GB2323306A - Recreation apparatus; pneumatic transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for providing a cascade of balls to a ball pool comprises transporting at least some of the balls from a ball pool to a storage vessel and releasing at least some of the balls from said storage vessel as a cascade of balls back into the said pool. A ball transport mechanism comprises a conduit leading from a source of balls to a storage vessel 15, a chamber 16 adjacent the storage vessel, the vessel and the chamber having apertures in a wall, a fan 20 for drawing air through the storage vessel and discharging it into the chamber, and a flap member 30 adapted to pivot around an axis to alternately close and expose the apertures in the walls and comprising means to bias it closed. The mechanism also includes a cut off means to adjust the flow of air. When the flow rate is slow enough the flap pivots open and the balls are discharged through the base of the storage vessel.

Description

TITLE: METHOD AND APPARATUS The present invention relates to a method and apparatus, notably to a method for providing a cascade of balls to a ball pool and apparatus for use in the method of the invention.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION: Recently, it has been proposed to provide a pool filled with plastic balls in place of a conventional water filled pool.

The use of such balls in place of water reduces the risk of drowning of children or infants in the pool and enables infirm or otherwise handicapped people to experience the sensation of swimming. The balls within the pool are typically of a size within the range 2 to 10 cms diameter and are hollow PVC, polyalkylene or similar plastic so that they are lightweight and simulate the supportive properties of water.

Such pools will be termed ball pools hereinafter.

Ball pools find widespread use in exercising the infirm and paraplegic, notably physically and/or mentally handicapped children. Since they can also be used to provide physical stimulus to healthy people, they are now being provided in leisure centres and the like as paddling pools for children.

However, such ball pools are of limited challenge to active children and we have devised a means by which the interest of such pools can be extended.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION: Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for providing a cascade of balls to a ball pool which comprises transporting at least some of the balls from a ball pool to a storage vessel and releasing at least some of the balls from said storage vessel as a cascade of balls back into the said pool.

By providing the mechanism by which the balls are transported from the pool to the storage vessel, a user of the pool can be encouraged to collect balls from the mass of balls in the pool, to transfer those to a collection hopper and thence via the transport mechanism to the storage vessel. This adds an additional activity to the use of the pool, which can be designed to provide mental and/or physical stimulus to a user of the pool. The balls in the transport mechanism may be visible to the user of the pool during their travel to the storage vessel, thus providing a further interest to the user of the pool. The balls are collected in the storage vessel from which they are released in response to any suitable signal, for example on a simple timed interval basis, to fall as a cascade back into the pool. Due to the lightweight nature of the balls, this cascade can fall upon a user to provide a yet further stimulus to the user.

The method of the invention thus adds new dimensions to the stimuli experienced by a user of the pool which can be used to provide mental or physical challenges to the user to assist rehabilitation of the mentally and/or physically impaired.

The invention can be applied to a wide range of sizes and shapes of ball pool and more than one mechanism for transporting the balls from the pool to one or more storage vessels can be provided, for example to provide separate transport and storage vessels for different coloured and/or sized balls from a mixed population of balls in the pool.

This may thus serve to develop the colour and/or size perception of the pool user and to assist development of the co-ordination of the user.

For convenience, the invention will be described hereinafter in terms of the use of a single transport mechanism to circulate balls from a single pool to a single storage vessel.

The pool can contain a mixture of different sizes and/or colours of balls. Thus, the pool for use with small or disabled children will typically contain balls of an average diameter of about 6 cms, a pool for older people will contain balls of about 7.5 cms and pools for use as fun or leisure pools by active and able people will contain balls of about 8 cms diameter. If desired the latter two forms of pools may contain mixtures of different sizes of balls. For convenience, the invention will be described hereinafter in terms of a pool containing balls of about 7.5 cms diameter.

As indicated above, the balls may be a mixture of balls of different colours, for example red, green, blue and yellow and it may be desired to have the balls collected for transport to the storage vessel(s) according to their colour, thus providing a means for developing the colour selection abilities and/or ability to identify the correct collection hopper to which to direct selected balls. For convenience the invention will be described hereinafter in terms of the use of a single size of ball of a single colour in the pool.

The balls in the pool are typically hollow plastic spheres so as to provide a lightweight medium in which the user can paddle or perform swimming motions with little risk of physical harm. However, other forms of ball, for example foamed plastic or lightweight solid balls may be used if desired. Such alternative types of ball may be used in admixture with conventional hollow balls to provide yet another feature by which a user can be asked to select amongst the ball population in the pool so as to provide yet another form of stimulus challenge to the user.

The balls are collected from the pool and transported to the storage vessel by any suitable means. This means can be an automatic or semi-automatic means. For example, the transport mechanism can be fed with balls by a weir overflow mechanism in a side wall of the pool. This allows balls which rise above the lip of the weir, for example as further balls enter the pool via the cascade described below or any other means, to enter the transport mechanism continuously and to be transported to the storage vessel without the intervention of a user of the pool. However, it is preferred that the feed of balls to the transport mechanism should require the participation of the user of the pool so as to provide at least some of the stimuli or challenges outlined above.

Thus, it is preferred that the balls are fed to a collection hopper by a user of the pool, which then discharges the collected balls into the transport mechanism. The collection hopper typically takes the form of a cloth, or similar soft material, walled collector mounted on or adjacent the wall of the pool so that a user can throw or drop balls from the pool into the hopper. It is particularly preferred to form the hopper with a collapsible rim, for example using a plastic tube or the like, so that it will collapse if a user should fall against the hopper.

Typically, the hopper will be a cloth scoop shaped hopper carried by a backing board carried by the side wall of the pool. Alternatively, the backing board can extend to the base of the pool and can be retained in position by the pressure of the mass of balls in the pool. The hopper will typically be of a convergent shape with an outlet in its base so that balls fed to the hopper will feed by gravity or by a cyclonic air flow in the hopper to the base of the hopper and via the outlet to the transport mechanism.

The balls may also be collected by an operative end to the transport mechanism, which the user can direct at the balls in the pool. For example, with the vacuum tube preferred form of transport mechanism described below, the user can vacuum up balls from the pool by directing the open end of the vacuum hose at the ball(s) which he desires to collect.

The transport mechanism can take a number of forms. Thus, the transport can be mechanical, as when balls are carried on a moving belt or moving series of linked cups which receives balls from an overflow type of feed device in the side wall of the ball pool. However, such mechanical systems introduce moving parts, which add to the complexity and cost of the apparatus for operating the method of the invention, and require shielding to protect the use from those moving parts. A particularly preferred transport mechanism utilises the pneumatic transport of the balls through a tubular conduit between the pool and the storage vessel. The tube can have an open end through which the pool user collects balls directly from the pool as indicated above. However, it is preferred that the tube be connected to the base of the collection hopper so that the user interacts with the population of balls in the pool to select the ball(s) to be collected and requires physical coordination of his movements successfully to transport the selected ball(s) from the pool to the collection hopper.

Such a tube is preferably connected to an outlet at the base of the collection hopper, for example by means of a push, screw, bayonet or other fit of the end of the tube onto an outlet spigot located at the lowest point of the collection hopper. It is particularly preferred that the spigot be orientated tangentially to the body of the hopper since we have found that such orientation reduces the risk of bridging of balls at the entry to the spigot, thus impeding flow of balls into the tube.

For convenience, the invention will be described hereinafter in terms of a vacuum tube connecting a tangential basal outlet of a frusto-conical shaped ball collection hopper to the ball inlet to a storage vessel.

The tube is preferably one in which the balls are a close fit so as to provide a partial seal between the balls and the wall of the tube, so as to enable the balls to be transported along the tube under the influence of air blown or sucked through the tube. Typically, the tube will have a minimum internal diameter which is about 1 to 10 mms greater than the maximum diameter of the balls to pass along the tube. Where a mixture of sizes of balls is to be transported, it will be appreciated that the smallest size of ball may jam within the tube where two or more of the smallest balls form a bridge within the tube. The optimum size of tube in such a case will in general have a diameter not more than 1.5 times the diameter of the smallest ball, and can readily be determined by simple trial and error.

Preferably, the tube has at least part of the wall thereof made from a transparent material so that the user can watch the travel of the balls to the storage vessel. A particularly preferred form of tube is one made from a transparent plastic having a reinforcing flexible wire spiral in the wall thereof to minimise the risk of the tube collapsing or kinking as it is flexed during use.

As indicated above, the tube connects the ball collection hopper to the storage vessel so that balls are transported by the flow of air through the tube. Typically, the storage vessel is located above the level of the ball pool so that the balls released from the vessel fall as a cascade upon a user of the pool. Preferably, the storage vessel is located from 1 to 3 metres above the ball pool and the optimum height can readily be determined by simple trial and error.

Typically, the storage vessel will be located above one end of the pool and the collection hopper will be located at or adjacent the other end of the pool so as to provide a comparatively long and elevated line of travel for the balls through a transparent walled tube. If desired the tube can follow a convoluted path to add to the interest in watching the balls travel to the storage vessel.

The balls are preferably transported along the tube by applying suction to the storage vessel end of the tube, thus avoiding the need for any moving parts adjacent the collection hopper or ball pool. Such suction can be achieved by any suitable method, for example by applying suction to the storage vessel itself and connecting the discharge end of the transport tube to the storage vessel directly. However, in order to reduce the risk that balls discharging from the end of the transport tube could be sucked into the suction generating mechanism, it is preferred that the suction is applied at a high level to a top or side wall of the storage vessel and at a point removed from the entry point of the transport tube so that the balls will dis-entrain from the air flow from the end of the tube due to the larger volume of the storage vessel and will collect in the basal portion of the storage vessel, from which they can flow under gravity into the main body of the storage vessel. The optimum size and shape of the storage vessel can be readily determined by simple trial and error tests having regards to the speed of travel of the balls in the tube, the location of the storage vessel and the number of balls required to form an adequate cascade upon their release from the vessel. Typically, the storage vessel will be of a generally rectangular shape and have a volume from 1.25 to 5 times the volume of the balls required to form the cascade.

The vacuum can be drawn on the storage vessel by any suitable means. Preferably, the vacuum is drawn by means of an electrically powered fan whose operation can be controlled by a timer or other means to synchronise the drawing of the vacuum with release of the balls from the storage vessel. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the fan is located in a secondary portion of the vessel separated from the main body of the storage vessel by a mesh or similar wall so that the fan can draw air through the transport tube via the main body of the storage vessel, whilst the mesh retains the balls within that portion of the storage vessel.

The release of balls from the storage vessel can be achieved by any suitable means. Thus, the flow of air generated by the fan can be reversed so as to pressurise the storage vessel and eject the balls therefrom via a ball outlet as a jet of balls. In this case, it will be necessary to provide the outlet to the transport tube with a flap valve or the like to close the outlet of the tube once the air flow at the fan is reversed and to enable the storage vessel to be pressurised. The ball outlet to the storage vessel will also need to be provided with a similar valve operating in the reverse mode. The operation of the valve mechanisms and the fan need to be interlinked, either by virtue of the self actuation of the flap valves in response to the direction of the air stream flowing through the storage vessel or by some positive action means acting on the valves. This may introduce complexity into the apparatus required to operate the method of the invention.

It is therefore preferred to allow the balls to discharge from the main body of the storage vessel by providing the base of the vessel with a flap mechanism which opens at desired intervals to allow the balls to fall out of the storage vessel as a cascade of balls. By appropriate location of the storage vessel and/or by shaping the flap mechanism of the storage vessel as a chute, the cascade can fall as a broad or narrow fan of balls upon any desired portion of the ball pool. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the flap is pivotted at or adjacent a line passing through its centre of gravity so that the flap is substantially balanced about its pivot line. That part of the flap on one side of the pivot line bears against the base wall of the storage vessel and co-operates with an aperture in the base wall to close that aperture and thus provide a substantially air tight closure to the storage vessel. The part of the flap extending to the other side of the pivot line serves as a closure flap to an outlet from a second chamber into which the fan or other suction device discharges the air stream drawn through the transport tube and the storage vessel. The discharged air stream from the suction device bears against the closure flap so as to bias the flap into the position at which it closes both the base of the storage vessel and the outlet to the second chamber.

The portion of the flap closing the outlet to the second chamber does not wholly close that outlet so that air may escape from the second chamber. The co-operating lips of the flap and the aperture and outlet to the storage vessel and to the second chamber can be provided with rubber or similar sealing members to reduce the escape of air past the flap member in its closed position.

When the fan or other suction device is operating, the flow of air through the second chamber will bear against the flap member in the second chamber and bias the flap member to pivot towards its closed position. As the flap member pivots into its closed position, the aperture in the wall of the storage vessel is progressively closed, thus constricting the flow over the lip of the flap member adjacent the aperture. This will have the effect of biassing the flap member towards the position at which it closes that aperture, thus aiding the pivoting of the flap member to its closed position. When the flap is in its closed position, the storage vessel is closed and the air stream required by the suction device will be drawn substantially wholly through the transport tube, thus drawing a supply of balls into the storage vessel from the collection hopper. The secondary chamber is also substantially closed and the air stream discharging from the fan exerts the maximum bias on the flap to retain it in the closed position.

If desired, springs, counter weights or the like may be provided to assist the flap to move towards and retain its closed position. Alternatively, the movement of the flap can be achieved by solenoid or other mechanical means in place of the use of the air stream to provide the main force biassing the flap to its closed position. However, such mechanical means require additional cost and complexity and the use of the air stream as the main biassing force provides a simple self-actuating means without significant additional cost.

The optimum sizes for the various components of the storage vessel, the secondary chamber, the apertures in the walls of those chambers and the positioning of the pivot line for the flap member can readily be determined by simple trial and error tests. The position of the centre of gravity of the flap member can be adjusted using weights along either or both edges of the flap member so as to achieve the desired pivot line.

In normal operation, the fan or other suction device is actuated to draw air and balls through the transport tube and into the main body of the storage vessel. The flap member is initially in its open position. The air stream discharging from the suction device bears against the flap member in the second chamber and urges the flap member to pivot towards its closed position. As the flap member pivots, it begins to close the aperture in the base of the storage vessel. This causes the air sucked through that aperture to bear against the flap member and to urge it to pivot towards its closed position, thus assisting the pivoting effect of the air stream in the second chamber. As the flap pivots towards its closed position, the suction effect of the fan accelerates the pivoting of the flap member to close the storage vessel chamber and draws an increasing proportion of the air stream required by the suction device through the transport tube. This initiates transport of balls from the collection hopper to the storage vessel.

When the desired number of balls has been transported to the storage vessel, the flap member is pivotted to its open position to allow the balls to discharge back to the ball pool. The flap may, as stated above, be pivotted by a solenoid or other mechanical drive means which overcomes the biassing effect of the suction drawn by the fan. However, this will require additional moving parts. It is therefore preferred to interrupt the operation of the fan so as to release the biassing force acting on the flap member. This allows the flap to pivot to its open position, thus releasing the balls from the storage vessel under gravity.

As indicated above, the flap member may be given a suitable shape to direct the discharge of balls from the storage vessel if desired. However, a simple generally planar flap member will usually give a satisfactory discharge. The interruption of the operation of the fan can be achieved by any suitable means, for example by providing means, such as a simple flap valve, for diverting the discharge air flow from the suction device to the storage vessel rather than to the second chamber. This will terminate the bias forces retaining the flap member in the closed position and cause the flap member to pivot to its open position.

Alternatively, we have found that by suitable weighting of that portion of the flap serving the storage vessel, when the suction device is stopped, interrupted or slowed down, the biassing air stream ceases or becomes small and the flap member will pivot under its own weight to the open position.

The electric power supply to the suction device is preferably switched on and off or reduced by a suitable timer, notably an electronic timer mechanism, so as to operate the flap member at suitable time intervals to suit the user of the ball pool. If desired, the operation of the timer can be adjustable by the user or the person supervising the operation of the ball pool to suit the requirements of particular users. Similarly, the speed of operation of the fan or other suction device can be varied to draw a greater or lesser volume of air through the transport tube and storage vessel per unit time, thus varying the rate of transport of balls from the pool to the storage vessel.

The preferred embodiment for operating the storage vessel provides a simple and effective mechanism with the minimum of moving parts which can be adjusted to suit a wide range of circumstances merely by varying the operation of the fan or suction device.

Accordingly, from a second aspect, the present invention also provides a transport mechanism for use in the method of the invention, which mechanism comprises: a. storage vessel adapted to be connected by a suitable conduit to a source of balls to be accommodated within the storage vessel; b. a second chamber adjacent the said storage vessel; c. apertures in a wall of each of said storage vessel and said second chamber; d. a fan or other suction mechanism for drawing air through said storage vessel chamber and for discharging that air into said second chamber; e. a flap member adapted to pivot at or adjacent a line passing through its centre of gravity from a closed position at which it substantially closes the apertures in the walls of said storage vessel and second chamber and a second open position at which it exposes said apertures; f. means for biassing said flap member towards its closed position; and g. means for affecting the flow of air drawn by said suction device.

Preferably, the air flow discharged by said suction device bears against said flap member in said second chamber to provide said biassing means. Preferably, the means affecting said flow of air drawn by said suction device comprises a timer mechanism for reducing, interrupting or stopping the operation of the suction device.

As stated above, the apparatus of the invention provides a simple and effective means for providing a range of additional stimuli to users of a ball pool. In its preferred embodiment, the apparatus provides a simple self interlinked device requiring only a timer mechanism to achieve a cycle of events.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: A preferred form of the apparatus of the invention will now be described by way of illustration with respect to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is diagrammatic general view of the relevant parts of a ball pool having a collection hopper and its associated storage vessel; Figure 2 is a more detailed view of the storage vessel; and Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section through the vessel of Figure 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION: A ball pool 1 comprises a generally rectangular wooden or other walled container containing a plurality of hollow polyethylene balls 2. At one end of the pool is a vertical board 3 which extends to the base of the pool and is held in position by the weight of the balls in the pool.

Alternatively, the board 3 can be clipped, screwed or otherwise mounted to the inner or outer face of the wall.

The board 3 carries a canvas or other fabric collection hopper 4. As shown, this is of a generally half frusto cone shape, but could be of any other suitable shape having an open top and converging to a basal outlet. The lip 5 of the hopper is provided with a flexible support, for example a plastic rod or tube insert in a sleeve formed at the edge of the open top, so that the lip 5 can flex when a child or other user of the pool falls against the lip of the hopper 4.

The basal outlet from hopper 4 can be directed axially to the hopper as shown, or more preferably is directed tangentially, and is connected to a remote storage vessel 10 by a clear plastic tube 6 which incorporates a spiral wound wire reinforcement. The tube has an internal diameter of about 10 cms for balls of up to 7.5 cms diameter. The tube 6 is connected by a push fit or other means to a spigot formed at the base of hopper 4 so that balls fed to the hopper feed by gravity into tube 6.

The storage vessel 10 comprises a generally rectangular hollow housing 11 having its interior sub-divided into three chambers by vertical internal walls 12, 13 and 14. Walls 12 and 13 define the main body chamber of the storage vessel into which balls are to be collected; walls 13 and 14 define the chamber 16 within which an electrically driven axial or centrifugal flow fan 20 is mounted on wall 13; and walls 13 and 14 define the second chamber 17 into which fan 20 discharges the air it draws from the main body chamber 15 of the storage vessel. Walls 12 and 14 can form parts of a single wall as shown or may be walls which do not align with one another, for example when wall 14 is part of wall 13 and chamber 16 extends for the full front to back depth of housing 11. Alternatively, fan 20 can be mounted externally on an outer wall of housing 11, in which case there is no chamber 16 and walls 13 and 14 are provided by the external side wall of the housing. However, it is preferred to mount the fan within the housing 11 as shown to prevent unauthorised access to the fan and its control mechanism.

Housing 11 is formed with at least part of the base faces of chambers 15 and 17 cut away to form apertures 21 and 22. If desired, part of the base walls for these chambers are retained to form inwardly extending peripheral flanges against which the flap member described below can seat. If desired, these flanges can be provided with a rubber or similar sealing strip against which the flap member bears, or vice versa.

A flap member 30 is mounted by means of laterally extending pivot pins 31 so that it pivots about the foot of wall 12 from an open position at which it exposes the open bases of chambers 15 and 17 and a closed position at which it bears against the flanges or basal rims of the walls defining chambers 15 and 17. The shape of flap member 30 thus mirrors the shape of the open bases of the chambers.

Typically, the chambers will be of a generally rectangular plan shape and the flap member 30 will be of a corresponding rectangular shape as shown.

The portion 32 of flap member 30 which closes the base of chamber 17 does not provide a fully air-tight seal to chamber 17 so that air discharging from fan 20 can escape to the exterior of housing 11. Thus, portion 32 can extend for only part of the front to back and/or side to side plan measurement of chamber 17 so as to leave the exit aperture 21. Alternatively, portion 32 can have a number of apertures therein to provide the overall exit aperture, but it is preferred that such exit apertures are located at or adjacent the rearward edge of portion 32 to increase the mechanical advantage of the closing biassing force generated by the sir flow in chamber 17. Portion 32 can carry a flexible lip 33 to provide a variable effective size to the aperture 21 and this can be upstanding as shown to act to trap the discharge airflow from the fan 20 and thus enhance the action of the air flow on flap 30 to cause the flap to pivot to its closed position. Portion 32 can carry counterbalancing weights 34 so that flap member 30 is substantially in balance about its pivot points 31. Alternatively, torsion springs can be mounted on pins 31 to create the necessary balancing action. It is preferred that flap member 20 be slightly out of balance so that there is a small force biassing the flap towards its open position.

The fan 20 is mounted so that the air flow discharged by the fan is directed onto portion 32 of flap 30 as shown in Figure 3 and biases the flap into its closed position when fan 20 is operating.

The portion 35 of flap 30 forming the basal closure to the main body chamber 15 when flap 30 is in its closed position serves to retain balls carried by the air stream through tube 6 in the main body chamber 15. Tube 6 can feed directly into the main body chamber, but preferably passes through chamber 17 as shown so as to provide a high level forward facing discharge outlet 18 from the tube into the main body chamber so that the balls already in the chamber do not obstruct the flow of further balls into the chamber.

The inner face of portion 35 of flap 30 can carry raised ribs or the like 36 to direct the discharge of balls from the main body chamber as a fanned flow when flap 30 moves to its open position.

The chamber 16 houses the fan 20 and its control gear 23.

This can be merely a simple electronic or other timer which interrupts the supply of electrical power to fan 20 or can be means which reduces the power to fan 20 so that the airflow within chambers 15 and 17 is no longer sufficient to retain flap 30 in its closed position. Such control gear can be of conventional design and construction. If desired, the control gear can be adjustable, for example by means of external control knobs or switches (not shown) so that an operator of the ball pool can vary the operation of the storage vessel 10.

The housing 11, the walls 12, 13 and 14, flap 30 and the other components of the vessel 10 can be made from any suitable material, for example sheet wood or plastic, and can be glued, screwed, snap fitted or otherwise secured together. The housing can be given a curved shape, instead of the simple rectangular shape shown, and this may assist the flow of air within the vessel 10.

In use, fan 20 draws air through the main body chamber 15 and discharges that through aperture 21 via chamber 17.

This causes a biassing force to act on flap 30 causing it to pivot from the open position shown in full in Figure 3 to the closed position shown dotted in Figure 3. This causes a vacuum to be drawn on the main body chamber 15 and on tube 6. This draws balls from hopper 4 into main body chamber 15 where they collect since flap 30 is in its closed position.

Children in pool 1 can select balls 2 from the population in pool 1 and throw them into hopper 4 so as to maintain a flow of balls into chamber 15 whilst fan 20 is operating. After a pre-determined time, the timer in control gear 23 will stop the fan or reduce its speed so that there is no longer sufficient air stream through chamber 17 to retain flap 30 in its closed position. Flap 30 then pivots to its open position and the balls in the chamber can cascade back into the pool 1 or such other destination as may be desired.

The invention has been described above in terms of a single pool having a single collection hopper 4 and storage vessel 10 associated therewith. However, it is within the scope of the present invention to have a plurality of pools, hoppers and storage vessels so that a complex circulation of balls can be achieved. Furthermore, a single storage vessel 10 can serve a plurality of pools, thus ensuring a constant change in the population of balls passing through each pool, in which case some form of mechanism for selecting the pool to which the balls are returned will be required.

Alternatively, the base of the main body chamber of the storage vessel can be provided with four flap mechanisms, each operated in sequence and discharging balls to a different pool.

The apparatus of the invention can be incorporated into a new ball pool as it is being constructed. However, since the apparatus of the invention can be built as stand alone units, it can readily be incorporated into existing ball pools to extend the range of activities which can be carried out in such pools. Furthermore, although the invention is of especial application in the education and/or rehabilitation of handicapped people, it can be applied to pools used by healthy and able people so as to extend the enjoyment of such pools by those people.

Claims (15)

CLAIMS:

1. A method for providing a cascade of balls to a ball pool which comprises transporting at least some of the balls from a ball pool to a storage vessel and releasing at least some of the balls from said storage vessel as a cascade of balls back into the said pool.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that balls of more than one size and/or colour are present in the pool.

3. A method as claimed in either of claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the balls are transported to the storage vessel by means of a transport tube which has an internal diameter of from 1 to 10mums greater than the diameter of the largest ball to be transported through the tune and less than 1.5 times the diameter of the smallest ball to be transported through the tube.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the balls are hollow plastic spheres of external diameter 6 to 8 cms.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the balls are transported by suction applied to a transport tube via the storage vessel, and the balls are collected from the pool by immersing the free end of the transport tube in the pool.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the balls are transported by suction applied to a transport tube via the storage vessel, the free end of the transport tube being connected to a basal outlet of a collection hopper into which users of the pool transfer balls from the pool.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the storage vessel is located from 1 to 3 metres above the pool.

8. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the release of balls from the storage vessel is controlled by a timer mechanism.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the storage vessel is provided with a pivoting basal flap which co-operates with an aperture in the storage vessel, which flap member pivots between a first position at which the aperture is closed by said flap so as to retain balls within the storage vessel, and a second position at which the aperture is exposed to permit discharge of balls from the storage vessel via said aperture.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that a suction device is used to draw balls through a transport tube from the pool to the storage vessel and in that the flap member is biassed into the said first position by the air stream discharged by the suction device, and in that the flap member is caused to pivot into said second position by stopping, interrupting or varying the air flow through the suction device.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with respect to in any one of the accompanying drawings.

12. A transport mechanism which comprises: a. storage vessel adapted to be connected by a conduit to a source of balls to be accommodated within the storage vessel; b. a second chamber adjacent the said storage vessel; c. apertures in a wall of each of said storage vessel and said second chamber; d. a fan or other suction mechanism for drawing air through said storage vessel chamber and for discharging that air into said second chamber; e. a flap member adapted to pivot at or adjacent a closed position at which it substantially closes line passing through its centre of gravity from a the apertures in the walls of said storage vessel and second chamber and a second open position at which it exposes said apertures; f. means for biasing said flap member towards its closed position; and g. means for affecting the flow of air drawn by said suction device.

13. A mechanism as claimed in claim 12, characterised in that the air flow discharged by said suction device bears against said flap member in said second chamber to provide said biasing means.

14. A mechanism as claimed in claim 13, characterised in that the means affecting said flow of air drawn by said suction device comprises a timer mechanism for reducing, interrupting or stopping the operation of the suction device.

15. A mechanism as claimed in claim 12 substantially as hereinbefore described with respect to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.