U.S. patent application number 13/628083 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-28 for artificial turf cover.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hinspergers Poly Industries Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Hinspergers Poly Industries Ltd.. Invention is credited to Peter Hinsperger.
Application Number | 20130079181 13/628083 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47911910 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130079181 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hinsperger; Peter |
March 28, 2013 |
ARTIFICIAL TURF COVER
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed to, in combination, a
protective cover in juxtaposition with artificial turf, the
protective cover permitting air and water to pass through the
protective cover and reduce bacteria growth and viruses in
artificial turf while permitting dissipation of heat from
artificial turf and to protect artificial turf and markings or
indicia thereon from sunlight, frost, snow and ice. The protective
cover includes a structure of at least one layer of an open mesh
weave of thermoplastic material in which the weave has warp and
weft strips forming a thin substantially uniform layer having
opposed major surfaces and openings therein to permit moisture and
air to pass therethrough, and a layer of lace coating on at least
one of the major surfaces, the layer of lace coating only partially
covering a portion of at least one major surface.
Inventors: |
Hinsperger; Peter;
(Mississauga, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hinspergers Poly Industries Ltd.; |
Mississauga |
|
CA |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hinspergers Poly Industries
Ltd.
Mississauga
CA
|
Family ID: |
47911910 |
Appl. No.: |
13/628083 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
473/504 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63C 19/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
473/504 |
International
Class: |
A63C 19/12 20060101
A63C019/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 27, 2011 |
CA |
2753555 |
Claims
1. A protective cover in juxtaposition with an artificial turf,
comprising: a structure of at least one layer of an open mesh weave
of thermoplastic material in which the open mesh weave has warp and
weft strips forming a thin substantially uniform layer having
opposed major surfaces and openings therein to permit moisture and
air to pass therethrough; and a layer of lace coating on at least
one of the major surfaces, the layer of lace coating only partially
covering a portion of the at least one major surface, wherein air
and water passes through the protective cover and reduces bacteria
growth and viruses in the artificial turf while permitting
dissipation of heat from the artificial turf and protects the
artificial turf and markings or indicia on the artificial turf from
sunlight, frost, snow and ice.
2. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the
protective cover has a thickness of between 1 to 20 mils.
3. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the lace
coating covers between 5% to 60% of one of the major surfaces.
4. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the warp and
weft strips are formed of a polyolefin.
5. The protective cover according to claim 4, wherein the
polyolefin is polyethylene and the lace coating is a polyethylene
compatible with the polyolefin.
6. A method for protecting artificial turf, comprising: placing a
protective cover over the artificial turf, wherein the protective
cover comprises at least one layer of an open mesh weave of
thermoplastic material in which the open mesh weave has warp and
weft strips forming a thin substantially uniform layer having
opposed major surfaces and openings therein to permit moisture and
air to pass therethrough, and placing a layer of lace coating on at
least one of the major surfaces, the layer of lace coating only
partially covering a portion of the at least one major surface.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the protective cover
has a thickness of between 1 to 20 mils.
8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the lace coating covers
between 5% to 60% of one of the major surfaces.
9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the warp and weft
strips are formed of a polyolefin.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the polyolefin is
polyethylene and the lace coating is a polyethylene compatible with
the polyolefin.
11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the protective cover
is in juxtaposition with the artificial turf.
Description
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a protective cover for artificial
turf.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Artificial turf is used for various types of playing fields,
such as for football, soccer or the like. It also finds use in
other applications such as parks or the like.
[0003] Artificial turf is generally made from synthetic materials
and structurally it is normally comprised of a base material with
filaments or strands of material (normally polymeric) standing
upwardly from the base. There are several different types of known
structures of artificial turf; today such artificial turf in later
generations of the same have a somewhat compressive base material
with the strands or filaments projecting from the base. One
particular type of artificial turf utilizes a substrate composed of
e.g. sand with the turf itself including a sand and rubber
polymeric mixture. The typical life expectancy of artificial turf
used in playing fields and parks is about eight to ten years.
[0004] One of the problems with known synthetic artificial turf
materials, when formed into a layer applied to a substrate, for use
in playing fields or parks, is the fact that the artificial turf
normally carries indicia or markings particularly when used as a
playing field for e.g. football or soccer. Such indicia or markings
in the case of e.g. a football field include stripes of painted or
applied material providing markings for yardage measurements; as
well, designs marking the center of the field on the artificial
turf are employed to provide visual identification of different
indicia.
[0005] Issues have arisen with the use of artificial turf relating
to the dissipation of heat from the artificial turf structure which
involves the fact that sunlight will tend to fade or reduce the
visibility of the markings or indicia from the surface of the
artificial turf. In addition, sunlight will fade and weaken the
filaments or strands of the artificial turf, thus reducing the life
expectancy of the artificial turf. Further, high surface
temperatures can be reached on artificial turf playing fields and
parks, much higher than natural grass playing fields and parks
under the same conditions. These high surface temperatures reduce
the time to cause injury to skin, thus putting at risk the safety
of persons using the artificial turf playing fields and parks.
Moreover, during the course of rain falling on the artificial turf,
and with drainage occurring and passing through the layer of
artificial turf, this will permit the rain to remove contaminants
to be dissipated into the substrate. Notwithstanding that, problems
can still arise with the artificial turf structure including
bacteria growth and viruses in the artificial turf. In addition,
contamination by e.g. animals, bird droppings, etc. can occur and
as well, bacteria and viruses can arise from the fact that the
artificial turf is contacted by humans--and the turf may develop
bacteria or viruses from blood, perspiration or for other general
environmental reasons. Abrasive surfaces on artificial turf playing
fields and parks can result in difficult to heal injuries,
particularly in the presence of bacterial or viral pathogens. There
have been cases of near-fatal bacterial infections from injuries
that have occurred on artificial turf playing fields. Abrasive
artificial turf has been found to be the cause of several cases of
near-fatal methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
infections in athletes. MRSA is a type of drug-resistant bacteria
that has become increasingly common among healthy athletes because
of frequent person-to-person contact. It has been found that
athletes who have sustained turf burns on highly abrasive
artificial turf playing fields are more likely to contract an MRSA
infection because, when left uncovered, the wounds caused by the
artificial turf abrasions allow the MRSA pathogen to be passed from
one athlete to another in close contact, as well as in other ways
such as sharing towels or in a locker room or shower. This is
highly undesirable from a sanitation point of view and it would be
desirable to provide some means to reduce contamination and
bacterial growth and viruses in the artificial turf. Further,
frost, snow and ice can be a problem with artificial turf since in
some geographical locations frost, snow and ice can cause damage to
the filaments or strands of the turf. Such damage can include the
tips of the filaments or strands becoming brittle and breaking
off.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] With the present invention, applicant has developed a
protective cover for use with artificial turf; more particularly,
according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
in combination, a protective cover in juxtaposition with artificial
turf, the protective cover permitting air and water to pass through
the protective cover and reduce bacteria growth and viruses in the
artificial turf while permitting dissipation of heat from the
artificial turf and to protect the artificial turf and markings or
indicia on the artificial turf from sunlight, frost, snow and ice.
The protective cover comprises a structure of at least one layer of
an open mesh weave of thermoplastic material in which the weave has
warp and weft strips forming a thin substantially uniform layer
having opposed major surfaces and openings therein to permit
moisture and air to pass therethrough, and a layer of lace coating
on at least one of the major surfaces, the layer of lace coating
only partially covering a portion of the at least one major
surface. By permitting moisture such as rain to pass through the
protective cover, a reduction in contamination and bacterial growth
and viruses in the artificial turf is achieved. Thus, the
protective cover of the present invention will not add to any
contamination or bacterial or viral issues since passage of the
rain through the protective cover will tend to "wash" the
artificial turf and remove any contaminants or bacterial or viral
issues through to the substrate. The open mesh weave also permits
heat on the surface of the playing field or park and the artificial
turf to dissipate through the fabric. The colour of the warp and
weft strips may be selected to help burn off frost, snow and ice
from the artificial turf and prevent or reduce frost, snow and ice
buildup thereon.
[0007] The warp and weft strips of the protective cover can include
a colouring agent to render the protective cover to have different
properties. For example, if the warp and weft strips are made from
a synthetic material which is black, the protective cover will
block out the sun and thus prevent fading or deterioration of the
markings or indicia on the artificial turf. In this case, in
geographical areas where seasonal frost, snow and ice are present,
the protective cover will also help to burn off frost, snow and ice
from the artificial turf as well as prevent or reduce frost, snow
and ice buildup thereon. Likewise, the layer of lace coating on at
least one of the major surfaces of the protective cover may be
coloured for different purposes--again, the lace coating colouring
can enhance the reduction of light transmission through to the
artificial turf. The choice of colour for the warp and weft strips
as well as the lace coating can vary depending on the properties
that one would impart to the protective cover.
[0008] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the protective cover has a thickness of between 1 to 20 mils.
[0009] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the lace coating covers between 5% to 60% of one of the major
surfaces.
[0010] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the warp and weft strips are formed of a polyolefin. In another
preferred embodiment, the polyolefin is polyethylene and the lace
coating is a polyethylene compatible with the polyolefin.
[0011] In another embodiment of the present invention, there is
provided a novel use of a protective cover structure in which the
use involves utilizing the protective cover for protecting
artificial turf, comprising placing the protective cover over
artificial turf, wherein the protective cover structure comprises
at least one layer of an open mesh weave of thermoplastic material
in which the weave has warp and weft strips forming a thin
substantially uniform layer having opposed major surfaces and
openings therein to permit moisture and air to pass therethrough,
and a layer of lace coating on at least one of the major surfaces,
the layer of lace coating only partially covering a portion of at
least one major surface.
[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the above use, the protective
cover for protecting artificial turf has a thickness of between 1
to 20 mils.
[0013] In a still further preferred embodiment of the above use,
the protective cover includes a lace coating covering between 5% to
60% of one of the major surfaces.
[0014] In another preferred embodiment of the above use, the
protective cover includes warp and weft strips formed of a
polyolefin.
[0015] In yet another preferred embodiment of the above use, the
protective cover includes a cover wherein the polyolefin is
polyethylene and the lace coating is a polyethylene compatible with
the polyolefin.
[0016] In yet another preferred embodiment of the above use, the
protective cover includes a protective cover in juxtaposition with
the artificial turf.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] Having thus generally described the invention, reference
will now be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating a
preferred embodiment and in which
[0018] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective cover used in
the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the structure of the
protective cover showing the scrim comprised of warp and weft
strips without the lace coating; and
[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the protective cover placed in
juxtaposition with an artificial turf substrate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a
protective cover used in the present invention for protecting
artificial turf (illustrated in FIG. 3 and described hereinafter).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protective cover consists
structurally of a scrim layer indicated generally by reference
numeral (16) with opposed major surfaces (22) and (26), and a
discontinuous plastic polymer lace coating (14). Lace coating (14)
is provided, in one embodiment, only on one surface (22) and
comprises a calendared polymeric material in the form of connected
elongated "islands" (14a) of coating material as seen in FIG. 1.
Adjacent islands (14a) are interconnected by strands or small
lengths of coating material (14b) in a random fashion. These
islands (14a) will have varying widths and lengths but in general
the total surface area coverage of the lace coating in the
embodiment illustrated is in the range of 5 to 60% of the surface
on which it is located. Desirably, the overall protective cover is
lightweight and flexible to allow for easy manipulation of the
protective cover (10) over an artificial turf substrate such as
would be found in a playing field.
[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the protective cover material
(including the lace coating layer (14)) is a polyolefin polymer
provided with a suitable colouring agent for reducing the
transparency of the cover material.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 3 showing the present invention, there
is illustrated a synthetic layer of artificial turf indicated by
reference numeral (30) and comprised of conventional material
(actually the artificial turf as illustrated includes an upper
layer (32) of grass-like structure with two underlying layers fixed
thereto indicated by reference numerals (34) and (36)). The
artificial turf (30) is in juxtaposition with a substrate layer
(38) according to conventional standards. On top of the artificial
turf the protective cover of the present invention indicated
generally by reference numeral (40) and as illustrated in FIGS. 1
and 2 is located; FIG. 3 illustrates the protective cover spaced
from the artificial turf for the purposes of illustration only
since the cover (40) would lie normally in juxtaposition with the
upper layer (32) of the artificial turf.
[0024] An associated advantage of the use of the protective cover
for artificial turf is the fact that the protective cover may be
cut or trimmed for specific application to an artificial turf field
or park--for example, a typical football or soccer field would
include structural elements (e.g. goal posts) and the protective
cover may be provided with holes for mounting the protective cover
around goal posts. With the structure of the protective cover,
apertures or openings can be made in the protective cover material
and the protective cover material will not fray due to the
structure of the lace coating over the scrim layer. Furthermore,
artificial turf fields and parks typically cover large areas and
vary in size, making it difficult to cover such fields and parks
with a single protective cover. An advantage of the protective
cover of the present invention is that it may comprise several
smaller sections joined together, for example, with Velcro.TM., a
fastening peg system or other fastening systems. An artificial turf
field or park can therefore be covered in sections, thus
eliminating the need for large protective covers made specifically
for each field or park and making it easier to transport, handle,
install, remove and store the protective cover.
[0025] Having described preferred embodiments it will be understood
that various modifications can be made to the invention as
illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope
thereof.
* * * * *