BARRIER DEVICE THAT IS USABLE AS A GAME NET

Abstract

A barrier device that is usable as a game net is able to act as a barrier against respiratory and/or salivary secretions. The barrier device is sanitizable and comprises a net element and a transparent barrier element. The net element and the transparent barrier element are reciprocally side by side, in such a manner that a plurality of meshes comprised in the net element faces the transparent barrier element.

Claims

1. Sanitizable barrier device, that is usable as a game net and is able to act as barrier against respiratory and/or salivary secretions, said barrier device comprising a net element and a transparent barrier element, said net element and said transparent barrier element being reciprocally side by side so that a plurality of meshes comprised in said net element faces said transparent barrier element.

2. Barrier device according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of meshes comprised in said net element is in contact with said transparent barrier element.

3. Barrier device according to claim 1, wherein said transparent barrier element comprises a strip portion made of transparent material, said net element being flanked to one of the two sides of said strip portion.

4. Barrier device according to claim 3, wherein said plurality of meshes comprised in said net element is in contact with one of said two sides of said strip portion.

5. Barrier device according to claim 1, wherein said transparent barrier element comprises a pair of strip portions made of transparent material, said net element being interposed between two reciprocally facing sides of said strip portions of said pair.

6. Barrier device according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of meshes comprised in said net element is in contact with one or both of said reciprocally facing sides of said strip portions of said pair.

7. Barrier device according to claim 4, wherein said net element comprises a drawing of a net defining said plurality of meshes, said drawing of a net being printed on one or both of said sides of said strip portion.

8. Barrier device according to claim 6, wherein said net element comprises a drawing of a net defining said plurality of meshes, said drawing of a net being printed onto one or more of said sides of said strip portions of said pair.

9. Barrier device according to claim 3, wherein said net element comprises a plurality of threads that are reciprocally intertwined or knotted and define said plurality of meshes.

10. Barrier device according to claim 5, wherein said net element comprises a plurality of threads that are reciprocally intertwined or knotted and define said plurality of meshes.

11. Barrier device according to claim 4, wherein said net element comprises a plurality of strips that are reciprocally crossed and define said plurality of meshes, said plurality of strips comprising strips made of an adhesive material that are glued onto one or both of said sides of said strip portion.

12. Barrier device according to claim 6, wherein said net element comprises a plurality of strips that are reciprocally crossed and define said plurality of meshes, said plurality of strips comprising strips made of an adhesive material that are glued onto one or more of said sides of said strip portions of said pair.

13. Barrier device according to claim 3, wherein said net element comprises a plurality of LED strips that are reciprocally crossed and define said plurality of meshes.

14. Barrier device according to claim 5, wherein said net element comprises a plurality of LED strips that are reciprocally crossed and define said plurality of meshes.

15. Barrier device according to claim 1, wherein said transparent material is flexible.

16. Barrier device according to claim 1, that is usable as a game net in a game selected from the group consisting of volleyball, mini-volleyball, beach-volleyball, snow-volleyball, badminton and tennis.

Description

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The features of the apparatus according to the invention can be better comprised and implemented with reference to the attached drawings that illustrate an embodiment thereof by way of non-limiting example, in which:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective, fragmentary and incomplete schematic view showing an embodiment of the barrier device according to the invention;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a perspective, fragmentary and incomplete schematic view, showing another embodiment of the barrier device according to the invention;

[0021] FIGS. 3 to 5 are three front, fragmentary and incomplete schematic views of corresponding embodiments of the barrier device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] In the context of the present description, as well as of the attached claims: [0023] the terms “game net” and “net for sporting use” are considered to be synonyms and can be used in a reciprocally interchangeable manner; [0024] the term “droplet” defines an emission of respiratory and/or salivary secretions in the form of microscopic drops, these microscopic drops being expelled from the oral cavity and/or from the respiratory tract of a person when the person sneezes and/or coughs and remaining suspended in the ambient air for a variable time; [0025] the adjective “sanitizable” indicates the ability of an object, such as for example a game net, to be subjected to cleaning and/or disinfection procedures.

[0026] FIGS. 1 to 5 show a barrier device 1 according to the invention, comprising a net element 2 and a transparent barrier element 3. The barrier device 1 is suitable for the use as a volleyball net (FIG. 1-4) or as a mini-volleyball net (FIG. 5).

[0027] The transparent barrier element 3 comprises a pair of strip portions 4, 4a, each of which is shaped in the form of a rectangular strip and is manufactured from a suitable transparent and flexible material of known type, for example transparent PVC, such as Crystal type-PVC. The strip portion 4 comprises a pair of reciprocally parallel and opposite sides 5, 6. Similarly, the strip portion 4a comprises a pair of reciprocally parallel and opposite sides 5a, 6a.

[0028] Although in FIGS. 1 and 2 the two strip portions 4, 4a are shown reciprocally divergent and spaced apart, in the barrier device 1 that is ready for use the two strip portions 4, 4a are reciprocally side by side and parallel, because the two strip portions 4, 4a are welded together along respective peripheral edges 4b and 4c during manufacture. In this manner, a two-layer transparent barrier element 3 is obtained.

[0029] In one embodiment of the barrier device 1 that is suitable for use in volleyball (FIGS. 1-4), each strip portion 4, 4a has the dimensions shown in the following Table 1:

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Length (longitudinal dimension) 10 m Width (transverse dimension) 100 cm Thickness 0.5 mm

[0030] In an embodiment of the barrier device 1 that is suitable for use in the mini-volleyball (FIG. 5), each strip portion 4, 4a has the dimensions shown in the following Table 2:

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Length (longitudinal dimension) 7 m Width (transverse dimension) 70 cm Thickness 0.5 mm

[0031] Each strip portion 4, 4a can be manufactured by using known methods and apparatuses for producing plastic film materials.

[0032] The net element 2 comprises a drawing of a net 2b defining a plurality of meshes 2a. In other words, the net element 2 consists of a drawing, which reproduces a volleyball net consisting of the plurality of meshes 2a.

[0033] By way of non-limiting example, in the drawing of a net 2b, the dimensions of each mesh 2a can be the following: [0034] 3 cm×3 cm [0035] 4.5 cm×4.5 cm [0036] 7 cm×7 cm [0037] 10 cm×10 cm.

[0038] The drawing of a net 2b is printed by using methods and apparatuses of known type, for example by digital printing, on the strip portion 4. More exactly, the drawing of a net 2b is printed on the side 5 that faces, and is thus in contact with, the adjacent and opposite side 5a of the adjacent strip portion 4a. In other words, the drawing of a net 2b, and thus the net element 2, is interposed between the two strip portions 4, 4a.

[0039] In this manner, the net element 2 is protected from a possible mechanical wear, i.e. from possible damage produced by the ball when the latter knocks against the outer surface of the barrier device 1. Furthermore, the net element 2 is protected from a possible chemical wear, which could be caused by detergents and disinfectants used to clean and sanitize the barrier device 1.

[0040] It should be noted that, when the drawing of a net 2b is printed on the strip portion 4a, it is further possible to print logos or messages on the strip portion 4a, which enables the barrier device 1 to be customized according to the needs of the user.

[0041] The barrier device 1 further comprises other elements, the presence of which is required in regulation volleyball nets: two horizontal bands 7, 8 (i.e. two bands that are parallel to the strip portion 4, 4a) in white PVC, which extend along the opposite horizontal portions of the peripheral edges 4b and 4c; two vertical bands 9 (i.e. two bands that are perpendicular to the strip portion 4, 4a) in white PVC (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1), which have a width of 5 cm and are positioned at the side lines of the court (not shown); two vertical end bands 13 (shown in FIGS. 3-5) in black PVC, which have a width of 3 cm; two two-colour antennas 10 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1), that are manufactured in a suitable shockproof material (for example glass fibre) and protrude vertically from the horizontal band 7 by 70 cm. The aforesaid horizontal and vertical bands can be made by using a known plastic film material other than PVC.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the barrier device 1 that differs from the embodiment of FIG. 1 only by the fact that the drawing of a net 2b is printed both on the side 5 of the strip portion 4, and on the adjacent and opposite side 5a of the adjacent strip portion 4a. Therefore, all the elements of the barrier device 1 previously disclosed with reference to the FIG. 1 are indicated by the same reference numbers in FIG. 2 and are not disclosed again below.

[0043] For the net element 2, embodiments are possible that are different from the drawing of a net 2b, which embodiments are described below still with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0044] In one embodiment, the net element 2 comprises a plurality of threads 2c (FIG. 1; FIG. 2), which are reciprocally intertwined or knotted and define the plurality of meshes 2a. In other words, in this embodiment, the net element 2 comprises a net of known type, which is interposed between the two strip portions 4, 4a.

[0045] In another embodiment, the net element 2 comprises a plurality of strips 2d, which are reciprocally crossed so as to define the plurality of meshes 2a. These strips 2d consist of an adhesive material of known type—for example, a two-sided adhesive—and are glued onto one or more of the sides 5, 6, 5a, 6a of the strip portions 4, 4a. This embodiment enables logos and/or messages to be easily printed on the net element 2.

[0046] In a further embodiment, the net element 2 comprises a plurality of LED strips 2e, which are reciprocally crossed so as to define the plurality of meshes 2a. It is possible to use LED strips 2e of known type, for example LED strips that are 4 mm in width and interposed between the two strip portions 4, 4a.

[0047] As a person skilled in the art can easily understand, the barrier device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can also comprise a single-layer transparent barrier element 3, namely a transparent barrier element 3 comprising a single strip portion 4, or 4a. In this case, the net element 2 is printed, glued or positioned (depending on the used embodiment of the net element) at one or both sides 5, 6 of the strip portion 4, or at one or both sides 5a, 6a of the strip portion 4a.

[0048] By way of non-limiting example, the weight of the barrier device 1 for volleyball (length: 10 metres) comprising the two-layer transparent barrier element 3 is 15 kg, the weight of the barrier device 1 for volleyball comprising the single-layer transparent barrier element 3 is 8 kg and the weight of the barrier device 1 for mini-volleyball (length: 7 metres) comprising the single-layer transparent barrier element 3 is 6 kg.

[0049] FIGS. 3 to 5 show the front aspect of the barrier device according to the invention in three different embodiments (the drawings shown are not in the same scale). All the elements of the barrier device according to the invention previously disclosed with reference to the FIG. 1 are indicated by the same reference numbers in FIGS. 3 to 5 and are not disclosed again below.

[0050] FIG. 3 shows a barrier device 1 for volleyball like that of FIG. 1, in which the net element 2 comprises a plurality of meshes 2a having dimensions: 4.5 cm×4.5 cm. FIG. 4 shows a barrier device 1a for volleyball, in which the net element 2 comprises a plurality of meshes 2a having dimensions: 10 cm×10 cm. FIG. 5 shows a barrier device 1b for mini-volleyball, in which the net element 2 comprises a plurality of meshes 2a having dimensions: 7 cm×7 cm.

[0051] Each barrier device 1, 1a, 1b is fitted to a respective pair of supporting poles 11 by a steel cable 12a (arranged above) and a fabric cable 12b (arranged below). The steel cable 12a can be replaced with a cable of another known material, which is able to support suitably the barrier device 1, 1a, 1b. As highlighted by the aforesaid FIGS. 3-5, after being fitted to the supporting poles 11, the barrier device 1, 1a or 1b has an appearance that is substantially indistinguishable from that of a known volleyball net or mini-volleyball net. In use, namely during a match or a training session, the players can benefit from a correct vision in depth of the movements of the ball with respect to the court.

[0052] Furthermore, once the match or training session has terminated, an assigned operator can easily apply, for example vaporize, a cleaning or disinfecting product onto the surface of the barrier device 1, 1a or 1b whilst the barrier device 1, 1a or 1b is fitted to the supporting poles 11. A disinfectant/detergent of known type (Rifrax San) containing alcohol, anionic and non-ionic surfactants and sodium 2-phenyl phenolate can for example be used as a suitable product.

[0053] From what has been disclosed and exemplified above, it can be stated that the barrier device according to the invention enables the prior art drawbacks to be overcome easily and multiple advantages to be obtained.

[0054] Possible variations on and/or additions to what has been disclosed above and/or what has been illustrated in the attached drawings are possible. For example, although the embodiment of the invention disclosed with reference to FIGS. 1-5 is suitable for being used as a volleyball net or mini-volleyball net, a person skilled in the art will easily understand that, by varying the dimensions of the net element 2 and of the transparent barrier element 3, it is possible to manufacture a game net that is suitable for use in other versions of volleyball, such as beach-volleyball or snow-volleyball, or a game net that is suitable for use in a sport different from volleyball, such as badminton or tennis.