US2205398A - Court - Google Patents

Description

J 25 1940 H. B. EATON. 2D `une COURT ts-Sheet l Filed Feb. 20, 1935 3 Shee June 25, 1940. H. B. EATON. 2D

..3 Sheets-Sheet 2 COURT Filed Feb. 20, i955 June 25, 1940. H. B. EATON, 2D

2,205,398 COURT Filed Feb. 20, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IGH@ lNveN-roR /6 Aff/wwf 5 E770/V' l ATTORN EY Patented June 2.5, 1940 STATES rrsNr QF COURT Application February 20, 1935, Serial No. '7,327

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to a court, to the deck and Wall structure used therein, and to the method of making the same.'- More particularly the invention relates to a court having prefabri cated deck and wall structure and to the method of making the prefabricated unit.

Prior to my invention various games have been played upon smooth courts requiring a smooth surface which Will not interfere with the play, either by injury to the players' feet or by tripping the player, by producing irregular or freak rebounds of the ball or other playing piece from going to far afield if it should be missed by one of the players the court is ordinarily partially or j entirely surrounded by a back stop or Wall .which is preferably openvvork so as to permit free passage of Wind and light therethrough.

Prior to my invention such courts have com monly been made by leveling and compacting the earth or by forming a hard surface thereon such as asphalt or concrete which will provide a permanently level rebound and playing surface and then erecting a net around the court to serve `as a backstop. The building of the court in this way is both difficult and expensive, especially if the surface is made oi asphalt or concrete; and if the surface is of compacted earth or clay it requires constant attention to keep it level and in conditionfor play, and furthermore cannot be used except when the ground is dry.

It is one object of my invention to provide for the use of wood for such courts. As compared with concrete, asphalt and even rolled clay the Wood yields resiliently to the step of the players,

, and thus is much easier on their feet, relieving them from one of the prime sources of tiring. This difference has been noticed by many players, especially between sod or lawncourts and hard surfaced courts; but lav/n courts have the disadvantage of not being perfectly smooth so that the surface may interfere with the rebound. Contrasted to this, wood may provide the most perfect rebound surface of any of the materials available for use in courts.

I do not claim to be the rst tol have tried wooden courts, but by my invention I'utilize more fully the advantagesl of and eliminate the disadvantages heretofore experienced with wood in such use.

An object of my invention is to provide aY court construction which can be prefabricated at the mill and easily erected or dismantled in any desired location, which will be relatively inexpensive, which will be superior for all playing purposes and which can be used under any and all Weather conditions. It is also an object ci my invention to provide an improved deck construction for general use Whenever a Wooden or similar deck is suitable, an improved Wall construction and in improved method by which walls can be constructed with iiexible material held taut by a frame.

ln the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention by Which these objects may be achieved and certain inodiiications thereof. These are given for purposes of illustration in order that the invention may be more readily understood and applied by those skilled in the art, and are not to be taken as in any Way limiting the invention to the forms shown in the drawings.

Figure l is a perspective view of a court em# bodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a partial longitudinal sectional view of the court shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is" a fragmentary plan view of one side panel before erection.

Fig, 3a is a fragmentary plan View of a panel similar to that shown in Fig. 3, but using a different type of Wire mesh.

Figure 4 is a plan view partly broken away of the deck used in the court of Figure l;

Figure 5 isf a fragmentary elevation of section of the court.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal vsection similar to Figure 2 but on a larger scale and with central portions broken away. Thisy section is taken on. line 6-6 of Figure '7.

Figure '7 isa cross-section taken at the corner of the court just above the deck taken `on line 'i-l of Figure 6. l

Figure 8 is a fragmentary elevation taken at the bottom and end of Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section through a sleeper oi' the deck showing a modified'construc tion.

Figure l0 is a perspective view of a modified fastening means with its central portion broken away. y Referring to the drawings, I have shown in Figure 1 a perspective on a small scale of a court. constructed according to my invention, having a deck I0 and sidewalls I'i. The deck as more clearly shown in Figures 2, 4 and 6 is constructed of sleepers- I2 which may for example be `8 X 8 timbers and which may be heldoi the ground by Vconcrete blocks 3l! positioned so that the sleepers I2 lie level upon them.

On these sleepers ,e are positioned panels `it consisting of parallel boards or short planks l5 the net spaced a short distance from one another to provide for drainage and air circulation and held together by battens or cross members I6 which are nailed or screwed or otherwise secured to the surface boards or planks I5, from the bottom so that no nails or other fastening means are present on the upper surface to work loose and trip or injure the feet of the players or interfere with the rebound of the playing pieces.

The end of the panels and preferably the end of each board therein may be secured to the sleepers I2 as shown for example in Figure 7 and this fastening should be by means of screws 3'I or other means which will not work loose and above the surface of the panels. In Figures 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8, I have shown each panel with two battens I6 between the ends. One of these battens is spaced farther from the adjacent end than the other, the difference being at least as great as the width of the batten and the end of each batten extends beyond the sides of the panel. In this way the end of each batteri extends under the adjoining panel, and the4 panels thus are interlocked and held flush at the playing surface.

As shown in Figures 6 and 7 the ends of the panel board are screwed to the sleepers, and the battens I 6 are positioned intermediate between the sleepers. If battens are placed at or close to the end of the panels, they may themselves rest upon the sleepers and serve not only to tie the ends of the panel boards I5, but also to secure them to the sleepers. This is shown for example in Figure in which the battens I6 lie on the tcp of the sleeper I2. The battens are nailed to the panel board I5 from the bottom and thus the nails I9 are securely held against working loose by the sleeper I2. The battens I6 are secured to the sleeper lI2 by screws or nails 20 inserted between the panel boards I5 as shown.

In Figure 10, I have illustrated a stamped metal strip which may replace the batten I6 and the nails and screws I9 and 20. In this case a metal strip I6a serves as the hatten and from this prongs Illa are stamped outand upwardly and prongs 20a are stamped out and turned downwardly. These strips are preferably used with panels having intermediate battens I6 (which may also be similar to the battens I 6a, but would preferably have only the turned up prongs Ict) which serve not only to hold the panel boards flush between the sleepers I2, but also to hold the panels before they are assembled into the deck. In assembling the deck with these modifled battens I6a, after the sleepers have been laid in position the strips IISa may be laid along the top of the sleepers and the prongs 26a. then driven into the sleepers I2. The panels I44 may then be laid onto the sleepers so that each board rests upon one of the prongs Illa and the boards then driven onto these prongs so as to be secured thereby exactly as they vwould be secured by the nails I9 and the nails or screws 20 as shown in Figure 9.

As shown in Figure 6 the abutting ends of the boards I5 are preferably cut back slightly on an oblique angle from top to bottom. This expedient I have found serves to prevent small stones, etc. from becoming wedged between the ends and loosening the fastening means by serving as a fulcrum to pry the boards apart when 'they are sprung by the weight of the players. With the ends cut back, as shown, any pieces small enough to pass between the ends of' the boards will be readily accommodated in the wider space near the bottom and consequently will not have any serious effect upon the boards or their fastenings.

The back stops in this preferred embodiment of my invention are also secured to the sleepers I2 and are also erected from prefabricated units or panels.

As shown, each'panel consists of a frame and a facing of netting stretched over the frame. The frame, as shown, has side members 25, top and bottom members 26 and bracing struts 2'I. The netting 28 is stretched over this frame and drawn onto the sides where it is tacked.

In order to hold the netting more securely and to provide a smooth continuous, surface at the joints between adjacent panels I prefer to bevel one side of each frame member as shown for example in Figure 7. A complementary strip 30 is fitted over this beveled portion after the Wire has been secured in place and this strip is then secured to the corresponding frame member. A most satisfactory way of achieving this result is to use frame members of rectangular cross section, but to saw one corner off on an angle, leaving a complementary strip which after the mounting of the netting 28 may be secured again in its original position. 'I'he saw kerf is of substantially the same Width as the thickness of the netting so that the surface of the strip 30 will necessarily be flush with and level from the corner of the frame member which establishes the plane of the netting between frame members.

The design of this panel is intended to fit it for use in games where the ball or other playing piece is played after rebound from the back stop. In order to achievethis purpose it is necessary that the netting 28 should at all times be held taut so that it will constitute a substantially plane and uniform surface. This I have achieved in the present invention partially by making the back stop of relatively narrow panels and partially by novel features of the design of these panels. By using prefabricated panels it is possible to stretch the netting uniformly by mill apparatus and Ato apply it in such uniformly stretched condition. By making relatively narrow panels irregularities in the netting itself may readily be taken up by stretching and this is facilitated if a diamond mesh or other type of netting having the strands running in zigzag through the fabric is used, e. g., as shown at 28a in Fig. 3a.. The stretching of such zigzag strands tends to stretch the fabric in both directions so that even with somewhat irregular stretching and fastening at spaced points, the stretch will be distributed throughout the area of the netting and a uniform result thus obtained.

An important and novel feature of these panels as shown for example in Figure 3 is that the frame members 25 and 26 are sprung inwardly slightly and held in this position while the netting is being applied. The netting is then secured` to the panel frame in this condition with as full and uniform stretching as is possible and the frame members then released. Upon release the frame members of course tend to again assume a straight condition, and due to their resiliency will hold the netting taut and straight at all times. Furthermore, since the back stop is made by bolting these panels together, the bolts 38 as shown in Fig. 7 may be used to draw the bowed members 25 back into line, if their own resiliency is not sufficient to adequately stretchv the netting.

As already stated the back stop is erected by bolting the side frame members 25 of adjacent 76? panels together and securing the wall thus constructed to the playing deck I0.

If desired, the construction may be made more rigid by bolting the top frame member 26 to a top rail 32. This top rail may also serve to draw the sprung member 2S back into line and thereby further to stretch the netting.

The corner pests 33 connect the top rails 32 and thus make a rigid and self-sustaining wall.

The bottom frame members 26 may be simi larly bolted to a bottom rail or directly to the boards I5 of the deck ID. I prefer, however, to use an anchor and brace members 35-35 as shown for example in Figures 6, 7 and 8.

The anchor member 35 as shown, is comprised of a metal strip or plate screwed or otherwise secured to the outer side of the frame members 26 of adjacent screen panels and either to the deck panels I4 or to the sleepers I2. The lower ends of these plates 35 may be straight and.

screwed flat against the sleeper as shown at the sides of the court in Figures 6, 7 and 8, or bent under the floor panels as shown at the ends of the court.

In Fig. 5, I have. shown a portion of the court structure in which the net posts 39 are mounted. As shown in this gure the posts 39 are secured by means of lag screws 4U to special cross members 4I which in turn are secured in any suitable manner to the sleepers I2.

In the accompanying drawings and in the above specification I have attempted only to describe a preferred embodiment of my invention and various modifications thereof and the principles involved therein in such a way that those skilled in the art may apply my invention to any given conditions and requirements. I have not attempted to mention exhaustively all of the various modifications which are known to me, but I believe that in the light of the above specification and the accompanying drawings, all of these and others will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and that numerous changes and modifications will therefore be made in applying my invention to various conditions. All of these are of course to be included within the scope of the present application.

I claim:

1. A portable playing court comprising support members spaced a distance greater than two and less than seven feet, separable deck members mounted thereon adapted to spring slightly between said support members under the step of a man, a vertical wall securedand braced on said support members and comprising vertical panels secured together and iiush at their inner surfaces, said panels comprising peripheral frames and wire netting stretched across the face of the frame and secured on the sides thereof, said netting being sufiiciently small mesh and suliiciently tightly stretched so that a ball rebounds therefrom substantially along the plane of its incident night as if rebounded from a rigid surface.

2. A playing court as defined in claim 1 in which the peripheral frames of the vertical panels are beveled toward their outer edges and -leveled by a complementary strip secured thereover which serves at once to clamp the netting and to provide a level rebound surface at the edge of said panel.

3. A panel adapted for use in an enclosure such as a playing court and the like which comprises a peripheral frame and netting stretched thereon, the frame comprising members substantially rigid but capable of slight elastic flexing, said members being secured together near their ends and being flexed slightly inward whereby to exert elastic tension on the netting to hold it taut and the netting being composed of zig-Zag strands, whereby a stretching in either direction or at any point will tend to take up any slack even though such stretching is not directly applied in line with the slack.

4. A panel as defined in claim 3 in which the frame members are beveled toward the outside and a complementary strip is secured thereon and over the netting whereby to clamp the netting securely to the frame and to provide a surface substantially flush and continuous with the plane of the netting within the frame.

5. A panel adapted for use in an enclosure such as a playing court and the like which comprises aperipheral frame comprising members beveled toward the outer edgeand having the netting secured thereon, and complementary strips secured thereon so as to clamp the netting between said strips and said members and to provide a iiat surface substantially continuous with the plane of the netting between the strips.

' 6. An enclosure comprising a plurality of panels substantially as defined in claim 5 secured together in flush relation whereby to provide an easily erected upward wall having a substantially true and continuous plane surface.

7. An enclosure comprising a plurality of panels substantially as defined in claim 3, their 'side frame members being drawn' together in substantially flush relation whereby to tend to pull the frame members back into line and thereby to stretch the netting taut and form an openwork wall having a substantially plane and continuous surface from which balls will rebound in a substantially predictable manner.

HENRY B. EATON, II.

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