Apparatus for covering outdoor athletic fields

Claim 1

A PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR AN ATHLETIC FIELD COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED MOBILE UNITS, EACH UNIT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FRAME, FORWARD AND REAR PNEUMATIC TIRED WHEELS IN FRICTIONAL CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE FIELD AND SAID WHEELS BEING ROTATABLY SUPPORTED WITHIN THE FRAME AT RESPECTIVE ENDS THEREOF, A FORWARD AND REVERSE TRANSMISSION MEMBER MOUNTED WITHIN EACH FRAME POSITIONED INTERMEDIATELY OF THE LENGTH OF EACH SAID FRAME, POWER MEANS CARRIED BY EACH FRAME AND BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO EACH SAID TRANSMISSION MEMBER; AN ELONGATED FLEXIBLE METALLIC TUBE CONNECTED BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION MEMBERS OF SAID MOBILE UNITS, SAID METALLIC TUBE BEING OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF THE PLAYING SURFACE TO BE COVERED; A TARPAULIN HAVING AN EDGE THEREOF SECURED TO SAID METALLIC TUBE THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID TARPAULIN BEING SECURED AT A SIDE OF SAID ATHLETIC FIELD, SAID TARPAULIN BEING IN FRICTIONAL CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE FIELD DUE TO FLEXING AND PRESSURE OF SAID METALLIC TUBE, CONTROL MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE FORWARDLY MOVING TRANSMISSION OF EACH FRAME WITH SAID POWER MEANS TO EFFECT UNROLLING MOVEMENT OF SAID TARPAULIN UPON THE FIELD AND FORWARD ADVANCEMENT OF SAID MOBILE UNITS AND MEANS FOR DIS ENGAGING SAID POWER MEANS AND ENGAGING THE REVERSE TRANSMISSION WITH SAID POWER MEANS FOR RE-ROLLING OF SAID TARPAULIN UPON SAID METALLIC TUBE TO EFFECT REVERSE MOVEMENT OF SAID MOBILE UNITS.