CA2008644C - Volleyball net adjuster - Google Patents

Abstract

VOLLEYBALL NET ADJUSTER

Abstract: An apparatus for quick, convenient adjustment or the tension and height of volleyball nets comprises a vertically slidable hardware mounting platform on each net post, containing cable-connection hardware, including winch means. Net height is changed by sliding the mount, without the need to disconnect cables. Through an arrangement or pulleys, a single winch tightens both the upper and lower net cables in unison, with equal force. The pulleys double the winch pull, allowing use or a light winch. They can also be configured to provide single pull on the lower cable, for nets with a steel upper cable and a rope lower cable. Two versions of the slidable mount are described; one is a sleeve on the net post, and the other is a track and slide, in which the track is connected to the post, guiding and retaining the slide.

Description

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2~08644 :i, .s ,~
~ VOLLEYBALL NET ADJUSTER
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Background - Fleld Or Inventlon ,, Thls lnventlon relates to equipment tor ad3ustment Or the height and tenslon Or volleyball nets.
., 16 ... , Background - Prlor Art ,.
::s ., Volleyball ls becomlng more popular ln the U.S., wlth an Increase ln .s 20 pro~esslonal tournament6 and prlze money, lncludlng men's and women'sbeach doubles tournaments otrerlng mllllons Or dollars yearly. Court set-up ls exactlng ror volleyball tournaments Or all types, lndoors and out, and ~or all courts where advanced players play and practlce. The height and tension o~ the net 18 prescrlbed In the rules Or play, and helght Is di~rerent ror women and men. There~ore, net poles must provlde means '1 to ad~ust the net helght and tenslon. Establlshlng and malntalnlng net ::: helght on sand courts ls made more dl~lcult by the uneven and changlng . r, level or the playlng sur~ace.
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:1 Many net posts are only ad~ustable In dlscrete steps, by selectlng among .'"~ lxed connectors on the po~t6. These types are very tedlou6 and tlme consumlng to adJust properly. Some have a wlnch ~or the upper net cord, maklng Its tenslonlng easler, and 60me have a wlnch or the bottom cord as well. However, net helght ad~ustment6 uslng these comblnatlon6 are . 35 Iteratlve because reconnectlng and tenslonlng or each maln cable and net-edge cord change~ both the helght o~ the net and the ten610n requlred o~ the other cable6 and cords. Thus, court set-up and gender change 18 dlttlcult or Inconvenlent, due the llmltatlons o- net ad~u6tment ;~ mechanl~m6.
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-20Q-8~44 Orten, permanent po6t6 In 6and courts are not tall enough to provlde proper net helght. Thl6 can happen when sand has been replenl6hed, or through ; the ~hl~tlng or sand toward the net by play wear. Net attachment polnts S may have orlglnally been at proper helght, but later no ad~ustment can be made wlthout court or post repalr.

An expenslve mechanlsm ror lndoor court6 partlally solves the adJu6tment problem by utlllzlng a telescoplng net po~t, comprl61ng a movable upper post Inserted Into a rlxed bottom tube. Once net cord tenslon 16 ad~u6ted, It need not be read~usted to change the net helght. The whole upper portlon Or the post moves by turning a crank. Thls works reasonably well, but both 6ides or the net must be ad~usted In unl60n, or the net 18 over-tensloned when one slde 18 moved, thu6 two people are requlred. Wlth only one person, the net must be adjusted the old-rashloned way, except that the cords need only be loosened, not reattached, 61nce the attachment polnt6 themselves move. Thl~ mechanl6m Is lmpractlcal ror most In6tallatlon6, due to It6 expense. The telescoplng portlon has bearlng runners gulded by greased tracks In the ~Ixed tube, and has a long rack or .~ 20 gears ror the cranklng plnion. Both the rlxed and telescoping sectlon6 .. mu6t be very ætrong to reslst the lateral leverage Or net tension and play stress, so the devlce 16 too heavy ror moblle use. The greased bearlng :.`, .~. sur~aces are not approprlate ror sand courts.
, Objects and Advantages :
The obJect Is a volleyball net adJu6tment mechanl6m that 18 qulck and convenlent, provldes Inrlnlte helght varlatlon wlthln a wlde range, 18 lnexpenslve and llght welght, maklng It practlcal ror both temporary and permanent In6tallatlon6, Indoors or out, can be easlly Installed on exlstlng ~, po6t6, and can extend the connectlon helght on a post whlch 18 too 6hort.

The pre6ent Inventlon achleves the6e obJectlve6. Convenlence 16 achleved by means to tenslon both net cable6 ln unlson rrom one wlnch. Thl6 save6 expen6e and welght ver6us a dual-wlnch apparatu6, and adJustment tlme IB reduced by halr. The net connector6 move In unl60n vertlcally wlth a , . .
- 61eeve on whlch they are mounted. Thl6 ellmlnate6 reconnectlon or cable6.
<-~ The 61eeve can be a llght and Inexpenslve materlal, such aB PVC plpe, due "~
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to the absence ot leverage on the sleeve, and to a descrlbed means ~or . .
d~stributing anchoring stress. Pulleys double the rorce or the winch, "'A allowlng use or a llght, lnexpensive wlnch. The tenslon or the top and bottom net cords 18 automatlcally equallzed. AB an optlon, the bottom cord 6 can have hal~ the tenslon or the top cord. The sleeve can be in6talled on existing posts, and can estend above a post that is too short.

Drawlng ~lgures:

FIG 1 - Conriguration wlth equal upper and lower tension FIG 2 - Opposite post, with studs for quick attachment o~ cords FIG 3 - Anchorlng Or rl~ed pulley to sleeve, sectlon FIG 4 - Sleeve ri~cing bolt, sectlon 16 FIG 5 - Embodlment provlding halr as much tenslon on the bottom as the top FlG 6 - Detail or dual pulley 12 used in FIG 5 , FIG 7 - Detall or wlnch, 6howing cable pass-through FIG 8 - Detall or dual pulley 13 wlth hook bar used in FIG 8 20 FIG 9 - Flexible embodlment, conrigurable ~or equal tension as shown, ~ or unequal tension, as In FIG 5 -.; FIG 10 - Repositioning means ror hardware, showlng qulck-connect bolts ` and apertures FIG 11 - Fle~lble embodlment havlng dual rixed pulleys wlth hook bars on both top and bottom or sleeve FIG 12 - Guy wlre attachment uslng S-hook ; FIG 13 - Guy wlre attachment uslng hoop clamp ~' Fl~ 14 - Guy wlre attachment uslng 6peclal stand-orr hook . FIG 16 - Guy wlre attachment at mld sleeve through vertlcally allgned aperture, showlng relnrorcement bands FIG 16 - Track-and-sllde embodlment FIG 17 - Opposlng post ror FIG 16 FIG 18 - Horlzontal ~ectlon through post, track, slide, snd a pulley ` FIG 19 - Sectlon vlew showlng ~ixlng bolt ` ~ 36 .,.

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1 Sleeve 6 2 Flxing bolt 3 Winch means 4 Movable pulley 5 Flxed pulley 6 Net cable 7 Net po~t 8 Volleyball net 9 Stud or cleat . 10 Anchor bar 1 1 Nut 16 12 Flxed dual pulley 13 Flxed dual pulley wlth hook bar ~, 14 Quick-connect anchor bolt . 16 Optlonal thumb lever 16 Aperture serles ~or alternate po61tlonlng Or hardware - 20 17 Guy-wlre hook . 18 Relnrorcement band 19 Top Or post .. 20 Vertlcally aligned slot ln sleeve back 21 Hole ln post ror guy-wlre hook , 26 22 Tle-down ror cords rrom net edge tape ~., 23 Track :~i 24 Sllde .~ 26 Cable connector . 26 Wlnch cable j 30 `:i ,;
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Descriptlon:
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-i~ FIG 1 shows a bsslc embodiment ror tournament-grade nets, whlch have steel cables ln the top and bottom. The pulley arrangement tlghtens both cables In unison from a slngle wlnch 3. The pulleys double the rorce o~ the winch, allowing use o~ a lighter winch. This arrangement uses only 1/4 Or the wlnch power or current dual-wlnch arrangements, and Is easler to use.

Sleeve 1 slldes over net post 7, provlding vertical ad~ustment wlthout reattachment or cables snd cords. The sleeve Is ~lxed to the post by rixlng bolt 2, whlch can be hand tlghtened. It holds the sleeve at a desired vertical posltlon untll cable tenslon ls applied, when ~riction prevents slippage ot the sleeve. The rixing bolt does not requlre holes or depresslons In the net post, so the sleeve can be inrlnltely ad)usted wlthln its range. Slnce no adaptatlon or the net post lo required ror the rlxing , `',3 bolt, the inventlon can be easily installed on existing posts.
:, An enhancement to the ~Ixlng bolt 18 a saddle plece, with Its saddle curved , to approximate a nomlnal post diameter, havlng a cylindrlcal depresslon ln ; 1~ 20 lts back to recelve the end Or the rlxing bolt. Thls can be mounted on the end Or the bolt to protect the post rrom wesr, and prevent lateral sllppage or the end Or the bolt when the post dlameter 1B small relatlve to the sleeve .

Volleyball net posts range ln dlameter rrom about 2 to 4.6 lnches.
Sometlmes 4 X 4 lnch tlmber ls used. A sleeve made large enough ~or a 4.5-lnch dlameter po6t, and wlth a rlxlng bolt long enough to contact a 2-lnch post, wlll rlt all posts, albelt loosely on some. It 18 pre~erable to `~,3 orrer sleeves In at least two slzes. The large maJorlty or posts are 3.6 lnch ln dlameter or less. Looseness or the sleeve 18 not a ~ubstantlal dlsadvantage, but lts dlameter should be mlnlmlzed ror be~t vlslblllty or the game by players, umplres, and spectators. Clearance between the net post and the lnterlor or the sleeve must allow ror anchor bar 10 (FIG 3) and lnwardly protrudlng nuts.
.~ 35 An anchor bar I0, shown ln sectlon In FIG 3, may be used. It runs the length or the sleeve ror the purpo6e Or dlstrlbutlng stre6s rrom the hardware attached to the sleeve. Thls bar allows use Or a light, ~i . ~, : ~.
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20086~4 :, lne~penslve sleeve materlal, such as PVC plpe, rather than metal plpe. I~
the anchor bar ls ~lat, as shown, the gap between it and the wall o~ the 61eeve should be ~llled wlth an lncompressible cement flller to evenly dlstrlbute stre6s ~rom the bar to the 61eeve wall. The bar can have a curved shape matchlng the lnner wall o~ the sleeve, to save 6pace and allow the use of a smaller dlameter sleeve. A curved bar is shown in FIG

10. The'bar 6hould be o~ a rlgld materlal, such as steel. It can have threaded apertures to recelve hardware attachment bolts, or nuts can be used as ln FIG 3 and 4, or qulck-connect bolts can be used as ln FIG 10.
FIG 2 Is a sleeve ~or the opposlte end or the net ~rom FIG 1. It has cable connectlons whlch allow compensatlon for dirrerent cable lengths and post 6eparatlons. The two cables are shown connected to the central Or three ' studs, or knobs 9. Attachment points are selected ~or optlmum rree cable 16 length toward the winch end or the net. Ir exces6 cable reaches beyond the rarthest stud, the cable Is turned around that stud, brought back, and connected to another stud. Pulleys are unnecessary on thls sleeve -- an eye bolt wlll do the ~ob. However, pulleys are 6uggested a6 shown to ' protect the cables rrom wear.
; 20 : FIG 5 Is an embodlment ~or nets havlng a 6teel top cable and a rope bottom cable. It provldes twlce a6 much ten610n in the top cable as In the bottom.
The wlnch cable pas6es through rl~ced dual pulley 12, then through movable ~; pulley 4, then through the second wheel or pulley 12, then passe~ through ', 26 the wlnch (a6 In FIG 7) to slngle pulley 5, on It6 way to the net bottom '~ cable. Slnce the net top cable hss a movable pulley, lts tenslon 18 t~rlce that or the bottom cable, whlch ha~ none. FIG 6 ls a sectlon vlew or double pulley 12.
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The rlr6t and second embodlments (FIGS 1 8s 5) are not Interchangeable wlthout reconrlguratlon Or the hardware. FIG 9 ~hows a deslgn whlch can be u6ed elther ror equal or unequal net cable tenslon by slmply reroutlng ~'; the wlnch cable.'Thls 18 done vla a hooklng bar on the dual pulley, as shown In FIG 8, allowlng attachment or the end or the wlnch cable as shown. In the routing 6hown, uslng two movable pulleys, the apparatus operates a6 In FIG 1. However, the cable can be easlly routed as In FIG 5 by removlng or Idllng the lower movable pulley.
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Means should be provided to change the positions or the hardware on the sleeve to compensate ~or dirrerent net widths. Two common net widths are -, 1 meter and 1 yard, but somewhat smaller and larger widths should be accommodated as well. A qulck connection scheme ror the hardware ls 6 shown in FIG 10. Only the lower hardware should be provided with alternate positioning means, since it is not needed at both top and bottom.
The upper hardware should remain ln a fixed position on the sleeve, so net .j helghts can be marked on the post at the bottom Or the sleeve. Thls way, net height need not be measured each time a change is made.
, 10 FIG 10 shows quick connection means ror the pulleys, wlnch, and studs on the sleeve. This allows reconnguration or the hardware ror dirrerent nets.
.'. Anchor bolts 14 lock behind the anchor bar 10 with a 90 degree twist.
~;~ These quick-connect bolts are optional, since a change or net types used i' 15 wlth a given set or sleeves is not expected to occur rrequently. Alternate ~ bolt holes should be provided ror the bottom hardware, including the wlnch, 3' lower pulleys, and lower stud. The bolt holes should be round ir normal ~, threaded bolts are used. It is advisable to use two bolts per hardware item, ~or stability and stress distribution.
"1 20 ~.
Guy wires are sometimes used on volleyball net posts. These can be .~...... accommodated elther above the sleeve (lr the post is tall enough), or at . mid-sleeve through a vertlcally allgned slot ln the back or the sleeve, to allow vertlcal sleeve movement. Some attachment options are shown in : 25 FIGS 12-15. FIGs 12 and 13 show guy wire6 attached using standard hardware -- an S-hook and a hoop clamp, re6pectively. A better guy-wire hook 6hape ls 6hown ln FIG 14. Thls can be hooked over the upper llp o~ the post, and stands-out rar enough away rrom the post to allow rull upward movement or the sleeve. Thls hook can also be used at sleeve mldpoint, through the above-mentloned slot, lr a hole ls drllled In the post to receive it. The hole should be slightly larger than the diameter : ~.y Or the hook rod, and vertlcally elongated to allow room ror insertion or the .~ hook.

35 To insure longevity or wear when using a light sleeve material, reinrorcement bands are suggested at atigue polnts. Steel bands can be mounted around the upper and lower end or a sleeve. Ir PVC is used, a band or it can be cut rrom PVC coupling and cemented on the sleeve.
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Slmilar relnforcement ls sugge6ted at both ends o~ any guy-wire aperture - In the sleeve, as in FIG 15. Extremes Or stress should be expected, slnce player6 60metime6 hit the net or pull on It, and may grab the post l~or support.
Three attachment points ror cords rrom the net edge are requlred at both - end6 o~ the net. The hook on movable pulley6 or the wlnch cable end, can 6erve dual purpose ror connectlon or both a main cable and the as60clated net edge cord. The maln cables must be tensioned be~ore the edge cord 18 attached (thls ls the normal order Or connectlon). The mlddle eonnector ;. can be an eye, hook, or loop on the sleeve beslde or over the vertlcal 6egment o~ the wlnch cable. Another means ls shown in FIG 9, in whlch a vertical tie-down bar ls provided next to the net, connected at the ends i;
or the main cables. Thl6 has the advantage or 1006enlng all cord~ and cables when ad~ustlng net helght. As shown, the tle-down bar ha6 a rixed connector at lts lower end, but 611des wlthln a rlng connector at Its top end. Thi6 compen6ates tor dlrrerent net wldths automatically.

It 16 suggested that a dlagram or each wlnch cable con~lguratlon, with ~;, 20 brier descrlption, be attached to the sleeve next to the wlnch. The ~,j :~ dlstance ~rom the top o~ the net to the bottom Or the sleeve should be shown ror each cable conrlguratlon.

The sleeve o- FIGs 1-15 is one posslble embodlment or a vertlcally slldable 26 mountlng plat~orm ~or cable-restralnt hardware such a6 hook6, cleat6, a wlnch, and pulleys. The generlc term ~or thls element ln the clalms ls ;~: nslldable mount". Another mount embodiment, shown tn FlCs 16-19, 18 a track and sllde. Thls 18 less obtruslve ~rom a re~erees vlewpolnt, doeo not Ilmlt the ma~clmum post dlameter, and does not Inter~ere wlth guy wlres.
~i~ 30 Track (23) 18 connected to the post wlth bolts, as shown In FIG 18.
.~ Connectlon 18 easler lr the bolts pass completely through to the other slde ~` o- the post, ror access to the bolt end. Sllde 2418 gulded and restralned by the track. It 18 made ol' "C" channel material, pre~erably alumlnum.
Steel can also be u6ed, and should be galvanlzed ror outdoor use.

~:; Most element6 6hown with the 61eeve can al60 be used with the track-and-611de. These Include the varlous pulley and wlnch conflguratlons, hardware reposltlonlng means, and tie-down bar 22.
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~00~644 g Anchor bar 10 is useîul In the sllde, especlally 1- the slide is alumlnum rather than steel. Sections o~ anchor bar may be applled wherever hardware ls attached, rather than the rull length OI the sllde, savlng welght. Rein~orcement bands, i~ used, follow the channel shape or the sllde, Including the gap ror the track. Since adaptation Or these elements is straight~orward as described, their drawings are not duplicated for the track-and-slide embodiment. The speclal guy wire arrangements or FIGs ,~; 12-15, are unnecessary with the track and slide, although they may be used.
' 10 Prererred Embodiment:

The prererred embodlment Or the slldable mount is the track-and-slide type, since lt attaches to posts or any slze, and does not lnterrere with guy wlres. The prererred materlal i6 aluminum, reln~orced at hardware . attachments wlth an anchor bar. Steel can also be used, and 6hould be galvanlzed for outdoor use.
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:i~ Each o~ the pulley conrlguratlons or FlGs 1, 5, 9, and 11, has lts t,' 20 advantages. The FIG 1 conriguratlon ls 61mple6t, and provides equal .: tenslon ln the upper and lower net cables. Thls ls optlmum rOr nets wlth equal cables ln the top and bottom. FIG 5 is the slmplest embodlment wlth , ,..:, -;r' unequal tenslon, however, wlth only a æmall enhancement and an extra ~; avallable pulley, as shown ln FIG 9, the ten610n proportlon becomes 26 6electlble. From FIG 9 to FIG lI, the single pulley 5 ls replaced wlth a dual . . pulley 13 wlth hook bar, ror even more rle~cibillty. I~ only one embodlment were to be avallable, the cholce would be FIG 9, slnce lt i8 the slmpler o~
.. the two rlexlble conrlguratlons.
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30 Some type or alternate posltioning means, such as in FIG 10, should be `.;. orrered ror the winch and lower pulley, allowing a range Or net widths, .. including 1 yard and 1 meter. Qulck-connect bolts 6hould generally have 6crewdrlver slots In thelr heads instead Or the optlonal thumb levers shown.
`` S5 In the 61eeve embodiment, the pre~erred sleeve materlal is PVC pipe, slnce It is light and inexpenslve. A curved steel anchor bar as in FIG IO is -:
suggested. The sleeve should be rein~orced with a PVC band at both ends.
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~ ~o A guy-wire hook ~or use as in FIG 14 should be provided.

Operation:

,, . 6 To change net height, winch tenslon is released to remove sleeve frictlon agalnst the posts, then each sleeve is repositloned by temporarily ~' releaslng its rixing bolt, and the winch iæ re-tightened.
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The net posts should be marked ror men's and women's height at the bottom ; lO or each sleeve. The instructions with the sleeves should state the - distance rrom the top o~ the net to the bottom Or the sleeve ror each cable ~ con~iguration. Thus net height can be established initlally, by measuring .. rrom the ~loor to the bottom o~ the sleeve, and subsequent ad~ustments can - ~ use the marks.

Claim terminology:

In the clalms, the term "equldistant" ls intended to include coincident.
Thus, when two components are described as mounted approximately ;:~ 20 equidistant ~rom a given position, this includes the case where they are mounted coincident with each other. This minor clarirlcation 16 signl~icant - ~i because the pulley con~iguratlons o- FIG 1 and FIG 9 are thereby both covered under claim lO. In FIG 9, the cable end anchoring means is shown ~ as part o~ ixed pulley l3, maklng the two elements coincident, whereas ln 25 FIG l the two elements are separated.
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The term "elongated hollow sleeve" is not llmlted to cyllndrlcal shapes, ;~ It may be any tubular shape, includlng prlsmatlc.
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30 In ''~lrst and second attachments ror volleyball net cables", the order ls ,~, arbltrary. That is, the rirst attachment can be elther the top or bottom .~. one, and the second attachment iB the remaining one. This allows a claim ~;i to cover conrigurations in which the winch cable is routed to the top attachment ~irst, as well as configurations in which the winch cable is 35 routed to the bottom attachment ~irst.
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`~ "Wlnch means" includes any cable tensioning means, such as a wlndlass or ratchet devlce.
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Claims (21)

1. A sport net tension adjuster comprising:
a sport net post;
a winch cable;
winch means for adjustably tensioning said winch cable;
said winch cable attached to said winch means;
said winch means attached to said post;
first and second connectors for attachment of cable; and pulley means for routing said winch cable from said winch means to said first connector, thence to said post, thence to said second connector.

2. A volleyball net tension and height adjuster comprising:
a vertically slidable mount on a volleyball net post;
means for releaseably fixing said mount at an adjustable position;
a winch cable;
winch means for adjustably tensioning said winch cable;
said winch cable attached to said winch means;
said winch means attached to said mount;
first and second connectors for attachment of cable; and pulley means for routing said winch cable from said winch means to said first connector, thence to said mount, thence to said second connector.

3. The adjuster of claim 2, wherein said slidable mount comprises a track affixed to said post, and a slide guided on said track.

4. The adjuster of claim 2, wherein said slidable mount comprises an elongated hollow sleeve slidably mounted on said post.

5. The net adjuster of claim 4, further including an anchor bar adjacent the interior wall of said sleeve, comprising an elongated rigid bar with apertures for anchor bolts.

6. The net adjuster of claim 5, further including an incompressible filler between said anchor bar and the adjacent interior wall of said sleeve, for even distribution of stress from said anchor bar to the wall of said sleeve.

7. The net adjuster of claim 2, further including alternate positioning means for repositioning of hardware attached to said mount, comprising anchor bolts and a series of anchor apertures through said mount for selective location of said anchor bolts.

8. The alternate positioning means of claim 7, wherein said anchor bolts have T-shaped ends, and said anchor apertures are elongated to act as keyholes for said anchor bolts, whereby said anchor bolts can be inserted in said apertures and twisted to lock said anchor bolts in said apertures.

9. The net adjuster of claim 2, further including a tie-down bar for cords from the net edge, comprising a rigid bar mounted vertically at each end of the net between approximately the connection points at the ends of the net main cables.

10. The adjuster of claim 2, wherein said pulley means comprises:
a first fixed pulley;
said winch means and said first fixed pulley being attached to said mount approximately equidistant from a position corresponding to the lower edge of a volleyball net;
a second fixed pulley;
cable end anchoring means for anchoring the end of said winch cable to said mount;
said second fixed pulley and said cable end anchoring means being attached to said mount approximately equidistant from a position corresponding to the upper edge of a volleyball net;
and first and second movable pulleys mountable on said winch cable.

11. The adjuster of claim 10, wherein said winch cable is routed from said winch means to said first movable pulley, thence to said first fixed pulley, thence to said second fixed pulley, thence to said second movable pulley, thence to said cable end anchoring means, said first connector is attached to said to said first movable pulley, and said second connector is attached to said second movable pulley, whereby the bottom and top cables of a volleyball net can be connected to said first and second movable pulleys respectively, allowing both net cables to be tensioned in unison by said winch means.

12. The adjuster of claim 2, wherein said pulley means comprises:
a first fixed pulley, attached to said mount at a position corresponding to the lower edge of a volleyball net;
second and third fixed pulleys, attached to said mount approximately equidistant from a position corresponding to the upper edge of a volleyball net, and a first movable pulley, mountable on said winch cable.

13. The net adjuster of claim 12, wherein said winch cable is routed from said winch means to said second fixed pulley, thence to said first movable pulley, thence to said third fixed pulley, thence around said first fixed pulley, said first connector is attached to said first movable pulley,

14 and said second connector is attached to said winch cable, whereby the bottom and top cables of a volleyball net can be connected to the end of said winch cable and to said first movable pulley respectively, allowing both net cables to be tensioned in unison by said winch means.

14. The net adjuster of claim 12, further including cable end anchoring means for anchoring the end of said winch cable to said mount, said cable end anchoring means and said second fixed pulley being attached to said mount approximately equidistant from a position corresponding to the top edge of a volleyball net, and a second movable pulley, mountable on said winch cable.

15. The net adjuster of claim 14, wherein said winch cable is routed from said winch means to said second movable pulley, thence to said first fixed pulley, thence to said second fixed pulley, thence to said first movable pulley, thence to said cable end anchoring means, said first connector is attached to said second movable pulley, and said second connector is attached to said first movable pulley, whereby the top and bottom cables of a volleyball net can be connected to said first and second movable pulleys respectively, allowing both net cables to be tensioned in unison by said winch means.

16. The net adjuster of claim 2, wherein said pulley means comprises:
first, second, third, and fourth fixed pulleys;
first and second cable end anchoring means;
said first and second fixed pulleys and said first cable end anchoring means being attached to said mount at a position corresponding to the lower edge of a volleyball net;

said third and fourth fixed pulleys and said second cable end anchoring means being attached to said mount at a position corresponding to the upper edge of a volleyball net; and a movable pulley mounted on said winch cable.

17. An improved volleyball net standard system, in which the improvement comprises:
a first vertically slidable mount on a first volleyball post;
means for releaseably fixing said first mount at an adjustable position;
a winch cable;
winch means for adjustable tensioning of said winch cable;
said winch cable attached to said winch means;
said winch means attached to said mount;
first and second connectors for attachment of cable; and pulley means for routing said winch cable from said winch means to said first connector, thence to said mount, thence to said second connector.

18. The improvement of claim 17, wherein said slidable mount comprises a track affixed to said post, and a slide guided on said track.

19. The improvement of claim 17, wherein said slidable mount comprises an elongated hollow sleeve slidably mounted on said post.

20. The improvement of claim 17, further including:
a second vertically slidable mount on a volleyball net post;
means for releaseably fixing said second mount at an adjustable position;
and attachment means for attaching top and bottom volleyball net cables to said second mount.

21. The improvement of claim 20, wherein said attachment means comprises upper and lower redirection means for redirecting upper and lower net cables approximately 90 degrees toward the center of said second slidable mount, and a plurality of cleat means for connecting cable ends, connected to said second slidable mount between said two redirection means.