A SAFETY BARRIER SYSTEM

Abstract: A safety barrier system for a horse race track comprising a barrier (10), preferably of a fabric material; and extending between end positions. The barrier has at least one position of weakness whereby, in use, the barrier is adapted to break at least at one of said positions of weakness forming at least one part (usually two parts). Conveniently the position of weakness comprises a releasable connection (such as a hook and loop type material) connecting the parts of the barrier material. The barrier system further comprises retraction means (42), conveniently employing resilience, to draw at least said one part towards a retracted position when the barrier breaks for example under a force applied to it by a horse. Advantageously, the ends of the barrier are connected to a trolley (40) for movement along a track (38) to permit movement of the barrier.

Description: TITLE: A safety barrier system DESCRIPTION This invention relates to a safety barrier system for use with, although not exclusively, horses. Prior to the start of a horse race, the horses are free to move behind the stalls, ie. the starting position. However, since the area in which they are free to move is unrestricted there can be a delay to the starting of the race if a horse wanders too far from the stalls. Hence, there is a need to cordon off an area immediately behind the stalls so as to confine movement of the horses to a limited area. It has therefore been proposed to provide a visible barrier across a part of the race track, which is defined between two side fences, behind the stalls so as to provide a restricted area in which the horses can move. Of course, the barπer is required to be safe to horses such that if, for example, a horse bolts in the direction of the barπer it is not injured by impact thereupon. An aim of the present invention is to provide a safety barrier system for, although not exclusively, horses. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a safety barπer system comprising a barrier extending between end positions and having at least one position of weakness formed therein wherein, in use, the barrier is adapted to break at least at one of said positions of weakness into two or more parts, and further comprising retraction means to draw at least one of said parts towards a retracted position. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the retraction means is operated automatically upon the breaking of the barrier. As mentioned above, a horse race track is defined between two side fences. It is preferred that, in use, the barπer stretches across the race track and between the two side fences The two end positions may be opposite to one another It is preferred that the barrier is held in tension across the race track. In practice, the barrier is only likely to break at one location thereby giving two parts which are connected to respective end positions. Said retracted position may be at said end positions or in a plane perpendicular to said end positions Preferably, the retraction means draws each of the parts of the barπer towards a respective side fence. It is preferred that the said fences to which the parts are drawn towards are on an opposing side of the barπer to which a breaking force is applied. The present invention therefore provides a safety barrier system wherein the impact of a horse on the barner results in the barπer breaking and the free ends formed thereby being drawn away from the horse and towards the side fences so as to avoid being entangled with the horse ' s legs. It is preferred that the barπer is formed in a number of sections The connections between sections may provide positions of weakness in the barπer For example if there are three sections forming the barπer then there may be two spaced apart positions of weakness formed in said barπer. Alternatively, the sections may be connected such that there is only one position of weakness in the barπer The barrier may be formed by a plurality of stπps of mateπal which are connected to one another longitudinally to form a length of barrier sufficient to extend across the race track. The ends of adjacent strips may overlap one another and a connection may be formed therebetween. Preferably, means are provided which enable a releasabie connection to be formed between said overlapping ends. Said means may, for example, be provided by a hook and loop fastener such as a Velcro (a registered trade mark) fastener. The baπier may further comprise a second horizontal length of material formed by a plurality of connected strips which is spaced from and parallel to said first length of material. It is prefeπed that said second length of material is positioned in the same vertical plane as the first above-mentioned length of material. Preferably, said overlapping ends of strips forming the second length of material coincide with the overlapping ends of strips forming the first length. The two lengths of material are preferably interconnected by spaced apart vertical strips of material. The barrier may comprise any number of horizontal lengths of material which may be aπanged in the above-described manner. Preferably, there are only two horizontal lengths. The strips of material may be tape. Preferably, said material is lightweight and in a prefeπed embodiment, said material is silk ribbon. The retraction means preferably comprise means associated with each end of the barrier. In an embodiment of the invention, said means comprises a reel upon which a member, eg. a fabric band, cable, etc. is wound and an elastic member wherein, in use, said elastic member is extended by the rotational movement of the reel as said material is pulled from the reel The force introduced into the elastic member acts to counter the rotational movement of the reel. Consequently, the release of the unwound mateπal results in the elastic member acting to wind the mateπal back onto the reel In use, said mateπal is pulled from the reel and an end thereof is attached to the barπer at a position which may be on the first section of the barπer nearest its respective end The tension in the barπer is sufficient to prevent the retraction means from drawing the barner towards the side fence If the baπier breaks then it is no longer held in tension and the force in the elastic member acts to rotate the reel thereby drawing a part of the barπer towards the side fence Alternatively, said means may compπse an elasticated member connected at one end to the barπer and at the other end to a position spaced from its respective end of the barπer In use, the elasticated member is in tension such that a break in the barπer will result in the part of the barπer to which the elasticated member is attached being drawn towards the side fence Preferably, the elasticated member is connected to the first section of the baπier nearest its respective end The elasticated member may be a spπng The ends of the barπer may be movable along the sides of said fences Hence, the area cordoned off by the barπer and in which horses may move can be adjusted It is prefeπed that the safety barπer system further compπses a track along each of the side fences and means enabling the ends of the baπier to be moved along the length of the tracks. Said means may be provided by a trolley locatable in each of said tracks and which is adapted to run along the length of its track. Preferably, said ends of the baπier are connected to the trolley. In the embodiment of the present invention wherein said retraction means comprises an elasticated member, said other end of each of the elasticated members may be connected to respective trolleys. It is prefeπed that locking means are provided to lock said trolleys onto the required position on their tracks. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Figure 1 is a front view of a section of a barrier according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a top view of the section of the baπier shown in figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of a safety barrier system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. With reference to the accompanying drawings and in the first instance to figures 1 and 2, a section of the baπier is indicated generally by numeral 10. The section comprises an upper length 12 and a lower length 14 which are interconnected by vertical support members 16 and 18. Upper length 12 is formed by a first and second strip of silk ribbon 20, 22 which sandwich top ends of support members 16 and 18 therebetween. Similarly, lower length 14 comprises a first and second strip of silk ribbon and sandwiched therebetween are bottom ends of support members 16 and 18. The members 16 and 18 are also formed of silk ribbon and may be secured between overlapping lengths of said strips of silk ribbon by stitching or by any other convenient manner, eg. by use of Velcro (registered trade mark) fasteners. The ends 24 of the upper and lower lengths 12, 14 are provided with Velcro fasteners in order to connect, longitudinally, the section with similar sections by simply overlapping respective ends. By forming the baπier in such a manner, positions of weakness are provided at the connections between sections. Referring to figure 3, a section of a race track is illustrated and is defined between side fences 30 and 32. The safety baπier system comprises a barrier 34 formed by six sections 10 in the manner described above, a track 38 located along either side of fences 30 and 32, a trolley 40 located in each track 38 and barrier retraction means 42 associated with each end of the barrier. Each track 38 comprises a channel 44 in which co-operating formations on trolley 40 engage so as to enable the trolley to move along the length of the track. Locking means (not shown) are provided in order to lock the trolley in a desired position. The ends of barrier 34 are securable to a respective trolley 40 by suitable means (not shown). The retraction means 42 comprises a spring 46 secured at one end to trolley 40 at a position spaced from a position at which one end of the barrier is connected to trolley 40 and wherein the other end of spring 46 has a first arm 48 and a second arm 50. The setting-up of the safety barrier system will now be described. Initially, sections 10 of the barrier 34 are connected together in the manner described above. The ends of baπier 34 are secured to a respective trolley and the length of the barrier is adjusted, by simply increasing or decreasing the amount the ends of connecting sections overlap, so as to ensure that the baπier is taut Arms 48 and 50 of each spring 46 are secured by suitable means (not shown) to respective upper and lower lengths 12, 14 of the section of the bamer connected to the associated trolley 40 In order to connect the spπng in the described manner it is necessary to stretch it thereby introducing a tension force therein With the barrier secured in such a manner, the size of an area A in which horses may be enclosed can be increased or decreased by simply moving the two trolleys along their respective tracks until a desired position is reached where they are then locked into position Ideally, the trolleys are locked into position such that they are directly opposite one another In use, the impact of a horse on the barπer at, for example, position X m the direction of aπow Y, will cause the barπer to break at the nearest weak position which is at a position indicted by numeral 52, le at the connection formed between sections 10a and 10b The breaking of the barπer will result in two parts being formed and each part is drawn towards a respective side fence by the force of the spπng acting upon that part Hence, the barπer is drawn away from the horse thereby ensuring that no injury can be caused to the horse by the parts of the barπer

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A safety baπier system comprising a baπier extending between end positions and having at least one position of weakness, wherein, in use, the baπier is adapted to break at least at one of said positions of weakness, forming at least one part and further comprising retraction means to draw at least said one part towards a retraction position. 2. A safety baπier system as claimed in claim 1 in which the at least one position of weakness is formed in the baπier and wherein, in use, the barrier is adapted to break into two or more parts, and in which the retraction means draws at least one of said parts towards a retracted position. 3. A safety baπier system as claimed in claims 1 or 2 in which the retraction means is operated automatically upon the breaking of the barrier. 4. A safety baπier system as claimed in claims 1 , 2 or 3 in which the baπier extends between two side fences. 5. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 4 in which the side fences define the opposite sides of a race track. 6. A safety baπier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 5 in which the baπier is held in tension. 7. A safety baπier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 6 in which the one or more positions of weakness are disposed intermediate the end positions and the baπier comprises at least two parts which are connected to respective end positions. 8. A safety baπier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which said retracted position is at said end positions or in a plane perpendicular to said end positions. 9. A safety baπier system as claimed in claim 4 or 5 in which the said fences extend in a direction away from the baπier and coπesponding to the direction in which a breaking force is applied to the barrier. 10. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the barrier is formed in three sections having two spaced part positions of weakness formed in said barrier. 1 1. A safety baπier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which there is only one position of weakness in the barrier. 12. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the barrier is formed by a plurality of strips of material which are connected to one another longitudinally to form a length of barrier. 13. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 12 in which the ends of adjacent strips overlap one another and a connection is formed therebetween. 14. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the or each position of weakness comprises a releasabie connection. 15. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the position of weakness is formed by a hook and loop type fastener. 16. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the barrier comprises two or more lengths of material each formed by a plurality of connected strips and with each length spaced from and parallel to the other. 17. A safety baπier system as claimed in claim 16 in which at least two of the lengths are disposed in substantially the same vertical plane. 18. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 16 or 17 in which the positions of weakness in each of the two or more lengths coincide vertically. 19. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of claims 16, 17 or 18 in which the lengths of material are interconnected by spaced apart vertical strips of material. 20. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of claims 16 to 19 in which the barrier comprises two said horizontal lengths of material. 21. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the barrier is made of a fabric material. 22. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding clams in which the retraction means comprise means associated with each end of the barrier, 23. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the retraction means comprises a reel upon which a member is wound and an elastic member wherein, in use, said elastic member is extended by the rotational movement of the reel as said member is pulled from the reel, and wherein said member is attached to the barrier such that if the baπier breaks then the elastic member acts to rotate the reel thereby imparting a retraction force to the barrier. 24. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 22 in which said retraction means comprises an elasticated member connected at one end to the baπier and at the other end to a position spaced from its respective end of the barrier whereby, in use, the elasticated member is in tension such that a break in the barrier will result in the part of the barrier to which the elasticate member is attached being retracted. 25. A safety baπier system as claimed in claim 24 in which the elasticated member is a spring. 26. A safety baπier system as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 25 in which the ends of the barrier are movable in a direction perpendicular to the plane occupied by the baπier. 27. A safety barrier system as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims and further comprising a track disposed at opposite ends of the barrier and means enabling the ends of the barrier to be moved along the length of the tracks. 28. A safety baπier system as claimed in claim 27 in which said means comprises a respective trolley locatable in a respective one of said tracks and which is adapted to run along the length of its track. 29. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 28 in which the ends of the barrier are connected to the trolley. 30. A safety baπier system as claimed in claim 28 or 29 in which the retraction means is connected to the respective trolleys. 31. A safety barrier system as claimed in claim 28, 29 or 30 in which locking means are provided to lock said trolleys into the required position on their tracks. 32. A safety barrier system constructed and aπanged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 33. A safety baπier system constructed and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Inventors: DALLING BERYL JEANETTE, MCDONOUGH BRIAN, MCDONOUGH DEREK, MCDONOUGH KEVIN, DALLING, BERYL, JEANETTE, MCDONOUGH, BRIAN, MCDONOUGH, DEREK, MCDONOUGH, KEVIN
Applicants: DALLING BERYL JEANETTE, MCDONOUGH BRIAN, MCDONOUGH DEREK, MCDONOUGH KEVIN, DALLING, BERYL, JEANETTE, MCDONOUGH, BRIAN, MCDONOUGH, DEREK, MCDONOUGH, KEVIN
Application year: 1997
Main classification: A63K3
IPC codes: A63K3