Patent Description:
Outdoor netting systems (e.g., net walls) are used for protection throughout the world in different environments. One well-known example of this includes the use of netting systems with outdoor golf driving ranges to protect the areas adjacent the driving ranges from errant golf balls. These implementations may be referred to as errant golf ball containment structures. Similar types of containment structures are used at baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields, areas where unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones) may frequent for fugitive dust and trash containment or to visually obscure sites, and other types of structures.

The containment structures may typically include nets bounded by ropes attached to steel cables extending between tall steel poles. The poles may be embedded in concrete foundations and extend upward to heights of <NUM>' above finished grade. In this way, the structures may be sturdy and sufficiently tall to capture or otherwise block errant objects (e.g., golf balls) from entering into neighboring areas.

However, many of these outdoor structures may be implemented in areas with potentially severe weather conditions that may adversely affect the structures. For example, in winter storms, snow and ice may freeze to the netting thereby increasing the weight supported by the steel cables and poles. In addition, as the netting becomes laden with ice and snow, the porosity of the net may be greatly reduced resulting in increased wind drag. High winds associated with freezing rain coupled with the ice buildup on the nets may cause a significant increase to the horizontal loads applied to the structure, and in extreme conditions, may cause the poles to be overloaded and to collapse.

Once collapsed, the poles must be replaced, and the structure must be rebuilt resulting in lost revenues and a high cost of repair.

Accordingly, there is a need for a releasable net apparatus and system that may release the nets upon potential overloading of the support poles prior to the catastrophic collapsing of the poles. In this way, the nets may be released under severe weather conditions and the poles may be left standing. The cost and effort necessary to restring the nets onto the standing poles may be far less than that of replacing the poles, thereby saving time and money. Connection elements with weakened elements to provide a protection for connected structures are known in e.g. document <CIT>.

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:.

In general, the system and associated apparatuses according to exemplary embodiments hereof provide releasable netting systems. In some embodiments, the releasable netting systems are adapted for use as outdoor containment structures (e.g., golf driving range errant ball containment screens, baseball fields, soccer fields, football fields, etc.) or for other purposes. In some embodiments the system includes two or more ground-based support structures (e.g., anchored columns, poles, etc.) adapted to vertically support nets therebetween to form a net wall.

In some embodiments, the nets may be peripherally bounded by ropes for support, and the ropes may be configured (clipped) to horizontal support cables running between the upright support structures. In this way, the nets may be strung between the upright support structures to form the net walls.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in <FIG>, the system <NUM> includes a support assembly <NUM>, a net assembly <NUM> and an attachment assembly <NUM>. In general, the support assembly <NUM> may provide support to the net assembly <NUM>, with the net assembly <NUM> attached to the support assembly <NUM> via the attachment assembly <NUM>. The attachment assembly <NUM> may be adapted to release the net assembly <NUM> under predetermined environmental load conditions while generally leaving the support assembly <NUM> intact. The system <NUM> also may include other elements and components as necessary to perform its desired functionalities as described herein or otherwise.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in <FIG>, the support assembly <NUM> includes two or more upright support structures <NUM> and one or more lateral supports <NUM> extending therebetween.

In some embodiments, the upright support structures <NUM> may include poles, truss towers, lattice towers and/or other types of columns. In some embodiments the support structures <NUM> may be anchored in ground foundations (e.g., concrete) and/or guyed with cables for increased stability. The structures <NUM> may comprise steel, wood, composite materials (e.g., carbon composites), other types of materials and any combination thereof. In some implementations, the structures <NUM> may extend upward distances up to <NUM>', <NUM>', <NUM>' and above. The diameter(s) of the structures <NUM> may be fixed and/or tapered and may be chosen to provide sufficient support to the system <NUM>. The structures <NUM> may be generally vertical and/or may include portions or sections at other angles (e.g., diagonal cross bars).

In some embodiments, the lateral supports <NUM> may include cables, chains, cords, ropes and/or other types of supports that may extend between the upright structures <NUM>. For example, in one implementation, the lateral supports <NUM> may include steel cables. As shown in <FIG>, the lateral supports <NUM> may generally include a first end attached to a first upright support structure <NUM>-<NUM> and a second end of the attached to an adjacent second upright structure <NUM>-<NUM>. The first and/or second ends of the lateral supports <NUM> may be attached at various positions on the upright structures <NUM> depending on the design of the structure (e.g., at the top, at intermediate positions, near the bottom, etc.). It is understood that the lateral structures <NUM> may extend continually between a plurality of adjacent upright structures <NUM> and that the ends of the lateral structures <NUM> may or may not terminate at any particular upright structure <NUM> depending on the design of the overall system <NUM>.

As will be described in other sections and as shown in <FIG>, the net assembly <NUM> may be attached to the lateral supports <NUM> and thereby be held between the upright structures <NUM>. Accordingly, it is preferable that the lateral support structures <NUM> comprise materials of adequate strength to support the net assembly <NUM>. For example, in some embodiments the lateral structures <NUM> may comprise <NUM>/<NUM>" galvanized extra high strength (EHS) steel strands or other comparable structures.

In some embodiments, the support assembly <NUM> may include a lateral support <NUM> generally extending between the tops of adjacent upright support structures <NUM>, and one or more lateral supports <NUM> extending between the upright structures <NUM> at intermediate locations between the ground and the tops of the structures <NUM>. While <FIG> depicts one top lateral support <NUM>-<NUM> and one intermediary lateral support <NUM>-<NUM>, it is understood that the system <NUM> may include any number of lateral supports <NUM> extending between any number of upright supports <NUM>, and that the scope of the system <NUM> is not limited in any way by the number and/or location of lateral supports <NUM> and/or upright supports <NUM>.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the net assembly <NUM> includes one or more nets <NUM> attached to the support assembly <NUM> to form a net wall. In some embodiments, the nets <NUM> include polymer nets <NUM> comprising polypropylene, polyethylene, Kevlar, nylon, textiles, plastic, rubber, steel (e.g., chain link), other materials and any combination thereof. The nets <NUM> may include a cord diameter, mesh size and strength profile per design requirements so that the nets <NUM> may perform their desired functionalities. It also may be preferable that the nets <NUM> include UV protective treatments.

The nets <NUM> may be bound to support members <NUM> to provide strength and support to the nets <NUM>. For example, <FIG> shows the top edge of a net <NUM> bound to a top edge rope <NUM> and <FIG> shows a middle portion of a net <NUM> bound to an intermediate rope <NUM>. In some embodiments, the rope borders <NUM> may comprise <NUM>/<NUM>" braided rope with #<NUM> twisted nylon twine sewn to the netting <NUM> with half clove hitch at <NUM>" intervals. Other materials and/or methods also may be used to attach the netting <NUM> to the rope border <NUM>. It may be preferable that the support members <NUM> extend the length of each net <NUM> between the upright support structures <NUM> to provide continual support across each net <NUM> between the structures <NUM>.

In some embodiments, a single net <NUM> may extend between two or more adjacent upright support structures <NUM>, while in other embodiments, a plurality of nets <NUM> may be combined to extend between adjacent upright structures <NUM>.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the attachment assembly <NUM> is used to attach the net assembly <NUM> to the support assembly <NUM>. In some embodiments, the attachment assembly <NUM> includes one or more attachment mechanisms <NUM> that may include one or more clips, fasteners, carabiners, shackles, rings, hoops, loops, grommets, other types of attachment members and any combination thereof. The shape of the attachment mechanism <NUM> may be generally circular, oval shaped, square, rectangular, tear shaped, any other types of shapes and any combination thereof. For example, the attachment mechanism <NUM> may include a generally oval or tear shaped hoop.

In one example as shown in <FIG>, the attachment mechanism <NUM> resembles a carabiner or other type of hoop fastener with a top <NUM>, a bottom <NUM>, a spring-loaded hinged gate <NUM> and a closed side arm <NUM>. <FIG> depicts the mechanism <NUM> with the gate <NUM> closed and <FIG> depicts the mechanism with the gate <NUM> open. In some embodiments, the gate <NUM> may include a non-locking gate <NUM> so that the top <NUM> of the attachment mechanism <NUM> may not be locked within the gate <NUM>, but instead may be simply held and supported. In this way, as will be described in other sections, the top <NUM> may be free to rotate upward and out of the gate <NUM> as required.

In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism <NUM> may comprise high durability <NUM>/<NUM>" carbon steel with smooth rounded edges that may not adversely wear the rope borders <NUM> and/or nets <NUM> to which the attachment mechanism <NUM> may be attached.

In some embodiments, each attachment mechanism <NUM> may attach a particular portion of a net <NUM> to a corresponding position along a lateral support structure <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, a first attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may be used to attach a portion of a net <NUM> to a lateral support structure <NUM>-<NUM> at position (<NUM>), a second attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may be used to attach a portion of the net <NUM> to a lateral support structure <NUM>-<NUM> at position (<NUM>), a third attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may be used to attach a portion of the net <NUM> to a lateral support structure <NUM>-<NUM> at position (<NUM>), and a fourth attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may be used to attach a portion of the net <NUM> to a lateral support structure <NUM>-<NUM> at position (<NUM>). In some embodiments, the attachment between each net <NUM> and each lateral support structure <NUM> may include attaching the support member <NUM> configured with the net <NUM> to the lateral support structure <NUM> at the desired location of the attachment. In other embodiments, the attachment between each net <NUM> and each lateral support structure <NUM> may include attaching the net <NUM> (e.g., the mesh) directly with the lateral support structure <NUM> at the desired location of the attachment.

As shown, positions (<NUM>) and (<NUM>) may be along the top edge of the net <NUM> and may attach the top edge of the net <NUM> (e.g., an upper support member <NUM> configured with the top edge of the net <NUM>) to the top lateral support <NUM>-<NUM>, and positions (<NUM>) and (<NUM>) may be along an intermediate (middle) portion of the net <NUM> (e.g., an intermediate support member <NUM> configured with an intermediate portion of the net <NUM>) and may attach the middle portion of the net <NUM> to an intermediate (middle) support structure <NUM>-<NUM>. It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that these configurations of the net <NUM> with lateral supports <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM> at positions (<NUM>), (<NUM>), (<NUM>) and (<NUM>) are meant for demonstration and that the net <NUM> may be attached to other later supports <NUM> at other positions, and that the scope of the system <NUM> is not limited in any way by the number and/or location of attachments between the net <NUM> and the lateral supports <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a close-up schematic of a net <NUM> with a top edge bound to a support member <NUM> (e.g., bound to a rope at points B), and the support member <NUM> attached to a lateral support <NUM> using an attachment mechanism <NUM>. As environmental forces (wind, frozen rain, snow, etc.) pull the net <NUM> and its accompanying support member <NUM> away from the lateral support <NUM>, these forces may be represented as a force vector F as shown.

<FIG> shows a close-up schematic of a net <NUM> with a middle portion bound to a support member <NUM> (e.g., bound by a rope at points B), and the support member <NUM> attached to a lateral support <NUM> using an attachment mechanism <NUM>.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in <FIG>, the attachment mechanism <NUM> may include a releasable attachment mechanism <NUM>. In some embodiments, the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> may include an attachment mechanism <NUM> adapted to open, release or otherwise disengage under particular pre-determined conditions. For example, the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> may be designed to break open when a specific amount of force F is applied to the mechanism <NUM>. In this way, the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> may be referred to as a "break-away" attachment mechanism <NUM>. For example, an upward force F1 may be applied to the top <NUM> of the mechanism <NUM> and/or a downward force F2 may be applied to the bottom <NUM> of the mechanism <NUM>, and the mechanism <NUM> may be designed to break open when the forces F1 and/or F2 exceed a predetermined force threshold.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> includes at least one weakening element <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the weakening element <NUM> may include a slot <NUM> that passes through at least a portion of the mechanism's side arm <NUM> thereby weakening the arm <NUM> in the general area of the slot <NUM>. Using the orientation of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> as shown in <FIG>, the slot <NUM> may pass from outside the mechanism <NUM> on the right and through the side arm <NUM> towards the left (towards the mechanism's median plane).

<FIG> shows a closeup schematic of the slot <NUM> within the side arm <NUM> of the mechanism <NUM> of <FIG>. The slot <NUM> may include a height of H1 and a width of W1. Because the slot <NUM> may not pass entirely through the side arm <NUM>, a remaining portion of material <NUM> (also referred to as the bridge <NUM>) may include a width of W2. In general, the width W1 plus the width W2 equals the diameter W3 of the side arm <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the cross section of the slot <NUM> and the bridge <NUM> taken from the perspective of cut-lines B-B in <FIG>.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in <FIG>, the upward (and downward) force FT (i.e., a tension force representing all forces applied to the mechanism <NUM>) of sufficient magnitude applied to the top <NUM> of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> causes a predictable break-away of the attachment mechanism <NUM> in the area of the weakening element <NUM>. Accordingly, the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> may be designed to break (and thereby release) at a specific breaking force FB. That is, by knowing the breaking force FB at which the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> is desired to break, the dimensions and position of the slot <NUM> may be designed to facilitate such breakage.

As shown in <FIG>, the upward force FT applied to the top <NUM> may be modeled as a torque T applied to the top <NUM> about an axis of rotation A centered at the bridge <NUM>. With the slot <NUM> positioned at a vertical distance D1 from the point of force, the torque T may generally be given by: <MAT>.

The lever arm LA1 is also shown as the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation A to the line of action of the upward force FT.

As the upward force FT is applied, the torque T causes the top <NUM> of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> to begin rotating in a generally clockwise direction as represented by R about the axis of rotation A (centered at the bridge <NUM>). Because the gate <NUM> is non-locking, the top <NUM> may be free to rotate upward and out of the gate <NUM> without obstruction. This in turn may cause the slot <NUM> to collapse as shown in <FIG> causing the axis of rotation A to jam. As the torque T continues and with the axis of rotation A jammed, the lever arm relocates to the slot <NUM> and bridge <NUM> portion (as represented as LA2) and a tensile force FTS is applied to the bridge <NUM> as shown. This force FTS may cause an associated tensile stress σ within the material at the bridge <NUM>.

As is known in the art, a stress σ, which is a force applied to a per unit area of a material (e.g., to the area of the bridge <NUM>), produces a stretching of the area (e.g., of the bridge <NUM>) referred to as a strain ε. Strain is represented by the ratio of the difference in length ΔL caused by the stress σ to the original length L<NUM> along the direction of the stress σ, i.e., ε = ΔL / L<NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, as the rotation R continues, the stress σ increases causing an increased strain ε, and the bridge <NUM> experiences plastic deformation until it breaks. As stated above, by choosing appropriate dimensions (H1, W1) and positioning (D1) of the slot <NUM> and the corresponding dimensions of the bridge <NUM> (W2), the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> may be designed to predictably break open with the application of a known breaking force FB. For example, in some embodiments, for a side arm <NUM> with a diameter W3 of <NUM>" - <NUM>" (and preferably about <NUM>") and a breaking force FB of <NUM># - <NUM># (and preferably about <NUM>#), the height H1 of the slot <NUM> may be chosen to equal <NUM>" +/- <NUM>" and the width W1 of the slot <NUM> may be chosen to equal <NUM>" +/- <NUM>". This may result in a bridge width W2 equal to about <NUM>" +/- <NUM>". Looking at this in another way, the height H1 of the slot <NUM> may be about <NUM>% the diameter W3 of the arm <NUM>, and the width W1 of the slot <NUM> may be about <NUM>% of the diameter W3 of the arm <NUM>. This may result in the width W2 of the bridge being about <NUM>% of the diameter W3 of the arm <NUM>.

In another example, the slot <NUM> may be positioned at a vertical distance D1 below the point of force of about <NUM>".

It is understood that these example slot dimensions and/or slot position(s) are meant for demonstration and that other dimensions and/or positions of the slot <NUM> also may be chosen, and that the scope of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> and that of the system <NUM> is not limited in any way by the chosen dimensions and/or positioning of the slot <NUM>. In some embodiments, the slot dimensions and/or slot position(s) may result in different breaking forces FB depending on the material(s) used to form the mechanism <NUM> (e.g., the arm <NUM> with which the weakening element <NUM> may be configured). For example, for an arm <NUM> comprising stainless steel, the slot dimensions and/or slot position(s) shown above may result in a breaking force FB of about <NUM>#.

It is understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the descriptions above regarding the forces F1, F2, FT and/or FB applied to the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> and the resulting torque T, force FTS, stress σ, strain ε and eventual breakage of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> are meant for demonstration, and that other forces may be applied to the mechanism <NUM> that may result in other eventual breakages of the mechanism <NUM> as required for the mechanism <NUM> to fulfill its break-away functionalities within the system <NUM>. It is also understood that the analysis and modeling of the mechanism <NUM>, the weakening element <NUM> and/or other elements of the mechanism <NUM> and the forces described as shown above are meant to provide an understanding of the mechanism <NUM> and its functionalities, and that other analysis and/or modeling of the mechanism <NUM> may also be used.

In some embodiments, the shape and form of the weakening element <NUM> may include other architectures that may result in the same or similar results. For example, the weakening element <NUM> may include two or more slots <NUM> in close proximity on the arm <NUM> or spaced at distances along the arm <NUM>. The two or more slots <NUM> may be positioned on the same side of the arm <NUM> (e.g., on the outside as shown in other embodiments) or on different sides (e.g., directly opposing one another on opposing sides and/or vertically offset on opposing sides). In another example, the weakening element <NUM> may include one or more slots <NUM> on the lateral sides of the arm <NUM> (e.g., perpendicular to or at other angles with respect to the slot <NUM> of <FIG>). In other examples, the angle of the slot <NUM> with respect to the arm <NUM> may include a non-perpendicular angle (e.g., diagonal). In another example, the slot <NUM> may not include a constant height H1 but may instead include a tapering height that tapers from a larger height at the opening of the slot <NUM> to a smaller height at the bridge <NUM> (e.g., wedge-shaped). In another example, the weakening element <NUM> may include one or more holes that pass through at least a portion of the arm <NUM>. In this example, the one or more holes may result in the formation of one or more corresponding bridge portions associated with each hole.

In yet another embodiment as shown in <FIG>, the slot <NUM> may include a circumferential slot <NUM> that extends inward from around the circumference of the arm <NUM> with a resulting bridge <NUM> generally positioned in the center of arm's cross-section as shown in <FIG>. Other slot architectures may also be used.

It is understood that the weakening element <NUM> may include any type(s) of element(s) and/or structure(s) that may generally weaken the mechanism's arm <NUM> so that the arm <NUM> may break under a defined load. It is also understood that the scope of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> and that of the system <NUM> is not limited in any way by the type(s), shape(s), form(s), location(s) and/or any other characteristics of the weakening element <NUM> that the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> may employ.

In on exemplary embodiment hereof as shown in <FIG>, the attachment mechanisms of <FIG> may each include releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM>. For example, first attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may include a releasable attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM>, the second attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may include a releasable attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM>, the third attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may include a third releasable attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> and the fourth attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM> may include a fourth releasable attachment mechanism <NUM>-<NUM>. It is understood that the number and location of the releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> shown in <FIG> are meant for demonstration and that the system <NUM> may include any number of releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> as necessary.

In one exemplary embodiment hereof, by designing the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM> to release (e.g., break away) under predictable load conditions of a known breaking force FB, the system <NUM> may be designed to include a specific number of releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> placed at specific positions within the system <NUM> so that the releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> may release a net <NUM> given specific environmental load conditions. Note that the number and/or placement of the attachment mechanisms <NUM> may be site specific as each site of the system <NUM> may include different potential environmental load conditions under which the system <NUM> may preferably perform.

For example, in some implementations, the releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> may be used to connect the netting <NUM> to the upper lateral support <NUM> and/or intermediate lateral support at intervals of approximately <NUM>". The releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> also may be used to connect the netting <NUM> to the upright support structures <NUM> (or to vertical support cables configured with the upright support structures <NUM>) at intervals of approximately <NUM>". In other implementations, the releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> may be placed at non-symmetrical spacings. It is understood that other placement positions and/or intervals of placement also may be used depending on the design of the releasable attachment mechanism <NUM>, the application of the system <NUM> and/or the environment within which the system <NUM> may be installed, and that the scope of the system <NUM> is not limited in any way by the positioning and/or the placement intervals at which the releasable attachment mechanisms <NUM> may be configured.

It is understood that any aspect and/or element of any of the embodiments described herein or otherwise may be combined in any way to form new embodiments easily understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate and understand, upon reading this description, that embodiments hereof may provide different and/or other advantages, and that not all embodiments or implementations need have all advantages.

Where a process is described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process may operate without any user intervention. In another embodiment, the process includes some human intervention (e.g., a step is performed by or with the assistance of a human).

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase "at least some" means "one or more," and includes the case of only one. Thus, e.g., the phrase "at least some ABCs" means "one or more ABCs", and includes the case of only one ABC.

As used herein, including in the claims, term "at least one" should be understood as meaning "one or more", and therefore includes both embodiments that include one or multiple components. Furthermore, dependent claims that refer to independent claims that describe features with "at least one" have the same meaning, both when the feature is referred to as "the" and "the at least one".

As used in this description, the term "portion" means some or all. So, for example, "A portion of X" may include some of "X" or all of "X". In the context of a conversation, the term "portion" means some or all of the conversation.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase "using" means "using at least," and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase "using X" means "using at least X. " Unless specifically stated by use of the word "only", the phrase "using X" does not mean "using only X.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase "based on" means "based in part on" or "based, at least in part, on," and is not exclusive. Thus, e.g., the phrase "based on factor X" means "based in part on factor X" or "based, at least in part, on factor X. " Unless specifically stated by use of the word "only", the phrase "based on X" does not mean "based only on X.

In general, as used herein, including in the claims, unless the word "only" is specifically used in a phrase, it should not be read into that phrase.

As used herein, including in the claims, the phrase "distinct" means "at least partially distinct. " Unless specifically stated, distinct does not mean fully distinct. Thus, e.g., the phrase, "X is distinct from Y" means that "X is at least partially distinct from Y," and does not mean that "X is fully distinct from Y. " Thus, as used herein, including in the claims, the phrase "X is distinct from Y" means that X differs from Y in at least some way.

It should be appreciated that the words "first," "second," and so on, in the description and claims, are used to distinguish or identify, and not to show a serial or numerical limitation. Similarly, letter labels (e.g., "(A)", "(B)", "(C)", and so on, or "(a)", "(b)", and so on) and/or numbers (e.g., "(i)", "(ii)", and so on) are used to assist in readability and to help distinguish and / or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting or to impose or imply any serial or numerical limitations or orderings. Similarly, words such as "particular," "specific," "certain," and "given," in the description and claims, if used, are to distinguish or identify, and are not intended to be otherwise limiting.

As used herein, including in the claims, the terms "multiple" and "plurality" mean "two or more," and include the case of "two. " Thus, e.g., the phrase "multiple ABCs," means "two or more ABCs," and includes "two ABCs. " Similarly, e.g., the phrase "multiple PQRs," means "two or more PQRs," and includes "two PQRs.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., "about <NUM>" or "approximately <NUM>" shall also cover exactly <NUM> or "substantially constant" shall also cover exactly constant).

As used herein, including in the claims, singular forms of terms are to be construed as also including the plural form and vice versa, unless the context indicates otherwise. Thus, it should be noted that as used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the description and claims, the terms "comprise", "including", "having", and "contain" and their variations should be understood as meaning "including but not limited to", and are not intended to exclude other components unless specifically so stated.

It will be appreciated that variations to the embodiments of the invention can be made while still falling within the scope of the invention. Alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose can replace features disclosed in the specification, unless stated otherwise. Thus, unless stated otherwise, each feature disclosed represents one example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The present invention also covers the exact terms, features, values and ranges, etc. in case these terms, features, values and ranges etc. are used in conjunction with terms such as about, around, generally, substantially, essentially, at least etc. (i.e., "about <NUM>" shall also cover exactly <NUM> or "substantially constant" shall also cover exactly constant).

Use of exemplary language, such as "for instance", "such as", "for example" ("e.g.,") and the like, is merely intended to better illustrate the invention and does not indicate a limitation on the scope of the invention unless specifically so claimed.

Claim 1:
A break-away attachment mechanism for releasably attaching at least one net between two or more upright support structures, the break-away attachment mechanism comprising:
a hoop including a top end, a bottom end, a hinged gate, and a side arm opposite the hinged gate; and
at least one weakening element configured in an outer side of the side arm and adapted to cause the hoop to break in the area of the at least one weakening element under a first load applied to the break-away attachment mechanism.