Retractable telescoping court standard

Abstract

A collapsible court standard for positioning a net above a gymnasium floor includes an embedded upright floor tube with a top end which is level with the floor; one or more contained tubes slidably positioned within the floor tube; a releasable lock means and biased rocker latches to maintain the contained tubes at a selected height. Pneumatic power is supplied to the embedded upright floor to lift the contained tubes. The releasable lock means includes a split ring to maintain the net at a particular height. A shock absorbing pad cushions the contained tube upon retraction, and a movable floor cover is attached to the floor tube to provide access to the contained tubes. A winch and pulley are attached to a contained tube or innermost cylindrical member so that a net cable may be drawn over the pulley and tightened with the winch.

Description

PRIORITY DATA [0001] This application is a Continuation in Part of U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 10 / 714,094 filed on Nov. 17, 2003, entitled “Retractable Telescoping Court Standard” and is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to net support standards used in gymnasiums. More particularly this invention relates to net a support standard which telescopes down to a fraction of its extended height and then retracts below floor grade for storage. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Most gymnasiums are used for many and all indoor sporting activities. A school gymnasium is typically continuously scheduled for different activities each hour. If volleyball, tennis, or badminton are played it is first necessary to access a storage room and carry the net standards from the storage room to a central portion of the gymnasium where they will be used. Before the conclusion of the scheduled time the standards must be removed and returned to the st...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] A method of erecting a court standard and supported net above a gymnasium floor includes the steps of: providing a court standard as described above; elevating the contained tube to a desired height; releasably locking the contained tube at the selected height above the floor; and attaching the net to the court standard. The task of carrying the court standard from storage is eliminated and setup time is substantially reduced.

Problems solved by technology

These standards are heavy.

One problem with court standards is providing accessible storage for them.

One problem with using a height adjustable standard is that the multipurpose standard is substantially heavier.

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