EP0840637B1 - Artificial hand- and foothold for climbing practice - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/FR96/01067 Sec. 371 Date Apr. 2, 1998 Sec. 102(e) Date Apr. 2, 1998 PCT Filed Jul. 9, 1996 PCT Pub. No. WO97/02870 PCT Pub. Date Jan. 30, 1997An artificial hand and foothold for climbing practice, comprising a block provided with means for attachment to a wall, and a recess for housing a removable plate with recognition means, such that the plate may be easily but not accidentally removed. The hand and foothold is useful as a teaching medium adding an educational aspect to sporting activities and motivating young students to learn rock climbing, and is suitable for cultural and sporting activities.

Description

The invention is in the field of physical and sporting activities, and its purpose is artificial grip for learning to climb, for young children in particular.

We know catches of the kind, generally made up of a block provided with means for fixing to a wall, bolting in particular. The block presents on its periphery hollow reliefs for the passage of fingers, to provide grip for a climber.

Learning to climb is popular with young children for the development of their motor skills. We know more particularly taken whose block has a familiar conformation, such as a car, to be easily seen by young people children.

A problem to be solved lies in the lasting lack of attention from young students for a sustained activity, and in the weariness induced by a known and familiar arrangement of the sockets on the wall.

A first object of the invention is to offer an artificial grip for learning climbing to capture and maintain attention young students, and also allowing to renew quickly the possible routes on a wall.

A second object of the invention is to offer an artificial grip allowing, from a basic activity based on climbing, to develop other types of learning.

By patent FR 2 578 166, we know an artificial grip according to the preamble of claim 1.

According to the invention, an artificial grip for learning to climb including a block, of any shape, provided with fixing means to a wall, and comprising at least one recess leading to one of its accessible sides after the attachment of the block to the wall is characterized in that a removable plate with recognition means is housed inside of said recess, said plate comprising at least one member participating in removable connection means to the block, so that the removal of the wafer from the block is easy, thanks to said removable connection means, but nevertheless voluntary, thanks to its situation inside the block, which avoids its unexpected withdrawal.

It follows from these provisions, in first place that a catch can be recognized, among a plurality of sockets equipping the wall, by a student in the courtyard of its progression along the latter, and finally that a thematic route can be determined beforehand by an educator, and secondly that the brochure can be easily installed and / or removed from the housing, either by the student during his progression, either by the educator in to vary routes quickly and easily possible along the wall.

We will understand by removable link a bond which can be voluntarily and easily broken, and / or inversely restored, and which can either be manual, or assisted by mechanical means, the so-called rupture should nevertheless be easy.

According to a first example of realization of said removable connection means, these are means, called weak link, that is to say authorizing a manual removal of the insert under the effect of a slight traction; for example the so-called weak bonding means are constituted by magnetic type means, or type Velcro straps (eg "Velcro", brand filed), i.e. using two supports cooperants reported respectively on the block and the plaque, one with claws and the other with loops, or of the type by interlocking in contact slightly narrow of the plate inside the housing, said nesting can be incidentally achieved by through a clip.

According to another exemplary embodiment said removable connection means, these are means, so-called strong bonds, i.e. not authorizing a withdrawal of the wafer only with the assistance of a tool. For example, the said strong bonding means consist of hot melt adhesive, or are of the screw type. We will understand that in this case, and without deviating from the rule general of the invention, the presence of the housing in the block to protect the wafer from impacts, which can induce its unexpected withdrawal is no longer compulsory, although always desired.

• Les moyens de liaison faible sont destinés à permettrent non seulement l'interchangeabilité régulière des plaquettes d'un ensemble de blocs équipant une paroi, mais encore un retrait des plaquettes par un élève au cours de sa progression, soit par exemple pour qu'il ramène un ensemble de plaquettes dont les moyens de reconnaissance ont un thème commun, tel qu'une couleur ou encore un sujet, fleur par exemple ou nombre, soit encore pour occuper temporairement une main de l'élève en vue de le familiariser à une telle situation.
• Les moyens de liaison forte sont destinés à permettre l'interchangeabilité régulière des plaquettes d'un ensemble de blocs équipant une paroi, sans pour autant autoriser leur retrait par les élèves.

It will be understood that the choice between the alternative weak and / or strong link means depends on the secondary result sought by the user:

• The weak connection means are intended to allow not only the regular interchangeability of the plates of a set of blocks equipping a wall, but also a withdrawal of the plates by a pupil during his progress, that is for example so that he brings back a set of plates whose means of recognition have a common theme, such as a color or a subject, flower for example or number, or even to temporarily occupy a hand of the pupil in order to familiarize him with such a situation .
• The strong connection means are intended to allow regular interchangeability of the plates of a set of blocks equipping a wall, without allowing their removal by the students.

Preferably, the block comprises at minus a notch at the edge of the housing, so gripping and removing the insert facilities, thanks to the possibility of dragging a nail and / or a finger in the said notch.

According to nonlimiting examples of different embodiments of said means of recognition, these are means of the group of those including the color of the plate, an image and / or a symbol reproduced on and / or attached to the plate. In all the cases, it is desirable that the plate is of the same shape to allow interchangeability between a plurality of wafers comprising recognition means respective.

la fig.1 est une vue en perspective éclatée d'une prise artificielle selon une première forme de réalisation de l'invention,

la fig.2 est une vue en perspective d'une même prise assemblée,

la fig.3 est une vue en perspective éclatée d'une prise artificielle selon une deuxième forme de réalisation de l'invention, préférée.

The present invention will be better understood, and details will be apparent from the description which will be made of preferred embodiments, in relation to the figures in the accompanying sheet, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an artificial socket according to a first embodiment of the invention,

fig.2 is a perspective view of the same assembled socket,

Fig.3 is an exploded perspective view of an artificial socket according to a second embodiment of the invention, preferred.

In the figures, a socket artificial climbing learning is like comprising a block 2 intended to be attached to a wall, by bolting 4 in particular.

The inventive step consisted in provide said block with a removable member for its identification and its recognition, the said organ comprising removable connection means allowing its removal from the block, and / or vice versa its placement on the block, voluntarily by the pupils and / or the educator, with a view to motivate students and / or use climbing as a tool educational by association of images for teaching other disciplines.

According to the exemplary embodiments of the invention shown in the figures, a recess (6) is formed in the block to accommodate a plate 8,10,12 or still 18 on which appears a figurine 20, for example flowers as shown in the illustrated examples.

Platelets 8, 10, 12 and 18 are removable so that they can be removed, either by a student during of its progression on the wall, either with a view to interchanging 12 images reported on the different sockets fitted a wall and / or add new images to the shots 12.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, the wafer consists of two discs 8 and 10, called respectively rear 8 and front 10, superimposed and fixed to each other. Between the discs 8 and 10 is inserted an image 12 forming said means of recognition, the disc before 10 at less being transparent; according to an advantageous form of realization, discs 8 and 10 are developed in terms of transparent synthetic, from the polymethacrylate group especially. The means for fixing the block 2 to the wall being common type by bolting 4, the connecting means of the plate 8, 10, 12 in block 2 are advantageously made up by a magnet 14 attached to the rear face of the disc rear 8, said magnet 14 cooperating with the bolt head fixing 4 of block 2 to the wall.

Note that the means of recognition can also be trained not only by other means of visual recognition, such as from a coloring of the plate or by a figurine reported, in particular by collage, or even by reproduction or by engraving an image on the brochure, but also by means of recognition using other senses of human perception, such as sound or means of recognition by touch.

On the illustrated embodiment in fig. 3, it will be noted that the means of recognition may consist of an identification figure 20 of a specific block 2, the latter incorporating a copy 26 of the same symbol.

On this same example of realization illustrated in fig. 3, a climbing hold according to another embodiment of the invention comprises a plate formed of a flexible sheet 18 provided with said means of recognition 20 on its face, called the front, the so-called means of recognition 20 being provided by screen printing such as shown in the figure, or even being reported by means with an adhesive film, and being covered with a coating 24 of transparent protective resin, in particular of polyurethane.

In these same figures, the means of connection of the wafer to the block are advantageously constituted by the said sheet 18 itself participating in the wafer, the latter 18 being a magnetic sheet, and by a metal plate 22 held at the bottom of the recess 6, by gluing or embedding in the latter 6 by example.

Note that thanks to these provisions, the position of the opening of the recess 6 on the front face of the block can be arbitrary, insofar as it is no longer subject to that of the fixing means 4 block 2 on the wall, unlike the socket illustrated in fig. 1 and 2.

We will finally notice on the whole of the figures the desired presence of a couple of notches, such as 16, making it easier to grip and remove the brochure 8,10,12.

Claims (6)

1. Artificial hand- and foothold for climbing practice, comprising a block (2), of any shape, provided with means (4) of fastening it to a wall, the block (2) comprising at least one recess (6) opening in one of its faces accessible subsequent to fastening of the block (2) to the wall, characterised in that:

   a removable insert (8, 10, 12; 18; 24) provided with means of identification (20) is accommodated inside said recess (6), said insert (8, 10, 12; 18, 24) comprising at least one member (14, 18) constituting part of means (4, 14; 18, 22) for detachable connection to the block (2),

   in such a way that extraction of the insert (8, 10, 12; 18) from the block (2) is easy, owing to said detachable connecting means (4, 14; 18, 22), but nonetheless deliberate, owing to its situation inside the block (2), which protects it.
2. A climbing hand- or foothold according to claim 1, characterised in that
      the means (4, 14; 18, 22) for detachably connecting the insert (8, 10, 12; 18, 24) to the block (2) are any one of the group of such means comprising magnetic means, means of the hook-and-loop tape type, click-fitting and hot-melt adhesive.
3. A climbing hand- or foothold according to claim 1, characterised in that

   the block (2) comprises at least one scalloped area (16) at the edge of the receptacle (6),

   in such a way that gripping and withdrawal of the insert (8, 10, 12; 18, 24) are facilitated by the possibility of sliding a nail and/or a finger into said scalloped area (16).
4. A climbing hand- or foothold according to claim 1, characterised in that
      said means of identification belong to the group comprising the colour of the insert, a picture (12, 20; Figs. 1 and 2) and/or a symbol reproduced on (20; Fig. 3) and/or attached to the insert (8, 10, 12; 18, 24).
5. A climbing hand- or foothold according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that (Fig. 3):
      the insert takes the form of a magnetic sheet (18) provided with said means of identification (20), which are covered with a coating (24) of transparent protective resin.
6. A climbing hand- or foothold according to claim 5, characterised in that
      the means for detachably connecting the insert to the block link said magnetic sheet (18) forming the insert and a metal plate (22) held at the bottom of the recess (6) formed in the block (2).

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