Patent Application
20220412031
1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a submergible water activity platform for use with a dock and the like to provide a platform for getting into and out of the surrounding water. More particularly, the present invention relates to a support system for a movable platform integrated into the dock so that the platform can move between a raised position level with and forming a rigid dock surface, and a lowered partially submerged position to provide access into an out of the water.
2) Description of Related Art
Swimming facilities, whether in pools, rivers, ponds, lakes, and oceans, often provide ladders for people to enter and exit deep water. These ladders may be attached to the end of docks, piers, or even free-floating platforms anchored in the middle of a lake. These ladders are usually slippery and require a person to exert substantial strength to pull their body out of the water and onto the ladder. Persons who have trouble using ladders, including the handicapped, elderly, and even small children are effectively banned from participating in recreational water activities associated with deep-water facilities. The ladder also fails to provide any underwater support on which a person can rest or participate in deep water recreational activities. People, as well as their pets, enjoy jumping and swimming from docks, but often are in danger of drowning when they cannot climb back on the dock or find a place to rest and are too tired to swim a long distance to shore.
Therefore, a need exists for a device that can facilitate the entry and exit of people and animals from a body of water to an above water structure by allowing the person and animals to swim directly onto a submerged platform and walk up out of the water by way of steps or a ramp. A need also exists to provide a device that gives underwater support to persons engaged in the recreational water activities in deep water on which the person can stand to participate in the water activities.
On many waterways, there are specific rules and regulations relating to the attachment of items that permanently extend off of a dock, some of which entirely prohibit underwater platforms that extend out from the dock. Therefore, there is a further need for a submergible activity platform system that is integrated into the dock so as not to extend away from the dock to pose an unnecessary hazard to watercraft, and for a submergible platform that can be withdrawn from the water when not in use.
A further challenge exists in providing such a submergible activity platform system that creates a rigid and stable deck surface in the raised arrangement with the rest of the surrounding deck surface of the dock. When the submergible platform and associated stairway are integrated into the dock to form a portion of a deck surface in the raised position, people will stand on and walk across the submergible activity platform system as part of the deck surface. Thus, a need arises to be able to adequately support the platform system to make it rigid with the rest of the deck surface.
Thus, there is a need for a submergible activity platform integrated into the dock that may be lowered to provide access into the water and raised to form a part of the dock above the water capable of providing a rigid deck surface with the rest of the surrounding deck surface of the dock.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a water recreation dock with a movable platform that moves between a lowered position that provides convenient access into and out of the water, and a raised position forming a part of a deck surface of the dock above the water.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a submergible activity platform that allows persons to swim directly onto and off of the platform for support in the water while engaged in recreational water activities.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a submergible activity platform integrated into the dock so that the platform does not extend out from the dock when submerged.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a support system underneath the submergible activity platform that firmly holds the steps and platform together in the raised position to provide a stable rigid upper deck surface of the dock on which people can stand and walk.
The above objectives are accomplished according to the present invention by providing a submergible water activity platform system comprising a stationary platform having a deck surface for accommodating a number of persons over a body of water; a movable platform adjacent to the stationary platform operable between a raised position forming a part of the deck surface and a lowered position at least partially submerged in the body of water; a landing section and a walkway section included in the movable platform; and, a lever arm carried on a bottom side of the landing section and extending underneath the walkway section, wherein the lever arm engages a bottom side of the walkway section and exerts an upward force against the walkway section when the movable platform is in the raised position, and the lever arm disengages from the walkway section when the movable platform is in the lowered position.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a drive assembly is operatively connected with the movable platform for raising and lowering the movable platform.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the drive assembly includes a floatation unit disposed on the bottom side of the landing section carried by the lever arm, and an air pump unit carried by the stationary platform, wherein the air pump unit channels air into and out of the floatation unit to change the buoyancy of the floatation unit to raise and lower the movable platform.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the walkway section includes a set of collapsible steps. The collapsible steps have a collapsed condition when the movable platform is in the raised position wherein each of the steps is folded into lateral alignment in a common horizontal plane with the stationary platform, and the collapsible steps having an expanded condition when the movable platform is in the lowered position wherein each of the steps is staggered in an inclined arrangement to provide steps leading from the stationary platform to the landing section.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a step frame is provided carrying the collapsible steps. The step frame has a first end pivotally connected to the stationary platform, and a second end pivotally connected to the landing section for moving with the landing section between the raised and lowered positions to collapse and expand the steps.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the step frame includes a first upper and lower linkage bar set pivotally connected to a first end surface of each the collapsible step, and a second upper and lower linkage bar set pivotally connected to a second end surface opposite the first end surface of each the collapsible step, wherein the first and second upper and lower linkage bar sets are each horizontally aligned and stacked in a vertical plane when the movable platform is in the raised position, and the first and second upper and lower linkage bar sets are each angled when the movable platform is in the lower position.
In a further advantageous embodiment, each of the lower linkage bars include a U-shaped mounting arm pivotally connected to the stationary platform at a first distal end portion, and each of the lower linkage bars is pivotally connected to the landing section at a second distal end portion.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a first distal end portion of each of the upper linkage bars is pivotally connected to the stationary platform, and a second distal end portion of each of the upper linkage bars is pivotally connected to the landing section.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the step frame includes at least one crossbar interconnecting the lower linkage bars adjacent a bottom side of the collapsible steps, and wherein the lever arm engages and exerts the upward force on the crossbar when the movable platform is in the raised position.
The above objectives are further accomplished according to the present invention by providing a submergible water activity platform system comprising a stationary platform having a deck surface for accommodating a number of persons over a body of water; a movable platform adjacent to the stationary platform operable between a raised position forming a part of the deck surface and a lowered position at least partially submerged in the body of water; a landing section and a walkway section included in the movable platform; a lever arm carried on a bottom side of the landing section and extending underneath the walkway section, wherein the lever arm engages a bottom side of the walkway section when the movable platform is in the raised position, and the lever arm disengages from the walkway section when the movable platform is in the lowered position; a floatation unit disposed on the bottom side of the landing section; an air pump unit carried by the stationary platform, wherein the air pump unit channels air into and out of the floatation unit to change the buoyancy of the floatation unit to raise and lower the movable platform; and, wherein the flotation unit biases the lever arm against the walkway section to exert an upward force against the bottom side of the walkway section when the movable platform is in the raised position.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the flotation unit is mounted to the lever arm on the bottom side of the landing section.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the walkway section includes a set of collapsible steps. The collapsible steps have a collapsed condition when the movable platform is in the raised position wherein each of the steps is folded into lateral alignment in a common horizontal plane with the stationary platform, and the collapsible steps having an expanded condition when the movable platform is in the lowered position wherein each of the steps is staggered in an inclined arrangement to provide steps leading from the stationary platform to the landing section.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a step frame is provided carrying the collapsible steps. The step frame has a first end pivotally connected to the stationary platform, and a second end pivotally connected to the landing section for moving with the landing section between the raised and lowered positions to collapse and expand the steps.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the step frame includes a first upper and lower linkage bar set pivotally connected to a first end surface of each the collapsible step, and a second upper and lower linkage bar set pivotally connected to a second end surface opposite the first end surface of each the collapsible step, wherein the first and second upper and lower linkage bar sets are each horizontally aligned and stacked in a vertical plane when the movable platform is in the raised position, and the first and second upper and lower linkage bar sets are each angled when the movable platform is in the lower position.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a pair of angle brackets are carried by the stationary platform, wherein one of the angle brackets extends adjacent a first side of the movable platform and the other of the angle brackets extends adjacent a second side of the movable platform opposite the first side, and wherein the angle brackets engage the upper linkage bars when the movable platform is in the raised position to stop upward movement of the movable platform.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a pair of landing stop members are carried on opposite sides of the landing section, wherein the landing stop members engage the angle brackets when the movable platform is in the raised position to stop upward movement of the movable platform.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a movable platform deck surface is carried on the walkway section and the landing section is level with the deck surface of the stationary platform when the upper linkage bars and the landing stop members engage the angle brackets in the raised position.
The above objectives are further accomplished according to the present invention by providing a submergible water activity platform system comprising a stationary platform having a deck surface for accommodating a number of persons over a body of water; a movable platform adjacent to the stationary platform operable between a raised position forming a part of the deck surface and a lowered position at least partially submerged in the body of water; a landing section and a walkway section included in the movable platform; a lock assembly carried by the landing section engaging the stationary platform to hold the movable platform in the raised position and disengaging from the stationary platform to allow the movable platform to move to the lowered position; a floatation unit disposed on the bottom side of the landing section; and, an air pump unit carried by the stationary platform, wherein the air pump unit channels air into and out of the floatation unit to change the buoyancy of the floatation unit to raise and lower the movable platform.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a lever arm is carried on a bottom side of the landing section and extending underneath the walkway section, wherein the lever arm engages a bottom side of the walkway section when the movable platform is in the raised position, and the lever arm disengages from the walkway section when the movable platform is in the lowered position; and, wherein the flotation unit biases the lever arm against the walkway section to exert an upward force against the bottom side of the walkway section when the movable platform is in the raised position.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the lock assembly includes a rotatable hub operatively connected to at least one locking bar, wherein rotation of the hub causes the at least one locking bar to move between an engaged position with the stationary platform and a disengaged position from the stationary platform to allow movement of the movable platform.
The system designed to carry out the invention will hereinafter be described, together with other features thereof. The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:
It will be understood by those skilled in the art that one or more aspects of this invention can meet certain objectives, while one or more other aspects can meet certain other objectives. Each objective may not apply equally, in all its respects, to every aspect of this invention. As such, the preceding objects can be viewed in the alternative with respect to any one aspect of this invention. These and other objects and features of the invention will become more fully apparent when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying figures and examples. However, it is to be understood that both the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are of a preferred embodiment and not restrictive of the invention or other alternate embodiments of the invention. In particular, while the invention is described herein with reference to a number of specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that the description is illustrative of the invention and is not constructed as limiting of the invention. Various modifications and applications may occur to those who are skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as described by the appended claims. Likewise, other objects, features, benefits and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from this summary and certain embodiments described below, and will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such objects, features, benefits and advantages will be apparent from the above in conjunction with the accompanying examples, figures and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom, alone or with consideration of the references incorporated herein.
With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described in more detail. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter belongs. Although any methods, devices, and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presently disclosed subject matter, representative methods, devices, and materials are herein described.
Unless specifically stated, terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. Likewise, a group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise.
Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.
Referring to
The main deck platform is divided into two parts, which together form main deck platform 10. A stationary platform 14 forms the first part of the main deck platform. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, stationary platform 14 is supported above the water on upper dock frame 12 by floating members 16. The floating members allow the stationary platform to adjust to changes in water level to ensure stationary platform 14 does not become too far removed from the surface of the water. However, various alternative means for supporting a platform on a body of water are commonly known to those skilled in the art and considered within the spirit and scope of this invention.
A movable platform, designated generally as 18, forms the second part of the main deck platform. Movable platform 18 is integrated into stationary platform 14 so that the movable platform does not extend out from the dock and create an obstruction to boats and other watercraft operating next to the dock. Movable platform 18 is operable between a raised position, shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, movable platform 18 includes a landing section, designated generally as 20, and a walkway section, designated generally as 22, for providing access into and out of the water from stationary platform 14. Advantageously, as shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, stationary platform 14 and movable platform 18 have a deck surface material 15 carried by an underlying frame structure 12 and 17, respectively. Preferably, deck surface material 15 is composed of a series of elongated planks made from treated lumber, composite materials, or other known components resistant to the corrosive effective of water and other elements commonly used to build docks. The upper dock frame 12 and frame structure 17 for movable platform 18 may be aluminum, treated steal or other elements commonly used to build docks.
Referring to
Referring to
In the illustrate embodiment, drive assembly 26 includes a floatation unit 28 disposed on a bottom side of the landing section 20 carried by the lever arm 24. In the illustrated embodiment, lever arm 24 is carried by frame members 25 disposed on a bottom side of landing section 20. Frame members 25 space lever arm 24 below landing section 20 for engagement with a series of crossbars 48, 49 disposed on a bottom side of walkway section 22 when the movable platform is in the raised position, as best shown in
Referring to
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Referring to
Each of the lower linkage bars 39b, 43b include a U-shaped mounting arm 46 pivotally connected to dock frame 12 of the stationary platform 14 at a first distal end portion. Each of the lower linkage bars 39b, 43b is also pivotally connected to the landing section 20 at a second distal end portion. Likewise, a first distal end portion of each of the upper linkage bars 39a, 43a is pivotally connected to dock frame 12 of the stationary platform 14, and a second distal end portion of each of the upper linkage bars 39a, 43a is pivotally connected to the landing section 20. As a result, the movable platform 18 is operable between the raised and lowered positions.
Referring to
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While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific exemplary embodiments and methods thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, and the subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art using the teachings disclosed herein.
