AU2003100517A4 - Play equipment and installations - Google Patents

Description

538421P HKS:LR P/00/009 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

INNOVATION SPECIFICATION FOR AN INVENTION ENTITLED Invention Title: PLAY EQUIPMENT AND INSTALLATIONS Name of Applicant: JOHN R GREALY ASSOCIATES Address for Service: COLLISON CO. 117 King William Street, Adelaide, S.A. 5000 The invention is described in the following statement: This invention relates to play equipment and installations, and in particular to play equipment where there is an overhead rail with a travelling carriage for supporting users.

The type of play equipment to which this invention is addressed is that equipment which has an overhead rail, and a travelling carriage beneath which a user can support themselves, or be supported while the carriage is being moved from one part of the overhead rail to another.

Such equipment hitherto has been installed in a number of playgrounds, where the overhead rail is supported by being secured at each end to the top of two inclined legs, which are embedded within the ground.

Such support has hitherto provided substantive and very solid support for this equipment which has been considered important, considering that use of such equipment may be generally uncontrolled insofar that very large users may use the equipment, and also it must support impact forces when a carriage meets an end of the overhead rail carrying potentially a large body.

It is generally required according to existing regulations in Australia and it is believed to be relevant to at least some other countries that equipment of this type must leave a distance of two and a half metres from each of the installed elements, and this means that this equipment does require a relatively large ground area to be kept clear for an installation.

Of further concern is that ta conventional shape of the end legs located at the end of the travelling rail, must be such that they are kept wide enough apart at a lowermost end so that they are not going to act as obstacles for users of the equipment in even extreme uses of the equipment.

This then in practice means that this type of equipment can, with current designs, only be installed where there is going to be a significant open area.

This has caused concern in the past where the cost and availability of land is a factor but there has not seemed to be any obvious solution to this problem.

I have considered this difficulty and the object of this invention is to propose an arrangement for play equipment and an installation for such play equipment of this type which will allow for installation in a much smaller area than has hitherto been required.

My solution has been to provide one or more supports for an overhead rail to support the traveler or travelling carriage where such a support is on one side of the rail only, and there is no support on an opposite side of the rail.

As such then, while there may be one, two or more supports for a rail, these will in effect be one sided only.

In preference, each of the supports has a main central column and a portion that extends substantively transversely to such main column so that the rail is secured to this transversely extending portion.

In preference, the supports do not attach to the rail at an end of the rail but are supported away from an end of the rail.

In this way, there is first the advantage in the required clearance provisions which then allow for even more compactness in location of space for this play equipment, but it also allows for more swinging freedom for users when they might reach the end of the rail and would be expected to swing upon the swing or harness, or support swinging further as the carriage from which it is supported is stopped.

In preference, there are means to stop the traveler or travelling carriage which are resilient and in preference such resilient means are designed to significantly soften any sudden impact.

In preference, such means are a helical spring, although in another instance, a polyurethane stop is used.

In preference, the overhead rail is an I beam and the travelling carriage is arranged to travel on an inner upwardly facing surface so that the web of the I beam is supported substantively to follow a vertical orientation.

One of the difficulties with such a beam however is that it provides an uppermost flat surface upon which persons may choose to attempt to walk.

As the rail would be expected to be positioned in a relatively high location, such a balancing act may be considered undesirable and in preference then, there is provided a right angle member which is secured by having respective legs welded to the top of the I beam, such that there are then provided to sideways sloping surfaces.

In preference, in one instance, there are two supports which support an overhead rail, both being located on the same side and each being located back from an end of the rail.

In preference, each support is secured by having an outermost end bolted to a respective part of the rail, or a portion to which the rail is attached.

In the alternative, there can be at least two supports in which one of the supports is on one side of the rail, and the other support displaced longitudinally along the rail is on the other side of the rail.

In the alternative, there is only one support which is supporting the rail by being secured somewhat midway from respective ends of the rail.

In one instance, the rail is supported so as to be horizontal or at least substantively horizontal.

In the alternative, the rail itself is shaped to follow a curved path so that it is higher at the respective ends than at locations between respective ends.

In preference, a support is columnar in shape, and is a substantively integral member where there is a main portion which is intended to be located so as to rise from the ground substantively vertically, and a portion at the top of the column is bent so as to project to a side so that it is at the end of this projection that the rail is supported from.

One feature of the arrangement is that there still will be relatively strong torsional loads on such one sided supports, and the end of one or more of the columns is supported so as to be able to resist such loads.

This in one instance, can include having secured within embedded concrete, attached reinforcing bars or wings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an installation according to the first embodiment.

Figure 2 is an end view of the same embodiment.

Figure 3 is a side elevation showing in enlarged detail the overhead rail mounting means.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the overhead rail mounting as illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the installation according to the first embodiment.

Figure 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the rail mounting means.

Now referring in detail to the drawings, in this first embodiment, there is an overhead rail 1, which is an I beam having a central web 2, an upper portion 3, and a lower portion 4.

At each end of the I beam 1 there is a stop shown at one end at 5, and at the other end at 6 and supported at each respective end is a spring, this being a helical metal spring shown at one end at 7, and at the other end at 8.

The overhead rail 1 is supported at two locations 9 in one case, and 10 at the other, where the respective locations are provided by supports 11 in one case, and 12 at the other.

Each of these supports is a single column made from steel and embedded in concrete at its base, with attached reinforcement as is shown in one case at 13, and in another at 14, which is welded to the steel of the column so as to resist rotational forces.

Each column acting as a support has a main vertical part 15 in one case and 16 in the other, which rises to approximately the height of the overhead rail 1, and there is a portion at the top of each respective part 17, 18, which is bent so as to extend transversely and in this case generally horizontal, so that at the end of the transverse portion there is supported the rail.

The location position is somewhat back from the respective end of the rail, so that the end of the rail is also supported as a counter lever.

The arrangement by which the rail is secured to the upward end of each respective support includes a plate 20 and bolts 21, passing respectively between the support and the rail, and spacers 22 to allow for an open area between the respective plate and the top of the rail, so that there will not be left a very narrow gap which can promote corrosion.

Where the rail 1 is to be supported horizontally, it is of significant value to have this very horizontal, and it can be a difficulty in construction to ensure that this is the case.

By providing bolts with spacers, there can be provided different sizes of spacers once the installation has been generally constructed so that the horizontality of the rail can be thereafter minutely adjusted for best effect.

It is of relevance to note that in an alternative embodiment in which the rail provides a dip, such alignment doesn't become so critical.

Secured above the I beam is a right angle member 25, which provides a sloping edge so as to deter users from trying to use the top of the beam as a balance beam for gymnastic tricks.

While we have now described one embodiment, we also will refer again to alternatives which can be incorporated in the invention, these including for instance the location of the respective supports so that one may be located at one location on one side of the beam, and another at an opposite side can be displaced longitudinally along the beam.

This still then provides the significant advantage of compactness of location.

In an alternative embodiment, there is a single support located at one side only of a rail, and the rail is supported and secured at its centre or, at least approximately at its centre.

Such a piece of equipment might be suitable for smaller children where the distance of travel might be much less than might be the case with the larger equipment.

While we have described two supports, in a longer rail situation it could be envisaged that there could be more than two supports.

The invention as described has significant advantage and will enable the provision of exciting play equipment for instance for installations in playgrounds and other areas, where space might be limited, which otherwise would not be able to have such exciting type play equipment.

The type of support suspended by the traveler or travelling carriage can be varied, and there is shown in the first embodiment simply a loop which is a rope through which a user or users can locate themselves, and accordingly support themselves for travel along and swinging at each end.

However, various shapes and sizes including even a single rope can be used to provide this facility.

Throughout this specification the purpose has been to illustrate the invention and not to limit this.

Claims (4)

1. An installation of a play apparatus of a type having one or more supports for an overhead rail to support a traveler or travelling carriage where such a support or supports is or are on one side of the rail only, and there is no support on an opposite side of the rail.

2. An installation as in the preceding claim further characterized in that each of the supports has a main central column and a portion that extends substantively transversely to such main column so that the rail is secured to this transversely extending portion and such that the supports are supported only at locations away from an end of the rail.

3. An installation as in either one of the preceding claims further characterized in that there are two supports only which support the overhead rail, both being located on the same side and each being located back from an end of the rail.

4. An installation as in any one of the preceding claims further characterized in that the rail is supported so as to be horizontal. Apparatus for installation as playground equipment being a set of parts which include a rail adapted to facilitate travel there along of a traveller, a columnar support having a lower end to be embedded in the ground and an upper outer end adapted to be secured to means on the rail which are located distal from respective ends of the rail whereby to enable support of the rail by the support from one side of the rail only. Dated this 26th day of June 2003 JOHN R GREALY By his Patent Attorneys COLLISON CO