Device for Ball Replacement in Sportive Practices

This utility model is related to a device for ball replacement in sportive practice environments, such as fields, courts, and general gym centers.

Currently, ball replacement in sportive matches, such as football, is performed manually by a ball boy or by a ball boy staff.

By that time of the match, the ball boy must catch the ball to be removed from the field and provide another one to the players. As they are manually performed, these steps depend on the ball boy's skills, so that various concerns and deficiencies arise.

Initially, one notes a lack of accuracy in the ball removal. Balls can, for instance, slip from the hands of the ball boy and ricochet into an undesired area, either inside or outside the field.

Similarly, in a ball replacement, the ball boy can fail to correctly direct the ball, and insufficient strength or accuracy can raise difficulties or even bar to the reception thereof by a player.

Another disadvantage lies on the delay in the ball removal or replacement, due to such failures during the match. This can favor or disfavor either team, by virtue of a delay in resuming the match.

As a consequence from a further confusion, ball boys can replace two or more balls in field.

Of note, the ball boy staff may consciously act with partiality, in an attempt to benefit either team to the detriment of the other.

Additionally, companies are always in search of new forms of advertising in the market. To meet the demands from technology and growing competition, innovation became a crucial tool to draw the consumers' attention. In this context, the proposed invention appears as an innovative solution that, in addition to meeting market needs, is also in line with the demand for new advertising strategies.

The device described herein represents a creative and efficient response for companies in search of better advertising results. Due to its unique functionalities that fit the requirements of modern world, this invention has a potential to radically transform the way how companies communicate with their target market and promote their products and services.

According, the state of art does not disclose any practical and simple solution that allows ball removement and replacement in a quick, accurate and impartial manner, and encompasses additional functionalities.

One objective of this utility model is to provide a device for ball replacement in sportive practices, having multiple functionalities.

The objectives of this utility model are achieved through a device for ball replacement in sportive practices, comprising: a support structure having a flat frontal surface with at least one ball delivery opening, wherein the flat frontal surface of the support structure still comprises at least one visual information display; at least one ball insertion opening; at least one ball delivery mechanism communicating with the ball insertion opening; at least one ball delivery mechanism actuator.

Preferably, the support structure presents, at least, a housing in its posterior face, wherein each housing communicates with one ball delivery opening and with one ball insertion opening, and wherein the ball delivery mechanism is inside the housing. The ball insertion opening is located in one of a top side and a rear side of the housing, in alignment with the ball delivery mechanism.

The ball delivery mechanism actuator can be one of a wire electronic actuator, a wireless electronic actuator and a mechanical actuator.

Each of at least one visual information display can be a LED panel. The device may comprise a plurality of visual information displays about the flat frontal surface of the structure. At least one visual information display can be coupled in an articulated manner to the flat frontal surface of the structure in front to, at least, one ball delivery opening. This articulated visual information display is coupled to an automatized opening and closing mechanism of said display.

The at least one visual information display can be remotely controlled for displaying different information, preferably in synchrony with the operation of the ball delivery mechanism.

As illustrated by the, this utility model generally refers to a device for ball replacementin sportive practices. In one preferential embodiment, the sportive practices this utility model appears to suitably apply to refer to football, meaning soccer, arena soccer, indoor football, beach football or any football modality that can present sport panels arranged in a perimeter of the respective area—either court, field, arena—where the match takes place. The device can also apply to courts and field used on other sportive modalities that require ball replacement. In non-limiting examples, this utility model can be implemented in basketball, volleyball, handball and footvolley courts.

Having submitted the above explanations, we shall address the characteristics of the utility model proposed herein.

This utility model refers to a device for ball replacementin sportive practices. As illustrated by the figures XX, the device is a kind of sportive panel that allows replacing balls in a quick, accurate and safe manner, in addition to displaying customized advertisements in, at least, one of its surfaces. For such, the devicecomprises a support structurehaving a flat frontal surfacewith at least one ball delivery opening, wherein the flat frontal surfaceof the support structure still comprises at least one visual information display.

The delivery openingcan be arranged so as to form an angle with the flat frontal surface, so that said delivery openingallows delivering the ballthrough a specific trajectory, for instance, by the time when a player may catch the delivered ball; or still allows delivering the ball over a specific spot of the field, where players can, for instance, take a corner kick.

The device according to this utility model has at least one ball insertion opening, through which balls are fed to the device to be, then, delivered back to the field. The device also has a ball delivery mechanism communicating with the ball insertion opening, and a ball delivery mechanism actuator through which the delivery mechanism is activated to deliver the ball outside the device, for instance, towards the field.

The support structureof the device presents at least one housingin its posterior face. Preferably, the number of housings in the posterior face is the same number of ball delivery openingsand of ball insertion openings, so that each housingcommunicates with one ball delivery openingand with one ball insertion opening. The ball delivery mechanism is located inside the housing, so that, preferably, the number of ball delivery mechanisms is the same number of ball delivery openingsand of ball insertion openings.

Each ball insertion openingis located at the upper side or at the rear side of a housing, in alignment with the ball delivery mechanism, so that, after being fed to the device, the ball may be subsequently delivered without need of an human operator to place the ball in the delivery mechanism. Alternatively, the ball insertion openingcan be located in one of the side faces of the housing, and even though allow directing the ball fed to the device towards the ball delivery mechanism.

The ball delivery mechanism is activated by its actuator, that can be an electronic actuator connected by wire to the ball delivery mechanism, or a wireless electronic actuator, or still a mechanical actuator, or any kind of actuator or button that is able to activate the delivery mechanism operation to make it deliver the ball out of the device.

In a preferred embodiment, the at least visual information display is a LED panel. Depending on the length of the device and on its intended operationalization, several LED panels can be sequentially arranged in separate parts over the flat frontal surface, that are jointly operated to display the wished information, such as advertising (advertising panels), the game score or other kinds of messages. Any other types of electronic displays can be used, such as liquid crystal, OLED, QLED, among others.

According to an alternative embodiment, an element of visual information display is coupled in an articulated manner to the flat frontal surfaceof the structure in front of at least one ball delivery opening. This display element can be moved to the top and to the bottom, so as to open and close the ball delivery openingregardless of the other display elements. If the device has more than one ball delivery opening, then each of the openings can be closed and opened by an element of the visual information display, coupled in an articulated manner to the flat frontal surface. In this case, the articulated visual information display is coupled to an automated opening and closing mechanism, that shall be responsible for activating the opening and closure of the respective ball delivery opening.

The device of ball replacement according to this model can have displays also in its side or rear faces.

The at least visual information display is remotely controlled to display different information. This control of information display can be synchronized to the operation of the ball delivery mechanism. For instance, if a ball is delivered to the corner, the display can be controlled to exhibit a specific kind of information or advertisement that keeps any relation with the time of ball delivery. Before the ball delivery, the display can be controlled to exhibit any other kind of information.

The ball delivery mechanism inside the housing can be of any type, ranging from well-known simple mechanisms used to deliver other kinds of balls in other sportive modalities to complex mechanisms other than the existing ones. Just on an illustrative basis, the ball delivery mechanism of the device for ball replacement under this utility model may comprise an engine, at least a launcher, a controller (not shown) and at least an actuator, so that these components are somehow interconnected to each other to operate in the ball delivery.

The enginecan be a continuous current engine, wherein this engineand the launcherare connected to each other. Preferably, the launcheris arranged (coupled) to an engine axis, so that a rotation of said engine axisprovokes the respective movement of said launcheraccording to a kinematic relation between these components.

In this case, the launchercan be set as a wheel coupled to the motor axis, wherein the rotation of said axis causes a movement (rotation) of the launcher.

In alternative embodiments, the launchercan still be of a belt type, or in strips adapted to operate as described above, meaning that a rotation of said engine axisalso causes the respective movement of said launcher.

Anyway, the engineand the launcherare connected to each other, and the enginecan be activated through the actuator, so that, upon activation, the engineoperates in the launcherby moving (activating) it.

In other words, the controller is set to control (command) the ball deliverytogether with a frequency inverter (not shown), wherein said delivery starts by the time of activation of the actuator.

In one preferential embodiment, delivery starts from the manual activation of the actuatorthrough at least 3 seconds, so that the engineis activated at a 600-rpm angular speed. Of note, this angular speed is merely illustrative, and can be adjusted up or down according to the spot to be achieved by the ballat the end of its trajectory.

Such parameters illustrate a particularly satisfactory embodiment, due to the facts that: (i) the at least 3-second period of manual activation of the actuatormitigates mistaken activations, thus avoiding human failure that would be catastrophic to the match, as two or more ballscould be in the field, in case of an undesired ball delivery; and (ii) the 600-rpm angular speed appeared to be sufficient to deliver the ballfrom the deviceto the corner.

So, the delivery openingis set to allow delivering a balllocated inside the device, so that the balltouches at least one launcher, thus allowing the launcherto deliver the ballin a trajectory, upon activation of the engineby the actuator.

As to the delivery properly said, the ballis manually inserted by a user or operator (such as a ball boy) in the opening insertion, until this latter touches a locking pin (not shown) arranged in a rear portion of the device. This locking pin is a component that selectively blocks and releases the ballfor delivery through the delivery opening.

The locking pin is then set to release the ballfor delivery upon activation of the actuator, wherein said activation is manually performed by an operator.

In one embodiment, the actuatoris preferably se as a button that, upon a 3-second pressure as previously described, delivers the ball.

Of note, the selective activation of the actuatoralso selectively activates a status indicatorof the device.

Preferably, the status indicatoris of visual type, and more specifically is formed by one or more LED-type diodes. In this embodiment, the status indicator, when turned on, indicates that the deviceis ready to deliver the ball; when turned off, it indicates that the deviceis being prepared, and not ready for delivery.

In alternative embodiments, the status indicatorcan be of sound type, by vibration, among other types that can be also selectively activated to indicate the status of the device. Accordingly, the status indicator can be turned on when the deviceis ready to deliver the ball, while it can be turned off when the deviceis still being prepared for delivery.

As to the insertion openingin this embodiment, it is located at a rear portion of the device, being connected to the delivery opening, for instance, through a gutter or a connection channel (not shown). Through this gutter and close to the delivery opening, there appears the locking pin.

Therefore, the insertion openingis set to receive the ballto be delivered, and to carry it to the delivery openingthrough said gutter, so that the carriage of the ballto the delivery openingis thus selectively blocked and allowed by the locking pin.

So, there is a device for ball replacement in sportive practices, that advantageously allows reaching the objectives as proposed herein.

In operation, the device delivers the ballin a trajectory by the delivery opening, through activation of at least one launcher, This activation is commanded by a controller, together with a frequency inverter (not shown), upon activation of the actuatorfor a certain period, as previously explained.

Additionally, the selective activation of the actuatorselectively activates a status indicatorof the device, that can be a LED type, as mentioned.

On its turn, the insertion openingis connected to the delivery opening, wherein the insertion openingis set to receive the ballto be delivered, and to carry it to the delivery openingthrough, for instance, a gutter, as previously described.