US3129632A

US3129632A - Net

Info

Publication number: US3129632A
Application number: US250102A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert J Starr
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-01-08
Filing date: 1963-01-08
Publication date: 1964-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 1981-04-21
Also published as: GB999665A

Description

R. J. STARR April 21, 1964 NET Filed Jan. 8, 1963 INVENTOR. ROBERT J.l-STRR ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,129,632 NET Robert J. Starr, 23 Edgerton St., East Hampton, Conn. Filed Stan. 8, 1963, er. No. 259,102 Claims. (Cl. 87-42) This invention generally relates to nets and more specifically to an improved net particularly suitable for use as a safety net.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved net having an exceptionally high strength while at the same time being light in weight and high in fiexibility when compared With nets of equal strength. Included in this object is the provision of such a net having high energy absorbing characteristics and which will uniformly distribute the loads applied thereto throughout its component mesh members.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for reinforcing nets and the like that may be economically and easily incorporated into conventional nets either during or subsequent to the manufacture thereof and which will operate together with the netting proper as an integrated unit to provide a net of high over-all strength without impairing the elasticity of the same.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved net that will obtain the above objects in a structure that may be economically manufactured in various sizes and with standard netting materials and that Will provide effective service over long periods of repeated and rugged use.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the `application which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a Safety net embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a section of meshwork included in the net embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a Safety net embodying the present invention and generally designated 2 is shown as comprising an outer or peripheral frame 4 and a meshwork generally dcsignated 6 suitably secured to the frame 4 to be supported thereby. The frame 4, which in the illustrated embodiment is shown as having a square Shape, may be formed from bar or rope stock comprised of any suitable material.

The meshwork 6 is formed by a plurality of strands of rope respectively designated by the reference numerals 7, 8, 9, 1G directed along diagonal paths as indicated and interknotted as at 12 with adjacent strands to form a plurality of meshes of uniform size bounded by a series of aligned mesh bars connected end to end and extending across the frame 4 in one direction along a plurality of parallel rows and crossing a second series of aligned mesh bars connected end to end extending across the frame 4 along a plurality of parallel rows disposed at right angles to the first series of parallel rows. The mesh strands which may be formed, for example, from standard net rope of any suitable material having high strength and elastic properties, are arranged in the illustrated embodiment to extend at an oblique angle, preferably 45, to the frame 4 as shown in FIG. 1 which arrangement permits a greater length of rope or webbing between its points of engagement with frame 4, thereby increasing the total energy absorption of the net as Well as making it easier to assemble the net.

3,12%),632 ICC Patented Apr. 21, 1964 In order to prevent displacement of the mesh bars, the latter are secured to each other at the points of intersection 12 and in the shown embodiment this is accomplished by means of the suitably formed knots 14, as shown in FIG. 2.

In accordance with the invention, a novel reinforcing means is provided in the net 2 comprising an elongated elastic and resilient member 2% of high strength and elasticity for high energy absorption formed from any suitable material such as nylon rope and the like, which member 2h is helically wrapped or laced around and in engagement with the mesh members without knotting and extends throughout the longitudinaldimension thereof. Although in the illustrated embodiment every other mesh bar of each set of paraliel rows is laced with 'a reinforcing member 2h, it will be appreciated that this number and arrangement as well as the thickness of the reinforcing members 29 may be varied depending on the amount of reinforcement required. The reinforcing members 20 are suitably fiXed at their ends (not shown) to the frame 4 while the intermediate portions of the reinforcing members 2.0 are unknotted so as not to decrease the strength thereof. The number of turns of the reinforcing members 2G? formed between two successive-points of intersection 12 is preferably one turn, however, more or less of such turns ranging between one-half to one and one-half may be also employed if desired.

The mesh bars and the reinforcing members 20 are provided in the net such that they will be stretched to their maximum degree or to their point of rupture at the same loading, or to state it differently, such that they will rupture simultaneously should the net be loaded beyond its limit of strength. In this manner, the full strength of both the mesh bars and the reinforcing members 20 may be utilized for supporting loads. Although in the preferred embodiment this is accomplished by lacing the reinforcing members 2h into the net in a pretensioned state, it may also be accomplished, for example, by making the length of the reinforcing members 20 less than the length of the total length of the aligned mesh bars along a given path or by using dierent materials having diifering elongation rates in the formation of the mesh bars and the reinforcing members 20.

In operation, when a load is placed or falls on the net 2, the load will be uniformly distributed throughout the net to the mesh bars and to the reinforcing members 20, and both the mesh bars and the reinforcing members will act together as a balanced unit to support the load. This integrated and balanced effect is provided by the novel method of lacing the reinforcing members 20 to the mesh bars Whereby the reinforcing members 2h are held against lateral displacement across the net while at the same time being positioned in engagement with the mesh bars so as to provide for an effective distribution of the load therebetween.

Additionally, this novel method of lacing substantially minimizes chafing between the net mesh bars and the reinforcing members 26) since, as noted above, the reinforcing members 24) are fixed against lateral displacernent by those mesh bars around which the reinforcing members 20 are respectively wrapped. Also, there will be little relative longitudinal movement between each reinforcing member 20 and the mesh bars about which it is wrapped since any loading will merely adjust the radius of their respective spirals to accommodate the loading, thereby to minimize relative longitudinal movement therebetween. Although chafing between the reinforcing member 20 md the net mesh bar around which the former is wrapped is appreciably avoided due to the limited relative displacement undergone by these members, insurance against such chafing may be provided by forming the reinforcing mem- 3 ber 28 from a material having a low coefficient of friction such as nylon, employed in the preferred embodiment.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, inexpensive, but nevertheless novel and unique method of reinforcing a net without significantly increasing the Weight or size of the net or changing the mesh size and shape and further Without iinpairing the elastic and resilient qualities of the net and Without the knotting of the reinforcing rope. Additionally, it will be seen that the net of the present invention may be constructed With standard materials and in various sizes and shapes including various meshwork patterns to peculiarly suit the needs of the particular use to which the net is appiied.

As wiil be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a net including a pluraiity of rows of aligned mesh bars intersecting a second plurality of rows of aligned mesh bars and means fastening the mesh bars together at points of intersection thereof, means reinforcing the rows of aligned mesh bars comprising elongated reinforcing members formed of elastic material helically wrapped around a preselected number of said rows of aligned mesh bars, said reinforcing mesh bars being unknotted intermediate the ends thereof and being held in uniforrnly distributed position throughout the net by means of the wrapped relationship with the rows of members.

2. A net as defined in claim 1 Wherein each of said reinforcing members has a length less than that of its associated row of aligned mesh bars to cause maximum stretching of said mesh bars and said reinforcing members to occur substantially simultaneously should they be excessively loaded.

3. A net as defined in claim 1 Wherein each of said reinforcing members has a greater thickness than the mesh bar around which it is wrapped, and has a length relative to that of its associated row of aligned mesh bars to cause the maximum stretching of said mesh bars and said reinforcing members to occur substantially simultaneously should they be excessively loaded.

4. A net as defined in claim 1 wherein the number of turns of said reinforcing member around said mesh bars between two successive points of intersection ranges from one-half to one and one-half turns. 5. A net comprising a first series of mesh ropes extend' mg in parallel relationship With each other, a second series of mesh ropes extending in parallel relatiouship With each other and crossing the first series of mesh ropes thereby forming a meshwork, means fastening the mesh ropes of the first and second series together at points of intersection thereof, and a third series of ropes in engagement with and helically Wrapped about a plurality of said mesh ropes respectively, said third series of ropes being coextensive With said plurality of mesh ropes respectively and being held in position With respect to said plurality of mesh ropes only through means of their helical Wrapping.

6. In a net including a first plurality of rows of aligned mesh bars intersecting a second plurality of rows of aligned mesh bars and means fastening the mesh bars together at points of intersection thereof, a plurality of resilient reinforcing members respectively helically wrapped around alternate rows of aligned mesh bars in both of said first and second plurality of rows, said reinforcing members being unknotted intermediate the ends thereof.

7. A net as defined in claim 6 wherein the number of turns of said reinforcing members around said mesh bars between two adjacent points of intersection ranges from one-half to one and one-halfv 8. A net as defined in claim 7 wherein said reinforcing members have a length less than that of their associated row of aligned mesh bars such that the mesh bars and the reinforcing members will rupture substantially Simultaneously should the net be excessively loaded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,346,195 Spalding Apr. ll, 1944 2,526,264 Neff Oct. 17, 1950 3,077,758 Siciliano Feb. 19, 1963 FOREIGN PATENTS 18,598 France Mar. 2, 1914 553,983 France Feb. 21, 1923 538,791 Great Britain Aug. 18, 1941

Claims

1. IN A NET INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ROWS OF ALIGNED MESH BARS INTERSECTING A SECOND PLURALITY OF ROWS OF ALIGNED MESH BARS AND MEANS FASTENING THE MESH BARS TOGETHER AT POINTS OF INTERSECTION THEREOF, MEANS REINFORCING THE ROWS OF ALIGNED MESH BARS COMPRISING ELONGATED REINFORCING MEMBERS FORMED OF ELASTIC MATERIAL HELICALLY WRAPPED AROUND A PRESELECTED NUMBER OF SAID ROWS OF ALIGNED MESH BARS, SAID REINFORCING MESH BARS BEING UNKNOTTED INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF AND BEING HELD IN UNIFORMLY DISTRIBUTED POSITION THROUGHOUT THE NET BY MEANS OF THE WRAPPED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ROWS OF MEMBERS.