GB2311766A

GB2311766A - Storage system for indoor bowls mat

Info

Publication number: GB2311766A
Application number: GB9606924A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adam Bell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-04-02
Filing date: 1996-04-02
Publication date: 1997-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 2016-04-02
Also published as: GB2311766B; GB9606924D0

Abstract

A storage system for a mat for use in the game of indoor bowls consists of a trolley comprising a horizontal frame 2, on castors 8, and from whose shorter sides are erected a pair of columns or struts 3, one on each side, which carry U-brackets 5. The brackets support one or more bowling mats which are held rigid upon spindles 11 which rotate within sleeves which themselves rest in the U-brackets and the winding and unwinding of the mats causes the playing surfaces to impinge upon a rod 20 which has been covered with a lint or fluff entangling surface that cleans the mat in both the winding and unwinding operations.

Description

SHORT MAT STORAGE SYSTEM FOR THE GAME OF BOWLS This invention relates to a short mat storage and transportation system which is intended to be used principally for the care and proper handling of the polyurethane chip foam-backed mats whose top represents the playing surface in the game of indoor bowls. Such mats conform to the game's standard of 6 feet wide and 40 to 45 feet long and can therefore represent an awkward load to handle and keep in a neat geometrical roll during the operations of feeding a length of it onto the floor onwhich the game is to be played and conversely to roll it up again and eventually transport it,with the other bowls accessories,to a storage area in the club or community centre inwhich the game is routinely played.

Since 1977 the mats onwhich indoor bowls is played have been manufactured from polypropylene fibres which have been felted and needled, sometimes onto a layer of scrim,and finally pressure bonded with adhesive to a backing of polyurethane chip foam of a safety grade known as "combustion modified high resilient polyurethane" or CMHR. With such construction the mats are strong and robust and many are being played on after 15 years of manhandling. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that such mats can be rolled and unrolled from a spindle in the traditional manner of the carpet warehouse but there is a need for such spindle handling to take place in a controlled manner and on a device which will allow one or more mats to be stowed and transported,with all the other bowls accessories, to a storage area in the building inwhich the game i8 played. Within such a device there should be provided accomodation areas for accessories such as fenders,centre blocks, foot mats,bowls,jacks and score boards and since bowls can only be played with a minimum of two persons it is essential that a system of mat handling and storage should be easily manipulated by two people. Also by the very nature of its playing surface there is a tendancy for the mat to pick-up and occlude small pieces of debris such as lint and fluff so in the care and proper handling of bowling mats it would be a technical bonus if the handling system was arranged in such a way that fibrous debris was automatically removed during the letting-out and drawing-in of the mats. The above described needs are fulfilled in the presently described device which is a short mat storage system for the game of bowls where there is provided a trolley in the form of a rectangular framework which carries,at the mid-points of its shorter sides,a box-section upright having simple U-brackets on which can be stowed,or rotated, one or more short type bowling mats being held rigid upon appropriate spindles which rotate within sleeves which rest in the U-brackets and where the winding and unwinding of the mats causes the playing surfaces to continually impinge upon a rod covered in a lint or fluff entangling surface which cleans the surface when the mat is either fed-out or cranked in during preparations to start or end playing sessions.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing inwhich: Figure 1 shows in perspective,the short mat storage system in a position where it is about to receive the mat spindle sleeves into its upper storage U-brackets and where the trolley base houses boxes,trays and drawers for bowls accessories.

Figure 2 shows in perspective,the short mat storage system in a working position where it accomodates a mat on its spindle in the lower U-brackets and where the playing surface contacts the fluff removing bar surface.

Referring to the drawings the short mat storage system for the game of bowls comprises a trolly 1 consisting of a rectangular framework 2 on which is fixed a front load bearing upright 3 and a distil upright 4 which carry U-brackets 5,guide handles 6 and a crank handle storage receptacle 7. The mobility of the trolley 1 is obtained by the use of conventional industrial castors 8 of which two,on the same longitudinal side,are equipped with foot brakes 9. In practice the bowling mat 10 is stored wrapped on a spindle 11 which consists of an inner steel tube 12 which is concentric with an outer PVC pipe 13 and held rigidly in place by the use of four nylon spacers 14 and countersunk self-tapping screws 15. Such a spindle is more than capable of carrying the 48-50 kilograms loading of a short mat and in the present invention the protuding ends of the tube 12 are sheathed with a close fitting,but rotatable,length of pipe 16 before a square section solid spud 17 is welded on to accomodate the female end 18 of the cranking handle 19 thus allowing the pipe length 16 to remain static whilst the tube 12,and the entire spindle, is rotated by cranking. In practice when play is ended and it is ;ired to put the mat(s)into storage with the remainder of the bowling accessories the foam backed side of the mat is raised by two persons and fed under the de-fluffing bar 20 and hence to the surface of the load bearing spindle 11 where it is firmly fixed in position by interpenetration with four strips 21 of Velcro (TM)which is held on the spindle's PVC surface by the use of pop-rivets. Now the mat can be loaded onto the spindle of the device by the use of the crank handle 19 on the spud 17 with one person performing the cranking action and both persons using the handles 6 to guide the trolly forward over the mat so that whilst it is being lifted its playing surface contacts the de-fluffing bar 20,which is also Velcro(TM) covered,and is cleaned. When this operation is completed it is found that the mat 10 is neatly wrapped upon the spindle in a manner similiar to that of Figure 2 where the spindle could have started on either of the upper or lower Ubrackets as desired. Once loaded on its spindle the mat 10 can be taken to storage on the trolley or,if desired, it can readily be re-laid on another surface by simply wheeling it to the distal end of the floor and unwinding it slowly to the horizontal whilst moving the device backwards by the use of the communal handle 23.

In this described storage system it is convenient to fix cross pieces 22 within the framework 2 so that trays,boxes and drawers can be accomodated in order to hold the fenders,centre blocks,foot mats,bowls,jacks and score boards used in the game.

A further convenience of the use of the static sheathed pipe 16 is that in a large club where there are many mats to be handled it is easy for two people to use the spindle ends 16 as handles for loading stored mats onto the trolly 1 because the heavy roll can rotate into equilibrium,when lifted,without placing a torque on the skin of the hands.

Variations and modifications can be made without departing from the essential scope of the invention described above.

Claims

l.A short mat storage system for the game of indoor bowls comprises a trolley in the form of a rectangular framework which carries at the mid-points of its shorter sides a box-section upright having simple U-brackets on which can be stowed,or rotated, one or more short type bowling mats being held rigid upon appropriate spindles which rotate within sleeves which themselves rest in the U-brackets and where the windingin and unwinding of the mats causes the playing surfaces to continually impinge upon a rod covered in a lint or fluff entangling surface which cleans the surface when the mat is either fed-out or cranked-in during preparations to start or end a playing session.
2.A short mat storage system according to Claim 1 wherein the rectangular framework is converted into a trolley by the fitment of industrial type castors to its sides at positions near to the corners.
3.A short mat storage system according to Claim 1 wherein the box-section upright carries simple U-brackets to accomodate the sleeves which are concentric with the ends of the mat storage spindles.
4.A short mat storage system according to Claim 1 wherein the long side of the rectangular frame carries two short uprights which carry a horizontal bar which is covered with a lint or fluff entangling surface.
5.A short mat storage system as in Claim 4 wherein the fire entangling surface on the rod is composed of a flexible strip of "hoop & loop"surface such as that which is comercially available under the Trade Name of "VELCRO".
6.A short mat storage system according to Claim 1 wherein the ends of the mat storage spindle is square shaped to receive a fitting crank handle to enable the spindle to be rotated in either direction within its sleeve.
7.A short mat storage system according to Claim 1 wherein the box-section upright carries a set of handles to facilitate easy handling and guidance of the system's framework trolley.
8.A short mat storage system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.