Patent Application
20060073922
This invention relates to net support standards used in gymnasiums. More particularly this invention relates to net a support standard which telescopes down to a fraction of its extended height and then retracts below floor grade for storage.
Most gymnasiums are used for many and all indoor sporting activities. A school gymnasium is typically continuously scheduled for different activities each hour. If volleyball, tennis, or badminton are played it is first necessary to access a storage room and carry the net standards from the storage room to a central portion of the gymnasium where they will be used. Before the conclusion of the scheduled time the standards must be removed and returned to the storage room so the gymnasium will be cleared and available for the next scheduled event. These standards are heavy. Generally, arriving early to access them in storage and lug them to position and, staying late to lug them back to storage, is one of the least preferred aspects of coaching.
One problem with court standards is providing accessible storage for them. A partial solution to this problem is to provide height adjustable standards which may be adjusted to the varying heights required for volleyball, tennis, or badminton. One problem with using a height adjustable standard is that the multipurpose standard is substantially heavier. What is needed is a standard which is adjustable for height and which can be conveniently stored beneath the floor on the location where it is used.
The retractable telescoping court standard includes an embedded upright floor tube having a top end portion which is nominally in alignment with the gymnasium floor, a contained tube closely and slidably positioned within the floor tube, and a releasable lock means to maintain the contained tube at a selected height above the floor. In one embodiment, there are a plurality of contained tubes, and each contained tube is closely and slidably positioned within a tube therebelow.
A top portion of the floor tube and each contained tube has an annular inner stop portion. The lower portion of each contained tube has an annular outer guide portion having a thickness comparable to the inner stop member. The outer guide portion contacts its respective stop member when the contained tube is fully upwardly extended.
A method of erecting a court standard and supported net above a gymnasium floor includes the steps of: providing a court standard as described above; elevating the contained tube to a desired height; releasably locking the contained tube at the selected height above the floor; and attaching the net to the court standard. The task of carrying the court standard from storage is eliminated and setup time is substantially reduced.
Various other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The following is a discussion and description of the preferred specific embodiments of this invention, such being made with reference to the drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts and/or Structure. It should be noted that such discussion and description is not meant to unduly limit the scope of the invention.
Turning now to the drawings,
A pneumatic supply line 70 supplies pneumatic power from a pneumatic supply to the embedded upright floor tube 22. Thus pneumatic power can be used to raise the contained tube or tubes 24 to the appropriate height. A pneumatic toggle switch 72 is incorporated into the pneumatic supply line 70 to control the flow of pneumatic power into the embedded upright floor tube 22. In one position, the switch 72 permits pneumatic power to flow to the embedded upright floor tube 22. In another position, the switch 72 stops the flow of pneumatic power. In another embodiment, the switch 72 has a third position to release pneumatic pressure from the upright floor tube 22 and the contained tube or tubes 24, to controllably lower the contained tube or tubes 24 into the upright floor tube 22. The switch 72 may be positioned on the floor cover 32 beneath the cover plate 34.
In one embodiment, the court standard 20 further comprises a shock absorbing pad 30 positioned within a bottom portion of the floor tube 22 to cushion the contained tube 24 upon retraction. Most preferably the pad 30 is made of rubber. The releasable lock means 26 is a lockable split collar 28.
A winch 46 can be releasably attached to a contained tube 24 (see
The court standard 20 is easily raised and lowered. The contained tubes 24 are elevated to a desired height, the contained tubes 24 are releasably locked at the selected height above the floor 16; and the net 18 is attached to the court standard 20. This system eliminates the task of carrying the court standard 20 from storage. Many variations on this basic method are possible. For example, pneumatic power may be introduced into the embedded upright floor tube 22. This pneumatic power must be controlled to some degree in order to lift the contained tubes 24 out of the floor tube 22 and each other. Thus a seal 60 is located between each adjacent floor tube 22 and contained tube 24 to keep the pneumatic power inside them.
The releasable locks include a lockable split ring 26 adapted to engage around the top and innermost cylindrical member 44 to maintain the net 18 at an appropriate height. Each contained tube and the upper cylinder 44 includes at least one biased rocker latch 28 which automatically deploys as each contained tube 24 reaches full extension. A plurality of rocker latches 28 can be used on each contained tube 24 and the top tube 44 to more evenly distribute the load.
When the standards 20 are at the proper height, the user can attach a winch 46 to a contained tube 24 and route a net cable 50 over a top pulley 48 at the top of the innermost cylindrical member 44. The other end of the net cable 50 is attached to the standard 20 without the winch. A hook or other releasable means may be used. The net cable 50 is tightened with the winch 46.
The standard 20 is easily stored as well. First, the net cable 50 is loosened and the net 18 removed. The winch 46 is removed. Finally, all of the biased rocker latches 28 are released. As the rocker latches 28 are released, the contained tubes 24 will drop down into the floor tube 22. The seals 60 control the pneumatic power when the contained tubes 24 are lifted, but also slow the descent of the contained tubes 24 to minimize the rate of descent and the risk of damage to the contained tubes 24 or the floor tube 22.
In one embodiment of the invention there are five interlocking contained tubes 24, as well as the innermost cylinder 44. Each of the contained tubes 24 are about two feet in length and can be made from anodized aluminum or other suitable materials. The standards 20 may be covered with pads (not shown) in various school colors.
To install the court standard 20 a 6″ diameter hole is drilled through and beneath the concrete floor 16 to a total depth to permit the top of the floor tube 22 to be flush with the surface of the floor, about 28 ½″. The floor tube 24 which has an outside diameter of about 4 ½″ is then placed into position and set in concrete within the drilled 6″ diameter hole. To retrofit an existing removable standard which is stored off location it is as easy as enlarging the existing hole to the above specified size, and then concreting the floor tube 24 within that enlarged hole.
While the invention has been described with preferred specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not to limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the following claims.
This application is a Continuation in Part of U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 10/714,094 filed on Nov. 17, 2003, entitled “Retractable Telescoping Court Standard” and is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10714094 | Nov 2003 | US |
| Child | 11236892 | Sep 2005 | US |
