EP0161379A1

EP0161379A1 - Minigolf system with prefabricated elements

Info

Publication number: EP0161379A1
Application number: EP84830167A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gianni Ghebioni; Tiziano Ghebbioni
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-04-13
Filing date: 1984-06-01
Publication date: 1985-11-21
Also published as: IT8448033A1; IT1180703B; IT8448033A0

Abstract

Minigolf system comprising several tradks, each of which is a prefabricated element made of multiple layers of fiber-glass or compact polyurethane, with sliding plane covered or not, with elastomers and/or carpet; said tracks may be applied to a smoothed and levelled base of plane or sand concrete, by means of botts (anchors) sunk in said base and passing through suitable openings made on the edges of the tracks themselves, fixed by means of hard plastic nuts.

Description

The invention concerns series of tracks which.can form a complete minigolf installation, comprising multiple layers of fiber-glass compact polyurethane, or other synthetic material, put in place by casting or injection, with an uncovered or elastomer-covered sliding plane.
It is known that minigolf installation are currently built by forming the various tracks on site with cement or by prefabricating the elements with cement and then putting them in place on site.
It is obvious that the cost of producing the cement tracks of either type is very high. Furthermore, trasporting the prefabricted elements is difficult due to their great weight.
Moreover, the cement tracks are subject to continuous thermal variations from day to night and are exposed to atmospheric agents, with the result that they crack frequently and require continuous maintenance, if not replacement.
The aim of this invention is to realize a minigolf game park with prefabricated elements which are portable, lightweight, and readily assembled and disassembled.
This aim is achieved with a series of elements comprising multiple layers of fiber-glass covered on the upper outer layer with gelcoat, with sliding planes either uncovered or covered with elastomers like polyurethane, synthetic rubber or the like, or even covered with carpet.
The elements may also be made of compact polyurethane or other synthetic material, put in place by casting and by injection.
All the tracks, although differing in specific shapes, have a common structure comprising several homogeneous layers of biber-glass, -compact polyurethane, or ohher synthetic material put in place on site by casting or by injection, to form a corridor equipped at the beginning with a sheet with the starting point and along its length with various obstacles placed in the plane and above it, and connected to the circular, triangular or polygonal arrival area, characterized by a width preferably double that of the corridor.
A further characteristic of the invention consists of the fact that the tracks are put in place with preferably galvanized bolts (anchors) sunk dufing construction in the application base, consisting of a smooth and levelled layer of plane or sand concrete, and able to be inserted in suitable openings arranged as needed on the outer edges of the track; hard plastic nuts are screwed onto the bolts to allow rapid assembly of the various elements and eventual disassembly at the end of the season.
Some purely exemplifying but preferred embodiments of the invention are presented in the attached drawings, which shew:

- figure 1, an axonometric cu:away showing the layers forming each track;
- figure 2, an axon&metric view of the transverse cutaway of the corridor in every track;
- figure 3, an axonometric explosion of--a bolt (anchor) in place;
- figure 4, flat and side views of various shaped possible tracks or elements.

The figures show in detail the overlying layers 1 of fiber-glass with upper layer of gel-coat 2 forming the flat sliding plane, with outlets 3 for rain water drainage, and also forming the side edges 4 of each track corridor, covered with the layer 5 of elastomer such as polyurethane, synthetic rubber or of carpet, with side openings 5A for the bolts (anchors), consisting of galvanized pin P and dowel T, fixed by menas of nuts D₁ and D₂.
of course the edges may be formed in a different way.
The several tracks of various shape indicated with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F; G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T and schematized in figure 4 all show the corridor with started 6, preferably made of a small alluminum sheet with the starting point indicated, and the circular 7, or triangular 8 arrival area (or any other shape), with a width preferably more than double that of the corridor with the hole at the end.
In particular, according to the invention, track A presents planimetric obstacles 9 triangular in structure, track C presents cylindrical and/or polygonal planimetric obstacles 10, track E has narrowings 11, track I has the diamond-shaped obstacle 12, and track O progressively narrows telescopically 13.
With regard to the obstacles,placed in the corridor in an altimetric sense, track B presents a rise with central depression 14, F has a rise with vertical pit 15, G has the rise 16 plus the inclined arrival are 17, H has planar vertical canalization 18 in parallel to the axis of the corridor, L has swelling 19, N has a rise with descending steps 20, Q has a bulRhead as portions of cylindrical surface 21 extending upward R has a rise with another central obstacle 22, S has an up ramp with basket 23 in the separate circular area 25, and T has the final complete ramp 26.
IH some structural variants of the tracks, the corridor is not aligned with the midpoint of the arrival area, as in track D with the corridor 27 in a bent line and the arrival area 28 in a spiral. In M and P, the corridor has a double right angle bend 29, and eventual intermediate obstacle 30.
With regard to the dimension of the tracks in the examples, these are preferably:
The elements are relatively .lightweight because of the reduced weight of their constituent materials.
Of couree, while the principle of the finding remains the same, the forms of realization and the details of construction may be widely varied with respect to that described and illustrated here, without going beyond the bounds of the present invention.

Claims

1. Minigolf installation with assemblable and disassembable elements characterized by the fact that said elements are prefabricated with multiple layers 1 of fiber-glass, with an upper layer of gelcoat 2, in a single block forming the side edges 4 of the corridor, covered by a layer 5 of elastomers and connected to an arrival area 7 double the width of the corridor and are applied by means of bolts sunk in a smoothed base of plane or sand concrete, inserted in suitable openings and blocked with hard plastic nuts.

2. Minigolf installation according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the elements are .prefabricated in polyurethane or analogous synthetic material, put in place by injection or casting.

3. Minigolf installation according bo claim 1 characterized by the fact that the edges, formed as small railings, do not form a single body with the corridor but are added later.

4. Minigolf installation according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the bolts, (anchors) inserted in lateral openings 5A in edges 4, consist of galvanized pin P and T and are fixed by means of nuts D₁ and D₂.

5. Minigolf installation according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the layer 5 is carpet.

6. Minigolf installation according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that the sliding plane is left uncovered.

7. Minigolf installation according to the preceding claims characterized by the presence of outlets in the base of the sliding plane for drainage of rain water.

8. Minigolf installation according to the preceding claims characterized by the fact that the tracks have planimetric obstacles 9; 10, 11, 12, 13, with triangular, cylindrical or polygonal structures, narrowings, or progressive narrowings.

9. Minigolf installation according to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4 characterized by the fact that the tracks present altimetric obstacles in the corridor 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 as rises, pits, ramps, canalized guides, vertical extensions.

10. Minigolf installation according to claim 1, 2, 3 and 4 characterized by the fact that the tracks have the corridor 27, 29 not aligned with the midpoint of the arrival area.