U.S. patent application number 09/845002 was filed with the patent office on 2001-08-23 for mounting for jumps.
Invention is credited to Beck, Bernd, Beck, Michael, Beck, Volker.
Application Number | 20010016145 09/845002 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7867615 |
Filed Date | 2001-08-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010016145 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Beck, Bernd ; et
al. |
August 23, 2001 |
Mounting for jumps
Abstract
The present invention relates to a mounting for poles of jumps
in equestrian sport, with a dish-shaped pole receiver (10) which is
suspended on a generally vertical rail (1) which is fixed to a
stand, wherein the receiver (10) and the rails (1) can be connected
together by means of headed bolts (15) which extend in slots (3)
from one of the two parts to the other of the two parts, and
wherein the slots (3) have narrow slot parts (4) with a width (B)
corresponding to approximately the width of the bolt shaft (8) of
the headed bolt (15), and which is less than the diameter of the
head (7) of the headed bolt (15), and have a widened part (5) in
the slot through which a head (7) of a headed bolt (15) can be
inserted in order, in this way, to be able to fit the headed bolts
(15) in the slots (3) and be able to lock them by firstly
introducing the head into the widened part (5) and pushing the
shaft (8) into the narrow part (7) of the slot. In order to provide
a mounting with the features described in the introduction, with
which the criteria set out can easily be satisfied, that is to say
which gives way under a pre-determined and relatively low vertical
loading, so that the poles and the pole receivers are released
downwards when this loading is exceeded, wherein destruction of or
damage to the pole mounting is avoided where possible, it is
proposed according to the invention that at the end facing away
from the widened part, the slots are open and in the form of a slot
section (6) which is narrowed further, the width (b) of which is
dimensioned such that the bolt shaft (8) received in the narrow
part (4) of the slot is only moveable into this narrowed section
(6) of the slot and through the open end (3) of the slot by
overcoming a pre-determined force acting in the longitudinal
direction of the slot (3).
Inventors: |
Beck, Bernd; (Mengerskichen,
DE) ; Beck, Michael; (Mengerskichen, DE) ;
Beck, Volker; (Limburg, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Killworth, Gottman, Hagan & Schaeff, L.L.P.
One Dayton Centre, Suite 500
Dayton
OH
45402-2023
US
|
Family ID: |
7867615 |
Appl. No.: |
09/845002 |
Filed: |
April 27, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09845002 |
Apr 27, 2001 |
|
|
|
09309118 |
May 10, 1999 |
|
|
|
6234708 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
403/233 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63K 3/046 20130101;
Y10T 403/7015 20150115; F16B 7/22 20130101; F16B 2200/20 20180801;
Y10S 403/03 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
403/233 |
International
Class: |
B25G 003/00; F16B
007/08; F16B 009/00; F16L 041/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 13, 1998 |
DE |
198 21 398.0 |
Claims
1. Mounting for poles of jumps in equestrian sport, with a
dish-shaped pole receiver (10) which is suspended on a generally
vertical rail (1) which is fixed to a stand, wherein the receiver
(10) and the rails (1) can be connected together by means of headed
bolts (15) which extend in slots (3) from one of the two parts to
the other of the two parts, and wherein the slots (3) have narrow
slot parts (4) with a width (B) corresponding to approximately the
width of the bolt shaft (8) of the headed bolt (15), and which is
less than the diameter of the head (7) of the headed bolt (15), and
have a widened part (5) in the slot through which a head (7) of a
headed bolt (15) can be inserted in order, in this way, to be able
to fit the headed bolts (15) in the slots (3) and be able to lock
them by firstly introducing the head into the widened part (5) and
pushing the shaft (8) into the narrow part (7) of the slot,
characterised in that at the end facing away from the widened part,
the slots are open and in the form of a slot section (6) which is
narrowed further, the width (b) of which is dimensioned such that
the bolt shaft (8) received in the narrow part (4) of the slot is
only moveable into this narrowed section (6) of the slot and
through the open end (3) of the slot by overcoming a pre-determined
force acting in the longitudinal direction of the slot (3).
2. Mounting according to claim 1, characterised in that one or more
headed bolts (15) are firmly connected to the receiver (10).
3. Mounting according to claim 2, characterised in that two bolts
are fitted at a distance apart (a) vertically one below the other
on the rear side of the receiver (10).
4. Mounting according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in
that the rail (1) is configured as an adaptor which on the one hand
is provided with one or more slots for receiving headed bolts which
are arranged on the receiver, and on the other hand is provided
with at least one headed bolt for insertion into slots of a rail
firmly fixed onto a stand, which have no open end.
5. Mounting according to claim 4, characterised in that the adaptor
rail (1) is configured U-shaped or box-shaped in cross-section.
6. Mounting according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that the
distance apart of the headed bolts on the rear side of the adaptor
rail differs from the distance apart of the widened headed bolt
receiver (5) of the slots on the adaptor rail (1).
7. Mounting according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in
that in the rail, in addition to the narrowed slot section,
cut-outs or elongated apertures are provided which facilitate the
elastic widening of the narrowed slot section.
8. Mounting according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in
that the receiver (10) and the rails or adaptor rails (1) are
manufactured from a fibre-reinforced plastics material.
9. Mounting according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in
that the rail (1) provided with an open receiving slot (3) it
fitted to or is configured integrally with an upwardly open slot on
the dish-shaped pole support (10), while the headed bolts are
arranged projecting from a stand or adaptor.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a mounting for poles of
jumps in equestrian sport, with a dish-shaped pole receiver which
is suspended on a generally vertically arranged rail of a stand,
wherein the receiver and the rails are connected together by means
of headed bolts which extend in slots from one of the two parts to
the other of the two parts, and wherein the slots have narrow slot
parts with a width corresponding to approximately the width of the
shaft of the headed bolt, and less than the diameter of the head of
the headed bolt, and have a widened part through which the heads of
the headed bolts can be inserted in order, in this way, to be able
to fit the headed bolts in the slots and be able to lock them by
introducing them into the narrow part of the slot.
[0002] Such pole mountings used for jumps in equestrian jumping
sports have long been known. The poles, generally manufactured from
wood or aluminium, with a diameter in the order of 15 cm, are
placed in the correspondingly concavely configured, dish-shaped
support so that if a horse jumping over the jump hits the poles
horizontally with its hooves, they will be moved forwards or
backwards out of the dish-shaped receiver and fall down. This
happens occasionally during "normal" jumping of a jump when the
horse does not take off ideally such as, for example, taking off
somewhat too shallow, to early or too late, or also hitting the
jump with the rear hooves during jumping.
[0003] Occasionally a jump goes completely wrong, however, if the
horse attempts either to stop in front of the jump at the last
moment, or takes off far too early or far too late, although all of
this may also be caused by mistakes on the part of the rider. In
such cases, the horse may, under certain conditions, enter with its
hooves deep in between the jump poles and may possibly also place a
heavy load on them with the weight of its body and will then
generally slip off the poles. These are relatively dangerous
situations for the horse and rider which carry a considerable risk
of injury.
[0004] In order to avoid this danger, rules have already been
imposed for the suspension of jumps, which, inter alia, provide
that the headed bolts with which the receivers are suspended on the
stands must break or shear at a shearing force of approximately 800
kg. Meanwhile new regulations have also been imposed which instruct
that in future the pole mounting must give way and release the pole
at a vertical loading of only 140 kg.
[0005] A corresponding weakening of the headed bolts on which the
pole receiver is suspended would, however, significantly limit the
serviceability of corresponding receivers, as loadings of 140 kg
can also occur during the handling of the receivers, stands and
jump poles, that is to say, for example, during the assembly and
disassembly of jumps, that is to say not only when a horse jumps or
enters into the jump.
[0006] With respect to the prior art, the object of the present
invention is therefore to provide a mounting with the features
described in the introduction, with which the criteria set out can
easily be satisfied, that is to say which gives way at a
pre-determined and relatively low vertical loading, so that the
poles and the pole receivers are released downwards when this
loading is exceeded, whereby destruction of or damage to the pole
mounting will be avoided as far as possible.
[0007] This object is solved in that at the end facing away from
the widened part, the slots are open and in the form of a slot
section which is narrowed further compared to the narrow slot
section, the width of which is dimensioned such that the bolts or
bolt shafts received in the narrow part of the slot are only
moveable into this narrowed section of the slot and through the
open end of the slot by overcoming the pre-determined force acting
in the longitudinal direction of the slot.
[0008] In contrast to the prior art, in which the headed bolts
engaged in slots closed at both ends so the headed bolts could only
be moved out of the slots by lifting of the heads of the bolts
through the widened part, and not, however, in the longitudinal
direction of the slot, the present invention provides that the
slots receiving the headed bolts are open in the direction of the
vertical loading occurring, but only in the form of a narrowed
section of the slot which is narrower than the shaft of the bolt,
so that under normal loading, that is to say under the weight of
the jump pole and even when a person of normal build sits on the
jump pole, said bolt cannot move into and through this narrow slot
section. Only when a pre-determined loading limit is reached does
the narrowed section of the slot widen out under the force of the
bolt shaft pushing into this section and allow the bolt shaft to
pass through, so the pole mounting is consequently released from
the stand and the pole therefore falls down or is pushed downwards.
In this way, the risk of injury to the horse is reduced, falls can
be more easily avoided, and consequently such a situation is also
less dangerous for the rider.
[0009] The rails or a corresponding section of the rails provided
with the corresponding slots can, in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention, be connected integrally with the pole mounting,
on the side facing away from the dish-shaped pole receiver. The
headed bolts would consequently be arranged on a stand and the slot
would be open upwardly, so the mounting with the rail section
fitted to it would be moved downwards under appropriate loading,
wherein the bolts would be moved upwards, relative to the rail, out
of the slots.
[0010] However, an embodiment of the invention is preferred in
which the flexible connection according to the invention is
effected by means of an interposed adaptor part, namely in that a
conventional rail is used on a stand with a large number of
vertical slots orientated one above another, in which the adaptor
with headed bolts fitted to its rear side can be suspended in the
usual manner at any desired height. The adaptor itself is then
locked in the receiving slots of the stand, like a conventional
pole support. On its side facing towards the pole support, however,
the adaptor is provided with a rail or a rail section with the slot
configuration according to the invention, so again, a conventional
pole support can be suspended in these slots configured according
to the invention of the adaptor.
[0011] The headed bolts are consequently firmly connected to the
pole mounting. With this adaptor construction too, the coordination
of slots and headed bolts could be reversed, in that the adaptor is
provided with one or two headed bolts on its side facing towards
the pole mounting, which in normal conditions of use can engage
with upwardly open slots in a rail firmly connected to the
receiver.
[0012] A headed bolt adaptor can also be used, that is to say a
plate or a small block which has on each side one or, where
necessary because of the dimensions, two or more headed bolts,
wherein the headed bolts on one side could be suspended in a
conventional stand rail, while the other bolt or bolts on the other
side were suspended in rails provided according to the invention
with one or more, in this case upwardly open, slots, on a pole
mounting.
[0013] An embodiment of the invention is particularly preferred in
which two bolts are provided in a mounting, provided at a vertical
distance one above the other, and are fitted in particular onto the
support. The headed bolts arranged one above the other at the same
time in corresponding slots prevent twisting of the mounting or of
the receiver about the axis of the bolt or an axis parallel to the
bolt axis which would be possible if only a single bolt were used.
With this configuration, it is useful, however, when only one of
the two slots in which the headed bolts are received is provided
with the narrowed slot section which widens out at the
pre-determined force of pressure in order to allow the bolt shaft
to pass through, while the other of the two slots is completely
open, that is to say constantly has the width of the narrow slot
section which corresponds to the thickness of the bolt shaft.
[0014] An embodiment of the invention is further particularly
preferred in which the corresponding rail section is provided with
two slots arranged at a vertical distance apart one above the
other, for example on an adaptor, which each have a widened part,
wherein the two widened parts are the same distance apart as the
head of the headed bolts on the corresponding opposite piece, and
wherein the two slots are either connected together by a narrowed
slot section which is narrower than the width of the headed bolt
shafts, or by means of a narrow slot section which corresponds to
this shaft width, wherein in the latter case a corresponding
narrowed, open slot section must be arranged at the end of one of
the two slots opposite the slot connection.
[0015] With the variant in which the two slots are connected
together by means of a narrowed slot section, an embodiment is
furthermore preferred in which parallel and adjacent to the slots,
and in particular adjacent to the narrowed slot section joining the
two slots, additional elongate apertures are provided in the rails
provided with the slots, which increase the elasticity and the
capacity for movement of the walls of the narrowed slot
sections.
[0016] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the rail
provided with the narrowed slot area is manufactured from a
fibre-reinforced plastics material, wherein preferably the pole
receiver is also composed of the same material.
[0017] Further advantages, features and possibilities for
application of the present invention will become apparent from the
following description of a preferred embodiment and the attached
drawings. In these is shown, in:
[0018] FIG. 1 a plan view from the front of a pole receiver,
[0019] FIG. 2 a side view of a pole receiver corresponding to a
view of the receiver according to FIG. 1 from the left,
[0020] FIG. 3 a front view of an adaptor rail,
[0021] FIG. 4 a side view of an adaptor rail with a suspended pole
receiver,
[0022] FIG. 5 a plan view from above of an adaptor rail with a pole
receiver corresponding to a view from above, rotated by 90.degree.,
of FIG. 4,
[0023] FIGS. 6a-c different views and sectional views of an
alternative adaptor rail,
[0024] FIGS. 7a-c a further embodiment for a mounting according to
the present invention, and
[0025] FIGS. 8a-c again, a further embodiment of the present
invention.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a pole receiver 10, which is substantially
composed of a concave supporting dish 12 and a bearing plate 11.
Triangular supports 13 are provided laterally on the vertical
bearing plate 11 in addition for supporting the concave supporting
dish 12, particularly evident in FIG. 2. On the rear side of the
bearing plate 11 two headed bolts 15 are provided vertically one
above another and at a distance apart from one another, which are
substantially composed of a bolt head 7 rounded on its outside, a
bolt shaft 8 narrowed compared to the bolt head 7, and an inner
bolt core 9. With the exception of the bolt core 9, the entire pole
receiver 10 is manufactured in one piece and preferably from a
fibre-reinforced plastics material, wherein the bolt core 9 is of
metal, preferably of steel, and is integrated or embedded into the
plastics material of the receiver. A pre-determined shearing force
is defined for the bolt 15 by the bolt core 9.
[0027] As can be seen, the head 7 of the headed bolt 15 is
configured flat and planar on its side facing towards the shaft,
wherein the planar underside of the head 7 extends perpendicularly
with respect to the bolt axis.
[0028] FIG. 3 shows the front view of an adaptor rail which is
configured U-shaped or H-shaped in cross-section, wherein a
continuous slot 3 in the lower part of the adaptor rail is evident
from the front view, which is composed from two narrow slot parts 4
which are arranged vertically one above the other and aligned with
one another in the longitudinal direction of the rail, have on
their upper ends an approximately circular widened part 5 of the
slot, and are connected together by means of a slot section 6
narrowed further with respect to the narrow slot part 4. The upper
slot is thus composed of a widened part 5 of the slot arranged
right at the top, a narrow slot section 4 following on below it,
and a narrowed slot section 6. following below that, the lower,
open end of which directly merges into the widened part 5 of the
slot arranged below it, below which only one further narrow slot
section 4 follows, which is downwardly, open without any further
narrowing, although in this case too, a further narrowing 6 of the
slot could be provided.
[0029] As is evident in FIG. 4, two headed bolts are again provided
on the rear side of the adaptor rail, which are identical to the
headed bolts of the pole receiver already described with reference
to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 3, the position of these headed bolts and
their individual parts is indicated by dashed lines. The dimensions
of the distance apart of the headed bolts on the rear side of the
adaptor rail 1 is in any case identical with the dimension of the
corresponding slots, closed at their lower end, of the receiving
rails of a stand (at least of the widened parts). Such a receiving
rail, which is not shown here, generally has a large number of
slots arranged vertically below one another in the dimensions
described, which slots differ only from the slot 3 and slot parts
4, 5 in that they are not connected together by means of a narrowed
slot section 6, but instead this narrowed slot section 6 is
replaced by a closed wall.
[0030] The transition from the narrow slot part 4 into the still
narrower slot section 6 can be configured in different ways. It
can, for example, be partly circular, or substantially planar slot
walls inclined towards one another can be provided here. The shaft
cross-section of the bolt does not have to be circular, but instead
can, for example, be matched to the transition described or have a
cross-section independent thereof. The heads of the headed bolts
also do not have to be circular in plan view, but can have any
shape matching the widened part and/or the delimiting slot part 4,
for example be provided in addition with a nose projecting into the
narrow slot, section 4 which imposes a specific relative alignment
between the headed bolt and slot or between the pole receiver and
rail.
[0031] The dimension of the slots and widened slot parts 5 on the
front side of the adaptor rail again corresponds exactly in this
embodiment to the dimension of the headed bolts on the rear side of
the pole receiver, wherein, however, this dimension does not
necessarily have to correspond to the dimension of the headed bolts
on the rear side of the adaptor rail 1. When this dimension is made
to correspond, it has the advantage that any conventional pole
receivers could be used to suspend them in an the adaptor rail
instead of in a stand rail. This should only occur, however, when
the bolt shafts 8 of the headed bolts have an appropriate unit
size, so even when conventional pole receivers are used, the
desired flexibility of the narrowed slot section 6 is provided at
the pre-determined limit of force.
[0032] If, however, this shaft diameter or the forces of friction
between shafts and slot walls varies, it can be more advantageous
to provide a size for the distance between the widened parts 5 on
the rail adaptor and the corresponding distance of the headed bolts
on the rear side of the pole receiver, which differs from the
dimension of the headed bolts 15 on the rear of the receiving rail
and the corresponding dimension of the widened parts on the rails
of a stand so that essentially only the exactly matched pole
receivers 10 and adaptor rails 1 can be used in combination with
one another.
[0033] FIG. 5, which corresponds to a plan view from above of FIG.
4, again shows the U-shaped cross-section of the adaptor rail 1,
which consists of the U-profile 2 on the rear of which two spacer
rails 14 are again moulded or welded. The height of these spacers
14 is measured such that the heads 7 of the headed bolts of the
pole receiver 10 can be received in the intermediate space between
the spacer rails 14 when the heads 7 of the headed bolts 15 on the
rear side of the adaptor rail 1 are suspended in a corresponding
rail of a stand. FIG. 4 clearly shows that the heads 7 of the
headed bolts 15 of the pole receiver 10 do not project over the
rear edge of these spacer rails 14.
[0034] FIGS. 6a to c show a variant 1' of an adaptor rail, which in
the present instance has a box-shaped profile. FIG. 6a shows the
plan view from the front of the adaptor rail 1, analogous to the
plan view according to FIG. 3 of the adaptor rail. 1. As is
evident, in addition to the two receiving slots 4 arranged one
above the other for the headed bolts 15 of a pole receiver 10, two
additional slots or elongated apertures 16 are provided parallel to
the slot section 6, which should facilitate the elastic flexibility
of the narrowed slot section 6 which connects the upper and lower
slot together. The result of this embodiment is that during the
widening of the narrowed slot section 6 by an appropriately loaded
headed bolt shaft, the material of the adaptor rail is stressed
less than could occur in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0035] Moreover, because of its box-shaped cross-section, the
adaptor rail shown in FIGS. 6a-c has the advantage that it can be
manufactured shorter than the rail shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 as the
headed bolts 15 are arranged on the rear side of the adaptor rail
1' on the rear wall of the box profile, and consequently can be
arranged vertically at the same height as the slots provided in the
front wall of the box-shaped profile. The lines of intersection
which show the positions of the section planes shown in FIGS. 6b
and 6c are indicated by dashed lines B-B and C-C.
[0036] FIGS. 7 and 8 each show an embodiment in which the pole
receiver which here is labelled as a whole as 20 and respectively
20', in the form of a piece of rail with a spreadable slot. In
order to also be able to suspend this pole rail on conventional
stands, a headed bolt adaptor 21 and respectively 21' is provided
in each instance. The conventional stands have slots with widened
parts in which the headed bolt adaptor can be suspended with two
headed bolts 15 arranged one above another, which are located on
one side of a plate 17.
[0037] On the opposite side, preferably identical headed bolts 15
are provided at a distance apart which corresponds to the distance
apart of two widened parts 5 of a corresponding rail 18 on a pole
receiver 20 (see FIGS. 7b, 7c). As already mentioned, the distance
apart of the headed bolts 15 on the two sides of the headed bolt
adaptor 21 could be different, wherein the distance apart on the
one side matches the corresponding distances apart of the widened
parts of the slots on a rail, while the distance apart of headed
bolts on the other side should correspond to the distance apart of
the widened parts 5 of the slots on the rail section 18.
[0038] In this case too, the headed bolts do not have an exactly
circular cross-section, but instead a widened part in the direction
of the slot which indicates a specific orientation of the headed
bolt adaptor 21.
[0039] The pole receiver 20 is either configured as flat material
bent in a U-shape, or also can have a box-shaped profile in
cross-section in a manner analogous to FIG. 6c. Appropriate
parallel elongated apertures 16 are then possibly necessary,
however, in order to make possible the widening of the narrowed
slot section 6 with the pre-determined force.
[0040] FIG. 7c shows a section through the pole receiver 20 along
the line C-C in FIG. 6b. As is evident, the configuration of the
slits is practically identical to the configuration of the slots in
the previously described embodiment according to FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0041] The embodiment according to FIG. 8 differs from the
embodiment according to FIG. 7 substantially only in that the pole
receiver 20' is not manufactured bent in a U-shape or as a box
profile, but instead from a planar flat material 18', wherein the
dish-shaped pole support 12 with the braces 13 is offset in the
longitudinal direction with respect to the slots, in order to avoid
any interference between the pole support 12 and the slots and
respectively the headed bolts 15 inserted in the slots, even when
it was possible in principle to configure the entire pole support
such that the slits are arranged above and below the dish-shaped
support 12.
[0042] The headed bolt adaptor 21' differs from the headed bolt
adaptor 21 of FIG. 7 only in having a greater length in order to be
able to offer a supporting surface corresponding to the length of
the rear plate 18', composed of flat material, of the pole receiver
20'. Essentially, however, the adaptors 21 and 21' in the
embodiments of FIGS. 7 and 8 could be interchangeable, or only a
single type of headed bolt adaptor need be provided, for example
the headed bolt adaptor 21', for both variants of pole receivers 20
or 20'.
* * * * *