Patent Application
20120283033
This invention relates to a playground apparatus, particularly, the invention relates to a slide apparatus which the users such as children can be slid down.
Conventionally, such slide apparatus which can be installed in the amusement grounds (called the water slider) known to date include the example disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. Pub. No. 2000-167254. The slide apparatus in this instance is provided with a running water device provided on a downhill surface of the slide. User slides down with flowing water on a downhill surface.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Pat. App. Pub. No. 2000-167254.
With above water slider, however, the apparatus is not, able to be installed in the room because it requires a large quantity of water, and large-scale. Also, the water flows on a downhill surface, and a user and the frictional resistance with the downhill surface decrease, causing faster downhill speed.
It is suitable for fully-developed young person, but an infant is not able to use, brought about in view of the circumstance described above. An object of the present invention, brought about in view of the circumstance described above, is to make available a slide apparatus entertaining an infant easily and available installed in the room.
A slide apparatus of the present invention to achieve above object, is provided with: a slide main body; a support for supporting a upper portion of the slide main body; a mechanism for circulating fluids such as water to the slide main body, such as a reservoir water supply pump, a pipe, a nozzle. A slide main body is a hollow structure opened on a lower portion, a reservoir supports a opening of lower portion of the slide main body, the reservoir includes a water supply pump. And a pipe is placed in the hollow portion of the slide main body, one end of the pipe connects to a discharge opening of the water supply pump, and the other end of the pipe extends to the upper inside of the slide main body. A nozzle is connected to the other end of the pipe. A support. supports a upper portion of the slide main body, the nozzle spurts the fluid filled with the reservoir via the pipe, the reservoir is returned the spurting fluid, and it is characterized that the spurting and returning are repeated.
A slide main body is configured to a hollow structure opened on a lower portion. The reservoir is provided below slide main body, and pumps up the fluid in the reservoir with the water supply pump to the upper inside of the slide main body. The fluid is pumped via a pipe coupled with the discharge opening of the water supply pump, is jetted from a nozzle connected to the other end of the pipe. Therefore, a fluid can be circulated in slide main body by just only preparing a fluid for the reservoir.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a ramp portion is provided in the reservoir, and a suction opening of the water supply pump is placed below the ramp portion so that the capacity of a fluid storing in a tank decreases for the ramp portion. In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the support is desirable to be a mounting arranged in an echelon form, and it is desirable that a member is provided on a upper of the mounting for preventing a user's falling. And, a shock absorber is coated in a part of the slide apparatus, and a gum resin can apply to a surface of the shock absorber. Also the shock absorber is desirable to be an urethane.
A slide apparatus of the present invention, can circulate a fluid to the slide main body of the hollow structure that opened lower portion. This invention can provide a slide apparatus which can make a feeling that a user does a so called water slide by making preparations for a fluid for reservoir. Also the slide apparatus of this Invention can be installed in the room easily, because it require no large quantity of water. In addition, a playground equipment with excellent ability of maintenance such as repair and change can be provided, because water supply pump is installed outside the slide main body.
A specified embodiment of a slide apparatus 100 is explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
A upper part and lower part of the upper slide member 111 are formed horizontally, so that the horizontal section can be placed on a mounting 150 and a reservoir 131 as will hereinafter be described when the slide main body 110 are assembled together. The following is a assembling procedure of slide main body 110: the lateral surface member 112 and an upper member 113 is formed to upper slide member 111 then a bottom slide member 115 can be fixed to the upper slide member 111. Alternatively, the Lateral surface member 112 and an upper member 113 is formed to a bottom slide member 115 then the upper slide member 111 can be fixed to the bottom slide member 115.
In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the lateral surface member 112 and the upper member 113 is vertically arranged or integrally and continuously formed to the upper slide member 111. This is because it prevents screw heads such as screws from projecting into front side of the upper slide member 111 when the bottom slide member 115 is fixed to the upper slide member 111 with screws as will hereinafter be described. Therefore, the upper slide member 111 and bottom slide member 115 are fixed to the bottom end of the lateral surface member 112 with screws so as to be formed of a slide main body 110 of the hollow structure. The shape of cross-section on the side of the bottom slide member 115 is molded almost similar to a cross-section on the side of upper slide member 111.
Surface on the upper member 113 and the lateral surface member 112 of the upper slide member 111 becomes back side, and a front face becomes the running surface. Then, a bottom slide member 115 is formed, by specified shorter distance width (substantially same distance between lateral surface members 112) than the upper slide member 111. After-mentioned flowing water structure 130 is incorporated in upper slide member 111 and bottom slide member 115 configured as above, then slide main body 110 is formed by fixing the bottom slide member 115 and the upper slide member 111. Therefore, slide main body 110 includes the hollow portion which is parallel to running surface, an opening 116 is formed in the lower part of the slide main body
It is fixed hermetically so that water does not leak with upper member 113 of upper slide member 111, lateral surface member 112, and bottom slide member 115 when the bottom slide member 115 is fixed to the upper slide member 111 because slide main body 110 is configured to circulate like water by flowing water structure 130 as will hereinafter be described.
At first, Reservoir 131 to store up water circulated in the slide main body 110 is prepared.
As for reservoir 131, water running down the upper part of slide main body 110 is placed in the position that can store as shown in
The one end of the pipe 140 is connected to the discharge opening 135 of the water supply pump 133, the water discharged out from the discharge opening 135 of the water supply pump 133 is flowed to the another end of the pipe 140. The other end of the pipe 140 is connected to a nozzle 143 provided to a hollow part of the slide main body 110. In the present embodiment, a nozzle 143 is attached to the backside of the upper member 113 of the slide main body 110. The water is discharged from outlet (the part that water is discharged) of nozzle 143, flowing to a hollow part of slide main body 110.
A outlet of nozzle 143 is formed by smashing one end of a hollow tube up and down. A plural number forms nozzle 143 and is attached to the backside of upper member 113 of slide main body 110. A plurality of nozzle 143 is formed, and is attached to the backside of the upper member 113 of the slide main body 110. Of course, The other end of nozzle 143 is connected to the pipe 140. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the pipe 140 is put together so as to form a T-shaped part (hereinafter called T-shaped pipe 140), and the upper horizontal pipe 142 of the T-shaped pipe 140 is attached to the backside of upper member 113 of slide main body 110. And, a plurality of openings are opened to the upper horizontal pipe 142 of T-shaped pipe 140, the opening is fitted in or connected to the other end of nozzle 143.
Of course, pipe 141 of an upper and lower portion in the T-shaped pipe 140 is incorporated on a slope (the backside of the running surface), among hollow parts of slide main body 110. When the slide main body 110 is put, on the reservoir 131, the upper part of the reservoir 131 is covered with specified lid. A surface of the lid may be coated with an after-mentioned impact absorption member. Opening 139 is formed in lid, so that the T-shaped pipe 140 can penetrate through the opening 139
The slide main body 110 configured as above is supported with a support as shown in
A floor covering material (not shown) for preventing the drop of the user is put on annular member 155 of the halfpace, among the annular member 155 placed between both strut 152. Also a top horizontal portion of the slide main body 110 is put on the annular member 155, thus the height of the entire mounting 150 is adjusted so that high of annular member 155 stairhead can put slide main body 110. Also the slide main body 110 is put on the reservoir 131, thus the high of annular member 155 stairhead is adjusted, so that the slide main body 110 can be put, between the annular member 155 stairhead and the reservoir 131 installed in the floor. Also a crossbar 160 for putting slide main body 110 is provided on the annular member 155 stairhead.
A lateral surface member for holding a user in a standing state is installed to the annular member 155 of the stairhead. In the present embodiment, a pair of annular members (hereinafter called a side annular member 156) is stood in the both sides of the annular member of the stairhead as the lateral surface member. A fall preventing means is provided in the lateral surface member for preventing user's falling over the side when the user climbed to annular member 155 of the stairhead. For example, a plurality of small annular members 157,158 (hereinafter mean the diameter of the annular portion) having an external diameter smaller than an inside diameter (forming a different external diameter each other) of side annular member 156 is formed. And the small annular member 157,158 is placed so that the central axe of each sized annular members is substantially superimposed on a central axe of the side annular member 156. For example, the strut 152 that it is vertically arranged by 151 base substrate sides is extended and makes said strut 152 support annular member 157,158 of the size. The strut 152 vertically arranged on the side of the base substrate 151 is extended so that the strut 152 supports the each sized annular member 157,158. And, the clearance of small annular member 158 located in the center is covered with sheets.
A specified shock absorber is coated to the mounting 150. Foams such as urethane is coated to the outer frame of the mounting 150 as this shock absorber. For example, the one side of the side of the shock absorber of the hollow cylinder is cut, so as to be coatable on the stick face. And the shock absorber been coated on a part of the mounting 150 (e.g., the annular member 155, the part to be expected that a user comes in contact with), and, a gum resin is painted on the surface of the shock absorber, so that water repellent finishing is applied to the surface of the shock absorber. Of course the side (mean cut part) of the shock absorber will be closed when gum resin is painted. The shock absorber may be composition except urethane, and shock absorber like foams such as polyethylene is preferably used.
Mounting 150 is coated in shock absorber so that the shock absorber relaxes shock and prevents an injury effectively even if a user falls from the slide apparatus 100 by mistake. Reservoir 131 may be coated in the shock absorber. A specified decoration can comprise to the slide main body 110. For example, the width of bottom slide member 115 configured slide main body 110 is formed more narrowly than the width of upper slide member 111. Thus, clearance 117 is left between a border of the bottom slide member 115 and a border of the upper slide member 111 when slide main body 110 is assembled, as shown in
Then A method of use of slide apparatus 100 of this Invention is explained. At first, slide main body 110 which T-shaped pipe of the flowing water structure 130 is incorporated to the bottom slide member 115 and the upper slide member 111, is put on the mounting 150 and the reservoir 131. That is to say, the slide main body 110 is supported with the reservoir 131 and the mounting 150. Then the reservoir 131 is filled with liquids such as water (hereinafter described with water as an example). And, when the water supply pump 133 in the reservoir 131 is switched on, then the water supply pump 133 operates, water in reservoir 131 is pumped from suction opening 134 of the water supply pump 133, and is discharged from discharge opening 135. The water discharged from pump discharge opening 135 is pulled up to the upper part of slide main body 110 via T-shaped pipe 140 (mean upper and lower pipe 141). And, also the water spouts from a plurality of nozzle 143 connected to pipe 142 of the top horizontal portion of T-shaped pipe 140. Furthermore, the water spurted from the nozzle 143 is to return in above reservoir 131 through a hollow part of the slide main body 110, and thus water in reservoir 131 circulates through a hollow part of the slide main body 110 via flowing water structure 130. Therefore, water from the nozzle 143 continues spurting out to a hollow part of the slide main body 110 during operation of the water supply pump 133.
The user climbs to floor covering material provided to annular member 155 of the stairhead, using annular member 155 arranged in an echelon form of mounting 150. At this time, the user holds on the lateral surface member (mean side annular member 156 and small annular member 157,158), and can stand stability. And, The user slides down running surface of slide main body 110 spurting out water from nozzle 143, and thus that can make a user feel so-called waterfall sliding (mean water slide).
Water supply pump 133 pumps water from suction opening 134 by pressure application, and thus quantity and force of water flowing through a hollow part of slide main body 110 can be changed by controlling a pressure of the water supply pump 133. As discussed above, the slide apparatus 100 of this Invention can make a feeling that a user does a water slide, without requiring a large quantity of water. Also this Invention provides the water supply pump 133 of the slide apparatus 100 outside the slide main body 110. Thus the playground equipment which can easily perform the maintenance such as repair and change of water supply pump 133 can be provided. Industrial applicability
this invention is useful for providing a slide apparatus which can make a feeling that a user does a water slide. Also, the slide apparatus of this Invention is useful for being installed in the room easily, because it require no large quantity of water. In addition, a playground equipment with excellent ability of maintenance such as repair and change can be provided, because water supply pump is installed outside the slide main body. 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.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-259839 | Nov 2009 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2010/002875 | 4/21/2010 | WO | 00 | 7/25/2012 |
