GB2428584A

GB2428584A - Apparatus for protecting ground

Info

Publication number: GB2428584A
Application number: GB0515061A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nigel Peter George Dale
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-07-22
Filing date: 2005-07-22
Publication date: 2007-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 2025-07-22
Also published as: GB2428584B; GB0515061D0

Abstract

A carriage working in unison with another similar carriage devised to store and deploy raincovers for the protection of a horizontal rectangular surface. In its open position it provides a sightscreen barrier, in its traveling mode it moves in a straight line a predetermined distance and in its closed position provides a pitched roof over the centre of the protected surface and support for a tensioned drained and elevated raincover protecting the said rectangular surface. The rectangular surface is preferably a sports field, sports pitch, tennis court or the like. The covers are mounted on rolls and are unrolled when deployed. The carriages may move along tracks.

Description

Title: A Carriage Devised for the Storage and Deployment of Raincovers.

Statement of Invention:

The invention pr-opose& a pair of. carriages supporting raincovers which. span across the width of a rectangular horizontal surface which is to be covered and which move a predetermined distance in a straight' line transforming from, in their open position, sightscreen barriers (behind which the raincovers are rolled up and stored) into (where the carriages meet and combine) a pitched roof over fixed items of equipment. In their closed position they form a tensioned, elevated, drained raincover protecting the rectangular surface. The condition of the air contained below the raincovers can be modified.

Background:

The invention described in this application is a carriage used to store and position raincovers over a sports or game playing surface, typically a tennis court. Tennis is predominately an outdoor game requiring a fiat surface of given dimensions on which to play. The characteristics of the surface on which the game is played are well known as are the benefits arising from the protection of the surface. Many surfaces are impervious to water, and their characteristics are detrimentally changed when they are wet.

Covers to protect a playing surface in principle are known, but difficulties in their use and operation have proved obstructive. If standing, water is allowed to remain on the covers,, even though this will protect the surface below, it needs to be removed prior to the retraction of the covers. The manual work to remove traditional covcrs is onerous, and their storage is also problematic.

To overcome the problems associated with the deployment and storage of raincovers, the invention consists of a carriage assembly which.spans.the width of the. playing area and when in an open position, ie the court is in use, provides for the safe storage of the covers and provides a vertical sightscreen for optimal visibility during play, In its closed position, ie the court is not in use, the carriage when used in pairs, form a pitched roof under which any fixed equipment such as a net and net. posts can be accommodated thus avoiding the need for their removal when the covers are in the closed position.

The carriage assembly also provides the means for the covers over the playing areatobe lifted above the playing surface and tensioned in such a way as to allow rain water falling onto the covers to be drained away and also to allow conditioning of the air in the space below the covers.

When the covers are fully deployed, no part of the carriage assembly or of the covers is in direct contact with the playing surface, and the covers do not drag. across the surface when they are being positioned.

Advantages: When the covers are deployed, air can be blown under the covers; it can be heated if necessary to ensure that there is no build-up of humid air, which may result in condensation forming on the protected surface.

Similarly, as the raincovers are rolled up onto the carriage assembly, air can be blown across the outside of the covers to remove debris and moisture from the surface of the covers prior to storage.

During cold weather, warm air can be blown under the covers thus melting frost or snow and preventing any build-up of ice on the covers.

A perfectly flat surface can be constructed without any need to allow a drainage fall, and due to the protection given, the life of the surface is extended as it is no longer open to the weather.

Detailed Description:

The invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings Figures 1-6.

"A Carriage Devised for the Storage and Deployment of Raincovers". The carriage assembly consis of two bogeymoirnted stands each of which supports a counterbalanced pivoted arm. They are spaced apart by the sightscreen barrier/half-roof, which* in -turn -is supported oythe counterbalanced arms.

The carriage is propelled along tracksat each side of the rectangular surface to be protected, over a predetermined distance in a straight line.

The sightscreen barrier/half-roof is supported and allowed to pivot about a horizontal axis9 at its centre of gravity.. The counterbalanced arms provide this support and. allow the sightscreen barrier/half-roof to rotate from its half-roof position to its sightscreen barrier position.

As the carriage is propelled along the track from an open position towards the closed position, the raincover is unrolled to be placed temporarily onto the surface to be protected At the limit of the movement of the carriage assembly, as the counterbalance weight reaches the frontstop, a boom7panning from one bogeymountel stand to the other, is rotated, lifting and tensioning the raincover in its closed position. It is this position which forms a combination of slopes and fails on the raincover and half-roof combination to drain any rainwater off the covers and into perimeter drains.

The leading edg/of the half-roof forms a structural connection with the adjoining similar assembly, (the other half of the pair of carriage assemblies working in unison), and with the edge of the rectangular surface o be protected w..hen it is in an upright, sightscreen position.

When the covers are being opened, the carriage moves in a straight line towards the open position, initially releasing tension in the raincover. This occurs as the carriage, with its counterbalance weight, are disengaged from the frontstop. De-tensioriingis achieved by the rotation of the boom.

C

As the carriage is propelled along the tracks, the raincover is rolled onto a cylindrical mandrel for storage and safe keeping. As the carriage approaches the limit of the opening movement, the counterweight engages with the backstop. At this point the transformation of the half-roof into an upright alghtscreen barrier is completed.

When the carriage commences its closing procedure, there is a further movement in the opening direction of the carriage, which directs the leading edge of the sightscreen barrier into a traveling position.

The above mentioned sequence of operation is the reversed, allowing the covers to close.

Movement of the carriage in a straight line continues up to the point when one half-roof engages with the other (of the pair acting in unison) and the covers take up a closed position. 4.

Introduction to Drawings:

Figure 1: shows an arrangement of a pair of carriages, one in an open position and the other in a closed position, the latter with the raincover deployed.

Figure 2: shows a single carriage in its open position with the raincover roiled up and stored.

Figure 3: shows a carriage in its traveling mode part way along its movement path deploying the raincover into a temporary postion.

Figure 4: shows a carriage in its closed position with the raincover supported, prior to being tensioned and elevated.

Fi.gure 5: shows a carriage (with the sightscreen barrier/half-roof removed for clarity) as it would be when engagedwith the backstop in the position where the counterbalanced arm Is elevated to support the sightscreen barrier. The boom is in its stored (lowered) position.

Figure 6: shows a carriage (with the sightscreen barrier/half-roof removed for clarity) as it would be when engaged with the frontstop in the position where the counterbalanced arm is lowered to support the halfroof and to rotate the boom which elevates the raincovers.

The boom is in its raised position.

Drawing reference: a) Rectangular area to be covered.

b) Sightscreen barrier/half-roof.

c) Raincover rolled up and stored.

d) Counterbalanced arm.

e) Tracks mounted alongside rectangular surface to be covered.

1) Leading edge of sightscreen barrier/half-roof.

g) Horizontal axis on the centre of gravity of the sightscreen barrier/half-roof.

h) Raincover laid onto the rectangular surface to be protected temporarily.

i) Raincover fully deployed.

j) Counterbalanced weight adjusted by interaction with backstop.

k) Counterbalanced weight adjusted by interaction with frontstop.

1) Carriage bogey.

m) Boom to elevate raincovers.

n) Leading edge of sightscreen barrierfhalf-roof.

Claims

Claims: Claim 1: A carriage (working in unison with another similar

carriage devised to store and deploy raincovers for the protection of a horizontal rectangular surface), which in its open position, (at the start of any linear movement) provides a sightscreen barrier (the raincovers being rolled up and stored behind the sightscreen barrier thus exposing the said rectangular surface), which in its traveling mode moves in a straight line a predetermined distance (during which action the sightscreen barrier I supported by counterbalanced arms, pivoted about a horizontal axis, projecting from the carriage] rotates also about a horizontal axis at the centre of gravity of the sightscreen barrier through a prescribed angle relative to the horizontal surface, transforming its function from that of a sightscreen barrier to that of a pitched half-roof) and which in its closed position ( at the limit of its linear movement and in conjunction with the other similar carriage) provides a pitched roof over the centre of the protected surface and support for a tensioned drained and elevated raiticover (which protects the said rectangular surface over which the carriage has traveled).

Claim 2: A carriage devised, for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim I in which the carriage travels along tracks mounted alongside the protected rectangular surface.

Claim 3: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim I in which the carriage works singularly and in its closed position combines with a fixed abutment.

Claim 4: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim 1 in which the half-roof supported by the carriage remains in a fixed position (and does not transform its function into a sightscreen barrier)..

Claim 5: A carrier devised for the storage and depibyment of raincovers according to Claim I in which the rectangular surface to be protected is not horizontal.

Claim 6: A carriage devised for the storage and' deployment of covers which may be usedfor sunshading or as a windbreak.

Claim 7; A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim 1 in which the pivoted counterbalanced arms supporting the sightscreen barrier/half-roof rotate and allow a height adjustment providing a range of adjustment position for the sightscreen barrier/halfroof. a "7

Claim 8: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim 1 in which the pivoted counterbalanced arms supporting the sightscreen barrier/half-roof about a horizontal axis on its centre of gravity and allows the sightscreen bather/half-roof to rotate in a predetermined mann-er.

Claim 9: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim 1 in which the counterbalanced arms supporting the sightscreen bather/half-roof are adjusted by interaction with a fixed backstop and frontstop, positioned at prescribed points on the straight line path along which the carriage travels.

Claim 10: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to previous claims in which the covering material is positioned temporarily upon the surface to be protected prior to its elevation above the surface by the carriage mechanism.

Claim II: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to previous claims in which the covering material is elevated by the rotation of a curved boom caused by the interaction of the counterbalanced arm with the fixed frontstop according to Claim 9.

Claim 12: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claim ii in which the covering material is elevated by the rotation of a straight shaft which has a series of projecting struts arranged so as to provide support for the said covering material.

Claim 13: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claims 11 and 12 in which the covering material is elevated allowing modification to the condition of the air contained in the space below the covering material.

Claim 14: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claims 7 and 8 in which a track (alongside the rectangular area to be protected) guides and determines the angle of rotation of the sightscreen barrier/half-roof as it moves along its traveling path.

Claim 15: A carriage devised for the storage and deployment of raincovers according to Claims 1 and 3 in which the leading edge of the sightscrecn barrier/half-roof forms a structural connection with a similar element of a paired carriage assembly in a closed position, the edge of the rectangular area to be protected in an open vertical position and to an abutment if used singularly in a closed position.