Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
Method, apparatus and arrangement for repairing ice of ice field
Field
The invention relates to a field of an ice repairing, especially an ice
surface of an ice field used in an ice sport.
Background
A many kinds of ice sports are performed in an ice field. A quality of an
ice of the ice field is very essential in the ice sports. A surface of the ice
can be
damaged during the ice sports which may cause many issues. For example, skates
used in the ice sport may cause cracks on the surface of the ice field which
may
affect the ice sport. The crack on the ice surface may cause dangerous
situations for
athletes and therefore damages like the cracks shall be repaired. Normally the
surface of the ice is repaired by drivable ice resurfacing machines. Use of
the
machines is very time-consuming process and hence, the machines are not used
during the sport. For example, in ice hockey, the machine is normally used
during
intermissions not during periods. The damages on the ice surface are normally
tried to repair manually during the periods. Currently there are no proper
solution
available in the market for manual repairing of the ice.
Hence, there is a need for the manual ice repairing solution which is
quick and easy to use.
Brief description
The present invention is defined by the subject matter of the
independent claims.
Embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
The embodiments and features, if any, described in this specification
that do not fall under the scope of the independent claim are to be
interpreted as
examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the invention.
List of drawings
Example embodiments of the present invention are described below, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
Figure 1A illustrates a flow chart of a method for repairing an ice of the
ice field according to an embodiment of the invention;
Figures 1B, 1C, 1D and 1E illustrate the method for repairing an ice of
the ice field according to an embodiment of the invention;
Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 2E illustrate an ice repairing apparatus
according to an embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 3 illustrates ice repairing arrangement according to an
embodiment of the invention.
Description of embodiments
The following embodiments are only examples. Although the
specification may refer to "an" embodiment in several locations, this does not
necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or
that
the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different
embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Furthermore,
words "comprising" and "including" should be understood as not limiting the
described embodiments to consist of only those features that have been
mentioned
and such embodiments may contain also features/structures that have not been
specifically mentioned. All combinations of the embodiments are considered
possible if their combination does not lead to structural or logical
contradiction.
A quality of an ice, or an ice surface, is very essential in ice sports. The
ice can easily damage during the sport, and typical damages are cracks caused
by
skates, for example. Repairing of the damages should be performed also during
the
sport and therefore a fast and reliable repairing is essential since the
repairing
process should cause as less delays to the sport as possible. Often the
damages like
cracks on the ice surface are tried to repair manually just by
inserting/compressing
slush and/or water into the crack. Repairing like this does not last long.
Hence, the
aim of the invention is to provide the fast and reliable manual solution for
repairing
the ice used in the ice sport.
According to a first aspect of the invention, illustrated in Figure 1A,
there is provided a method for repairing an ice of an ice field comprising
following
step:
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
processing [100], by an ice repairing apparatus, at least one hole to the
ice of the ice field to remove, at least partly, a damaged ice; providing
[102] an ice
insert configured to fit into the at least one hole; and inserting [104] the
ice insert
into the at least hole such that a top surface of the ice insert is
substantially on the
same level with a surface of the ice of the ice field.
The ice field in this context must be understanded broadly. It refers all
places having the ice (ice surface) for performing some ice sport. The ice
field is
called with different names in the different sports. Anyway, the common
feature is
the ice on which the sport is performed. The ice field may be placed in an
indoor or
outdoor. The ice field may be artificial or natural. The ice sport may be ice
hockey,
ringette, curling, bandy, figure skating or speed skating, for example. The
term "ice
surface" refers to the ice of the ice field, or a top surface of the ice of
the ice field.
One example of the ice sport in which the invention may be applied is ice-
hockey
which is usually played in the indoor ice rink (ice stadium). The ice-hockey
is very
fast game in which a lot of players are on the ice at same time. This causes a
lot of
stress to the ice surface and very often also damages to the ice which should
be
repaired quickly and permanently during the game.
Referring now to Figure 113 which illustrates the ice surface 208 of the
ice field having the crack C which is typical damage on the ice. The crack is
often
caused by a sharp skate, for example. The crack is often elongated cavity/hole
on
the surface of the ice which may disturb the ice sport or even cause dangerous
situations for the athletes. The term "damaged ice" may refer, for example, to
the
crack on the ice surface. It is good to understand that the damage may be
other than
the crack(s) as well. The damage is normally limited to relatively small area
such
that a manual repairing is possible/reasonable to do. It is also possible that
there
are several damages on the ice in different locations and each of them may be
repaired separately.
As illustrated in Figure 1A, the first step is in the repairing method is
removing of the damaged ice spot by the ice repairing apparatus. The removal
of
the ice is performed by processing a hole H to the ice such that the damaged
ice
spot is, at least partly, removed. The processing of the hole comprises
drilling. The
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
ice repairing apparatus is configured to produce the hole to the ice surface
such
that a depth of the hole is predetermined. The apparatus is a part of the
invention
and is presented later in this application in detail. A diameter D1 of the
drilled hole
H may be 100- 150mm, for example. Thus, if the damage on the ice surface 208
is
smaller than the diameter of the hole, the whole damaged part of the ice may
be
removed by one drilling. The depth of the hole D2 may be 20 - 40mm. for
example.
The dept refers how far inside the ice the hole extends. In some case, as
illustrated
in Figure 1B, the size of the damage (damaged part of the ice) is bigger that
the
diameter of the hole, then two holes H_1, H_2 may be drilled side by side
covering
the whole damage. For example, if the damage is the crack having length of
200mm,
two holes may be required to cover the whole damaged area of the ice. So, by
drilling several holes in different directions side by side, also larger
damaged areas
may be covered.
In an embodiment, the ice repairing apparatus comprises a heated
element. The heated element may be an iron, for example. When the iron is hot,
it
can progress into the ice and produce the hole.
Figure 1C is the same as Figure 1B but from a side view. The holes H_1,
H_2 go deeper into the ice 208 than the crack C but this may also be the other
way
around such that the crack C goes deeper into the ice than the holes H_1, H_2.
Figure 1D illustrates a situation in which the crack is removed and there
is two holes H_1, H_2 on the surface of the ice 208. As described, the number
of the
drilled holes depends on the size of the damage going to be repaired. In the
example
case of Figures 1B - 1D there is two holes.
In the second step of the method the ice insert(s) is provided. The ice
insert II is a piece of ice configured to fit into the drilled hole. The ice
insert may be
one uniform piece of ice. In other words, the ice insert may be a solid (hard)
insert
configured to be inserted into the hole such that it substantially fulfils the
drilled
hole. One or more inserts may be inserted into the hole. As described above,
slush
is traditionally used to repair the holes in the ice. The slush is soft which
is very
problematic from the repairing point of view. It may take for a long time
before the
slush is frozen (solidified), and even after that the repaired spot may not be
as hard
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
as the ice around it. Hence, the hole filled by the slush is prone to break
again easily.
The solid ice insert is immediately hard providing much more robust repairing
of
the ice. The ice insert may be frozen in the freezer and therefore it is as
hard as the
ice around the hole to which the insert is inserted.
In an embodiment, the ice insert may have substantially the same shape
as the hole. For example, the drilled hole may be cylindrical, and the insert
may
have the same cylindrical shape. The ice insert may be produced by freezing
water
in a mould. A cavity of the mould determines the size of the ice insert. There
may
be a plurality of the cavities in the one mould. The ice insert(s) may be
stored in the
mould until it is used for repairing. The mould with the inserts may be stored
in the
freezer. A diameter of the ice insert may be a little bit smaller than the
diameter of
the hole such that the insert fits into the hole properly. A difference
between the
diameter of the hole and the insert may be some millimetres, for example.
Height
of the insert may be substantially the same as the depth of the hole, and then
a top
surface of the insert ILTS is on the same level than the surface of the ice
208. Then
there is not any remarkable step between the top surface of the insert ILTS
and the
ice surface 208.
In the third step of the method the ice insert(s) is inserted into the
hole(s) such that top surface of the insert is on the same level than the
surface of
the ice when the insert is in the hole forming a uniform and even ice surface.
As
described above, the insert is configured to fill the hole completely
nevertheless
there may be minor gap between side walls (surfaces) of the insert and the
hole.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises smoothening [106],
by a smoothening tool, the surface of the ice of the field in an area of the
hole after
inserting the ice insert into the hole. The smoothening tool may be a scraper,
for
example. The scraping ensures that the surface of the ice in the repaired area
is
uniform and even enough. For example, a small gap between the insert and hole
can be filled by scraping. The scraping removes some slush from the surface of
the
ice which goes into the gap and fills it.
In another embodiment, the smoothening tool is a (hot) iron. The iron
may be used for smoothening the repaired are of the ice by pressing and moving
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
the iron in the repairing area. Steps between the ice surface and the top
surface of
the ice insert are melt forming even and uniform entity. The water (from melt
ice)
flows to the gap between the insert and the ice fields which enhance freezing
of the
insert with the ice field. In addition, after using the iron, the scraper may
also be
used.
In an embodiment, illustrated in Figure 1E, the ice insert II is
dimensioned such that an outer surface of the insert II_OS is configured to
freeze
to an inner surface of the hole H_IS when the ice insert II is inserted into
the hole
H. In other words, the outer surface of the insert comes so close to the inner
surface
of the hole that the surfaces freeze (merge) together. When the insert is
frozen with
the ice of the ice field, they form the uniform ice surface. For example, the
diameter
of the hole may be 120mm and the diameter of the insert may be 118mm. This
ensures that the insert fits inside the hole without problems, and the gap is
so small
that the insert freezes together with the inner surfaces of the hole. It is
also possible
to put some water and/or slush to the gap to enhance the freezing. The outer
surface may refer to a bottom and/or a side surface of the insert and hole.
The top
surface of the insert may not be in direct contact with the inner surfaces of
the hole.
In an embodiment, a temperature of the ice insert is substantially the
same as a temperature of the ice of the ice field. This also enhances freezing
of the
insert together with the ice of the ice field. For example, the temperature of
the ice
in the ice field may be between 3 - 15 minus degrees, and the same temperature
is
also used with the ice insert. The temperature may vary in the different ice
sports.
The above-mentioned method provides very simple but efficient way to
repair the surface of the ice. Inserting the ready-made ice insert into the
drilled
hole as described above enables very fast and reliable way to repair damages
of the
ice surface. The ice insert merges with the ice of the ice field such that
after
repairing it is even difficult to see that the ice is repaired. The repairing
is very
durable and can be made manually by one person. The manually in this
application
refers to the repairing which can be performed by hand with the hand-held
device (s).
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided the ice
repairing apparatus comprising a rotating blade configured to drill the hole
to the
ice of an ice field, a rotating shaft configured to rotate the blade, wherein
the shaft
comprises a first end coupled with the blade, and a second end configured to
be
coupled with a power source for rotating the shaft; and a limiter coupled with
the
shaft configured to set against the surface of the ice and to prevent drilling
of the
blade into the ice when a desired depth of the hole is achieved.
Referring to Figures 2A - 2C, the ice drilling apparatus 200 comprises
the rotating blade 202 configured to drill into the ice and to provide the
hole for
the ice insert. The blade drills into the ice when the set against the surface
of the
ice and pressed towards the ice. The blade is configured to drill the round
hole. The
blade is configured to cut the ice by chipping, and it comprises one or more
cutting
edges 212. A length of the blade Li determine the diameter of the hole. As
illustrated in Figure 1C, a shape of the blade may be substantially rectangle
having
cutting edges on the other longer side. This longer side is set against the
ice when
using the apparatus for drilling the hole
Still referring to Figures 2A - 2C, the ice drilling apparatus further
comprises the shaft 204 configured to be rotatable around its central axis
(longitudinal axis) CA. The shaft may have cylindrical shape and comprises the
first
end El and the second end E2. The first end is coupled with the blade such
that the
rotational movement of the shaft is transferred to the blade. The second end
is
configured to be coupled with the power source. The power source may be a hand-
held drill machine, for example. Hence, the apparatus can be coupled and used
with
the standard drilling machines.
Still referring to Figures 2A - 2C, the ice drilling apparatus further
comprises the limiter 206 configured to limit a drilling depth of the
apparatus 200.
The drilling dept refers to the depth of the hole to be drilled. The limiter
is coupled
with the shaft in the vicinity of the blade. The limiter is configured to set
against
the ice surface such that it allows drilling of the blade into the ice, and
when the
desired depth of the hole is achieved, the limiter prevents drilling of the
blade
deeper into the ice. In one embodiment, the limiter may set against the ice
surface
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
when the desired depth of the hole is achieved. The size of the limiter is
larger than
the size (diameter) of the hole so the limiter does not fit inside the hole
and hence,
it can prevent progress of the blade into the ice. The limiter further ensures
that
the hole is processed perpendicularly into the ice in relation to the surface
of the
ice field.
In an embodiment, the limiter comprises a first and a second position
and is configured to move between them. Referring now to Figure 2D and 2E, the
limiter 206 is configured to move between the first and the second position
P1, P2
along the central axis CA of the shaft 204. Let's now look at Figure 2D which
illustrates the first position P1 of the limiter 206. In the first position P1
the limiter
206 is set against the ice surface 208, but the blade 202 is not drilled into
the ice
208 yet. This is a start position of the drilling process. Figure 2E
illustrates the
second position P2 of the limiter 206 in which the blade 202 is drilled into
the ice
and has achieved the desired depth of the hole D2. As can be seen in Figures
2E and
2D, the limiter 204 is configured to move along the central axis CA of the
shaft 204
when moving from between the positions P1 and P2.
It is important to realize that moving of the limiter means that the
limiter moves in relation to the shaft and the blade. It can also be
understood the
other way around, such that the shaft and blade move in relation to the
limiter.
Anyway, the main thing is that the position of the limiter is changed in
relation to
the shaft and the blade.
In an embodiment, the limiter moves from the first position to the
second position when the apparatus is pressed against the ice such that the
blade
starts to drill inside the ice. Still referring to Figure 2E, the first
position P1 is the
start position of the drilling process in which the blade is not started to
cut the ice
yet. When the apparatus 200 and blade 202 is pressed slightly against the ice
208
(downwards), the rotating blade 202 starts to intrude into the ice 208 such
that the
surface of the ice 208 forces the limiter 206 to move along the central axis
of the
shaft towards the second position. Referring now to Figure 2D, in the second
position the rotating blade 202 is drilled into the ice 208 such that the hole
H with
the desired depth D2 is produced. When the second position P2 is achieved, the
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
limiter cannot move any longer upwards in the direction of the central axis of
the
shaft. Then the limiter, which is larger than the diameter of the hole,
prevents the
progress of the blade any deeper into the ice.
In an embodiment, the limiter is configured to cover substantially the
hole when the limiter is set against the surface of the ice. The limiter may
be round
shaped as illustrated in Figure 2B and its diameter is larger than the
diameter of
the hole. Hence, when the limiter is set against the ice, it covers the hole
drilled by
the blade. In other words, the hole is not, at least completely, visible under
the
limiter. This improves safety at work since the rotating blade is inside the
hole
which is covered by the limiter.
In an embodiment, the limiter 206 may comprise a hole 222 in the
middle of the round shape as illustrated in Figure 2C, for example. The shaft
may
be coupled to the hole. The hole may comprise a flange (collar) around the
hole
used for coupling the shaft. The limiter and the shaft may be coupled together
by a
locking pin 220 through the flange, for example.
The movement of the limiter between the first and the second positions
P1, P2 may be implemented such that the shaft 204 comprises a groove 218
configured to receive the locking pin 220 of the limiter 206. The groove 218
extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis CA of the shaft 204 and
extends
through the shaft 204. This enables movement of the locking pin in the groove.
The
limiter comprises the hole 222 for receiving the shaft 204 such that the shaft
can
move in the hole in the direction of the central axis CA of the shaft. In
other words,
the shaft can go through the hole. Hence, when the limiter is coupled with the
shaft
by the locking pin, the limiter can move with the pin when the pin is moving
in the
groove. This enables movement of the limiter between the first and the second
positions.
Referring now to Figure 2A, in an embodiment, the limiter 206 further
comprises at least one opening 210 for removing the drilled ice from the hole
H
when the limiter 206 is against the surface of the ice 208. Hence, the drilled
ice can
progress out of the hole and under the limiter. This enables better progress
of the
blade into the ice. There may also be a plurality of openings in the limiter.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
In an embodiment, illustrated in Figure 2A and 2C the limiter 206
further comprises an elastic member 212 configured to resist the movement of
the
limiter 206 from the first position P1 to the second position P2. The elastic
member
is further configured to return the limiter 206 to the first position (P1)
when the
blade 202 is removed from the hole H. In an embodiment, the elastic member is
a
coil spring placed around the shaft such that the shaft is substantially
inside the
coil spring to resist the movement of the limiter along the central line of
the shaft.
The spring is compressed (loaded), at least partly, in the second position of
the
limiter, and uncompressed (unloaded) in the first position. The spring tends
to
recover from the compressed state to uncompressed state which means that
spring
tends to push the limiter from the second position to the first position. So,
when
the blade is removed from the hole and the surface of the ice does not force
the
limiter anymore to or towards the second position, the spring returns the
limiter
back to the first position.
In an embodiment, a location of the spring in the shaft may be adjusted.
The spring may be coupled with a threaded portion having an inner thread. The
treaded portion may be a nut, for example. The shaft may further comprise a
portion having an outer thread. The threaded portion of the spring may be
coupled
with the threaded portion of the shaft making possible to adjust the location
of the
spring in the shaft. This makes possible to adjust the second position of the
limiter,
in other words, it makes possible to adjust the depth of the hole processed by
the
apparatus.
Referring to Figure 2A - 2E, in an embodiment, the limiter 206
comprises an inner space IS configured to receive the blade 202 in the first
position
P1 such that the limiter 206 covers, at least, partly the blade 202. Figure 2A
and 2D
illustrate the limiter 206 in the first position P1 from the side view. In the
first
position the blade is not visible from the side since it is inside the
limiter. In other
words, a shape of the limiter is a cup, and the blade is inside the cup in the
first
position. This protects the blade and also the operator of the apparatus from
the
sharp blade.
Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
In an embodiment, illustrated in Figure 2C, the shaft 204 is coupled with
the blade 202 from a middle such that the blade 202 extends perpendicularly
from
the shaft 204 to two opposite directions. As described above, the shape of the
blade
may be substantially rectangular, and the shaft, in the first end, may
comprise a slot
214 configured to receive the blade. The slot 214 is substantially in the
middle of
the blade when the blade and the haft are coupled together. The blade may be
fixed
with the shaft by a screw(s), for example. Since the blade is in the middle of
the
shaft, the blade extends perpendicularly from the shaft to two opposite
directions.
The direction is perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft. The blade
rotates
around the central axis of the shaft.
In an embodiment, the blade is configured to drill the hole having a flat
bottom. The cutting edge(s) of the blade may be substantially straight, and
perpendicular in relation to the central line as illustrated in Figure 2C, for
example.
Therefore, the hole drilled by the blade has the flat bottom illustrated in
Figure 1C,
for example. If the bottom surface of the ice insert is flat, it is important
that the
bottom of the hole is flat to avoid air pockets in the ice field.
Referring now to Figure 2A, in an embodiment, the apparatus 200
further comprises a guiding member 216 for guiding the blade 202 into the ice
208.
The blade, described above, can easily move when rotating and is set against
the
ice. This may cause issues for positioning of the hole in the ice surface. The
guiding
member alleviates this issue. The guiding member may be a standard drill bit
with
tapered tip (taper shank). In other words, the drill bit has a sharp tip. The
drill bit
may be a twisted drill, for example. The tapered/sharp tip enables easy and
accurate positioning of the guiding member and the blade.
According to a third aspect, illustrated in Figure 3, there is provided an
ice repairing arrangement 300 comprising an ice repairing apparatus 200, a
mould
302 for producing at least one ice insert II and a freezer 304 configured to
freeze
and/or to keep frozen at least one ice insert II.
The mould may be made of plastic like silicone, for example. It may
comprise one or more cavities having the shape of ice insert and configured to
be
filled, at least partly, by water. The mould with water in the cavities is set
into the
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Date Recue/Date Received 2023-08-03
freezer wherein water freezes and forms the ice insert. The ice inserts may be
stored in the mould and the mould in the freezer until the ice inserts are
used. The
arrangement may further comprise a trolley having the freezer, the mould with
the
ice inserts and the ice repairing apparatus. Trolley is easy to move to the
ice of the
ice field when the repairing is needed, and away from the ice after repairing.
The
trolley may further comprise the drill for using the ice repairing apparatus,
and the
smoothening tool for smoothening the repaired area of the ice.
The method, apparatus and arrangement for repairing the ice of the ice
ring provides very compact and efficient solution for repairing the ice
surface used
in the ice sports. The solution is easy to move to the ice when needed and its
use is
fast and effortless. When the repairing is performed properly, the ice insert
melts
together with the ice of the ice field forming the uniform and strong ice
surface. The
simple and fast use of the solution is a huge benefit since the repairing can
be done
also during the ice sport without causing any remarkable delays for the sport.
This
makes possible to repair the ice during the periods of the ice hockey without
delaying the game, for example.
It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology
advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The
invention and its embodiments are not limited to the example embodiments
described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.
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