Patent Application
20120214382
This invention relates to a amusement apparatus in particular, the invention relates to a amusement apparatus enabling simulated water play experiences for infant or the like.
For example, as a playground equipment for the infants who can do swimming pool play, a small facility model swimming pool is disclosed in following patent document 1 currently. Currently, such amusement apparatus which can play with water include the example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. Pub. No.2000-197715. The amusement apparatus in this instance is provided with a small simple model swimming pool.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. Pub. No. 2000-197715.
The pool for infants described in the conventional art stores up water in a pool. When a user (assume infant or the like, the same shall apply hereinafter) begins a game in a pool, raises a spray of water, and thus the floor gets wet when it is installed in a supermarket or a department store. Because when floor gets wet, it is slippery, and thus much amusement apparatus installers hesitated about the setting of the device. On the other hand, instead of merely really doing a play in the water, if a infant experiences simulated water play, the infants often continue their interest. Also the possibility that infants are drowned is not really zero when doing play-in-water, and thus the protectors of such infants has to always watch infants in doing play-in-water. An object of the present invention, brought about in view of the circumstance described above, is to make available an amusement apparatus, for entertaining an infant easily and for enabling simulated water play experiences, with excellent ability of maintenance such as repair and change.
An amusement apparatus 100 of the present invention comprises a mirror placed in the bath, a support, a lighting member, a half mirror, a transparent waterproof sheet, a waterproofing mechanism, and an inlet. The support and the lighting member is placed on the mirror, the half mirror is supported to the support, placed to an inner wall of bath watertightly. Transparent waterproof sheet coats the aperture upper part of bath, by a waterproofing mechanism the transparent waterproof sheet is watertightly fixed in the bath.
Also an inlet for injecting a liquid between the half mirror and transparent waterproof sheet is provided, by the lighting member lighting up a region between the half mirror and the mirror , a reflection of the light is repeated in the region. In the present invention, Inlet for injecting a liquid is provided on the half mirror upper part, and the present invention can watertightly fix the transparent waterproof sheet and the bath by waterproofing mechanism. Therefore, for example, by making a game on transparent waterproof sheet, and is enable to the simulated water play experiences for the users such as infants .
Also when a different region of the light intensity is partitioned off in half mirror, from high light intensity (bright) to low light intensity (dark), a half mirror functions as a mirror . On the contrary, a light comes from low light intensity (dark) to high light intensity (bright). Therefore, by lighting up the space formed by the mirror and the one-way mirror on the bottom surface, the one-way mirror 128 facing side of the mirror 120 of the bottom faces of bath 110 lighted by the bath lighting member functions as mirror. the reflection of the light can repeat between half mirror and the mirror. Thereby, it makes the feeling that a bottom of the bath is deeper than a real, to a user making a game on the transparent waterproof sheet. And it is able to make perform simulated water play experiences to user
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, it is desirable that an auxiliary bath surrounds the bath, and that a swing member is provided in the lower part of the auxiliary bath, for swinging the amusement apparatus. Also a regulation means for regulating a swing range of the swing member may be comprised. By an auxiliary bath surrounding the bath, even if a liquid leaked out from the transparent waterproof sheet, the liquids leaked are collected in the auxiliary bath, thus it does not get floor line wet. Therefore, it decrease the risk to slippery wet floor, the amusement apparatus installer doesn't have to worry about it.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, it is desirable that a dome-shaped roof is provided on upper part of the bath, for having an opening for child being able to enter. By forming opening for child being able to enter, the amusement apparatus of this Invention can prevent an adult from getting on the transparent waterproof sheet thereof. Therefore, it prevents from the excessive load on the transparent waterproof sheet beforehand, and thus users such as the infant can play with amusement apparatus safely.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, it is desirable that a plurality of the support is placed each other at a required interval, and that a small play equipment is placed between the plurality of the support. For example, by placing the small play equipment reminded of the deep-sea between supports, the decorative effect of the small playground equipment can bring a deep-sea feeling.
Also a shock absorber can coat a part of the amusement apparatus. As the shock absorber, urethane can be used. By coating amusement apparatus in shock absorber such as urethane, even if a user bumps to or drops from the amusement apparatus by mistake, the shock absorber absorbs the shock, so that a user has no risk to injury. a user has no risk to injury.
In the present invention, inlet for injecting a liquid is provided on the half mirror upper part, and the present invention can watertightly fix the transparent waterproof sheet and the bath by waterproofing mechanism. Therefore, for example, by making a game on transparent waterproof sheet, and is enable to the simulated water play experiences for the users such as infants. Also the reflection of the light can repeat between half mirror and the mirror. And thus, it makes the feeling that a bottom of the bath is deeper than a real to a user making a game on the transparent waterproof sheet. And thus it is enable to the simulated water play experiences for the users such as infants.
In addition, Transparent waterproof sheet and bath are fixed by waterproofing mechanism watertightly. And thus a playground equipment with excellent ability of maintenance such as repair and change can be provided.
A specified embodiment of an amusement apparatus 100 is explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
That is to say, as shown in
A film-formed mirror may be attached on the bottom surface and on the four side faces.
Then, a plurality of cylinders 125 is formed by a translucent member. And, the transparent cylinder 125 is placed on the bottom surface of the bath 110 (mean the inside thereof) attached to the mirror 120 as discussed above. The cylinder 125 is placed as symmetrically as possible, so as to support dispersedly the load acting on the undersurface of bath 120. In the present embodiment, the transparent cylinder 125 is placed, so that one transparent cylinder 125 is placed on the each 4 corners of the bottom surface of the bath 110, four in all, and that transparent cylinder 125 is placed on the center of the bottom surface arranged in an array of rows and columns (in the present example, an array of 5*5). Transparent cylinder 125 functions as a support for supporting an after-mentioned one-way mirror.
After placing the transparent cylinder 125 in bath as discussed above, an half mirror (in the present example, so-called one-way mirror 128 of 50% of transmittancy) having specified transmittancy and reflectance is placed on the upper part of the transparence barrel 125. At this time, the one-way mirror 128 is placed so as to face the mirror 120 put on the bottom surface of the bath 110 (so that one-way mirror 128 sets parallel to the mirror 120). In the present embodiment, one-way mirror 128 is affixed reflectance, the mirror of 50% of transmittancy to transparent acryl resin. In the present embodiment, the mirror having a reflectance and transmittancy of 50% is attached to a transparent acryl resin, and used as one-way mirror 128.
By placing the mirror 120 and one-way mirror 128 as described above, cause the reflection of the light repeated by the mirror 120 and one-way mirror 128, and transparent cylinder 125 is reflected as stacked state. Therefore, when viewed from the upper bath 110, it is felt that the transparent cylinder 125 is reflected as stacked state, and thus the impression spreading the distances (depth) between the one-way mirror 128 and mirror 120 of the bottom faces of the bath 110, can be given to the users. When a different region of the light intensity is partitioned off with one-way mirror 128, from high light intensity (bright) to low light intensity (dark), one-way mirror 128 functions as a mirror. On the contrary, a light comes from low light intensity (dark) to high light intensity (bright). Therefore, a plurality of lighting members 129 such as LED is provided on the region formed of the one-way mirror 128 and the bottom surface mirror 120 of the bath 110. And, the light intensity in the bath 110 rises by lighting up the region with a lighting member, and thus, the one-way mirror 128 facing side of the mirror 120 of the bottom faces of bath 110 functions as mirror.
As described above, in order to fill liquids such as the water, the clearance between the one-way mirror 128 and bath wall surface in the bath 110 is waterproofed so as not to leak the liquid. In the present embodiment, the liquid leak is prevented with gummy caulking 127 on the clearance. As shown in
Then the bath 110 configured as above is coated with waterproof sheet (corresponding to transparent waterproof sheet 130) using the material of the translucency. And, by waterproofing mechanism 145, above sheet 130 and bath 110 are fixed watertightly. In this embodiment, as material of the translucency, polyvinyl chloride (hereinafter, PVC) is used. The polyvinyl chloride yellow-discolors if a polyvinyl chloride make a contact with moisture directly, because the plasticizer generally used for manufacture of the polyvinyl chloride exudes. And thus it is desirable that transparent waterproof sheet 130 does not make a contact with the liquids such as the water directly, For example, as illustrated in
If the leak from the edges of the transparent waterproof sheet 130 can be prevented with waterproofing mechanism 145 when a liquid is filled within bath 110, any waterproofing mechanism 145 may be used, however, in the present embodiment, the following configuration is adopted. That is to say, as for a waterproofing mechanism 145 of this Invention, a frame 140 (because the bath 110 is rectangular in the present example, the shape of the frame is rectangular) of shape substantially identical to the shape of upper end of the bath 110 is formed first (cf.
A plurality of fixture 145a for fixing the frame 140 and bath 110 is attached to each sides of rectangular frame 140, and a fixture 145b that is a same thereof is attached on the position corresponding to the upper end of the bath 110. And, as shown in
Liquids such as the water are filled with the bath 110 configured as above. That is to say, Liquids such as the water are poured into one-way mirror 128 being a bottom face. Therefore, a bung hole 146 for injecting the water is provided to an opening opened in inner wall surfaces of the bath 110. The bung hole 146 is provided to more upward position than the one-way mirror 128.
Also in this embodiment, the bath 110 is surrounded with an auxiliary bath 150 capable of containing the bath 110 so that a liquid is not scattered in floor line even if a liquid in bath 110 leaked. Undersurface (the outside) of bath 110 is fixed to the inner bottom surface of the auxiliary bath 150 by a floor covering materials (not shown). A swing member 151 for swinging the amusement apparatus 100 back and forth is fixed to the outside undersurface of the auxiliary bath 150. A swing member 151 is formed by curving a pipe at specified curvature radius. And the curved pipe as above is fixed to the outside undersurface (in the present example the neighborhood of the center) of the auxiliary bath 150, in the condition a curvature salient of the pipes is facing downward.
If the swing member 151 is able to swing the amusement apparatus 100, any shape is preferable. For example, other than the shape curve pipe as described above, as the swing member 151, a bowl shaped member formed in top face view circle shape having U-shaped cross-section is formed, and the bowl shaped member may be fixed to the outside undersurface of auxiliary bath 150.
By using swing member 151 of the bowl shape, amusement apparatus 100 enabling a swinging from front to back and from side to side can be configured.
Also a regulating member regulating swing action of swing member 150 is fixed in the edge neighborhood of the outside undersurface of auxiliary bath 150. And a position and high of the regulating member are adjusted so that a user's foot is not caught between clearance outside undersurface of the auxiliary bath 150 and the floor line. For example, in the present embodiment, an elastic member 152 such as urethane is attached to the outside undersurface edge of auxiliary bath 150 to surround swing member 151. Furthermore, a fixed member 153 having a specified height (the high hoping to regulate the swing movement) is fixed at the position of the specified distance (in the present embodiment, around 20 centimeters of positions) from the both ends thereof.
By providing the regulating member as above, even if the amusement apparatus 100 is swung by the swing member 151 and the gap is formed between the outside undersurface of the auxiliary bath 150 and floor, the elastic member 152 fills the gap of the both ends of the outside undersurface of the auxiliary bath 150, and thus it is prevented that a user is caught in the gap of the both ends. Furthermore, a chair part can be provided in 4 corners of upper end of the auxiliary bath 150. For example, by putting chair frame 155 on auxiliary bath 150 as shown in
A specified shock absorber is coated to the amusement apparatus 100 of the present invention. For example, a shock absorber such as urethane is formed into a sheet form. And the shock absorber been coated on a part of amusement apparatus 100 (even all surface of the apparatus is preferable and may be the part that it is expected that a user comes in contact with the outside of the auxiliary bath 150.), and, a luster material is processed on the surface of the shock absorber, The shock absorber may be composition except urethane, and shock absorber like foams such as polyethylene is preferably used.
The auxiliary bath is coated in shock absorber so that the shock absorber relaxes shock and prevents an injury effectively even if a user falls from the amusement apparatus 100 by mistake. The next description is a method of use of amusement apparatus 100 of the present invention. At first, an openings of the bath 110 is coated with the waterproofing transparence sheet 130 (when a laminating sheet is used, waterproof sheet 133 is downwardly.). And the sheet 130 and bath 110 are fixed watertightly with the waterproofing mechanism 145.
Then the feeding mechanism (not shown) enabling feeding the outside water and other liquids (hereinafter described with water as an example) is connected to an inlet 146 provided to the bath 110, and water is injected in the bath. At this time, water is injected until central part of bath 110 coated with transparent waterproof sheet 130 swells (mean being convex). When viewing the bath 110 from the part that central part of bath 110 swelled (hereinafter called convex part), it give a bulging appearance of bath 110. Also because light is refracted in the convex part, the inside of the bath 110 is viewed even from a little spaced-apart distance from the bath 110.
As described above, as for the bath 110 inner (mean inside lower portion), the transparent cylinder 125 is placed between the one-way mirror 128 and the mirror 120 of the bottom surface. And thus a reflection of the light is repeated by above configuration, when bath 110 lower portion is viewed from the convex part, in the mirror the extended transparent cylinder 125 is reflected like a stacked cylinder. Thereby, the amusement apparatus 100 can give users such as infants a feeling that bottom of bath 110 is deep or a bottomless.
Also a swing member 151 is provided to the lower part of the amusement apparatus 100 of this invention . And thus, amusement apparatus 100 swings in the right and left and the back and forth (if the swing member 151 of the bowl shape is used, it swings from front to back and from side to side, all direction)
By sitting down on the guardian's chair part provided on 4 corners of auxiliary bath 150, amusement apparatus can easily swing. Furthermore, as shown in
With detailed description of the preferred embodiment 1, the bath 110 and auxiliary bath 150 is formed into rectangle shape. As shown in
An opening 152 in degree a child (include infant) can crawl is formed in the dome-shaped roof 151. It is difficult for adult to enter in the amusement apparatus 100 from this opening 152. Because it makes difficult that an adult plays with amusement apparatus 100 of the present invention, it can be prevented that an adult gets on waterproofing transparence sheet 130 placed on the bath 110. Therefore the excessive load applied by waterproofing transparence sheet 130 can be prevented beforehand, and safety is further secured. As illustrated in
As discussed above, the amusement apparatus 100 of the present invention is able to make perform simulated water play experiences to user. Also the amusement apparatus 100 full of changes can be provided, because a user does not get tired, by amusement apparatus 100 swinging.
The present invention is able to make perform simulated water play experiences to user in simple configuration. Also by repeating a reflection of the light, with mirror and half mirror, the bottom surface of the bath becomes able to be shown to a user more deeply than reality, And thus it is able to make perform simulated water play experiences to user, while making continued interest for an infant. Therefore, the industrial applicability is provided. The embodiments and implementations that have been disclosed here are illustrative by nature are should not be regarded as limiting. The scope of the invention is defined by its claims rather than the foregoing description, and should be understood to include the features of the claims of the invention and equivalents thereof, in addition to all changes falling within the scope of the claims.
Legend
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-259838 | Nov 2009 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2010/002876 | 4/21/2010 | WO | 00 | 3/20/2012 |
