Abstract:
Some embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a handle, a frame connectable to the handle, and an absorbent material on a roller, the roller installable in the frame on its longest axis, wherein the absorbent material is capable of absorbing a liquid and discharging the liquid when rotated quickly about its axis. In some embodiments, the absorbent material is lambs wool. The apparatus allows for quick removal of water from puddles on athletic fields by absorbing, and then dispensing said water to less water affected areas of the field. Replaceable and disposable rollers will be part of the apparatus design and functionality.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/653,402 filed Feb. 16, 2005, which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     The present inventive subject matter relates generally to tools for athletic field maintenance, and, more particularly, to an athletic surface water removing apparatus.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0003]     Many sports, such as baseball, are played on substantially level surfaces that inevitably include low spots, or depressions in the turf. These low spots collect water, forming puddles, when rain is received, or even during irrigation. Drying these puddles is a common, time-consuming task for field maintenance personnel. Some tools exist to assist in this drying task, but each have shortfalls.  
         [0004]     One tool is an absorbent pillow that is placed in a puddle to absorb water. The pillow must then be wrung out before it can be used again. This can be a time consuming process when puddles are large and numerous.  
         [0005]     Another tool is a roller for pushing water in the rolling direction. The roller is often made of a closed-cell rubber that forms a seal with the surface being dried to create a moving seal. This type of tool operates as a rolling squeegee to move the water. However, this tool works best on a hard surface with low porosity, such as a concrete or asphalt surfaced tennis court. When such a tool is used on soil, the soil is often unacceptably disrupted. Further, in operation, water is often moved out of one low spot to another. Thus, although one puddle may be removed, another forms.  
         [0006]     Yet another roller tool is a large rolling drum having an absorbent material around its circumference. In operation, the drum is pushed or pulled through a puddle and the absorbent material absorbs water from the puddle. The absorbent material, as the drum is moved, rotates around the circumference of the drum to a pressure roller that applies a force to the absorbent material causing water to be discharged inside of the drum. Thus, as water is collected, the weight of the drum increases. Some such drums include six gallon and fourteen gallon tanks. The weight of the drum as it fills makes this tool difficult to maneuver around an athletic field and difficult to drain.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0007]     The present subject matter includes various arrangements of a water removing apparatus for collecting and dispensing water from athletic playing surfaces. These arrangements provide an apparatus that provides minimal disruption to the surface and allows for quick removal of standing water. This apparatus also provides for the relocation of water to another area.  
         [0008]     Some embodiments provide an apparatus comprising a handle, a frame connectable to the handle, and an absorbent material on a roller, the roller installable in the frame on its longest axis, wherein the absorbent material is capable of absorbing a liquid and discharging the liquid when rotated quickly about its axis. In some embodiments, the absorbent material is lambs wool. The apparatus allows for quick removal of water from puddles on athletic fields and relocating that water to adjacent and less water-soaked areas of the field. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a water removing apparatus.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a sectional view taken on line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 2B  is a sectional view taken on line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a detailed view of an example embodiment of a roller portion.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a water removing apparatus being used on a baseball field. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0014]     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the present subject matter may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice them. And it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and that minimal structural and logical changes may be proposed and incorporated without departing from the scope of the inventive subject matter. Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to, individually and/or collectively, herein by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept, if more than one is in fact disclosed.  
         [0015]     The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limited sense, and the scope of the inventive subject matter is defined by the appended claims.  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a water removing apparatus  100 . The water removing apparatus  100  includes a roller portion  101  having a roller cover  102  on a roller  103 . The roller portion  101  is rotatable about its axis  106  on pins  104  that hold the roller  103  within a frame  108 . The frame  108  is connected to a handle  110 , which allows the apparatus  100  to be used while the handle is positioned upright.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2A  is a sectional view taken on line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . The sectional view provides a perspective of a roller portion  101 . As provided above, the roller portion  101  includes a roller cover  102  on a roller  103 . The roller cover  102  includes an absorbent material  202  attached to a substrate  204 . The absorbent material  202  forms a nap on the substrate  204 .  
         [0018]     The absorbent material  202  is a material capable of absorbing liquid, such as water, and discharging the absorbed liquid when the roller portion  101  is quickly rotated about its axis  106  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ). The absorbent material  202  also discharges the absorbed liquid when the roller portion  101  is rolled on a surface that is less saturated than the absorbent material  202 , such as a grassy area of an athletic field. The absorbent material  202  is further capable of discharging absorbed liquid when pressure is applied to the absorbent material  202 .  
         [0019]     In some embodiments, the absorbent material  202  is lambs wool. In other embodiments, the absorbent material  202  is a synthetic material, such as a synthetic sponge or polyester nap. The length of the nap, in some embodiments, is ⅜ of an inch. In other embodiments, the nap is one inch to two inches long, or virtually any other length where the absorbent material substantially retains water when removed from a puddle, and can centrifugally dispense absorbed liquid when rolled quickly in a less saturated area or dispense absorbed liquid when pressure is applied.  
         [0020]     The substrate  204  is made from a water resistant material, such as a plastic or other polymer, such as polyvinyl chloride. In some embodiments, the substrate is made from a natural fiber, such as a cellulosic fiber, and includes a water resistant or waterproof coating.  
         [0021]     The roller  103 , in some embodiments, is rigid and provides support for the roller cover  102  when pressure is applied during use. The rigidity of the roller  103  prevents the roller cover  102  from collapsing under the pressure. In some embodiments, the roller  103  is of a length allowing for multiple roller covers  102  to be installed on the roller  103 .  
         [0022]     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the roller  103  has an external diameter  206  less than an internal diameter  208  of the roller cover  102 . This difference in diameter allows the roller cover  102  to be placed on the roller  103 . The diameter of the roller  103 , in some embodiments, is three inches. In this same embodiment, the diameter of the roller cover  102  is greater than three inches, but small enough to friction fit against the roller  103  to prevent slippage during use. However, these specific diameters are not critical to practicing the present subject matter. The relationship between the two diameters, providing a friction fit between the roller  103  and the roller cover  102  should be maintained.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2B  is a sectional view taken on line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 . The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2B  is an alternate embodiment of the roller portion  101 . In this embodiment, the absorbent material  202  is attached directly to the roller  103 . Thus, the roller cover  102  and roller  103  are merged into an integrated roller portion  101 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a detailed view of an example embodiment of a roller portion  101 . The roller portion  101  includes a roller cover  102  that installs by sliding over and on to the roller  103 . The roller  103  includes ends  302 , each end being capable of receiving a pin  104  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) to allow the roller  103  to rotate about its axis  106  (shown in  FIG. 1 ). In another embodiment (not shown), the ends  302  include a pin that protrudes from the ends that secures the roller  103  in the frame  108  (shown in  FIG. 1 ).  
         [0025]     The width  304  of the roller cover  102  in some embodiments is nine inches. In other embodiments, the roller cover  102  is twelve inches, twenty-four inches, thirty-six inches, or virtually any other length. In some embodiments, the width of the roller  103 , not including the ends  302 , is nine inches. In other embodiments, the width of the roller, not including the ends  302 , is twelve inches, twenty-four inches, thirty-six inches, or virtually any other length. The roller  103  is capable of receiving one or more roller covers  103 , the sum of the roller cover  102  widths being less than or equal to the width of the roller  103 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an example embodiment of a water removing apparatus  100  being used on a baseball field. The baseball field includes a puddle  402 , a grassy outfield  404 , and a grassy foul-territory area  406 . The water of puddle  402  can be removed by the water removing apparatus  100  by rolling the roller portion  101  through the puddle  402 . The roller cover  102  of the roller portion  101  absorbs primarily water as it is rolled through the puddle  102 , minimally disturbing infield soil. Once the roller cover  102  has absorbed all the water it is capable of holding, the water removing apparatus  100  is then taken to a discharge area, such as a less-saturated grassy outfield  404  or a grassy foul-territory area  406  of the baseball field. The roller portion  101  is then placed in contact with the surface of the outfield  404 , pushed quickly, and through the centrifugal force of the spinning roller portion  101 , the absorbed water is dispensed from the roller cover  102  into discharge area of the field. This process is repeated until the water from the puddle  402  is substantially removed and relocated to the area of the field.  
         [0027]     It is emphasized that the Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b) requiring an Abstract that will allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.  
         [0028]     In the foregoing Detailed Description, some features are grouped together in a single embodiment to streamline the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments of the invention require more features than are expressly recited in each claim.  
         [0029]     It will be readily understood to those skilled in the art that various other changes in the details, material, and arrangements of the parts and method stages which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this inventive subject matter may be made without departing from the principles and scope of the inventive subject matter as expressed in the subjoined claims.