WO2019145916A1

WO2019145916A1 - Flexible, foldable and portable slide

Info

Publication number: WO2019145916A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/050656
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shahrooz TAVAKOLI
Original assignee: Tavakoli Shahrooz
Priority date: 2018-01-27
Filing date: 2019-01-27
Publication date: 2019-08-01

Abstract

Slide is one of the most popular toys for children, which is rarely found indoors due to its characteristic, form and big size. This invention includes a foldable slide with a flexible and fabric-like floor and some structural parts that when assembled, form a safe and comfortable slide for indoor use. Also, when the parts are separated, they can easily fit in a portable case.

Description

Flexible, Foldable and Portable Slide

This invention is about designing a flexible slide which could be folded and fitted in a case for easy transportation.

There are a few patents about portable or foldable indoor slides which can be classified into following 3 categories:

1- Slim and rigid slides that made from plastics and generally have one or two parts. Due to small dimensions, especially in the slope length, which does not exceed one meter, they do not have the required performance and are not satisfactory for kids.

2- Small slides with a slope length of about one and a half meters in two modes:

- One part slide floor, they are very bulky and difficult to carry

- Multi part Slide floor, which can be assembled and disassembled, there have not sufficient strength in the fittings and the floor have seams that reduce the effectiveness of the glide. Also they need large packages.

3- Inflatable slides: Their size are limited and are not stable when slide length exceeds one meter, and are very bulky because of the need for being like pyramid to stay static. In addition, Inflatable toys are very vulnerable and short in life.

According to the above, the disadvantages of previous solutions can be listed as follows:

- Size limitation, especially in the length of the slide, and consequently the lack of performance in most cases; the length of one part slides generally does not exceed more than one meter, and if they are longer, they will encounter the problem of portability.

- Complexity of parts, lack of efficiency and strength in multi-piece slides; the joints of these components make them complex, non-stable and consequently inefficient

- Weakness in portability; they have bulky packages even in small sizes and are not considered portable.

- High prices due to the bulky sizes, and having multi-parts and complicated fittings.

Some of the problems of regular slides is that they are expensive, hard to carry, very small or very bulky. The biggest problem is their slide floor which is a big solid plate, so I designed this slide to have a flexible and foldable fabric-like slide floor sheet with collapsible structural parts.

- In one embodiment of this slide it includes a fabric-like floor fitted on an assembled frame which can be leaned against a support like a free-standing ladder.

All the parts could be disassembled, folded and fitted in a portable case.

– In another embodiment the slide has wall-like beams on longitudinal sides for more stability and safety.

– In last embodiment the slide has a flat floor sheet made from bars connected side by side like a wicker carpet which could be rolled and fitted in a portable case.

Slide is one of the most popular toys for children, which is rarely found at indoors and apartments due to its special characteristic, form and big size especially because of the their nonflexible big solid floor plate. While its companion toy “swing” found abundantly in homes in various forms.

In the design of this slide, the two main parts of all slides, stairs and sloping surface are considered separately, so that a sloping surface is designed individually that can be installed on any secure and suitable support for use as a slide staircase, such as:

1 - Safe free-stand metal ladders 11, which are found in almost every house, with large upper handles and stairs. It is better to attach it to the wall by safety fastener 42 to prevent falling.

2 - Lightweight and soft ladders such as rope ladder, in which the stairs are horizontal plates, all connected to two vertical suspended ropes.

3 - Collapsible or foldable ladders.

First embodiment of this slide comprises of the following main parts:

1- The sloped surface 21: A polished linen tarpaulin fabric that, in addition to having a polished and slippery surface, has an endurance to bear weight and shear forces. Its endurance is so tight that it could not be torn with a cutting tool and even if it is torn from a tufted area, its tear or hole will not go on anyway. The four edges of the fabric is turned around and sewn 27 to wrap around the retaining beams 22.

2- The main longitudinal beams of the

floor plate

22, 23, as linear structures, in the simplest form, are placed in the form of two tubes connected at the side edges of the fabric floor sheet inside the sewn margins Fig.6 and Fig.7. These pipes are made up of two or more smaller tubes connected by screw connections or telescopic tubes with lockers to easily be assembled or disassembled and also easily fitted into the carrying case. These beams also could be made from various profiles such as rectangles or the like to act as a guard wall along the slide.

3- The lateral beams 25 which are connected to the two ends of the main beams and fabric sheet, forming a stable solid frame to keep the fabric sheet in place.

4- Legs 24 which are two bended beams, each of which is connected to the end of the main beams and placed on the floor. The ends can be rounded up or covered by a rubber piece to prevent unwanted movements on the floor.

5- Clamps or straps 26 either in the form of a tie or a crutch-handle-like clamp attached to the end of the main beams to provide a solid and secure connection between the slide and the support.

Notice: It is advisable to attach the lower lateral beam on the bottom of the legs to avoid falling out of the glide path and preventing it from forming bulges and obstacles on the slide floor surface.

How to assemble and install this slide: Fig.3, Fig.4

1- Connect the parts of the main longitudinal beams together

2- Placing all the beams in the margin gaps of four sides of the fabric sheet

3- Connect the clamps and legs to the head and bottom of the main beams

4- Connect the lateral beams to the main beams and the legs

5- Lean back frame to the support and attach the clamps to it

6- The slide is ready to use

The second embodiment of this slide, Fig.9, Fig.10, is the same as the first embodiment, in the case of the main beams are wide profiles, such as rectangles 31 or even more complicated beams such as truss or honeycomb beams which are made to provide an appropriate height at the sides for safety.

The third embodiment of this slide, Fig.11, Fig.12, Fig.13, is the same as the first or second embodiments, in the case where the slide floor sheet have a structure such as a wicker carpet. The cross bars 33 are arranged side-by-side along the slide floor and are woven together with the strap or tied to the fabric 32 to allow the slide floor be completely flat. The thickness of the bars should be sufficient to transfer the user weight to the main beams.

In this case, a tall beam or an additional guard bar should create the minimum required edge height on either side of the slide, to maintain safety.

For slide safety, especially for children, the following arrangements could be used:

1- Use a safety clamp to connect the ladder frame to the wall and keep it in place. Fig. 8

2- Installing a soft layer such as foam or felt 29 inside the fabric margins or around the beams 28 to cover the beams and protect against possible collisions and injuries. Fig. 7

3- Using wide longitudinal beams 31 to create a guard wall on the sides of the slide. Fig.9, Fig.10

4- Adding longitudinal bars parallel to each main beam as handle or guard.

5- Adding a seat belt so that a belt is bound to the wearer with a hook attached to it and a longitudinal stripe along the main beam is attached and tightened. Each time the user wants to slide, the belt hook around the longitudinal bar so that it can move freely in the direction of the slide while gliding, but preventing it from falling into the sides of the slide.

- This slide which has completely different composition from the existing slides is made up of parts that are easily assembled, disassembled or folded into a case. It also has a very small volume and low weight to be carried easily.

- Its ability to have been built by simple and inexpensive materials which are available on the market, as well as its easy-to-fabrication technique, which can be built even in home or small workshops, indicates the easy and high manufacturability of it in the industry.

- This slide is such that is easy to be created in sufficient long length to be used indoors, especially in small apartment, while it has the ability to fold and fit in the case.

- Its parts are easily and instantly assembled and disassembled.

- Occupies a small amount of space even when is assembled.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbers indicate the same or similar elements:

Fig.1

Isometric view of the first embodiment while connected to the metal ladder

Fig.2

Isometric view of the first embodiment while connected to the rope ladder

Fig.3

Isometric explosive view of the first embodiment

Fig.4

Isometric explosive view of the structural components and fittings of first embodiment

Fig.5

Isometric view of the first embodiment parts while separately arranged side by side and the fabric floor rolled

Fig.6

Cross section view of the first embodiment

Fig.7

Cross section view of the first embodiment with a soft protective layer on the beam

Fig.8

Side view of the safety clamp to secure the ladder frame to the wall

Fig.9

Isometric section view of the second embodiment

Fig.10

Cross section view of the second embodiment

Fig.11

Isometric section view of the third embodiment

Fig.12

Cross section view of the third embodiment

Fig.13

Schematic longitudinal section view of the floor of the third embodiment

Slide is one of the most popular toys for children, and if produced at a reasonable price, it would have a high commercial and industrial potential.

Due to its ability to be built with simple and inexpensive materials on the market, as well as its simple construction technique, which can be built even at home or in small workshops, it implies high industrial use and therefore economic and commercial capability.

Also this slide has many applications in other various industries, as a quick and easy to assemble, and portable sloped surface, such as construction, factories, road construction, and so on.

Due to its special attention to the three principles of "practicality", "simplicity" and "easy portability", has a high competency to be manufactured in the industry.

11- Metal Ladder

12- Rope Ladder

13- The Slide of the first embodiment

14- Pull up bar

21- Fabric like slide floor

22- Upper part of the main beam

23- Median or lower part of the main beam

24- Slide legs

25- Cross beam

26- End Clamp or tie

27- Stitch of the slide floor margins

28- Tube like beam

29- Soft protective layer

31- Rectangular section beam

32- Reinforced floor of the slide of the third embodiment

33- The reinforcing cross bars of the slide floor in third embodiment

41- Thick wire

42- The metal fastener

43- Wall bracket

44- Wall

45- Metal ladder support leg

Claims

A slide or slippery surface, comprising:
- a foldable fabric-like sheet as slippery surface or slide surface;
- at least two elongated structural members like bars or beams for keeping the foldable slide surface in place,
wherein the elongated structural members connect to the fabric like sheet on its edges, to create a stable sloped slippery surface as a slide.
The slide of claim 1,
wherein at least four elongated structural members such as bars connected to the four sides of the slide sheet to form a stable solid frame.
The slide of claim 1,
wherein the longer elongated structural members are made up of a few shorter pieces that are connected to each other by removable connections such as bolt or pin, or telescopically collapsed, and when they are separated, all of the parts fit in a portable case or box for easy carrying.
The slide of claim 1, further comprising:
- at least one clamp or tie in one end of the longitudinal beams for attaching and retaining the slide on a support.
The slide of claim 1, further comprising:
- two leg-like elements which connect to the end of the longitudinal beams to land the end of the slide on the ground, maintaining the required distance between the lower end of the slide sheet and ground.
The slide of claim 1,
wherein the slide floor comprising of a series of linear structural elements, such as bars or rods along the width of the floor, which are repeated along the length of the floor and are arranged on the entire surface, and attached to each other by a fabric or some fittings, so that the floor can be flat and without bend, and has the ability to be folded or wrapped like a fabric or a wicker carpet.