFORMANCE

Abstract

A basketball training hoop includes a rim having a connecting piece for affixing the rim to a supporting structure. A net is attached to the rim. A plurality of aiming indicators is disposed around the circumference of the rim. The aiming indicators are of at least two visually distinguishable colors.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure generally relates to the game of basketball. More particularly, the disclosure relates to systems and methods for facilitating the improvement of a player's basketball shooting performance by enhancing the visualization of discrete portions of the net and rim to assist users in locating a shooting target and providing tailored shooting exercises using the such methods and systems.

The main objective of the game of basketball is to have a team's players advance a ball into an opposing team's area or zone of a playing court and shoot the ball through an elevated goal or hoop to accumulate points. It is often desirable and/or necessary to shoot the ball from various positions spaced away from the hoop, where the potential points allotted per successful shot may be greater and the defense presented by the opposing team is typically lighter. Therefore, the more accurate a player is in shooting or placing the ball through the hoop from various points on the playing court, the more points that player is able to accumulate for his or her team during the course of a given game. Accordingly, it is often desirable for a basketball game player to improve his ability to accurately shoot the ball through the hoop from various locations within the playing court to further improve that player's ability to contribute to the overall success of their team.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is top view of a conventional basketball hoop.

FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of a basketball hoop in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a basketball hoop in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a training method in accordance with the principles disclosed herein for training to shoot a basketball through one of the hoops of FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a display of an electronic device that operates a computer program to execute the training method of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a method in accordance with the principles disclosed herein for accomplishing a desired basketball shooting goal.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the display of the electronic device of FIG. 5 operating a computer program to execute the method of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of a basketball hoop in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.

FIGS. 9 through 11 show various views of another embodiment of a basketball hoop in accordance with the principles disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is directed to various example embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have broad application, and that the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be one example of that embodiment, and not intended to indicate that the scope of the disclosure is limited to any particular embodiment.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This disclosure does not distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not function. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in interest of clarity and conciseness.

In the following description and in the claims, the term “comprising” is used in an open-ended manner, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . .” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection, or through an indirect connection via intermediate devices, components, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a central axis or along a lengthwise direction (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to the central axis. For instance, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to the central axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the central axis.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional basketball hoop 10. Hoop 10 generally includes a metallic ring or rim 12 that may be coupled to a backboard (not shown) by a connecting piece 13. In addition, hoop 10 includes a net 20 coupled to rim 12 and extending downward therefrom. Net 20 is typically comprised of a plurality of chords that are woven or tied together, thereby forming a plurality of first or upper loops 24 and a plurality of second or lower loops 26. In this embodiment, net 20 is coupled to rim 12 through engagement of rim 12 and each of the plurality of upper loops 24 as shown. A central hole 28 is disposed in net 20 and is configured to allow passage of a game ball (not shown) therethrough during a successful placement or shot of the game ball through rim 12. The entire hoop 10 is typically elevated from the surface of a playing court (not shown). For example, hoop 10 is elevated such that rim 12 lies within a plane that is approximately 10 feet (3 meters) above the surface of the playing court.

As previously described, it is often desirable for players to improve or maximize their ability to accurately shoot the ball through the hoop 10 from various locations on the playing court to further improve the players' ability to contribute to the overall success of their team. However, accurately placing the game ball within the rim 12 while it is elevated above the surface the playing court as described above is difficult, and thus, players typically need to develop their ability to accurately perform such placement of the ball to increase the number of points scored (i.e., by having the game ball pass through the net 20) during the course of a game. Thus, embodiments disclosed herein include improved basketball nets and hoops that may use color-coded aiming targets incorporated therein to allow a player to visually focus on a designated aiming target within the net to improve their ability to accurately place the ball through the rim 12 during game play and practice.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a basketball goal or hoop 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. Hoop 100 is substantially the same as previously described with reference to FIG. 1, except that the net 20 is replaced with a net 120 according to the present disclosure in which first or upper loops 124A-124L are provided. For purposes of clarity of the present disclosure, the central portion of net 120 (e.g., including the second or lower loops 26 and central opening 28, described with reference to FIG. 1) is omitted from view in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the loops 124A-124L is presented in a color comprised of a group of different colors, in the present example embodiment, six colors C1-C6. In particular, loops 124A-124L are each made to be one of colors C1-C6 through any suitable means or method known in the art such as, for example, staining, painting, dipping, dying, or combination thereof. In some embodiments, the other loops (e.g., loops 26 shown in FIG. 1) can also be presented in one of the group of colors C1-C6, or may be presented in a color other than one of the group of colors C1-C6. Each color C1-C6 is preferably a different color or shade that is visually distinguishable from each of the other colors C1-C6 by a user at any shooting distance on a basketball court. For example and without limitation, colors C1-C6 may be any combination or shade of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, or some combination thereof. In this embodiment, colors C1-C6 are blue, green, indigo, yellow, red and violet, respectively.

In the present example embodiment, loops 124A-124L may be presented in colors

C1-C6 symmetrically about the rim 12 with respect to a reference plane 125 that passes radially through the central axis or center of curvature 127 of rim 12. When hoop 100 is mounted, rim 12 is horizontally oriented (i.e., rim 12 lies in a horizontal plane) and net 120 hangs downward therefrom. Thus, reference plane 125 is vertically oriented and perpendicular to the horizontal plane containing rim 12. As shown in FIG. 2, each of the loops 124G, 124H are presented in color C1, each of the loops 124F, 1241 are presented in color C2, each of the loops 124E, 1241 are presented in color C3, each of the loops 124D, 124K are presented in color C4, each of the loops 124C, 124L are presented in color C5, each of the loops 124A, 124B are presented in color C6. In the arrangement of FIG. 2, the plane 125 crosses rim 12 at two circumferentially opposite points 125a, 125b. In addition, in the present embodiment, the plane 125 passes between the loops 124A, 124B on a side of rim 12 proximate point 125a and passes between loops 124H, 124G on a side of rim 12 proximate the point 125b. In this embodiment, points 125a, 125b are aligned with the centerline of the playing court, however, such an arrangement is not required. In addition, it should be appreciated that other embodiments may include loops (e.g., loops 124A-124L) that are not symmetrically presented in colors C1-C6 while still being within the scope of the principles disclosed herein. In addition, while a total of twelve loops 124A-124L are shown for hoop 100, it should be appreciated that hoops made in accordance with the principles disclosed herein may include more or fewer than twelve loops.

During use, a user or player may be disposed at a positioned relative to hoop 100, such as, for example, at one of the positions 130A, 130B, 130C shown in FIG. 2 such that the user views hoop 100 along a specific sight line 135A, 135B, 135C, respectively. Thereafter the user shoots a ball (not shown) toward the hoop 100 while visually focusing on one of the loops 124A-124L or the rim spaces between each loop as an aiming point. For example, depending on the specific style, tendencies and strategies used, a user disposed at position 130A may focus on either loop 1241 or loop 124C in order to properly align the shot. The difference in color between the loops 1241 and the adjacent loops 124J, 124, the difference in color between loops 124C and the adjacent loops 124B, 124D, and the difference in color between loops 1241 and 124C all help to clearly visually distinguish the desired focusing target for the user during shooting exercises. Similarly, a user disposed at position 130B may focus on either the loops 124H, 124G, or the loops 124A, 124B in order to properly align his shot. The difference in color between the loops 124H, 124G and the adjacent loops 1241, 124F, the difference in color between the loops 124A, 124B and the adjacent loops 124L, 124C, and the difference in color between the loops 124H, 124G and the loops 124A, 124B all help to clearly distinguish the desired focusing target for the user during shooting practice exercises.

During use (e.g., at shooting practice), the decision to aim at a loop positioned at a point along rim 12 nearest to the position (e.g., position 130A) along a corresponding sight line (e.g., sight line 135A) as contrasted with a loop positioned at a point along rim 12 that is farthest to the position along the corresponding sight line is based on the specific characteristics, tendencies, style, and skill of the specific player or user.

In some embodiments, the arrangement of net 120 about rim 12 may be varied while still being within the scope of the principles disclosed herein. For example, FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a hoop 200 in accordance with the principles disclosed herein. Hoop 200 is substantially the same as the hoop previously described with reference to FIG. 2, except that hoop 200 includes a net 220 having a plurality of upper loops 224A-224L rather than the loops 124A-124L of net 120 on hoop 100. Loops 224A-224L are further substantially the same as the loops 124A-124L except that the loops 224A-224L are symmetrically arranged about the rim 12 such that the loops 224A, 224G effectively straddle the plane 125. In other words, plane 125 passes through the loop 224A on a side of rim 12 proximate point 125a and passes through the loop 224G on a side of rim 12 proximate point 125b. In addition, loops 224B-224L are presented in colors C1-C6 in the manner shown in FIG. 3; however, in this embodiment, the loop 224A can be presented in either the color C1 or a different color C7 which may be either different or the same as one of the colors C1-C6.

Operations or shooting exercises using the hoop 200 may be substantially the same as operations or shooting exercises using the hoop 100, previously described with reference to FIG. 2. For example, a user disposed at position 130A may focus on either the loop 224H or the loop 224B in order to properly align his or her shot. The difference in color between the loops 224I and the adjacent loops 224I, 224G, the difference in color between loop 224B and the adjacent loops 224A, 224C, and the difference in color between loops 224H and 224B all help the user to clearly visually distinguish the desired visual focusing target during shooting exercises.

In some embodiments, a user may use or practice with a hoop in accordance with the principles disclosed herein (e.g., hoops 100, 200) with the aid of a training software computer program to improve their shooting skills. For example, FIG. 4, shows a method 300 for training to shoot a basketball through a hoop made in accordance with the principles disclosed herein (e.g., hoops 100, 200) with the aid of a computer program. In describing such method 300, reference will be made to FIG. 5, which shows an electronic device 400 executing the computer program to carry out the method 300.

Electronic device 400 may be any suitable electronic device capable of storing (or reading from a non-transitory storage medium) and executing computer programs, such as, for example, a personal computer, a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, or some combination thereof having a processor to execute machine instructions stored on the medium. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, device 400 may be a smartphone having a display 402. The device 400 may include a geodetic position signal receiver, such as a GNSS or GPS satellite signal receiver in order to locate the user's position on a playing court as will be further explained below. In addition, in the present example embodiment device 400 includes a processor and storage. In this embodiment, the storage may be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium suitable for storing instructions that are retrieved and executed by the processor to perform the functions disclosed herein. Storage may include volatile storage such as random access memory, non-volatile storage (e.g., a hard drive, an optical storage device (e.g., CD or DVD), FLASH storage, read-only-memory), or combinations thereof. Referring once again to FIG. 4, initially, in block 305 a user may input predetermined preliminary information into the computer program. Depending on the specific parameters of the computer program, various types of information may be input initially in order to better tailor the execution of the computer program to the specific user. For example, in some embodiments, the type of information input in block 305 may include the desired basketball playing position (e.g., center, point guard, etc.), as well as the user's age, gender, height, weight, skill level (e.g., beginner, novice, expert, etc.). Input of the predetermined information in block 305 may not always be required for operation of the computer program. For example, in the present example embodiment, the information input at block 305 may be input only during the first use of the computer program or during the first use of the computer program for a given user or user profile. Thus, some embodiments of method 300 do not include the information input at 305 while still being within the scope of the principles disclosed herein.

At 310 the user may be directed to select one of a given number of net configurations. For example, in this embodiment the user is directed to select one of either the net configuration of hoop 100 or hoop 200 (more particularly the circumferential alignment and configuration of the loops 124A-124L, 224A-224L about rim 12), or a set of aiming indicators as will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 through 11. As will be described in more detail below, the selection of the net configuration at 310 by the user is then used to adjust specific aiming instructions calculated by the computer program and displayed to the user on the display 402 during the chosen practice session. Next, at 315 the user is instructed to select a particular practice plan for execution by the computer program. The selected practice plan may be one of a variety of plans that are preloaded onto the executing device (e.g., device 400 shown in FIG. 5), may be a practice plan that was created by the user, or may be a practice plan that was developed by other users and/or contributors and was subsequently downloaded (to electronic device 400 in FIG. 5) using a suitable communication system such as, for example, the internet.

In some embodiments, upon choosing the specific practice plan at 315, the computer program causes to be displayed a schematic representation of at least a portion of a basketball court on a display such as is shown on display 402 in FIG. 5. In addition, in the present example embodiment, there may be a plurality of location markers 404 (the embodiment of FIG. 5 includes four such location markers 404a, 404b, 404c, and 404d) disposed about the displayed basketball court on display 402 that are selectable by the user and that correspond to actual locations similarly located about a physical basketball court (not shown) in which the user is conducting his training. In this embodiment, display 402 is a touch sensitive display, and thus, to select one of the location markers, a user need simply engage the display proximate the desired location marker 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d. Once the desired location marker 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d is selected in block 320, a prescribed exercise or practice regimen is presented on display 402 in block 325 that directs user to work through the prescribed regimen at a location on the physical basketball court that corresponds with the selected location marker on display 402. For example, a prescribed practice regimen may include attempting five shots from a location on the physical basketball court corresponding to location marker 404b. During the execution of a prescribed regimen in block 325, the computer program may instruct the user to aim at one or more of the specific colored loops 124A-124L, 224A-224L on hoops 100, 200 previously described. In this embodiment, the specific aiming point that is determined by the one or more of the pieces of information that were provided in block 305 and the net configuration designated in block 310. In addition, in some embodiments, the chosen exercise plan at 315 specifically directs the user to a prescribed order and number of locations corresponding to various markers (e.g., markers 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d) on display 402, and thus, does not allow the user to individually select the specific locations on the presented on display.

In the present example embodiment, once the user has completed a given prescribed regimen at 325, such user may be instructed to input the specific performance results associated with that regimen at 330. For example, if a user successfully placed the ball through the hoop (e.g., hoop 100,200) three times out of a total of five attempts, the user may manually input this information into the computer program upon completing the regimen chosen at 325. In some embodiments, the hoop (e.g., hoop 100, 200) may include one or more electronic sensors (not shown) that automatically detect the presence of the ball, determine the success of a given shot, and communicate (e.g., through a wireless signal) with the electronic device 400 such that the performance results for a selected regimen at 325 are automatically uploaded to the computer program. Regardless of the method used to input the performance results from a given regimen at 330, at 335 the method may also include uploading the results input at 330 onto a social media website or other communication medium. The information input at 330 can then be used to set goals for the user or others, as well as challenge other users to competitions for best performance in a given practice session or regimen.

In some embodiments, the computer program described above may also be used to help a user accomplish an ultimate goal that may or may not be related to the game of basketball. In particular, referring now to FIG. 6 where a method 500 for accomplishing an ultimate goal with the aid of the computer program, previously described, is shown.

In describing method 500, reference will be made to FIG. 7, where the electronic device 400 is shown executing the computer program to carry out the method 500. Initially, in block 505 a user may input some preliminary information into the computer program. Depending on the specific parameters of the computer program, various types of information may be requested in order to better tailor the execution of the computer program to the specific user. For example, in some embodiments, the sorts of information requested and supplied in block 305 may include the user's age, gender, height, weight, shot success fraction, etc. Inputting the specific information in block 505 may not always be required for operation of the computer program. For example, in the present example embodiment, the information of block 505 may be collected only during the first use of the computer program software or during the first use of the computer program for a given user or user profile. Thus, some embodiments of method 500 do not include step 505 while still being within the scope of the principles disclosed herein. Block 510 directs the user to select or input a personal performance goal. The personal performance goal represents an ultimate accomplishment that the user wishes to achieve, for example a successful shot fraction for one or more user positions on a playing court. As shown in FIG. 7, once selected, the personal performance goal may be displayed in the center of a schematic basketball hoop that, in some embodiments, is similar to one of the hoops 100, 200, previously described. Next, block 515 directs the user to input the various steps that are required to accomplish or attain the user performance goal selected in block 510. As an example, if the personal performance goal selected by a user is to earn an educational degree from a specific university, the various steps required to accomplish that goal may include, graduation from high school, submission of an application to the specific university, completion of the required courses to earn the specified degree, etc. Once supplied by the user, the various steps (e.g., step 1, step 2, step 3, etc.) are each displayed about the schematic hoop on display 402 such that each of the steps is located adjacent and proximate one of the loops (e.g., loops 124A-124L, 224A-224L) of the hoop in the manner shown in FIG. 7.

Optionally, step 520 directs the user to also input any sub-steps that might be required to accomplish any one of the previously described steps (e.g., step 1, step 2, step 3, etc.) from block 515. For instance, in the previously described example, if one of the steps for accomplishing the goal of earning an educational degree from a specific university, and one of the principal tasks for accomplishing such goal is to complete all of the required courses for that given degree, then a potential sub-step that a user could input in block 520 would be successful completion of the course work within a given set of the required courses to earn such degree. In some embodiments, any required sub-step may be shown on display 402 when a user selects the associated step (e.g., by physically touching or engaging the display 402 at a location where the specific step is shown). However, other display options for the various steps and sub-steps are possible. Some portable electronic devices, e.g., smartphones, may comprise a geodetic position signal receiver, e.g., GPS or GNSS signals. Thus, the electronic device 400 may automatically determine the user's position on a playing court and as explained herein, calculate an aiming point for display to the user on the display 402 based on the determined user position.

Next, once the goal, steps and sub-steps are input at blocks 510, 515, 520, at block 525 the user is directed on the electronic device display to execute each step and sub-step in the order originally designated by the user at 515 and 520. As each of the various steps and sub-steps are completed by the user, the user may then input the specific results in block 530. For example, in some embodiment, a user may acknowledge completion of a given step or sub-step by selecting or marking each one of the completed steps/sub-steps such that they are shown as being completed. Further, at any point during the execution of blocks 525, 530, previously described, a user may upload their specific progress and/or results for accomplishing their ultimate goal to a social media website or other electronic location in a similar manner to that described above for block 335 of method 300.

In the manner described above, through use of a basketball hoop in accordance with the principles disclosed herein (e.g., hoops 100, 200) a user may improve his ability to successfully and accurately shoot a basketball through a hoop. In addition, through use of a computer program in accordance with the principles disclosed herein, a user may further enhance the use of a basketball hoop made in accordance with the principles disclosed herein (e.g., hoops 100, 200) and may more efficiently accomplish various goals that may or may not be directly associated with the game of basketball.

While embodiments described herein have included nets (e.g., net 120) that includes a plurality of multi-colored loops (e.g., loops 124A-124L, 224A-224L), in some embodiments, hoops in accordance with the principles disclosed herein may include nets that additionally or separately include a plurality of light emitting modules attached thereto to enhance the user's ability to locate the target during basketball training.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of a basketball goal or hoop 600 in accordance with the present disclosure. Hoop 600 may be substantially the same as the hoop 100, previously described with reference to FIG. 1, except that hoop 600 may include loops 624A-624L instead of loops 124A-124L. In the present example embodiment, each of the loops 624A-624L are presented in a single color (e.g., one of the colors C1-C6); however, it should be appreciated that the loops 624A-624L may, in some embodiments, be presented in colors similar to that described above for the loops 124A-124L and/or the loops 224A-224L. In addition, loops 624A-624L may each include a light emitting module 610A-610L, respectively, attached thereto. Light emitting modules 610A-610L may be any suitable module or device that is configured to selectively emit visible light that can be observed by a user. For example, in this embodiment, each of the modules 610A-610L comprises a light emitting diode (“LED”) that is configured to emit visible light when supplied with electrical current. A power source (not shown) is electrically connected to each of the modules 610A-610L and is configured to supply electrical current to the modules 610A-610L during operation. In addition, a controller 650 may be electrically coupled to each of the modules 610A-610L through any suitable type of connection (not shown, e.g., a wired connection) while still remaining within the scope of the principles disclosed herein. Controller 650 is configured to selectively energize/de-energize each of the modules 610A-610L in order to cause one or more of the modules 610A-610L to selectively emit visible light therefrom during use. In this embodiment, the controller 650 is coupled to an antenna 652 that is configured to emit and/or receive signals (e.g., wireless signals, e.g., through BLUETOOTH® signals, IEEE standard 802.11b/g/n/ac, cellular telephony and data communication signals, etc.) from an electronic device (e.g., device 400). BLUETOOTH is a registered trademark of Bluetooth Special Interest Group, Kirkland, Wash. It will be appreciated that the modules 610A-610L may be mounted to the rim (12 in FIG. 1) in some embodiments, or to a device attached to the rim, as will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 9 through 11.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 8, during use, a user may operate a training computer program on the electronic device 400 as previously described. Particularly, the user may select a location (e.g., one of the location markers 404a, 404b, 404c, and 404d, previously described) on display 402. Thereafter, a signal is sent from device 400 to controller 650, via antenna 652, indicating the specific location (e.g., 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d) that was selected by the user. The controller 650 then energizes one or more of the modules 610A-610L (e.g., based on an internal coding or algorithm) that corresponds to the appropriate aiming point for the user's selected location 404a, 404b, 404c, 404d, such that the energized module (e.g., one or more of 610A-610L) begins to emit light that is visible to the user. For example, in one embodiment, a user may select the location 404b such that controller 650 causes the 6101 to begin emitting visible light to provide an observable target for the user to aim at while completing the prescribed shot attempts from location 404b. In some embodiments, the controller 650 is able to automatically determine (e.g., through signals received by antenna 652) the location of the user along the court and then energize the appropriate one or more of the modules 610A-610L to provide an appropriate target for the user during training operations. Any suitable method or device for automatically sensing and/or determining the location of the user along the court may be used while still being within the scope of the principles disclosed herein.

FIGS. 9 through 11 show another embodiment of a basketball hoop in accordance with the present disclosure. A mounting ring 17 may be substantially circular and have a diameter substantially the same as the diameter of the rim 12. The mounting ring 17 may be shaped so that when applied to the upper surface of the hoop, the mounting ring 17 is held in place on the rim 12. A plurality of aiming indicators 15 may be placed around the inner circumference of the mounting ring 17. The aiming indicators 15 may be formed as tags of a selected shape and may each be of a different visually distinguishable color. The colors of the aiming indicators 15 may be selected, for example, as explained with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 9, the aiming indicators 15 may be affixed to the mounting ring 17 such that when the mounting ring 17 is placed on the rim 12, the aiming indicators are disposed within the upper circumference of the net 20. The present embodiment therefore provides distinguishable color visual aiming targets in a manner similar to the embodiments explained with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, but may omit applying any color to the net 20 itself. The present example embodiment may also be used with the light emitting devices explained with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 shows an oblique side view of the mounting ring 17 and aiming indicators 15. An interior surface 17A defined by the shape of the mounting ring 17 may be observed. The interior surface 17A may be shaped to conform to the exterior of the rim (12 in FIG. 9).

FIG. 11 shows an oblique view of the mounting ring 17 and the aiming indicators 15 wherein one example embodiment of affixing the aiming indicators 15 to the mounting ring 17 may be observed. In the present example embodiment, the aiming indicators 15 may be affixed to the interior circumference of the mounting ring 17 using fasteners 16, for example and without limitation self-threading screws, bolts, rivets and the like. The aiming indicators 15 may also be adhesively bonded to the mounting ring 17, be thermally bonded to the mounting ring 17, or may be formed integrally with the mounting ring and subsequently colored. Coloring may be substantially as explained with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. An upper surface 17B of the mounting ring provides a stop when the mounting ring 17 is placed on the upper surface of the rim 12.

Although only a few examples have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the examples. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A basketball training hoop comprising:

a rim having a connecting piece for affixing the rim to a supporting structure;

a net attached to the rim; and

a plurality of aiming indicators affixed to an inner circumference of a mounting ring, each aiming indicator corresponding to each one of all of a plurality of attachment loops on the net disposed around the entire circumference of the rim and extending only below an upper surface of the rim, the mounting ring shaped to fit on an upper surface of the rim and disposed around the entire circumference of the rim, the aiming indicators being of at least two visually distinguishable colors, the aiming indicators attachable to the rim in a first configuration wherein a pair of diametrically opposed aiming indicators is disposed along a plane bisecting the rim and a second configuration wherein the plane is straddled by at least one pair of adjacent aiming indicators.

2. (canceled)

3. The training hoop of claim 1 wherein the aiming indicators comprise a plurality of tags affixed to an inner circumference of a mounting ring, the mounting ring shaped to fit on an upper surface of the rim.

4. The training hoop of claim 1 wherein the colors of the aiming indicators are arranged such that a same color is used for pairs of the aiming indicators disposed on circumferentially opposed sides of the rim.

5. The training hoop of claim 1 wherein the aiming indicators each comprise a light source operable by a controller in signal communication with each light source, the controller configured to illuminate selected ones of the light sources depending on a position of a user on a playing court.

6. The training hoop of claim 5 further comprising a user electronic device in signal communication with the controller, the user device operable to determine the user position.

7. The training hoop of claim 1 further comprising a user electronic device operable to execute a computer program, the computer program operable to drive a display on the user electronic device to indicate a plurality of user positions on a playing court and to indicate selected ones of the aiming indicators corresponding to each user position.

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. A basketball training hoop comprising:

a rim having a connecting piece for affixing the rim to a supporting structure;

a net attached to the rim;

a plurality of aiming indicators disposed around the circumference of the rim, each aiming indicator extending only below an upper surface of the rim, each aiming indicator corresponding to each one of all of a plurality of attachment loops on the net disposed around the entire circumference of the rim, the mounting ring shaped to fit on an upper surface of the rim and disposed around the entire circumference of the rim, the aiming indicators being of at least two visually distinguishable colors; and

a user electronic device operable to execute a computer program, the computer program operable to drive a display on the user electronic device to indicate a plurality of user positions on a playing court and to indicate selected ones of the aiming indicators corresponding to each user position.

16. The training hoop of claim 15 wherein the aiming indicators comprise coloring applied to each of a plurality of upper loops formed in the net, the upper loops attached to the rim.

17. The training hoop of claim 15 wherein the aiming indicators comprise a plurality of tags affixed to an inner circumference of a mounting ring, the mounting ring shaped to fit on an upper surface of the rim.

18. The training hoop of claim 15 wherein the colors of the aiming indicators are arranged such that a same color is used for pairs of the aiming indicators disposed on circumferentially opposed sides of the rim.

19. The training hoop of claim 15 wherein the aiming indicators each comprise a light source operable by a controller in signal communication with each light source, the controller configured to illuminate selected ones of the light sources depending on a position of a user on a playing court.

20. The training hoop of claim 15 wherein the computer program is operable to display selected ones of the aiming indicators based on user input to the user electronic device comprising at least one of user basketball playing position and user skill level.

21. The training hoop of claim 1 wherein the computer program is operable to display selected ones of the aiming indicators based on user input to the user electronic device comprising circumferential alignment and configuration of loops suspending the net from the rim and the aiming indicators.

22. The training hoop of claim 15 wherein the computer program is operable to display selected ones of the aiming indicators based on user input to the user electronic device comprising a shooting practice plan.