US4389434A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Permeable grass-like sport surface with fused glass membrane
Assignee: Chevron USA Inc
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Filing: 1982-02-12
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Granted: 1983-06-21
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Expires: 2002-02-12
Abstract
Abstract A water-permeable, grass-like sport surface is provided. The sport surface comprises a solid, porous, resilient base mat and a thermoplastic, synthetic fiber, grass-like mat placed over the base mat. The grass-like mat is prepared by tufting synthetic fibers into a water-permeable fabric to obtain a fabric having loops of the synthetic fibers on the fabric's bottom side and a grass-like pile on its top side, then placing on the loops on the bottom side of the fabric a water-permeable, heat-resistant membrane, composed of high melting-point fibers or a mixture of high melting-point fibers, followed by heating the membrane to fuse the synthetic fibers to the membrane.
Inventors
- 👤 Herman A. Polman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 20:25
CPC Classifications
E; E01; E01C; E01C13/00; E01C13/08; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/23907; Y10T428/23979
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
133 words
A water-permeable, grass-like sport surface comprising: (a) a solid, porous, resilient base mat, formed from rubber or rubber-like particles bonded together by binder; (b) a thermoplastic, synthetic fiber, grass-like mat placed over the base mat, said grass-like mat having been prepared by tufting the synthetic fibers into a fabric to obtain a fabric having loops of the synthetic fibers on the fabric's bottom side and a grass-like pile on its top side, placing on the loops on the bottom side of the fabric a water-permeable, heat-resistant membrane, composed of glass fibers or high melting-point fibers or a mixture of high melting-point fibers and glass fibers, followed by heating the membrane to thereby fuse the synthetic fibers to the membrane; and (c) a discontinuous adhesive to attach the grass-like mat to the base mat.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
133 words
A water-permeable, grass-like sport surface comprising: (a) a solid, porous, resilient base mat, formed from rubber or rubber-like particles bonded together by binder; (b) a thermoplastic, synthetic fiber, grass-like mat placed over the base mat, said grass-like mat having been prepared by tufting the synthetic fibers into a fabric to obtain a fabric having loops of the synthetic fibers on the fabric's bottom side and a grass-like pile on its top side, placing on the loops on the bottom side of the fabric a water-permeable, heat-resistant membrane, composed of glass fibers or high melting-point fibers or a mixture of high melting-point fibers and glass fibers, followed by heating the membrane to thereby fuse the synthetic fibers to the membrane; and (c) a discontinuous adhesive to attach the grass-like mat to the base mat.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
32 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 1 wherein the base mat is 0.4 to 4.0 centimeters in thickness and the grass-like mat has a pile height of 0.3 to 3.0 centimeters.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic, synthetic fiber is polypropylene.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 3 wherein the polypropylene is in the form of a yarn prepared by twisting a fibrillated strip of polypropylene film.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 4 wherein the yarn is formed from fibrillated strips of 1 to 5 centimeters in width and 10 to 75 microns in thickness.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 5 wherein the fibrils of the fibrillated strip are 0.5 to 10 millimeters in width.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
92 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 4 wherein the grass-like mat is prepared by: (a) tufting the yarn into the fabric in rows spaced no more than 0.5 centimeters apart to form rows of loops on the bottom side of the fabric; (b) placing on the loops, on the bottom side of the fabric, a water-permeable, heat-resistant membrane; and (c) controlled heating of the membrane to melt and fuse the loops to the membrane and fabric without melting sufficient of the yarn to flow to the next adjacent row of loops.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A sport surface in accordance with claim 1 wherein the permeability of the membrane is sufficiently fine to retain on its surface dust and dirt particles greater than 125 microns in diameter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
128 words
A water-permeable, grass-like sport surface comprising: (a) a solid, porous, resilient base mat of rubber or rubber-like particles bonded together by a binder; (b) a fabric for receiving loops of synthetic fibers; (c) grass-like loops of synthetic fibers tufted into the fabric to provide a grass-like pile on a top side and loops on a bottom side of the fabric; (d) a water-permeable, heat-resistant membrane composed of glass fibers or high melting-point fibers or a mixture of high melting-point fibers and glass fibers, said membrane located between the fabric and the base mat and bonded to the fabric and grass-like loops of synthetic fibers by fusion of melted loops at the bottom side of the fabric; and (e) a discontinuous adhesive attaching the membrane to the base mat.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
128 words
A water-permeable, grass-like sport surface comprising: (a) a solid, porous, resilient base mat of rubber or rubber-like particles bonded together by a binder; (b) a fabric for receiving loops of synthetic fibers; (c) grass-like loops of synthetic fibers tufted into the fabric to provide a grass-like pile on a top side and loops on a bottom side of the fabric; (d) a water-permeable, heat-resistant membrane composed of glass fibers or high melting-point fibers or a mixture of high melting-point fibers and glass fibers, said membrane located between the fabric and the base mat and bonded to the fabric and grass-like loops of synthetic fibers by fusion of melted loops at the bottom side of the fabric; and (e) a discontinuous adhesive attaching the membrane to the base mat.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-06-20 | 1986-12-20 | 1987-06-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-06-20 | 1990-12-20 | 1991-06-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-06-20 | 1994-12-20 | 1995-06-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |