WO2007077525A2

WO2007077525A2 - Obstacle race

Info

Publication number: WO2007077525A2
Application number: PCT/IB2007/000019
Authority: WO
Original assignee: Boujon, Claire-Lise
Priority date: 2006-01-04
Filing date: 2007-01-04
Publication date: 2007-07-12
Also published as: WO2007077525A3

Abstract

The inflatable obstacle race for aquatic or land medium is embodied in such a way that elements thereof forming obstacles are not integrateable into a inflatable base structure and are displaceable by means of a plurality of fixing means.

Description

DOBSTACLES RACES

Inflatable obstacle courses forming a playground, aquatic or terrestrial, on which are fixed elements of obstacles, which hold in place .by means of summary fixations allowing them to be moved at will or grouped together to create multiple activities.

In the leisure market there are inflatable obstacle races, inflatable castles. These obstacle courses are either watertight and used in swimming pools, or not airtight and watertight and are permanently connected to a compressor. The present invention applies to any type of manufacture of obstacle courses or platforms, inflatable structures.

These obstacle courses are constructed in one piece and the disadvantage of these obstacle courses lies in the fact that the elements constituting the obstacles are an integral part of the basic inflatable structure and are indissociable from it.

When you inflate the structure, everything is inflated at the same time, everything deflates at one time. The obstacles can not be changed places, their locations are defined in the manufacture and give place always the same activities, when the weariness of always follow the same route settles, it is necessary to change platform.

The state of the art makes mention of the document: US 5,135,440 which represents a pool with game elements that are welded on the bottom of the pool and therefore not movable.

The present invention aims to remedy these disasters and disadvantages.

The advantages of the present invention lies in that the obstacles or game elements can be moved and renewed to infinity. The basic structure is kept and one buys packages of elements, new objects, with elements of fixings which one can add if necessary on the inflatable structure by sticking them to constitute obstacles, plays

It is possible to have basic inflatable structures of all imaginable shapes, islands, oval ..., an inflatable platform in the form of large mattresses, or juxtaposed bundles interconnected, an inflatable structure whose members form internal spaces trimmed with nets. On this basic structure there are obstacles including means of summary fixing indicative and not limiting: suction cups, gripping fabric, magnets, which allow to position these elements on the base surface or to agglutinate them together .

These elements of obstacles, games, are either inflatable / deflatable, or made of closed cell foam, foam floating on water or any other lightweight material impermeable to water and air, they may include handles for they can be moved more easily if they are too big.

The fixings will be located on the obstacles, the objects, without the number or surface area occupied on objects, obstacles or on the inflatable surface.

The invention will be better understood when reading deseription. embodiments of embodiments given by way of non-limiting examples, with reference to the figures on which it is based.

FIG. 1 shows an inflatable form, here a rabbit 1 with an inflation / deflation valve 2, the rabbit has a gripping tissue band, male or female 3, stuck on the stomach, and two handles 24 for facilitate its transport.

Figure 2 shows a house-shaped block 4, made of floating foam, there are pieces of gripping fabric 3 represented by rectangles.

Figure 3; represents a block of floating foam 5, on which a suction cup 6 has been glued. FIG. 4 shows a platform in the form of an inflatable grid 7 serving as a base for an obstacle course with stretched threads 8 and gripping fabric 3 (male or female part) in the form of ovals arranged on the inflatable grid 7.

FIG. 5 shows a platform in the form of an inflatable mattress 9 with metal plates 10, represented here by rectangles. Figure 6 shows another form of inflatable platform, the supports comprising the gripping fabric 3 are placed next to a pot of glue 12 to be fixed where desired. Figure 7: represents an inflatable platform in the form of a large inflatable mattress 9, two characters who are installing an obstacle course, one has just taken into the water a block representing a house 4, the other one in the process of applying an inflatable clock 18 (one distinguishes a valve 2), on the stomach of an inflatable rabbit 1 (there is a valve 2), an inflatable shaft 15 with its valve 2 has already been put in place as well as an arch 16, a car 13 floats in the water and a pole 17, objects and on the platform are distinguished pieces of gripping fabric 3.

FIG. 8 shows an inflatable platform 9 with a mounted obstacle course, with a toboggan 19, a pole 17, a shaft 15 on which a car 13 has been flanked, an arch 16, a house 4, a rabbit 1 on which we put a clock 1-8, we distinguish the inflating / deflating valves 2 for the inflatable elements and the pieces of tissue gripping 3 distributed on the structure and on obstacles, objects.

FIG. 9: represents the same inflatable structure 9, with the same elements, 4, 13, 1, 17, 14, 15, 18, 19, it may be noted that all the elements have been changed places, one notices a character qμi holds in its hands an inflatable arch 16 comprising a valve 2.

Figure 10: represents a platform in the form of inflatable grid 7, with nets 8 we can observe two characters, a look, the other has just launched a ring 14, they have four rings in reserve near them, a pole 17 has been placed at the end of a crossbar 21, on the post two pieces of gripping fabric 3 can be observed, represented by rectangles,

as well as a smaller piece of gripping fabric 3 on the center of the inflatable grate 7. Figure 11a: shows a pool 22, with strips of fabric 23 at the edges. FIG. 11b shows an inflatable structure in the form of an inflatable grid 7, three spaces of which are provided with a swimming pool 22, whose edges 23 rest on the tubes. FIG. 13a shows a way of bringing two internal walls together, here a strap 24.

FIG. 13b shows another way of bringing two internal walls together, here a tube 25.

Here are, as a guide and not limitation, some examples of running obstacle courses through summary fixing means to create obstacle courses and move objects and obstacles. Note: All objects, inflatable elements are made of closed cell foam and vice versa, all objects made of foam are executable inflatable.

FIXING MEANS These means consist of any element ensuring a light and summary fixation allowing instant objects to hold in equilibrium on the surface or to be accumulated between them and to be able to dissociate them easily.

These means are for example:

Male / female gripping fabric, suction cups, plastic magnets and metal parts.

Note: The suction cups "carry away a part that is stuck on objects, obstacles and the sucker face in position is ready to be crushed on an inflatable surface. In this case, to position an obstacle or an object of games to create playful effects, a marking of the place will be done with the help of a sticky tape of color or with a chalky grease by example or as another means a flat surface of PVC, plastic that can be lined with tape, double-sided, these means not being limiting.

Male / female gripping fabric fixed on obstacles, objects, a

insi on the structure. On the structure the gripping fabric strips may be larger than on the objects themselves, or even cover almost the entire surface, thus facilitating the location for the placement of objects, obstacles. In order to be able to form accumulations of objects between them, the male or female gripping fabric in ribbon, in strips, in plates, is sewn on a support which is stuck to it on the obstacles, objects, inflatable structures of base.

The objects, obstacles, inflatable or not, may be covered with a cloth or a rough coating having the ability to grip, hang, this type of coating or fabric differs from the previous in that it is not built according to the male / female principle, nor in ribbon, but generally in large widths or is included in a manufacturing process. This fabric can be divided into sections or over the entire surface of the inflatable structure and obstacles, objects, making possible the movement of objects, obstacles, and their accumulation between them. Place on the structure plates of metallized fabric capable of attracting magnets, or thin metal sheets having this capacity. 5. The metal foil or wire cloth is encircled, crimped onto the inflatable structure by means of a strip of PVC or plastic cloth, or bonded rubber, or covered with plastic. Magnets are fixed in numbers on obstacles, objects to move, by gluing and / or crimping, and / or covered with plastic, PVC.

The opposite is also possible: armatures on the inflatable structure and metal parts on objects, obstacles.

The advantage of fixing the obstacles and objects in a summary way on the surface of the structure is that one can organize the composition of one's own obstacle course and change its disposition to break the monotony.

.The inflatable surface .use it as well. With few game elements as with a multitude, everything depends on the size of objects, obstacles, and activities that we want to create, that we want organize.

An example of simple games would be to fix a pole on the inflatable structure, whatever the means used, and on this pole, fix a target, covered with gripping fabric or gripping material. Children or adults balancing on the platform and aiming at the target with bullets or arrows fully covered with gripping cloth. Variant: a pole and rings Fig. I0

An example of simple games would be to have a multitude of objects heaped up in piles on the platform or floating in the pool and to ask participants to create an obstacle course, or to build a building with obstacles or objects, the largest possible with as many objects as possible, to group them at one point of the platform and to climb to the top when finished. Fig 7-8-9.

Another possibility: you mount your own obstacle course and give yourself free rein to climbing races, and you change the position of the objects during another use.

The obstacles can include any form of objects, tunnels, slides, objects to be climbed, or having orifices, or small objects that are agglutinated with each other, which are thrown into the air to form figures, such as a winged dragon.

INFLATABLE OBJECTS Inflatable objects when inflated tend to bulge which can cause problems to attach to the inflatable structure.

To obtain a flatter surface at the location of the attachment, it is necessary to introduce inside the object a device for retaining the walls.

As a non-limiting example, here are some examples of executions:

Short plastic PVC straps connecting two inner walls of the object thus reducing the bending of the object when inflated, shorter tubes, fixed from one inner wall to the other inner wall; in fact any system allowing internally to bring the two inner walls and to obtain a flatter surface outside the object. According to need this also applies to the inflatable structures forming the base of the obstacle course.

ABLATED FRICTION STRUCTURES WITH SPACES COMPRISING THREADS

For such structures, when they are used on a soil and that one wishes to create aquatic activities, one _. can lay fasteners on the periphery of one or more spaces (filled with nets or not) to place one or more pools whose edges are provided with strips of fabric that are fixed on the fasteners arranged all around the space, on the boudins.

These strips of fabric, around the pool, are intended to avoid getting caught between the edge of the pool and the pudding.

The pools are either inflatable, or mounted on a tabular structure covered with PVC or any other method of construction.

Claims

1. Inflatable obstacle races characterized in that obstacles, objects constituting an obstacle course _. inflatable are not an integral part of the basic inflatable structure but consist of independent elements of the inflatable structure, 1, 4, 5, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, comprising a summary attachment means allowing them to be assembled together, to be movable on the basic inflatable structure, obstacle course being constructed with means 3, 10, allowing the distribution and fixation of these elements to thereby create multiple activities.

2. Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1, characterized in that the obstacle elements, objects are inflatable / deflatable, 1, 18, 16, 15, by means of a valve 2, or consist of floating foam , 4, 5, or any lightweight materials impermeable to air and water.

3. Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1, 2, characterized in that the fastening elements are suction cups 6 located on the obstacles, objects to be laid, superimposed or moved on the inflatable structure 7, 9, 11.

4. Inflatable obstacle race according to claims 1, 2, characterized in that the fastening means for the obstacles and objects are gripping fabric 3, male / female and in that the receiving points are either fixed advance is added by the user by pasting according to the use he wants to make.

Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1, 2, characterized in that the fastening elements are metal parts and magnets.

6. Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, characterized in that the obstacle course consists of an inflatable platform, 11, 9, forming a playground on which are positioned the obstacles, game elements, 1, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

7. inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, S, characterized in that the obstacle course consists of an inflatable base structure whose members form internal spaces filled with threads 8, the elements of obstacles and games 1, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 positioned on the cross members 21 of the structure 7.

8. Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, characterized in that the obstacle course consists of a basic inflatable structure whose members form internal spaces filled nets 8, and at least one space is provided with a pool 22 whose edges 23 rest on the rods

9. Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the inflatable structures comprise either at least one valve which allows their independence in air or are connected by a hose to a compressor now under pressure inflation constantly.

Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the obstacles, objects, 1, 4, 5, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, inflatable structures 11, 9, 7 are partly or entirely covered with a rough cloth or coating with the ability to grip.

11. Inflatable obstacle course according to claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the objects, obstacles, basic inflatable structure comprises means, 24, 25, for bringing two internal walls closer to reduce the curve thereof. when inflated.