Miniature soccer goal

Abstract

A miniature soccer goal has a frame including a front lateral tube, left and right upright tubes attached onto the left and right sides of the front lateral tube, left and right side tubes each having a front end attached at lower end of the left and right upright tubes, respectively, and a back end attached to a back lateral tube. Each of the front and back lateral tubes, and the left and right uprights and the left and right side tubes has a net slot leading into an internal channel. The internal channel may be formed by an arc section and side walls. A net is supported on the frame with edges of the net captive in the channels of the tubes. The frame has left and right net tubes attached to left and right back corners of the net and optionally applying tension to the net.

1 . A miniature soccer goal, comprising:
 a frame including a front lateral tube, a left upright tube attached to a left side of the front lateral tube, a right upright tube attached to a right side of the front lateral tube, a left side tube having a front end attached at a lower end of the left upright tube and a back end attached to a back lateral tube, a right side tube having a front end attached at a lower end of the right upright tube and a back end attached to the back lateral tube, wherein each of the front lateral tube, the back lateral tube, the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the left side tube, and the right side tube include a net slot leading into an internal channel;   a net supported by the frame, the net having edges including knots thicker than a width of the net slot, the knots retained in each of the internal channels such that the edges of the net are slidable within the net slot; and   the frame further including left and right net tubes supporting left and right sides of the net.   
     
     
         2 - 3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein each of the front lateral tube, the back lateral tube, the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the left side tube, and the right side tube are rigid, and each of the left and right net tubes are flexible and exert tension on the net. 
     
     
         5 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein each of the net slots is formed by an arc section and side walls forming a rail, the left side tube and the left upright tube are releaseably attached to a left upright fitting, the rail of the left upright tube projects through an upright rail slot in the left upright fitting, and the rail of the left side tube projects through side rail slot in the left upright fitting. 
     
     
         6 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube have a diameter D 1 , and the left side tube and the right side tube have a diameter D 2 , and wherein D 1  is at least 1.5 times D 2 . 
     
     
         7 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein the net slots of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube face a back end of the frame, and the net slots of the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube face up toward a top of the net. 
     
     
         8 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein each of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the lateral tube, the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube has a uniform cross section. 
     
     
         9 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein the frame holds the net into a suspended configuration, and wherein the net has left and right side panels perpendicular to a back panel and a top panel. 
     
     
         10 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  further including one or more ballast compartments in at least one of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, the left side tube, and the right side tube. 
     
     
         11 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 1  wherein the net slot is formed by an arc section and side walls. 
     
     
         12 . A miniature goal, comprising:
 a left upright tube having a lower end releasably attached onto an upright insert section of a left upright fitting;   a left side tube having a front end releasably attached onto a side insert section of the left upright fitting, perpendicular to the upright insert section, and with a back end of the left side tube releasably attached to a corner insert section of a left corner fitting;   a back lateral tube having a left end releasably attached to a back insert section of the left corner fitting, perpendicular to the corner insert section;   a left net tube attached to the left corner fitting;   a right upright tube having a lower end releasably attached onto an upright insert section of a right upright fitting;   a right side tube having a front end releasably attached onto a side insert section of the right upright fitting, perpendicular to the upright insert section, and with a back end of the right side tube releasably attached to a corner insert section of a right corner fitting;   a right end of the back lateral tube releasably attached to a back insert section of the right corner fitting, perpendicular to the corner insert section;   a right net tube attached to the right corner fitting;   the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube each including a first inner rail formed by a first arc section and first side walls, with a first net slot disposed between the first sidewalls and a first channel in the first arc section;   the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube each including a second inner rail formed by a second arc section and second side walls, with a second net slot disposed between the second sidewalls and a second channel in the second arc section;   a net supported by the frame, the net having front edges including knots thicker than a width of the first net slots and slidably retained within the first net slots of the left upright tube, the right upright tube, and the front lateral tube, and the net having lower edges including knots thicker than a width of the second net slots and slidably retained within the second net slots of the left side tube, the right side tube, and the back lateral tube.   
     
     
         13 . The miniature goal of  claim 12  wherein the first slot is between 2 and 8 millimeters wide. 
     
     
         14 . The goal of  claim 12  wherein the first arc section is offset from a centerline of the upright tube. 
     
     
         15 . The miniature soccer goal of  claim 6  wherein a diameter of the back lateral tube is substantially equal to D 2 .