Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
2120387
TITLE OF INVENTION
Inflatable Enclosure
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to an inflatable structure for use as an
amusement attraction, as well as promoting physical activity in children.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the prior art, there exists many Inflatable Structures. One
such example is found in U.S. 3,159,165, which discloses an inflatable air-
supported structure, having a door which may be made out of wood,
fibreglass, or other rigid or semi-rigid material. Other examples can be found
is U.S. 3,250,024; U.S. 3,335,529; U.S. 3,769,763; U.S. 3,903,659; U.S. 4,103,369;
U.S. 4,164,829; U.S. 4,974,829; French patent publication No. 2,101,367; and
Soviet patent publication No. 667,649. Of the above, those references
purporting to teach the use of an inflatable structure for amusement purposes
are: U.S. 4,103,369; U.S. 4,164,829; and French patent publication No. 2,101,367.
The prior art teachings are limited to just that, an inflatable
structure, for which can be used for amusement purposes. Nowhere within
the prior art, is there shown, as far as applicant is aware, an inflatable
structure which will not only amuse children, but also allow children to
become physically active, by chasing, for example, floating balloons or the likewithin the inflatable structure.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inflatable
enclosure, for use as not only an amusement device for children, but also as a
physical activity promoter as well.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide an
inflatable enclosure which has ventilation means to regulate the pressure and
quality of air therein.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a method of
amusing and promoting physical activity (i.e., cardiovascular, muscular, etc.),
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- and teaching children hand-eye, foot-eye coordination, within an inflatable
enclosure having a plurality of floating or moving objects in the enclosure,
which the children can chase.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide an inflatable
enclosure inflated by a blower or the like. A further object of the invention isto provide an inflatable enclosure which has an entrance and exit area that
minimizes pressure loss and air loss in the enclosure, when entering and/or
exiting the enclosure.
Further and other objects of this invention will become apparent
to a person skilled in the art from the following summary of the invention
and the more detailed description of the preferred embodiments illustrated
hereln.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an
inflatable enclosure for amusement purposes and/or promoting physical
activity comprising:
inflatable means forming a chamber when inflated, preferably
having an interior, exterior, wall, floor and ceiling,
blower means for supplying air at a predetermined rate and at a
predetermined pressure to inflate said inflatable means, to form a chamber,
floating means preferably an inflated balloon or a plurality of
inflated balloons, located in said chamber, such that when said inflatable
means is inflated by said blower means, said air supplied at a predetermined
rate causes said floating means to float around in said chamber.
In a preferred embodiment, said inflatable enclosure further
comprises at least one vent means disposed at a predetermined position to
provide venting of said air in said chamber at a predetermined rate, preferably
said vent means comprises a plurality of vent apertures disposed at
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- predetermined positions on said inflatable means.
In another embodiment, said inflatable enclosure further
comprises entrance/exit means, preferably comprising at least two panels
overlapping each other, releasably attached together, such that when the
panels are opened to allow entrance into or exit out of said inflatable
enclosure, a minimal loss of air is experienced.
In yet still another embodiment, said inflatable means
further comprises at least one substantially transparent portion.
Yet still another embodiment, said inflatable enclosure
comprises blower aperture means disposed on said inflatable means at a
predetermined position for the connection of said blower means to said
inflatable means.
In yet another embodiment, said chamber is further comprised
of a plurality of interconnected panels and a least one floor panel and one
ceiling panel, said panels being made of a substantially nylon-type material or
the like.
In yet another embodiment, said inflatable enclosure further
comprises restraining means to minimize movement of said enclosure, said
restraining means preferably is integral with said inflatable means.
In yet still another embodiment, there is provided an inflatable
enclosure for amusement purposes and promoting physical activity
comprlslng:
inflatable means being formed of a plurality of interconnected
panels of an inflatable material, taking the form of a chamber, when inflated,
said chamber having, an interior, exterior, side walls, front wall, back wall, afloor, and a ceiling, whereon at least on one panel thereof, there is a window
of transparent material,
blower means for supplying air at a predetermined rate and
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- pressure to said inflatable means,
blower aperture means disposed on one of said interconnected
panels forming one of said side wall, to allow said blower means to be in
contact with said inflatable means,
at least one vent means located on each of said panels forming
the side walls and the front walls, to provide venting of said air in said
chamber at a predetermined rate not causing substantial underinflation
and/or overinflation.
at least one floating means disposed in the interior of said
chamber, such that said air supplied by said blower means to inflate said
inflatable means also causes said at least one floating means to float around
the interior of said chamber,
entrance/exit means disposed on said chamber, to allow entering
into and exiting out of said chamber when inflated while maintaining said
chamber inflated, and
restraint means to minimize unwanted movement of said inflatable means
when inflated.
In a preferred embodiment, said floating means comprises a
plurality of inflated balloons.
In yet another embodiment, there is provided for use in
amusing and promoting physical activity in children, an inflatable enclosure
comprlsmg:
inflatable means forming a chamber having an interior, an
exterior, a wall, a floor, and a ceiling, when inflated, said chamber when
inflated being of a size suitable for allowing at least one child to walk or runaround said interior thereof,
blower means for supplying air at a predetermined rate and at a
predetermined pressure to inflate said inflatable means, to form a chamber,
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said blower means being connected to said inflatable means,
blower aperture means allowing for the connection of said
blower means to said inflatable means, said blower aperture means being
located on said inflatable means at a predetermined position,
at least one vent means situated at a predetermined position on
said inflatable means, to provide venting of said air within said interior of
said chamber at a predetermined rate,
entrance/exit means located at a predetermined position on said
wall of said chamber of said inflatable means,
floating means located in said interior of said chamber, such that
when said inflatable means is inflated by said blower means, said air
supplied at a predetermined rate causes said floating means to
float around the interior of said chamber.
According to yet another embodiment, there is provided a
method of amusing and promoting physical activity in children, comprising
placing children into an inflatable enclosure, said enclosure comprising:
inflatable means forming a chamber when inflated,
blower means for supplying air at a predetermined rate and at a
predetermined pressure to inflate said inflatable means, to form a chamber,
floating means located in said chamber, such that when said
inflatable means is inflated by said blower means, said air supplied at a
predetermined rate causes said floating means to float around in said
chamber, such that said children chase after the floating means promoting
cardiovascular and/or muscular activity or the like.
In a preferred embodiment, said inflatable means further
comprises at least one vent means disposed at a predetermined position to
provide venting of said air in said chamber at a predetermined rate.
Preferably, said vent means comprises a plurality of vent
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apertures disposed at predetermined positions on said inflatable means.
In a preferred embodiment, said chamber further comprises
entrance/exit means.
In yet still another preferred, said chamber further comprises at
least one substantially transparent portion.
Preferably, said inflatable means further comprises blower
aperture means disposed on said inflatable means at a predetermined
position for the connection of said blower means to said inflatable means.
Preferably, said entrance/exit means further comprises at least
two panels overlapping each other, releasably attached together, such that
when the panels are opened to allow entrance into or exit out of said
inflatable enclosure, a minimal loss of air is permitted.
Preferably, said chamber further comprises an interior, exterior,
wall, floor and ceiling.
Preferably, said inflatable means is formed of a nylon-type
material.
Preferably, said chamber is substantially spherical in shape, and
preferably, said chamber is of a fire retardant material.
Preferably, said chamber is comprised of a plurality of
interconnected panels and a least one floor panel and one ceiling panel, said
panels being made of a substantially nylon-type material or the like.
Preferably, said inflatable means further comprises restraining
means to minimize movement of said enclosure, preferably, said restraining
means is integral with said inflatable means.
Preferably, said chamber further comprises ultra-violet
inhibitors, and preferably said chamber further comprises a water retardant
material.
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According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an
inflatable enclosure for amusement purposes comprising:
inflatable means forming a chamber having an interior, an
exterior, a wall, a floor, and a ceiling, when inflated, said chamber when
5 inflated being of a size suitable for allowing at least one child to walk or run
around said interior thereof,
blower means for supplying air at a predetermined rate and at a
predetermined pressure to inflate said inflatable means, to form a chamber,
said blower means being connected to said inflatable means,
blower aperture means allowing for the connection of said
blower means to said inflatable means,
said blower aperture means being located on said inflatable
means at a predetermined position,
at least one vent means situated at a predetermined position on
said inflatable means, to provide venting of said air within said interior of
said chamber at a predetermined rate,
floating means located in said interior of said chamber,
entrance/exit means located at a predetermined position on said
wall of said chamber of said inflatable means, such that when said inflatable
means is inflated by said blower means, said air supplied at a predetermined
rate causes said floating means to float around the interior of said chamber.
In a preferred embodiment, wherein said vent means comprises
a plurality of vent apertures located at predetermined positions of said wall ofsaid inflatable means.
In another embodiment, said chamber is substantially spherical
in shape.
In yet still another embodiment, said wall further comprises at
least one substantially transparent portion.
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In yet still another embodiment, said entrance/exit means
further comprises at least two panels overlapping each other, releasably
attached together, such that when the panels are opened, to allow entrance
into or exit out of said inflatable enclosure, a minimal loss of air and of
5 pressure is experienced.
In yet still another embodiment, said inflatable means is formed
of a nylon-type material.
In yet still another embodiment, said chamber is substantially
dome shaped.
In yet still another embodiment, chamber is comprised of a
plurality of interconnected panels made of a substantially nylon-type material
or the like.
In yet still another embodiment, said chamber is of a fire
retardant material.
In yet still another embodiment, said chamber further comprises
ultra-violet inhibitors.
In yet still another embodiment, said chamber further comprises
a water retardant material.
In yet still another embodiment, said inflatable means further
20 comprises restraining means to minimize movement of said inflatable
enclosure.
In yet still another embodiment, said floating means comprises a
balloon.
In yet still another embodiment, said floating means comprises a
25 plurality of balloons.
In yet still another embodiment, said plurality of balloons are of
a plurality of colours.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided
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g
an inflatable enclosure for amusement purposes comprising:
inflatable means being formed of a plurality of interconnected
panels of an inflatable material, taking the form of a chamber, when inflated,
said chamber having, an interior, exterior, side walls, front walls, a floor, and
a ceiling, wherein at least proximate one panel thereof, there is a window of
transparent material,
blower means for supplying air at a predetermined rate and
pressure to said inflatable means,
blower aperture means disposed on one of said interconnected
panels forming one of said side walls, to allow said blower means to be in
contact with said inflatable means,
at least one vent means located on each of said panels forming
the side walls and the front walls,
at least one floating means disposed in the interior of said
chamber, such that said air supplied by said blower means to inflate said
inflatable means,
also causes said at least one floating means to float around the
interior of said chamber, entrance/exit means provided on one of said side
wall, to allowing entering and exiting of said chamber when inflated while
maintaining said chamber inflated,
restraint means disposed with said inflatable means,
to minimize unwanted movement of said inflatable means when inflated,
said restraint means comprising a plurality of straps situated
proximate the floor and proximate the ceiling of said enclosure.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is
provided a method of amusing and promoting physical activity in children,
said method comprising the use of an inflatable enclosure for amusement
purposes comprising:
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inflatable means forming a chamber having an interior, an
exterior, a wall, a floor, and a ceiling, when inflated, said chamber when
inflated being of a size suitable for allowing at least one child to walk or runaround said interior thereof, blower means for supplying air at a~ predetermined rate and at a predetermined pressure to inflate said
inflatable means, to form a chamber
said blower means being connected to said inflatable means,
blower aperture means allowing for the connection of said
blower means to said inflatable means
said blower aperture means being located on said inflatable
means at a predetermined position
at least one vent means situated at a predetermined position on
said inflatable means, to provide venting of said air within said interior of
said chamber at a predetermined rate floating means located in said interior~5 of said chamber
entrance/exit means located at a predetermined position on said
wall of said chamber of said inflatable means, such that when said inflatable
means is inflated by said blower means, said air supplied at a predetermined
rate causes said floating means to float around the interior of said chamber,
20 such that when the children enter the inflatable enclosure, when inflated,
they can amuse themselves by chasing the floating means, whilst
simultaneous engaging in physical activity by the chasing and jumping after
the floating means.
"Floating" throughout this application may be defined as floating, moving,
25 circulating or the like, due to the air supplied by said blower.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be illustrated with respect to the
following drawings illustrating embodiments of the invention in which:
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Figure 1 is a side elevation view of the present invention when
inflated in a preferred embodiment.
Figure 2 is a front elevation view of the present invention when
inflated in a preferred embodiment.
Figure 3 is an exploded view of the blower connected to the
inflatable enclosure in a preferred embodiment.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the present invention in a
preferred embodiment.
Figure 5 ;s a side elevation view.
Figure 6 is a side view showing a person entering the present
invention in a preferred embodiment
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE
INVENTION
Referring now to the Figures, there is provided (which is kept
15 inflated by the blower 80) the inflatable enclosure 10 substantially spherical in
shape, made up of a plurality of interconnected panels 20, forming a front 30,
sides 40 40' and back 50. On the front 30 thereof, there are two transparent
sections 60, 60', as well as on one side 40, there are two transparent sections 70,
70', substantially square in shape. These transparent sections 60, 60', 70, and
20 70' are provided primarily for the supervision of any occupants within the
inflatable enclosure 10.
In a preferred embodiment, the front 30 of the inflatable
enclosure 10 has a happy face design thereof formed of two eyebrows 90, a
nose 100, and a smiling mouth 110, in order to attract people, like children to
25 the inflatable enclosure 10. Located at predetermined positions on the
interconnected panels 20, are a plurality of vent means 120 in order to
regulate the pressure in the inflatable enclosure 10.
Floating means, in this instance, a plurality of balloons 130 are
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provided in the inflatable enclosure 10 due to the air currents produced by the
blower 80 blowing air into the inflatable enclosure 10. The blower 80 in this
instance is a domestic carpet blower, such as the WB3 Model, manufactured
by Windsor Industries, Inc., which can produce up to 3000 cfm (84 m3/min.)
air movement. The vent means 120 are preferably designed in this preferred
embodiment for 3000 cfm of air movement. The blower 80 is preferably
attached to the inflatable enclosure 10 by means of an aperture 140 disposed at
a predetermined position on the inflatable enclosure 10, which will not
hamper the movement of the balloons 130 in the inflatable enclosure 10, and
will not be a safety hazard to the occupants in the inflatable enclosure 10. In
this instance, the aperture 140 is located on the back 50 proximate the floor
150, of the inflatable enclosure 10. The blower 80 may be attached to the
aperture 140 by any suitable means, in this instance, in the preferred
embodiment, the aperture 140 and blower 80 are attached to each other via
VelcroTM strips attached to both the blower 80 and the aperture 140,
providing a good seal to prevent any unwanted air pressure loss within the
inflatable enclosure 10.
On one side 70 of the inflatable enclosure 10, there is provided
entrance/exit means 160, which is in the preferred embodiment, preferably
two overlapping panels 170, 170' being releasably interconnected by
appropriate means, suitable for ease of operation by an operator of the
inflatable enclosure 10, to allow ease of entry and exit of occupants, i.e.,
children, into and out of the inflatable enclosure 10, in this instance, the twooverlapping panels 170, 170' substantially trapezoid in shape are
interconnected by VelcroTM strips 180 which can be easily opened and closed
by the operator of the inflatable enclosure 10, and also minimizes the air loss
when opening said overlying panels 170,170'.
The panels 20 are preferably made of nylon material preferably
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210 denai nylon material, and are interconnected preferably by a lap seam
stitch pattern using any appropriate thread, some examples being a nylon 26
thread, an M-25 polycotton thread, or a CSV-69 polycotton thread.
The nylon material is preferably treated with a suitable fire
5 retardant, one example is Fyrex, and also the nylon material is preferably
treated with at least one U.V. inhibitor, for safety reasons and also
retardization of degradation of the material.
In a preferred embodiment, the floor 150 is made of a 420 denai
grade nylon material, since the occupants will be walking and jumping on the
floor 150, and the floor 150 must be able to tolerate such conditions.
In order to keep the inflatable enclosure 10 from moving around
when the occupants therein are moving around inside the inflatable
enclosure 10, there is provided restraint means, in this instance, in a preferred
embodiment, roof tie down polypropylene straps 190, 190' which are each fed
through sleeves 200, 200' located proximate the top 210 of the inflatable
enclosure 10. The sleeves 200, 200' are arranged preferably in an "X" array.
Proximate the floor 150 of the inflatable enclosure 10, there is a resilient
restraint means, in this instance, shock cords 220, having two ends 220', one
of said two ends 220' is attached to the inflatable enclosure 10 and the other of
said two ends 220' two ends is secured to the floor or the ground, depending
on the situation, together with the shock cords 220. In a preferred
embodiment, the vent means 120, in this instance substantially circular holes,
are reinforced by a hem such that if children or the like put their hands
through the holes, they will not damage the panels 20.
In setting up the inflatable enclosure 10, said inflatable enclosure
10 initially is deflated and rolled up (not shown). The operator would unroll
the inflatable enclosure 10, ensuring the floor 150 is side down, and also
would arrange the inflatable enclosure 10 so that the entrance/exit means 160
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is where the operator wants it to be. The operator would then locate the
blower aperture 140 and attach the blower 80 to same via the VelcroTM strips,
and ensure a good connection. Ensure the polypropylene straps 190, 190' are
each fed through the sleeves 200, 200' respectively in order to tie same down
5 after said inflatable enclosure 10 is fully inflated.
Now, turn the blower 80 on high at 3000 cfm for a large unit,
(i.e., 12' x 12'), and on low at 2000 cfm - 2500 cfm for a smaller unit (i.e., 8' x 8')
and allow the inflatable enclosure 10 to fully inflate. Then tie down each end
of the polypropylene straps 190,190' to the floor or ground with appropriate
10 means (i.e., stakes if on grass, or sandbags on pavement) preferable at least 3
feet away from the unit, tie the inflatable enclosure 10 down such that the
floor 150 is substantially flat to the ground, using the straps 190,190' and theshock cords 220. If outside, and the winds are medium, two small weights
(i.e., sandbags) may be placed on the windward side inside of the inflatable
enclosure 10, proximate the floor 150, to avoid the wind carrying the
inflatable enclosure 10 away.
At this point, the operator may inflate from one to a plurality of
balloons 130 which are preferably top quality balloons that are difficult to
break since a popping balloon may frighten small children and also an easily-
broken balloon may break into pieces and may be inadvertently swallowed by
small children. Some examples of top quality balloons are Qualitex or Tilley
balloons. Nonetheless, any broken balloons must be removed from inside
the inflatable enclosure 10 immediately.
When allowing children in and out of the inflatable enclosure
10, the entrance/exit means 160 should preferably be opened slowly to allow
the air pressure inside the inflatable enclosure 10 and outside to equalize. A
few balloons 130 may come out when the children are entering and exiting,
which only adds to the excitement when they collect them and bring them
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back.
The inflatable enclosure 10 when deflated and with the balloons
130 removed can be placed in a conveniently-sized carrying bag (not shown)
by disconnecting the blower 80, untying the straps 190, 190' and shock cords
5 220, and rolling up the inflatable enclosure 10.
The inflatable enclosure 10 may be of various colours, even
colours appropriate for a special season or event (e.g, orange with a green
stem on top to represent a pumpkin during the fall harvest season or
Halloween; green and red for the Christmas season; red to represent a tomato
10 or apple for any season. The choice of colours is left to the imagination.
Furthermore, the inflatable enclosure 10 can also have attachments, or
projections, or extremities thereto, such as ears, fins, tongue, stem, leaves,
noses, plates (e.g., dinosaur plates), or the like. Figure 1 shows a stem 230
when the inflatable enclosure resembles a pumpkin.
While the foregoing provides a detailed description of a
preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that this
description is illustrative only of the principles of the invention and not
limitative. Furthermore, as many changes can be made to the invention
without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all
20 material contained herein by interpreted as illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense.
