Ground surface debris collection mat

Details Ground surface debris collection mat Ground surface debris collection mat

1992-01-14

1994-02-08

Nicholson, Eric K.

Earth working

With means for shifting surface material without soil...

172189, 172197, 172199, 172612, 1726845, E01H 100, A63B 4702

Patent

active

052842118

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a mat for collecting debris, such as leaves and sticks, from a surface, such as the surface of a tennis court.
Outside playing courts, such as tennis courts, are often prone to accumulating leaves or other debris on their surface which must be periodically removed.
According to the present invention there is provided a mat for sweeping a surface, said mat comprising slots through which debris, such, as leaves or sticks, can pass to collect on the upper surface of the mat.
The mat is preferably composed of a semi-flexible material, such as rubber or a suitable polymeric material.
The slots are preferably elongate with the longitudinal axis of each slot facing generally in the direction of travel of the mat. Preferably the trailing edge of each slot is chamfered to lift debris onto the upper surface of the mat. The trailing edge of each slot may face perpendicularly to the direction of travel or may be inclined, for example at 45.degree.. In the mat, all of the slots may be inclined to the direction of travel, or some may be inclined with others being perpendicular to the direction of travel.
In one particularly advantageous form, the mat is of a grid-like construction for "bagging" a clay tennis court, with portions of the grid being removed to define the slots. Thus "bagging" of the court periodically during play will also serve to remove leaves and other debris from the surface of the court.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a mat in accordance with the invention and having slots for collecting the debris;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale showing part of the trailing edge of one of the slots;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a mat element formed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the mat element of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a mat element like that in FIG. 3 but incorporating a modification;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of mat formed in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a mat element forming part of the mat of FIG. 6; and
FIG. 8 is a partly diagrammatic plan view of another form of mat element
As shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings a mat for bagging a clay tennis court comprises a grid-like, semi-flexible material. Preferably, the mat is composed of rows of separately formed rectangular elements 4 each comprising an outer border 6 which surrounds a grid-like formation 7, with the axes of the grid extending approximately at 45.degree. to the edges of the element 4. The elements 4 are fastened together to form the mat by lugs projecting from the border 6 of one element to fit into holes correspondingly formed in the adjacent border of the adjacent element. A strip 8 at the leading edge of the mat carries a rope-like handle 10 by which the mat can be dragged along the surface of the court.
At least some of the elements 4 have elongate slots 12 formed within the grid-like formation 7. It is not necessary to put the elongate slots 12 in the first row 14 of elements 4 forming the mat as this row is usually lifted at least partially from the court in the dragging action, but preferably each of the other elements is provided with a slot 12. It is not, however, essential for all of the other elements to be provided with slots and satisfactory results may be obtained if only some of the other elements have slots suitably distributed along the length and width of the mat.
The longitudinal dimension of each slot 12 is in this case parallel to that of the grid. Preferably the slots 12 of adjacent elements in the same row are oppositely inclined to define a herringbone-like pattern. Alternatively, some or all of the slots 12 may be substantially at right angles to the direction of travel
As shown in FIG. 2, the trailing edge 16 of each slot 12 is chamfered by shaping the projecting edge portion 18 of the grid 7 which extends into the slot. As shown this forms forwardl

REFERENCES:
patent: 1446419 (1923-02-01), Glerum
patent: 1530329 (1925-03-01), Roberts
patent: 2042405 (1936-05-01), Knudson
patent: 2287133 (1942-06-01), Reiter
patent: 2887337 (1959-05-01), Begue
patent: 2902909 (1959-09-01), Reissinger
patent: 4651450 (1987-03-01), York et al.
McPherson's Industrial Catalog, Sep. 3, 1975 by McPherson's Ltd., p. 287.

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