Dasher board systems are used for providing an outer wall surface for a hockey rink and they typically include lower dasher board sections and an upper shielding arrangement attached to certain dasher board sections. Numerous types of dasher board sections are known in the prior art. These prior art dasher board sections can basically be classified into two groups: framed and molded. Framed dasher board sections are typically comprised of steel, aluminum, or wooden supports that are welded, bolted, nailed, or attached otherwise to form a frame. A facing panel, typically made of a single sheet of plywood or polyethylene, or a multi-layered arrangement of plywood and polyethylene sheets, is attached by screw fasteners to the side of the frame that faces the playing surface of the rink. A kick-plate is fastened to a lower portion of the facing panel to provide necessary support and reinforcement where pucks and skates are most likely to contact the dasher boards. Additionally, a back sheet is sometimes attached to the frame. While some of these "framed" dasher boards have provided a suitable surrounding boundary around rink surfaces at some locations, they have had drawbacks. The framed dasher board sections are labor intensive to assemble, requiring the assembly of a frame and secondary attachment of a plurality of sheets to the frame. This significantly increases the cost of the dasher board system. Additionally, over time, maintenance and replacement costs can escalate, as fasteners loosen, wooden elements warp and rot, and facing panels chip and splinter. Further, because the dasher board sections are made from many different attached elements, tolerancing problems between adjacent dasher board sections are more likely to occur.
The second group of dasher boards, i.e., the molded dasher board sections, are made from fiberglass with a binding resinous material, e.g., polyester. U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,539 to Abbott and U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,120 to Tippmann show two designs within this second group. However, as these dasher board sections are molded, they require a separate mold for each distinct board section. Thus, these designs may be costly as board sections have varying lengths and varying radii of curvature. Moreover, the general cost of manufacturing of these designs is expensive. Board systems similar to the design disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,120 to Tippmann can cost approximately $100,000-$125,000 assembled, including upper shielding. Further, in the molding process, the fiberglass is packed into the mold manually. Most likely, this method would achieve only a 30% ratio of glass-to-resin. This places an inherent limit on the strength-to-weight ratio of these dasher board sections and contributes to their high cost and high weight per length. For example, a 42 inch high, 8 foot dasher board section of this design typically weighs approximately 260 lbs.
Therefore, a dasher board system was thus needed which would overcome the assembly, maintenance, and replacement problems of the framed dasher board systems, and which would also overcome the manufacturing costs associated with the molded dasher board systems. The present invention was developed to accomplish this objective.
Additionally, prior art dasher board systems typically include some upper shielding structure above portions of the lower dasher board sections to (1) keep the playing projectile in the playing area, thus protecting any spectators and permitting play of the game to continue, and (2) protect the players and spectators when the players hit the dasher boards during the normal course of play. Currently, most upper shielding systems are made of chain link fences or individual thick transparent panels. Chain link shielding is frequently used in outdoor applications. Chain link shielding is formed by supporting metal fencing by spaced metal posts However, chain link shielding, has drawbacks in that there is poor visibility through the shielding and that there are significant safety concerns with the fencing and its supporting posts.
Transparent shielding has typically been comprised of 0.5 to 0.625 inch thick glass, acrylic, or polycarbonate transparent panels placed between metal frames. These panels usually come in 4 foot length sections. Metal-framed transparent panel systems have their drawbacks as well. For example, some of the panels have been known to shatter. Additionally, the metal-framed transparent panels are expensive and are labor intensive to assemble. Moreover, individual panels can fall out of their frames and injury people in the vicinity.
Another transparent shielding design has used transparent panels without continuous vertical frame members. According to this design, the panel sections are coupled to each other adjacent their upper ends by fastening devices. This design is commonly referred to as "seamless", although seams are present between adjacent panels. In this design, the panels have been made thicker, e.g., 0.75 to 1.00 inches, to be more resistant to shattering. However, these thicker panels have little or no flexibility and can cause injury to a player that has been checked into the shielding.
Therefore, a dasher board system with an upper shielding arrangement was thus needed that would overcome the drawbacks of existing upper shielding arrangements. The present invention was developed to accomplish this additional objective.