Basket-ball back stop

Application filed July 28, 1923. Serial No. 654,416.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Albert E. Thornley, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and a State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Basket-Ball Back Stops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and 10 useful improvements in basket ball back stops such as are commonly employed in gymnasiums and the primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which is not only portable but which also is 15 collapsible to permit of movement and storage beneath the gallery or other convenient and suitable place in the gymnasium.

A further object of the invention is to provide a back stop which is capable of 20 being easily and quickly collapsed as well as extended into operative position, and which also eliminates the use of screws, gear's, cranks and the like in collapsing and extension of the structure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a collapsible back stop which utilizes the inclined-plane principle and one which also is of simple, economical and compact assemblage, embodying a minimum of 30 parts.

Other and still further objects will later appear and be manifested in the course of the following description.

In the drawings:— . Figure 1, is a perspective view of the invention showing the parts in extended position.

Figure 2, is a similar view showing the parts in collapsed position, and

Figure 3, is a detail view of the latch.

In proceeding in accordance with the present invention a base frame is employed which includes side rails 1, having brackets 2 secured to the ends thereof, the brackets 2 45 being· connected by end rods 3, the whole forming a horizontal structure. The brackets 2 afford mountings for casters 4 so as to enable the entire device to be easily moved from one place to another.

A pair of vertical front standards or posts o are carried by the horizontal portion of the base frame and are braced by a pair of rearwardly and downwardly inclined trackforming bars 6. The posts 5 are braced 55 and connected by a cross-rod 7, while the bars 6 are similarly braced and connected by a cross-rod 8.

The back stop proper or board 9 has brackets 10 connected to a cross-rod 11 secured to the upper ends of the inclined bars Go 12 of a sliding frame. The bars 12 slide on the upper faces of the bars 6 of the base frame and are connected and braced by cross-rods 13 and 14 secured at their ends to the bars 12. g.->

An upper and a lower pair of guides 15 and 16 are secured to the inclined bars 6 of the base frame and are provided with antifriction rollers 17 which permit of easy sliding of the sliding frame on the base 70 frame.

The inclined bars 6 of the base frame are further provided with pulleys 18 over which wire cables or ropes 19 are trained, the cables having weights 20 on one end and having 75 their opposite ends connected to the crossrod 14 of the sliding frame. The cross-rod 11, at the upper end of the sliding frame is connected to a downwardly inclined bar 21 secured to the board 9. so

For the purpose of holding the sliding frame and the back stop proper in either collapsed or extended position, a pair of latches 22, shown in detail in Figure 3 are employed the latches embodying housings 23 with slid- 85 ing bars 24 having handles 25, the bars engaging in keepers 26 carried by the bars 6 of the base frame.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that in order to extend or collapse the struc- oo ture it is merely necessary to release the latches and to then slide the movable frame along the tracks 6, which may be easily effected by the operator grasping the crossrod 14, the movement of the sliding frame 95 being along an inclined plane which enables same to be easily moved and with the expenditure of comparatively slight force or exertion.