Sports Pitch Marker Field of Invention

The present invention relates to the marking of sports pitches and provides an apparatus for the temporary marking of a sports pitch. In particular, the present invention provides an apparatus for temporarily marking a sports pitch as an easy and convenient alternative to the use of cones or tape. Background

Many games and sports are played on pitches marked out on fields or other areas of ground. Pitches in some locations may be permanently or semi-permanently marked out. Hovvever, in many cases it is advantageous or desirable to temporarily mark out a sports pitch. This may be done when a training pitch of an unusual size is required or when the game or sports are being played In a location where it is not desirable to have permanently marked pitches. For example, casual games or sports in parks or other recreational areas are best played on temporarily marked pitches.

Current methods of marking out temporary pitches include the use of portable cones, washable line markings, tape pinned in position and even the use of jumpers or other clothing to indicate pitch boundaries, goalposts or other pitch markings. However, none of these methods are ideal Washable line markings and tape pinned in position are time consuming to mark out correctly. Furthermore, tape can be time consuming to wind up and impractical to carry around. Portable cones and clothing can be easily knocked out of position and inevitably have gaps between each marker where the boundary of the pitch has to be estimated, which can lead to arguments and other difficulties.

In light of the above there is a need for a new method and/or apparatus for quickly and easily marking out temporary pitches. The new method and/or apparatus should preferably provide complete line markings and should be robust enough to remain in position when knocked or otherwise impacted when in use. Summary of Invention

The present invention provides a sports pitch marker comprising

a housing containing at least one mounting and having at least one opening; at least two elongate flexible boundary markers retractably mounted on a mounting and within the housing;

wherein each boundary marker can be extended out of the housing through an opening.

The present invention is advantageous as it allows a temporary sports pitch to be quickly and easily marked out using a simple piece of portable apparatus. The apparatus is used in the following manner. The pitch marker is placed in an appropriate place on the intended boundary of the sports pitch. The elongate flexible markers are then extended out of housing in an appropriate direction. When suitably extended, outer ends of the elongate flexible markers can then be fixed in the ground and in this manner a boundary of the sports pitch can be marked. By using multiple sports pitch markers a sports pitch can be temporarily marked out. After the pitch has been used the boundary markers can be unfixed from the ground and retracted back into the housing. The pitch marker can then be carried away. In this manner, a sports pitch cars be quickly, easily and temporarily marked out using a simple apparatus.

A pitch marker according to the present invention may have one or more mountings. Specifically, each boundary marker may be mounted on a separate mounting or there may be more than one boundary marker mounted on the, or each, mounting. The, or each, mounting- may be formed in any manner that allows a boundary marker to be _: retractably mounted thereon. In simple embodiments of the invention a. mounting may be a rotatable axle to which an inner end of one or more boundary marker may be fixed.

The boundary markers can be retractable in any manner apparent to a person skilled in the art. In preferred embodiments of the invention the boundary markers are mounted on a: mounting to automatically retract into the housing when not held in. an extended position. Again, this can be achieved in any manner apparent to the person skilled in the art. For example the boundary markers may be spring mounted using a substantially flat and/or coiled steel spring or any other suitable spring or biasing means.

The boundary markers will inevitably become dirty and soiled when in use as they form the boundary of a sports pitch. Therefore, it may be preferable that the pitch marker includes means for cleaning the boundary markers before, or at the same as, they are retracted into the housing after the pitch marker has been used. The pitch marker may comprise any suitable cleaning means, !n preferred embodiments of the invention the pitch marker may have cleaning brushes mounted on the or each opening for cleaning a boundary marker as it is extended out of or retracted into, the housing. The brushes; may be removable or permanently attached. The brushes will be mounted in a suitable position such that whenever a boundary marker is retracted into the housing through an opening the marker is passed between the bristles of the brushes, thereby cleaning the boundary marker. It is to be understood: that the suitable orientation and mounting of a cleaning brush of an embodiment of the present invention will be immediately apparent to a person skilled in the art.

As set out above, when the boundary markers are extended and the pitch marker is being used to mark out a sports pitch, the ends of the boundary markers are fixed in the ground. This can be done in any manner apparent to the skilled person. However, in order to facilitate this fixing, it may be preferable that each boundary marker has a fixing means at an outer end for fixing the marker in the ground. The fixing means may be any suitable means including, but not limited to, one or more apertures through which a peg, or other fixing means, can be passed, and integral ground anchors or pegs. The end portion of the boundary marker containing fixing means may be formed of the same material as the boundary marker or of a different material, for example, the ends of the boundary markers may be formed of or reinforced with, a rigid and resilient material, such as stainless steel rather than the flexible material from which the boundary marker is formed.

Additionally , each boundaiy marker may have one or more apertures formed part way along its length for additional fixing of the marker in position. For example, a boundary marker may have a plurality of apertures formed at regular intervals along the length of the marker, such that the marker can be pegged, or otherwise fixed in the ground, at those intervals, This may be preferred when the boundary marker is of a particularly long length, and the pitch being marked is relatively large (e.g. a Ml size football pitch). The boundary markers may he formed of any suitably flexible and resilient material. Preferably the materia! will not degrade significantly when subject to moisture or cold or hot temperatures, such as those that might be found when the pitch marker is in use. Suitable materials include, but are not limited to, tape formed of nylon webbing, cotton, polypropylene or polyester, As will be readily appreciated, the boundary markers should be of a colour, and have sufficient width, such that they are easily visible by anybody using a sports pitch that has been marked using the pitch marker. Therefore, it may be preferable that the boundary markers are white in colour, or any other colour commonly used for marking sports pitches. Generally, the boundary markers will be formed of a substantially flat elongate tape, although any other suitable size and shape of boimdary marker may be used, for example, cord or rope-shaped markers,

A pitch marker according to the present invention may comprise any suitable number of boundary markers: but must have at least two. It is anticipated that the pitch markers according to the present invention will most commonly have two boundary markers, although pitch markers with three or four boundary markers will also be commonly useful. A pitch marker according to the present invention may comprise, two boundary markers and two openings, the markers and openings being formed such that a first boundary marker can be extended out of a first opening in a direction that is normal to a direction in which a second boundary marker can be extended out of a second opening. Pitch markers formed in this manner and having only these two boundary markers will preferably be _: used to mark the corner portions of a rectangular or square sports pitch. The pitch marker would be positioned on the intended corner of the pitch and the boundary markers then extended out of the housing and fixed in position to indicate, the ^' two edges of the pitch that meet at that corner. A pitch marker according to the present invention may comprise two boundary markers and two openings, the markers and openings being formed such that a _: first boundary marker can be extended out of a first opening in a direction that is parallel and opposite to a direction in which a second boundary marker can be extended out of a second opening. Pitch markers formed in this manner and having only these two boundary markers will preferably be used to mark the sides of a rectangular or square sports pitch. The pitch marker would be positioned at approximately the midpoint of the edge of the pitch and the boundary markers then extended out of the housing and fixed in position to indicate that edge of the pitch. That is, _: a pitch marker formed in this manner will be able to be used to mark out a long straight line on the ground.

A pitch marker according to the present invention may have three boundary markers and three openings and be a combination of the two embodiments described above. The three openings may be positioned such that the directions in which each of the boundary markers may be extended are normal to the direction that one or both of the adjacent boundary markers may be extended. That is, when extended, the boundary markers may be able to mark out a long straight line with the housing at its midpoint and with a further line extending at a normal direction to the long straight line from said midpoint. A pitch marker formed in this manner may be useful for marking the half-way line of a pitch, such as a football, badminton or tennis pitch .

As a further alternative a pitch marker may have four boundary markers and four openings, the openings being formed at 90° intervals around the housing with one marker extendable out of each opening and each marker being extendable in the direction of the corresponding opening. A marker formed in this manner will be able to mark out a cross or large "X" and may be useful in marking out many sports pitches.

Alternatively, a pitch: marker may have any other arrangement of boundary markers that is suitable for forming any particular sports pitch that may be desired by the end user.

As will be readily appreciated, when one or more of the boundary markers are extended out of the housing and fixed in the ground the housing will be subject to a force acting to pull it. out of position. Therefore, it is preferable that the housing of a pitch marker according to the present indention comprises means for fixing the pitch marker in the ..ground. The housing may have any suitable means for fixing the pitch in the ground. Examples of suitable, fixings include, but are not limited to, apertures formed therethrough for pegging the pitch marker _, to the ground and a ground anchor for fixing the pitch marker in the ground. Alternatively or additionally the housing may be weighted to remain in position.

The housing may be formed of any suitable material. Preferably the housing should be resilient to impacts that it might be subject to when a _. sports pitch is in use and should not degrade in moisture or when subject to high or low temperatures, Examples of suitable materials, .include but are not limited to, PVC or rubber.

Preferably, the housing of the pitch marker will completely enclose the mounting and the boundary markers when the boundary markers are not extended. Although, in this situation, the very ends of the boundary markers may still extend out of the housing in order to allow them to be easily extended in a desired direction,

The housing may be formed in any suitable shape. However, it may be preferable that the pitch marker is substantially conical and/or shaped substantially like a conventional comer or goal marker for a sports pitch.

As set out above, it is generally preferable that the boundary markers are mounted such that they automatically retract into the housing when not held in an extended position, However, in some applications of the present invention this may not be advantageous. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention the boundary markers may not be mounted in this manner, instead, the boundary markers: may be mounted such that they can be retracted into the housing using a manual retracting means, such as an external winding handle, or an automatic retracting means, such as a motorised retracting means. Any such manual or automatic retracting means may be formed in any manner apparent to the person skilled in the art. Furthermore, it may even be preferable for embodiments of the present invention wherein the boundary markers are mounted such that they automatically retract into the housing when not held in an extended position to additionally comprise manual or automatic retracting means. This may be preferable as it would allow an alternative way of retracting the boundary means should the automatic retraction not operate correctly.

Further features and embodiments of the present inveniion will be apparent from the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in the Figures and is described below.

Drawings ^:

Figure 1 shows a pitch marked out using four pitch markers according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a pitch marker according to the first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the housing of a pitch marker according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a cross-section through the pitch marker according to the second embod iment of the invention; and

Figure 5 shows a pitch marked out using four pitch markers according to the second embodiment of the invention.

A sports pitch .10. marked out by four identical pitch markers 1- according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figure 1 , Details of the pitch markers 1 can be seen more clearly in Figure 2, which shows a single pitch marker according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The pitch marker 1 consists of a housing 2, a first mount 3. a second mount 4, a first boundary marker 5, a second boundary marker 6, a first opening 7, a second opening 8 and a plurality of fixing loops 9. The housing 2 is formed of a rigid plastie material. The first and second mounts 3, 4 are sprung rotatable axles that are mounted through the housing 2. The first and second boundary markers 5, 6 are mounted on the first and second mounts 3, 4 respectively and an inner end of each boundary marker is fixed to the respective mount. The first and second boundary -markers 5, 6 are made of tape formed of white nylon webbing. The first and second^ boundary markers 5, 6 are each coiled around the first and second mounts 3, 4 respectively. The first and second openings 7, 8 are formed in outer end walls of the housing 2 adjacent the first and second mounts 3, 4. An outer end of each of the first and second boundary markers 5, 6 is shown extended out of the first and second openings: 7, 8 respectively, A plurality of fixing loops 9 are formed around the outer walls of the housing 2 in a position tha t allows the loops 9 to he used to peg the marker 1 to the ground (pegs not shown). in Figures 1 and 2, the region of the housing 2 around the first and second mounts 3, 4 and first and second boundary markers 5, 6 is shown as being open. This is purely to best illustrate the operation of the pitch marker 1. it is anticipated that it will be preferable that the housing 2 is substantially closed and is only open at the first and second openings 7, 8, However, the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 would operate perfectly satisfactorily and, in some situations, may be preferred as it is a lighter weight construction and can allow the boundary markers 5, 6 id be manually rotated.

The first and second mounts 3, 4 and the first and second boundary markers 5, 6 are mounted in the housing such that, when extended out of the first and second openings 7, 8, the boundary markers extend away from the housings in directions normal to one another. Furthermore, the rotational axes of the mounts 3, 4 are formed to be substantially parallel to the ground when the pitch marker 1 is in use. However, it is to be understood that in alternative embodiments of the invention the mounts 3, 4 may be formed such thai their rotational axes of the mounts .3, 4 are substantially vertical when the pitch marker 1 is in use (or the mount may be in any other suitable orientation). The orientation of the rotational axis of a mount, and of a wound boundary marker mounted thereon, is a design choice that is entirely down to the discretion of a designer of any specific embodiment of the present invention. The sprung mounts 3, 4 act such that when the boundary markers 5, 6 are extended out of the housing 2 they impart a force on the boundary markers 5 , 6 to retract them back into the housing 2. Thus if the boundary markers 5, 6 are not held in an extended position they will refract back into the housing 2 under the action of the sprung mounts 3, 4,

The use of the pitch marker 1, is shown in Figure 1. In this Figure a small practice football pitch 10 has been marked out. It is to be understood that, for illustrative .purposes, the dimensions of the pitch 10 relative to the size of the pitch marker 1 are shown to be much smaller than they would be in reality. The pitch 10 is marked out using four pitch markers 1. in particular, a pitch marker 1 is positioned at each corner of the pitch 10 and the boundary markers 5. 6 have been extended out of each marker to define the fouchlines 11 of the pitch. A gap 12 has been left at each end of the pitch 10 to indicate the goals. The pitch markers 1 are fixed to the ground using a peg (not shown) fixed through each of the plurality of fixing loops 9. Each of the boundary markers 5, 6 lias a plurality of fixing apertures 13 formed therethrough at approximately regular intervals along the length of the boundary markers. The boundary markers 5, 6 are also fixed in the ground in the appropriate position using pegs 15 mounted through the apertures 13. The outermost fixing aperture 13 of each. boundary marker 5, 6 is reinforced by a reinforcing section 14 formed of stainless steel.

After the pitcli 10 has finished being used all of the pegs 15 are removed from the boundary markers 5, 6 and they will be automatically retracted into the housing. If they don't retract automaticaiiy .manual assistance may be used. Subsequently the pegs are removed from the housing 2 and the pitch markers I may he carried away, leaving no permanent mark on the ground previously used as the pitch 10. In order to mark a new pitch 10 fir st the pitch markers 1 are fixed in the ground using the pegs, then the boundary markers 5, 6 are extended out of the housing 2 and pegged in position.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 3 to 5. Where appropriate the same reference numerals have been used to indicate features of the second embodiment that are equivalent to the features of the first embodiment.

A housing 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention ^' is shown in Figure 3, The housing 2 is shown viewed from above. As can be seen, this housing 2 is shaped like a conventional cone that may be used to mark the comers of a. sports pitch 10. Due to its shape, this housing 2 does not have fixing loops 9. instead, the base of the housing is weighted 2 to keep the housing 2 upright and in position when the pitch marker 1 is in use. in the same manner as the first embodiment, first and second openings 7, 8 are formed in outer walls of the housing 2, A cross-section through the pitch marker 1 of the second embodiment of invention is shown in Figure 4. As can be seen in this Figure, the first and second mounts 3, 4 of this second embodiment are mounted centrally within the housing 2. Specifically, the first and second mounts 3, 4 are mounted coaxially with a central vertical axis of the. conical housing 2. The first mount 3 is mounted directly above the second mount 4 such that their rotational axes are coaxial, The boundary markers 5, 6 are sprung mounted in the same manner as the first embodiment. As shown in this Figure, the openings 7, 8 are formed at a lower portion of the housing 2 such that, when extended out of the housing 2, the boundary markers 5, 6 can be maintained parallel and close to the ground on which a sports pitch 10 is being marked.

The use of the second embodiment of the invention to mark a sports pitch 10 is shown in Figure 5. As can be seen, the second embodiment of the invention is used in the same manner as the first embodiment and has substantially all of the same features. The only functional difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is that the pitch marker 1 of the second embodiment does not need to be pegged in the ground as the base of the housing 2 is weighted to hold, the marker 1. in position.