Apparatus for releasably connecting a basketball net to a basketball rim

Abstract

Apparatus for connecting a basketball net to a basketball rim includes a collar adapted to hold the net in an open position permitting passage of a basketball, and a plurality of suspension arms having hook-shaped upper ends sized to releasably clip on the rim. As well the apparatus may include a suspension arm that has a horizontally extending plate-shaped upper end that is sized to extend outward over the rim and over a reinforcing plate that is typical of many basketball rim structures. The collar and the suspension arms have a thin sheet construction formed from elastic material having plastic memory. Preferably, the suspension arms are sufficiently resilient to flex from their normal shape to a deformed shape permitting the arm to be forcibly pulled downwardly from the rim, and to return to their normal shape upon release of the deforming force. To faciltate manufacture by injection molding, the collar may be constructed in connectable segments. The installation on and the removal of a collar from a basketabll rim in accordance with the present invention may be accomplished from the level of a basketball floor with the assistance of a positioning device which includes an elongated positioning pole and a positioning head located at the upper end of the pole.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.