Playground slide

Abstract

A playground slide that is specially designed to provide superior longitudinal strength for load support and superior transverse strength to avoid warping or distortion during outdoor use. The playground slide is formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process and includes a longitudinally extending upper sliding surface and a spaced-apart lower surface that in cooperation with the upper sliding surface forms an elongated internal cavity. Additionally, the playground includes a plurality of transversely spaced-apart, longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface and also uniquely includes a plurality of transversely extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface and disposed intermediate the longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to children's play structures. More particularly, the invention concerns a novel slide that is specially designed to provide superior longitudinal strength for load support and transverse strength to avoid warping or distortion during outdoor use.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

Playground slides are in general well known and are found on school playgrounds, in public parks and as a part of various types of backyard play structures. In the past, most of the playground slides were constructed of metal. However, with recent advances in plastic molding, playground slides are now typically fabricated from moldable plastic by various types of molding techniques.

A common problem of playground slides that are fabricated from plastic or similar materials is that such material has a tendency to deform under the stress when exposed to typical playground environments. The tendency of plastic playground slides to flex and deform is typically more pronounced as the size of the slide increases. Similarly, over time, excessive flexing and deformation of the plastic can undesirably weaken the slide structure, raise substantial safety concerns and destroy the appearance and function of the slide.

One prior art approach to overcoming the foregoing drawbacks of plastic slides is to provide the slide with spaced-apart, longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs. This approach, while mitigating to some extent against longitudinal bending, fails to address the problem of shrinking and curling of the slide due to heat buildup from exposure to direct sunlight. More particularly, a common drawback of such prior art playground slides is the tendency of the side walls of the slide to transversely warp and distort when heated. Such transverse distortion weakens the slide and during use tends to undesirably reduce the full width of the slide.

Another drawback of many prior art playground slides resides in the provision of exposed fasteners that are used to interconnect the slide with upper and lower supporting structures.

As will be better appreciated from the discussion which follows, the uniquely designed and constructed playground slide of the present invention overcomes many of the drawbacks of the prior art playground slides and provides both longitudinal strength for load support as well as novel means for avoiding warping, curling and distortion due to heat buildup from exposure to the sun.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel playground slide that is specially designed to provide superior longitudinal strength for load support and superior transverse strength to avoid warping or distortion during outdoor use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide of the aforementioned character that is formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process and includes a longitudinally extending upper sliding surface and a spaced-apart lower surface that in cooperation with the upper sliding surface forms an elongated internal cavity.

Another object the invention is to provide a playground slide as described in the preceding paragraph that includes a plurality of transversely spaced-apart, longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface and also uniquely includes a plurality of transversely extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface and disposed intermediate the longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide as described in which the transversely extending ribs resist any tendency of the slide wall to curl when heated and assure retention of the full width of the slide regardless of the ambient temperature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide of the character described in the preceding paragraphs in which the pattern of ribs is of a unique configuration that assures adequate rigidity even when the slide is used by an adult.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide of the character described in which an integrated fastener is provided internally of the upper portion of the elongated internal cavity that can be used to securely mount the slide onto the play structure. More particularly, the fastener is molded directly into the underside of the slide top mounting area thereby avoiding the presence of any exposed hardware along the upper sliding surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide as described in which the underside portion of the base of the slide is in the shape of a horizontal cylinder to allow the slide be mounted on play structures of various heights while maintaining contact with the ground along a line perpendicular to the direction of the slide. This, novel feature assures a stable installation that avoids rocking of the slide structure from side-to-side.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide in which the lower portion of the upper surface of the slide is pitched slightly downwards to avoid collection of water from rain and sprinklers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a generally perspective view of one form of the children's play slide of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, one form of the playground slide of the present invention is there illustrated. This form of the playground slide comprises an elongated body portion 14 that is preferably formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process. As illustrated in FIG. 4, elongated body portion 14 has upper end 16 connected to a supporting play structure “S” and a lower ground-engaging end 18 having a uniquely configured, generally convex ground-engaging surface 18a. More particularly, as indicated in FIGS. 1 and 4, lower ground-engaging end 18 is configured in the shape of a horizontal cylinder, which uniquely allows the slide be mounted on play structures “S” of various heights while maintaining contact with the ground along a line “L” (FIG. 1) that is generally perpendicular to the direction of the slide “D”. This, in combination with the mounting surface “MS” on the structure as indicated in FIG. 4, assures a stable installation that avoids rocking from side to side.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, elongated body portion 14 includes an upper surface 20 and a spaced-apart lower surface 22 that cooperate to define a cavity 24 therebetween. Cavity 24 has an upper portion 24a within which the head portions 26a of a pair of spaced-apart integrated fasteners, or bolts 26 are enclosed (FIG. 4). Bolts 26, which are used to mount the slide to the play structure “S”, are preferably molded directly into the underside of the upper portion of the slide in a manner such that the threaded shank portions 26b of the bolts extend downwardly therefrom (FIG. 1). This construction uniquely avoids the presence of any exposed hardware along the sliding surface 20.

Turning to FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, it can be seen that the lower surface 22 of the elongated body is uniquely provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs 30 and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extending reinforcing ribs 32 that are disposed between the longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs 30. This novel structure provides superior longitudinal strength for load support and means to avoid warping or distortion due to heat buildup from exposure to the sun. Bending stresses, which would develop when the slide is in use, are effectively mitigated by the longitudinal ribs that extend along the length of the slide which function to provide strength and resistance to bending. This novel rib construction assures adequate rigidity even should the slide be used by an adult.

The inclusion of the transverse ribs 32 between the longitudinal ribs at spaced-apart locations along the length of the slide mitigate against undesirable shrinking and curling due to heat buildup from exposure to direct sunlight. These ribs also effectively function to resist any tendency of the slide wall to curl when heated and assure retention of the full width of the slide regardless of the ambient temperature.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the exit area 39 of the slide is pitched slightly downwards to avoid collection of water from rain and sprinklers by allowing the water to drain off of the slide surface.

Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A playground slide having an upper end connected to a supporting structure and a lower ground-engaging end, said slide including an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface having a plurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extending reinforcing ribs disposed between said longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

2. The playground slide as defined in claim 1 in which said lower surface is spaced-apart from said upper surface to define a cavity therebetween, said cavity having an upper portion and a lower portion.

3. The playground slide as defined in claim 2, further including at least one integrated fastener mounted within said upper portion of said cavity for use in interconnecting the playground slide to said supporting structure.

4. The playground slide as defined in claim 2, in which said lower ground-engaging end includes a generally convex ground-engaging surface.

5. The playground slide as defined in claim 2 in which said upper surface of said slide has an exit area, said exit area being pitched downwards to avoid collection of water.

6. A playground slide having an elongated body portion having upper end connected to a supporting structure and a lower ground-engaging end, said elongated body portion including an upper surface and a spaced-apart lower surface, said upper surface and said spaced-apart lower surface defining a cavity therebetween, said lower surface having a plurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extending reinforcing ribs disposed between said longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

7. The playground slide as defined in claim 5 in which said cavity has an upper portion and a lower portion and in which said playground slide further includes a pair of spaced-apart integrated fasteners mounted within said upper portion of said cavity for use in interconnecting the playground slide to said supporting structure.

8. The playground slide as defined in claim 5, in which said lower ground-engaging end includes a generally convex ground-engaging surface.

9. The playground slide as defined in claim 5, in which said elongated body portion is formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process.

10. A playground slide having an elongated body portion having upper end connected to a supporting structure and a lower ground-engaging end, said elongated body portion including an upper surface and a spaced-apart lower surface, said upper surface and said spaced-apart lower surface defining a cavity therebetween, said cavity having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion having a pair of spaced-apart integrated fasteners mounted therewithin for use in interconnecting the playground slide to said supporting structure, said lower surface of said elongated body having a plurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extending reinforcing ribs disposed between said longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

11. The playground slide as defined in claim 9 in which said lower ground-engaging end of said elongated body portion includes a generally convex ground-engaging surface.

12. The playground slide as defined in claim 11 in which said upper surface of said slide has an exit area, said exit area being pitched downwards to avoid collection of water.

13. The playground slide as defined in claim 12, in which said elongated body portion is formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process.

14. A playground slide having an elongated body portion formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process, said elongated body portion having upper end connected to a supporting structure and a lower ground-engaging end having a generally convex ground-engaging surface, said elongated body portion including an upper surface and a spaced-apart lower surface, said upper surface and said spaced-apart lower surface defining a cavity therebetween, said cavity having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion having a pair of spaced-apart connector bolts, each including a head portion mounted therewithin and a threaded shank portion extending therefrom for use in interconnecting the playground slide to said supporting structure, said lower surface of said elongated body having a plurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extending reinforcing ribs disposed between said longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs, said upper surface of said slide having an exit area, said exit area being pitched downwards to avoid collection of water.