The present invention relates generally to climbing wall assemblies and to safety mats that are used in connection with climbing walls and in climbing wall environments. Particularly, this invention relates to a safety mat securing and locking assembly which is used in combination with the safety mats utilized for climbing wall structures. More particularly, this invention relates to safety mat structures and a handhold structure with a latch assembly constructed and arranged to secure the safety mats against the climbing wall when the latter is not in use. Further, the invention relates to mat securement features and other safety mat and cooperating climbing wall elements constructed and arranged to improve and to provide additional benefits in the use of safety mats with respect to climbing walls.
Artificial climbing and bouldering walls are increasingly popular and used due to the increase in physical fitness awareness generally and in the rock climbing and bouldering sports particularly. Climbing wall assemblies are being provided to introduce children into the climbing sports in a safe and educational manner. Such climbing wall assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,056,266, issued on Jun. 6, 2006, the teachings of which are fully incorporated by reference herein. Other climbing wall structures and environments are also known and for which the safety securement assembly of this invention may be utilized, for example, assembled climbing walls, indoor or outdoor, and existing wall structures such as concrete block, cinder block, paneled walls or like support structures.
In order to provide children and other climbers with a safe climbing environment, various safety features are utilized in conjunction with climbing wall assemblies. For example, safety mats may be provided on the floor areas adjacent and surrounding the climbing wall assembly so that should a climber fall, the landing area is padded. It is therefore desirable to secure the mats to or adjacent the climbing wall structure to ensure the proximity of the mats to the climbing wall. Artificial climbing walls are often located in a gym or designated play area where children may otherwise play. Thus, there is a need for a wall covering to protect children from running into the wall surface when not in use and to limit access to the climbing wall. Further, children, particularly young children, should be supervised when using the climbing wall. Thus, there is a need for a secure wall covering to prevent the unauthorized use of the climbing wall, for example, when proper supervision is not available or when the climbing wall is otherwise not available for use.
Although the prior art discloses the use of a cable system, for example, to secure a mat against a portion of the climbing wall, that system has been found cumbersome to utilize. The prior art also discloses safety mat securement systems that are located above the climbing wall structure. These systems are likewise burdensome because they may be located too high to be easily reached and are not aesthetically pleasing.
A need exists for a safety mat securement and locking assembly for use with climbing walls that secure the mat structure both when in use on the floor as a safety mat and when in use as a climbing wall covering. A further need exists for a mat securement assembly which is incorporated into a climbing wall and which is versatile and quick and easy to use. A further need exists for a mat securement system that warns children and other climbers that the wall is temporarily closed and that climbing should not take place. A further need exists to provide an identifiable mat structure which relates to its environment, which provides cushioning and which is economical to manufacture.
The safety mat and associated securement assembly of the invention may be constructed and arranged to provide an open or unlocked position and a closed or locked position for a safety mat structure used in, connection with a climbing wall structure. The safety mat securement assembly may comprise a plurality of security hand hold members or other locking securement structures that are incorporated into the climbing wall and which cooperate with a safety mat structure having a plurality of bottom, top and side attachment members which permit the mat structure to be positioned with respect to the climbing wall. The security handhold member may comprise a latching means which includes a latch member and a fastening member. The latch member preferably slides between an open position and a closed position and can be secured in either position using the fastening member. When in the open position the handhold member functions as an operative hand hold. The fastening member may be a screw structure, for example, having a unique head configuration which requires a cooperating wrench to loosen and tighten, i.e., a star-shaped screw head requiring a mating operating tool. A locking system may also be incorporated into or used in conjunction with the latching means. The security handhold members have means for fastening to a wall structure. Likewise, other locking structures may be utilized having means for fastening to or near the climbing wall structure.
A security mat structure constructed for use with the climbing wall preferably includes a covered cushioned structure having a plurality of attachment members, such as top loop members which are adapted to be looped into the security hand hold member, specifically around the latch member of the security hand hold member. Attachment or securement members are preferably located at the bottom end of the safety mat opposite the top loop members and function to hold the safety mat to the bottom of a wall climbing assembly during both open and closed positions of the safety mat. Attachment members, such as loop members may also be provided to extend from the sides of the mat structure and to be used with positioned handholds or other securement means to secure the sides of the mat to the wall to discourage side entry during periods of non-use. The bottom securement members may be a plurality of tabs or a continuous flap or have like configurations and which are secured to the wall by means of grommets and fasteners or plate/fastener structures. A top wall cover member may also be provided for use with the safety mat securement assembly to cover the exposed top portion of a climbing wall when the safety mats are in locked position over the climbing wall surface.
The securing assembly of the present invention may be opened or unlocked by loosening the bolt member with its corresponding tool or wrench, removing the mat loop members from the hand hold, and placing the mats on the floor along the base of the climbing wall. The bolt member may then be tightened in its open position so that the security handhold member may be used as a typical hand hold for the wall climbing. The security mats preferably have a printed message on the bottom side to communicate that the climbing wall is closed and climbing should not take place when the mat is secured to the wall, for example showing a “no climbing”, “wall closed” or like message. The front and back surfaces of the mat cover may also be provided with an associated school name, school logo or other printed indicia. The bottom of the mat may also have window members secured thereto for receiving printed informational inserts. The cooperating top cover member also preferably has a viewable printed message when in use, for example a “climbing wall closed” message.
The safety mat securement assembly of the invention also provides safety mat structures having various structures for force impact absorbency including mat structures having foam layers, convoluted foam layers, layers having voids, rigid insert layers and inflatable mat structures. The safety mat structures may also be constructed of fire resistant materials. The safety mat may further have loop structures for attachment and cooperating securement handholds for securing the safety mat. Further provided are coated flap and tab structures, mat cutouts and other features to improve the use and function of the safety mat securement assembly. For example, the mat structure may be provided with removable cut outs to expose and accommodate the use of electrical wall plugs and vents when the mat structure is not in use.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a safety mat securement assembly that can be used to secure a safety mat to or near the base of a climbing wall assembly. It is another advantage of the present invention to secure the safety mat in an upright or storage position against the climbing wall in a manner so that a child or other climber is deterred from entry between the climbing wall and the mat. It is another advantage to provide a security system which communicates to children via a clear message that climbing is not to take place. It is yet another advantage of the present invention to provide a safety mat securement assembly that is easy to latch and unlatch so that the climbing wall is either readily accessible or in a closed state. It is a further advantage of the present invention to provide a safety mat security assembly which utilize components which can be used as a hand hold and mat for a climbing wall assembly. It is another benefit of the invention to provide safety mat structures which are economical and which provide a cushioned shock absorbing structure adjacent climbing wall assemblies.
These and other benefits of this invention will become clear from the following description by reference to the drawings.
a shows a climbing wall assembly having a safety mat assembly being lifted from a usable position to a secured closed wall position;
b shows a climbing wall assembly having a safety mat assembly being lifted from a usable position to a secured closed position;
c shows a climbing wall assembly having a safety mat assembly being positioned into a secured closed wall position;
a shows a security handhold member in the open position;
b shows the latch member of a security handhold member being slid to a closed position;
c shows a security handhold member in locked position and securing a pair of loop members;
The safety mat structures and safety mat securement assemblies of the present invention are constructed and arranged for use with climbing walls, i.e., for artificial walls, free standing, existing walls and panels attached to existing support wall structures. The safety mat securement assembly comprises security handhold members, safety mat top and side loop members, and bottom mat securement members to secure the cooperating safety mat to or near the climbing wall assembly. The securement assembly provides two positions for the safety mat structure used with a climbing wall assembly, namely, on the floor or against the wall, thus making the climbing wall open or closed for use. The security hand hold members are constructed and arranged to be incorporated onto a climbing wall assembly, for example, using screws or other fasteners known in the art, and may be used as a hand hold for climbing the wall. Alternatively, other locking means may be utilized to secure the safety mat structure and which may be located on or near the climbing wall. The top and side attachment members, such as loop members are constructed and arranged to fit into and be secured within the security hand hold members or other locking means. The bottom securement members are constructed and arranged to be fastened or secured to or near the bottom of a climbing wall assembly.
When the safety mat structure is on the floor it is preferably adjacent and attached to the bottom of the climbing wall assembly using the bottom securement member(s). When the safety mat is against the wall it is preferably attached to both the bottom of the climbing wall using the bottom securement member(s) as well as to the positioned security hand hold or like members on the climbing wall using the top and side loop members, for example.
Referring to
To engage the latching means 16 in its locking and unlocking function, bolt member 18 is loosened, latch member 17 is slid up or down along slot 30 and bolt member 18 is tightened when the latch member is in its desired position.
Alternatively, the handhold member may incorporate a locking system. For example, a key lock or a combination lock may be incorporated into or used in conjunction with the handhold assembly. Thus, after a loop member is positioned onto a grip portion of the hand hold member and the latch member is placed in the locked position, the latch member may be locked in position via a lock key or combination lock (not shown) thereby preventing any tampering. The locking system may be incorporated into the assembly or a separate lock may be used with aligned apertures in the latch member and a portion of the handhold member.
The safety mats of the present invention provide a shock absorbent structure for landing on when using a climbing wall. The safety mats may have various embodiments comprising an exterior cover having an interior shock absorbing structure. The safety mats may be between one to six inches in thickness. For example, in one embodiment the safety mat structure may be approximately two inches thick and constructed of a layer of approximately one inch cross-linked polyethylene foam laminated or bonded to a layer of approximately one inch polyurethane foam. The mats are also preferably covered with a 18 oz vinyl with polyester reinforced material, for example. The safety mats 77 may be approximately four feet wide by six feet long and have Velcro® (hook and loop) fasteners on each side so that they may be attached to additional mats to form a safety mat structure 12 to span an area containing a climbing wall. The visible or bottom side of the mat structure when the mat structures are secured to the hand holds preferably contains a message to communicate that climbing is not to take place, for example a “No Climbing”, “Wall Closed” or like message.
a-5c show the sequence of a climbing wall assembly 11 having a safety mat assembly 12 being lifted from open position to closed position. Climbing wall assembly 11 is shown having hand holds 13 and a safety mat structure 12.
a-c show an alternate embodiment 34 of the handhold member, which locks and unlocks in a similar manner to the embodiment described with respect to
Preferably, each mat structure has a plurality, i.e., two top loop members securely attached to the top of the mat and two bottom securement member tabs attached to the bottom, although other numbers of top loop members and configurations of bottom securement members are within the purview of this invention. As further discussed below, side loops may also be utilized to secure the mat structure to the climbing wall.
The bottom flap portion 27 is shown extending continuously along the bottom length of the securement mat structure, i.e., 1-12 inches in width or height, to thereby limit space between the mat and the climbing wall in both the open and closed positions and to thereby minimize unauthorized access.
The bottom tabs 22 or the continuous flap 27, shown in
The top cover member 43 may be held in place, above or on the top portion of the climbing wall assembly, for example using Velcro® (hook and loop fastener system), specially designed hand holds, pulleys, grommets, hooks, other securement structures and combinations thereof.
Referring to
It is also within the purview of this invention to secure a mat that does not utilize bottom securement tabs or top loop members. For example, a webbed envelope structure having bottom securement tabs or a continuous flap and top loop members as described above may receive a mat for use with the security hand hold members of the present invention. In essence, the absorbent mat structure is enveloped into a webbed envelope which is provided with attachment structures.
As further shown in
Referring to
As shown in
Referring again to
In summary and referring to
Safety mat structures of the invention may have various embodiments including covered, foam cushioned structures and inflatable mats having self inflating pumps.
As many changes are possible to the safety mat securement assembly of this invention, utilizing the teachings thereof, the description above and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not the limited sense.
This application is a Continuation in Part of Applicants' Pre-Grant Publication US 2005/0192160 having Ser. No. 11/061,583, filed on Feb. 18, 2005 entitled Safety Mat Securement Assembly. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/772,055, filed on Feb. 10, 2006.
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Child | 11705296 | US |