WO2004054667A1

WO2004054667A1 - Target object

Info

Publication number: WO2004054667A1
Application number: PCT/DE2003/004142
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wolfgang Rams; Thomas Sandberg
Original assignee: Wolfgang Rams; Thomas Sandberg
Priority date: 2002-12-18
Filing date: 2003-12-16
Publication date: 2004-07-01
Also published as: AU2003293288A1; EP1575681B1; ATE329668T1; ES2266893T3; EP1575681A1; DE50303882D1; DE10394160D2

Abstract

The invention relates to a target object (1) which comprises a receiving element (2) which can accommodate a target subject. The target object (1) can be suspended above a take-off surface (5) in such a manner that the receiving element (2) comprises at least one opening (21) facing said take-off surface (5) through which a balloon (20) filled with a lifting gas and ascending from the take-off surface (5) as the target subject can be guided into the receiving element (2). The invention allows for the playful competition of gas balloons (20) and at the same time provides for an advertising medium that is visible from afar.

Description

PRIESMEYER & WAGNER, patent and lawyers Technology Center at Europaplatz, 52068 Aachen Applicant: Dr. Rams, Sandberg Attorney Docket: R29-004

Z I E L O B J E K T

INTRODUCTION

The invention relates to a target object with a recording device in which a target subject can be recorded. Target objects of this type are known in different versions for different playful competitions. For example, goals for foot or handball games are known which stand directly on the edge of a playing field and have a substantially cuboid-shaped receiving device which is open towards the playing field and has stabilizing struts running along the edges of the receiving device. Basket-like target objects for basketball games are also known, which can also be supported above head height on the edge of a playing field by means of, for example, a rod-shaped support element.

The known target objects are not suitable for simple play competitions with gas-filled balloons due to their shape, which is tailored to the respective ball game, as they are preferably used in the context of advertising events as an attraction for customers or accompanying persons in childhood. Such competitions are - in the absence of suitable target objects - organized in the form of long-distance competitions.

A U F G A B E D E R E R F I N D U N G

The invention has for its object on the one hand to enable a playful competition with gas-filled balloons and on the other hand to provide a widely visible advertising medium. L Ö S U N G

On the basis of the known target objects, it is proposed according to the invention that the target object can be suspended above a starting surface in such a way that the receiving device has at least one opening directed towards the starting surface, through which an air balloon as a target subject rising from the starting surface and filled with a carrier gas enters the receiving surface. direction is feasible. Helium in particular is used as the carrier gas. In particular, a balloon made of biodegradable film (so-called "bio balloon") can be used. The target object according to the invention enables a new type of playful competition with gas-filled balloons as target subjects in such a way that balloons which rise from the starting surface due to the buoyancy of the gas and reach the receiving device through the opening trigger a profit. On the one hand, the estimation of the air movement between the starting area and the opening in the receiving device and, on the other hand, the typical uneven movement of a gas balloon ("spinning") represent a particular challenge for the skill of the people playing.

In addition, the target object according to the invention is outstandingly suitable as an advertising medium, in particular in the context of events both outdoors and in high rooms (for example in exhibition halls). On the one hand, the side surfaces of the receiving device offer the possibility of attaching flat advertising messages which then "float" above the ground during operation of the target device. On the other hand, the balloons ascending to the target object in the context of the described playful competition involuntarily entice the viewer to keep looking up at this target object - and the advertising message attached to it.

The target object according to the invention can have almost any shape that is useful for the intended game or advertising purpose. For example, the target object can be designed in the form of a round disk and have a plurality of circular, segmented, concentrically arranged openings in the manner of a darts game board, a hit with a balloon being evaluated with different point values depending on the segment hit.

In a preferred embodiment, the target object according to the invention has a registration element, by means of which the balloon guided into the receiving device can be registered. In particular, a registration element can be attached to the opening of the receiving device. If, in addition, the target object is equipped with an individual identification element, the target object that has entered the receiving device can be individually identified by means of the registration element. By transmitting the registration and, if necessary, the individual identification of the target object which has entered the receiving device by means of a transmission element to an evaluation device arranged, for example, on the starting surface, the score can be determined on the basis of the points achieved.

In particular, barcodes or RFID labels, which can be glued or printed on the target subject, come into question as inexpensive identification elements. Corresponding registration elements (so-called "scanners") based on laser technology are widely available and inexpensively available in a large number of versions on the market. To transmit the registered data to an evaluation device, a cable connection is preferably led through a tether. Alternatively, a radio link to the evaluation device can also be set up by means of the transmission element.

As an alternative to using a separate identification element, balloons of different colors can also be used, it being possible for example for each color to be assigned to a person playing. The receiving device preferably has a cover element which closes the receiving device upwards when the target object is in the suspended state. Balloons that have entered the receiving device are prevented from leaving the receiving device and their collection and subsequent determination of the winners are made possible. The alternative design of the receiving device without a closing cover element is also possible. The target object according to the invention preferably also has a destruction device by means of which balloons guided into the receiving device can be destroyed. Destroying the balloons that have entered the receiving device counteracts, on the one hand, an undesirable increase in the buoyancy of the target object and, on the other hand, reduces the volume of the balloons (as described above) collected for disposal. For example, the use of a sharp or pointed ground wire is possible.

In a preferred embodiment, the target object according to the invention has a registration element by means of which the balloon guided into the receiving device can be marked. The registration element can in particular comprise a paint spray device which, on a pulse, marks an air balloon guided past the registration element with a paint splash. In particular in connection with the (described above) collection of the balloons that have entered the receiving device, the number of markings can also be used to easily determine the number of balloons from the remains of destroyed balloons. The receiving device of the target object according to the invention is advantageously cuboid. The cuboid shape is particularly suitable for attaching flat advertising media. A target object according to the invention preferably has a rigid stabilization device, by means of which the shape of the receiving device can be stabilized. In this way the susceptibility of the receiving device to deformation under wind pressure is reduced and a uniform design of the target object is guaranteed for the playful competition. Such a stabilization device preferably has scissors-like rods, by means of which a rectangular delimiting element of the shape of the receiving device can be stabilized and which can be folded in parallel to transport the target object and thus save space. The pick-up device can be constructed particularly simply with straight rods. The scissor-shaped connection reduces the number of additional connection points required, thus simplifying handling on the one hand and reducing the weight on the other.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the target object according to the invention, the limiting element with the spatial shape of the receiving device can be suspended in the preassembled stabilizing device. A network and flat advertising media can, for example, be modularly attached to hooks attached to the stabilization device. The assembly and disassembly of the target object according to the invention is particularly simple.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the target object according to the invention has a buoyancy element which can be filled with a carrier gas with a lower density than air in such a way that the target object can be lifted to a position above the starting surface, supported by the buoyancy of the carrier gas. Thus, the weight of the target object according to the invention to be borne by a supporting structure anchored to the floor is significantly reduced. The supporting structure can then be made correspondingly simpler and lighter and therefore cheaper and easier to transport.

Such a balloon-like buoyancy element also offers the advantage of an almost unlimited three-dimensional shape, which can be adapted to the respective advertising purpose, in particular from an advertising standpoint. For example, the buoyancy element can be designed to advertise a dairy farm in the form of an oversized cow, in the form of an advertised product - for a tire manufacturer, for example a tire - or in the form of a name, company or brand name, logo or lettering.

A target object according to the invention advantageously has a holding device, by means of which the target object can be held on the floor. In this way, the position of the target object in relation to the start area can be determined. In particular, such a holding device has at least one anchor rope, by means of which the target object can be anchored to the floor. The use of ropes for brackets that are only subjected to tension enables a design of the target object according to the invention that is optimized in terms of weight, cost and transportability. If the buoyancy of a buoyancy element is used to such an extent that the target object according to the invention is lifted overall by the lifting gas, the holding device can even be constructed exclusively from ropes.

On the other hand, the holding device of a target object according to the invention can have at least one rod-shaped support element, by means of which the target object can be supported on the ground. By means of such a support element, on the one hand, a target object that is not (or not completely) lifted by the buoyancy of a gas filling can be held in a position above the starting surface.

A rod-shaped support element enables not only the holder that can be subjected to tensile and compressive loads, but also - at least within limits - a certain torsional load in the direction of the rod axis. Due to this multi-axis load capacity of a support element, the number of required support elements of the holding device can be kept low, which in turn facilitates the handling and transportation of the target object according to the invention.

A rod-shaped support element can advantageously be made from fiber-reinforced plastic. A support element made of a fiber-reinforced plastic (plastics reinforced with glass, carbon or ceramic fibers are known) is - in particular in comparison to a support element made of metal (aluminum or steel) - with the same load-bearing capacity on the one hand much lighter and on the other hand more flexible. The lower susceptibility to lightning is also important as a safety aspect for outdoor applications.

Such a flexible rod-shaped support element bends in an arc at its free end when a receiving device is installed, so that the slope of the support element is reduced at this free end. The receiving device can then - again in comparison to a rigid support element - be mounted much closer to the free end without the risk of collisions. In order to intensify this effect, the support element can be made softer (ie in particular thinner) towards the free end. The bracing of the receiving device by means of anchor ropes on the floor can also be used in a targeted manner in order to achieve a defined deflection of the support element.

In addition, a rod-shaped support element can preferably be assembled in segments. Plug-in or folding connections between the segments are particularly easy to manufacture and assemble, and - in contrast to telescopic support elements - do not require ne special version of the segments themselves. The individual segments can then - in the sense of the above-mentioned version softening towards the free end - be designed in such a way that the diameter of each individual segment continuously decreases or - significantly lighter and therefore less expensive to manufacture - that each segment has a smaller diameter than the previous one.

A rod-shaped support element can preferably be received in a receiving element on which a motor vehicle can be parked for weighting. The rod-shaped support element is particularly suitable for a transportable design due to the properties and variations described above. Since the transport is usually carried out with a motor vehicle - or at least a motor vehicle is usually available at the place of use - the dead weight of this motor vehicle can be used to fix a receiving element on the floor. In this way, the receiving element itself can in turn be small, light and inexpensive.

In particular, for use in areas that do not allow driving with a motor vehicle, or where a visible motor vehicle is to be avoided, other weight elements - for example drums filled with water - can alternatively be used. In order to enable variable inserts, the receiving element can preferably be of modular construction in such a way that a larger positioning plate can be connected to the main element. While a motor vehicle can be parked with a wheel on the main element as described above, the larger positioning plate has the space required to accommodate the respective number of weight elements.

In an advantageous embodiment of such a receiving element, in particular an angle between the support element and the horizontal can be adjusted by means of an adjusting element. This angle can then be set flat, in particular parallel to the horizontal, for preassembly of the support element on the receiving element. To attach an object to be lifted - for example a target object according to the invention, a lighting object, a sunshade or an advertising medium - the free end can be slightly raised, for example at head height, by enlarging this angle. The angle for transferring the object into the desired target position can then be increased up to the vertical - if a flexible support element is used, also beyond.

In the context of such a receiving element, the support element and the adjusting element are preferably supported in a common receiving cage. This receiving cage absorbs the bearing forces on the one hand of the support element and on the other hand of the adjusting element, conducts however only their vertical parts - corresponding to the weight of the support element with the object attached to it (and the adjusting element) - but not their mutually canceling horizontal parts into the ground or into a base plate of the receiving element. Such a receiving element preferably hinders removal of the motor vehicle in the state mounted with the support element, thus fulfilling the function of an "immobilizer". In this way, inadvertent removal of the motor vehicle in the assembled state of the target object according to the invention is effectively avoided and its operational safety is increased.

As an alternative to such a floor-based receiving element, a target object according to the invention can also be mounted on a mobile lifting crane or a lifting platform (a so-called "Omme" after the name of a known manufacturer) or - for indoor use - on a hall ceiling.

A U S F Ü H R U N G S B E I S P I E L

The invention is explained below by way of example with reference to drawing figures. These show in

1 shows a first target object according to the invention,

Fig. 2a, the receiving device of this target and

2b the stabilizing device of this receiving device,

3a an alternative receiving device and FIG. 3b the stabilizing device of the alternative receiving device,

4a shows the receiving element of the first target object in a plan view and

Fig. 4b of this receiving element in a side view and

5 shows a second target object according to the invention.

The first target object 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a receiving device 2 which is suspended from a holding device 4 by means of a tether 3 in such a way that its underside 7 facing the starting surface 5 on the floor 6 is at a distance 8 of 6.5 m from the latter , The holding device 4 consists of a rod-shaped support element 9 made of GRP, which is received on the bottom 6 in a receiving element 10. A motor vehicle 1 1 is parked on the receiving element 10. The support element 9 is fixed in the assembled position 12 of the target 1 according to FIG. 1 at an angle 13 of 90 degrees to the starting surface 5. By the weight of its at its free End device 14 attached to end 14, support element 9 has an arc shape, so that free end 14 is oriented essentially parallel to start surface 5.

FIG. 1 also shows a second position 15 of the support element 9, in which it is received in the receiving element 10 parallel to the starting surface 5. In this position 15, the support element 9, which is constructed in a manner not shown here as a "plug-in mast" from four tubular segments each 3 m long, is preassembled:

The first segment has an outside diameter of 53 mm and a wall thickness of 8 mm, the second with the same outside diameter a wall thickness of 4 mm, the third with an outside diameter of 42 mm again a wall thickness of 4 mm and the fourth segment has an outside diameter of 28 mm and a wall thickness of 3.5 mm. The segments are each connected via corresponding sleeves which compensate for the different dimensions. The receiving device 2 is then hooked onto the free end 14 of the preassembled support element 9 and pulled up into the assembled position 12. The use of the target object 1 according to the invention requires a free length 16 of 4 m, starting from the receiving element 10 in a motor vehicle 1 1 assumed here as an example, and a free length 17 of 1 1.5 m in the opposite direction for the preassembly of the support element 9 and the receiving device 2 , In the assembled state, target object 1 requires a free height 18 of 9 m. To clarify the size relationships, a person 19 standing on the starting surface 5 is shown with a gas-filled balloon 20.

FIG. 2a shows the receiving device 2 of the target object 1 in detail. The receiving device 2 has an opening 21 which, in the assembled position 12, points downward in the direction of the starting surface 5 and is suspended from the holding device 4 by means of the tether 3. The receiving device 2 essentially consists of a net 22 and a rigid stabilizing device 23 shown again individually in FIG. 2b, and two rectangular film elements 24. The net 22 and the film elements 24 are in the assembled state of the receiving device 2 according to FIG. 2a by means of steel rings (not shown) hooked onto the stabilizing device 23 on hooks, also not shown. The network 22 delimits the receiving device 2 on the one hand by an upwardly closing cover element 25 and on the other hand by four side walls 26. The film elements 24 are printed as advertising media in a manner not shown, on a light tensioning frame, not shown mounted and hooked onto the stabilizing device 23 by means of hooks, also not shown.

The stabilizing device 23 has six rods 28, which are connected to one another in scissors-like fashion at a centrally arranged joint 27. The net is reinforced on the cover element 25 with two ropes 29. The stabilization device 23 is clamped on the underside by means of two fiberglass rods 30.

To transport the receiving device 2, the film elements 24 are first removed from the stabilizing device 23, the net 22 is unhooked and then the rods 28 are pivoted about the respective joint 27 in such a way that they lie parallel to one another. The film elements 24, net 22 and the stabilization device 23 are combined in a space-saving manner in a transport box, not shown, so that the receiving device 2 is characterized overall by a minimal space requirement.

The alternative parallelepiped-shaped receiving device 31 shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b also has an opening 32 pointing downwards in the assembled state in the direction of the starting surface 5, not shown here, and can be suspended by means of a tether 33 from a holding device, again not shown here.

The receiving device 31 again essentially consists of a net 34 and two rectangular film elements 35. Rings 36 are incorporated into the film elements 35, into which carabiners attached to the net 34 engage, not shown in the assembled state of the receiving device 31 according to FIG. 3a. The net 34 in turn forms a cover element 37 which closes the receiving device 31 upwards and, on the other hand, the two end walls 38 of the receiving device 31. The film elements 35 form the side walls 39 of the receiving device 31. The stabilizing device 40 of the alternative receiving device 31 essentially corresponds to the stabilizing device 23 according to FIGS Figures 2a and 2b. In contrast to this, however, the net 34 and the film element 35 enclose the stabilization device 40 and are not suspended within it.

The receiving element 10 shown in detail in FIGS. 4a and 4b has a stable metallic base plate 41 which also serves as a footprint for the tire 42 of the motor vehicle 11. The base plate 41 is fixed to the floor 6 by the bearing force of the motor vehicle 11. The base plate 41 is designed, in a manner not shown in more detail, as a trough which simulates the shape of the tire 42 and into which the tire 42 is moved via a ramp. The receiving element 10 thus also fulfills the function of an "immobilizer". The position of the tire 42 is fixed and the risk of incorrect use of the tire minimizing element 10. As an alternative to a motor vehicle 11, any sufficiently heavy object can of course be used to fix the base plate 41.

On the base plate 41, a receiving cage 43 is attached, which receives at its ends 44 two rotatable shafts 45, 46 running perpendicular to the direction of travel of the motor vehicle 1 1 and thus distributes the force over the base plate over a large area. A receiving tube 47 for the support element 9 is attached to the first shaft 45. This is dimensioned long enough to give the bottom segment of the support element 9, which is designed as a pylon and which is exposed to the highest torques, the necessary support. In order to hold a glass fiber mast that is to hold a weight of 3 kg, the receiving tube 47 must have a length of at least 80 cm.

At the upper end 48 of the receiving tube 47, a hydraulic cylinder 50 is attached to a stop 49, which is supported on the second shaft 46. By adjusting the hydraulic cylinder 50, continuously different angles 13 of the support element 9 can be set. In this way, the load can be easily mounted on the support element 9, which is only slightly raised above the floor 6, and then transported to the desired height by means of the hydraulic cylinder 50.

The second shaft 46 is arranged somewhat lower than the first shaft 45. The receiving tube 47 can thus be brought into a horizontal position for the preassembly of the support element 9. The drain screw, not shown, of the hydraulic cylinder 50 is secured against unauthorized or improper drainage by a locking device. In addition, the maximum opening of the drain plug is limited.

Likewise welded to the base plate 41 is a vertical side wall 51 with a guide device 52 which supports and guides the receiving tube 47 laterally. The second target object 53 shown in FIG. 5 in turn has a receiving device 54, a buoyancy element 55 and a holding device 56. The rectangular receiving device 54 is delimited at the bottom to a starting area (not shown) by means of a film 57 and is open at the top. The film 57 has thirteen circular openings 58 through which an air balloon 59 filled with helium as the carrier gas can be guided into the receiving device 54. The buoyancy element 55 is produced in a closed tubular manner with a box-shaped cross section from a solid, non-stretchable film and is also filled with helium as the carrier gas. The inner wall 60 of the buoyancy element 55 laterally delimits the receiving device 54. A registration is on the inner wall 60 of the buoyancy element 55 element 61 attached, by means of which an air balloon 59 penetrating through the openings 58 into the receiving device 54 can be registered. The holding device 56 consists of four ropes 62 which are anchored to the starting surface in a manner not shown. The target object 53 is suspended above the start area by means of the holding device 56.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

1. Target object

2. Pick-up device 3. Tether

4. Holding device

5. Start area

6. Floor

7. Bottom 8. Distance

9. Support element

10. receiving element

11. Motor vehicle

12. Mounted position 13. Angle

14. Free end

15. second position

16. Free length

17. Free length 18. Free height

19th person

20. Balloon

21. Opening

22. Network 23. Stabilization device

24. Foil element

25. Cover element

26. Sidewall

27th joint 28th rod

29. Rope

30. Fiberglass rod

31. Receiving facility

32. Opening 33. Tether

34. Network

35. foil element

36th ring

37. cover element 38. end wall

39. side wall

40. Stabilization device

41. Base plate

42. Tire 43. Cage 44. Front end 45th wave

46th wave

47. Pick-up tube

48. top end 49. breakpoint

50th hydraulic cylinder

51st side wall

52. Management facility

53. Target 54. Recording facility

55. Buoyancy element

56. Holding device

57th slide

58. Opening 59. Balloon

60th wall

61. Registration element

62. Rope

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS:

1. target object (1, 53) with a receiving device (2, 31, 54) in which a target subject can be received, characterized in that the target object (1, 53) can be suspended above a start area (5) in such a way that the receiving device (2, 31, 54) has at least one opening (21, 32, 58) directed towards the starting surface (5) through which an air balloon (20, 59) filled with a carrier gas rises as a target subject from the starting surface (5) the receiving device (2, 31, 54) can be guided.

2. Target object (53) according to the preceding claim, characterized by a registration element (61), by means of which the balloon (59) guided in the receiving device (54) can be registered.

3. target object (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiving device (2, 31) in the suspended state of the target object (1) has the receiving device (2, 31) closing cover element (25, 37).

4. Target object according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a disrupting device by means of which the balloon guided into the receiving device can be destroyed.

5. Target object according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a marking device by means of which the balloon guided into the receiving device can be marked.

6. target (1, 53) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the receiving device (2, 31, 54) is cuboid.

7. Target object (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a rigid stabilizing device (23, 40), by means of which the shape of the receiving device (2, 31) can be stabilized.

8. Target object (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the stabilizing device (23, 40) has scissor-shaped rods (28) by means of which a rectangular delimiting element of the shape of the receiving device (2, 31) can be stabilized and which is used for transport of the target object (1) can be collated in parallel.

9. target (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the limiting element with the spatial shape of the receiving device (2, 31) in the preassembled stabilizing device (23) can be hung.

10. target (53) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a buoyancy element (55), which with a carrier gas with a lower density than

Air can be filled so that the target object (53) can be lifted to a position above the start area, supported by the buoyancy of the carrier gas.

1 1. Target object (1, 53) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a holding device (4, 56), by means of which the target object (1, 53) can be held on the floor (6).

12. target (53) according to the preceding claim, characterized by at least one rope (62), by means of which the target (1, 53) can be anchored to the floor (6).

13. target object (1) according to one of claims 1 1 or 12, characterized by at least one rod-shaped support element (9), by means of which the target object (1) on the floor (6) can be supported.

14. Target object (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the support element (9) is made of fiber-reinforced plastic.

15. Target object (1) according to one of claims 13 or 14, characterized in that the support element (9) can be assembled in segments.

16. receiving element (10), in which according to one of claims 13 to 15 by means of a

Support element (9) in particular a target object (1) can be picked up, wherein a motor vehicle (1 1) can be parked on the receiving element (10) for weighting.

17. receiving element (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that an angle (13) between the support element (9) and the horizontal is adjustable by means of an adjusting element.

18. receiving element (10) according to the preceding claim, characterized by a receiving cage (43) in which the support element (9) and the adjusting element are supported.

19. receiving element (10) according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that the receiving element (10) in the assembled state with the support element (9) hinders the removal of the motor vehicle (1 1).