Claims
- 1. A toy comprising an elongated slide adapted to be staked down on a supporting surface and wetted with water, a pool at the end of the slide for receiving and stopping the forward motion of a person sliding along the elongated slide, a fountain member at a location which deposits said water in said pool by focusing the water on a position through which a person passes as he moves from the slide and into the pool, and means associated with said fountain member for supplying and replenishing water in at least one adventuresome episode to said pool.
- 2. The toy of claim 1 wherein said fountain comprises a pipe in the form of an arch or hoop suspended above said pool, and said means for supplying an adventuresome episode comprises holes in said pipe for issuing streams of water focused upon a location in said pool.
- 3. The toy of claim 1 wherein said fountain is a pipe in the form of a hoop suspended over said pool, and said means for supplying an adventuresome episode comprises a plurality of holes formed in said pipe to issue streams of water which are focused upon two locations in said pool, said locations being fore and aft of said hoop.
- 4. The toy of claim 3 and a curtain of vertical strips hanging from said hoop for a person sliding on said slide to pass through.
- 5. The toy of claim 4 and means at a junction between said slide and said pool for catapulting the body of a sliding person under said hoop and through said vertical strips into said pool.
- 6. The toy of claim 1 wherein said fountain comprises at least one nozzle focused upon a place in said pool, and said means for supplying an adventuresome episode comprises directing a spray from said nozzle to strike a person as he slides into said pool.
- 7. The toy of claim 6 wherein there are two of said nozzles directed to strike the person in two separate locations.
- 8. The toy of claim 2 and stake means having an inlet port in communication with an outlet port, said outlet port fitting into and supporting said pipe, and means for supplying water through said inlet port and out said outlet port in order to supply said streams of water focused upon said locations.
- 9. A backyard type of waterslide comprising an elongated strip of plastic having a surface which becomes lubricous when wet, a spray head positioned to maintain a layer of water on the surface of said strip of plastic, a pool attached to and part of said slide for receiving and stopping the body of a person sliding along said elongated strip of plastic, a pipe in the form of a hoop suspended over said pool, a plurality of holes formed along the length of said pipe, and a source of water for delivering pressurized water to said spray head and to said pipe, said holes in said pipe being oriented to deliver water into said pool when said pipe receives said pressurized water.
- 10. The slide of claim 9 wherein there are two sets of said holes for focusing said streams of water upon two specific locations in said pool fore and aft of said hoop.
- 11. The slide of claim 10 and a curtain of vertical strips hanging from said hoop.
- 12. The slide of claim 11 and coordinated indicia on at least said curtain for giving a child a fantasy scene.
- 13. A backyard type of waterslide comprising an elongated strip of plastic having a surface which becomes lubricous when wet, a spray head positioned to maintain a layer of water on the surface of said strip of plastic, a pool attached to and part of said slide along said elongated strip of plastic, a pair of nozzles directed toward separate locations in said pool, the spray of water from said nozzles striking a person sliding along said strip of plastic, and a source of water for delivering pressurized water to said spray head and to said nozzles.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/212,897, filed Jun. 29, 1988.
This invention relates to water slides made of a flexible material that is placed on the ground and that becomes lubricous when covered with a thin layer of water, and more particularly, to toys or similar water slides on which persons, primarily children, may slide as a matter of a backyard type of recreation.
Existing toys use long flexible plastic material laid on the ground and covered with a thin layer of water in order to decrease friction and to enable people to slide across the material. This type of toy requires a more or less constant supply of water onto the upper surface of the material. Relevant considerations of the toy and recreational industry also include providing a safe product, a means for attaching the sheet firmly to the ground, and a constant layer of water on the sheet. An example of such a toy is found in my earlier filed application Ser. No. 07/212,897.
Various commercial products having a slide are sold under the trademarks "CROCODILE MILE.RTM.", a slide manufactured by Marchon, Inc.; "WET BANANA" (TM), a slide manufactured by Koki, Inc.; "WHITE WATER RAPIDS", a slide by Kransco; and "WHAM-O SLIP 'N SLIDE". Each of these slides may include a plastic sheet, means for attaching the sheet to the ground, and a near-by sprinkler that may be formed by a perforated tube or other device positioned along or near at least one of the edges of the sheet. A garden hose is connected to the sprinkler in order to continuously supply a layer of water onto the top of the slide material.
These slides may end in a pool of water into which the sliding person may "splash down". The pool gives both an aspect of interest to the toy and a shock absorbing device which absorbs energy and stops the sliding body. One side effect is that the water is splashed out of the pool and should be replenished continuously for the user to achieve the maximum benefit of the pool. Here, the problem is to keep replenishing water in the pool within the context of the toy. For example, in the toy sold under the trademark "CROCODILE MILE", the spray on the slide comes from a plastic part which has an appearance suggesting the head of a crocodile. To preserve an illusion in keeping with the motif of the toy, the water for the pool should come from something having a similar and compatible appearance. However, since childrens' interests change with the times, it should also be possible to change the motif at the lowest possible cost. For example, tomorrow the child might want to try a space toy. Some backyard pools have ways of placing "water rapids" ahead of the pool. However, this arrangement does assure the replenishment of water in the pool itself. Thus, the user may splash the water out of the pool.
Another consideration is the sensation that the child feels as he slides along the strip and into the pool. When the water is equally directed along the length of the slide and into the pool, the child may feel as if he is in the rain, but he does not have any sensation of specifically encountering a focused surge of water. On the other hand, if he slides into a curtain of water focused specifically on him, he has a sensation of having encounter a unique adventuresome episode.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide new and improved water toys. Here, an object is to provide a source of water in the context of a toy for replenishing the pool at the end of a slide. In particular, an object of the invention is to concentrate a water supply delivery system to continuously direct a stream of water into the pool in order to maintain its level.
Another object is to provide a new and novel toy with a new center of attraction for the user. In this connection, an object is to provide a focused spray of water for the child to encounter as an adventuresome episode
In keeping with an aspect of the invention, a water spray from a pipe in the form of a hoop is placed directly over the pool to insure that all of the water, even that dripping off the hoop, reaches the pool. The water issuing from the hoop is delivered in the form of many streams focused directly into the pool and onto the sliding child. While the focus of the water may be any place within the pool, a preferred embodiment focuses the water at one or more points where the person using the slide would find it most pleasing.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the attached drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the slide, pool, hoop, and curtain components making up the invention;
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the pool end of the toy, with at least one ramp/bump, and a pool element, showing its disposition on the ground, the pool overlying an optional hoop retaining strap which projects outwardly from opposite sides thereof;
FIG. 3 is a partial detail showing of an assembly having a curtain-like shower means with its supporting pipe in the form of a hoop shaped arch means;
FIG. 4 shows the hardware that is used to install the hoop of curtain-like shower means of FIG. 3;
FIGS. 5-8 are four stop motion views showing the steps followed to install the curtain-like shower means;
FIGS. 9 and 10 are an exploded view and a clamped end view which show how to install the water delivery system;
FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view showing the manner of emplacing the arch and curtain-like means in a desired position relative to the pool;
FIG. 12 discloses, in a front elevation view, the assembly of a U-shaped pipe or hoop member with water issuing therefrom;
FIG. 13 is a side view of the hoop member of FIG. 11 showing the focus of water issuing therefrom;
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in an assembled condition, with the pool filled with water, and with a sprinkler head inundating the slide with a constant fan-shaped supply of water for creating a lubricous condition on the sliding surface and for filling the pool as may be necessary for a proper usage thereof;
FIGS. 15 and 16 show a side elevational view of a person sliding down the slide portion; and
FIG. 17 shows a second embodiment of a way of replenishing pool water and giving a child an adventuresome episode.
US Referenced Citations (4)
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
| Parent |
212897 |
Jun 1988 |
|
Patent Grant
5154671
