EP0796641A1

EP0796641A1 - Roller track, assembly parts thereof and method for manufacturing there parts

Info

Publication number: EP0796641A1
Application number: EP97200819A
Authority: EP
Inventors: François Mastbooms
Original assignee: Sebregts Cynthia
Current assignee: SEBREGTS, CYNTHIA
Priority date: 1996-03-19
Filing date: 1997-03-18
Publication date: 1997-09-24
Also published as: DE796641T1; ES2111514T1; BE1010123A3

Abstract

Roller track containing at least one part (3-3A-3B) with a bent roller surface, characterized in that this part (3-3A-3B) consists of a bent plate (4), which is mainly exclusively supported by curved laths (5) which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate (4).

Description

The invention concerns a roller track, in particular what is called a ramp, as well as the assembly parts of this roller track and a method to manufacture these parts.
In particular, the invention concerns roller tracks which are designed for sportive and creative activities, whereby one rolls up and down against an inclined plane, or between two planes situated opposite one and other, for example with roller skates, a skate board, a bicycle, etc.
Such roller tracks can be made of wood or metal.
In the conventional metal embodiments, the parts which are provided with a bent roller surface are made by bending several struts, by fixing them to one another by means of cross connections and by subsequently providing a metal plate over them.
The wooden embodiments are usually built up systematically on the spot. Hereby, a frame is first built, and several cross-laths are fixed on this frame, upon which plates are then placed.
Due to the fact that cross connections are provided under the plates in the metal embodiments, and cross-laths in the wooden embodiments, there is a disadvantage to the use of such a roller track after a certain time, in that rills are formed since the plate starts to sag between the cross connections, the cross laths respectively.
Further, the metal embodiments are also disadvantageous in that special bending machines must be provided to bend the above-mentioned metal struts, as a result of which the cost price of such a metal roller track increases significantly.
The metal embodiments are also disadvantageous in that they are heavy and are usually only suitable for fixed arrangements. They are also disadvantageous in that they are less comfortable in use, as metal is less resilient than wood.
Apart from the above-mentioned disadvantage, the known wooden embodiments are also disadvantageous in that the systematic construction thereof is time-consuming.
Known embodiments of roller tracks are described among others in documents DE-U-9010527, DE-U-9112648 and FR-A-2.440.756.
According to the embodiment described in DE-U-9010527, the supporting cross struts are provided under the bent roller surface, which has the disadvantageous result that, as mentioned above, rills are formed in the roller surface after a while.
According to DE-U-9112648, the whole is supported by means of a construction of longitudinal and cross walls fitting in one another. The cross walls have the same disadvantage as the cross struts used according to DE-U-9010527.
A roller track is known from FR-A-2.440.756 which consists of several fitting parts, whereby at the ends of these parts are also provided supporting cross connections, which also results in the formation of the above-mentioned rills.
The invention aims a roller track in which one or several of the above-mentioned disadvantages are excluded.
To this end, the invention concerns a roller track, in particular a roller track containing at least one part with a bent roller surface, characterized in that this part consists of at least one bent plate, which is mainly supported by curved laths which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate.
As a result, the plate concerned is only supported mainly by laths which extend according to the predominant rolling direction, which offers the advantage that no rills can be formed crosswise on the rolling direction.
It should be noted that the use of cross laths with a non-supporting function, or with a hardly supporting function, is not excluded according to the invention. Cross laths or cross struts may be fixed for example under the bent plate, but for example not linked to the above-mentioned curved laths.
Preferably, the laths are formed by sawing or cutting them or such in a bent shape out of a material, in particular a material layer. This offers the advantage that the use of expensive bending machines can be excluded.
Although the above-mentioned curved laths are relatively narrow, the invention does not exclude embodiments in which these laths are wider and thus more explicitly have the section of a strut or a beam.
According to the most preferred embodiment, the parts of the roller track which form the roller surface are made as self-supporting elements, so that a complex substructure is no longer required.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the roller track is composed of modules, whereby each module is built up in the above-mentioned manner.
Thanks to the fact that the parts are designed as self-supporting elements and are moreover modular, the roller tracks concerned according to the invention can be very easily transported, quickly assembled and also quickly disassembled, which is especially important in the case of temporary arrangements.
It should be noted that the roller surface of each module may consists of a single plate as well as of several plates fixed next to one another.
It should also be noted that by the term "roller surface" is not necessarily meant the final top surface of the roller track. Actually, the above-mentioned bent plate is meant by it. It is clear that a top layer can possibly be provided on this plate.
The invention also concerns a method for composing such a part of a roller track, characterized in that it consists in successively shaping a number of laths which show a curvature on at least one side, bending a plate and fixing the bent plate and the laths to one another.
According to the most preferred embodiment, the roller track, in particular the assembly parts thereof, are made of wood, so that very light and easily manageable parts in the shape of panels are obtained.
However, this does not imply that embodiments made of other materials such as metal or plastic are excluded from the invention.
The invention also concerns a roller track which is characterized in that at least the roller surface is formed of pre-shaped, wooden modules, whereby these modules are preferably but not necessarily composed of bent plates which, as mentioned above, are fixed on laths which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate. Regardless of the manner in which these modules are built, such a structure of wooden modules offers the advantage that such a roller track can be quickly assembled and disassembled again, and moreover can be easily transported.
In order to better explain the characteristics of the invention, the following preferred embodiment is described as an example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a roller track according to the invention in perspective;
figure 2 shows a section according to line II-II in figure 1 to a larger scale;
figure 3 shows a view of the part which is indicated by F3 in figure 2, to a strongly enlarged scale;
figure 4 shows a section according to line IV-IV in figure 3;
figures 5 and 6 show the part which is indicated by F5 in figure 1, the top side and the bottom side thereof respectively;
figure 7 schematically illustrates the method according to the invention in several steps.

As represented in figure 1, the invention concerns a roller track 1. In the example represented, this roller track 1 is composed of a flat part 2 and upward directed parts 3 on both sides thereof as represented.
As represented in figures 2 to 6, the invention is special in that use is hereby made of upward directed parts 3 which are composed of a bent plate 4, which is mainly exclusively supported by curved laths 5 which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate 4 or the rolling direction R. Also, preferably, no or no significant cross connection is provided under the bent plate 4 which has a supporting function in relation to the plate 4.
The different laths 5 are preferably provided at equal distances D from one another and extend over almost the entire length L of the plate 4. The outer laths 5 are situated on or practically on the longitudinal edges 6-7 of the plate 4 concerned.
The laths 5 may have a rectangular or square section. Preferably, however, in order to obtain an optimal support with a minimal weight, use is made of a rectangular section and the laths 5 as represented in figure 4 are provided standing against the back side 8 of the plate 4 concerned.
According to the most preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned parts 3, and preferably also all the other assembly parts of the roller track 1, consist of wood, so that these parts have a small weight and remain easy to be transported.
The use of wood for the laths 5 is also advantageous in that these laths 5 can be easily made by sawing them in a fitting manner from a plate or such, without any difficult techniques being required. According to a preferred embodiment, they are made of laminated plates, such as what is called multi-ply.
Such wooden laths 5 also make it possible for the plate 4 to be fixed in a simple manner on the laths 5 by means of screws 9.
The use of wood for the plates 4 is advantageous in that a tension is created during the bending which promotes the rigidity of the whole. A wooden plate 4 also offers the advantage that it can be bent very evenly, without any danger of buckling.
For the plates 4, use is preferably also made of a laminated and glued material, such as what is called multi-ply, as this provides a tremendous rigidity.
In the case where the roller track 1 also contains flat parts 2, these parts will be preferably built up in a similar manner, with a roller surface formed of one or several plates 10 which are mainly, and preferably exclusively, supported by laths 11 extending in the longitudinal direction.
The whole is preferably designed in a modular way, so that the roller track can be easily built up and disassembled on the one hand, and so that its size and design can be easily changed by using more or less modules, formed by the parts 2 and 3 respectively as represented, on the other hand.
Thus, the roller track 1 can for example easily be extended sideways by applying modules next to one another, as is schematically represented in figure 1 by means of the parts 2A and 3A.
Not all modules, parts 2-3 and 2A-3A respectively, must be equally large. According to a preferred embodiment, the roller track 1 contains a number of extra curved parts 3B, Which are built up in an analogous manner as the above-mentioned parts 3, but which are smaller in size, and which as represented in figure 2 make it possible to extend the roller track 1 in the height.
As is represented in figures 5 and 6, the roller surface of each module preferably consists of only one plate 4, such that there are no seams in one and the same module.
Preferably, the bent parts 3-3A-3B are supported by standing plates 12 which are provided with a curved cut 13 upon which the parts 3-3A-3B are simply placed. The parts 3-3A-3B are hereby screwed to the plates 12 for example, since these plates 12 are placed against a lath 5 and screws 14 are screwed through it.
The plates 12 are preferably shaped such that a horizontal or almost horizontal edge 15 is connected to the top end of the cut 13, which forms a support for a platform 16, such that no separate supporting structure must be built to this end.
In the case of a rather high roller track, plates 17 which, as represented in figure 2, have a back edge 18 which is tapered slantingly towards the bottom, are preferably used in order to obtain a better support.
The different parts 2-2A-3-3A-3B can be easily coupled to one another by means of coupling elements which provide a connection on the spot where the edges of the plates concerned of these parts are to be linked together. As is represented in figure 3, these coupling elements consist of a preferred embodiment made of wooden slats 19 which are fixed to the bottom side of the plates 4-10 concerned by means of screws 20.
When manufacturing the above-mentioned parts 3-3A-3B, a method is preferably applied which, as represented in figure 7, mainly consists of forming a number of laths 5 in a first step 21 which show a curvature on at least one side 22; of bending a plate 4 in a second step 23; and of fixing the plate 4 and the laths 5 together in a third step 24.
Both the plate 4 and the laths 5 preferably consist of wood, in particular what is called multi-ply, preferably of the water-resistant type.
The laths 5 are preferably formed by sawing them from a plate 25, for example a wooden plate.
The plate 4 is preferably bent by drawing both its ends 26-27 towards one another. As is represented in figure 7, this can be done in a little time-consuming manner by providing one or several straps 28, ropes or such around the plate 4 and by tightening them, possibly by means of stretching means 29.
The plate 4 is bent such that a curvature is formed which coincides or almost coincides with the curvature of the above-mentioned sides 22.
In the final step 24, the curved plate 4 is placed on the curved laths 5 and then fixed onto them, which is realized according to the simplest embodiment by driving screws through the plate 4 in the laths 5 in different places as indicated by the arrows 30.
The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described as an example and represented in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a roller track 1, the assembly parts 2-3-3A-3B and the above-mentioned method can be made in all sorts of variants while still remaining within the scope of the invention.

Claims

Roller track containing at least one part (3-3A-3B) with a bent roller surface, characterized in that this part (3-3A-3B) consists of a bent plate (4), which is mainly exclusively supported by curved laths (5) which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate (4).
Roller track according to claim 1, characterized in that the parts (2-2A-3-3A-3B) which form the roller surface of the roller track (1) are made as self-supporting elements.
Roller track according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plate (4) concerned is exclusively supported by laths (5) which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate (4).
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the laths (5) have a rectangular section and in that they are provided standing against the backside (8) of the plate (4) concerned.
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plates (4) and the laths (5) are made of wood.
Roller track according to claim 5, characterized in that the plates (4) consist of a glued, laminated plate material, preferably what is called multi-ply.
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plates (4) are screwed on the laths (5).
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the laths (5) extend over the entire or almost the entire length (L) of the part (3-3A-3B) concerned, and in that these laths (5) are provided sideways at equal distances (D) from one another.
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has one or several flat parts (2)
which are built up in a similar manner as the bent parts (3-3A-3B), in other words which consist of a roller surface formed of one or several plates (10) which are mainly, and preferably exclusively, supported by and are fixed upon laths (11) extending in the usual rolling direction (R).
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the above-mentioned parts (2-2A-3-3A-3B) are built up in the form of modules, which only have to be placed in the right position in order to build up the roller track (1).
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it contains parts (3B) with which the roller track (1) can be either or not extended in the height.
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the above-mentioned bent parts (3-3A-3B) are supported by standing plates (12) in which is provided a curved cut (13).
Roller track according to claim 12, characterized in that the plates (12-17) are provided with a horizontal or almost horizontal edge (15) which is connected to the top end of the cut (13) and which makes it possible to provide a platform (16) onto it.
Roller track according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the different parts (2-2A-3-3A-3B) are connected to one another by means of coupling elements which are fixed against the bottom side of the plates (4-10) of the parts (2-2A-3-3A-3B) to be connected.
Roller track, characterized in that at least its roller surface is formed of pre-shaped wooden modules.
Assembly part for manufacturing a roller track as described in claims 1 to 15, characterized in that it consists of a bent part (3-3A-3B) which is formed of at least one bent plate (4), which is mainly exclusively supported by the curved laths (5) which mainly extend in the direction of the curvature of the bent plate (4).
Method for manufacturing an assembly part of a roller track, in particular a bent part according to claim 16, characterized in that it consists of successively forming a number of laths (5) which show a curvature on at least one side (22); of bending a plate (4); and of fixing the plate (4) and the laths (5) together.
Method according to claim 17, characterized in that the assembly part (3-3A-3B) is entirely made of wood.
Method according to claim 18, characterized in that the laths (5) are sawn from a plate (25).
Method according to any of claims 17 to 19, characterized in that the plate (4) is bent by drawing both its ends (26-27) towards one another by providing one or several straps (28), ropes or such around the plate (4) and by tightening them, possibly by means of stretching means (29), preferably until it is curved such that its curvature coincides or almost coincides with the curvature of the laths (5).