SHOCK ABSORBER FOR SPORTS FLOOR

Abstract

A shock absorber for a sports floor assembly. The shock absorber is formed of an elastomeric material and has a base with a first side and an opposing second side. The shock absorber has a plurality of teeth extending from the first side of the base. The base is connectable to a sub-flooring of the floor assembly with the second side positioned adjacent to the sub-flooring.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Inventive Concepts

The inventive concepts disclosed herein relate generally to a shock absorber, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a shock absorber for a sports floor.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

It is known to provide cushioning pads under a sports flooring system to provide resiliency to the floor. In such systems, the amount of cushioning provided by the pads is generally controlled by the hardness of the pads. Advantages and disadvantages exist to using either hard or soft pads.

Specifically, in sports such as basketball and racquetball, it is important that the floor be relatively stiff so that the ball bounces easily and uniformly throughout the floor. High durometer (hard) resilient pads produce a floor having preferred ball response characteristics. However, hard pads provide little shock absorption and have a greater potential to cause injury to the athlete. This problem is especially severe when heavy loading occurs from a number of athletes performing in close proximity to each other.

Low durometer (soft) resilient pads provide greater shock absorption and hence provide a higher level of safety or protection to the athlete. However, floors employing soft pads do not produce desirable ball response characteristics under normal loading conditions, and thus are not suitable for sports such as basketball and racquetball. Furthermore, soft pads are prone to “compression set” which is a permanent change in profile after the pad has been subjected to high loads for an extended period of time. Such compression set can occur in areas where bleachers, basketball standards, or other gymnasium equipment are likely to be placed for periods of time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a sports floor utilizing a shock absorber constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shock absorber of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elements and components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the inventive concept. This description should be read to include one or more and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Further, use of the term “plurality” is meant to convey “more than one” unless expressly stated to the contrary.

Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, a floor assembly 10 having a floor surface 11 made out of a plurality of strips of material, such as strips of wood 12, is illustrated. The floor assembly 10 illustrated is the type that would be suitable for playing basketball or other sports. The strips of material are typically manufactured from maple or other suitable wood, but could be manufactured from other suitable materials. Resting directly under and in contact with the underside of the floor surface 11 is a sub-flooring 14. The sub-flooring 14 supports the strips of wood 12. The sub-flooring 14 typically includes a first layer of plywood 16 and a second layer of plywood 18. The first layer of plywood 16 is often oriented in one direction while the second layer of plywood 18 is oriented in a second direction which is often 45° (not shown) or 90° (FIG. 1) relative to the first direction. A cement slab is generally provided as a rigid support base 20 for the floor surface 11 and the sub-flooring 14.

A plurality of shock absorbers 22 constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein are illustrated supporting the sub-flooring 14 in a spaced apart relation with respect to the support base 20. The shock absorbers 22 are connected to the bottom surface of the first layer of plywood 16 at a substantially equal center-to-center distance. For a basketball court, the shock absorbers 22 are generally required to be spaced at 9 13/16 inch center-to-center intervals, by way of example. For a multi-purpose floor, the shock absorbers 22 would generally be required to be spaced at 12 inch center-to-center intervals to provide additional flex in the playing surface. In one embodiment, the shock absorbers 22 are aligned with one another and positioned with substantially the same orientation as one another.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the shock absorber 22 has a base 24 and a plurality of teeth 26. The base 24 has a substantially rectangular configuration with a first side 28 and an opposing second side 30. In one embodiment, the width of the base 24 is about two inches and the length of the base 24 is about two and one half inches. The base 24 may be attached to the sub-flooring 14 with the second side 30 of the base 24 positioned adjacent to the sub-flooring 14. The base 24 may be connectable to the sub-flooring 14 with a fastener (not shown), such as a staple, nail or adhesive.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the shock absorber 22 is illustrated as having six teeth 26a-26f extending from the base 24. It will be appreciated, however, that a lesser or greater number of teeth 26 may be used. Each of the teeth 26 is characterized as having a base portion 34 and a tapered portion 36. The tapered portion 36 has a first face 38 and a second face 40 with the first face 38 being angled relative to the second face 40 such that the intersection of the first face 38 and the second face 40 defines a linear contact edge 42. When assembled in the floor assembly 10, the linear contact edge 42 of the shock absorber 22 is placed in contact with the rigid support base 20. The teeth 26 are compressible under pressure and provide varying resistance dependent on the amount of compression such as providing more resistance as the compression increases. In one embodiment, the linear contact edge 42 is rounded, but the linear contact edge 42 may be formed in a variety of configurations, such as flat or pointed.

In one embodiment, the teeth 26 are arranged in a spaced apart relationship with respect to one another. The spacing between the teeth 26 may be equal or variable. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the teeth 26c and 26d are spaced a distance apart that is different than the spacing between the other teeth 26a-26c and 26d-26f. More particularly, the teeth 26c and 26d are spaced a distance apart to facilitate insertion of a fastener, such as a staple, between teeth 26c and 26d when attaching the shock absorber 22 to the sub-flooring 14.

In one embodiment, the teeth 26 may be in a parallel relationship with respect to one another, and the teeth 26 may traverse the base 24 from a first edge 50 of the base 24 to an opposing second edge 52. As described above, the shock absorber 22 may have a substantially rectangular configuration. In such instance, the teeth 26 may be arranged to traverse the base 24 along the width of the base 24. Also, the outermost teeth 26a and 26f may be formed to be coextensive with a third edge 54 of the base 24 and an opposing fourth edge 54, respectively.

It will be appreciated that the shock absorber 22 may be formed as a one piece unit using conventional manufacturing processes, such as extrusion or molding processes, and that the shock absorber 22 can be formed from a variety of elastomeric materials, such as rubber, vulcanized rubber, synthetic rubber, PVC, neoprene, nylon, plastisol, or polyurethane. As discussed above, high durometer (hard) resilient shock absorbers 22 produce a floor having preferred ball response characteristics; however, hard shock absorbers 22 provide low shock absorption, and thus have a greater potential to cause harm to the athlete. Yet, floors employing soft shock absorbers 22 do not produce desirable ball response characteristics. By way of example, desirable results have been obtained by constructing the shock absorber 22 from an elastomeric blend having a durometer Shore hardness of about 60. However, durometer Shore hardness in a range between about 50 to about 100 may be suitable.

The teeth 26 are dimensioned so that the combination of the base 24 and the teeth 26 provides the desired shock absorbing characteristics that cause the floor assembly 10 to absorb a significant percentage of the impact force of an individual's foot while maintaining a firmness which controls the deformation of the floor surface 11 and results in a desirable ball response off the floor surface 11. It should be understood that the number of the teeth, the width to height ratio of the teeth, and the spacing of the teeth may be varied to configure the shock absorber 22 in a way that provides the desired floor characteristics. By way of example, for a ⅜ inch thick shock absorber 22, desirable results have been obtained when the shock absorber 22 employs six teeth 26 and the teeth 26 having a height in a range of about 9/32 inch to about ¼ inch and a width to height ratio of about 0.75.

The strips of wood 12, the sub-flooring 14, and the shock absorbers 22, may cooperate to provide the floor assembly 10 with shock absorbing characteristics that enable the floor assembly 10 to meet flooring standards, such as the “EN Standards.” The EN Standards were developed to ensure that aerobic athletes received a greater degree of safety and performance from a flooring surface when participating in aerobic exercise. The EN Standards focus on three test areas: vertical deflection, shock absorption, and ball deflection. Vertical deflection measures the floor system's downward movement during the impact of an athlete landing on the surface. Shock absorption measures the floor system's ability to absorb impact forces normally absorbed by the athlete when landing on a hard surface such as concrete or asphalt. Finally, ball deflection measures the ball's response off the sports floor system as compared to the ball's response off concrete.

To meet the EN 14904 (2006) Standard, the floor assembly 10 must absorb between about twenty-five and seventy-five percent of an impact force applied to the floor surface 11 while maintaining a firmness that limits vertical deflection of the floor surface 11 of at most about 5.0 mm, and producing a ball response off the floor surface 11 of at least ninety percent.

A test pod incorporating the shock absorber 22 illustrated herein having a thickness of about ⅜ inch, in a sample of the floor assembly 10 described above, was tested utilizing the test methods described in the EN 14904 (2006) Standard. The test pod had the shock absorbers 22 spaced at 9.6 inches and aligned to the same orientation. The results of those tests are as follows:

EN 14904 (2006) Standard - Performance Data by Test Point
	Ball Rebound	Force Reduction	Vertical Deflection
	Required:	Required:	Required:
Point	Minimum 90%	Minimum 25% to 75%	Minimum <5 mm
1	97%	47%	1.8 mm
2	98%	42%	1.7 mm
3	98%	41%	1.6 mm
4	99%	39%	1.4 mm
5	98%	48%	2.0 mm
6	95%	47%	2.1 mm
7	95%	48%	1.9 mm
8	98%	43%	1.8 mm
Average	97%	44%	1.8 mm
Max	99%	48%	2.1 mm
Min	95%	39%	1.4 mm

From the above description it is clear that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are well adapted to carry out the objectives and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While several embodiments of the invention have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed and as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A shock absorber for a floor assembly, comprising:

a solid base having a first side an opposing second side, the base formed of an elastomeric material and being connectable to a sub-flooring of the floor assembly with the second side of the base positioned adjacent to the sub-flooring; and

a plurality of solid teeth extending from the first side of the base, the teeth formed of an elastomeric material.

2. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein each of the teeth has a base portion and a tapered portion, the tapered portion having a first face and a second face with the first face being angled relative to the second face such that the intersection of the first face and the second face defines a linear contact edge.

3. The shock absorber of claim 2, wherein the teeth are in a spaced apart relationship with respect to one another.

4. The shock absorber of claim 3, wherein the teeth are in a parallel relationship with respect to one another.

5. The shock absorber of claim 4, wherein each of the teeth traverses the base from a first edge of the base to an opposing second edge.

6. The shock absorber of claim 5, wherein one of the teeth is coextensive with a third edge of the base and wherein another one of the teeth is coextensive with an opposing fourth edge of the base.

7. The shock absorber of claim 5, wherein the base has a substantially rectangular configuration with a length and a width, and wherein each of the teeth traverses the base along the width of the base.

8. The shock absorber of claim 7, wherein the width of the base is about two inches and the length is about two and one half inches, and wherein the shock absorber has six teeth.

9. The shock absorber of claim 2, wherein each of the teeth has a width and a height and wherein each of the teeth has a width to height ratio of about 0.75.

10. The shock absorber of claim 2, wherein the base and the teeth are formed as a single piece, and wherein the durometer Shore hardness of the base and the teeth is in a range from about 50 to about 100.

11. A floor assembly, comprising:

a plurality of strips of material cooperating to form a floor surface;

a sub-flooring positioned beneath the strips of material to support the strips of material; and

a plurality of shock absorbers connected to one side of the sub-flooring in such a way that the shock absorbers support the sub-flooring in a spaced apart relation with respect to a rigid support base when the sub-flooring and the strips of material are positioned on the rigid support base, the shock absorbers comprising: a solid base having a first side and an opposing second side, the base formed of an elastomeric material and connected to the sub-flooring of the floor assembly with the second side of the base positioned adjacent to the sub-flooring; and a plurality of solid teeth extending from the first side of the base, the teeth formed of an elastomeric material.

12. The floor assembly of claim 11, wherein each of the teeth has a base portion and a tapered portion, the tapered portion having a first face and a second face with the first face being angled relative to the second face such that the intersection of the first face and the second face defines a linear contact edge.

13. The floor assembly of claim 12, wherein the teeth are in a spaced apart relationship with respect to one another.

14. The floor assembly of claim 13, wherein the teeth are in a parallel relationship with respect to one another.

15. The floor assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the teeth has a width and a height and wherein each of the teeth has a width to height ratio of about 0.75.

16. The floor assembly of claim 12, wherein the base and the teeth are formed as a single piece, and wherein the durometer Shore hardness of the base and the teeth is in a range from about 50 to about 100.

17. The floor assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the teeth traverses the base from a first edge of the base to an opposing second edge.

18. The floor assembly of claim 17, wherein one of the teeth is coextensive with a third edge of the base and wherein another one of the teeth is coextensive with an opposing fourth edge of the base.

19. The floor assembly of claim 17, wherein the base has a substantially rectangular configuration with a length and a width, and wherein each of the teeth traverses the base along the width of the base.

20. The floor assembly of claim 19, wherein the width of the base is about two inches and the length is about two and one half inches, and wherein the shock absorbers have six teeth.

21. A floor assembly, comprising:

a plurality of strips of material cooperating to form a floor surface;

a sub-flooring positioned beneath the strips of material to support the strips of material; and

a plurality of shock absorbers connected to one side of the sub-flooring in such a way that the shock absorbers support the sub-flooring in a spaced apart relation with respect to a rigid support base when the sub-flooring and the strips of material are positioned on the rigid support base, the shock absorbers comprising: a solid base having a first side and an opposing second side, the base formed of an elastomeric material and connected to the sub-flooring of the floor assembly with the second side of the base positioned adjacent to the sub-flooring; and a plurality of solid teeth extending from the first side of the base, the teeth formed of an elastomeric material,

wherein the shock absorbers have a thickness extending from the second side of the base to a distal end of the teeth of about ⅜th inch, and wherein the strips of material, the sub-flooring, and the shock absorbers cooperate to provide the floor assembly with shock absorbing characteristics that enable the floor assembly to absorb between about twenty-five and seventy-five percent of an impact force applied to the floor surface while maintaining a firmness that limits vertical deflection of the floor surface to be at most about 5.0 mm and produces a ball response off the floor surface of at least about ninety percent.

22. The floor assembly of claim 21, wherein each of the teeth has a base portion and a tapered portion, the tapered portion having a first face and a second face with the first face being angled relative to the second face such that the intersection of the first face and the second face defines a linear contact edge.

23. The floor assembly of claim 22, wherein the teeth are in a spaced apart relationship with respect to one another.

24. The floor assembly of claim 23, wherein the teeth are in a parallel relationship with respect to one another.

25. The floor assembly of claim 24, wherein one of the teeth is coextensive with a third edge of the base and wherein another one of the teeth is coextensive with an opposing fourth edge of the base.

26. The floor assembly of claim 22, wherein each of the teeth has a width and a height and wherein each of the teeth has a width to height ratio of about 0.75.

27. The floor assembly of claim 22, wherein the base and the teeth are formed as a single piece, and wherein the durometer Shore hardness of the base and the teeth is in a range from about 50 to about 100.

28. The floor assembly of claim 22, wherein each of the teeth traverses the base from a first edge of the base to an opposing second edge.

29. The floor assembly of claim 28, wherein the base has a substantially rectangular configuration with a length and a width, and wherein each of the teeth traverses the base along the width of the base.

30. The floor assembly of claim 29, wherein the width of the base is about two inches and the length is about two and one half inches, and wherein the shock absorbers have six teeth.