CA2527749A1

CA2527749A1 - Trampoline with rod locking edge fittings

Info

Publication number: CA2527749A1
Application number: CA002527749A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Keith Vivian Alexander
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Board and Batten International Inc
Priority date: 2003-05-30
Filing date: 2004-05-31
Publication date: 2004-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 2024-05-31
Also published as: WO2004105886A2; WO2004105886A3; EP1628715B1; EP1628715A4; CA2527749C; AU2004243128A1; AU2004243128B2; EP1628715A2

Abstract

A trampoline of the type comprising a flexible mat (1), a plurality of resiliently flexible rods (2) each having a lower end retained in a frame (3) of the trampoline and upper end, and a plurality of fittings (6) coupled to the mat about a periphery of the mat and including on or in an underside of each fitting a socket cavity (10) which receives the upper end of a flexible rod so that the upper ends of the flexible rods are pivotally connected to the periphery of the mat, also includes a latch member (15) movable between an open position which enables the upper end of a flexible rod to be engages into the socket cavity of the fitting to connect the rod and fitting and a locked position in which the latch member locks the upper end of the rod in the socket cavity.

Claims

1. A trampoline including:
a flexible mat, a plurality of resiliently flexible rods each having a lower end retained in a frame of the trampoline and upper end, and a plurality of fittings coupled to the mat about a periphery of the mat and including on or in an underside of each fitting a socket cavity which receives the upper end of a flexible rod so that the upper ends of the flexible rods are pivotally connected to the periphery of the mat, the fitting also including a latch member movable between an open position which enables the upper end of a flexible rod to be engaged into the socket cavity of the fitting to connect the rod and fitting and a locked position in which the latch member locks the upper end of the rod in the socket cavity.

2. A trampoline according to claim 1 wherein the latch member includes a part which facilitates movement manually of the latch member between its open and locked positions.

3. A trampoline according to claim 2 wherein said part which facilitates movement manually of the latch member comprises a tab which is able to be moved manually from the exterior of the fitting.

4. A trampoline according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the latch member includes a detent part which protrudes into an entry to the socket cavity of the fitting when the latch member is in its locked position.

5. A trampoline according to claim 4 wherein the detent part of the latch member is spring biased towards its locked position.

6. A trampoline according to claim 5 wherein the latch member is moulded from a plastics material and comprises an integral plastics spring portion of the latch member.

7. A trampoline according to either one of claims 5 and 6 wherein the detent part of the latch member is arranged to be overridden from its locked position towards its open position when the upper end of a flexible rod is initially entered into the fitting, by contact between the upper end of the rod and the detent part of the latch member, and is spring biased to return to its locked position once the rod upper end has passed over the detent part of the latch member and entered fully home into the socket cavity of the fitting.

8. A trampoline according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the latch member is housed within a slot or aperture in the fitting which is open on one side to the socket cavity of the fitting and another side to the exterior of the fitting.

9. A trampoline according to claim 8 when dependent on claim 2 wherein said part which facilitates movement manually of the latch member does not extend beyond the external periphery of the fitting.

10. A trampoline according to claim 1 wherein the latch member is mounted for pivotal movement between its open and locked positions at or towards a proximal end of the latch member, and the latch member has a distal end which is clear of an entry to the socket cavity of the fitting to enable the upper end of a rod to be engaged into the socket cavity when the latch member is in its open position, and which engages over said entry to the socket cavity of the fitting when the latch member is in its locked position to prevent separation of the rod upper end from the fitting, when the latch member is in its locked position.

11. A trampoline according to claim 10 wherein the pivotal axis of the latch member is approximately parallel to the plane of the mat.

12. A trampoline according to either one of claims 10 and 11 wherein the distal end of the latch member has an angled forward face arranged to be contacted by the upper end of a flexible rod when the rod upper end is initially engaged with the fitting and the latch member is in its closed position so that engagement of the rod upper end against

13 said angled face of the latch member will cause the latch member to pivotally move towards its open position to enable the rod upper end to be engaged fully home into the socket cavity of the fitting.
13. A trampoline according to claim 12 wherein the proximal end of the latch member includes a part which extends into the socket cavity of the fitting when the latch member is in its open position and which when contacted by the upper end of a rod on engagement of the rod into the socket cavity of the fitting and as the rod upper end is pushed fully home into the socket cavity of the fitting, will cause the latch member to pivot to or towards its locked position.

14. A trampoline according to claim 1 wherein the latch member has an arcuate in shape and is mounted for pivotal movement between its open and locked positions about an axis which extends through the socket cavity of the fitting.

15. A trampoline according to claim 14 wherein the latch member is spring biased towards its locked position.

16. A trampoline according to claim 15 wherein the latch member is moulded from a plastics material and comprises an integral plastics spring portion of the latch member.

17. A trampoline according to either one of claims 15 and 16 wherein the latch member is arranged to be overridden from its locked position towards its open position when the upper end of a flexible rod is initially entered into the fitting by contact between the upper end of the rod and the latch member and is spring biased to return to its locked position once the rod upper end has entered fully home into the socket cavity of the fitting.

18. A trampoline according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fittings have an outer edge adjacent an outer edge of the mat, which outer edge of the fittings is wider approximately in the plane of the mat than an inner edge of the fittings.

19. A trampoline according to claim 18 wherein the widest dimension of the fittings approximately in the plane of the mat is at an outer edge of the fittings closest to an outer edge of the mat.

20. A trampoline according to any one of claims 1 to 19 wherein the fittings have an approximate truncated triangular shape in plan view.

21. A trampoline according to any one of claims 1 to 20 wherein the fittings are positioned within a pocket or pockets in or adjacent the peripheral edge of the mat.

22. A trampoline according to claim 21 wherein a part of the mat defining the pocket or pockets wraps around the outer edge of the fittings.

23. A trampoline according to any one of claims 1 to 22 wherein the fittings are stitched to the mat or otherwise mechanically fastened to the mat.

24. A trampoline according to any one of claims 1 to 23 wherein a part of the each fitting which defines the socket cavity in or on the underside of the fitting, which receives the enlarged upper end of a flexible rod, depends downwardly from the underside of the fitting.