Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
,WO 93/0703B PCr/CA92/004~5
2~209~s
AIR BAG Y~OY
TECE~NICAI. E~D
This invention relate~ to rideable sliding toys for sliding over
5 relatively smooth firm surface~ In particular, it relates to an unpowered toy
consisting of an inflated air bag which is capable of being lald upon by a user
and ridden over relatively ~mooth surfaceæ such as a ~oor due to the low
~Erictiorl between the bottom of the bag and the floora
BACKGRO~D AE~T
One example of a ~liding toy is described in UOS. Patent No~ 3,416,626,
issued to Brian H. Nagamatsu on March 9, 1967. The aforementioned patent
describes a rigid, po~ered, ground effect toy which rides above the surface of
the ground to provide what is described as a "ground effect vehicle". While
Nagamatsu provides a low friction toy upon which ~lsers can ride over relativelysmooth and regular ~ur:Eaces, Nagamatæu nevertheleæs require~; a source of powerto provide air pressure to ena~le the de~7ice to operate, resulting in a
relatively more complex and expensive toy. Moreover, Nagamatsu teaches a non-
lexible toy, resultislg in a largex embodiment.
lD.S. Patent 4~272,856 to Wegener describe~ another related but ~uite
different invention. Thi~ patent teaches a powered, ground ef~ect patient
mover or emergency use in the field. Thi~ device makes use of a flexib1e plenum
whîch æurrounds a rigid planar backing. An external1y powered air source
generate~ ~ufficient pressure to inflate the p1enum and expe1 air from small
diameter perforation~3 on the bottom at a rate which 1ift~ the device entirely
off the ground in order to move in a re1atively friction free manner. However,
this device doe~ not rest on the ground nor ~ea1 the air within and ~o operates
on different princip1es with different de~ign requirements from the present
invention to be descri~d. Moreover, it once again reguLre~ a source of power,
re~ulting in greater complexity and cost, and i8 relatively non-f1exib1e,
re3ulting in a 1arger embodiment~
U.S. Patent 3,375,893 to Mackie describes another re1ated but quite
different invention. This patent teaches a rigid topped, air impermeab1e load
bearing aix cushion~ Variou~ means are described to introduce air under higher
pre~sure than within the air cushion from an exterlla1 air ~ource into the region
centra11y beneath the cushion. This higher pre~ure air lifts the cushion
entir~y above the underlying ~urface to a11Ow frictionle~ travel in any
W{) 93/0703g PCI /CA9~/00425
21209 4i ~
direction. As l~efore, however, Mackie requires a power source, and teaches a
large non-flexible embodiment.
l)ISCl:~OS~E OF I~JE:NlION
The present invention provides a flexible bag of air impermea~le
material such aæ polyethylene or vinyl sheet or other similar material having
in its bottom a relatively large area of high air perm~ 1ity such as a hole.
When placed upon a smoot}l surface with air trapped within the bag and the area
of material surrounding the hole in relatively airtight contact with the smooth
surface, a user may lie uporl the bag and be supported by the cushion of air
formed within ~he bag. Because most of the weight of the user is supported by
the air within the bag pres~ing on the ~loor in the open hole area, the contact
area of the bag with the floor bears only a fraction of the total weight of the
rider upon the surface on which it rests. Thus, there is relativelylow friction
between the bag and the surface upon which it rests, ana the user may physicall
propelthe bagforward,causing the bagto~lide overthesurface. A transverse
belt across the hole may beleft in place to maintain the desired shape of the
bag and in particular the hole under the pressure gerlerated by the weight of the
person riding the bagO
In ~3um~nar.y, there is disclosed a flexible, low friction, rideable
device for use on a smooth floor or other surface consistin~ of an air bag havin~
at least one relatively large hole in the bottom thereof. In use, air is trappedwithin the hag by the area of relatively air impermeable material surrounding
the perimeter of the hole in the }~ottom of the bag which is in contact with thefloor or other ~3urface, thus forlaing an air ~eal. To use the invention, a usermay inflate the bag ~3imply by dropping it from a height above the floor,
allowing the bag to catch air as it :alls to the floor and thus trapping air
inside it as it land~. The bag material surrourlding and forming the edges of the
hole then for[ns a xelatively air-tight seal with the floor, allowing the bag toxetain it~i inflated ~;tate when laid upon by a user. In effect, once the bag isi.r~lated and lying on the floor, it forms a ~3ealed air cushic~n which may be safely
laid upon by a user for a period of time before deflation orcurs. During this
time, the bag provide~ 8 relatively low friction contact with the floor, allowing
users to use their hands and/or legs to push themselves around the floor in a low
friction manner.
There is further disclosed a flexibl~ loop of material for use with
the air bag, providing a self-contained sliding surface within which the air bag
~ 93/0703~ PCl /CA92/00425
2 1~Q~5
may be ridden.
According to one broad aspect of the invention, there is disclosed
a toy for use by a person for ~iliding on a relatively smooth firm underlying
surface such as a floor, characterised by a flexible bag forming a relatively air
5 tight enclosure when inflated and placed upon the surface, and having a regioncomprising a substantial portion of a bottom in contaot with the surface
removed, where~y substantially lower friction between ~Xê~~urface and the bag
is achieved.
According to a f urther broad aspect of the invention, there is
10 disclosed a toy for use by a person for sliding on a relatively smooth firm
underlying surface such a~ a floor, characterised by bladder means which may be
laid upon by a person in a stable manner when at least partially filled with air,
. the bladder means ~eing made of flexible relatively air impermeable material
having a relatively airtight top and sides,and having a relatiYely air tight
1~ bottom having an area of contact with the floor when the toy isin use,the are~
ofcontact having withinita region of highair permeability overasubstantial
portion thereof providing a relatively air tight relatively low friction se~l
between the bottom and the floor.
According to a yet further broad aspect of the invention,there is
disclo~ed an apparatus for temporarily supporting a weight above a relatively
~mooth underlying ~urface such as a floor to permit the weight to be moved in
a relatively low friction manner above said underlying surface. The apparatu~
comprises a top support surface means made of air impermeable material having
a len~3th and width suf~icient to support the weight above the underlying
25 ~uriEace when the apparatus i~ in use, and a bottom support surface means made
o~ relatively thin flexible air irnpermeable material having A length and width
sufficient to support the weight above the underlying surface when the
apparatus is in use, and having a relatively smooth bottom surface where lt
contact~ the underlying xurace when the apparatus is in u~ Air confining
30 means are deiEined between the top support surface means and the bottom support
~3u~ace mean~3 providing a substantially air tight region therebetween def iningan air enclo3ure beneath the top ~urfaceisupport means capable of containing
sufficient air to support the weight above the underlyin~ surface when the
apparatus i~ in u~e. A region of air permeability is located over a substantial
3S portion of the bottom support surface means where})y a relatively low friction
relatively air tight ~3eal is obtained between the portion of the bo~tom supportsurface means and the underlying surface when the weight i8 placed upon the
w~ 93/~7n38 PCT/CA92iO0425
21209~S
apparatus in a centred, balanced manner when the apparatus is at least
partially filled with air.
Accordingly to a further broad aspect of the invention,there is
disclosed an apparatus for use with a ~liding toy to provide a relatively smooth5 ~3liding surface, characterized by a closed loop of relatively stiff flexible
material having a relatively smoot.h inTier surface, the loop having a width anda diameter sufficient to permit a per~on to operate t~e sliding toy upon the
inner sur~ace so as to cause theloop to roll.
1~) BRIEF DES~RIPlION OF DRAWl~GS
In the description which follows, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an air bag of the invention made
of transparent material shown in inflated condition;
Figure 2a i~ a bottom view of the air bag when in inflate~ condltion;
Figure 2b is a end elevation view of the air bag when in inflated
condition;
Figure 2c is a top view of the air lbag when in inflated condition
showing the top surface of the inventi.on, and showing the bottom holes in
outline;
Figure 3 shows a side elevation view of a rider on the air bag of the
invention in inflated condition;
~igure 4a is a side elevation view of the air bag illustrating one
means of inflating the air bag;
Figure 4b is a pergpective view of the air bag illustrating anolther
means of inflating the air bag utilizing han~leæ attached to the top o the air
bag;
Figure 5 iæ a perspective ~iew of an auxiliar~ elliptical slide fc)r
u~e with the air bag;
Fiç7ure 6 i~ a per~pective view of a rider on an air bag within the
elliptical slider ~howing how the rider uses the elliptical slide to allow the air
bag to ~lide continuously over rough and/or porous surfaces;
Figure 7 shows a bottom view of an alterna~ive embodiment of the
air bag,illustrating an improved method of fashioning the holes;
Figure 8 shows a deta~ in perspective of the alternative
embodimenlt of Figure 7 as seen from within the air bag, showing the flaps
surrounding a hole in the ~ottom surface of the air bag;
` BEARS001/PCT 212 0 9 4~
Figure 9 shows a si~e Plevatlon view of a further embodiment
of the air bag; and
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the
air bag of the invention.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the
invention deplcting an air bag of the invention having a relatively
inflexible surface area over a portion of its top surface.
~igure 12 is a bot~om view of an air bag of the invention when
in inflated condition showing optional webbing mate~ial mounted on the
inside surface of the bag covering the holes.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT T~IE INVENTION
with reference to Figure 1, the invention consists of a bag or
bladder, designated generally as 100, made of a flexible, air impermeable
material such as vinyl, polyethylene or other similar such material.
A convenient material for this is vinyl (PVC) sheeting. The
thickness of the vinyl sheeting should be nominally between approximately
6 and 15 mil (thousandths of an inch where one inch equals 25.4 mm) wlth
12 mil having been found ~o be a good choice. However, other thicknesses
outside this range will also function provided ~hat they are sufficiently
strong and flexible. In addition to vinyl, polyester sheeting (often sold
under the trade-mark Mylar) ~nd polyethylene sheeting have been found to
work well. However, most vinyl will not work well outdoors in extreme
cold weather conditions. In such a ca~e, mylar or polyethylene material
would be preferable. If desired, combinations of these various materials
and thicknesses may be suitably used in the manufacture of the bag.
Suitable types of smooth leather would also function.
BAG MANUFACTURE
The simplest functioning bag has a top surface 102 and a bottom
surface 104 as shown in Figure 1. In the particular e~bodiment shown in
Figure 1, the top 102 and the ~ottom 104 are fabricated from generally
rectangular pieces of material, joined together along a seam 106 so as to
form an airtight seal between the top and bottom surfaces 102 and 104.
Although not shown in the drawings, when joined together in this way, the
two surfaces will foxm an essentially rectangular bag when seen in
uninflated condition from above. When inflated however, such a bag will
appear generally as shown in Figure 1. As seen from below in Figure 2a,
the bag will no l~onger appear rectangular, but may show deformation of the
sides due to the inflation of the bag. When inflated, the bag assumes an
essentially pillow shaped configuration as shown.
The bag may of course be formed in any other practical way, and
may consist for example of a single piece of material folded over or
'wrapped around' so that opposite side edges of the material are adjacent.
A side seam down one side of the bag only may then be formed along these
two adjacen~ side edges, and the two ends seamed together as before. What
is important is mexely that there
WO 93/07038 21 12 o 19 ~ j PCr/CA92/0042S
be provided a relatively air tight bag when in use of appropriate dimensions to
provide a cushion of air for the user.
Moreover, the bag need not be rectangular in shape, but may have
more rounded corners than shown, for example, or a somewhat rounded front end
as shown in Figure 10. The design may be any convenient shape and size which will
provide an air bag which, when inflated, properly supports the body of the user
while allowing the bag contact area with the floor to ~e~minimized.
THE E~OLES
In order for the invention to function in the desired manner, it
must have at least one relatively large highly air permeable area in the bottom
surface 104 offering relatively little resistance to inflation of the invention
when held and dropped bottom down to the floor. The simplest form of such 2
region would be a hole, and the embodiments of the invention described
hereafter will be described utilizing one or more holes, although a suitably
highly air perrneable material would also function effectlvely. The optimum sizeof the area (ie - the hole) depends upon the size and shape of the user and willbe further described herein.
By contrast, top surface 102 of the bag has no holes in it and is what
supports the rider when lying on the bag. As a safety measure, one or more smallperforations may be made in the top surface 10~ in centrally located areas
provided that these will be sealed by the user'~ body when riding the toy. Theseholes may help to prevent suffocation by small children. However, unless the
holes are substantially Qealed by the user when riding, the holes will render the
invention less workable by hastening deflation. In all ca~es, when the air bag
i~ being ridden, the top surface must provide a relatively air tight seal to theba~.
Thus, at least one centrally located highly air permeable regiorl such
a~ a hole is provided on the bottom surface 104 of the invention. ~or smaller
si7es of the ba~ ~Eor use by small children, a single such eentrally located hole
may be sufficient. For most larger sizes of the invention however, it has been
found beneficial to provide two ~uch holes as will be explained hereinafter.
In the particular embodiment shown in Fi~3ure 1, two such holes 110
and 112 are provided on the bottom surface 104 of the bag. This has been
accomplished by means of a transverse belt of material 130 which has been left
in place when cutting the hole, thus forming the two holes 110 and 1120 This belt
helps to maintain the shape of the bag and thus the hole so that air is sealed
while the bag i8 being rid~en. Without the belt, the sides of the air seal tend
t ~
~O 93/07038 PCI /CA92/004~5
2 i 2 ~
to buc~cle outwardly when a person lies on the bag, thus causin~l the air to escape
more quic}cly, and in the worst case, suddenly deflating the bag. Thus, by
providing two holes 110 and 1l2 as shown instead of one larger hole, a better
working embodiment is achieved. This is particularly useful in larger bag~,
5 where the appropriately sized hole would be sufficiently large that it would
tend to render an air seal that buckled outwardly towards the sides of the l~ag
under pressure. Obviously, with smaller bags requiringi smaller holes, as for
small children, this would not be as important, due to their lower weight and
smaller hole si~e requirementsO
Theregionofcontact of impermeable material (coinciding with area
120shown in dotted outline in Figurel)between the bag 100 and the surface 140
after inflation of the bag acts as a low friction seal. Area 120 forming this
region of contact is hereafter referred to as the air seal in this disclosure.
The holes llOand 112are formed to provide an air seal assmallin contact area
15 as possible while maintaining a good air seal when in use. The smallest ~rea of
air seal gives the largeæt hole and theleast sliding friction. However, if the
hole is cut too large, the air seall20w~1 be too small and the air will leak outwhen a person attempts to ride the bag or when the person tilts the bag durin~
riding. Conversely, if the hole is too smal:l, the air seal 120 (ie the contact area)
willbelargerthannecessary,providingunnecessarily highfrictionbetweenthe
air ~eal area 120 and the floor surface. Thus, the hole i~ cut as a compromise
between low friction and ease of maintaining air within the bag while riding thebag.
The two holes provided in the bottom surface are generally
25 rectang~ r in shape a~ shown in Figure 2a in order to provide an overall holearea whis:~h is itself generally rectangular. The æhape of the holes shown 'cends
to producetheleastfrictionwhileaffordingthegreate~teaseofinflationand
allowing the rider to easily keep the air inside. The rounded corners 114 are
provided ~imply to assist in preventing tearing of the bag material at those
~orner~
The hole or holes are generally rectangular and positioned to
correspond generally with the area of contact between the user's body and the
toplOæ Sincethearea ofcontact ofthe user'sbody uponthetopoftheairbag
is generally rectangular,the area of ~reatest pressure upon the floor w~l be
35 the similarly shaped area on the bottom 104 1ying directly underneath the user.
This may be better under!3tood by c:onsidering that the area of
intersection between the side of a cylinder and a flat plane is a rectangle.
~ 7 --
.
' BEARS001/PCT
2120~
When in an inflated, sealed condition, the alr bag acts much like a
somewhat flattened flexible cylinder, lying on its side on the floor,
and making a generally rectangular area of contact with the floor.
Since the user is lying on top of the flexible cylinder, the area of
highest pressure (and therefore friction) occurs in this rectangular
area on the bottom. To cut out as much of this rectangular pressure
area from the bottom of the bag as possible, a substantially rectangular
hole will be needed, and the friction associated wi~h that part of the
bottom may be thus eliminated.
Optionally, as illustrated in Figure 12, the holes may be
completely covered by a highly air permeable material 116 such as
netting, screening, or perforated flexible plastic sheeting of material
the same or similar to the material used for the bag construction. This
material must present a low enough resistance to the passage of air that
inflation of the bag is not significantly hindered when the invention is
held and dropped bottom down to the floor. The material may be h~at
sealed or otherwise flexibly fastened to the inside of the bottom
surface near the perimeter of the holes, in order to prevent smâll
children from pu~ting their heads into the bag. This may be of concern
if the material used for the bags is such that suffocation is a
possibility. In such a case, the permeable material will add slightly
to the friction, and should therefore be as fine as possible in order to
present as small a surface area as possible to the floor surface upon
which it will rest and also to allow rapid air infusion during
inflation.
Alternatively, this result may be achieved by providing a
larger number of smaller rectangular holes in a grid pattern in place of
the one or two large holes described. By so doingj this will provide
the necessary air permeable area as well as a series of ~hin transverse
and longi~udinal belts of material running across the air permeable area
from side to side and from top to bottom, providing reinforcement to the
shape of the air pe~meable area at the same time.
Provided that the permeable material is installed such that
it is not tightly stretched when the bag is inflated, it will not add
appreciably to the friction. Because the relatively high air pressure
area of the inside of the bag completely surrounds the permeable
material, the air pressure acting upon the permeable material will be
equalized above and below the permeable material. In such a case, the
only additional friction added to the bag will be the friction that the
permeableimaterial itself produces due to its own weight, which will be
minimal. If the permeable material is installed so that it becomes
tight
- 8 ~ L~ K'
WO 93/07038 P~/CA92/00425
2l2a~J
during inflation of the bag however, it may develop a force component acting
upon the floor caused by tension holding it tightly against irregularities in
the floor. In such a case, it may start to bear part of the load of the rider
andJor start to snag if the floor surface has such irregularities, increasing the
friction of the bag very considerably.
However, if desired, the permeable material may be attached at a
central point to the inside surface of the top of the bag e-~;her directly or bymeans of a short vertical connecting piece of material (not shown) having a
length short enough to hold the permeable material above the floor when the bag
is inflated. This would have the effect of reducing the friction effect of the
permeable material on the floox, as well as reducing snagging of the material bysmall imperfections in the underlying surface upon which the bag is being used.
DTMENSIONS
The optimum size and shape of the bag and hole or holes will depend
lS to some extent upon the intended rider. It has been found that the bag is most
comfortable when it is of a sufficient length to allow the user to lie supportedby the bag from near the top of his or her chest to the mid-thigh area or
~lightly below, as shown in Figure 3. The width should be sufficient to allow a
user to propel the bag along the floor ~with his arms. Accordingly, a width
svmewhat less than the maximum elbow to elbow distance of the user with arms
iEully extended is appropriate. The height of the bag above the underlying
surface is necessarily limited by the width and length of the bag,as no sides are
provided in the bag, but are formed naturally by the inflation of the bag.
Figure 2b and Figure 3 give an approximate indication of the height of the ~ag
when in use~
Although most users would be able to use most size bags, it has been
found that the best results are achieved when the width of the hole is generallyapproximately equal to or somewhak smaller than the width of the u~er's chest.
By way of example, for a person 6 foot 2 inches (188 cm.) in height, a bag measuring
approximately 50 inches (127 cm~) in length and 33 inches ~83.8 cm~) in width when
de~lated has been foun-l to be suitable. In such a bag, the two hole areas couldbe approximately 13 inches (33 cm.) long on each side, with the transverse belt
between them approximately 2 inches ~5.08 cm.) wide and 13 inches (33 cm.) long.Best result~ are achieved when the air seal area is approximately
2 to 3 inches (5.08 to 7.62 cm.) wide all around when the bag is inflated and in use.
Of course, the air seal area will ~xpand outs,Jardly somewhat as the bag deflates
and more of the bottom surface 104 comes into contact with the floor. In the
_ g _
WO 93/07038 P~/CA92/00425
2121)945
previous example, the holes would provide approximately 2/3rds or more of the
total area of bag in contact with the ground. By proper sizing of the bags and
holes ~or the individual ri~er, as much as 80% of the total load may be taken bythe floor underneat;h the holes rather than the floor underneath the air seal.
S The table below gives some approximate dimensions for the
rectangular sheets of material to be cut to form the top and bottom of the bag
that have been found to be appropriate,along with the cor~pondin~ size of the
two holes as shown in Figure 2a. In the table, the dimensions Ll and W1 refer tothe overall length and width of the top and bottom sheets before inflation
respectively. Note that the dimensions marked as L1' and Wl' in Figure 2a are
therefore somewhat shorter than Ll and Wl due to the inflation of the bag. L2
and W2 refer to the length and width of each of the two holes as also shown in
Figure 2a. In each example given, a transverse belt of roughly 2 inches (5.08 cm.)
has been left between the two holes.
TABI.E OF REPRESENTA~IVE 5IZES
~ -- -- . ~
OVERALL ~AG SIZE SIZE OF EACH HOLE Approximate Height of
Length x Width Length x Width User
~L1 x W1) (L2 x W2)
,,. . ,, ~ _,
50 inche~ x 33 inches13.0 inches x 13.0 inches 6 feet
20(127 cm. x 83.8 cm.)t33 cmn x 33 cm.) (182.9 cm~1
~ ~_ _
45 inches x 30 inches12.0 inches x 11.0inches 5 feet 6 inches
~114.3 cm. x 76.2 cm.)(30.5 cm. x 27.9 cm.) (167.6 cm.)
~ ~ . . _ . .
42 inches x 27 incheslOoO inches x 7.5 inches 5 feet
tl06~7 cm. x 68.6 cm.~ (25.4 cm. x 19 cm.) (152~4 cm.)
I. ~. _ .
37 inches x 25 inches 8.~ inches x 6.0 inches 4 feet 6 inches
(94 cm. x 63.5 cm.) (20.3 cm. x 15.24 cm.) ~137.2 cm.)
34 inches x 22 inches 6.0 inches x 3.5 inches 4 feet
¦~(86.4 c x SS.9 cm.) (15.24 cm. x ~.9 cm ) (121.9 cm.~
The internal air pres~ures developed by such bags are relatively
moderateO As a rough examplet for a 200 pound (90.6 kg.~ r1der lying on a bag and
arbitrarily assumed to be making uniform contact over an axea having a width
of 15 inches (38.1 crn.) and a length of 40 inches (101.6 crn.), the total contact area
between the user and the bag would be approximately 600 square inches (3870.96
-- 10 --
WO 93/07038 PCT/CAg2/004~5
2 1 2 ~
sq.cm.~, producing an aE:proximate internal air pressure of ~00 lb/600 s~.in. = 0.33
psi (90.6 kg./3870.g6 sq.cm. = .0234 kg./sq.cm.) abov.o atmospheric pressure. Thus it
will be seen that relatively low pressures are produced within the air bag.
USING THE BAG
In inflated condition, air would naturally escape out of holes 110
and 112. However, when the bag is placed in inflated condition on a smooth
surface 140 such as a floor, the area of material 120 ~urrounding the holes
provides a relatively air tight seal,preventing the escape of much of the air
inside the bag 100.
With reference to Figure 4a, the bag may be inflated bylifting and
extending it to its unfolded shape, then dropping or otherwise lowering it,
bottom surface down, on to the floor~In such a case, the bag is inflated by
holding it by both handsat one end and flipping it up muchlike a bed sheet as
shownin Figure4a. Asanalternative meansofinflation, two handles 410 may be
provided on the topsurface102asshownin Figures2b and 2c. The bag may then
be grasped as shown in Figure 4b by the two handles 410 and raised and then
lowered,several times if necessary,in orlder to allow the bag to fill out with
air. In either case,airiscaptured within the hole or holesin the bottom and
issealed by the airsealarea of the bag around the hole when the bag is placed
onthefloor. Although thehandle~410are no~ necessary,the handlesprovidearl
easy and relatively foolproof manner to assure adequate filling of the bag
without requiring any particular skill on the part of the user.
If a user places the bag in inîlated condition upon a smooth floor,
he will then be able to lie upon it. This is accomplished by the user positioning
himsel over the bag and lowering him~elf carefully onto the top of the bag fromabove such that the user'~ weight cor~es to bear upon the bag more or less evenly
over the top of the bag and the user i~ lying upon the bag lengthwise a~ is shown
in Fiyure 3. In effect, the u~er stands with his feet on the floor near one end
of the bag, bends ovex to place his hand~ on the floor on either side of the bag3~ towards the opposite end, and then lowers his body gently onto the bag, much in
the manner of performing a pushup.
Once lying upon the bag in inflated condition~asshown in Figure 3,
the weight of the user's body pressurizes the air inside the bag, forcing the bag
material to tigl ten, and further ensurin~ that all of area 120 surrounding the
holes L10 and 112 is pressed tightly against the floor or other smooth surface
140, further ~ealing the air inside the bag. Thus, a relatively air tight seal is
formed, and the user is able to lie in a balanced manner upon the bag while
WO 93/07038 PCT/CA92/00425
21209~
maintaining the air seal around the hole or holes in the bottom of the bag,
providing the user with an air filled bag or cushion upon which to rest. In thisway, the user will be able to lie upon the bag, while maintaining the bag in an
inflated condition for a significant period of time.
S Once the user is lying on the inflated bag in this fashion, only a
small portion of the user's wei~ht is transferred by means of air pressure to
bear down upon the air ~eal. This air seal area of the~~ag around the hole
therefore forms a relatively low friction seal which enables the rider lying on
the bag to slide easily along the floor while pushing with the hands and/or feet.
The rider can slide and turn in any direction on the floor. The rider may also
rotate the bag in position. Underthe proper conditions,a rider may be easily
able to sustain an inflated condition for two or more minutes.
TE~EoRY QF opERAll[o~a
The weight of the rider is sustained by the pressure of the air
whichiscontained within thebag,pushingupwardfrom underneaththe material
of the uppersurface 102Of the bag. However,as most ofthe axea of the bottom
sur~acelO4undertheriderconsistsoftheholes~thebodyofairuponwhichthe
riderrestæ bearæ mainly on thefloor. Air~ealareal~thecontactarea)isthe
only part of the bag touching the floor surface, and as this forms only a
relatively small proportion of the total area transferring load onto the ground
(the bag contact area 120 PLUS the holes), mo.~t of the weight is born by the air
upon the floor surace. Most of the rider's weight is transferred to the 100r
byairpressureexertedthroughtheholein the bag, pressing on the ~loor within
the hole and effectively transferring the load while not generating any
appreciable friction. The small fraction of remaining weight is ~ransferred to
the floor by tlhe air 8eal area 120 around the hole which pushe~ against the floorO
The air ~eal is pu~hed down by air pres~ure representing only a ~mall fraction
of the ridert~ weight, hence the static and dynamic fric~ion of the bag against
the floor i5 only a ~mall fraction of what it would be without the hole.
In effect, the rider rides upon a 'column' of air underneath him
which i~ constrained by the side walls of the bag,and most of which pr~sses in
turn upon the floor within the open holes, with only a ~mall part of the air
pres~ing upon the air ~eal areas. The result is a relatively low friction
interaction between the floor area and the bag.
In analytical terms,the air pre~sure developed within the bag is
roughly equaltothe weightoftheriderdivided by theareaofcontactbetween
the rider and the top of the bag. (This does not allow for any effects due to
- 12 -
. WO 93/07038 PC3 /CA92/00~125
2~2D9~
uneven weight distribution over the body contact area, and any components of
lift on the rider due to the tensile stresses within the membrane of the bag
when the bag is partially deflated.~
This air pressure also acts upon the ground over the total contact
5 area of the bag and hole to transfer the rider's weight~plus the weight o thebag which isrelatively inconsequential) to the ground~ Since the upward force
to counteract the weight of the rider and bag is nece~sar~y essentially the
same as the downward force due to the weight of the rider, it will be seen that
at any given moment,the totalarea ofcontact of the bag (including holes) with
the floor will be approximately the same asthe area of contact that the rider
makes with the top of the bag~once again ignoring uneven weight distribution
and force components due to tensile stress). Accordingly,in theory,the total
sizeof the holearea willbelimitedat any given momentby the sizeofthe area
of contact of the rider upon the bag. Gravity acts vertically downwardly,and
lS thusthecontact area ofthebagwiththefloorwillbelocated vertically below
the contact area of the rider with the bag.. Moreover, as the hole is formed by
in effect cutting away a major part of the contact area while st~l leaving an
air seal area, the hole should obviously be somewhat smaller to allow for air
sealing with the floor.
In practice,asthebag deflates,andtherider'sbody sinksinto the
bag, more ~3f the ri.der's body area comes in contact with the top, thus reducing
theinternal pressure. Moreover,ina partially deflatedcondition,the tensile
stress of the ~ag has upward component~ which act tolift the rider's body and
thus further reduce the pressure in the bag, thereby also increasing the floor
contact area and allowable hole æi~e to seal air or that degree of de~lation.
When the bag is initially inflated, it is nearly full of air and hence
tends to form rounded top and bottom æurfaces. The bottom of the bag in cor tactwith the floor is compressed inwardly by the pressure of the floor against the
bag until the area times the pres~ure apposes the weight of the rider above.
Boththetopand bottomsurfacesofthebagarebasicallyroundedandflattened
~omewhat by the force of contact with the rider's ~ody on top and the pressure
of the floor below. Since initially the bag is at or near full inflation and hasa rounded top surface, the top surface contacts the rider over a relatively
smaller area than when it is partially deflated.
Asairleaksfromthebag,therider'sbodysinksandtheairpressure
dropæ a~ the top surace tends to sag and come into greater contact with the
rider's ~ody. Hence, the contact axea with the floor increases as the bag is
WO 93/07038 PCr/CA92/004~
~ 12 094~ ~
increasingly flattened to o~fset the constant weight of the rider above. The
flattened cylindrical shape of the bag inherent from its construction tends to
limit the amount of variation of body contact area of rider to bag and to
minimiæe somewhat the upward tensile components of the material of the bag,
S lifting the rider's body. This shape also tends to even the pressure during
deflationbecausethetop membranedevelopsonly ashallowco~cavity underthe
rider's hody when the rider's torso compresses the top m~m~rane to the bottom
membrane on the ground. Hence the vertical component of the tensile stress in
the top membraneisminimized. Thisevening of pressureassistsinallowingone
hole size to be adequate throughout the operating range.
Because of the highly flexible nature of the air bag,the tension
created in the bag walls when the bag is inflate~ causes the portion of the
bottomlO4Ofthebag neartheairsealarea to be pulled upwardly away from the
floor as shown at the points marked 201in Figure 2b for example. This remains
true when the rider's weight isapplied to the top of the bag. By means of this
"lifting"of muchofthebottom surface material not necessary forthe seal away
from the ground, reduced seal area and thus lower sliding frictionisachieved.
Obviously, the hole area must be located within the contact area of
the floor when the rider is on top of the bag~ Any portioll projecting }: eyond the
contact area will i~mediately start to cause rapid deflation.
In addition to the above, another factor leads to a further
reduction in the friction of the bag against the floorO The air witnin the bag
does leak out between the air seal and the floor, albeit ~uite slowly provided
that the air seal is maintained. This leaking air acts to lubricate thP contact
area between the bag and the floor, namely the air ~eal, and thus to reduce
further the friction of cc:ntact~ While the air leaking out will not necessarilydo so in a uniform rnanner in all directions, the lubrication effect is
neve~heless an aid in reducing the overall friction.
~ITTONALI~ *~Y5~I~
In order to bekter cater to the differing ~ize re~uirements of users,
! animproved methodof providingthe holesisshownin Fi~ure7,whichshowsoneof the two holesfully formed in the bottom surface~the upper hole asseen in
Figure 7) and the cut lines for the other hole prior to cutting. In this
embodiment,diagonalcutlines710and712,incombinationwith verticalcutline
714 and hori ontal cut line 716 provide a method of making cuts to provide an
a~justablesize hole which willproduce the desired rectangular hole as before,
as shown in the upper hole 720 which is depicted already cut out.
BEARS001/PCT
21~0~
In addltion, however, because the excess material at this
point is not removed from the air bag as before, but remains attached,
it is possible to form folds or flaps projecting internally into the bag
as further shown in Figure 8, which can be held in place by any suitable
means 808 including heat sealing, tape, VE~CRO (trade-mark), or other
relatively flexible fastening means. The hole may thereafter be made
larger by the user contlnuing the cuts along the lines 722, 724, 726 and
728 to enlarge the hole. The ex~ra material may be~slmply folded back
and fastened by the user with tape or VELCRO. Conversely, the hole may
be made smaller by the user simply flattening down the folds somewhat if
heatsealed, or else readjusting their size, and thereafter taping or
otherwise securing any desired portion of the cut lines 722, 724, 726
and 728 with any kind of suitable tape or flexible fastening.
Depending upon the type of materials used to make the bag, the
insides of upper surface 102 and lower surface 104 may tend to stick
together. This is particularly the case where both top and bottom are
made of vinyl. This may be remedied by putting dust or some other such
material such as baby powde~ inside the bag. However, it is not
generally necessary after a bag has been used a number of times, as some
Z0 dust will naturally accumulate within the bag. Alternatively, one or
both of the top and bottom of the bag may be made from a material having
a textured or otherwise non-smooth surface on the inside of the bag in
order to assist in avoiding this problem.
Too much dust or dirt accumulating within the bag may be an
annoyance when the bag is in use. To avoid this, folds 802, 804 and 806
shown in Figure 8 serve an addi~ional purpQse in that they assist in
keeping sand and dust from entering into the inside of the bag when in
use. While a cer~ain amount of dust will enter the bag inevitably, the
folds tend to naturally ride up and over rather than cut through wet
beach sand, for example, or other such surfaces which would tend to fill
the bag.
If deslred, an area of inflexibility 1100 may be provided in
the top surface of the bag somewhat larger than the hole area, located
above and 'covering' the hole area in the bottom surface beneath, as
shown in Figure 11. This could be done for example by attaching a sheet
of relatively stiff plastic or other material to the top of the bag in
the appropriate area. This would furnish the advantage of ensuring more
even weight distribution over the top surface of the bag. Moreover, it
would allow small children to ride on air bags having a hole area which
would otherwise be too large for them to sustain inflation. By ensuring
that the child's weight presses over the entire area of the hole below,
inflation
- 15 -
BEARS001/PCT
2 1 2 0 ~ 3
may~be properly maintained. Any such inflexible area would of course
limit the degree to which the air bag could be folded up and stored.
Accordingly, the inflexible area can be provided for example as a series
of two or more adjacent rectangles of stiff material, allowing the
flexible material of the bag between the rectangles to provide a folding
region to permit the toy to be folded up into a more compact form for
storage. If an inflexible area is provided on top, its size should
preferably be the same size as or not too much largér~than bag contact
area of the bottom with the floor as any further rigidity imparted to
the top surface will increasingly detract from the functionality of the
air bag as the area of inflexibility is increased.
Figure 9 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention.
In this embodiment, the user inflates the air bag in the fashion
described above. However, an air hose 902 is provided near one end of
the bag. The hose must be of a sufficient diameter to allow rapid
exhalation into the bag without undue resistance. A diameter .of
approximately 3/4 of an inch (1.9 cm.) has been found to be suitable,
although larger or smaller diameters would of course also function. The
air hose connects into the interior of the bag by means of a one way
flap valve 904. A mouth piece 906, which in practice may be simply an
end of the air hose 902, is provided into which the user may blow air.
Optionally, an additional one way valve 905 in the mouth piece 906 or in
the body of the pipe near the user's mouth will allow the user to inhale
through the air hose without breaking the seal of the user's mouth
around the mouthpiece. By blowing at regular intervals through the air
hose 902, the rider may sustain the air bag in an inflated condition for
much longer periods of ti~e.
Figure 10 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention
utilizing a slightly rounded front and fins to provide a more exciting
visual appeal to the bag for children. In this case, the bag has a
somewhat rounded front portion 1002. Notwithstanding this, hole 1004
will not usually have a similarly rounded portion i.n view of the
requirement to maintain a good air seal area 120. Therefore hole 1004
should generally retain its rectangular shape. In addition, fins 1010
and 1012 are provided towards the rear end along each side of the top
surface 132 as shown. Fins 1010 and ~012 are made of similar flexible
material to the rest of the bag and are heat sealed onto the top surface
~02 in an air tight fashion to form a closed air cavity. Prior to so
doing however, one or more small holes 1020 are provided in top surface
102 under each fin in order to allow passage of air between the interior
of fins 1010 and 1012 and the interior of the bag 100. These holes
ensure that as the user inflates the bag 100
- 16 - S ~ T
WO 93/07038 PCI /CA92/00425
212094-~
and places his weight on the bag, the fins w~l befullyinflated with airforced
through the holes 102Q The fins should be positioned so that the head 1030 of
the fin is attached to the bag approximately at or below where the user's
armpits would naturally be located when riding the air bag. The ~pace between
fins 1010 and 1012 should be at least equal to the body width of the user to
permit the user to lie between them~ Handles 1040 are provided on the fins
adjacent the midpoint of the bag as shown in order to ~s-slst in inflation.
As wellas providing visualappeal,thefinsserve a usefulpurpose
inthattheyformanaturalbody positioningaidforusers~andin particularfor
smallchildren,whootherwise maytendto mountthebaginanunbalancedmanner.
By placing the fins in this manner,users are encouraged to mount the bag in a
balanced mannerfrom astanding positionattherearofthebagfrom behindthe
fins. Moreover, the fins add strengthinthe longitudinal direction,andthereby
assist in preventing the bag from buckling when it is picked up by the user to
inflate the bag. Thus the ins also aid in inflation o the bag.
An additional element which may beaddedtoany oftheembodiments
discussed hereinisoneor moreattachment pointsontheair bagto allow a pull
rope or string to be attached. Suitable attachment points5not shown in the
drawings)would be on the top surface of the bag nearthefront seam,eitherin
the middleofthefrontofthebag,and/ortowardstheoutsideedgesofthefront
of the bag. This would allow a u er riding on the air ba~ to be pulled along by
another individual on foot at greaterspeed.
Whereit is desired to ride the invention overrough surfacesover
alengthlongerthanis practicalto rolla stri~of plastic,anauxiliary device
called th Wave shown in Figure 5 can be u~ed. This consists of a loop 501 or
ellipse of self supporting,flexible and tran~parent material which is stiff
enough to ~upport the weight of its top surface above the ground,while being
flexible enough to roll easily. Suitable material~ for this include stiff
bendable polye~ter ~heet, styrene or polyethylene, of suita~le thickness to
support the uppersurface of theloop abovethe rider onanair bag within the
loop' while in use. Theloop can be made of a transparent material so that the
riders of the air bag within could see where they were going. In addition,
corrugated plastic (sold under the trade-mark COROPL~ST) with a thickness of
approximately 4 mm.for example may be used as the materialfor theloop. This
material has th~ necessary flexibility to fold into a loop wh~e retaining its
strength,particularly wherethecorrugationsrunthelengthoftheloopinstead
of transversely.
WO 93/07038 PCl/CA92/0042S
~12~45
The dimensions of the loop must be of a suitable width and
circumference for the individual user to permit its USf` as further described.
The air bag slides on the lower inside surface of the loop, as seen in Figure 6.When the air bag slides forward within the loop, the front of the loop begins to5 be pushed down and consequently the loop begins to roll along continuously in
front of the air bag and the rider thereupon. The loop could be used to allow
the air bag to slide easily down long grass or other~ s~rfaces which would
otherwise cause too much air leakage from the air bag. The loop would al~o allowthe air bag to be used over rough pavement or concrete.
Depending upon the size of the loop used, more than one air bag and
rider could be accommodated at one time.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The result of the invention is a very light and foldable toy, that
15 can be carried in a small space such as a lunch box or a school bag. The toy can
be unfolded and inflated as described and then laid on. Once resting on the bag,as shown in Figure 3, the rider can slide with very low friction on smooth
surfaces such as wood, linoleum, tile, polyethylene sheets or other such smooth
surfaces, smooth ice and packed snow, corrugated plastic sheeting, concrete
2û floors, smooth road pavement and some ty]pes of wet beach sand. The resultingmotion is very pleasurable, not unlike flying, and may be easily incorporated
into games such as racing or it may become part of new games involving balls,
sliding pucks and score æones, for example as briefly described below.
Two or more riders can pursue each other and play in various games
25 such as tag. The pursuant can place a hand under the air seal of the bag of the
pursuee, ~Eor example, causin~ all the air to escape and the pursuee to fall offin a sort of ~tackle~
On suraces ~u~h as a floor hockey court or a basketball court,
organized games could talce place using the invention. Strips of carpet can be
30 laid down to form paths and to transform the playing field into various curves
which lead to a goal area. Carpeted areas can be utilized as penalty zones in
games since the air leaks out more r~pidly over these. Riding over a carpeted
zone would result in air loss and would act as a penalty of sorts. No more than
a very few such "jumps" could be enacted before running out of air, requiring
35 the rider to stop, and refill the bag.
One way of scoring a goal would be to follow the paths between
carpeted zones leading to the goal and to enter without refilling the bag while
-- 18 --
.WO 93/07038 PCT/CA92/00425
2120~
overcoming the opposite team's attempts to deflate the bag. Other ways of
scoring could involve passing sliding pucks or rolling balls through the goal
zone as in floor hockey,or football~
There axe many ways to use theinventionoutdoors,oronotherrough
surfaces. One way to do this on relatively smooth surfaces such asshort grass
is to roll out plastic strips such as vinyl or polyethylene, a$ wideorwiderthan
the invention,on the ground thereby making an area o~~which the air bag can
manoeuvre with little friction or air loss~ On rougher surfaces, strips of
plastic, such as corrugated polyethylene orcorrugated polypropylene having a
smooth top surface(such as COROPLAST(trade-mark))could be laid out. Where
this is done on a slope for exa~ple,the air ba~ could then be ridden down the
slope with lit~le friction and at exciting speed.
Alternatively, the previously described loop may be employed in
orderto providea meansforsliding whereitisdesired toridetheairbagover
roughsurfacesoveralengthlongerthan is practlcal to roll a strip of plastic.
The invention provides a toy which provides healthy and
entertaining oxercise for a user~ The use of the invention exercises the back
and neck mu~cles, as well as the legs, arms ~nd chest muscles, providing an
invigorating and enjoyable entertainment.
It will be understoodthat the above description is not to betaken
aslimitingthescopeof my invention. Numerousmodificationsmay beenvisaged,
such as providing ext.ra air storage by adding compartments to better
accommodate the riders, varyingthe number and locationof the transversebelts
or altering the sizeandlocation of the holes,for example. The invention need
not be pillow-shaped, but may be any functionin~ size and shape that would allowa rider to ride thereon~ While the embodiments described provide a relatively
stable bag or riding, bags which are less stable may also be desirable as
providing more of a challenge in maintaining balance and therefore inflation.
Moreovex, the size of the bag is not necessarily constrainedtoasizepermitting
a rider to propel himself by hand along the ground as described. Larger b~gs
could be provided which could be pulled by others. A powered source of air
pressure could also be applied to maintain the internal air pressure of the bag.Although principally intended asa toy,it is obvious that the invention could
also be used to permit loads other than people to be temporarily supported and
moved in a low friction manner. The scope of my inventionis to belimited only
by the cl ims which follow.
3 ~ r ~:
J ~ r~! ,"~'
