US974091A

US974091A - Cover for athletic grounds.

Info

Publication number: US974091A
Application number: US52243209A
Authority: US
Inventors: John L O'donnell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1909-10-13
Filing date: 1909-10-13
Publication date: 1910-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1927-10-25

Description

J. L. ODONNELL.

COVER FOR ATHLETIC GROUNDS. APPLIUATION FILED ooT.1s, 19o'9.

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J. L. ODON-NELL. COVER PoR ATHLETIC GROUNDS.

APPLIOATION FILED 0OT.13l 19,09.

974,091. Patented oct.25,19'1o.

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TOI-IN L. ODONNELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

COVER FOR ATHLETIC GROUNDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1910.

Application filed October 13, 1909. Serial No. 522,432.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN L. ODONNELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Covers for Athletic Grounds, of which the following is a specification containing a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

Myinvention relates to improvements in the construction of athletic grounds and a removable cover therefor to protect the ground from rain, the primary object of my invention being to construct drains either around or through an athletic grounds to provide a cover of waterproofmaterial for the grounds and to locate in said drains means for moving said cover either over or off of the grounds and to provide means in some of the drains to secure the margins of the cover opposed to the margins acted upon by the means for moving the cover.

A further obj ect of my invention is to construct a movable cover for the drains which movable cover is provided with an upper face of yielding material.

For the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accomf panying drawings, in which:

Figure 11s a diagrammatical view illustrating the arrangement of my improvedi drains and movable covers therefor as ap-` plied to a base ball diamond; Fig. 2 is an enlarged, longitudinal, sectional elevation through one of the end drains showing the l relative positions of the intersecting drains andthe arrangement of the cover for the diamond as in use; Fig. 3 is a plan of the means whereby the cover is either drawn over the grounds to cover them or drawn over the grounds to uncover them; Fig. 4 is a transverse, sectional elevation through one showing the arrangement of the windingy drums and ropes for drawing the cover over the grounds to cover them; Fig. 6 is a transverse, sectional elevation through one of the side drains, showing the cover completely wound upon the winding shaft and the movable padded cover for the drain in position closing the drain; and, Fig. 7 is a transverse,

sectional elevation through the central drain paralleling the end drain and shows the means whereby Lthe margins of the waterproof cover, opposed to the ends operated upon by the winding means, are secured within the drain.

The drawings represent my improved drains and cover as applied to a base ball diamond, but it is obvious that with slight changes and modifications the same may be applied to any outdoor athletic grounds.

` In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the sidedrains, 2 the central drain paralleling the side drains.

. 3 designates the end drains and t the central drain paralleling the end drains.

As shown in Fig. 2 the surface of the diamond inclines from left to right between the left hand side drain 1 and central drain 2 and between the central drain 2 and right handside drain 1 and all of the drains are of substantially the same depth so that all of the water from the grounds may be conveyed through said drains and carried oft' from the lowermost drain by any suitable means, not shown, such as tiling or the like.

Each of the drains is preferably provided with reinforcing lining which is provided at their upper ends with opposing shoulders 5 and said lining is preferably made. to terminate a slight distance below the ground line. Supported upon and secured to the lining is a pair of yielding strips 6 arranged to be flush with the ground, and, arranged to be supported upon the shoulders 5, is a removable cover 7 having a pad 8 secured thereto, which pad is of sufficient width to engage the inner margins of the strips 6 and is arranged to be flush with their upper faces.

Arranged in the drains l are the

shafts

9 and 10 supported by the standards 11 upon the bottoms of the drains. Arranged to wind upon the shafts 9 are the two flexible waterproof covers 12 of a length sufficient to cover the portions 13 of the diamond, and, arranged upon the shafts 10 are the two ieXible waterproof covers 14 of a length suflicient to cover the portions 15 of the diamond and each of the flexible covers 12 and 14 is of a width suflicient to reach from its winding shaft to the drain 2. Thus it is obvious that there are al'togther four covers, one for each of the portions separated by the cross drains as shown in Fig. 1.

The free margins of each of the flexible covers 12 and 14 are provided with a series of eyelets 16. Secured within the eyelets on the margins of the flexible covers, opposed to the margins wound upon the shafts A9 and 10, are a number of ropes or cables 17.

Arranged within the drain 2 is a plurality of bearings 18 and supported within said bearings are

shafts

19, 20, 21 and 22 and carried by said shafts and secured against rotation thereon, are a series of drums 23, corresponding in number to the ropes 17 and to which the ends of the ropes 17, opposed to their ends secured to the eyelets 16, are secured.

Each of the

shafts

19, 20, 21 and 22 is provided with a gear wheel 24 and meshing therewith are the idle-rs 25 arranged upon the shafts 26, and meshing with the idlers 25 is a pair of gear wheels 27 and 28 arranged upon the shaft 29, and, carried by the shaft 29 is a sprocket wheel 30.

Arranged in the opening 31, which communicates with the drain 2, is a motor 32, and embracing the shaft of the motor is a sprocket wheel 33 which is connected to the sprocket wheel 30 by means of the chain 34 and connecting with the sprocket wheel 33 is a crank arm 35.

Each of the idlers 25 is arranged to slide upon their supporting shafts 26 and arranged adjacent each of the idlers is a lever 36 whereby the idlers 25 may be moved into or out of mesh with the

gear wheels

24 and 27 and 28.

Arranged upon each of the

winding shafts

9 and 10 is a

gear wheel

37 and 38 respectively and meshing therewith are the idlers 39 supported upon the shaft 40 and arranged for moving the idlers 39 longitudinally of the shaft 40 into or out of mesh with the

gear wheels

37 and 38 are the levers 41.

Arranged to mesh wit-h the idlers 39 is a pair of

gear wheels

42 and 43 mounted upon the shaft 44, and, carried by the shaft 44 is a sprocket wheel 45.

Located within the openings 46, communicating with the drains 1, are motors, such as 47, and embracing the shafts of the motors are sprocket wheels such as 48, and embracn ing the wheels 48 and 45 are the sprocket chains 49 and connected with the sprocket wheels 48 are crank arms 50.

To support the

shafts

9 and 10 and the flexible covers 1 2 and 14, carried thereby, inter-mediate their ends, is a series of rollers 51 rotatably carried on the arms 52 which are pivoted within the pockets 53 formed in the side walls of the drain 1. Impinging between the arms 52 and the bottoni of the drain are expansive coil springs 54 of sufficient strength to support the shaftand flexible cover wound thereon.

To provide means whereby the fiexible covers are held to prevent movement in a direction opposed to their winding and unwinding directions, a series of hooks are arranged in the inside walls of the end drains 3 and on each wall of the drain 4 paralleling the end drains, and, are arranged to engage in the eyelets 16. In this manner the flexible cover is secured against being blown from the diamond.

Then it is desired to position the flexible waterproof covers over the diamond the movable padded covers from each of the drains are removed and each of the ropes 17 is unwound from their respective drums 23 and manually drawn and secured to the eyelets 16 in the free margins of the fiexible waterproof covers and the motor 32 is then set in motion and through the medium of the sprocket chain 34 motion is imparted to the gear wheels 27 and 28. The idlers 25 are then brought 'to positions meshing with the gear wheels 27 and 28 and also in mesh with the gear wheels 24 which are secured to the

shafts

19, 20, 21 and 22 which imparts a rotary motion to each of the drums 23, thereby winding each of the ropes 17 and drawing each of the flexible covers to positions covering the athletic ground. And, when in such positions two of their margins are secured beneath the ground line at one end upon the

shafts

9 and 10 and their oppo site margins are secured beneath the ground line by placing the eyelets 16 over the hooks 55 in the end drains 3 and the central drain 4, thereby securely holding them against being blown from the ground surface.

lV hen it is desired to remove the covers from the diamond, the motors 47 are set in motion and through the medium of the sprocket wheels 45 and 48 and sprocket chain 49, the

gear wheels

42 and 43 are rotated and through the medium of the idlers 39 the

gear wheels

37 and 38 are rotated thereby imparting motion to the

shafts

9 and 10 to wind the flexible waterproof covers into positions uncovering the diamond; and when in such positions are wholly beneath the surface of the ground in the drains 1. The ropes 17 are then detached from the eyelets 16 and are wound upon the drums 23 wholly beneath the surface of the ground in the central drain 2.

The padded covers 7 are then placed in positions closing the drains, and by reason of their padded tops 8, they present a surface of substantially the same quality as the ground surface of the diamond.

If, for any reason, the

motors

32 and 47 are temporarily inoperative, the winding shafts for the ropes and flexible covers may be operated manually through the medium of the crank arms and 50, and it is obvious by reason of the arrangement of the idlers for each of the winding shafts, the shafts may be operated separately or collectively.

To persons familiar with outdoor sports, it is known that a great number of scheduled games are postponed on account of wet grounds, due to rains previous to the times of the games.

By the employment of my improved, flexible, waterproof covering for the grounds, it is obvious that the grounds may be protected from such rains previous to the times of the scheduled games, and, that if it is not raining at the appointed time for such games, the games may be played.

I claim:

l. In combination with an athletic grounds having drains and an inclined surface between said drains, winding devices located in said drains, flexible water-proof covers carried by said winding devices and means for actuating the winding devices.

2. In combination with a flexible, waterproof covering for at-hletic grounds, separate means for drawing the cover to positions covering or uncovering the grounds, means for securing the margins against being blown from the grounds, of drains forVY inclosing the ineansj'jlrerby .t re'le'xi-bleA cover-'isrmoi'ied rand for conveying the water from said grounds.

3. In combination with an athletic grounds having drains, of winding devices located in said drains and iexible waterproof covers carried by said winding devices.

4. In combination with an athletic grounds having drains, of winding devices located in said drains, iiexible waterproof covers arranged on said winding devices, and means for actuating the winding devices whereby the covers may be drawn to positions either covering or uncovering the grounds and means for securing the margins of the cover within said drains.

5. In combination with an athletic grounds having drains, provided with movable padded covers, of winding devices located in said drains, a plurality of iiexible waterproof coverings arranged on said winding devices, means whereby the winding devices may be moved either separately or collectively for drawing the flexible covers to positions either covering or uncovering the grounds and means for securing all of the margins of all of the flexible covers beneath the ground surface and in said drains.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHNpIi. A*QDHQI TI\ELL. 'waaesss if' H. Gr. FLETCHER, E. E. LONGAN.