Patent Application
20230347195
The invention relates to a trampoline for sporting and/or recreational use, in particular, to an easy-to-assemble trampoline.
At present, the trampoline producers in the world are mainly concentrated in China, the United States, Germany and Japan, among which Board & Battern Inc. (KY) and Vuly PTY LTD are the most well-known producers hereof.
The basic structure of the trampoline includes a flexible bouncing mat, a frame, multiple flexible rods, multiple supporting legs, a protective net and multiple supporting rods. Each flexible rod has a top end and a bottom end respectively. The top ends of the flexible rods are arranged around the flexible bouncing mat, and the bottom ends of the flexible rods are fixed on the frame, so that the flexible bouncing mat is set up above the frame. The frame is erected on the ground with the supporting legs. The protective net is arranged at the periphery of the flexible bouncing mat and extends upwards from the flexible bouncing mat to form a closed or semi-closed bouncing space. The protective net protects the users who are doing bouncing jump on the flexible bouncing mat from falling off from the flexible bouncing mat. The supporting rods are arranged around the flexible bouncing mat to support and tension the protective net.
Trampoline exercise is a healthy and interesting entertainment. Studies have shown that trampoline exercise could not only exercise body and strengthen muscle, but also helped people developing a sense of balance and improving sports skills. With the development of technology, trampolines are entering people’s life more and more. At the same time, the defects of traditional trampolines are also exposed, such as:
1. The bending stiffness of the flexible rod of the traditional trampoline is 1200 N/m-3000 N/m. It takes a lot of effort to install the flexible rod, so it is difficult for the general public to install the trampoline.
2. The installation structure of the top end and the bottom end of the flexible rod is complex, which can’t play an essential auxiliary role in the installation of the flexible rod.
3. After the installation of trampoline, the elasticity of flexible bouncing mat can’t be adjusted, which can’t meet the needs of different users.
4. The trampoline structure is not strong enough, it is easy to collapse and damaged.
5. It is difficult to produce and transportation.
Therefore, it is urgent to improve the structure of trampoline in order to overcome the defects of the prior art.
In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an easy-to-assemble trampoline, the installation structure of flexible rod is improved, so that the installation of trampoline is labor-saving and convenient, and the general users can install it by themselves. After the installation of trampoline, the elastic force of flexible bouncing mat can be adjusted to meet the needs of different users and increase the bouncing comfort. The safety of trampoline is greatly improved.
The technical proposals of the present invention are as follows:
An easy-to-assemble trampoline includes a flexible bouncing mat, a frame and a plurality of resiliently flexible rods, each flexible rod having a top end and a bottom end respectively, the top end of each flexible rod is arranged at the periphery or at the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat, and the bottom end of each flexible rod is retained on the frame, so that the flexible bouncing mat is set up above the frame.
The top end of each flexible rod is fixedly mounted at the periphery or the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat by a buckle structure; the buckle structure includes a mounting member, a flexible belt and at least one clamping member; one end of the flexible belt is fixed on the flexible bouncing mat, the clamping member is fixed on the flexible belt, and the mounting member is provided with a through hole; the flexible belt can pass through the through hole, and the clamping member holds the flexible belt at an outlet of the through hole so that the flexible belt can’t be pulled back from the through hole; the top end of each flexible rod is fixedly contained in the mounting member.
The bottom of the mounting member is provided with an receiving groove, and the top end of the flexible rod is fixedly contained in the receiving groove.
The mounting member has a pipe part and an expanded head arranged at the top of the pipe part, the top of the flexible rod is inserted into the receiving groove and fixed with the pipe part; and the expanded head is provided with the through hole.
The clamping member has a short edge and a long edge, the length of the short edge is less than the aperture of the through hole, and the length of the long edge is larger than the aperture of the through hole, so that the clamping member can pass through the through hole and be held at the outlet of the through hole along the long edge.
The flexible rod is a straight rod with a bending stiffness of 3000 N/m~10000 N/m, the top end of the flexible rod is deflected 10 mm~290 mm from the natural straight state towards the center of the flexible bouncing mat, so that the flexible rod is bent and installed at the periphery or at the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat to support and tension the flexible bouncing mat.
A diameter of the flexible rod is 0.5 cm~3 cm, and a length of the flexible rod is 0.3 m~1.5 m.
The flexible rod is made from alloy aluminum.
The flexible bouncing mat has a length or width of 11 feet~20 feet.
The bottom end of the flexible rod is fixed and retained in the frame through an installation structure.
The installation structure includes pairs of upper inserting holes on a upper side of the frame and lower inserting holes on a lower side of the frame, each pair of the upper inserting hole and the lower inserting hole are staggered settings; the bottom end of each flexible rod is inserted into a pair of the upper inserting hole and the lower inserting hole.
The installation structure also has a first sleeve corresponding to each pair of the upper inserting hole and the lower inserting hole, the first sleeve is inserted into a pair of the upper inserting hole and the lower inserting hole, and the bottom end of the flexible rod is inserted into the sleeve.
The hole diameter of the lower inserting hole is larger than the diameter of the bottom end of the first sleeve and less than the diameter of the main body of the first sleeve, thereby preventing the first sleeve from falling off from the lower inserting hole.
The installation structure also has an elastic member, the elastic member is located between the upper inserting hole and the flexible rod, thereby adjusting the position of the flexible rod in the frame.
The upper inserting hole is arranged as an elliptical hole, and its opposite two ends of the elliptical hole, named as A end and B end respectively, are located on the inside and the outside of the upper side of the frame respectively; the elastic member is inserted into the A end or the B end, thereby adjusting the position of the flexible rod in the frame.
The frame is in a circle shape formed with several arc-shape steel pipes connected at the beginnings and the tails of several curved steel pipes, the joint of the adjacent several arc-shape steel pipes is respectively provided with a first plug-in cylinder and a first plug-in connector which is matched with the first plug-in cylinder; the first plug-in connector is inserted into the first plug-in cylinder and is fixedly connected therein by a nail pin.
The trampoline also includes a plurality of supporting structures, which support the frame from the underneath of the frame so as to keep the frame maintain above the ground; the supporting structure is provided with a horizontal rod, a first vertical rod and a second vertical rod which are arranged at two ends of the horizontal rod, and a third vertical rod which is arranged at the middle of the horizontal rod; the first vertical rod and the second vertical rod are respectively inclined towards the central direction of the flexible bouncing mat, and the top end of the first vertical rod and the top end of the second vertical rod are reversely bent. The frame is provided with matching cylinders matched with the top end of the first vertical rod and the top end of the second vertical rod respectively.
The frame is provided with a second plug-in cylinder, which is arranged at the extending direction of the third vertical rod, the top end of the third vertical rod is inserted into the second plug-in cylinder.
The trampoline also includes several supporting rods evenly distributed around the flexible bouncing mat; the first vertical rod is welded with a second sleeve, and the bottom end of the supporting rod is inserted into the second sleeve. The outlet of the second sleeve is flat, and the shape and size of the bottom end of the support rod is matched with the outlet of the second sleeve; the bottom of the second sleeve is arranged as a cylinder shape, and the diameter of which is slightly smaller than the diameter of the outlet of the second sleeve.
The supporting rod is a long arc-shaped rod joined by two relatively short arc-shaped steel pipes; the joint of the two short arc-shaped steel pipes is also provided with a second plug-in cylinder and a second plug-in connector matched each other respectively, and the second plug-in connector is inserted into the second plug-in cylinder, and the two are fixed and connected by a nail pin.
The easy-to-assemble trampoline of the present invention also includes a protective net with the bottom of it arranged around the flexible bouncing mat; the protective net extends upwards from the flexible bouncing mat to form a closed or semi-closed bouncing space; a plurality of supporting rods are disposed around the flexible bouncing mat to support the top of the protective net.
The tops of the supporting rods are provided with holes respectively, the upper part of the protective net is provided with a plurality of upper net hooks, and each of the upper net hooks is inserted into one of the holes respectively; each of the buckle structures is provided with a lower net hook; and all of the lower net hooks hook the lower part of the protective net.
The buckle structure is provided with a mounting member, the mounting member has a pipe part and an enlarged head part arranged at the top end of the pipe part, the lower net hook is arranged on the pipe part, and the lower net hook bends towards the center of the flexible bouncing mat.
The top of the protective net is also provided with a basketball frame; the basketball frame is fixed on one of the supporting rods; the protective net is provided with a zipper door; and the frame is also provided with a ladder.
The bottom of the protective net is connected with the periphery or the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat by zipper.
The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows: the buckle structure connects the flexible rod and the flexible bouncing pad, the installation of trampoline can be easily realized, the installation safety can be improved, and the elasticity of the trampoline can be adjusted.
The mounting structure includes the first sleeve, the first sleeve is inserted into the frame and used for receiving the bottom end of the flexible rod, so as to facilitate the installation of the flexible rod, and the frame structure is simplified and the production is convenient. An elastic member is also arranged in the frame, which adjusts the position of the flexible rod inserted into the frame, thereby adjusting the tension and elasticity of the flexible bouncing pad to meet the needs of different users and improve the bounce comfort of the flexible pad.
The supporting structure increases the stability of the trampoline and improves the safety performance of the trampoline.
The bending stiffness of the flexible rod is 3000 N/m~10000 N/m. Although the bending stiffness is high, when installing, it only needs to deflect 10 mm~200 mm towards the center of the flexible pad. The installation is labor-saving. Ordinary consumers can install it themselves, it reduces the difficulty of trampoline installation and improves the safety of the installation. The bending stiffness of the flexible rod is 3000 N/m~10000 N/m, which is not easy to fatigue and has good elastic recovery ability. It can keep the flexible bouncing pad in the tension state and increase the balance performance of the trampoline.
By setting the upper hook and the lower hook to hook the upper part and the lower part of the protective net respectively, the protective net is fixed and supported around the flexible pad and enclosed into a closed or unclosed space, which makes the installation and disassembly of the protective net very convenient.
The followings will further explain the present invention with the embodiments, which are the preferable embodiments according to the present invention.
Referring to
The flexible bouncing mat 10 is preferably in round shape, it also can be other shape, such as a square, a pentagonal, a hexagonal, an oval, etc. The frame 20 is a circle formed by several arc-shaped steel pipes 21 connected at the beginnings and the tails. Referring to
The frame 20 also can be placed on the ground, it is preferably placed on the supporting structure 40.
In order to support the flexible mat 10 and the user, the flexible rod 30 generally needs to have certain bending resistance. Especially in the process of the installation of the flexible rods 30, the bottom end 32 of each flexible rod 30 is usually fixed on the frame 20 first, then the top end 31 of the flexible rod 30 is deflected from the natural straightening status to bend towards the center of the flexible mat 10, so that the flexible rods 30 can support and tension the flexible mat 10 to meet the requiring elasticity of bouncing jump.
In the prior art, the bending stiffness of the flexible rod 30 is generally less than 3000 N/m. This requires that the top end 31 of the flexible rod 30 deflects 300-450 mm towards the center of the flexible bouncing mat 30 from the natural straightening status when it has not been connected to the edge of the flexible bouncing mat 10, in order to support the flexible bouncing mat 30 and make the elasticity of the flexible bouncing mat 30 meet the requirements of the trampoline. The bending stiffness of flexible rod 30 in the prior art is too low, resulting in poor elastic recovery ability and easy to be bent. After the trampoline is used for a period of time, the flexible rods 30 can’t be restored to the original position so that the flexible bouncing mat 10 no longer maintains at its tension state, its structure is relaxed, and its elasticity is decreased. In addition, when the bending stiffness of the flexible rod 30 is less than 3000 N/m, the maximum size of the flexible bouncing mat 10 can only be 13 feet. Otherwise, the elasticity of the flexible bouncing mat 10 can’t meet the requirements.
The applicant has found that the flexible rod 30 with improved bending stiffness can overcome the above-mentioned defects. When the flexible rod 30 is a straight rod with bending rigidity of 3000 N/m~10000 N/m, the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 is retained on the frame, and the top end 31 of the flexible rod deflects 10 mm~200 mm from the natural straight state to bend towards the center of the flexible bouncing mat 10, so that the flexible rod 30 is bent and installed at the periphery or at the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10 to support and tighten the flexible bouncing mat 10. If the bending stiffness of the flexible rod 30 is 3000 N/m~10000 N/m, the elastic restoring force of the flexible rod 30 increases and the flexible rod is not easy to fatigue and deform. Although the bending stiffness of the flexible rod increases, the distance of deflection towards the center of the flexible bouncing mat is reduced, which makes the installation of the flexible rod easier.
At present, the material of the flexible rod in the market is glass fiber or carbon fiber. The glass fiber has good corrosion resistance, insulating property, heat-insulating property and high strength etc. However, the hardness of the glass fiber is high, combined with its inherent brittleness, the glass fiber has the defects of no bending resistance, poor abrasion resistance, poor flexibility and the likes. If the glass fiber rod is used repeatedly for a long time or used in the low-temperature state, it is easy to crack and lose its original elasticity. Sometimes it is broken, resulting in trampoline damage. There is a potential safety hazard. In addition, according to the list of carcinogens published by the World Health Organization International Cancer Research Agency on 27 Oct. 2017, glass fiber is listed as an unsafe material.
Preferably, the material of the flexible rod 30 according to the present invention is aluminum alloy. Aluminum alloy weights light, its surface can be oxidized, it has better wind resistance and stronger compressive capacity than glass fiber, and it also has good strength, toughness, fatigue resistance and plasticity, not easy to break. Even if the pressure exceeds its upper limitation, the aluminum alloy rod does not break, but increases the curvature. It will not cause trampoline to damage, thereby improving the safety of trampoline.
Preferably, the diameter of the flexible rod is 0.5 cm~3.0 cm.
Preferably, the length of the flexible rod is 0.3 m ~1.5 m.
When the bending stiffness of the flexible rod is 3000 N/m~10000 N/m, the diameter of the flexible bouncing mat is 11 feet~20 feet.
Referring to
The installation structure also includes a first sleeve 26 corresponding to each pair of the upper inserting hole 24 and the lower inserting hole 25. The first sleeve 26 is inserted into the upper inserting hole 24 and the lower inserting hole 25. The bottom end of the flexible rod 30 is inserted into the first sleeve 26.
Referring to
Further, the top end 263 of the first sleeve 26 is provided with a gradually broaden outlet in the extending direction so as to facilitate the insertion of the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30.
When the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 is installed, the first sleeve 26 is inserted into a pair of the upper inserting hole 24 and the lower inserting hole 25 firstly, then the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 is inserted directly into the first sleeve 26. Or the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 can be inserted directly into the first sleeve 26 firstly, and then the two are inserted into a pair of the upper inserting hole 24 and the lower inserting hole 25. The installation is simple and convenient.
It should be understood that when the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 and the first sleeve 26 are inserted into the lower inserting hole 25, the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 is fixed in the frame 20. When all of the top ends 31 of the flexible rods 30 are installed around the flexible bouncing mat 10, the installing position of the top ends 31 of the flexible rods 30 remain unchanged, and the tension and elasticity of the flexible bouncing mat 10 are maintained constant.
Referring to
Preferably, referring to
Preferably, the intersection of the clamping block 273 and the outer side 272 is provided with an upper convex part 275. The bottom of the outer side 272 of the elastic member 27 is provided with an lower convex part 274. When the elastic member 27 is inserted into the upper inserting hole 24, the upper convex part 275 and the lower convex part 274 are holding the hole periphery of the upper inserting hole 24 from the upper direction and the lower direction respectively, thereby preventing it falling off from the upper inserting hole 24.
Preferably, referring to
Preferably, referring to
Preferably, referring to
Referring to
Preferably, a baffle 714 is protruded on the outlet of the through hole 723 of the expanded head 712. The baffle 714 can obstruct the clamping member 73, thereby preventing the clamping member 73 from sliding and retracting from the through hole 723.
Concretely, referring to
Preferably, the clamping member 73 can pass through the through hole 713 and is held on the outlet of the through hole 713. In one of the embodiment of the invention, the clamping member 73 has a short edge and a relatively long edge. The length of the short edge of the clamping member 73 is slightly less than the aperture of the through hole 713, and the length of the long edge of the clamping member 73 is slightly larger than the aperture of the through hole 713. Such configuration enables the clamping member 73 to pass through from one side of the through hole 713 to the other side, the clamping member 73 is rotated after it has passed through the through hole 713, and the clamping member 73 can be held at the outlet of the through hole 713 along its long edge.
It should be understood that the clamping member 73 matches with the through hole 713. For example, if the clamping member 73 is a long cylinder shape, the through hole 713 should also be a long cylinder shape; if the clamping member 73 is a long cubic shape, the through hole 713 must also be a long cubic shape. Referring to
After the clamping member 73 is passed through the through hole 713, the clamping member 73 is held at the outlet of the hole 713, the flexible belt 72 is fixed and prevented from being retracted under the action of pulling force, thereby fixing the top end of the flexible rod 30 at the periphery or at the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10.
It should be understood that the positions of the clamping members 73 on the flexible belts 72 must meet the design purpose of “installing the top ends 31 of all the flexible rods 30 at the periphery or at the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10”. Therefore, the clamping member 73 shall be installed at a suitable position on the flexible belt 72. The design purpose can’t be achieved if the clamping member 73 is too far or too close to the flexible bouncing mat 10.
The flexible belt 72 is fixed on the flexible bouncing mat 10. It should be understood that the flexible belt 72 can be fixed at the flexible bouncing mat 10 in a variety of ways, for example, by welding, clamping, fastening, etc. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the flexible belt 72 is sewn at the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10.
Referring to
The mounting member 72 may also be directly installed onto the flexible belt 71. During the installation, the bottom end 32 of the flexible rod 30 is firstly inserted into the first sleeve 26 of the frame 20, the mounting member 72 is adjusted to the proper position of the flexible belt 71, the top end 31 of the flexible rod 30 is inserted into the mounting groove or the tube part of the mounting member 72, the top end 31 of the flexible rod 30 and the mounting member 72 are pushed to a predetermined position at its periphery or at its bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10, the clamping member 73 is pulled out from the through hole 713, the clamping member 73 is rotated to be held at the through hole 713, so the top end 31 of the flexible rod 30 and the head 722 are installed at its periphery or at its bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10.
In the structure of trampoline, a number of flexible rods 30 are evenly distributed between the frame 20 and the flexible bouncing mat 10, and thus support the flexible bouncing mat 10 so that the force on the flexible bouncing mat 10 is balanced in all directions. In the installation process of trampoline, if multiple of the flexible rods 30 are installed in sequence on the flexible bouncing mat 10, the side of the flexible bouncing mat 10, where hasn’t installed the flexible rods 30, will be suffer uneven force, resulting in the difficulty of installing the flexible rods on that side, and even affecting the structure of the product. To resolve this shortcomings, referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The frame 20 is provided with matching cylinders 29a, 29c which are matched with the top end 421 of the first vertical rod 42 and the top end 431 of the second vertical rod 43 respectively. The installing direction of the matching cylinders 29a, 29c on the frame 20 must be in the extending direction of the top end 421 of the first vertical rod 42 and that of the top end 431 of the second vertical rod 43, so that the installation of the supporting structures 40 can be easily carried out. Further, in order to achieve a stable installation, the matching cylinders 29a, 29c are fixed with the top end 421 and the top end 431 by nail pins 22.
After the first vertical rod 42 and the second vertical rod 43 are inserted into the matching cylinders 29a, 29c, the first vertical rod 42 and the second vertical rod 43 apply force to the arc-shape steel pipe 21 in the direction opposite to that applied by the flexible rod 30, thereby keeping the arc-shape steel pipe 21 in balance and avoiding the arc-shape steel pipe 21 higher in the middle and lower at its both ends.
In order to more firmly support the frame 20, a second socket 23 is provided at the joint 28 of the adjacent arc-shape steel pipes 21, the second socket 23 is located in an extending direction at the top end 441 of the third vertical rod 44. The top end 441 of the third vertical rod 44 is inserted into the second socket 23 to support the joint 28 of the arc-shape steel pipes 21 to prevent the adjacent arc-shape steel pipes 21 from falling apart or collapsing from the joint 28.
A third insert cylinder 46 is provided at the middle of the horizontal rod 41, and the lower end 442 of the third vertical rod 44 is inserted into the third insert cylinder 46, thereby facilitating the disassembly and installation of the third vertical rod 44.
Referring to
Further, referring to
Preferably, the supporting rod 60 is a long arc-shaped rod jointed by two relatively short arc-shaped steel pipes 62; a second plug-in cylinder 621 and a second plug-in connector 622 matched with the second plug-in cylinder 621, are also provided at the joint of the two short arc-shaped steel pipes 62 respectively, and the second plug-in connector 622 is inserted into the second plug-in cylinder 621, and the two are fixed and connected by the nail pin 63. Using two short arc-shaped steel pipes 62 to be jointed to form a long arc-shaped rod is convenient for transport the supporting rods 60. The plug-in manner of connecting the two short arc-shaped steel pipes 62 by the nail pin 63 makes the assembly easy and the structure stable.
Preferably, the structure of the second plug-in cylinder 621 is the same as that of the mouth of the second sleeve 45. The structure of the second plug-in connector 622 is the same as that of the bottom end 61 of the supporting rod 60, which provide the same function and technical effect as that the bottom end 61, which is not repeated herein.
Referring to
The lower part of the protective net 80 is fixed and installed around the flexible bouncing mat 10 by a plurality of lower net hooks 81 which are hooked through the mesh at the lower part of the protective net 80. In this way, it is very convenient to install and disassemble the protective net 80.
The lower mesh hooks 81 can be arranged on the buckle structure 70, or on the frame 20, or on the installation structure, or on the periphery of the flexible bouncing mat 10. The position of the lower hooks 81 are designed mainly according to the consideration of the convenience of production and the appearance of the trampoline. Preferably, the lower hooks 81 are provided on the pipe parts 711 of the buckle structures 70. This design enables the lower hooks 81 to be produced by using the same set of molds as for the mounting member 71, no additional molds are needed, no extra production process needs to be added, which brings great convenience to the production.
It should be understood that the convenience described above can also be obtained by setting the lower hooks 81 on the frame 20 and on the supporting structures 40. But the drawback of this design is that it will increase the length of the protective net and affect the outlook of the trampoline.
Further, the lower hooks 81 are arranged as facing the center position of the flexible bouncing mat 10 so as to prevent it from hovering other objects or scratching the user.
An inserting hole 65 is provided at the top end of each supporting rod, a plurality of upper hooks 82 are provided at the upper part of the protective net 80, and the upper hooks 82 are thus inserted into the inserting holes 65 respectively to support the protective net 80. The design makes the installation and disassembly of the upper part of the protective net 80 convenient.
Referring to
One end of the upper hook 82 is fixed and connected to the protective net 80, the other end of the upper hook is an inserting end 83, which is inserted into the inserting hole 65. The inserting end 83 can be arranged as a shrapnel and is flexibly matched with the inserting hole 65.
An inserting member is provided at the top of the supporting rod 60, the inserting member has a sphere 67, a fixing member 68 extending from the bottom of the sphere 67. The fixing member 68 is inserted into the top of the supporting rod 60, and is fixed therein by a screw. The inserting hole 65 is arranged in the sphere 67.
Referring to
The protective net 80 of the trampoline is provided with a zipper door 84. The frame 20 is also provided with a ladder 86.
Preferably, the lower part of the protective net 80 is connected with the periphery or the bottom of the flexible bouncing mat 10 by zippers.
The above is a further detailed description of the invention in combination with a specific preferred embodiment, and it can’t be concluded that the specific implementation of the invention is limited to these instructions. For the general technical personnel in the technical field to which the invention belongs, without being separated from the conception of the invention, the architecture form can be flexible and changeable, and a series of products can be derived. If it is just making a number of simple deductions or substitutes should be regarded as falling within the scope of patent protection determined by the claim submitted by the present invention.
