FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to artificial turf, and more particularly to an edging system and method for artificial turf edge that improves the appearance of artificial turf after installation and reduces the amount of labor necessary to install artificial turf.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Due to the increasing costs of water in most states, more consumers are choosing to install artificial turf in their residences and businesses than ever before. Although the quality and appearance of artificial turf has improved over the past several decades, the appearance of artificial turf still suffers from some drawbacks. One of clearest tell-tale signs that allows consumers to readily distinguish artificial turf from real turf is the lack of a raised and cut edge on the artificial turf. This is especially apparent when the artificial turf is installed adjacent another flat surface such as concrete or decking, for example. The blades of the artificial turf extend upwardly from a synthetic backing which is typically flush or near flush with the level of the adjacent surface. This gives the artificial turf a fake “carpet-like” appearance as opposed to a natural look that simulates the appearance of a real-grass lawn.
In contrast, real grass lawns which are mowed and edged almost always have a raised edge that typically rises two to four inches above an adjacent flat surface (e.g., concrete, decking, etc.). The raised edge comprises blades of grass that have been cut to create the lawn edge. This natural appearance of real-grass lawns is not emulated in conventional artificial turf installations.
Additionally, the installation process for artificial turf is cumbersome. Before artificial turf is laid down over a predetermined surface area, workers must typically excavate the surface area to a desired depth (e.g., three to four inches) to allow space for a correspondingly thick layer of base material (typically, a fine rock or gravel material) to be poured under the artificial turf to support the turf as the foundation and drainage bed during heavy rains. An optional weed barrier is then placed over the base material, followed by the artificial turf, which is placed on the top of the weed barrier or directly on top base material. Depending on the size of the surface area, such excavation may incur significant labor costs. Additionally, the excavated dirt and/or soil typically needs to be removed from the premises, which incur additional fees for removal and dumping of the dirt and/or soil.
In view of the above deficiencies of convention artificial turf systems, there is a need for an artificial turf edging system that provides a more realistic appearance to artificial turf after it is installed, and reduces costs associated with the installation of conventional artificial turf systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention addresses the above needs by providing an artificial turf edging system and method that gives the appearance of a raised, cut edge of a real-grass lawn. The artificial turf edging system and method further allows for significant reductions in installation costs by eliminating or substantially reducing the amount of labor required to excavate dirt or soil from an installation area, as well as eliminating or reducing the costs associated with transport and dumping of the excavated dirt or soil.
In one embodiment, the invention provides an artificial turf edging system that includes: a main body portion having a bottom surface, an interior side surface, an exterior side surface and a top surface; an anchoring portion extending downwardly from the bottom surface, wherein the anchoring portion is configured to be driven downwardly into a ground surface to anchor the main body portion to the ground surface; and a plurality of artificial turf blades extending outwardly from the exterior side surface.
In a further embodiment, the invention provides a method of installing artificial turf, which includes: securing a raised edge into a ground surface, wherein the raised edge defines a perimeter boundary of the artificial turf and comprises an exterior side surface having a plurality of artificial turf blades extending outwardly therefrom; pouring base material into an area defined by the raised edge, wherein the raised edge confines the base material inside the area; placing artificial turf above the base material; and securely attaching the artificial turf to the raised artificial turf edge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the following figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict typical or exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. These drawings are provided to facilitate the reader's understanding of the disclosure and shall not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily made to scale.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an edging system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a cross sectional side view of an edging system 20 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrates cross-section side views one exemplary application of the edging system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 illustrate a front view of the edging system 10 when viewed in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an edging system that is adjustable in height, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a modular edging system that is adjustable in height, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate cross-sectional side views of an artificial turf edging system in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of an exemplary surface area that may be defined by the edging system of the present invention, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the figures.
FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an edging system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The edging system includes a main body portion 12 having a bottom surface 13 and an interior side surface 14. The main body 12 also includes an inclined exterior side surface 15 and a top surface 16. Extending downwardly from the bottom surface 13 is an anchoring portion 17 configured to be driven downwardly into dirt or soil. Extending outwardly in a lateral direction from the interior side surface 14 is a lip or flange portion 18. A plurality of artificial turf blades 19 are sewn, glued or attached by any suitable means to the inclined exterior side surface 15 and optionally the top surface 16 to provide the appearance of grass growing from these surfaces.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional side view of an edging system 20 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the inclined exterior side surface 15 of FIG. 1 is replaced with a step-tiered exterior side surface 25. Also, the interior side surface 14 of FIG. 1 is replaced with an inclined interior side surface 24 as shown in FIG. 2.
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate three exemplary, alternative methods of coupling the edging system 10 to the backing 30 of artificial turf, in accordance with three exemplary, alternative embodiments of the invention.
FIG. 3A shows one exemplary application of the edging system 10 of FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the edging system 10 is designed to be inserted at the boundary between two surfaces such as concrete and dirt or soil. The anchoring portions 17 of the edging system 10 are pushed downwardly into the dirt as close as possible to where the dirt meets the concrete. In one embodiment, the anchoring portions 17 is tapered and has a leading edge designed to facilitate driving the anchoring portions 17 into the dirt until the bottom surface 13 meets a top surface of the dirt. In this way, the anchoring portions 17 anchor the edging system 10 into the dirt to provide a stable raised border between the concrete and dirt. The bottom surface 13 of the main body 12 is configured to rest on top of the dirt which thereby supports the main body 12. As discussed above a plurality of artificial turf blades are attached to the inclined exterior side surface 15 and optionally on the top surface 16 of the edging system 10 to provide the appearance of a groomed edge of a real lawn.
The lip 18 is configured to mate with a corresponding lip 32 of the backing 30 of artificial turf. Any type of mating configuration (e.g., tongue and groove) may be employed between the lip 18 and the artificial turf backing 30. In one embodiment, pre-drilled nail holes are provided at spaced locations on the lip 18 to allow easy fastening between the lip 18 and artificial turf backing 30. As would be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art after reading this specification, the lip 18 can be fastened to the backing 30 of the artificial turf in many different ways, such as gluing, stapling and/or nailing them together.
The interior side surface 14 provides an interior wall that will support and confine base material that is typically layered on top of the dirt prior to installation of the artificial turf. Base material is typically comprised of fine rock or gravel, however, any known base material or other suitable material may be used. An optional weed-barrier layer 34 may be placed on top of the base material before the artificial turf is installed on top thereof.
FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an edging system 10′ in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The edging system 10′ is similar to the edging system 10 of FIG. 3A, however, the flange 18′ is formed by providing a step down 36 from the top surface 16 to provide a second top surface 16′ configured to receive and be coupled with a bottom surface of the backing 30 of artificial turf. As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, the backing 30 can be securely coupled to the flange 18′ using any one of various known securing techniques, such as nailing, gluing, stapling and/or snap-fit mechanisms as described in further detail below, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the invention, and any combination of these techniques.
FIG. 3C illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an edging system 10″ that is a simplified version of the edging system 10 of FIG. 1. The edging system 10″ does not include the flange 18 of the edging system 10 and simply provides a top surface 16 without artificial turf blades so that the backing 30 may be placed on top of the surface 16. The backing 30 may be securely coupled to the top surface 16 using any one of the securing techniques discussed above with respect to FIG. 3B, for example. In an alternative embodiment, the top surface 16 may have one portion having artificial turf blades extending upwardly therefrom, and another portion with no artificial turf blades and configured to receive and be securely coupled with an edge of the backing 30. As further shown in FIG. 3C, in one embodiment, the edging system 10″ may include one or more optional hooks or barbs 21 extending outwardly from the anchoring portion 17 or interior side surface 14 of the main body portion 12. The barbs 21 further help to secure the edging system 10″ into the native soil and/or base material by resisting any upward pulling force applied to the edging system 10″. Thus, the barbs 21 in conjunction with the anchoring portions 17 provide a more secure anchoring mechanism for the edging system 10″. It is appreciated that in various embodiments, the number, size and specific locations of the barbs 21 may be changed to accommodate different applications or environmental factors.
By providing a raised barrier to confine the base material, the edging system of the present invention eliminates or reduces the amount of dirt or soil that must be excavated prior to pouring of the base material in the area of artificial turf installation. This saves labor costs and time, as well as dirt/soil removal costs and time. Thus, the present invention not only improves the appearance of artificial turf systems but can also decrease costs associated with their installation.
Furthermore, conventional artificial lawn materials used for landscaping purposes typically contain blades with a height of 1″-2.25″ tall. When compared to a natural grass blade, a synthetic lawn blade is significantly shorter and often provides a fake or synthetic look to the lawn. This is especially noticeable where the lawn ends against a concrete border or any other type of border because the blades are very short compared to a natural grass lawn. The edging system of the present invention, in addition to providing an authentic looking edge of a real-grass lawn, also allows the height of the entire artificial turf surface to be raised in comparison to an adjacent concrete surface, for example. This raised height more accurately emulates the length and height of real grass and provides a much thicker/fuller appearance to the entire synthetic lawn system. Thus, another advantage provided by the invention is that it allows the use of conventional, shorter artificial turf blades while providing the appearance that the blades are much taller because the edging system exposes the profile or edge of the synthetic lawn and provides a more vertical growth appearance. This saves significant material costs when compared to implementing an artificial turf systems having longer artificial blades to emulate the longer blades of real grass.
FIG. 4 illustrate a partial front view of the edging system 10 when viewed in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of anchoring portions 17, configured as spikes in this embodiment, are spaced from one another by a predetermined distance and extend downwardly from the main body 12 of the edging system 10. The spikes 17 provide a secure anchoring mechanism for the edging system 10 while allowing the edging system to remain flexible and bend at the portions where there are no spikes 17 extending downwardly. This allows the edging system 10 to be contoured to provide a peripheral border of surface areas having non-linear borders. It is understood, however, that the anchoring portions 17 need not be configured as discrete spikes but, rather, as a continuous leading edge that can be driven into the ground, in accordance with alternative embodiments. Such continuous anchoring portions 17 can be manufactured from various synthetic materials in various dimensions to provide a desired rigidity and flexibility appropriate for a given application.
A plurality of artificial turf blades 19 extend outwardly from inclined exterior side surface 15 and top surface 16 to provide the appearance of a raised, cut edge of a real lawn, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance of the artificial turf edge, as well as overall surface area as discussed above.
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an artificial turf edging system 50 that is adjustable in height, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The edging system 50 is similar in configuration to the edging system 20 of FIG. 2, however, the body 52 of edging system 50 is thinner than the body 22 of edging system 20. The thinner body 52 allows for the edging system 50 to be selectively cut along one of the cut lines A indicated by vertical dashed lines in FIG. 5. By cutting off portions of the tiered inclined surfaces, the height of the edging system may be readily adjusted to a consumer's preference. Corresponding to each vertical cut line A, a finished height B of the edging system 50 is represented by horizontal dashed lines in FIG. 5. Therefore, the edging system 50 is customizable to meet the desired specifications of each individual.
. FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a modular artificial turf edging system 60, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The system 60 includes a main base portion 62 having an anchoring portion 64 extending downwardly therefrom. The anchoring portion 64 may have a similar configuration and function as the anchoring portion 17 of FIG. 1 discussed above. The system further includes a plurality of modular intermediate edge portions 68 and a modular top edge portion 70. As shown in FIG. 6, each of the intermediate edge portions 68 and the top edge portion 70 are configured to be stacked on top of a portion of a top surface 63 of the base portion 62, which does not have any artificial turf blades extended outwardly therefrom. The remaining portion of the top surface 63, where the modular portions 68 and 70 are not stacked, includes artificial turf blades extending upwardly therefrom to provide an appearance of a raised and cut edge of a real lawn.
Similar to the base portion 62, each intermediate modular portion 68 has a top surface only partially covered with artificial turf blades, where the uncovered surface is configured to receive and support another modular portion 68 or 70 stacked thereon. In contrast, the modular top portion 70 has a top surface that is completely covered with artificial turf blades (i.e., has artificial blades interspersed and extending upwardly from the entire top surface).
As shown in FIG. 6, the base portion 62 includes a snap-fit receptacle 66 configured to receive and hold a snap-fit protrusion 67 extending downwardly from a modular intermediate portion 68 or the modular top portion 70. By adding or removing one or more intermediate edging portions 68, the edging system 60 provides a customizable edging system 60 that can be easily assembled or disassembled to provide a desired edging height. The height of the edging system above the native soil as shown in FIG. 6 provides a containment barrier and internal space for the base material that is necessary to support the artificial turf lawn. An optional weed barrier 86 can be installed over the base material. The artificial turf 80, comprising a synthetic backing 82 and a plurality of artificial blades 84 extending upwardly from the backing 82, is placed over the optional weed barrier 86 and base material. The synthetic backing 82 of the artificial turf 80 may then be fastened to the modular top portion 70 or an intermediate portion 68 in any desired fashion, as discussed above with respect to the synthetic backing 30 of FIGS. 3A-3C, above.
In an alternative embodiment, the modular top portion 70 may be omitted and the synthetic backing 82 is securely coupled to a top surface of a modular intermediate portion 68 instead. Additionally, the modular top portion 70 may further be configured to have a flange 18 or 18′, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, for example, extending outwardly therefrom to securely couple the top portion 70 to a backing 30/82 as discussed above. In another embodiment, the modular top portion 70 has at least a portion of its top surface without any artificial turf blades so that it can receive and be securely coupled to the backing 30/82 placed thereon using any of the securing techniques discussed above.
FIG. 7A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an alternative edging system 90 of the present invention. The edging system 90 includes a main body portion 92 having an interior side surface 94, an exterior side surface 96, a bottom surface 98 and top surface 100. A plurality of artificial turf blades 99 extend outwardly from the exterior side surface 96 to provide an appearance of a cut edge of a real lawn. An anchoring portion 102 extends downwardly from the bottom surface 98 and is configured to be inserted into a ground surface (e.g., dirt or soil) to anchor the edging system 90 to the ground surface. In addition to providing an aesthetically pleasing appearance of a cut edge of a real lawn, the edging system 90 further provides a raised barrier for containment of a base material for supporting artificial turf 30 placed thereon. Thus, the edging system 90 eliminates or substantially reduces the time, labor and cost associates with excavating and removing dirt/soil to make room for the base material. An optional weed barrier 34 may be installed between the base material and the artificial turf 30. As shown in FIG. 7A, the exterior side surface 96, depending on desired preferences and/or applications, can be substantially vertical and need not be inclined as discussed above with respect to previous embodiments. In alternative embodiment, depending on desire preferences and/or applications, the exterior side surface 96 can be configured to have a concave or convex curved shape, a reverse incline, or any other desired shape or contour depending the desired preferences and/or application.
FIG. 7B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an artificial turf edging system 90′ in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7A but further includes a raised back-stop portion 104 extending upwardly from an edge portion of the surface 100. As shown in FIG. 7B, the back-stop portion 104 is configured to provide a stop for the backing 30 of artificial turf. In one embodiment, the height of the back-stop portion 104 is approximately one-quarter of an inch or taller and provides a back-stop not only for the backing 30 but also filler material 106 that may be placed on top of the backing 30. Various types of filler materials 106 are known in the art such as green sand, acrylic sand, silica sand, crumbled rubber, etc. Any conventional filler material known now or in the future may be used in various embodiments of the invention.
In one embodiment, the edging system may further include one or more pre-formed or pre-drilled securement holes 108 located at periodically spaced apart locations along the length of the main body portion 92. Each securement hole 108 configured to securely receive corresponding fastening members, such as nails, screws or other counterpart male fastening mechanism therein. In one embodiment, a nail (not shown) can be driven through the artificial turf backing 30 and readily received and secured with the securement hole 108 to firmly secure edge portions of the artificial turf backing 30 to the main body portion 92. Additionally, the nail may include one or more barbs, similar to the barbs 21 shown in FIG. 3C, to provide additional anchoring of the nail once embedded in securement holes 108. Alternatively, a screw (not shown) may be screwed or driven through the artificial turf backing 30 and thereafter securely received within corresponding pre-threaded screw holes 108 to firmly secure edge portions of the artificial turf backing 30 to the main body portion 92. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the pre-drilled or pre-formed holes 108 will facilitate the process of securing the artificial turf backing 30 to the main body portion 92 while also preventing substantial cracking or possible undesired deformation of the main body portion 92 during insertion of nails, screws or other male fastener.
FIG. 7C illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an artificial turf edging system 90″ in accordance with a yet another embodiment of the invention. The edging system 90″ of FIG. 7C is substantially similar to the edging system 90′ of FIG. 7B but further includes a lateral drainage hole 110 extending across the main body portion 92 in a downwardly inclined fashion from side surface 94 to side surface 96. A plurality of drainage holes 110 are located at periodically spaced apart locations along the length of the main body portion 92. When water drains downwardly from a top surface of the artificial turf backing 30 into the base material, the water is diverted by the drainage holes 110 from the area where the base material is located to outside of the edging system 90″. In this way, the edging system 90″ can prevent or substantially reduce undesirable accumulation and pooling of water under the artificial turf 30. Again, it should be understood that the drawings herein are not necessarily drawn to scale and the drainage holes 110 may be relatively larger or smaller than that illustrated in FIG. 7C. In an alternative embodiment, instead of using drainage holes 110, the main body portion 92 may be made from a porous material or other suitable material that allows water to pass through it without any additional holes or punctures in the main body portion 92.
As would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, various combinations of the structural elements of FIGS. 1-7C can be mixed and matched, and alternative designs and structural modifications can be implemented in accordance with the present invention.
It is further appreciated that the edging system of the present invention need not be inserted at the intersection of two surfaces (e.g., concrete and soil) but can be used as a stand-alone edging system to define a border of a desired artificial turf area. As shown in FIG. 8, in one embodiment, the edging system of the present invention can replace any type of border (e.g., bender board) used for landscaping purposes, to define an artificial turf area 80 having a desired perimeter 82 defined by the various embodiments of the edging system of the invention discussed above. The edging system can be inserted into an area of native soil that does not have an adjacent concrete surface, for example. Thus, the artificial turf area 80 is surrounded by the native soil which it is built upon.
As would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the edging system can be made from any suitable materials with any desired dimensions to provide a desired flexibility and rigidity for a raised border that confines base material as discussed above and defines a desired perimeter 82 of the artificial turf area 80. As discussed above, the raised edge also simulates a raised cut edge of a real lawn and raises the height of the entire lawn itself, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance of the artificial turf area 80, as discussed above. Additionally, by providing a raised border, the invention reduces significant labor costs and time associated with excavating and removing soil to provide a containment area for base material, as was necessary in prior artificial turf systems and methods.
As discussed herein, the artificial turf edging system of the present invention provides a convenient and easy-to-install edging system that eliminates or decreases the amount of dirt or soil that needs to be removed to allow for base material to be added and contained. This advantage alone saves considerable labor costs and reduces time of installation. Additionally, the edging system improves the aesthetic appearance of artificial turf by providing the appearance of a raised and cut edge of a real lawn, as well as elevating the overall height of the artificial turf, to further emulate the appearance of a real lawn.
While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the disclosure, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that can be included in the disclosure. The disclosure is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Additionally, although the disclosure is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described. They instead can, be applied, alone or in some combination, to one or more of the other embodiments of the disclosure, whether or not such embodiments are described, and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.
Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known”, and terms of similar meaning, should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period, or to an item available as of a given time. But instead these terms should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available, known now, or at any time in the future. Likewise, a group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to”, or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.
Patent Application
20150139742
