US1088407A - Field-cover. - Google Patents

Description

`L. P. DEBE.

FIELD COVER.

Patented Feb. 24, 19ML 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ABPLIOATION FILED FEB.26, 1913.

' LOSSAOZ L. P. DEER.

FIELD COVER. APPLIGATIoN FILED PBB.26,1913,

1,088,407w Patented @10.24, 1914 3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

INVENTOR N MPM HLM.,

L. P. DERR.

FIELD COVER.

APPLICATION FILED 21.113.26, 191s.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVEITOR UNITED STATES LEIDIT. DEER, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FIEID-COVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

Application filed February 23, .1913.- Seal No. 750,734.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, LEID P. Drum a citizen of the United States, and resi in l in the city of Pittsbur h in the county of llegheny and State o? Bennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Field-Covers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in new and useful improvements in covers for playing fields, such as baseball diamonds, andin means for stretching and removing the same. The gun pose of such covers is to protect the eld from wet and maintain it in a sufficiently dry condition for use.

My object is to provide efficient and expeditious means for stretching the cover over the field, for removing the same when the eld is to be used, and for storing the cover out of the way when not in use.

For these purposes l provide a cover of canvas or other suitable flexible material mounted on a roller which is preferably ventilated, as for instance formed of slats, to enable a .damp cover to dry out when rolled up. Power actuated means are provided for rolling up and unrolling the cover. Drums are. provided, operated with the roller, upon which are mounted pull ropes which unwind as the cover rolls up and vice versa, said pull ropes being carried under the field to the other side thereof and thence over pulleys and across the field to be attached to the loose edge of the cover. Thus the pull ropes serve to draw and stretch the cover across the field when the cover is unwound and to guide and control the winding up of the cover. The ropes are detachable from the cover so as to be removed from the playing surface when the cover is rolled up.

l mount the roller in such a manner 4that it may be lowered out of the way into a pit when the cover is rolled up thereon and may be elevated out of such pit when the cover is to be stretched over the field. I provide a pivoted lid for such pit which automatcially raises when the roller is elevated, and closes, conzealing said pit, when the roller is lowere The pulleys on the opposite side of the field, over which the pull ropes pass, are mounted in swinging brackets set in a pit, so that when the ropes are detached from the use. Sa'd lids are preferably provided with anti-slip ing top surface to prevent accidents to players.

Novel means are provided for raising and lowering the roller, for opening and shutting the pit lids, and for winding and unwinding the cover and the pull ropes. Other novel features of 'construction and arrangement of parts will appear from the followmg descrlption.

n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of a baseball diamond fitted with my invention, the pit lids being shown open in dotted lines the roller and pull rope pulleys being shown raised and the canvas cover stretched over the diamond; the permanent covering being broken away for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken vertical section of the same, showing the roller and pull rope pulleys raised, the cover unwound and stretched across the diamond and the pull ropes attached to the edge of the cover; Fig. 3 is an end view of the roller dismounted; Fig. 4 is a broken side elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of one of the pull rope pulleys and its mounting; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail elevation of one of the brackets by means of which the roller is mounted; Fig. 7 is asimilar view showing a slight modification of the same, and Fig. 8 is a detail in vertical section, similar to Fig. 2, but showing one of the pull rope pulley brackets folded down into its pit and the lid of said pit closed.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings:

A represents a baseball diamond or other playing field. B is an open trench or pit eX- tending along one side thereof and preferably suitably lined with concrete.

C is a permanently closed or covered pit preferably lined with concrete and adjacent to pit B, whose top may be sodded or otherwise covered to correspond to the surface of the playing field.

D is a lid 'adapted to close the pit B and pivoted at the edge of said pit away from diamdnd A. Said lid D is provided withv a surface, l, of an anti-slipping character to prevent accidents to players. Said lid ma be conveniently pivoted by means of a sha 2 journaled in brackets 3 attached to the wall of pit B. At one end said lid is provided with a rearwardly extending arm 4, the purpose of which will be ex lained.

5 represents a pair o guide posts fixed vertically in the pit B adjacent to the front wall of said pit and at either end thereof. E and E represent a pair of brackets mounted to slide vertically on said posts 5. 6 represents a pair of rotary worms vertically mounted in said pit B and engaging threaded vertical bores in the brackets E and E', whereby when said worms are rotated said brackets ascend or descend on the posts 5 according to thedirection of the rotation o'f the worms.

The brackets E and E are provided 'with journal boxes 8 in which are journaled the ends of axial shaft 9 upon which the roller F is rigidly mounted. The roller F is preferably composed of an annular series of slats 10 so that whenl the canvas cover, marked G, is wound upon the same in a wet condition, the latter may readily dry out without rotting. The ends of the roller F are provided with rope drums 11. i

One end of shaft 9, the end Ijournaled in bracket E, is provided `with a rigidly mounted gear 12 which meshes with a gear 13 rigidly mounted on a spur shaft 14 journaled in the bracket E. 15 is a sprocket also rigidly mounted on spur shaft 14 and preferably secured to the gear 13. A chain 16 operatively connects the sprocket 15 with a smaller sprocket 17 loosely mounted on a shaft 18 journaled in two standards 19 extending from the bottom of the pit C.

20'is a gear loosely mounted and' sliding on shaft 18, and meshing with a smaller gear 21 on the shaft 22 of the reversible motor H.

The hubs of sprockets 17 and 20 are ar-V ranged to interlock when said sprocket 20 is shifted, as by lever 23, into contact with sprocket 17 It is thus evident that the roller F may remain stationary or be rotated in either direction by the motor H, as may be desired.

The worms 6 are provided at their lower ends with rigidly mounted beveled gear 24 which mesh with beveled gear 25 on the end of a shaft 26 horizontally journaled in pillow blocks 27 on the bottom of -pit B.

28 is a sprocket wheel rigidly mounted on shaft 26 and operatively connected by means of a'chain 29 with a smaller sprocket 30 loosely mounted on the shaft 22 of motor H. 31 is a'clutch member keyed to slide on said shaft 22 and controlled by a lever mechanism 32. By means of said clutch the sprocket 30 may be made to rotate in either direction with the motor or remain idle. It is evident rection would rotate t e worms 6 in the proper direction to raise the brackets E and E and with them the roller'F, while the rotation of said sprocket 30 in the opposite direction would lower the roller F.

A rope or cable 33 is attached to the end ofl arm 4 of lid D and passing under the guide pulleys 34 and 35, extends up through the interior of the worm 6, which is made hollow and is attached to the upwardly extending standard 36 mounted on the bracket E. It is evident that as the roller F rises, the rope 33 will be drawn upwardly through the worm`6, drawing down on arm 4 and raising the lid D to permit the elevation of the roller F Vice versa, the descent of roller F will slacken said rope 33 and permit said lid to close of its own weight.

I is apit preferably lined with concrete, along the slde of the diamond A, opposite to pit B, and permanently covered and sodded above for the greater portionvof its length. In one or more places, however, said permanent covering is omitted anda hinged lid J substituted. In the drawings I have shown two of said lids which are rigidly mounted on arock shaft 37 journaled in brackets 38 attached to the outer. wall of pit I. Said shaft 37 is provided with a rigid arm 39 to whose end is attached a rope or cable 40 which extends through a covered trench or buried pipe 41 under the diamond A and lenters the pit B. Passing over pulleys 42, 43 and 44, said rope is attached to the bracket E so that when the roller F rises, said lids J are opened contemporaneously with lid D and correspondingly closed when said roller descends.

45 are pulleys mounted in brackets 46 whichl are pivoted to swing on bases 47 mounted in the bottom of pit I. The brackets 46 may be either elevated, in Fig. 2 when the lids J are raised, ordepressed into the pit when the lids are lowered, as shown in Fig. 8.

K are pull ropes or cables wound about the drums l1 on the ends of roller F, the winding of said ropes being opposite to that of the canvas cover G. Said ropes extend through covered trenches or buried pipes 48 along the sides of diamond A and over pulleys 49 and 50 in the pit I. When the cover is rolled up,the ends of the ropes K may be coiled up`in the pit I, as shown in Fig. 8, but when said ropes are to be used, the ends of said ropes are led over the pulleys 45, the brackets 46 being elevated, as shown in Fig. 2, and led over the diamond A and attached by means of their hooks 51 to the eyelets 52 on the free edge of cover G.

It is evident that as the cover G is unwound, the pull ropes K are wound up, so that said ropes act to draw and stretch t-he cover over the surface of the diamond and hold the same in its stretchedand flattened position. Vice versa, as the-cover ,is wound up on the roller F, the ropes K are unwound from the drums 11, thus slacking said rope'.`l and permitting the cover to be withdrawn from the diamond, the pull ro'pcs'K acting as guides to assist in winding up the cover.

'lhe operation of my device is as follows: Assuming that the cover (i is rolled up on the roller F, the latter depressed in the pit lli and the lids l) and .l closed, the clutch 81 is thrown to connect the sprocket 30 with the shaft 22 ot'linotor H, thus rotating the Worms 6 and raising the roller F, the lidsl D and J automatically rising in unison with sai-d o eration. When the roller F has been raise out of pit B, the clutch 31 is thrown ofi', stopping the elevation of' the roller. The ends of ropes K are now carried over the pulleys 45 and acrossthe diamond A'and hooked into the eyelets 52 on the free edge of the cover G. The sprocket 20 is now thrown into engagement with the sprocket 17 by means of lever 23 and the roller F and its drums 11 started to rotate in the direction required to unwind the cover G. As the cover (i unwinds the pull ropes K are'iwound up on the drums '11,

-' thus drawing the cover tautly over the dia mond A. When the cover has beenunwound sufficiently to cover the diamond A,

the sprocket 2O is shifted out of engagement with the sprocket 17, thus causing the roller F and drums 11 to reni-ain stationary and holding the cover snugly stretched over the diamond. When it is desired to remove the cover, the roller F and drunis 11V are caused to rotate in the opposite direction, winding up the cover aiid unwinding the pull ropes K, thus permitting the cover to be withdrawn across the diamond A and to be stored on the roller F. The ends of the pull ,ropes are then disengaged from the edge of the cover G and coiled up in the pit .I and the bracketsd swung down into said pit, as shown in Fig. 8. The worms 6 are their rotated in the opposite direction to that described above, resulting in lowering the roller F and the cover down into the pit B and closing the lids D and J.

As another method of raising and lowering the lid D, I may provide the brackets E and E', as shown in connection with bracket l" in Fig. 7, with cams 53 which contact with the lid D and raise the same whenthe roller F is raised and permit said lid to descend and close whenl sa id roller is depressed.

I prefer to provide a pit for my cover roller and raise and lower the same therein in Isubstantially the manner described, but ifdesired, the roller may be mounted above ground in some protected spot. such as under the grandstand, in which case I may omit the mechanism for raising and lowering. However, 1n such case my arrangement of pull rope pulleys mounted 'on swinging supports contained in a pit'provided with a cover will be found to be very useful.v

l/Vhat I- desire to claim is':- .y 1 The combination of' a field cover, a`

roller upon which 4the saine nia)1 he wound,

drums rotating in unison with said roller, v

pull ropes wound onsaid drains in suchsafj manner as to unwindwvhile said cover is being rolled up'and vice versa, .saidfropes extendingl under the field to the opposite side thereof, the said opposite side of the field being provided with a pit, pulleys mounted in said pit and adapted to be raised out of the same when in use and to be concealed in the saine when notinr use over which said ropes may be passed to he attached to the free edge of the cover, whereby the rotation of the roller in one direction roller withdraws said cover and rolls the same up on' said roller, and a lid adapted to close said pit when said pulleys are not in use.

Q. In combination with a playing field' provided with a pit, a cover for said field, a roller for said cover mounted in said pit, means for raising said roller out Aofsaid pit when said cover is to be used, and means for rotating said roller.

v 3. In combination, with a playing field provided with a pit, a cover for said field, a roller for said cover mounted in said pit, means for raising said roller out of said pit when said cover is to be used, means' for rotating said roller, and a lid adapted to close said pit when said cover is not in use.

for rotating said roller, a lid adapted to close said pit and means whereby when' said roller is raised said lid is autoi'natically opened and when said roller is lowered saidvk lid is automatically closed.

5. In combination with a playing field provided with pits, a cover for said field, a. roller for said cover mounted in one o't' said pits, means for raising said roller out of said pit when said cover is to he used, means for rotating said roller, drums rotating in unison with said roller, pull ropes wound on said drums in such a manner as to unwind while said cover is wound upA and vice versa, said ropes extending under said field to a sec-ond pit., pulleys over which said ropes may be passed to be attached to the free edge of said cover whereby the rotation of the roller in one direction unrolls and stretches said cover over the field while the opposite rotation of said roller with draws said cover andtrolls the same up on said roller, extensible supports for said ul- Signed' at Pittsburgh, Penna., this 22nd leys in said second pit whereby said pul eys day of February, 1913.

may besunk into said second pit when not LEID P DEER in use, lids for said pits, and means whereby when said roller is raised said lids are Witnesses:

automatically opened and when said roller W. S. WALSH, is lowered said lids are automatically closed. R. F. DILWORTH.

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