Amusement devices – Surface or enclosure for athletic or exhibition event
Utility Patent
1998-08-21
2001-01-02
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices
Surface or enclosure for athletic or exhibition event
C052S006000
Utility Patent
active
06168532
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to a multiple configuration sports/recreation facility, and more particularly, although not exclusively, to such a facility providing a grass playing surface which is removable from a stadium area to a nearby location for maintenance and storage of the grass surface when not in use.
There has been a trend in recent years in sports and recreation facilities to provide at least spectators with an increasing degree of protection from the weather, resulting in turn in an increasing degree of enclosure of a central playing or performance area. This enclosure is inconsistent with the maintenance of grass playing surfaces such as are desirable or acquired for some sports, for example soccer. In general, it has not proved practicable to maintain over long periods a good quality grass playing surface within a stadium having a high degree of enclosure, and thus proposals have been made to provide such a playing surface in a form such that it may be removed from the playing area when not required, and stored in a suitable nearby facility where the grass can be properly maintained. Such an arrangement also has the advantage that, with the grass playing surface removed, the playing area is available for the staging of other types of events. The cost of erecting a modern stadium complex is such that very high utilization is a commercial necessity, which involves in turn the accommodation of many different types of events, for many of which the grass surface will not provide a suitable base. Arrangements providing removable grass surfaces are disclosed for example in WO 92/05690 (The Greenway Services, Inc.), GB 2138690A (Madden) and GB 2290239A (Luton Town Football and Athletic Company Limited). The latter two publications propose the use of air cushions for supporting portions of the playing surface for movement, but implementation of air cushion supports for large areas of playing surface which may present less than absolute rigidity are difficult to implement. On the other hand a rail based system for installing and removing the grass has the disadvantage that the rails must be covered before the playing area from which the grass has been removed can be used for any other purpose. Moreover, rails or other wheel based systems tend to impose concentrate loadings both on the base of the playing area and within the structures supporting the playing surface.
In order to provide maximum versatility in usage, it may also be desirable in a multi-purpose sports/recreation complex to provide for variation of the size of the stadium and/or the enclosed playing area. Thus some means is needed to reconfigure spectator seating areas relative to the playing area.
It is an object of the present invention to address the above problems.
According to the invention, a sports/recreation facility comprises a playing area; banks of seating disposed around that area; the playing area being defined within one end of a shallow dock, the dock extending over the playing area and also extending sufficiently outside the playing area in one direction to define an area outside of the playing area and seating banks having dimensions at least equal to the playing area; and a shallow barge floatable within the dock and supporting a playing surface for movement within the dock between said playing area and said outside area.
In a preferred arrangement, a body of water for introduction into the dock to float the barge is normally stored within the barge.
In a further preferred arrangement, the dock extends beneath a bank of seating at one side of the playing area, said bank of seating being formed as a movable unit, and the barge provides storage for an additional body of water beyond that needed to float the barge in the dock, which water may be expelled from the barge into the dock so as to elevate the tank when beneath said movable bank of seating, whereby to lift said seating bank for movement with said barge between at least two alternative locations relative to the remaining banks of seating and the playing area.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4038834 (1977-08-01), Roberts
patent: 2138690 (1984-10-01), None
patent: 2263644 (1993-08-01), None
patent: 2290239 (1995-12-01), None
patent: 9100495 (1992-10-01), None
Hatch Associates LTD
Nguyen Kien T.
Ridout & Maybee
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