GB2236489A

GB2236489A - An adaptable play structure

Info

Publication number: GB2236489A
Application number: GB9021130A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Graham * Hudd Timothy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-09-29
Filing date: 1990-09-28
Publication date: 1991-04-10
Anticipated expiration: 2010-09-28
Also published as: GB9021130D0; GB8922053D0; GB2236489B

Abstract

An adaptable play structure for internal or external use, comprising a base (11) having a playing surface (13) and a plurality of upstanding panel fixing members 12, distributed over the base in a fixed regular grid extending in two dimensions over the base, and a plurality of panels 20-27 releasably connectable to selected pairs of panel fixing members 12 whereby to form a selectively changeable arrangement of panels to define a children's play area. Preferably the panel fixing members 12 comprise posts with up to 4 vertical slots into each of which the end of a panel may be inserted. Alternatively the posts may have spigots or sockets and the panels complementary members. <IMAGE>

Description

AN ADAPTABLE PLAY STRUCTURE The present invention relates in general to play equipment suitable for use by children, and in particular to an adaptable play structure which can provide a basic framework for imaginative play and creative learning.

Known play equipment includes post and panel structures which, however, suffer from a considerable complexity in manufacture and therefore a high expense, and also from a rigidity of form and lack of adaptability which therefore results in a tendency to stifle creativity and fail to maintain the stimulation of novelty. It is well known that children, especially very young children, learn rapidly and become bored very easily. For this reason it is essential that any play equipment forming a basic framework for their activities should be capable of maintaining a high degree of stimulation and be proof against becoming stale and boring due to its predictable familiarity.Known play equipment, for this reason, fails to provide children with the required level of adaptability and therefore does not stimulate the children's imagination nor does it adequately encourage and promote learning and organisation skills.

Fixed structures of the known post and panel type also have a practical disadvantage from the point of view of the enterprise, be it school, play group or other organisation, in that it takes up a considerable amount of space permanently and thereby effectively requires a high capital cost not only for its own acquisition but also for the acquisition and maintenance of an adequate amount of space, even if such space is not under cover.

The present invention seeks, therefore, to provide a versatile structure which can provide children with a very adaptable environment forming a changeable framework for their play activities, which can be modified as often as desired to a changed configuration thereby maintaining a high level of stimulation through novelty. It also allows a wide range of different play activities to be undertaken, even simultaneously, and the range of available options at any one session can be modified to take account of the immediate requirements of the children using or about to use the equipment.

According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, an adaptable play structure for internal or external use comprises a base with a plurality of panel fixing members in predetermined positions in two dimensions on the base, and a plurality of panels releasably connectable to selected panel fixing members whereby to form an arrangement of panels different from time to time so as to define a children's play area.

The panels may be fitted to the panel fixing members in such a way as to enclose the area completely and/or to sub-divide it into any desired combination of compartments which may be linked in any way chosen at the time. The panels, moreover, may be made to represent any one of a number of available options serving not only as partitions, but also as representations of components of a larger structure including components having elements within them which are openable, for example in the way of doors, windows, gateways or the like.

The adaptable play structure of the present invention preferably includes a plurality of panels of different form and/or dimensions from the others. Since it is required that all panels be connectable between two adjacent panel fixing members of the base the width of each panel is effectively determined by the spacing between adjacent panel fixing members; however, the height of the panel fixing members and their shape which determines the representation which they present may be different from the or some of the others.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the said panel fixing members are distributed over the said base in a regular grid spaced in at least two different directions by the same distances whereby to allow a panel of given width to be fitted in a plurality of different positions and/or orientations. Conveniently the grid is a rectangular grid although other basic configurations such as a triangle or hexagonal grid pattern may be employed as required. Both of these latter offer the possibility of adjacent panel fixing member spacing of a single dimension although it may be desirable, in some circumstances, to generate embodiments of the present invention in which there is more than one panel width.For example, if an octagonal grid pattern were used the panels may be made to two widths one for fitting between orthogonally aligned grid members and the other for fitting between diagonally aligned grid members.

It is preferred that the said panel fixing members are columnar in form, and that each of the said columnar members is provided with elongate edge-retaining members for retaining an edge portion of a panel supported by the said columnar member. The number and nature of such edge-retaining means will, in practice, be determined by the form of the grid pattern. In an embodiment employing a rectangular grid pattern as referred to hereinabove the columnar members may be provided with two, three or four such edge retaining means in dependence on their intended position.For example, a columnar member intended to be positioned at a corner of the entire base area will require only two such edge retaining means whereas an otherwise identical columnar member positioned along one side of the array would require three such edge retaining means and, in the centre region of the array, four such edge retaining means would be required.

In a simple embodiment the edge retaining means comprise no more than an elongate slot formed in each said columnar member.

Preferably, each columnar member has a regular prismatic form, preferably a circular, hexagonal, octagonal or square cross-section. The said panel fixing members may be secured substantially non-removably to the said base, or may be secured thereto in such a way that removal is possible. However, a permanent grid of such members is intended to be left in position for an extended period of time and accordingly it is not envisaged that rapid release of the panel fixing members is likely to be needed.

The said elongate slots in the panel fixing members are open at the upper end of the associated said columnar member and closed at the lower end preferably at a point above the level of the upper surface of the said base.

This prevents trapping of fingers or toes. Other safety features include the provision of rounded corners to all components, the use of non-toxic stains and paint for decoration of the panels and/or the columnar members and the use of appropriate materials for the base.

The adaptable play structure of the present invention may further include at least one additional panel or other element adapted to be supported on a single panel fixing member rather than between two adjacent such panel fixing members. Such a component may, for example, represent any free standing item such as a tree, a motor vehicle or an animal such as a cow. The component parts of the apparatus of the invention may also include additional structural elements adapted to span two or more adjacent panels or elements. The spanning may be in a structural sense, for example to provide a seat, or a purely decorative sense, for example to provide a roof, in which latter case the element may be a flexible laminar fabric or plastics material attachable to the upper edges of two facing parallel panels.

The adaptable play structure of the present invention may also include panels formed with apertures or slots therein to allow passage from one side of the panel to the other through the said aperture or slot, and parallel aligned panels may further be formed with means for defining a tunnel to allow access from one face of one panel to the opposite face of the other panel without substantially being able to enter the region between the two panels apart from within the tunnel-forming structure.

There may also be provided at least one panel fixing member in the array thereof having a height less than that of others of the said panel fixing members. Such panel fixing members may, for example, be formed at half the height of the others, specifically for receiving individual components such as those representing a tree, or may be fitted with, for example, a table top, or a bench sufficiently robust to take the weight of children sitting or standing on them.

The equipment of the present invention also includes a smaller scale duplicate set of component parts duplicating each part of the said play structure itself and interfitting in the same way. This smaller scale set of components is suitable for use as a planning and organisation training aid and a so serves as a tool for teaching children to think ahead and plan and coordinate their activities.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an adaptable play structure formed as an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a base grid configuration suitable for use with the invention; Figure 3 is a sectional side view taken on the line III-III of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a perspective view, similar to Figure 1, showing the components in a different configuration.

Referring first to Figure 1 the adaptable play structure shown comprises a base generally indicated 11 having a plurality of upstanding panel fixing members 12 distributed over the base 11 in a fixed rectangular grid as will be appreciated better from Figure 2. In this embodiment the panel fixing members 12 are distributed in three parallel rows of five members.

In the embodiment illustrated the base is a fixed structure for example formed of boards or blocks of wood 13, as seen from Figure 3, and the panel fixing members 12 are secured in position by being set in the ground as shown in Figure 3. Referring now to Figure 3, it will be appreciated that the peripheral panel fixing members 12, that is those distributed around the periphery of the array, and which are indicated with the reference numeral 12a, are taller than the panel fixing members, indicated with the reference numeral 12b, which are located in the centre of the array. Each panel fixing member 12 has a respective lower portion 121 housed at its lower end in a seat 14 and secured in position within the hole in the ground by loose aggregate 15 surrounding its lower sides.

An upper portion 12u of each member is provided with a number of parallel sided axially extending slots 16 which extend to the upper ends 17 of each panel fixing member and open into the upper face thereof and are provided with inclined lower end walls 18 which stop the slot 16 just above the level of the playing surface 13.

As can be seen from Figure 2 the panel fixing members 12 at the corners of the grid are provided with two slots 18, represented in Figure 2 by a short line for simplicity, whilst the panel fixing members 12 on the sides of the grid other than at the corners are provided with three slots 18 and the panel fixing members 12b at the centre of the grid are each provided with four slots. This sets up a plurality (in this case 22) of pairs of panel fixing members between which a substantially rigid panel may be fixed by introducing its edges and sliding into position from above. An exemplary configuration is illustrated in Figure 1. Here, the area of the playing surface 13 has been sub-divided by introducing a number of panels, which will be individually described hereinbelow, between selected adjacent pairs of panel fixing members 12.The individual areas into which-the playing surface 13 has been divided all intercommunicate by the provision of panels having apertures through which children can pass from one side to the other. In Figure 1 a first side 19 of the base 13 has been provided with a complete barrier by introducing four panels between adjacent pairs of panel fixing members 12a along that side. These panels, reading from left to right, comprise a relatively tall "church tower" panel 20 having a relatively tall arched opening 21 and a representation of a bell tower 22. Next to this is located a "fence" panel 23 having a representation of bushes whilst, between the next adjacent pair of panel fixing members, there is fixed a "fence" panel member having no additional representational material.The last pair of adjacent panel fixing members 12 are spanned by a panel 25 representing a gate and having a cow leaning over it.

The base 13 is then sub-divided into three main play areas by respective pairs of panels spanning adjacent pairs of panel fixing members in the centre of the array. These include a church gable end wall 26, a doorway wall 27 having an opening 28 to allow children to pass into the next area defined by the fence wall 24, a doorway gable end wall 29 and a window wall 30. The central panel fixing member 12b is also provided with a free standing panel 31 representing a tree and fixed thereto by means of a slot having two parallel sides which can inter-engage the diametrically opposite slots 18 of the single panel fixing member 12b.

The third play area is defined by fortress walls 32, 33 and 34.

As described hereinabove, any combination of panels can be introduced into the slots in the panel fixing members to create any combination of play areas available from the grid pattern. As can be seen in Figure 1 the sub-division has created three main play areas with a further "entrance" area 35. In the configuration illustrated in Figure 4 the play area has been defined by panels which create a main central region with a completely separated small area to create a simulation of a farmyard, having a tree in the centre defined by the free standing panel 31.

The castle wall panels 32 and 34 are positioned to define an entirely enclosed area within four adjacent panel fixing members, accessible through the castle archway panel 33. It will be appreciated that the same set of panels have been used to create the two different environments of Figures 1 and 4, and the same reference numerals have been used to identify the same panels.

From the above description the great versatility of the apparatus of the present invention will be appreciated.

If it is desired to store away the component panels these are all flat and can be removed readily from the panel fixing members 12 for stacking flat against a wall inside a building thereby occupying a minimum space.

Because safety is a vital aspect of children's play, prime consideration has been given to this in the design of the present invention. All corners are rounded and, as described above, the slots in the panel fixing posts are stopped above ground level to ensure that there are no trapped fingers or toes.

In another embodiment of the invention (not shown) the panel fixing members are in the form of sockets or spigots on the base and the panels are equipped with spigots or sockets respectively, to allow fixing of the panels to the base. In such an embodiment there may further be provided means for interconnecting adjacent panels to achieve greater rigidity of the overall structure.

Claims

1. An adaptable play structure for internal or external use, comprising a base with a plurality of panel fixing members in predetermined positions in two dimensions on the base, and a plurality of panels releasably connectable to selected pairs of panel fixing members whereby to form an arrangement of panels different from time-to-time to define a children's play area.

2. An adaptable play structure as claimed in Claim 1, in which the said plurality of panels include panels of different form and/or dimensions from the others.

3. An adaptable play structure as claimed in Claim 1, or Claim 2, in which the said panel fixing members are distributed over the said base in a regular grid spaced in at least two different directions by the same distances whereby to allow a panel of given size to be fitted in a plurality of different positions and/or orientations.

4. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, in which the said panel fixing members are columnar in form.

5. An adaptable play structure as claimed in Claim 4, in which each said columnar member is provided with elongate edge-retaining means for retaining an edge portion of a panel supported by the said columnar member.

6. An adaptable play structure as claimed in Claim 5, in which the said edge-retaining means comprise at least one elongate slot formed in each said columnar member.

7. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any of Claims 4 to 6, in which each columnar member has a regular prismatic form, preferably a circular, hexagonal, octagonal or square cross-section.

8. An adjustable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the said panel fixing members are secured substantially non-removably in the said base.

9. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any of Claims 6 to 8, in which the said elongate slots are open at the upper end of the associated said columnar member and closed at the lower end at a point above the level of the upper surface of the said base.

10. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim further including at least one additional panel or other element adapted to be supported on a single panel fixing member.

11. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim1 further including additional structural elements adapted to span two or more adjacent panels or elements.

12. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which all the said panels have a predetermined width but the height and/or form of the panels varies in accordance with its intended representation.

13. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim, including panels formed with apertures or slots therein to allow passage from one side of the panel to the other through the said aperture or slot.

14. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which there is provided at least one panel fixing member in the array thereof having a height less than that of others of the said panel fixing members.

15. An adaptable play structure as claimed in any preceding Claim, further including a smaller scale duplicate set of component parts duplicating each part of the said play structure itself and interfitting in the same way for use as a planning and organisation training tool.

16. An adaptable play structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.