Visual aid for a basketball hoop

Abstract

A visual aid mounts to a basketball rim for shooting practice to help focus the shooter’s eyes near the back of the rim, behind the center of the rim. The visual aid is shock absorbing so as to dissipate forces of impact when the ball hits the device, so as to maintain the device in position inside the net. The device includes straps which are slidably mounted through slots in the body so as to be resilient or elastic during ball impact. Notches in the straps prevent the straps from inadvertently pulling out of the slots upon ball impact.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A basketball target system, comprising: a basketball backboard;
 a rim mounted to the backboard and having a center point;   a net attached to and hanging downwardly from the rim, and having upper and lower ends defining a height for the net;   an elongated body positioned inside the net, adjacent the rim, the body having a height shorter than the net height so as to reside above the lower end of the net;   a plurality of spaced apart straps extending upwardly from the body and over the rim, with each strap having an end with an enlarged head and an elongated narrowed neck for connecting to the body;   a plurality of slots in the body through which the heads of the straps extend to slidably capture the necks in the slots so as to mount the body to the rim with the body extending horizontally and curving to follow the curvature of the rim to provide a visual target adjacent the rim and spaced behind the center point of the rim from a perspective of a basketball shooter;   the necks moving within the slots to absorb impact forces when a ball hits the body;   the body having a longitudinal axis;   the straps having longitudinal axes extending in the same direction to one another and perpendicular to the body longitudinal axis; and   the body and straps being formed as one piece.   
     
     
         2 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein the body has a midpoint and opposite ends, and the body slopes downwardly from the midpoint to the opposite ends. 
     
     
         3 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein the body is tapered from a midpoint towards opposite ends. 
     
     
         4 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein the straps slide in the slots and the body moves from an initial at-rest position when a basketball hits the body, and then the body resets to the initial a- rest position inside the net. 
     
     
         5 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein the straps have sufficient length to extend loosely over the rim and thereby provide a spring action to the body when a basketball engages the body. 
     
     
         6 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein the body extends approximately 180 degrees around the rim. 
     
     
         7 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein the body is elongated and the straps are longer at a midpoint of the body and shorter at opposite ends of the body. 
     
     
         8 . The basketball target system of  claim 7  wherein each slot is T-shaped. 
     
     
         9 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  further comprising a secondary strap, separate from the plurality of straps, removably connected to the body, with the secondary strap weavable through the net to connect the body to the net. 
     
     
         10 . The basketball target system of  claim 9  further comprising a pair of T-shaped slots to receive and retain opposite ends of the secondary strap. 
     
     
         11 . The basketball target system of  claim 1  wherein each strap includes a curved notch on opposite edges at a juncture of the head and the neck. 
     
     
         12 . A basketball target system, comprising:
 a basketball hoop having a circular rim with a center point and a net having open top and bottom ends defining a net height;   a one-piece member having a body attached to the rim by a plurality of straps so that the body is curved horizontally inside the net, adjacent the rim and behind the center point of the rim, and the body having a height shorter than the net height so that the member does not extend below the bottom end of the net; and   the straps extending perpendicularly from the body and over the rim and then downwardly back to the body for connection to the body; and   the body having opposite ends, sloped downwardly in opposite directions from a midpoint to the opposite ends.   
     
     
         13 . The basketball target system of  claim 12  wherein the body has a height tapering downwardly from the midpoint to each of the opposite ends. 
     
     
         14 . The basketball target system of  claim 12  wherein each slot is T-shaped and the end of each strap has an enlarged head which fits through the T-shaped slot for retention in the T-shaped slot. 
     
     
         15 . The basketball target system of  claim 12  wherein the straps each include an elongated narrowed neck and enlarged head for retention in the slot, with C-shaped notches on opposite edges of the neck adjacent the head. 
     
     
         16 . The basketball target system of  claim 15  wherein the straps slide in the slots when the body is hit by a ball to absorb impact forces of the ball and to return the body to the initial position, and the notches provide a stop point to prevent the head from being pulled through the slot when a ball impacts the body. 
     
     
         17 . The basketball target system of  claim 12  further comprising a secondary strap removably connected to the body, with the secondary strap weavable through the net to connect the body to the net. 
     
     
         18 . The basketball target system of  claim 12  wherein the straps form deformable loops extending around the rim. 
     
     
         19 . A method of attaching a target to a basketball rim and net hanging downwardly from the rim, the rim being circular and the net having open upper and lower ends, the method, comprising;
 positioning a target body horizontally inside the rim and inside the net, adjacent the rim and apart from a center point of the rim, and wholly above a lower end of the net;   extending a plurality of straps on the target body around the rim and attaching ends of the straps to the target body;   whereby an imaginary cylinder extending upwardly through the open bottom of the net and coaxially with the center point of the rim is unobstructed by the target body and straps.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the body is positioned approximately 1″ inside the rim and 1″ below the rim.