Universal Yardline Number Template for Football Field Marking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current method of adding yardline numbers to an infilled artificial turf football field is time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive due to the need for multiple number-specific templates, which are prone to damage and require frequent transportation and storage.
Innovation Solution
A universal yardline number template with a shaped internal perimeter that accommodates all six yardline numbers, allowing for correct placement using a single template, reducing the need for multiple templates and simplifying the installation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple number-specific templates are used for each yardline number, then correct placement of each number is achieved, but the complexity of the device and time required for installation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A single universal template is designed with a shaped internal perimeter that can accommodate all six yardline numbers (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 0-9 individual digits). The template includes multiple openings of different shapes and sizes that correspond to each number type, allowing one template to perform the function previously requiring six separate templates. This universal template is aligned with hash marks and yardlines to ensure accurate placement of any yardline number throughout the field.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple number-specific templates are used, then each number can be precisely located, but the time and labor required for installation doubles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate template functions into a single integrated universal template. Instead of installing six different templates sequentially for different number types, the installer uses one universal template that contains all necessary openings for all number types. This merging of functions reduces the installation process to using a single template throughout the entire field, effectively doubling installation speed while maintaining precise number placement through the template's shaped internal perimeter.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple aluminum templates are transported and stored at field sites, then number-specific placement is enabled, but transportation cost and risk of damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The universal template consolidates what would otherwise require six separate aluminum templates into a single unit. This single template can be transported to and stored at the field site once, eliminating the need to manage six separate templates. The template's design with multiple shaped openings maintains the precision needed for accurate yardline number placement while dramatically reducing transportation logistics and storage requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A template for properly determining the positions for the yardline numbers of an American-style football field includes a generally rectangular frame having an external perimeter and an internal opening defined by an internal perimeter. The shape of the internal opening, and the corresponding shape of the internal perimeter, is such that for each of the yardline numbers, i.e. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0, the internal perimeter defines a plurality of locations for abutting a corresponding plurality of outer edge portions of the yardline number. With the external perimeter appropriately aligned along one or more lines of the field, the frame can be used to properly locate any one of the six yardline numbers that are needed to properly locate all of the yardline numbers on an American-style football field. This frame reduces the number of templates needed to locate the yardline numbers of a football field, and also simplifies the process of properly locating the yardline numbers.