Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL PLAYGROUND STRUCTURE
FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
[0001] The present technology generally relates to multi-functional playground
structure and to method
for assembling them.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
.. [0002] Conventional playground equipment is often used in a variety of
locations and environments such
as parks and schools. Children often use playground equipment for various
types of fun, games, exercises
and other activities. Playground equipment can also be used at home or in
residential settings. Playground
equipment that is used at home, which is sometimes referred to as a play
structure, may be located in
backyards or other suitable locations. Conventional playground equipment may
include swings, slides,
bars, ladders, playhouses and climbing walls. Some known playground equipment
combines these
different elements into a single structure. For example, a single piece of
playground equipment may
include one or more swings, slides, bars, ladders, playhouses, climbing walls,
or the like.
[0003] Conventional playground equipment typically requires a significant
amount of space which is
often limited in backyards or in parks. As such, it may be advantageous to
maximise the space occupied
by playground structures by complementing them with additional functionalities
or features which also
require space. Training equipment (e.g., gym equipment, yoga equipment, boxing
equipment, cross-fit
equipment and the like) is another example of equipment that typically
requires a significant amount of
place.
[0004] As such, it would be desirable to combine and/or integrate multiple
types of equipment in order to
maximize the space occupied by such equipment.
SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE
[0005] Other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become
apparent to those ordinarily
skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific
embodiments in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
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[0006] According to many aspects, the present technology relates to a multi-
functional playground
structure for installation on a playground surface, the multi-functional
playground structure comprising an
elevated platform supported by a support frame at a platform height above the
playground surface, the
support frame comprising a plurality of engaging posts; a first functional
unit defined below the elevated
platform; a second functional unit defined above the elevated platform; and at
least one platform access
element coupled to the elevated platform and configured to provide to users
access between the
playground surface and the first functional unit.
[0007] Other aspects and features of the present technology will become
apparent to those ordinarily
skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific
embodiments in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0008] All features of embodiments which are described in this disclosure are
not mutually exclusive
and can be combined with one another. For example, elements of one embodiment
can be utilized in the
other embodiments without further mention. A detailed description of specific
embodiments is provided
herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an elevated perspective view
of a multi-functional
playground structure, in accordance with at least one non-limiting embodiment
of the present technology.
[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic representation of a top view of the multi-
functional playground structure
of Figure 1.
[0011] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified
herein, the drawings are not to
scale.
DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY
[0012] The present technology is explained in greater detail below. This
description is not intended to be
a detailed catalog of all the different ways in which the technology may be
implemented, or all the
features that may be added to the instant technology. For example, features
illustrated with respect to one
embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments, and features
illustrated with respect to a
particular embodiment may be deleted from that embodiment. In addition,
numerous variations and
additions to the various embodiments suggested herein will be apparent to
those skilled in the art in light
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of the instant disclosure which do not depart from the instant technology.
Hence, the following
specification is intended to illustrate some particular embodiments of the
technology, and not to
exhaustively specify all permutations, combinations and variations thereof.
[0013] As used herein, the singular form "a," "an" and "the" include plural
referents unless the context
clearly dictates otherwise.
[0014] The term "about" is used herein explicitly or not, every quantity given
herein is meant to refer to
the actual given value, and it is also meant to refer to the approximation to
such given value that would
reasonably be inferred based on the ordinary skill in the art, including
equivalents and approximations due
to the experimental and/or measurement conditions for such given value.
[0015] The expression "and/or" where used herein is to be taken as specific
disclosure of each of the two
specified features or components with or without the other. For example "A
and/or B" is to be taken as
specific disclosure of each of (i) A, (ii) B and (iii) A and B, just as if
each is set out individually herein.
[0016] In the context of the present specification, unless expressly provided
otherwise, the words "first",
"second", "third", etc. have been used as adjectives only for the purpose of
allowing for distinction
between the nouns that they modify from one another, and not for the purpose
of describing any particular
relationship between those nouns. Thus, for example, it should be understood
that, the use of the terms
"first functional unit" and "third functional unit" is not intended to imply
any particular order, type,
chronology, hierarchy or ranking (for example) of/between the functional
units, nor is their use (by itself)
intended imply that any "second functional unit" must necessarily exist in any
given situation. Further, as
is discussed herein in other contexts, reference to a "first" element and a
"second" element does not
preclude the two elements from being the same actual real-world element.
[0017] Figures 1-2 show a multi-functional playground structure 100 (also
referred to herein as a
"playground structure 100"), in accordance with at least one non-limiting
embodiment of the present
technology. The playground structure 100 comprises an elevated platform 110
defining a first functional
unit 120 and a second function unit 150. In this embodiment, the first
functional 120 is located in the area
defined underneath the elevated platform 110 and the second functional unit
150 is located in the area
defined above the elevated platform 110. The playground structure 100 also
comprises a plurality of
platform accessing elements 160, 162 allowing the users to access the
functional unit 150 located above
the elevated platform 110.
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=
[0018] In at least one embodiment, the elevated platform 110 is supported by a
support frame 112. The
support frame 112 may be composed of a plurality of engaging posts 114. In
some instances, the engaging
posts 114 may be engaging bars. The support frame 112 is configured to support
the elevated platform
110 at a platform height above the playground surface 50. The support frame
112 is also configured to
support one or more users, such as children or adults, as well as to support
the functional elements or
equipment required for the second functional unit 150.
[0019] For example, the platform height may be about or higher than about 1
meter, about or higher than
about 1.5 meter, about or higher than about 2 meters, about or higher than 2.5
meters. The platform height
may be between about 1 meter and about 3 meters, between about 1 meter and
about 2 meters, between
about 1.5 meters and about 2.5 meters, between about 2 meters and about 3
meters, or between about 1.75
and about 2.25 meters.
[0020] In at least one embodiment, the first functional unit 120 and the
second functional unit 150 may
be configured to be used for different functions. For example, the first
functional unit 120 may be adapted
for workout of adults or grown-up children, while the second functional unit
150 may be adapted for play
by the kids. The elevated platform 110 may be elevated by the support frame
112 such that the height of
the first functional unit 120 is high enough to accommodate an adult person
standing underneath the
elevated platform 110.
[0021] Providing functional units with different functionalities (e.g.
workout, play, reading, relaxing,
picnicking and the like) within the same structure may permit to save space,
because such structure takes
twice less space than, for example, a playground and a workout section being
installed separately.
Moreover, such structure may permit to save time, because, for example,
parents can physically exercise
while watching the kids playing. The parents may be much closer to their
children compared to workout
installations located separately from the playground.
[0022] In at least one embodiment, functions of the different functional units
may be age-specific. For
example, the first functional unit 120 may have games, installations and
decorations for younger kids,
while the second functional unit 150 may have games, installations and
decorations for older kids, or vice
versa.
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[0023] The first functional unit 120 may have one or more first functional
elements 130. In some
instances, the first functional elements 130 may be coupled to the support
frame 112, and, for example, to
one or more engaging posts 114 of the support frame 112.
[0024] In some implementations of these embodiments, the support frame 112 and
the elevated platform
110 may be made of the same materials. In some other implementations of these
embodiments, the
support frame 112 and the elevated platform 110 are made from different
materials. The support frame
112 and/or the elevated platform 110 may be made of metal materials, plastic
materials, rubber materials,
polymer materials, wood materials, or any mixture therefore.
[0025] The first functional elements 130 may be pieces of furniture and/or
training elements and/or play
elements. For example, the first functional unit 120 may be a picnic area
(i.e., have a function of
picnicking area) and thus the first functional elements may be one or more
benches, chairs, one or more
tables, and/or one or more other elements, such as pieces of furniture, so
that the first functional unit may
be used as a picnicking area.
[0026] In one non-limiting embodiment, the first functional unit 120 may be
configured to be a workout
and/or a training unit, as depicted on Fig. 1. Such training unit may have one
or more training elements
130, such as exercise equipment (also may be referred to as fitness equipment,
training equipment). For
example, the training element 130 may be an outdoor workout element, such as a
workout bench, a
workout chair, one or more workout bars.
[0027] In at least one embodiment, the first functional unit 120 may have a
first enclosing elements (not
shown) such as a fence, barrier or guard, that may enclose fully or partially
the first functional unit. For
.. example, the first enclosing elements may be made of many fence elements.
Similarly, the second
functional unit 150 may be enclosed fully or partially by a second enclosing
element 170. The first
enclosing element or the second enclosing element 170 may be made of many
fence elements 172.
[0028] The second functional unit 150 may comprise one or more additional
features such as, for
example, but not limited to, one or more roofs 174, benches, games, and/or
decorative elements that may
be appealing to the users.
[0029] In some implementations of these embodiments, the elevated platform 110
is substantially free of
apertures. In other implementations, the elevated platform 110 comprises one
or more apertures allowing
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water (e.g., rain) to evacuate the elevated platform. In some other
implementations, the elevated platform
110 comprises a plurality of apertures.
[0030] The platform accessing elements 160, 162 may be any elements configured
to provide to users
access between the playground surface and the first functional unit. Such
platform accessing elements
160, 162 may be one or more flight of stairs, a ladder (e.g. a playground
ladder, a rope or a net ladder), a
climbing rope, a climbing wall, climbing frame, a slide (e.g. a tube slide, a
spiral tube slide).
[0031] For example, the platform accessing elements 160, 162 may be attached
and/or coupled to the
elevated platform 110.
[0032] In at least one embodiment, the multi-functional playground structure
100 may have one or more
additional platforms (not shown). Such additional platforms may be elevated at
various platform heights
and form additional functional units beneath them. The additional platforms
may be elevated at heights
different from the platform height of the elevated platform 110.
[0033] The additional platforms may be connected to the elevated platform 110
with one or more level
access elements (not shown). The level access element may be one or more
flight of stairs, a ladder, a
climbing rope, a climbing wall, climbing frame, a slide, a tunnel, a slide or
the like. For example, the
ladder may be a playground ladder, a rope ladder and/or a net ladder. The
slide may be a tube slide, a
spiral tube slide, and/or a double slide.
[0034] It should be understood that each one of platform accessing elements
160, 162 and each one of
level access element may have a combination of different elements for
climbing/going up or down. For
example, referring to Figs. 1-2, one platform accessing element 162 may have a
flight of stairs 163 and a
slide 165. Another platform accessing element 160 may have two independent
flights of stairs 166, 167
and a double slide 168.
[0035] For example, a third functional unit (not shown) defined beneath a
second platform may have
different functionalities from the first or the second functional units 120,
150. For example, the third
functional unit may be used for reading and thus have benches, while the first
functional unit 120 may be
used for exercising, and the second functional unit 150 may be used for
playing.
[0036] In at least one embodiment, all functional units located below the
platforms may have the same
functionalities.
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[0037] In at least one embodiment, the first functional elements 130 (e.g.
training equipment) may be
attached to the elevated platform 110 and/or the platform accessing elements
160, 162. For example, the
workout bars (not shown) may be located between the platform access elements
and the elevated platform
.. 110 and/or support frame 112.
[0038] It should be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to the
particular embodiments described
and illustrated herein but includes all modifications and variations falling
within the scope of the subject
matters as defined in the appended claims.
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
[0039] All references cited in this specification, and their references, are
incorporated by reference herein
in their entirety where appropriate for teachings of additional or alternative
details, features, and/or
technical background.
EQUIVALENTS
[0040] While the disclosure has been particularly shown and described with
reference to particular
embodiments, it will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and
other features and
functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other
different systems or
applications. Also, that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated
alternatives, modifications,
variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled
in the art which are also
intended to be encompassed by the following embodiments.
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