EP2027891B1

EP2027891B1 - Device for a floor

Info

Publication number: EP2027891B1
Application number: EP08162385A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stefan Giorgi
Original assignee: HGB Backstrand AB
Current assignee: HGB Backstrand AB
Priority date: 2007-08-24
Filing date: 2008-08-14
Publication date: 2011-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 2028-08-14
Also published as: SE0701920L; EP2027891A1; ATE506107T1; SE532228C2; DE602008006313D1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1) for a tumbling floor, which comprises an underbody having springy elements (4) resting thereon, such as glass fibre tubes attached to end portions. According to the invention, the underbody (3) is formed of reinforced foam elements and which reinforcement (9) is arranged to decrease the compression of the foam elements. Thereby, it is allowed to obtain a light but still strong tumbling floor, which does not collapse upon large load.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for a tumbling floor, which comprises an underbody formed of foam plastic or another similar elastic material and having springy elements resting thereon, such as glass fibre tubes attached to the end portions of the underbody.
Tumbling floors are used within the gymnastics in order to provide a floor or another similar substratum that has good bouncing and springing properties especially for the gymnastics class or skill tumbling where gymnasts can arrive at fantastic somersaults and other jump motions, which previously not have been possible to carry out from a floor. Such a tumbling floor, which for instance is shown in SE 526 997 C2 , is intended to easily be possible to be taken out and assembled, and easily be possible to be picked together after dismounting of the floor and be carried away, respectively. Such tumbling floors having steel rails become a more fixed construction, which does not need to be moved away in the hall it is used.
Prior art DE 26 38 968 A1 discloses an elastic tumbling floor having a spring-element on the bottom part and stretching across the floor of the bottom portion. An upperspring is connected to the underside of the upper portion of said floor. However said bottom spring element can't be embedded and protected in any compressible underbody which lightness as the bottom spring together with elastic footelements fastened to said bottom spring element forms and underbody of said heavy tumbling floor.
By utilizing tumbling floors comprising foam rails on which frames having transverse elastic plastic tubes rest, even children from approx. 10 year's of age can easily put out and dismount, respectively, an entire tumbling floor and also be able to carry the different parts included therein.
Tumbling floors, so-called POWER-TUMBLING™, in which foam rails are utilized, are used also by very big, sturdy and heavy gymnasts, which entails the risk of damaging subjacent underbodies, which are compressed and become damaged. If then underbodies of metal are utilized, the same become heavy, which entails that the floor becomes heavy and difficult to mount and dismount, respectively, and get the different parts in place for storage and use, respectively, where the gymnastics is exercised in, e.g., premises having parquet floors or plastic mat floors.
Therefore, the main object of the present invention is primarily to solve the problem by means of soft underbodies of foam plastic or another similar elastic material and prevent them from becoming compressed too much when they are loaded in connection with somersaults and other gymnastic jumps and exercises. Simultaneously, the problem should be solved without the parts becoming too heavy for children to move.
Said object is attained by means of a device according to the present invention, which essentially is characterized in the underbody element which is denominated the reinforcement is embedded in order to decrease the compression of said compressible and resilient material in the vertical direction.
The invention is described in the following such as a number of preferred embodiment examples, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 longitudinally shows an underbody having springy elements supported thereon,
Fig. 2 shows a section view along the line II-II in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 shows a view from above of a portion of a tumbling floor having springy tubular elements resting and supported on underbodies,
Fig. 4 schematically shows attachment of pair-wise springy tubular elements in a common end portion,
Figs. 5-6 show the invention with Fig. 5 showing a cross-sectional view of a reinforced underbody,
Fig. 6 shows in perspective view obliquely from above and in cross-section a reinforced underbody, and
Figs. 7-9 show additional pictures of the underbody and the interior thereof.

A device 1 for a tumbling floor 2 that comprises an underbody 3, which is formed of a common part or pair-wise parts co-operating with each other, having springy elastic elements 4 laid and resting thereon, such as glass fibre tubes, that are attached with the respective ends 5, 6 to end portions 7, 8 being shown hidden in Figs. 1-4. On top of said elements 4, mats, not shown, are arranged to be spread. However, it is shown illustrated in Figs. 5-6 that the underbody 3 is formed of reinforced foam elements. In doing so, the reinforcement 9 is arranged to decrease the compression of the foam elements in the vertical direction 10. Since the springy elements 4 preferably are formed of glass fibre tubes, also the reinforcement 9 is suitably formed of such glass fibre tubes, i.e., that the glass fibre reinforcement tubes 9 have equal diameter d as each other and as the diameter D of the springy horizontally supported glass fibre tubes 4.
Said glass fibre reinforcement tubes 9 are arranged to extend substantially vertically 10 between the lower situated support surface 11 of the underbody 3, which is used to raise the underbody 3 on a floor 12 or another suitable substratum, and the upper situated end-portion support surface 13 of the same, onto which the respective end portion 7, 8 is laid up to be supported by the same for carrying of the springy elements 4 clamped and attached therein. Preferably, said glass fibre reinforcement tubes 9, or other similar elastic elements, extend all the way S between said surfaces 11, 13.
Said glass fibre reinforcement tubes 9 are preferably evenly distributed along the length extension L of the respective foam element, for instance at a distance A of some decimetres and approximately right opposite where the end portions 7, 8 of the springy elements 4 will rest in the mounted position I, e.g., from a step 14 and downward.
In order for the glass fibre reinforcement tubes 9 to be properly fixed to the underbody 3, they may be glued on in holes 15 therein by means of a suitable glue 16. These may also be embedded into the foam material of said underbody, i.e., the foam elements 3.
To sum up, it may be said that the underbody 3 is formed of reinforced compressible resilient material and which reinforcement 9 is arranged to decrease the compression of compressible and resilient materials in the vertical direction 10. There, said reinforcement may be formed of stiff or resilient material and/or elements embedded therein, in the material of the underbody 3. Another equivalent material than glass fibre and foam material, respectively, may naturally be used for the reinforcement 9 and the underbody 3, respectively, e.g., rubber material being solid or hollow.
As reinforcement 9, stiffer material than glass fibre tubes may also be used, which upon fixed clamping in the lower end thereof will work as a fixed clamped standing beam, e.g., if it only is cast or glued at the bottom of the underbody 3.
Wood and other light material may come to be used as reinforcement, either as individual inserted pieces or as a common framework.
The function and nature of the invention should have been understood from the above-mentioned and with the aid of the accompanying figures, but the invention is naturally not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. Modifications are feasible, particularly as for the nature of the different parts, or by using an equivalent technique, without departing from the protection area of the invention, such as it is defined in the claims.

Claims

Device (1) for a tumbling floor (2), which comprises an underbody (3) formed of foam plastic or another similar elastic material and having springy elements (4) resting thereon, such as glass fibre tubes attached to the end portions (7, 8) of the underbody (3), characterized in that reinforcement elements (9) are embedded in the underbody (3) in order to decrease the compression of said compressible and resilient material in the vertical direction (10).
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said element (9), is formed of glass fibre tubes.
Device according to claim 2, characterized in that glass fibre reinforcement tubes (9) are arranged to extend substantially vertically (10) between the lower support surface (11) and upper end portion support surface (13) of the underbody (3).
Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said the glass fibre reinforcement tubes (9) extend all the way (s) between said surfaces (11, 13).
Device according to any one of the preceding claims 2-4, characterized in that said glass fibre reinforcement tubes (9) are distributed along the length extension (L) of the respective foam element (3).
Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the glass fibre reinforcement tubes (9) are evenly distributed.
Device according to any one of the preceding claims 2-6, characterized in that the reinforcing glass fibre tubes (9) have equal diameter (d) as each other and preferably equal diameter (D) as the horizontally supported glass fibre tubes (4).
Device according to any one of the preceding claims 3-7, characterized in that the glass fibre reinforcement tubes (9) are glued on and/or embedded in said foam elements (3).
Device according to claim 1, characterized in that stiffer material than glass fibre tubes is fixedly clamped in the lower end thereof to the underbody (3) in order to work as a fixedly clamped standing beam, by the fact that they are cast or glued on in the lower part of the underbody (3).