Embodiments disclosed herein relate to climbing wall volumes, and more particularly to modular volumes that can be dissembled for shipping, storing and installation.
Indoor climbing and the use of climbing walls is an increasingly popular form of rock climbing performed indoors and on artificial structures commonly known as climbing walls.
The first indoor climbing walls were often brick structures that had limited flexibility in providing varying climbing routes and obstacles for increasing the difficulty of the climb.
More modern climbing facilities now employ climbing structures made of plywood and sprayed or coated with synthetic resins to imitate the texture of real rock face. Such climbing walls can be varied in height, steepness and can have a variety of holds attached thereto to increase the difficulty level. This variety has led to the increase in the popularity of the sport of climbing.
Another recent innovation in climbing walls is the use of climbing volumes. Climbing volumes are large, hollow, bolted-on climbing and bouldering holds, similar to the typical climbing holds. Volumes can be attached to a pre-existing climbing wall to provide new varying terrain features as well as to increase the number and kinds of obstacles for athletes.
Climbing volumes are available commercially, such as from Motavational Volumes (a company based in Sanger, Tex., USA), HRT Safety Holds (a company based in Sofia, Bulgaria), Nicros Volumes (a company based in Saint Paul, Minn., USA), Rockwerx (a company based in Barre, Mass., USA), Hangfast Adventure Structures (a company based in Bingley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom), and Entre-Prises International (a company having an office in Bend, Oreg., USA).
However, such commercially available volumes are sold as unitary piece items, thereby making transportation and storage thereof difficult. Further, larger one-piece volumes can be difficult to install onto a climbing wall due to their size and weight.
As a result, backyard enthusiasts have resorted to manufacturing their own volumes for their personal use on their home climbing wall systems. For example, Andy Librande has made available on the internet his home-made videos demonstrating the building of simplistic volumes made by cutting out appropriate shapes of plywood and assembling the cut pieces with screws.
However, home built volumes are often simple geometric structures and do not provide variety, and for athletes who are looking for increasingly challenging routes, these structures can be insufficient to satisfy their desire for even more difficult and varied terrain.
Further, there is an increased risk to safety of the climbers who make their own climbing volumes. The climbing volumes themselves may not have the structural integrity to maintain their form under the load of climbers using them and the volume itself may not have the strength to be safely secured to a climbing wall.
There is a need for a climbing volume that is easy to install, compact for shipping and storage, and structurally strong when installed.
Embodiments herein can be described as modular, knockdown, collapsible and disassembleable climbing wall structures or volumes, which can be independently created and used in different climbing wall systems. Embodiments of the volume comprise panels that can be completely disassembled and packed in a compact form for transportation and storage, and later reassembled for use by attachment to climbing walls. These volumes can be mounted to any surface, such as climbing walls and frames, and climbing holds and other accessories may also be attached thereon. The individual panels or assemblies of panels are lighter in weight than is a completed volume and therefor can be more readily manipulated and secured to the climbing wall. The assembly of the volume can be completed at the wall using the final panel or panels.
Generally, embodiments of climbing wall volumes disclosed herein comprise at least two panels that, when assembled, form a volume that projects outward from the climbing wall to which it is attached. One panel forms a mounting panel adapted for attachment to the climbing wall and an additional panel or panels form side panels, such side panels interconnecting with one another and the mounting panel to form a completed three-dimensional hollow structure or form which encloses a space therein, hence projecting outward from the wall.
The mounting panel is adapted to be removeably secured to a climbing wall and is further adapted to be removeably secured to each of adjacent side panels and along connecting edges. Each of the side panels are also adapted to be removeably secured to one another along their connecting edges. The feature of removeably securing to each other permits flexibility in the weight of the partially assembled volume, providing temporary access to the mounting panel for securing to the wall, and final closing of the volume with the last panel or panels.
The edges of each of the mounting panel and the side panels form a pair of corresponding bearing surfaces, the bearing surfaces at one edge engaging a corresponding bearing surface of an adjacent panel or mounting panel. The corresponding bearing surfaces of the corresponding edges connect together and transfer and share loads imposed therebetween. Loads include the weight of the panels themselves and those imposed by a climber.
In a broad aspect, a modular climbing volume having an enclosed space for attaching to a climbing wall or frame comprises at least two panels, one of which is a mounting panel for removeably securing the climbing volume to the climbing wall or frame. The at least two panels each comprise one or more connecting edges, and each panel is removeably secured to at least one other of the at least two panels to form a pair of adjoining panels. The panels of each pair of adjoining panels define an interior angle α therebetween, and the connecting edges of each pair of adjoining panels are bevelled at a bevel angle θ that is substantially one half of the interior angle α. When said at least two panels are connected along their connecting edges, they form the volume.
In another broad aspect, a method of installing a complete climbing volume having an enclosed space on a climbing wall or frame involves pre-fabricating at least two panels, one of which is a mounting panel, pre-fabricating a plurality of fastening means for removeably securing each panel to one another, and assembling said at least two panels together to form the complete climbing volume. Each of the at least two panels has at least one bevelled connecting edge for removeably securing the panels to at least one other of said at least two panels to form a pair of adjoining panels.
In another broad aspect, a modular kit for assembling a complete climbing volume having an enclosed space comprises a plurality of panels, one of which is a mounting panel for removeably securing the climbing volume to the climbing wall or frame and a plurality of fastening means for removeably securing the panels together. Each of the plurality of panels has at least one bevelled connecting edge for removeably securing to at least one other of said plurality of panels to form a pair of adjoining panels, wherein the panels of each pair of adjoining panels forms an interior angle α therebetween, and wherein the connecting edges of each pair of adjoining panels are bevelled at a bevel angle θ that is substantially one half of the interior angle α.
In the prior art, and as shown in
In embodiments set forth herein, a modular knockdown climbing volume 10 comprises two or more panels 20 that are removeably secured to each other and to a climbing wall 22. One of the panels 20 forms a mounting panel 20m that is secured to the climbing wall 22 and each additional panel 20 becomes a side panel 20 secured to the mounting panel 20m to complete the volume 10. The mounting panel 20m is adapted to be removeably secured to the climbing wall 22 and is removeably securable to each of the one or more adjacent side panels 20 along connecting edges 35. One or more of the panels 20 can be pre-assembled to the mounting panel 20m before securing to the wall 22 or one or more panels 20 can be secured to each other before securing the mounting panel 20m after it is mounted to the wall 22.
Each of the side panels are removeably secured to one another along their respective connecting edges 35. The feature of removeably securing to each other permits flexibility in the lifting and assembly weight of the partially assembled volume, whilst providing temporary access to the mounting panel for securing to the wall, and final closing of the volume with the last panel or panels.
Herein the mounting panel 20m is also referred to as a first panel and additional panels 20 as second or side panels. The mounting panel presents a flat mounting profile for engaging and removeably securing the climbing volume to support structure, such as a climbing frame or climbing wall 22. The mounting panel is typically a contiguous flat panel for ready attachment to a corresponding flat portion of the climbing wall 22. The mounting panel 20m provides secure and strong mounting to the climbing wall 22, and thereafter, at least one second panel, such as additional side panels 20 can be removeably secured thereto.
Depending on the final desired geometric shape of the completed volume, the at least one second panel can be two or more side panels 20 which, when assembled together with the mounting panel 20m, form a completed volume.
Each panel 20 comprises at least one connecting edge 35 along its periphery for engaging and removeably securing to another panel 20 adjacent thereto forming a pair of adjoining panels 20,20. The connecting edges 35 define bearing surfaces 40 which engage a corresponding bearing surface 40 of an adjacent panel 20. The bearing surfaces 40,40 transmit loads from panel-to-panel and through the designated mounting panel 20m to the climbing wall 22. In an embodiment, corresponding bearing surfaces 40,40 can be flat or can have a profile, such as a tongue-and-cheek profile to facilitate assembly of the completed volume.
The panels 20 are removeably secured to one another using fasteners or other attachment means for creating the completed climbing volume 10. The completed climbing volume is fully enclosed for defining a cavity therein. When secured to the mounting panel 20m, side panels 20 provide an exterior surface for the removable attachment thereto of climbing holds or other climbing accessories.
With reference to
As shown, the four side panels are itemized as 20A,20B,20C,20D. The mounting panel 20m defines four connecting edges 35, each having a bearing surface 40. A plurality of attachment openings 25 associated with the designated mounting panel 20m, such as holes or reinforced holes therethrough, permit the mounting panel 15 to accept or pass mounting means (not shown) for removeably securing the mounting panel 20m to the wall. The attachment openings 25 are typically configured to be compatible with corresponding points of attachment for known climbing walls. Each of the four, triangular side panels 20A,20B,20C,20D also have three connecting edges 35, each connecting edge defining a bearing surface 40.
In an embodiment, and as shown in
With reference to
In order to increase the structural integrity of a completed volume, adjacent panels 20 form a pair of adjoining panels 20,20 which engage one another continuously along their corresponding bearing surfaces 40,40 of their corresponding connecting edges 35,35. For example, the bearing surfaces 40 of the mounting panel 20m and the bearing surface 40 a side panel 20 can engage one another or the bearing surfaces 40 of two adjacent side panels 20 can engage one another.
Further, to distribute a load placed on the completed volume 10, such as when a climber is suspended therefrom, the connecting edges 35 of the mounting panel 20m and or the connecting edges 35 of the side panels 20 are bevelled, providing an angled bearing surface 40,40.
Generally and schematically shown in
The 50/50 split of the specific interior angle α ensures face-to-face contact between the corresponding bearing surfaces 40 equally dividing the load placed on the two adjoining panels 20,20 thereby equally distributing the load placed on the completed volume 10. Further, relative movement therebetween is minimized to reduce the risk of loosening connecting fasteners.
Accordingly, depending upon the geometric shape of the volume 10, each pair of adjoining panels 20,20 can have its own specific interior angle α, and the connecting edges 35 between the pair of adjoining panels will have a corresponding and specific bevel angle θ.
As shown in
Depending on the geometric shape of the volume and designated mounting panel 20m, the at least one second panel 20 can be two or more panels. In a two panel volume, the side panel is a unitary panel removeably securable to the mounting panel 20m about its entire periphery. For example, a circular mounting panel 20m could have a right circular conical or hemispherical one-piece side panel that can be removeably secured thereto about its connecting edge, being a circular periphery. For embodiments where the mounting panel 20m is a geometric polygon with a particular number of connecting edges, the volume will also comprise at least the same number of flat, planer side panels 20 as are the number of connecting edges 35.
For illustrative purposes only, volumes 10 having simple geometric shapes, such as those shown
As shown in
As shown, each connecting edge 35 of the mounting panel 20m engages a corresponding connecting edge 35a of one of the four side panels 20 adjacent thereto. Further, and as shown, the two remaining connecting edges 35b,35c of each side panel 20 also engage a corresponding connecting edge 35c,35b, respectively, of one other of the four side panels 20 adjacent thereto.
In the embodiment shown in
It would be understood by a skilled person that for any given climbing volume, it is preferable to have a profile or periphery of the mounting panel 20m that is flat so as to mount the volume to a corresponding flat portion of a climbing wall. Thus, for a volume having a geometric shape having only flat surfaces, any one of the mounting panel 20m or one of the side panels 20 can be used to mount the completed volume 10 to a climbing wall. For a cone-shaped or hemispherical-shaped volume, the base of the geometric shape forms the flat mounting panel 20m, and for a volume having a cylindrical shape (not shown), either the of the flat end panels could serve as the mounting panel 20m.
Applicant notes that the embodiments shown in
Referring back to
Referring to
Accordingly, the modular knockdown climbing volume comprises more than one angled bracket with screws for securing the brackets to the panels, each bracket potentially having a different angle β than another bracket in the volume, thereby allowing for pairings of panels at different angles.
The angled bracket is made of a material that is sufficiently strong to avoid plastic deformation under the load of the volume and that placed thereon by a climber.
As shown in
In an embodiment, the nut 126 can be a retainer weld nut, also known as a bridge weld nut (see
In an embodiment, a completed volume can be installed on a supporting surface, such as a climbing wall or frame, as individual panels or as partial sections of an incomplete volume. This allows larger and/or heavier completed volumes to be installed at locations where installations of a similarly sized one-piece volume would normally be difficult.
For illustrative purposes only, Applicant describes a method of installation using the embodiment illustrated in
As shown in
For the given geometry, one calculates each interior angle α between each pair of adjoining panels to determine the bevel angle θ required for each connecting edge 35 of each panel 20. Once the specific bevel angles are known, the mounting panel 20m and the side panels 20A-D can be pre-fabricated, each of the panels 20 having its connecting edges 35 cut to the appropriate calculated bevel angle θ. Further, based on the calculated interior angles for each pair of adjoining panels, the bracket angles β are determined and the appropriate brackets 122 are manufactured for each particular pair of adjoining panels.
In order to make installation easier, one can lay out the various panels and align them on a flat surface as shown in
As shown in
With reference to
As previously mentioned, each side panel creates an interior angle α between itself and an adjoining adjacent side panel 20A,20B,20C, or 20D, or mounting panel 20m. Accordingly and similarly, the connecting edges of adjacent side panels are also bevelled at an angle that is substantially one-half of the interior angle α therebetween. This further ensures that any load placed on the volume during use is distributed panel-to-panel throughout the entire completed volume, increasing structural integrity.
Each of the four pairs of side panels create their own specific interior angle α specific between the mounting panel 20m and that particular side panel 20A,20B,20C, or 20D. Accordingly, Applicant notes that the bevel angle θ of each of the connecting edges 35 of the mounting panel 20m and the connecting edges 35 of its corresponding side panels 20A,20B,20C, or 20D can be different from the bevel angle 8 for another pair of connecting edges.
Accordingly, as each pair of adjoining panels 20,20 has a specific interior angle α, and thus has a specific bevel angle θ along its corresponding connecting edge, it is functionally important to align the appropriate connecting edge 35 of the appropriate side panel with the corresponding connecting edge 35 of the mounting panel 20m.
The bevelling of the connecting edges 35 ensures that any load placed on the completed volume will be divided and spread over the entirety of the completed volume 10, thus increasing the structural integrity of the completed volume.
Shown in greater detail in
With reference to
With reference to
Applicant notes that bridges or extensions can be installed on a climbing wall to interconnect two adjacent volumes already secured to the climbing wall.
Similar to the volumes described above, extension panels 20e also have bevelled connecting edges having a bevel angle θE that is substantially one half of the interior angle αE for a pair of adjoining extension panels 20e, so as to distribute a load over the extension panels. The panels of the extension can also be removeably secured to the volumes V1 and V2 using fastening means.
However, Applicant notes that the connecting edges between the extension panels 20e and the panels of the pre-existing volumes V1 and V2, may not necessarily be bevelled.
Extensions to a single volume already secured on a wall can be added to further increase variability in volume options. Additional extension panels can be added to the pre-existing volumes, to create a larger volume, or to change the volume shape outside of the original mounting panel perimeter.
This application claims the benefits under 35 U.S.C 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/828,276, filed May 29, 2013, the subject matter of which is incorporated fully herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61828276 | May 2013 | US |