Patent ID: 12234682

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Moreover, it should be appreciated that the particular implementations shown and described herein are illustrative of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Indeed, for the sake of brevity, certain sub-components of the individual operating components, and other functional aspects of the systems may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships and/or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may be present in a practical system.

Looking atFIGS.1and2, there is shown a view of a portion of a dasher board assembly10comprising a first dasher board section12, a second dasher board section14, with an opening16having a gate17to permit ingress to a players' box or penalty box, and egress therefrom. The first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14comprise a frame with opposed vertical frame members18defining the opening16for receiving the gate17. The gate17is hingedly connected to a fixed section of the second dasher board14by hinge19such that the gate17places the opening16in an open and closed position. A lower section of the frame of the first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14may be anchored to an underlying playing surface of an arena or a rink via an anchoring mechanism in order to secure dasher board assembly10in place. The gate17comprises a gate frame assembly with side frame pieces or vertical frame jambs20, and a top frame piece or a header22, and a threshold24between the first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14.

Rink-facing dasher board panel members28and box-facing dasher board panel members30, top dasher board panel members32attached to the frames of the first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14. The gate frame assembly also includes rink-facing dasher board panel members28and box-facing dasher board panel members30, with top dasher board panel member32on header22, vertical frame jambs20. . . . The dasher board panel members28,30, and32are typically made from hard materials such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or fiberglass which are not absorptive. A kick plate38may be secured to a lower portion of rink-facing dasher board panel members28.

Corner40is defined where the rink-facing dasher board panel member28on the gate17meets the inside vertical frame jamb20, and where the rink-facing dasher board panel member28on the first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14meets the vertical frame members18. Corner44is defined where top dasher board panel members32meet inside vertical frame jambs20on gate17, and the vertical frame members18on the first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14. Corners40,44present hard-sharp edges that may be hazardous to players if they were to collide with the sharp edges.

FIG.3shows a portion of a dasher board assembly10with first energy absorption corner assembly50formed with first dasher board section12, second energy absorption corner assembly52formed with second dasher board section14to which the gate17is hingedly connected to, and third energy absorption corner assembly54at one end of gate17adjacent the hinge19. Accordingly, the first energy absorption corner assembly50, second energy absorption corner assembly52and third energy absorption corner assembly54eliminate the hard-sharp edges present in the first dasher board section12, second dasher board section14, gate17, of the prior art. In one example, the energy absorption corner assemblies50,52,54are located above the kick plate38with a total vertical height to be thirty to forty-eight inches in height depending upon the actual lower-framed dasher board and gate assembly measurements that vary amongst arenas.

FIG.4is a perspective top-view of a portion of a dasher board assembly10showing the gate17of a player or penalty box in an open position employing energy absorption corner assemblies50,52,54. The energy absorption corner assemblies50,52,54comprise an elongate, vertical core section56formed from a solid polymer material adapted to displace and absorb the impact energy when a player strikes the side and corner of the first dasher board section12, the second dasher board section14, or the gate17into the player or penalty box area. In one example, the polymer material of the elongate, vertical core section56comprises a hardness of about 25-60 on the Shore 00 scale and about 1-20 on the Shore A scale and is considered to be extra-soft to soft hardness on the hardness scale. In one example, the energy absorbing corner vertical core section56has a height between 30 and 48 inches, depending upon the actual height of a new or existing dasher board assembly. In one example, the width of the energy absorbing corner vertical core section56ranges between 3 inches to 5.5 inches.

In one example, the energy absorption corner assembly54comprises a rink-facing surface with an outer sheet58of polymer material with a urethane, Teflon or similar coating of higher durometer than the energy absorbing corner vertical core section56. Accordingly, as outer sheet58abuts the energy absorbing corner vertical core section56then any impact energy received on the polymer 58 is absorbed by energy absorbing corner vertical core section56, thereby reducing the likelihood of injury to a player. In addition, the outer sheet58does not alter the game being played since the sheet58possesses similar functionality of the HDPE boards28as related to the game, for example, in a game of hockey the outer sheet58deflects the puck without changing the direction of the puck similar to the HDPE boards28. In one example, the outer sheet58is made from a polymer material with a hardness of about 60-85 on the Shore 00 scale and about 20-55 on the Shore A scale, considered to be of soft to medium-soft hardness on the hardness scale. For comparison to HDPE board material currently used as puckboard, HDPE has a hardness of about 60-70 on the Shore D scale or about 100 on the Shore A scale and is considered to be extra-hard hardness on the hardness scale. In one example, the thickness of the polymer 58 ranges between 0.5 inches to 1 inch.

In one example, the top of the energy absorption corner vertical core section56comprises a rounded corner front profile, and may adapted to accommodate any existing soft top sill or bumper in the market.

FIG.5is a top view of the energy absorption corner assembly54associated with the lower-framed dasher board assembly of the second dasher board section14(hinged gate-opening section) located in the player or penalty boxes. The energy absorption corner assembly52associated with the gate17, has a similar view. To incorporate the energy absorption corner assembly50,52or54into the first dasher board sections12and the second dasher board sections14of the player and penalty boxes and gate17, the opposed vertical frame members18of the first dasher board section12and the second dasher board section14, and the vertical frame jambs20of gate17may be adapted for initial arena installations or retrofitting. For example, the first dasher board sections12and the second dasher board sections14and gate17may be modified to not include a front-corner frame section, thus providing the required spacing to incorporate the energy absorption corner assembly50,52, or54in its place. In one example, a beam or bracket, such as L-support corner beam60is secured to frame62the second dasher board section14to provide support. The beam60may be made of any suitable material capable of the desired support, such as aluminum or steel, and the beam60and may be secured to the frame62via any suitable means, such as fastener or by welding.

In one example, the support corner beam60has a height of between 30 and 48 inches.

In one example, the support corner beam60has a thickness of about 0.5 inches.

In one example, the support corner beam60may have triangle-shaped inner corner shelf pieces welded to the inside corner for supporting the weight of vertical core sections.

In one example, energy absorption corner assemblies50,52,54comprise bolt inserts molded into the back and the internal-side of the vertical core section(s) to attach to the aluminum or steel corner L-support beam60.

FIG.6is a top view showing the attachment of the energy absorption corner assembly50to the second dasher board section12of the non-hinged (side-beveled angled version) gate-opening section that is in the player or penalty boxes. The side-beveled angle design allows for proper gate opening and closing for the energy absorption corner assembly50and to eliminate the approximately 1″ hard puck board overhang that is the current design for player and penalty box gates, which presents a safety risk.

FIGS.7-9are front views of the energy absorption corner assembly50,52, or54showing the various possible configurations of the vertical core section56formed from a solid polymer material with a rink-facing outer surface polymer material58with a urethane, Teflon or similar coating of higher durometer, in which the vertical core section56and rink-facing outer polymer 58 material may include a plurality of units. The various configurations provide options to adjust for the optimal compression performance of the energy absorption corner assembly50,52or54. For example, an energy absorption corner assembly comprising one unit56and outer sheet58may be stiffer than a vertical core section comprising two units56a/58aand56b/58bor a vertical core section comprising three units56a/58a,56b/58band56c/58c.

In one implementation, the energy absorption corner assemblies50,52,54are configured to accommodate any existing soft top sill or bumper in the market.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Embodiments are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems. While the specification includes examples, the disclosure's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments.