U.S. patent number 3,869,118 [Application Number 05/342,954] was granted by the patent office on 1975-03-04 for device for protecting coverings of inflatable tennis halls.
Invention is credited to Vladimir Kranz.
United States Patent |
3,869,118 |
Kranz |
March 4, 1975 |
DEVICE FOR PROTECTING COVERINGS OF INFLATABLE TENNIS HALLS
Abstract
This invention describes a device for protecting coverings of
inflatable halls, particularly inflatable tennis halls (covered
tennis courts) from mechanical damages, which coverings are
provided on the inner hall side in the range in which hit tennis
balls might possibly strike on the covering wall. The protective
device is a resilient skirt mounted on stands, which extends at a
spacing parallel to the inner hall wall and is of a height up to
which tennis balls can be expected to impact in play an unprotected
covering.
Inventors: |
Kranz; Vladimir (Munich,
DT) |
Assignee: |
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Family
ID: |
25762954 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/342,954 |
Filed: |
March 20, 1973 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Mar 24, 1972 [DT] |
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2214505 |
Aug 2, 1972 [DT] |
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2238037 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
472/94;
473/490 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04H
15/22 (20130101); E04H 3/14 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
E04H
15/20 (20060101); E04H 15/22 (20060101); E04H
3/14 (20060101); A63b 061/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;272/3
;273/29R,95H,29B,29BA,29BB,29BC,29BD,29BE,29BF,29BG ;256/12.5,19,24
;52/2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
"Tennis Back-Stop Nets," 1942 Tennis and Sports Nets, R. J. Ederer
Co., p. 6..
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Primary Examiner: Pinkham; Richard C.
Assistant Examiner: Stouffer; R. T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hauke, Gifford, Patalidis &
Dumont
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In combination with an inflatable structure to be used to cover
a tennis court, said structure having substantially vertical side
walls and a base; said base including said tennis court positioned
thereon, said court being provided with end boundaries and side
boundaries, said court being further provided with a net structure
positioned across the center thereof; in addition to said net
structure, a plurality of protection devices which are positioned
around at least some of the boundaries of said tennis court each of
said protection devices comprising a plurality of stands mounted to
said base at a distance spaced inwardly from said side walls toward
said court and a resilient skirt mounted on said stands
disconnected from and spaced from said side walls and substantially
parallel thereto, said skirt having a height sufficient to
ordinarily protect said side walls from tennis balls being hit
thereagainst.
2. The combination as claimed by claim 1, in which said skirt
mounted on said stands is arranged in front of each of said side
walls.
3. The combination as claimed by claim 1, in which said skirt is
suspended on the stands.
4. The combination as claimed by claim 1, in which the skirt is
disposed behind the ends only of said tennis court.
5. The combination as claimed by claim 1, in which the skirt
contacts said base.
6. The combination as claimed by claim 1, in which the height of
the skirt is adjustable by adjusting the stands.
7. In combination with an inflatable structure to be used to cover
a tennis court, said structure having substantially vertical side
walls and a base; stands mounted to said base at a distance spaced
inwardly from said side walls toward said court and a resilient
skirt mounted on said stands disconnected from and spaced from said
side walls and substantially parallel thereto, said skirt having a
height sufficient to ordinarily protect said side walls from tennis
balls being hit thereagainst, said skirt being a continuous
material web.
8. The combination as claimed by 7, in which the material web is a
foil.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known in connection with inflatable halls used as covered
tennis courts to design the covering that envelops the inside of
the hall in such a manner that a meshed foil is welded to the
covering foil in the wall region extending upwardly from the hall
base and against which tennis balls might possibly strike, in order
to reinforce the covering material in this region and to prevent
piercing of the covering. However, it is not only expensive to
weld-on such a meshed foil, but it is always necessary to repeat it
when the covering foil is worn and must be replaced by a new one.
Moreover, it has turned out that when tennis balls strike the
meshed foil with great impetus, the covering material is exposed to
comparatively high shock loads inspite of a protection by the
meshed foil, which can lead to damages on the covering
material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These difficulties in the prior art devices are overcome in this
invention by providing a protective device which is a resilient
skirt mounted on stands and extended at a spacing parallel to the
inner hall wall and up to a height to which tennis balls can be
expected to impact in play an unprotected covering.
The attachment of the impact skirt which may also be a net which,
according to one embodiment of the invention, consists of meshed
wire, on individual stands provides the advantage that the
protective device can be mounted at a desired location on the hall
base independently of the construction of the hall. Instead of
meshed wire however, a continuous material web is also suited, such
as a cloth.
The impact skirt prevents the hit tennis balls which usually have
relatively high kinethic energy from contacting the relatively
sensitive covering foil, and it simultaneously prevents tennis
balls contacting it from rebounding into the court. The protective
device can be arranged in front of each of the hall walls, but the
two court end walls are the most important ones. Furthermore, the
stands on which the skirt is mounted for instance by means of
suspension can also be anchored in the hall base if this is
necessary.
The object of this invention is therefore to provide a protective
device against mechanical damage of the covering foil by tennis
balls, by which not only the production of the inflatable hall is
considerably simplified compared to the use of meshed foils and by
which a better protection from damages by hit tennis balls can be
attained than is possible with the aid of welded-on meshed foil,
but which can be mounted also independently of the covering
wall.
A further object is to provide a protective device the height of
which can be adjustable, in order to thus provide a possibility to
arrange the skirt at various levels as required. An additional
object is to provide the stands on which the skirt is mounted with
means to mutually support the stands so that they are also
supported against the hall base by lateral or rear supports which
prevent them from tipping over.
These and other objects will be apparent from the following
description taken in conjunction with the attached drawings, in
which shows:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 a cross-sectional view of an inflatable hall with a
protective device according to the invention arranged at the front
face, and
FIG. 2 a partial longitudinal section of the hall as shown in FIG.
1, from which the arrangement of the protective device at the hall
end can be seen .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
As shown by the FIGS. 1 and 2 the inflatable hall 1 that is under
inside positive pressure comprises covering 2, which is anchored in
per se known manner laterally in the base 3.
A blower which is not shown maintains the positive hall
pressure.
A protective device 4 is installed transversely to the longitudinal
hall direction behind each court end, said device consisting of
stands 6 arranged at a spacing adjacent one another and of a
skirt-like material web 5 secured to the stands, the other rim of
which extends approximately to the height, which it is expected
that tennis balls hit beyond the court end will reach. The stands 6
are mounted on the hall base 3 and can be anchored in the base by
suitable means or can be supported against the hall base with the
aid of supports mounted laterally and at the rear, so that they
will not tip over when balls strike the skirt 5. The skirt 5 can be
mounted on the stands in such a manner that it depends down to the
hall base 3, so that balls rolling beyond the court edge cannot
roll behind the skirts.
The balls striking the skirt pass their energy of motion entirely
onto the skirt without any forces whatever being transmitted in
that regard to the covering 2 of the hall, because neither the
stands nor the skirt are in communication with the covering. After
striking the skirt, the balls drop down on the skirt without
rebounding into the court, because the limp skirt is not capable of
transmitting impact forces to the balls striking it.
The spacing of the stands 6 from the net 7 is selected such that a
distance in accordance with regulations is maintained between the
stands and the inner side of the covering. The height of the stands
can be adjustable by conventional adjustable means in order to
thereby be able to adapt the skirt height to the maximum height at
which balls are expected to strike. The skirt itself can either be
a continuous material web, i.e., a cloth-reinforced foil, or it can
also be a net consisting e.g., of meshed wire.
A protection device of this kind cannot only be arranged at the
front ends of the court, but also longitudinally of the court
edges, so that then the hall covering surrounding the court is
entirely covered by protection devices of this type.
This application is intended to cover variations, uses or
adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles
of the invention and including such departures from the present
disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to
which the invention pertains, and as fall within the scope of the
invention or the limits of the appended claims.
* * * * *