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  Portable adjustable athletic field boundaryUSPTO Application #: 20070298913Title: Portable adjustable athletic field boundary Abstract: A self-contained portable adjustable boundary marking system capable of use in a variety of athletic settings where a boundary, line, or demarcation is desirable is disclosed. The system is adapted for use indoors or outdoors, on hard surfaces or soft. The system is modifiable and adaptable, and capable of rapid setup and takedown, and the system is thus suited for use in a variety of athletic play and training situations. The system includes boundary markers which contain at least one extensible element such as a tape, string, cord, or cable that may be extended to any desirable length up to the maximum length of the extensible element and attached to other markers of the system or to the playing surface itself to delineate the boundaries of a playing surface or to mark some other meaningful line on the playing surface. (end of abstract)
Agent: Kirton And Mcconkie - Salt Lake City, UT, US Inventors: Travis J. Winn, Scott Warner USPTO Applicaton #: 20070298913 - Class: 473490000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Games Using Tangible Projectile, Playing Field Or Court Game; Game Element Or Accessory Therefor Other Than Projector Or Projectile, Per Se, Means For Dividing Field Or Court Into Compartments; Element Thereof Or Accessory Therefor (e.g., A Net, Marking Strip, Marked Line, Etc.) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070298913. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/816,298, filed Jun. 23, 2006. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to athletic field boundaries, and more particularly to a portable and adjustable field boundary that includes markers and retractable boundary marking tape or cord and that allows almost infinite adjustment and configuration of the adjustable field boundary. [0004] 2. Background and Related Art [0005] Many sports use a playing field or surface on which a large part of the action of the sport occurs. Often, the field or surface has defined boundaries, where certain events must take place within the boundaries, or certain events that take place outside the boundaries require certain effects. For example, in basketball and soccer, the ball must stay within the boundaries of the court or field, or if the ball crosses outside the court or field control of the ball is turned over to the team which was not the last team to touch the ball. In volleyball, the server must strike the ball from behind the back boundary, while whether a point is earned or the serve changes is usually determined by whether the ball touches the ground inside or outside the boundary in conjunction with which team last touched the ball. [0006] Unfortunately, while many people enjoy playing sports, many sports are often limited in where they can conveniently be played. For example, in the United States, soccer is most often played by large teams on large dedicated fields of grass with defined boundaries painted or cut into the grass. If a smaller group of players desires to play, they often find themselves using a large field without a properly-defined boundary, or they just play in an area without boundaries at all. Similarly, people often go to the beach and set up a volleyball, badminton, or similar net, but just dig marks in the sand for boundaries that are quickly obliterated during the game, or the people do not even try to establish clear boundaries of what is out and in. This kind of informal play can lead to tension between the players such as when a dispute occurs as to whether a ball was in or out. [0007] Furthermore, even if people have some sort of boundary system that they can take with them to set up a smaller field for soccer or to more clearly define the boundaries of their playing surface, different sports often use fields of different sizes and shapes; the boundary that works for one sport typically does not work for another. Thus the recreational sport player, the one who tends to have the least amount of money to spend on properly defining boundaries, is forced into buying multiple costly setups for each of the sports in which he or she desires to participate. Even assuming the player has the means to purchase multiple different boundary systems, the player must also have the space to store all the different systems, which can quickly grow burdensome. [0008] Coaches of teams have related problems. For example, in football, a coach often desires a defined area or delineated space in which the players in training should run their routes, a so-called football lane. Also, in soccer, it is not uncommon for a coach to divide the team up into several mini games in areas smaller than the whole field so that several players at once can practice their skills. In such cases, a coach might instruct a set of players to go make a twenty yard by twenty yard box and practice passing or shooting in that defined area. Confused players do their best but don't often end up with a well-defined area that satisfies the coach's intended wishes. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The following description is provided so that the features and advantages of the invention may be readily understood. The description should not be deemed limiting of the scope of the invention, but the scope should be determined by reference solely to the appended claims. [0010] The embodiments of the present invention provide a modular portable adjustable boundary system. A low-profile and portable marker contains a flexible extendible boundary marking tape or cord that may be extended whatever distance is desired, up to the end of the tape or cord, and attached to another marker or even to the ground. If attached to another marker, the tape or cord of that marker may then be extended as desired and attached to another marker, and so on, until the tape or cord of a subsequent marker returns and is attached to the first marker, thus enclosing and defining the boundary of an athletic field or surface. As used herein, the word "field" means an athletic field, court, surface, or other athletic area where it is advantageous to have a boundary or other line marked. [0011] The marker may be designed so that the tape or cord rests close to the ground so as not to interfere with the playing of a sport in the bounded area. Also, the marker may be designed to provide frictional attachment to the ground or surface of the area bounded and to be played upon, or may be staked into the surface if the surface allows. If staking is not possible and/or additional friction is desired to hold the marker in place, a skirt may be attached to provide additional support. [0012] The tape or cord may be automatically retractable or may be manually wound and unwound as desired, and a means for locking the position of the tape or cord may be provided. The tape or cord may also be provided with markings showing the distance the tape or cord has been extended or showing the location of placement of additional game elements, such as a soccer goal, midline, net, or basketball standard. [0013] The marker is self-contained, inexpensive to produce and own, and almost infinitely expandable. The marker is small and light enough that several may be carried by a single person in a bag or backpack, providing ready portability. Additionally, the marker may be manufactured in a stackable format and multiple markers carried in a dedicated carrier. Setup and takedown of an athletic boundary using the marker system is rapid and simple, lending itself to use in a variety of situations, such as training situations, informal spontaneous games, and formal team sports. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS [0014] The objects and features of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: [0015] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a portable field marker; [0016] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a sample bounded athletic field layout bounded by an adjustable boundary; [0017] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a different sample bounded athletic field layout bounded by an adjustable boundary; [0018] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a sample athletic field layout bounded on two sides by an adjustable boundary; [0019] FIG. 5 shows a plan view of another sample bounded athletic field layout bounded by an adjustable boundary; [0020] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a base of one embodiment of a portable field marker; Continue reading... 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