AU2008100759A4 - A Bungy Cord Arrangement - Google Patents

Description

13-AUG-2008 16:19 FROM TO 0061262837999 P.04/17 00 0

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Rcgulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT, 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR AN INNOVATION PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for service in Australia: Invention Title: RECREATIONAL SAFETY PTY LIMITED Antony Cromwell Bush AJ PARK, Level 11, 60 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia A Bungy Cord Arrangement The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

1 159y246 rJxx; COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-RUG-2008 16:19 FROM TO 0061262837999 P.05/17 2 00 A Bungy Cord Arrangement 0 0 C' Field of the Invention S The present invention relates to a bungy cord arrangement and system for bungy jumping.

c Background Bungy (also commonly spelt "bungee") jumping is a popular recreational activity in which a person C ("jumper") jumps and freefalls from a high platform. The platform may be part of a tall structure or base, such a building, bridge or the end of a crane boom, or alternatively may be moveable, such as a o 10 hot-air-balloon or helicopter, for example. The platform may be suspended above land. Alternatively, the platform may be suspended above water, such as a river or lake.

00 (N When preparing for a bungy jump, the jumper is first weighed. Commercial operators typically have a range of cords each having different elastic properties or diameters for different weight jumpers. A bungy cord is selected based on the weight of the jumper. One end of the bungy cord is secured to the jumper using a harness. The other end of the cord is securely fixed to the platform. The effective length of the bungy cord is controlled based on the weight of the jumper and the height of the platform. When jumping over ground, the length of the cord may be selected so that the jumper falls within a few metres of the ground. Alternatively, when jumping over water, the length of the cord may ?0 be selected so that the jumper just misses, or partially enters, the water.

The secured jumper steps, falls or jumps ("bungy jumps") from the platform. As the jumper freefalls towards the ground, the cord stretches, absorbing the energy and slowing the speed of the falling jumper before resiliently contracting and pulling the jumper upwardly. The jumper may bounce up and down a few times on the end of the bungy cord, before reaching a steady state, and then either being lowered to the ground or pulled back up to the platform.

One method for retrieving jumpers back up to the platform is to lower a fixed-length (or "static") rope down from the platform. A first, female coupling member is secured to the end of the rope. The female coupling member has a loop or collar that slides down the bungy cord to guide the coupling member as the rope is lowered. When the female coupling member reaches the jumper, it automatically engages with a second, male coupling member that is located just above the jumper. The jumper is then pulled back up to the jump platform by winding up the rope using a high-speed winch.

1520681 1.DC COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-RUG-2008 16:19 FROM TO 0612628379 9 9 P.06/17 3 00 This method of rettieving jumpers is slow- There is a delay waiting for the static retrieval rope to be 0 lowered to the jumper before the jumper can be retrieved. In bungy jumping locations over water, csuch as bridges extending over popular lakes, rivers, or mariners, for example, operators may need to quickly stage bungy jumps between passing boats and other watercraft. Operators may need to recover 5 jumpers quickly so as not to impede maritime traffic flow. Mote particularly, in emergency situations, operators may need to recover jumpers quickly to avoid a collision between the jumper and an approaching boat. In such emergency situations, the time delay associated with lowering the retrieval rope to the jumper can have fatal consequences.

o 10 In this specification where reference has been made to patent specifications, other external documents, 0or other sources of information, this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing 0the features of the invention. Unless specifically stated otherwise, reference to such external 0, documents or such sources of information is not to be construed as an admission that such documents or such sources of information, in any jurisdiction, are prior art or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.

It is intended that reference to a range of numbers disclosed herein (for example, I to 10) also incorporates reference to all rational numbers within that range (for example, 1, 1.1, 2, 3, 3.9, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) and also any range of rational numbers within that range (for example, 2 to 8, 1.5 to 0 5.5 and 3.1 to 4.7) and, therefore, all sub-ranges of all ranges expressly disclosed herein are hereby expressly disclosed. These are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner.

A preferred form of the present invention seks to provide a bungy cord arrangement and system for bungy jumping that enables the quick recovery of a jumper back to a bungy platform following a jump, or at least seeks to provide the public with a useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides an elongated bungy arrangement for buingy jutmping comprising: an elastic bungy cord, a substantially inelastic retrieval cord for retrieving a jumper after a bungy jump; and 1520681 I.DOC COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-AUG-2008 16:19

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lu U fib1 b (85999 P.07/17 4 00 a stretchable elongated sheath for preventing the retrieval cord tangling with a jumper during a o bungy jump, the sheath encasing the bungy cord and the retrieval cord, and the sheath arranged to CA longitudinally extend and contract with the bungy cord during a bungy jump.

5 The term "comprising" as used in this specification means "consisting at least in part of'; that is to say M when interpreting statements in this specification which include "comprising", the features prefaced by this term in each statement all need to be present but other features can also be present. Related terms Q^ such as "comprise" and "comprised" are to be interpreted in a similar manner.

The term "bungy cord" as used in this specification means an elongated elastic member, including (but Snot limited to) a cord, rope, strap or vine, such as multi-stranded latex cord, suitable for use in bungy 00 o jumping.

ci Preferably, the sheath is a woven concertinaed sheath.

The present invention further provides a system for retrieving a bungy jumper to a bungy platform comprising: a bungy cord arrangement as defined above, a first end of the cord arrangement being arranged for securing relative to the bungy jumper and the other end of the cord arrangement being arranged for !0 securing relative to the platform; and retrieval apparatus being arranged to retrieve the jumper to the platform by retrieving the retrieval cord.

Preferably, the sheath is configured for securing relative to the platform such that the retrieval cord can be pulled through the second end of the sheath during the retrieval of the jumper.

Preferably, the retrieval apparatus includes one or more winches for winding up the retrieval cord and the bungy cord.

This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any two or more said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

152081 L.DOC COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-UG-2008 16:19 FROM TO 0061262837999 P.08/17 00 o As used herein the term following a noun means the plural and/or singular form of that noun.

As used herein the term "and/or" means "and" or or where the context allows both.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

in Brief Description of the Drawings o 10 The present invention will now be described, by way of non-litniting example only, with reference to 00 the accompanying drawings, in which: SFigure 1 is a cut-away plan view of a length of a bungy cord arrangement for bungy jumping

C

N according to a one form of the present invention, the cutaway view showing the bungy cord, retrieval cord and outer sheath; Figure 2 is a plan view of lengths of the bungy cord, retrieval cord and sheath forming the bungy cord arrangement shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic view of a double winch retrieval system for the emergency retrieval of a bungy jumper back to a platform using the bungy cord arrangement shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a graph showing the total time spent in the jump zone for a bungy jumper using the cord arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the retrieval system shown in Figure 3 according to one form of the present invention.

Detailed Description A section of an elongated bungy cord arrangement 10 suitable for bungy jumping is shown in Figure 1.

The cord arrangement 10 includes an elastic bungy cord 12, a substantially inelastic retrieval cord 14, and an elongated stretchable sheath 16 encasing the bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cord 14. Sections of the bungy cord 12, the retrieval cord 14 and the sheath 16 are shown alongside one another for comparison in Figure 2.

The bungy cord 12 is hand-fashioned from multiple latex or natural rubber strands. The strands are tied or twisted together to form a solid cord having an un-stretched diameter of about 40mm, for example.

15206b1 COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-AUG-2008 16:20 FROM TO 0061262837999 P.09/17 6 0 The retrieval cord 14 is a substantially inelastic (or static) rope. The retrieval cord 14 is prussic cord o having a diameter of about 9 rmm, for example.

The stretchable sheath 16 is a woven, concertinaed rope, similar to commercially available space-saving towing ropes. The weave of the sheath 16 includes an elastic component that allows the sheath 16 to Sresiliently extend and contract during use. The sheath 16 may be arranged to resiliently stretch up to five timnes in length during use, for example. The hollow sheath 16 has an outer diameter of about 0^ 75mm, and a wall thickness of about 5mm, for example.

The sheath 16 encases and retains the bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cord 14. During the bungy jump, both the sheath 16 and the bungy cord 12 are arranged to stretch and contract in a longitudinal 0 direction (indicated by the arrow 18 in Figures I and Advantageously, during use, the sheath 16 also S protectively surrounds the bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cord 14, preventing wear of the bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cotd 14.

Specific examples and dimensions of the bungy cord 12, the retrieval cord 14 and the sheath 16 are described above by way of non-limiting example only. It will be understood that other suitable materials and dimensions may be used for any of the bungy cord 12, the retrieval cord 14 and the sheath 16 so as to suit specific requirements and/or as desired, without departing from the scope of the 0 present invention.

With reference to Figure 3, the bungy cord arrangement 10 preferably forms part of and is used min an emergency retrieval system 20. The retrieval system 20 further includes retrieval apparatus in the form of first and second high speed winches 22,24. The winches 22, 24 may be ar.ranged about 2m to J above a deck of a bungy platform (not shown) from which bungy jumpers start, for example. The platform may be secured to a bridge extending across a waterway, for example. Alternatively the platform may be substantially part of the bridge itself, for example. The operation of the cord apparatus 10 for bungy jumping from the platform and the operation of the retrieval system 20 for the etnmergency retrieval of a jumper back to the platform will be described below.

A first end (not shown) of the cord arrangement 10 is secured to the bwigy jumper (not shown) using a harness min a known manner. The first ends of the bungy cord 12, retrieval cord 14 and sheath 16 are all fixed relative to the jumper.

1520681 lDOC COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-AUG-2008 16:20 -FROM TO 0061262837999 P.10/17 7 00 The second (or other) end of the cord arrangement 10 (shown in Figure 3) is secured relative to the O bungy platform. The bungy cord 12, retrieval cord 14 and sheath 16 at the second end of the cord C arrangement 10 all pass through a piece of pipe 32 that is securely fixed relative to the platform below the winches 22, 24. The pipe 3 2 may be securely attached to a part of the bridge substantially above the jumpers head when the jumper is standing on the platform, for example. The sheath 16 is reflected or folded back over the outside of the pipe 32. A pipe clamp 26 securely clamps the reflected end of the sheath 16 to the pipe 32, such that bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cord 14 continue free of the end of the sheath 16. The retrieval cord 14 is secured to the spool 28 of the first winch 22, such as by using a carabina. The bungy cord 12 is similarly secured to the spool 30 of the second winch 24.

In an emergency situation (as will be described below), the first winch 22 can be used to retrieve the 00 o jumper by retrieving the retrieval cord 14. As the first winch 22 is retrieving the jumper and retrieval l cord 14, the second winch 24 retrieves the bungy cord 12. The second winch 24 has a maximum torque limit to prevent the second winch 24 retrieving the bungy cord 12 when the bungy cord 12 is loaded by the jumper. The maximum torque limit may be about 20kg, for example.

1. Bungyjumping After being secured by the cord arrangement 10, the jumper bungy jumps from the platform. The jumper freefalls towards the ground, stretching the bungy cord 12 and the sheath 16. The sheath 16 encases the bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cord 14, preventing the jumper from becoming entangled with the retrieval cord 14. The bungy cord 12 and outer sheath 16 stretch in length, wth the bungy cord 12 absorbing the energy and slowing the speed of the falling jumper. The bungy cord 12 stretches to a maximum length for the bungy jump, at which point preferably the sheath 16 is also stretched to nearly its maximum length, and the maximum length of the retrieval cord 14 is nearly reached. The bungy cord 12 may be designed to stretch up to four times its un-stretched (or unloaded) length during a bungy jump, for example. The bungy cord 12 then resiliently contracts, pulling the jumper upwardly.

If allowed, the jumper will continue to bounce up and down with decreasing amplitude before eventually coming to a rest.

2. Rtelievig the junper back to the platform In normal circumstances, the jumper can be retrieved back to the bungy platform in a known manner using a secondary static rope (not shown) that is lowered down from the platform to the jumper, as described above. There is a time delay in recovering the jumper, however, that is associated with deploying and lowering the secondary static rope- In an emergency situation, such as a converging boat 1520 S1 1.Q( COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-RUG-2008 16:20 FROM 13-UG-008 16:0 FOMTO 0061262837999 P.11/17 8 00 heading towards the jumper when the platform is arraniged above water, it is itnportant that there is no o delay in retrieving dhe jumnper from the jump zone.

In such an emergency situation, the cord arrangement 10 allows the jumper to be immediately pulled 51 back up to the platform uising the winches 22, 24, The first high speed winch 22 winds up the retrieval cord 14. The winch 22 pulls the retrieval cord 14 through and out of the sheath 16, which ends at the pipe clamp 26. The sheath 16 contracts in length as dhe retrieval cord 14 is wound up. The winch 22 winds the retrieval cord 14 drawn out of the sheath 16 onto the spool 28. As the retrieval cord 14 is wound up, the bungy cord 12 is also wound up using the second high speed winch 24. The maximum torque lim-it of the second winch 24 ensures that the second winch 24 will only operate when the bungy cord 12 is unloaded (that is, when the retrieval cord 14 is taking the load of the jumper).

0 Cl Figure 4 is a graph showing the total time a jumper may spend in the jump zone according to one example of the present invention. The example bungy jump shown in Figure 4 is from a height of about 40 metres above water, with the jumper falling within about 2 to 3 metres of the water.

The bungy jumper jumps from the platform at time =0 seconds. The oscillating line on the left side of the graph (between 0 and about 15 seconds) shows the jumper falling and then bouncing up and down.

The line on the right hand side of the graph (between about 15 and 20 seconds) of thei diagram shows the jumper being pulled back up to the platform. The cord arrangement 10 -and high speed winches 22, 24 may be used to recover a jumper to a 40 m-etre high buingy platfonu after a jump within as little as about 5 seconds, for example. Unlike the previously proposed retrieval system discussed above, in the system 20 there is no delay waiting for a further retrieval cord to be lowered.

In Figure 4, the jumper starts being pulled back to the platform from about 15 seconds. It will be appreciated that in an emergenacy situation, however, the retrieval system 20 and winches 22, 24 can he activated as soon as the jumper reachesz the first full and rnxmnbungy cord 12 stretch (that is, at the lowest point of the jump, without letting the jumper bounce up and down after. the jump). In the jump shown in Fig ure 4, the jumper may be retrieved anytime after about 2.5 seconds. Therefore, in an emergency situation, the retrieval system 20 may be -used to retrieve the Jumper up to at least 10 to 12 seconds quicker than previously proposed retrieval systems. In the previously proposed retrieval system discussed above, the retrieval rope for puffing the jumper back up to the platform cannot be lowered while the jumper is still bouncing as doing so places the jumnper at risk of becoming entangled in the retrieval rope on subsequent rebounds.

1520691 1 DOC COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13 13-AUG-2008 16:20 FROM TO 0061262837999 P.12/17 9 00 O0 o In addition to facilitating the quick recovery of jumpers and protecting the bungy cord 12 and retrieval C' cord 14 from wear, the cord arrangement 10 can also continue to stop and support the jumper in the Sevent of a multi-strand bungy cord failure (or cord breakage). Preferably at least one of the stretchable 5 outer sheath 16 and the retrieval cord 14 will act to safely slow the speed of and halt the falling jumper If the bungy cord 12 fails, the length of the sheath 16 may be such that the sheath 16 is able to sufficiently slow the fall of the jumper. Alternatively or additionally, the length of the static retrieval <cord 14 may be slightly longer than the maximum calculated, stretched length of the bungy cord 12, so ,as to pull against the falling jumper when the jumper falls (in the case of a bungy cord 12 failure) to the length of the retrieval cord 14, for example.

00 S Further, it will be understood that when pulling a jumper back up to the platform using the winches 22, l 24, lengths of the retrieval cord 14 and the bungy cord 12 are pulled through and out of the sheath 16 and wound on to the spools 28, 30. To get the cord arrangement 10 ready for a further jump, preferably the wound-up portions of the retrieval cord 14 and the bungy cord 12 are both unwound from the spools 28, 30 and fed back into the sheath 16. This can be done by staging or simulating a further bungy jump using a dummy weight (not shown). The falling dummy weight stretches the sheath 16 and pulls the retrieval rope 14 and the bungy cord 12 into the sheath 16 ready for subsequent use. The dummy weight can then be pulled back up to the platform using a known method, such as by lowering a secondary static retrieval rope to the dummy weight, so as not to pull the bungy cord 12 and the retrieval cord 14 back through and out of the sheath 16.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example only and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, it will be understood that the (un-stretched) diameters and lengths of each of the cord assembly, the bungy cord, the retrieval cord and the sheath, and the length of the cord arrangement, may all be varied tro suit the weight of the jumper, the height of the platform and other jump requirements.

152(l6 I I Cx COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13

Claims (1)

13-AUG-2008 16:20 FROM TO 0061262837999 P.13/17 00 THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: O 0 1. An elongated bungy cord arrangement for bungy jumping comprising: San elastic bungy cord, a substantially inelastic retrieval cord for retrieving a jumper after a bungy jump; and a stretchable elongated sheath for preventing the retrieval cord tangling with a jumper during a bungy jump, the sheath encasing the bungy cord and the retrieval cord, and the sheath arranged to S longitudinally extend and contract with the bungy cord during a bangy jump. o 10 2. A bungy cord arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheath is a woven concertinaed 00 sheath. 0 3. A system for retrieving a bungy jumper to a bungy platform comprising: a bungy cord arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, a first end of the cord arrangement being arranged for securing relative to the bungy jumper and the other end of the cord arrangement being arranged for securing relative to the platform; and retrieval apparatus being arranged to retrieve the jumper to the platform by retrieving the retrieval cord. 4. A system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sheath is configured for securing relative to the platform such that the retrieval cord can be pulled through the second end of the sheath during the retrieval of the jumper. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the retrieval apparatus includes one or more winches for winding up the retrieval cord and the bungy cord. 152D6 I 1.DOC COMS ID No: ARCS-202019 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:18 Date 2008-08-13