GB2299268A - Children's play enclosure with inflatable base and displaceable boundary - Google Patents

Abstract

A play enclosure comprises:- ```a base 12 having at least one inflatable portion and forming a basin having a peripheral top rim 16, a bottom 18 and at least one side wall 20, where the base is constructed and arranged to form a resilient playing area for at least one child; ```a boundary defining member, such as a canopy 60 or a partial wall (14a, see figure 12); ```a supporting frame 40 (or similar means) for supporting the boundary defining member relative to the base; ```at least one attachment means 66 for attaching the frame to the base; where (for enhanced safety during play) the attachment means are secured to the base in such a way as to be displaceable in any one of an infinite number of directions upon moving at least one of the boundary defining member, frame and base. In an embodiment the base may include a plurality of inflatable chambers forming at least one pillow for cushioning the base to facilitate child safety. In one application the enclosure may function as a ballpark in which at least one child can play with a plurality of toy balls.

Description

PLAY ENCLOSURE WITH INFLATABLE BASE The present invention relates generally to a play enclosure for children, and more particularly, to a play enclosure having an inflatable base that maximizes play value and reduces the likelihood of injury during play.

Tent-like play enclosures in which a child can play are known in the art.

Typically, these comprise a flat base of linear sheet material (cloth or plastic film) which rests on the floor or ground and a canopy structure which, with the base, collectively form an enclosed playing area. The canopy structure includes a frame assembly which is anchored to the base. A netting fabric is attached to the frame and/or the base. A plurality of play items such as balls are provided, and the child plays with the balls which are prevented from exiting the assembly during play by the base and the netting.

Known play enclosures have an inherent disadvantage in that they do not provide adequate safeguards against injury. Specifically, none have a base which incorporates a cushioning surface for the child. Moreover, the prior art units utilize a relatively stiff mounting implementation in which the frame assembly is prevented from freely moving relative to the base. Thus, if the child accidentally falls against the frame or base during play, this lack of compliance can injure the child.

According to the present invention there is provided an inflatable play enclosure comprising a base, having at least one inflatable portion and which forms a basin having a peripheral top rim, a bottom and at least one side wall, wherein said base is arranged to form a resilient playing area for at least one child; a boundary defining member for defining a boundary of said play enclosure; frame support means for supporting in use said boundary defining member relative to said base; at least one attachment means for attaching the frame support means to the base, wherein said attachment means are spatially movable in at least any one of an infinite number of directions upon moving at least one of said boundary defining member, the frame support means and the base during play to render the entire assembly flexible to minimize the risk of injury to the child.

In one embodiment the boundary defining member may comprise a canopy for covering said base to form a play enclosure. In another embodiment the boundary defining member may comprise at least one partial wall disposed around said base to form a play enclosure.

In a preferred embodiment, the frame support means includes at least one flexible rod having a first end and a second end, where one of the first and second ends of the rod is attached to the base with a corresponding fitting, and the other end of the rod is joined to adjacent rods at a centre apical fitting in a conventional manner.

In one embodiment, the peripheral top rim of the base forms at least one elongated pillow extending along the longitudinal extent of the rim to provide a soft cushioning surface to facilitate child safety. In the preferred embodiment, each wall of the base comprises at least one inflatable upper cushion, an intermediate portion and at least one inflatable lower chamber, where the upper chamber forms at least one elongated pillow extending along the longitudinal extent of the upper chamber. The chambers are in fluidic communication to facilitate inflation through at least one valve in the conventional manner. In yet another embodiment, the chambers are constructed and arranged to form a plurality of transversely disposed pillows which can be oriented vertically or at an angle or a plurality of angles relative to the longitudinal extent of the sides of the base.

In further embodiments, the base is shaped in a variety of configurations, and a partiai wall fabricated from a netting material or the like may be employed in lieu of the canopy.

Several embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is an isometric view of an inflatable play enclosure in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; Fig.2 is an exploded isometric view thereof: Fig.3a is a sectional view looking along lines 3A-3A in Fig.1; Fig.3b is a sectional view looking along lines 3B-3B in Fig.l; Fig.4 is a detail view of adjacent inflatable chambers in the base; Fig.5 is a detail view of an air valve in the base; Fig.6 is a plan view of a support rod in an unassembled configuration; Fig.7 is an assembly view of the support rod shown in Fig.6;; Fig. 8 is a plan view of a central apical fitting for joining a plurality of rods as shown in Fig. 7 into a frame support structure for the canopy shown in Figs. 1 & 2; Fig. 9 is a plan view partially showing the assembled canopy structure at the apical fitting; Fig. 10 is a sectional view looking along lines 10 in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a detail view showing a zipper arrangement for opening and closing the canopy to obtain access to the assembled enclosure; Fig. 12 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the invention with an open top; Fig. 13 is an isometric view of another alternative embodiment of the invention with an open top; Fig. 14 is a top plan view of an oval shaped base; Fig. 15 is a top plan view of an oval shaped base with tapered sides; Fig. 16 is a top plan view of a triangular shaped base; and Fig. 17 is an elevational view of a base having netted sides.

With reference to the several views of the drawings, there are depicted several embodiments of a play enclosure generally denoted by the reference numeral 10, and comprising a base 12.

Referring now to Figs. 1 & 2, the base 12 includes at least one inflatable portion having a peripheral top rim 16, a bottom 18 and at least one side wall 20. The base 12 is constructed from an elastic material of the type used in common flotation devices, and arranged to form a resilient playing area in the configuration of, for example, a tub or basin, for accommodating at least one child. The base 12 may be filled with a plurality of toy balls 11 for the child to play with. In the first illustrative embodiment, the base 12 has four (4) sidewalls 20, joined in sections at corners 22 as shown in more detail in Fig. 4. Each sidewall 20 includes at least one chamber 24 forming a respective pillow 26 running along the longitudinal extent of the sidewall 20. The chambers 24 of each sidewall 20 are in fluidic communication as shown in Fig. 1.A corresponding air valve 28 is disposed in the respective outer wall 30 of each sidewall, to facilitate inflation of the base 12 in a conventional manner. Fig. 4 depicts the specific construction of the joinder of adjacent sidewalls 20 at the respective corners 22. As can be seen in the drawings, the outer wall 30 is welded to an inner wall 32 and a respective contiguous outer wall 30 and inner wall 32 of an adjoining sidewall 20. The air valve includes a hinged plug member 34 which is welded to the outer wall 30 and a bushing 36 as shown in Figs.4 & 5. It will be appreciated that the term "weld" as used herein refers to any method by which the elastic material can be joined together.In the sectional view of Fig.3B, each wall 20 of the base 12 includes at least one inflatable upper chamber 24a, an intermediate portion 24b and at least one inflatable lower chamber 24c, where the upper chamber 24a forms at least one elongated pillow 26 extending along the longitudinal extent of the upper chamber 26. The chambers 24a, 24b are in fluidic communication to facilitate inflation through valve 28. In yet another embodiment. the chambers may be constructed and arranged to form a plurality of transversely disposed pillows which can be oriented vertically or at an angle or a plurality of angles relative to the longitudinal extent of the sides of the base (not shown).

Referring now to Figs. 1,2,9 and 10, the play enclosure is formed with a boundary defining member in the form of a canopy assembly 14 that includes a netting fabric 38 and a frame assembly 40. The netting fabric 38 is conventional and incorporates a zipper 41 as shown in Figs. 1,2 and 11. The zipper 41 facilitates access to the play enclosure 10 when in the assembled configuration. The netting fabric 38 is affixed to the frame assembly 40 which in turn is connected to the base as described below. Alternatively or in conjunction therewith, the netting fabric 38 can be attached directly to the peripheral top rim 16, and/or the outer wall 30 or inner wall 32 of the sidewalls 20. The exemplary frame is shown assembled with the fabric netting in Fig.1, and prior to assembly in Fig.2. The frame assembly 40 is comprised of a plurality of elongated, flexible rods 42, fabricated from a thermoplastic or the like, each having a first end 44, a second end 46 and consisting of a plurality of adjoining segments 48a, 48b and 48c tied together by an elastic strand of material 50 as shown in Fig.6. Each rod 42 is assembled by slipping the respective ends 52a and 52b into the associated sleeve 54, as shown in Fig.7. The rods 42 are then placed with one end thereof into the common fitting 56 shown in Fig.8. Fitting 56 is a moulded structure having a plurality of tubular receiving portions 58 sized to accept the respective rods 42 therein as illustrated in Fig.9 to form the frame assembly 40.Of course, the tubular receiving portions can be disposed at other angles relative to each other to form frames of varying configurations (not shown) as will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art. The netting fabric 38 is comprised of a plurality of panels 60 joined along common boundaries 62 in a conventional manner.

Each boundary 62 includes an elongated tubular fabric sleeve 64 for receiving a corresponding rod 42 as shown in Fig. 1,9 and 10. The sleeves 64 may be stitched to the netting fabric 38 or attached by other means. A tie strip 66 is wrapped around the centre fitting 56 as shown in Fig.9.

Referring now to Figs. 1,2,3a and 3b, the frame assembly 40 is attached to the base 12 with a plurality of fittings 66, each of which defines a receptacle 68 for receiving one end of rod 42 as best seen in Figs. 3a and 3b. Each fitting 66 is preferably fabricated from moulded plastic and then heat sealed to a respective outer wall 30 of the corresponding sidewall 20. In this manner. the fittings 66 are permitted to move in an infinite number of directions upon the application of force to the netting fabric, frame assembly or base. This is facilitated by the relative compliancy of the outer surface 30 of sidewall 20 and contributes to the safety of the play enclosure.

Figs.12-17 show alternative embodiments of the invention. Specifically, referring now to Fig.12, the play enclosure 10a includes an inflatable base 12a configured in a generally rectangular configuration, and a boundary defining member in the form of a partial wall 14a (in lieu of a canopy) around the sidewalls 20a of the base 12a. The partial wall 14a includes a pair of side sections 21a, 21b, and a back section 21c as shown. The side sections 21a, 21b and 21c, are supported by a plurality of frame members 23 as shown. The partial wall 14a is attached to the base 12a in the same manner as in the first embodiment with a plurality of fittings 66a.

Fig. 13 depicts a circular inflatable base 12b, and a conforming partial wall 14b.

Fig. 14 shows an oval-shaped base 12c, Fig. 15 illustrates a tapered base 12d (can be of any cross section - an oval shape is shown as an example), and Fig. 16 depicts a triangular base 12e. Finally, Fig. 17 shows yet another embodiment in which a base 12f includes netting material 13 which joins an upper chamber 15a to a lower chamber 15b. The upper and lower chambers 15a, 15b are structurally associated through a plurality of support members 17. In all these embodiments the base may be provided with a canopy or partial wall in the manner of the previous embodiments.

It will also be appreciated that the enclosure may be completely dissassembled.

That is to say, the frame assembly may be removed from the base and dismantled, while the base may be deflated. Thus when not in use the enclosure may be packed away for easy storage It will thus be seen that there is an improved play enclosure with an inflatable base for enhanced safety and increased play value. The play enclosure is provided with an inflatable base which may incorporate a canopy frame assembly or partial wall attached to the base utilizing attachment means which enable each attachment joint to move in at least one of an infinite number of directions.

Furthermore. there is provided a play enclosure with an inflatable base having at least one inflatable chamber forming a pillow extending along the base to prevent blunt trauma, should the child trip or fall during play and the inflatable base may have a plurality of inflatable chambers forming a plurality of pillows in the base to provide multiple cushioning surfaces in the base.

The present invention has been shown and described in what are considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is anticipated, however, that departures may be made therefrom and that obvious modifications will occur to persons skilled in the art.

Claims (13)

1. An inflatable play enclosure, comprising: a base having at least one inflatable portion and forming a basin having a peripheral top rim. a bottom and at least one side wall, wherein said base is arranged to form a resilient playing area for at least one child; a boundary defining member for defining a boundary of said play enclosure: frame support means for supporting in use said boundary defining member relative to said base; and at least one attachment means for attaching said frame support means to said base, wherein said attachment means are attached to said base and are spatially movable in at least any one of an infinite number of directions upon moving at least one of said boundary defining member, said frame support means and said base during play.

2. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said boundary defining member comprises a canopy for covering said base to form a play enclosure.

3. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said boundary defining member comprises at least one partial wall disposed around said base to form a play enclosure.

4. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in Claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said frame support means includes at least one flexible rod having a first end and a second end, wherein in use one of said first and second ends of said rod is attached to said base with said attachment means.

5. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein said attachment means comprise a plurality of fittings, wherein each of said fittings define a joining means for attaching said frame support means to said base.

6. A inflatable play enclosure as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein said peripheral top rim of said base forms at least one elongated pillow extending along the longitudinal extent of said rim to facilitate child safety.

7. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein said base comprises at least one inflatable upper chamber, an intermediate portion and at least one inflatable low chamber, said upper chamber forming at least one elongated pillow extending along the longitudinal extent of said upper chamber to facilitate child safety.

8. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 wherein said base includes a plurality of inflatable chambers forming at least one pillow for cushioning said base to facilitate child safety.

9. An inflatable play enclosure as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said attachment means are attached to at least one inflatable portion of said base.

10. An inflatable play enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of Figs. 1 to 11 of the accompanying drawings.

11. An inflatable play enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 12 of the accompanying drawings.

12. An inflatable play enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 13 of the accompanying drawings.

13. An inflatable play enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any of Figs. 14 to 17 of the accompanying drawings.