Abstract: A turf surface 80 comprising: (a) a reinforcing root-permeable mat 10; (b) a removable root-permeable backing 60 located beneath the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10; (c) a layer of growth media 42 located on the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10; and (d) natural grass plants 30 having roots 32 extending downwardly through the layer of growth media 42 and the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10 and the removable root-permeable backing 60; wherein, in use, prior to being laid at a destination site, the removable root-permeable backing 60 is separated from the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10, so that any roots 34 which engage with and extend through the removable root-permeable backing 60 are substantially removed from the turf surface 80.

Abstract: A root zone warming system (10) for an athletic field of natural turf (11) supplies positive pressurization to the root zone via a piping network (12) with openings. The system (10) enables control of the temperature of the supplied air by varying the flow resistance at an output end of a constant air supply source (27), such as a positive displacement blower. By increasing the flow resistance at the output end of the blower (27), with a variably controllable valve (29), the operating temperature of the blower (27) increases and thereby causes a corresponding increase in the temperature of the air supplied therefrom. By varying the flow resistance a user can vary the temperature of the air supplied to the piping network (12) and to the root zone, thereby to control the amount of warming of the root zone so as to reduce the onset, degree, or duration of turf dormancy during the winter season.

Abstract: A subsurface warming system for an athletic field supplies positive pressurization to a particulate subsurface via a piping network with pipes that have openings. The system enables control of the temperature of the supplied air by varying the flow resistance at an output end of a constant air supply source, such as a positive displacement blower. By increasing the flow resistance at the output end of the blower, with a variably controllable valve equipped with a modulating actuator, the operating temperature of the blower increases and thereby causes a corresponding increase in the temperature of the air supplied therefrom. By varying the flow resistance, as needed, a user can vary the temperature of the air supplied to the piping network and eventually to the subsurface, to allow the problem associated with freezing of the subsurface during the winter season, for an athletic field that may be an artificial turf.

Abstract: Particulate infill from a worn down infilled artificial turf, particularly a sand/rubber mixture which includes crumb rubber from vehicle tires, is extracted from a prior field and then thereafter incorporated into the top surface of the compacted base at the same site, thereby to assure better drainage conditions in the compacted base for the subsequently installed field. The extracted and incorporated infill helps to maintain open drainage channels throughout the top of the compacted base, particularly in areas where limestone is prevalent. Otherwise, the limestone “fines” are susceptible to compacting and creating a cement-like crust at the top of the base. An existing infill extractor/collector device is modified to operate in a second mode, so that instead of merely performing the conventional bagging of the already-used infill, the already-used infill is laterally diverted back on to the base at the same site, and thereafter, distributed and tilled into the base.

Abstract: A subsurface warming system for an athletic field supplies positive pressurization to a particulate subsurface via a piping network with pipes that have openings. The system enables control of the temperature of the supplied air by varying the flow resistance at an output end of a constant air supply source, such as a positive displacement blower. By increasing the flow resistance at the output end of the blower, with a variably controllable valve equipped with a modulating actuator, the operating temperature of the blower increases and thereby causes a corresponding increase in the temperature of the air supplied therefrom. By varying the flow resistance, as needed, a user can vary the temperature of the air supplied to the piping network and eventually to the subsurface, to allow the problem associated with freezing of the subsurface during the winter season, for an athletic field that may be an artificial turf.

Abstract: A template for properly determining the positions for the yardline numbers of an American-style football field includes a generally rectangular frame having an external perimeter and an internal opening defined by an internal perimeter. The shape of the internal opening, and the corresponding shape of the internal perimeter, is such that for each of the yardline numbers, i.e. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0, the internal perimeter defines a plurality of locations for abutting a corresponding plurality of outer edge portions of the yardline number. With the external perimeter appropriately aligned along one or more lines of the field, the frame can be used to properly locate any one of the six yardline numbers that are needed to properly locate all of the yardline numbers on an American-style football field. This frame reduces the number of templates needed to locate the yardline numbers of a football field, and also simplifies the process of properly locating the yardline numbers.

Abstract: A turf surface 80 comprising: (a) a reinforcing root-permeable mat 10; (b) a removable root-permeable backing 60 located beneath the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10; (c) a layer of growth media 42 located on the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10; and (d) natural grass plants 30 having roots 32 extending downwardly through the layer of growth media 42 and the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10 and the removable root-permeable backing 60; wherein, in use, prior to being laid at a destination site, the removable root-permeable backing 60 is separated from the reinforcing root-permeable mat 10, so that any roots 34 which engage with and extend through the removable root-permeable backing 60 are substantially removed from the turf surface 80.

Abstract: A template for properly determining the positions for the yardline numbers of an American-style football field includes a generally rectangular frame having an external perimeter and an internal opening defined by an internal perimeter. The shape of the internal opening, and the corresponding shape of the internal perimeter, is such that for each of the yardline numbers, i.e. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0, the internal perimeter defines a plurality of locations for abutting a corresponding plurality of outer edge portions of the yardline number. With the external perimeter appropriately aligned along one or more lines of the field, the frame can be used to properly locate any one of the six yardline numbers that are needed to properly locate all of the yardline numbers on an American-style football field. This frame reduces the number of templates needed to locate the yardline numbers of a football field, and also simplifies the process of properly locating the yardline numbers.

Abstract: An apparatus for extracting and collecting particulate infill from an infilled artificial turf field. A vehicle has a first forward end and a second rearward end. An infill extractor is located at the first end of the vehicle and adapted to extract infill from a strip of infilled athletic turf. Extracted infill falls into a bottom section of the infill extractor. An infill mover is secured to the vehicle and adapted to move the extracted infill from the bottom section of the infill extractor toward the second end of the vehicle. An infill collector is connected to the second end of the vehicle and operable to cooperate with the infill mover to collect the moved infill. The infill collector includes a frame that is laterally movable relative to the vehicle from an operative “in use” position to a stowed position.

Abstract: A turf cutter device, an infill extractor/collector device, and a turf wind-up device are used to facilitate the cost-effective removal of an infilled synthetic turf and the subsequent installation of a new turf at the same site, with minimal subsurface disruption. An infill extractor/collector device mounted on a motorized vehicle moves a relatively narrow strip of filled artificial turf from the surface, in front of the vehicle, and directs the strip to an infill removal station. The infill removal station inverts the strip and redirects the strip back toward the front of the vehicle, after agitating the strip to extract the infill. After redirecting the strip toward the front of the vehicle, the vehicle drives over the unfilled strip. Meanwhile, the extractor/collector device moves the extracted infill rearwardly to a bag located in a trailer.

Abstract: A method and device for installing synthetic turf uses a motorized turf rollout vehicle and a frame removably carried by the vehicle, the frame holding a roll of synthetic turf on a spindle at a first, forward end thereof. The roll and spindle are held in an orientation that is transverse to the first forward direction, and have a transverse dimension that extends beyond that of the vehicle. As the vehicle moves forward in the first direction, the vehicle engages and pulls the roll of turf, and the vehicle also moves on top of the just-unrolled portion of the turf. This accurately and efficiently places the turf on and over the base, in a desired position. Because the vehicle moves on top of the just unrolled section of turf, the present invention eliminates direct contact with, and disruption to, the underlying prepared base.

Abstract: The apparatus and method described herein provides for creating multiple spatial patterns, such as magnetic patterns on credit cards. The invention includes storage of information from which patterns may be created, a pattern creation device for creating the spatial patterns, and control whereby the information which is stored is selectively utilized to cause the pattern creation. This allows multiple desired patterns to be simulated, allowing convenient replacement of a number of separate pattern carrying devices.

Abstract: The apparatus and method described herein provides for creating multiple spatial patterns, such as magnetic patterns on credit cards. The invention includes storage of information from which patterns may be created, a pattern creation device for creating the spatial patterns, and control whereby the information which is stored is selectively utilized to cause the pattern creation. This allows multiple desired patterns to be simulated, allowing convenient replacement of a number of separate pattern carrying devices.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method and apparatus for performing real-time computer garbage collection, in a manner that offers unprecedented low bounds on the worst-case frequency and duration of the collection task. The invention is used with a plurality of data objects and with one or more mutator programs. The mutators and a garbage collector run on one or more processors. The mutators each have a corresponding thread with a corresponding thread state. In the present invention, execution of all mutators is temporarily restricted at the start of each new garbage collection cycle. However, unrestricted execution of a mutator is quickly resumed, as soon as that mutator's thread state is processed. The remainder of the garbage collection cycle may be performed concurrently with the mutators.

Abstract: System resources are automatically assigned by a single resource conflict resolver to all functions on expansion buses in a computer system. Such system resources include, but are not limited to, memory ranges, input-output (I/O) register ranges, interrupt request lines and direct memory access (DMA) channels. Generally, the assignment is exclusive, however, in some cases, the assignment may be shared so that one or more resources will be shared between different functions. In order to prevent contention between two functions for the same resource, classes are provided which classes can be instantiated to construct resource lock objects. The resource lock objects provide an access control mechanism to synchronize access to the resources among the devices that use and, possibly, share the resources. The lock object contains methods which retrieve the resource assignments for an I/O function and acquire a lock on the resources.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel method and apparatus for performing real-time computer garbage collection, in a manner that offers unprecedented low bounds on the worst-case frequency and duration of the collection task. The invention is used with a plurality of data objects and with one or more mutator programs. The mutators and a garbage collector run on one or more processors. The mutators each have a corresponding thread with a corresponding thread state. In the present invention, execution of all mutators is temporarily restricted at the start of each new garbage collection cycle. However, unrestricted execution of a mutator is quickly resumed, as soon as that mutator's thread state is processed. The remainder of the garbage collection cycle may be performed concurrently with the mutators.

Abstract: An apparatus for enabling an object-oriented application to access in an object-oriented manner a procedural operating system having a native procedural interface is disclosed. The apparatus includes a computer and a memory component in the computer. A code library is stored in the memory component. The code library includes computer program logic implementing an object-oriented class library. The object-oriented class library comprises related object-oriented classes for enabling the application to access in an object-oriented manner services provided by the operating system. The object-oriented classes include methods for accessing the operating system services using procedural function calls compatible with the native procedural interface of the operating system. The computer processes object-oriented statements contained in the application and defined by the class library by executing methods from the class library corresponding to the object-oriented statements.

Abstract: A method and system for providing synchronization of the timing of various multimedia events, including a visual event is disclosed. Clock objects are defined in the storage and associated with an internal or external source of current time. The clock objects are able to be displayed on the display, but can be hidden once their linkages are defined. One or more multimedia objects representative of audio, visual or other multimedia events, including an audio object, are defined and linked to a particular clock object or clock objects. Then, a processor synchronizes the multimedia objects, including a visual object, with the associated clock object or objects. Finally, the various multimedia events are performed in synchronization with their associated clocks. The multimedia objects, including the visual object, may include external multimedia sources managed by the computer system.

Abstract: User interface objects are stored in a user interface object archive which is a database physically located in the shared library of an associated application program. In order to facilitate “localization”, or preparation of an application developed in one language for use in an “area” or a locale which uses another language, the user interface objects are stored in a hierarchical locale tree within the archive. All objects are stored in the base or root of the hierarchy, but only those objects which require a translation are stored in an area associated with a more specific locale. At runtime, a complete collection of objects is assembled by starting at the desired locale and proceeding up the hierarchy level-by-level. Translated objects at lower levels of the hierarchy “override” those at higher levels so that the most complete translations of each object are obtained during this search.