AU2016219682A1 - Trampolines and trampoline parks - Google Patents

Description

1 2016219682 26 Aug 2016 TRAMPOLINES AND TRAMPOLINE PARKS This invention relates to trampolines and entertainment centres utilising trampolines which are commonly referred to as "trampoline parks". 5 Trampoline parks (which are generally housed in buildings) typically include sections where multiple trampolines are arranged side by side with the jumping mats horizontal. Some trampolines can have part of the jumping mat extending horizontally and contiguous with a part which is inclined to the .0 horizontal and perhaps even close to vertical. In some parks, some of the trampolines with horizontal mats are adjacent trampolines with mats inclined to the horizontal and arranged in a manner which allows players to jump from a horizontal mat onto or against an inclined mat and so forth. The horizontal .5 trampolines which are currently used in trampoline parks typically include a steel frame with a rectangular flexible jumping mat secured to the frame by a large number of spaced apart extension coil springs, the axes of which are coplanar with the mat, and are arranged to extend and retract as a person 10 jumps on the mat in order to give "bounce". The frame typically holds the mat at a level of about 900mm above the floor of the building in which the trampoline park is housed.

The present applicant has developed trampoline systems which allow the use of continuous or semicontinuous mats in 25 trampoline parks thereby obviating the need for extensive padding between trampolines or at least between trampoline mats for covering the horizontal extension springs. Some such systems are described in the applicant's co-pending international patent application No.PCT/AU2015/000398 filed 10 July 2015 which is 30 incorporated herein by way of reference. Some of those systems allow a series of trampolines to be interconnected without requiring any safety padding at all. tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 2 2016219682 26 Aug 2016

The present invention is aimed at providing trampolines and/or trampoline systems for use in trampoline parks which provide for a higher level of enjoyment.

The aim is achieved by providing means whereby an illusion 5 of jumping at a greater height is created. In one aspect the illusion is created by arranging the jumping mats at a significantly higher level of elevation above the floor level of the building or room in which the trampolines operate and providing means whereby the player jumping on the mat perceives .0 his height relative to the floor rather than his height above the jumping mat. In one form of the invention this is achieved particularly well by a trampoline which has a transparent or see through jumping mat whereby the player can see the building floor below the mat and in preference to the mat and thereby .5 imagines himself jumping relative to the floor instead of the mat. In another form of the invention it can be achieved to some extent by see through portions or "windows" in a mat or around a mat.

The aim of the invention can be achieved particularly well [0 with the applicant's trampoline system previously mentioned which allows a plurality of trampolines or trampoline sections to effectively form a continuous floor on which players can jump even though sections of mats may be removed and replaced if needed. 25 With the foregoing in view, the invention in one aspect resides broadly in a trampoline or trampoline system including one or more jumping mats connected to a frame or other mounts and spaced above a floor wherein the mat or at least a portion of the mat is substantially transparent, translucent or see-30 through from above such that a player jumping on said mat can see the floor below. tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 3 2016219682 26 Aug 2016

Preferably, the jumping mat is constructed in such a manner that the player sees the floor below in preference to or rather than the jumping mat. This can be achieved by providing a jumping mat which is formed of a substantially transparent material or 5 of a material which has sufficient openings therein to render the mat substantially transparent. However, it can also be achieved by combining mats of different transparency properties with lighting arrangements whereby the floor below is lighted in a manner which attracts the player's eyes in preference to .0 the mat itself. Further, it is believed that it can also be achieved although to a lesser extent by providing transparent or see-through sections in jumping mats particularly continuous jumping mats.

In this specification, the term "floor" is to be understood .5 to encompass the floor of a building in which the trampoline system is operated or a panel mounted on a floor of such a building or the floor of a well or hole above which or within which the trampoline is operated and like situations. Further, it is to be understood that the term "above" is sometimes used 10 herein to refer to the position of a player relative to the mat he is aiming to bounce off. Thus, it will be appreciated that in trampoline parks where horizontal, inclined and even vertical mats can be employed, a player who is hitting a vertical mat sideways is "above" the inclined mat unless such a meaning is 25 clearly not appropriate. With that in mind, it will be appreciated that the present invention has application to vertical and inclined mats especially when lighting is used to light the wall behind the mat.

It is also to be understood that the term "lighting" is 30 intended to encompass lighting such as provided by spot lights, fluorescent lights, laser lights, computer screens, television screens, movie projector screens or lighting projected onto a tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 4 2016219682 26 Aug 2016 blank screen from a remote location and is also intended to encompass lighting such as lighting provided by a film. In that respect, it will be appreciated that an image of the surface of the moon might be projected onto a white floor below the mat so 5 that a player is lead to believe he is jumping on the surface of the moon. Similarly, a virtual cartoon character such as a space creature or an angry beast might be projected onto the wall behind an inclined mat leading the player to jump away from that wall. .0 In another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a trampoline or trampoline system including one or more jumping mats biased outwards towards a frame or other support means spaced above a floor wherein the mat or at least a portion of the mat is substantially transparent, translucent or see-through .5 from above such that a player jumping on said mat can see the floor below.

In yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a trampoline system including: a frame or other foundation; 10 a plurality of spaced apart biasing means connected to said frame or other foundation; one or more jumping mats connected to said plurality of biasing means above a floor and or spaced from a wall, said one or more jumping mats or at least a portion of said one or jumping 25 mats being substantially transparent, translucent or see-through from above such that a player jumping on said mat can see the floor below or the wall behind as the case may be; lighting means selected and arranged to direct light onto said floor or wall or emanate from said floor or wall so as to 30 induce players jumping on said one or more mats to see the floor or wall in preference to the mat or mats on which they are j umping. tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 5 2016219682 26 Aug 2016

In yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in trampoline or trampoline system including: a first frame or first frame portion and a second frame or second frame portion; 5 a plurality of spaced apart first biasing means connected to said first frame or first frame portion and a first jumping mat operatively connected to said plurality of first biasing means about its perimeter, each of said first biasing means being arranged to bias said first jumping mat outwards (away .0 from the centre of the jumping mat) or upwards to keep it taut; a plurality of spaced apart second biasing means connected to said second frame or said second frame portion and a second jumping mat operatively connected to said plurality of second biasing means about its perimeter, each of said second biasing .5 means being arranged to bias said second jumping mat outwards (away from the centre of the jumping mat) or upwards (relative to the upper surface of the mat) to keep it taut; said second mat being inclined to said first mat and a portion of the perimeter of said second mat being adjacent a 10 portion of the perimeter of said first mat, and wherein at least one of said first jumping mat and said second jumping mat include at least a portion which is substantially transparent, translucent or see-through from above such that a player jumping on or against said mat can see the 25 floor below or the wall behind as the case may be.

In yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a mat for a trampoline, a substantial part of which is transparent, translucent or see-through.

In yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a 30 mat for a trampoline constructed substantially of a transparent or translucent material. tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 6 2016219682 26 Aug 2016

In still yet another aspect the invention resides broadly in a mat for a trampoline which is constructed of an opaque material, and having openings therein which allow a player jumping thereon to see the floor below and/or an image projected 5 onto the floor or emanating from the floor.

In still yet another aspect, the invention resides broadly in a mat for a trampoline which has a dark coloured upper face and has openings through extending through the mat which allow a player jumping thereon to see the floor below and/or an image .0 projected onto the floor or emanating from the floor over an area substantially the same size as the mat.

In order that the invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, references will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein: .5 Fig. 1 is a pictorial schematic representation of a trampoline within a trampoline system according to the invention having a horizontal mat and adjacent inclined mats; and

Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional elevation of a multi-mat 10 (or continuous mat) trampoline (or bank of trampolines) with four mats and three intermediate (or "centre") frame cross members with a row of "cylindrical" centre springs attached thereto.

The trampoline system 10 illustrated in part in Fig. 1 25 includes an elevated rectangular horizontal mat frame 11 which is supported by four spaced apart posts 12, 13, 14 and 15 extending upwards from the floor 17 to which the horizontal mat frame 11 is welded towards their upper ends. In this embodiment, the posts are bolted to the concrete floor 17. In other 30 embodiments of the invention the frame 11 is supported on beams extending between spaced apart walls 20 at a predetermined tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 7 2016219682 26 Aug 2016 height above the floor and the legs are not required. In this embodiment the horizontal mat height is approximately five metres above the floor 17 instead of 900mm as would be the case in previously known trampoline parks. 5 The mat frame 11 comprises two spaced apart long side members (or rails) 11a and 11c, two spaced apart short side or end members (or rails) lib and lid extending between the side members and welded thereto adjacent their respective opposite ends, and two spaced apart intermediate cross members lie and .0 Ilf extending between the long side members and welded thereto.

The section of trampoline system 10 illustrated in Fig.l has three mats, a horizontal centre mat 21 and two generally opposed inclined mats 23a and 23b, all shown in outline only, which are all mounted to the frame 11 via leaf springs 24. The .5 frame is arranged to join with similar frames for connecting another horizontal mat on either side of the centre mat in banks of similar frame units and another inclined mat on either side of the two inclined mats 23a and 23b as described in the PCT application mentioned earlier. 20 The mats are all connected to the leaf springs 24 in the same manner as described in the co-pending PCT application mentioned earlier and extension coil springs may be used instead of leaf springs if desired as also described in the earlier PCT application. Advantageously, the three mats are transparent at 25 least in the main centre portion so that a player (or jumper) jumping thereon can see through the mats to the floor 17 below the horizontal mat 21 and the walls 20 behind the inclined mats.

As previously mentioned the horizontal mat height is approximately five metres above the floor 17 which is 30 substantially more than is the case in previously known tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 8 2016219682 26 Aug 2016 trampoline parks where the horizontal mats are typically about one metre above the floor. Advantageously, a film projector 61 is mounted on building wall 20 and arranged to project a video film or film clip or in some cases a static picture onto the 5 floor 17 which is coloured white at least in the area below the horizontal mat 21 shown at 61. The film or picture is selected to combine with the height of the horizontal mat to achieve a particular jumping experience and in particular to give the illusion that the player is jumping at or from a much greater .0 height than in the presently known trampoline parks.

Similarly, another film projector 71 is mounted to frame member lib and arranged to project a film onto wall 20 behind the inclined mat 23b shown at 62 and another projector 71 is mounted to frame member lid and arranged to project a film onto .5 the wall opposite wall 20. In the case of the films or pictures projected onto the walls, the illusion created is different from that created for the horizontal mat and might be one of escaping from a wild beast or a terrorist or it might be one inviting the player to jump for example into a game with Snow White and the 10 Seven Dwarfs. There are various illusions which can be created some of which may be aimed at improving a players jumping ability.

The trampoline system 110 illustrated schematically in part in Fig. 2 is similar to the trampoline 10 illustrated in Fig. 25 1 in many respects and accordingly, corresponding reference numbers will be used to reference corresponding components where possible except prefaced by a "1".

Trampoline system 110 has four mats arranged side by side, that is, two end mats 121 and two intermediate mats 122 and 30 consequently has three spaced apart centre cross members 120 which are supported in an elevated position on posts 113. The tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 9 2016219682 26 Aug 2016 perimeter springs 124 (not shown) are the same as the perimeter springs 24 of the trampoline 10 illustrated in Fig. 1 although if desired they could be extension coil springs. However, the centre springs which are connected to the cross members 120 are 5 different. In that respect, the leaf springs 128 and 129 are arranged in opposed spaced apart pairs along the centre cross member 120 and the springs 128 and 129 in each pair extend upwards and outwards from the cross member shown at item 141 to a point about half the distance between the cross member and the .0 mat and then curve inwards towards each other shown at item 142 and terminate in a horizontal portion shown at item 143, the free ends 144 of the two leaf springs being spaced apart but aligned with each other.

The two leaf springs are held together at their free ends .5 (their upper ends) by a flexible connector 145 which includes hooks which hook through holes provided in the two leaf springs adjacent their ends such that the connected springs form an upside down bell shape. The two adjacent mats 122 are connected to the flexible spring connectors 145 by hooks (not shown). It 10 will be appreciated that a person jumping in the centre of one mat will cause the perimeter springs as well as the two rows of springs connected to the adjacent cross member to bias the mat to its at rest disposition with some biasing force being applied by the subsequent rows of centre springs on the other cross 25 members and the final row of perimeter springs. However, when a person jumps on the joint or the joint region, the centre springs underneath the mat will bend down causing the bell shape to belly outwards as the horizontal portions of the leave s move downwards under the load. Advantageously, the arrangement allows 30 for much less or even no padding in the region of the mat joins and also allows the joint region to be a part of the mat which can be jumped on. tVUL01342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx 10 2016219682 26 Aug 2016

The mats 122 are connected together in the manner described in the earlier mentioned PCT application and effectively form a continuous mat. However, the manner of connecting the mats together is substantially immaterial to the present invention. 5 It will be appreciated that the continuous mat effectively becomes a flexible floor several metres above the building floor 117 and a safety net 175 is connected between posts 113 supporting the cross members 120. The mats 122 are transparent between the centre springs over the section referenced as 180 .0 so that the centre springs are hidden to some extent from a player jumping on the mat. Advantageously, movie projectors are arranged on the posts 113 to project movies, film clips or static pictures onto the building floor 117 to provide illusions as previously described. .5 The foregoing description has been given by way of illustrative example of the invention and many modifications and variations which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein or defined by the appended claims. tVULO1342-2016-08-26-as-filed.docx

Claims (12)

1. A trampoline or trampoline system including one or more jumping mats connected to a frame or other mounting means and spaced above a floor wherein the mat or at least a portion of the mat is substantially transparent, translucent or see-through from above such that a player jumping on said mat can see the floor below.

2. A trampoline or trampoline system according to Claim 1 wherein the jumping mat is constructed in such a manner that the player can see the floor below in preference to or rather than the jumping mat.

3. A trampoline or trampoline system according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein at least a substantial portion of the jumping mat is formed of a substantially transparent or translucent material or of a material which has sufficient openings therein to render the mat substantially transparent.

4. A trampoline or trampoline system including one or more jumping mats biased outwards towards a frame or other support means spaced above a floor wherein the mat or at least a portion of the mat is substantially transparent, translucent or see-through from above such that a player jumping on said mat can see the floor below.

5. A trampoline or trampoline system according to any one of the preceding claims including lighting means selected and arranged to direct light onto said floor or emanate from said floor so as to induce players jumping on said one or more mats to see the floor in preference to the mat or mats on which they are jumping.

6. A trampoline system including: a frame or other foundation; a plurality of spaced apart biasing means connected to said frame or other foundation; one or more jumping mats connected to said plurality of biasing means above a floor and or spaced from a wall, said one or more jumping mats or at least a portion of said one or jumping mats being substantially transparent, translucent or see-through from above such that a player jumping on said mat can see the floor below or the wall behind as the case may be; lighting means selected and arranged to direct light onto said floor or wall or emanate from said floor or wall so as to induce players jumping on said one or more mats to see the floor or wall in preference to the mat or mats on which they are j umping.

7. A trampoline or trampoline system including: a first frame or first frame portion and a second frame or second frame portion; a plurality of spaced apart first biasing means connected to said first frame or first frame portion and a first jumping mat operatively connected to said plurality of first biasing means about its perimeter, each of said first biasing means being arranged to bias said first jumping mat outwards (away from the centre of the jumping mat) or upwards to keep it taut; a plurality of spaced apart second biasing means connected to said second frame or said second frame portion and a second jumping mat operatively connected to said plurality of second biasing means about its perimeter, each of said second biasing means being arranged to bias said second jumping mat outwards (away from the centre of the jumping mat) or upwards (relative to the upper surface of the mat) to keep it taut; said second mat being inclined to said first mat and a portion of the perimeter of said second mat being adjacent a portion of the perimeter of said first mat, and wherein at least one of said first jumping mat and said second jumping mat include at least a portion which is substantially transparent, translucent or see-through from above such that a player jumping on or against said mat can see the floor below or the wall behind as the case may be.

8. A trampoline or trampoline system according to Claim 7 including lighting means selected and arranged to direct light onto said floor and/or wall or emanate from said floor or wall so as to induce players jumping on said one or more mats to see the floor or wall or an image displayed thereon in preference to the mat or mats on which they are j umping.

9. A mat for a trampoline, a substantial part of which is transparent, translucent or see-through.

10. A mat for a trampoline constructed substantially of a transparent or translucent material.

11. A mat for a trampoline which is constructed of an opaque material, and having openings therein which allow a player jumping thereon to see the floor below and/or an image projected onto the floor or emanating from the floor.

12. A mat for a trampoline which has a dark coloured upper face and has openings through extending through the mat which allow a player jumping thereon to see the floor below and/or an image projected onto the floor or emanating from the floor over an area substantially the same size as the mat.