Slide collar adjustment mechanism for a basketball goal assembly

A basketball goal assembly comprising:

• a support pole;
• a basketball goal supported by the support pole;
• and
• a slider coupled to the basketball goal such that a height of the basketball goal above a playing surface varies according to a position of the slider along the support pole, wherein the slider has an engaged position in which the slider is substantially fixed with respect to the support pole and a disengaged position in which the slider is able to translate along a longitudinal axis of the support pole, wherein the slider is biased into the engaged position, the slider having a handle disposed at a fixed orientation with respect to the support pole.

An adjustment assembly for adjusting a height of a basketball goal with respect to a support pole supporting the basketball goal, the adjustment assembly comprising:

• a goal support structure interposed between a support pole and the basketball goal, wherein the goal support structure is deformable into a plurality of configurations, wherein at each configuration the basketball goal is disposed at a different height with respect to the support pole;
• an adjustment collar substantially encircling the support pole, wherein the adjustment collar is disposable at a plurality of discrete positions along a longitudinal axis of the support pole, the adjustment collar having a handle disposed at a fixed orientation with respect to the support pole;
• and
• a coupling member disposable to couple the adjustment collar to the goal support structure such that each of the discrete positions corresponds to a different configuration of the goal support structure.

A method for manufacturing a basketball goal assembly allowing for adjustment of a height of a basketball goal above a playing surface, the method comprising:

• forming a support pole capable of supporting the goal above a playing surface;
• distributing a plurality of pole engagement features along a longitudinal axis of the support pole;
• forming a housing for an adjustment collar, the housing having a shape selected to substantially encircle the support pole, the housing further having a shape selected to receive a resilient member, the housing having a handle integrally formed therein;
• and
• forming a collar engagement feature capable of receiving biasing force from the resilient member such that the collar engagement feature is urged into engagement with one of the pole engagement features to fix a position of the housing with respect to the support pole.

A method for adjusting a basketball goal assembly, the basketball goal assembly comprising a basketball goal, a support pole supporting the basketball goal, a slider selectively slidable along the support pole to induce vertical motion or the basketball goal, the slider having a resilient member configured to restrain sliding of the slider in a less deflected state of the resilient member and to permit sliding of the slider in a more deflected state of the resilient member, the slider further having a trigger positioned to deflect the resilient member when the trigger is actuated by a user, the method comprising the steps of:

• actuating the trigger to deflect the resilient member to the more deflected state to release the slider;
• translating the slider along a longitudinal axis of the support pole while maintaining the resilient member in the more deflected state to vertically reposition the goal;
• and
• releasing the trigger to permit the resilient member to return to the less deflected state to fix the position of the slider with respect to the support pole.