Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an anchor post for
positioning and supporting rink boards over a concrete floor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Rinks are usually made of a series of boards which
are placed end-to-end and coupled together at their joints.
The boards are either secured to the concrete floor of a
building, arena or the like, or to anchor posts which, in turn,
are fixed to the concrete floor. Rink boards are constantly
removed and reinstalled depending the sporting or other events
taking place in these places. Most mounting and dismounting
systems presently used consist in assembling boards and posts
to the concrete floor by means of nuts, bolts and clamps and
this requires a certain amount of personnel so that the
installation and removal of the boards may be effected quickly
- between two events.
OBJECTS AND STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
- It is an object of this invention to provide an
anchor post for readily positioning and supporting rink boards
; 20 over a concrete floor without the use of fastening tools for
tightening or removing nuts, bolts and clamps.
It is a further object of this invention to provide
an anchor post which can be rigidly mounted and which can
provide strong support against blows from performers bumping
against the boards.
It is also an object of this invention to provide
a rink board assembly where the anchor posts are slid into
engagement with anchor means in the concrete and where the
rink boards are merely placed on these anchor posts, no
fastening being required for any of these operations.
Brieftly stated, the present invention therefore
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relates to an anchor post for positioning and supporting a rink
board over a concrete floor which comprises: an upright member;
mounting plate means fixed to the lower end of the upright
member, the mounting plate means hav;ng, on the underface
thereof, downward projection engaging means having enlarged
head portions adapted to be inserted in and slid into
engagement with slot means of an element anchored in the
concrete floor; and means on the upright member for positioning
and supporting thereon a rink board having tongues thereon for
engaging the said means whereby the rink board may be readily
mounted to and dismounted from the anchor post.
In one embodiment of the invention, the said means
consist of two horizontal plates respectively provided at the
upper and lower ends of the upright member.
Other objects, purposes and characteristic features
of the present invention will be, in part obvious from the
accompanying drawings and, in part pointed out as the
description of the invention progresses.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rink board
section with an anchor post made in accordance with the
present invention;
Figure 2 is an end view as seen from lines 2-2 of
Fig. l;
Figure 3 is a rear perspective exploded view of the
anchor post and of the rink board section,
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along
lines 4-4 of Fig. 2; and
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional plan view taken along
lines 5-5 of Fig. 2.
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DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 through 5,
- a rink board generally denoted 10 is shown as including a
rectangular substantially flat front panel 12, preferably made
of a polyester resinous material reinforced with fiberglass,
covered at its lower part with a plastic kick board 14. An
inverted U-shaped channel member 16 is secured to the upper
marginal portion of the panel while a second inverted U-shaped
channel member 18 is secured to the lower marginal portion of
the panel. A plastic covering 20 extends over channel member
16 and down the upper marginal port;on panel 12 to which it is
secured. Rubber cushions 22 are placed on the covering to
receive the lower edge of glass shields 24. These glass shields
have their opposite vertical sides received in the grooves of
1~ vertical posts 26 having a rounded H-shaped configuration.
These posts extend through the covering 20 and the channel
member 16 and are supported at the lower portion in a bracket
28 fixed to an angle iron 30 extending crosswise of the panel
in substantially the mid-section thereof. Each opposite end
of the panel has a vertical angle iron 32 which is somewhat
recessed to the vertical flange edge 34.
Channel members 16 and 18 include at their opposite
end of the panel upper and lower inverted L-shaped tongues 36,
38 respectively, the function of which will hereinafter be
described. These tongues may be soldered to the channel
members.
In combination with the above described rink board,
the present invention includes an anchor post, generally denoted
40, which serves to position and support the rink board 10 over
a concrete floor 42. The anchor post includes an upright
tubular hollow member 44 having its lower end fixedly mounted
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to a plate 46. A corner gusset 48 reinforces the mounting of
the upright 44 to the plate 46. The undersurface of plate 46
includes, in the present embodiment, a pair of bolts 50,52 which
are permanently fixed thereto. These bolts have enlarged
5 rounded head portions which are adapted to fit in and slide
into engagement with a pair of slots 54,56 provided on the top
face 57 of an anchor box 58 embedded in the concrete floor
except for face 57 which is levelled with the concrete floor.
The box is equipped with a plurality of L-shape legs 60 for
solid engagement in the concrete.
Means are provided on the anchor post for positioning
and supporting the rink board once the anchor post has been
fixedly received in the box 58. In the embodiment illustrated,
these means consist of two rectangular horizontal plates 62,64,
15 respectively mounted at the upper and lower ends of the upright
member 44. These plates extend beyond opposite sides of the
anchor post to receive the tongues 36,38 of the rink board
thereon. In the embodiment illustrated, plates 62 and 64
are soldered to the upright member.
It may easily be seen that the mounting and dis-
mounting of the rink boards are effected without the use of
any fastening tools and/or devices. First, the anchor posts
40 are placed over the anchor boxes 58 and then slid into
engagement by simple downward and rearward movements where
bolts 50,52 are lockingly engaged in slots 54,56; then, panels
10 are hung on the horizontal plates 62,64 of the anchor posts.
Adjacent panels engage one another at the complementary flange
edges 34 to form a continuous panel surface; one anchor post
supporting the tongues of two adjacent panels. Posts 26 are
30 then inserted in the proper openings and supported on cross
plates 30. The glass shields are then slid in the grooves of
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the posts 26 and find support on the rubber cushions 22.
Although the invention has been described above in
accordance with one specific form of the invention, it will be
evident to the man skilled in the art that it may be refined
and modified in different ways. For example, the number of
bolts in the mounting plate may vary as well as the manner
of hooking the panels on the anchor posts. It is therefore
wished to have it understood that the present invention is not
to be limited in interpretation except by the scope of the
following claims.
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