AU2020101972A4

AU2020101972A4 - A playground apparatus

Info

Publication number: AU2020101972A4
Application number: AU2020101972A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Joe ANDON
Original assignee: Vuly IP Holdings No 2 Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Vuly Property Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-28
Filing date: 2020-08-25
Publication date: 2020-10-01
Anticipated expiration: 2028-04-28
Also published as: AU2020101972B4; AU2020100642B4; CN213192481U; AU2020100642A4

Abstract

A playground apparatus comprising monkey bars is described, wherein the monkey bars comprise a frame structure formed from a plurality of upright 5 support poles, and a plurality of struts arranged relative to the upright support poles and configured to allow a user to grasp and swing from the struts. The apparatus has a cover over a substantial portion of the frame structure and a plurality of cover support beams supporting the cover. In embodiments, the cover support beams are arranged so as to elevate the io cover above the frame structure so that, in use, the user can grasp and swing from the plurality of struts covered by the cover. In other embodiments, the bottom ends of the upright support poles are splayed and further comprise extension legs attached thereto to further increase the surface area of the apparatus on the ground. 15 1/7 10 Figure 5 16 1A

Description

1/7

10

Figure 5 16 1A

A playground apparatus

Technical field

The present invention relates to a playground apparatus. In particular, the present invention is directed to playground apparatus commonly referred to as monkey bars.

Background

Children are active and want to climb and swing around structures. It is not unusual to see children climbing on or hanging upside down from public railings or fences. Monkey bars were designed to provide a safe structure that curious and active children can explore. Monkey bars can be placed in areas where children are allowed to play, and should encourage the children to explore the bar structure, rather than climbing over railings, gates or fences that can be unsafe.

Monkey bars are typically found in playgrounds, or backyards, and provide a series of ladders, bars, and or other attachments that are intended to be attractive to children and to stimulate their continued interest. The child is able to climb like a "monkey" hence the name monkey bars. The poles of the monkey bars are typically adapted to be usable by a children, e.g. they are smooth and free from snags and sharp edges.

Summary of invention Herein described is provided a playground apparatus that is optionally portable, comprising monkey bars, wherein the monkey bars comprise: a frame structure formed from a plurality of upright support poles; and a plurality of struts arranged relative to the upright support poles and configured to allow a user to at least grasp and swing from the struts. The struts are intended to be swung upon and, while swinging, the user may wish to be under cover. Thus, there is provided a cover over a substantial portion of the frame structure to cover the user during use. In use, the cover does not obstruct the user from being able to grasp the struts.

In an aspect there is provided a playground apparatus comprising monkey bars, wherein the monkey bars comprise: a frame structure formed from a plurality of upright support poles,; and a plurality of struts arranged relative to the upright support poles and configured to allow a user to at least grasp and swing from the struts; a cover over a substantial portion of the frame structure; a plurality of cover support beams supporting the cover; wherein the cover support beams are arranged so as to elevate the cover above the frame structure.

In this embodiment, the cover is elevated so that, in use, the user can grasp and swing from the plurality of struts covered by the cover. In embodiments of the second aspect of the invention, the playground structure is portable. In an embodiment, the cover is a shade cover and provides shade to the user during use. In an embodiment, the cover support beams are the top most portions of the upright support poles. In an alternative embodiment, the cover support beams are separate from the upright support poles. In an embodiment, the upright support poles have a top end comprising the shade cover, and a bottom end at the ground, and the bottom ends of the upright support poles are splayed. By splayed it is meant that the location at which the support poles contacts the ground is wider than the support poles had they not been splayed.

In another aspect there is provided a playground apparatus comprising monkey bars, wherein the monkey bars comprise: a frame structure formed from a plurality of upright support poles; and a plurality of struts arranged relative to the upright support poles and configured to allow a user to grasp and swing from the struts; a cover over a substantial portion of the frame structure; wherein the upright support poles have a top end comprising the cover, and a bottom end at the ground, and wherein the bottom ends of the upright support poles are splayed. By splayed it is meant that the support poles contact the ground a wider or more separated distance from one another. Extension legs are provided to further increase the surface area of the base of the apparatus.

In embodiments of the third aspect of the invention, the playground structure is portable. In an embodiment, the cover is a shade cover and provides shade to the user during use. In an embodiment, there are a plurality of cover support beams supporting the cover, wherein the cover support beams are arranged so as to elevate the cover above the frame structure. In an embodiment, the cover support beams are the topmost portions of the upright support poles. In an alternative embodiment, the cover support is beams are separate from the upright support poles.

In the following description, all embodiments referred to are in relation to each of the aspects of the invention, unless the context makes clear otherwise.

The present monkey bars apparatus may be safer and more stable in use than previous monkey bar arrangements. The safety can be provided by the shading provided by a cover which is preferably a shade cover. The shading can protect the user from the weather elements including sunshine, which comprises harmful UV rays. The safety can be further provided by elevating the shade cover relative to the frame structure, to ensure the user does not collide with the shade cover in use. The safety can be further provided by splaying the upright poles of the frame structure, to increase stability of the overall structure when in use.

The present invention is direct to a playground apparatus comprising monkey bars. By "monkey bars" it is meant a type of playground apparatus in which there is a frame structure, and a series of bars on which a person can swing, play and or climb. By monkey bars, it is not intended to mean any other type of frame structure on which a person is not intended to swing. For example, an outdoor swinging chair may have support poles and struts, but the struts are not monkey bars because they are not intended for hanging on. In fact, it can be dangerous to hang on struts that do not form a part of monkey bars, and there is a risk that struts not intended for hanging will buckle, and or that any structure that is not monkey bars e.g. swinging chair will topple in use. Furthermore, the ability to grasp on to any such struts in e.g. a swinging chair is hampered by the fact that any cover provided is taut over the struts so as to keep the cover in place and to reduce any lifting by the wind.

The monkey bars can include upright support poles, and struts. In embodiments there are multiple upright poles, and multiple struts. There can be any number of either of the poles and struts. The struts are arranged relative to the poles. By relative to the support poles it can mean that the struts are attached to the support poles so as to provide the monkey bar frame arrangement.

The upright support poles are typically substantially vertical. The struts are typically substantially horizontal. Either sets of poles or struts can be disposed in any angular orientation offset from vertical or horizontal. For the struts the arrangement can be any provided the user can grasp them with their hands and or leg, and swing and or rotate their body, or climb. The frame structure can include a main frame structure. The main frame structure can comprise four upright poles arranged in a square or rectangular configuration. The upright support poles are rigid meaning that they do not move in use. The rigidity is provided by the strong material of the support poles. The rigid poles are also immobile which means that they do not move in use. Some rigid poles are able to swing about a pivot point, but the upright support poles described here are not mobile and cannot swing. There can be further upright poles to provide for more complex frame structure within the main frame structure. The struts can be arranged relative to the upright poles such as around and between the upright poles. The struts can be attached to the upright poles. The struts can be adjustably attached to the poles. Any configuration of struts can be designed to provide for excitement, aesthetic, function and or form. The monkey bars can comprise one or more ladders for climbing to the top of the frame, and or one or more ladders arranged substantially horizontally (or offset from horizontal) relative to the frame, which the user can use to swing across "monkey style". The monkey bars can also include attachments such as trampoline(s) swing(s), slide(s), scramble net(s) or any other playground attachment that is desirable.

The upright support poles can be made of plastic or metal. The poles can be of any cross-sectional shape. In an embodiment, the poles are tubular. In an embodiment, the poles are hollow. The poles can be smooth and easy to grip. The poles can comprise kinks to provide for an aesthetically pleasing, unusual or interesting monkey bar frame.

The struts can be made of plastic or metal. The struts can be of any cross sectional shape. In an embodiment, the struts are tubular. In an embodiment, the struts are hollow. The struts can be narrower in diameter than the support poles because they do not have to provide support. The struts can be sized so as to be smooth and easy to grip. The struts can comprise kinks to provide for an aesthetically pleasing, unusual or interesting monkey bar frame.

The poles of the struts can comprise kinks along their longitudinal length. The kinks can be at any location along the length. There can be more than one kink. The kinks can be arranged so as to be complementary across various struts so as to form a pattern or an array that is aesthetically pleasing. Upon viewing the bars, the user will automatically know they have played on this type of monkey bars before, and they will recognise it as fun and interesting when compared with other versions of monkey bars. The kinks in bars or struts or poles may assist the user in gripping them since they provide a point of friction with the hand. In which case the kinks in the bars can make them easier for smaller children to use.

The poles or struts can be connected to one another by welding or other permanent joining technique. Alternatively, at least some of the connections between poles (pole to pole or pole to strut) can be by a connector such as a knuckle joint connector. The knuckle joint connector can allow for articulation about the joint. The join between poles can therefore be disposed at any angle during formation of the frame structure.

Some playground apparatus, such as swing sets for back yard use are very io cheaply produced and have a fixed arrangement, usually having a support beam supported by each end at or near the apex of an A-frame. More expensive play equipment is provided in public parks or commercial play areas, such equipment often being heavy and quite large and not necessarily efficient in use. The present playground apparatus comprising monkey bars can be portable. By portable, it is meant that the apparatus is not permanently affixed to the ground and can be moved. The apparatus can be fixed to the ground during use, but can be unfixed and moved as desired. The apparatus may be moved to arrange it in the shade as the sun moves. The apparatus may be moved to make space in an area when the monkey bars are not in use.

The cover when in place covers a substantial portion of the frame. But substantial portion, it is meant that at least some if not all of the frame is covered by the cover. In an embodiment, 75, 98, 95, 90 or 100% of the frame when looked at from a birds eye view above is covered by the shade cover. Other playground apparatus may comprise shade covers, but they tend not to be affixed to the monkey bars themselves and are instead roofs of other large cover structures. In the present apparatus, the shade cover is substantially permanently attached to the money bar frame structure and is portable together with the frame structure. This provides the advantage that the cover does not have to be removed and dismantled. Furthermore, it can ensure that the user is always using the cover and cannot forget to use it. This can be advantageous if the cover is a shade cover and the sun is shining.

In some playground apparatus where a cover is provided it is often not provided in such a way as to continue to allow the monkey bars to be used properly. The cover can be provided low on the frame which may inhibit the user from being able to swing and rotate and play. In the present arrangement, the cover can be supported above the frame shade cover support beams that are elevated above the main frame structure. By providing the additional elevation of the cover, the main struts and poles of the monkey bars remain available for use and play. In an embodiment, the elevation at its highest most point is at least about 10, 20, 30 or 40% the length of the average length of the upright support poles.

There can be any number of cover support beams such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or more. In a preferred embodiment, there are 4 cover support beams arranged at corners of the frame to support a square or rectangular cover. There could be 3 support beams to support a triangular shaped sail cover. There could be support beams to support a circular type of cover. The support beams can be additional poles added to the frame at any location that is able to provide support. In some embodiments, the support beams are the top parts of the upright poles, and in which case the upright poles extend upwardly relative to a strut in order to support the cover. Regardless, of the number and arrangement, the cover can advantageously provide some protection from the elements such as wind, rain, sunshine. The shade cover may not provide total protection and while it is referred to as "shading" it may be aesthetic in function only. The shade cover may provide a chamber or secret feeling around the apparatus that makes it fun to play on the monkey bars while no one from above can see. This extra privacy may be important in urban areas where there are multiple high rise buildings with windows. In an embodiment, the cover is formed from a tough hessian material. The shade cover can be treated with materials such as UV blocking polymeric materials.

The playground apparatus is intended for use on the ground. By ground it is meant any surface on which the apparatus is deployed. In some instances the ground could be grass and soil. In other instances, the ground can be concrete. The ground could be rubberised for safety. When arranged on the ground, the apparatus should be heavy enough to support its own weight. When a child (or multiple children) is swinging on the monkey bars, the frame should be strong enough to remain rigid and not be pulled over by the user. In some embodiments, the frame has upright poles with lower portions of the poles that are splayed. As a result of the splayed poles, the surface area covered by the base of the frame is larger than the surface area towards the top of the frame. This can improve the structural stability of the apparatus. The splaying angle can be 10, 15, 20 or 25 degrees from vertical. Not all of the upright pole legs need to be splayed nor do they have to be splayed in any consistent direction. In order to further improve stability, extension legs can be provided attached to the upright poles.

Brief Description of the Figures Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings which are not drawn to scale and which are exemplary only and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the monkey bars according to an embodiment.

Figure 1 is separated into three figures: Figure 1A, Figure 1B and Figure 1C, which are all identical and are separated only so as to represent the features on separate images for clarity.

Figure 2 is a different perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 3 are side views of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top and bottom view of the apparatus of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a photograph of a prototype of the monkey bars.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention Herein described is a playground apparatus comprising monkey bars 10. An embodiment of monkey bars is shown for illustration purposes only, but it should be understood that many modifications could be made to the actual design, while still staying within the spirit and scope of the invention as described.

The frame structure of the monkey bar apparatus is provided by upright support poles 12. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1A, B, C, there are multiple upright poles 12, and multiple struts 14 (poles are shown in Figure 1A and struts are shown in Figure 1B for clarity). The upright support poles 12 are typically substantially vertical. The struts 14 are typically substantially horizontal. It will be appreciated from Figure 1, that the user can grab some of the struts 14 with their hands or legs and swing and or rotate their body, or climb around the structure 10.

A frame structure is provided by at least some of the poles 12. A dotted rectangle is depicted on Figure 1A to shown schematically the area of the main frame structure on ground 8. The support poles 12 in the corners can provide the main frame structure. Other poles 12' can be included that are still part of the frame, but which are intended to add complexity of the frame and to provide support for other struts 14' which allow for climbing and play. In Figure 1, other poles 12' are supporting e.g. ladder struts 14 which a user can climb in order to reach the horizontally disposed ladder 15. The user can swing (like a monkey) across the ladder 15 enthusiastically until they reach the other side of apparatus 10. This swinging activity can be repeated many times in any direction. Figure 4 is a bottom view of the apparatus in which the ladder 15 can be seen clearly.

The apparatus comprises a cover 16. The cover 16 is across a substantial portion of the frame. As shown in birds eye view in Figure 4, the cover covers the main part of the apparatus 10 that the user will engage with in play.

The poles 12 and or struts 14 can be joined to one another by connectors 22. Some of the connectors 22 are shown in Figure 1C. Not all connections are labelled for clarity. The poles or struts can be joined by the connectors so as to have kinks. By kinks it is meant deviations from straight lines. As shown in Figure 1, the strut 14 can be formed by three smaller struts joined together to form a length of strut 14. Alternatively, the kinks can be a part of the inherent formation of the struts or poles themselves (they were made that way). This deviation from straight lines in the apparatus can provide for an aesthetically pleasing, unusual or interesting monkey bar frame 10. In Figure 2, the apparatus 10 is shown with cover 16 shown as see-though for clarity, and the kinked structure can be seen more clearly.

As seen for example in Figure 1C the shade cover 16 can be supported above the frame of the apparatus 10 using cover support beams 18 that are is elevated above the main frame structure. The elevation can allow struts 14 and ladder 15 to be used without risk of colliding with the cover 16. The elevation of the cover 16 can also be seen in Figure 3 which shows side views of the apparatus of Figure 1.

In the Figures, there are shown 4 shade cover support beams 18 arranged at corners of the frame to support a substantially square (Figure 4) shade cover 16. The support beams 18 are effectively extensions of support poles 12. As can be seen in Figure 3, by providing support beams 18 of various different length, and aesthetically pleasing tilt can be provided to the shade cover 16. This can assist in run off of rain water. The tilted orientation of the shade cover may also means it collects less debris and is less affected by cross winds.

The playground apparatus is shown on the ground 8. The frame of apparatus 10 has upright poles 12 with lower portions 24 that are splayed. The splay 24 can be an integral feature of the pole 12 (it was formed that way) or it can be a length of pole 12 added to another length via a connector 22 at which connection point there is an angle. As a result of the splayed poles

12+24, the surface area covered by the dotted base of the frame shown in Figure 1C is larger than the surface area towards the top of the frame. For additional stability, extension legs 20 are included on the outside surface of the frame. These extension legs 20 even further increase the surface area of the base of the frame 10, and can assist in making the frame portable. The frame is more portable when the base is expanded in surface area, because it is less likely to topple over during use because of the additional stability provided by the extension legs 20. Each of the poles 12, 12' that contact ground 8 can have a foot to increase the surface area of contact with the io ground.

Figure 5 is a prototype of the apparatus 10 depicted in the Figures 1 to 4. It should be understood that Figure 5 is not to scale and is included for illustrative purposes only.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Any promises made in the present description should be understood to relate to some embodiments of the invention, and are not intended to be promises made about the invention. Where there are promises that are deemed to apply to all embodiments of the invention, the right is reserved to later delete those promises from the description since there is no intention to rely on those promises for the acceptance or subsequent grant of a patent unless the context makes clear otherwise.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A playground apparatus comprising monkey bars, wherein the monkey bars comprise a frame structure formed from a plurality of rigid immobile upright support poles, and a plurality of rigid struts arranged relative to the upright support poles and configured to allow a user to grasp and swing from the struts, a cover over a substantial portion of the frame structure; a plurality of cover support beams supporting the cover; wherein the cover support beams are arranged so as to elevate the cover above the frame structure so that, in use, the user can grasp and swing underneath the plurality of struts while being covered by the cover.

2. The playground apparatus of claim 1, wherein the elevation of the cover above the frame structure at its highest most point is at least about 30% the length of the average length of the upright support poles.

3. The playground apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the upright support poles have a top end comprising the cover, and a bottom end at the ground, and wherein the bottom ends of the upright support poles are splayed.

4. A playground apparatus comprising monkey bars, wherein the monkey bars comprise a frame structure formed from a plurality of rigid upright support poles, and a plurality of struts arranged relative to the upright support poles and configured to allow a user to grasp and swing from the struts, a cover over a substantial portion of the frame structure; wherein the upright support poles have a top end comprising the cover, and a bottom end at the ground, and wherein the bottom ends of the upright support poles are splayed and further comprise extension legs attached thereto to further increase the surface area of the apparatus on the ground.

5. The playground apparatus of claim 4, wherein there are a plurality of cover support beams supporting the cover, and wherein the cover support beams are arranged so as to elevate the cover above the frame structure.