Railways – Amusement – Drifting tub
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-20
2001-01-09
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railways
Amusement
Drifting tub
C104S073000, C104S139000, C104S243000, C104S245000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boat for spillwater raft rides or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional spillwater raft rides, like those used in amusement parks and by showmen at fairs, festivals, or the like, as a rule have a path in which the boat, which can be occupied by several persons, floats in a canal that carries water. Spillwater raft rides are also known in which the boat, equipped with wheels, is lifted out of the water by an elevator, for example, and raised to a certain height from which it slides down a straight slope in order to make the ride more attractive. In the past, only slopes that had a straight path as seen in a plan view were used.
Although spillwater raft rides with such slopes enjoy a certain popularity, there is nevertheless the need, and not exclusively for reasons related to competition, to increase the attractiveness of these spillwater raft rides even further, for example by incorporating partial stretches that resemble roller coasters. The wheels on roller coaster cars normally have a plurality of axles which are movable in space relative to one another. The upper parts of the vehicles rest on these axles together with the passenger seats. Wheel guards are mounted on the corresponding axles to which different types of wheels are attached. These different types include wheels that accept the vertical forces acting on the vehicle and run on top of the rails, lateral guide wheels that determine the direction of the vehicle and run on the sides of the rails, and safety wheels or runners that abut the rails from below and prevent the vehicles from derailing when lifting forces act in certain sections of the line. It is noted that the rail cross section of a roller coaster remains constant over the entire length of the line. The wheels are set so that they guide the vehicle as closely as possible to the rails.
It is desirable to provide a boat that can also travel on sections of a path that have three-dimensional curves and transverse inclinations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a boat for a spillwater raft ride or the like uses a safety device that includes safety wheels or runners that are located above the lateral guide wheels and are designed to engage safety rails mounted along the track to accept lifting forces. Installation of the wheels can be facilitated by locating the running wheels, lateral guide wheels, and safety wheels or runners on a suitable axle. This also has the additional advantage that the hull of the boat has fewer weak points caused by mounting holes and as a result cannot become leaky as rapidly. Although a plurality of axles is possible, it has been found to be sufficient for the wheels to have two axles, a front axle and a rear axle on the boat. The guidance of the boat on sections of the track that resemble a roller coaster may be made simpler if the lateral guide wheels and the safety wheels and/or runners are located above the running wheels.
In order to permit longer boats for a larger number of passengers to travel safely through the three-dimensional curves of the track segments that resemble a roller coaster, it is advantageous for the rear axle to be pivotable about the lengthwise axis of the boat while the front axle is rigidly fastened to the boat, and therefore stabilization is provided.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the rear axle is pivotable by a pivot bearing, in which case it is advantageous for a restoring device to be provided that engages the pivotable rear axle in order to move the rear axle into the neutral position in the unloaded state, since this causes the boat to have less flow resistance. In order for the running wheels to follow the path of the tracks better, they are advantageously designed as pivoting rollers.
In order to provide better contact with the guide rails, it is advantageous for the pivot angle of the running wheels to be limited. This is advantageously possible when a limiting pin limits the pivot angle, with a fork-shaped extension of the running wheel mount fitting around this limiting pin. Since brakes are provided for the boat in order to brake it at the end of a descent and especially at the end of its trip, it is advantageous to provide a brake strip running lengthwise of the boat on its underside. This has the additional advantage that this brake strip stabilizes the boat during its travel in the water like a keel. In order to increase the service life of the running gear, it is advantageous for the wheels to be designed for operation under water. In order for the passengers to be held in place securely as they pass through three-dimensional curves, safety bars can be provided, for example, that can be locked at the level of the lower abdomen of the passengers.
The wheels of the boat according to the invention may therefore substantially meet the same requirements as the wheels of conventional roller coasters, and therefore likewise consist of running wheels, guide wheels, and safety wheels or runners. In addition, the wheels are so designed that a close fit to the rails is guaranteed and pivoting of at least one axle is allowed. The latter is especially advantageous when the front and rear axles have different transverse inclinations as they travel the route.
In contrast to roller coaster vehicles, boats for spillwater raft rides according to advantageous embodiments can also meet the requirements that follow because the boat or boats float in sections of the path that resemble canals: Guidance of the boat in the canal by the side wheels; “threading” the boat into the sections with three-dimensional curves; the chassis with wheels, bearings, and the like is reliably operable under water; supporting the boat by its wheels on the bottom of the canal if the water escapes from the canal.
The boats according to the invention can also traverse all of the three-dimensional curves familiar from roller coasters with different transverse inclinations in spillwater raft rides as well, including looping, with the character of a boat floating freely in a canal being retained in individual sections of the path.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will follow from the description below of an embodiment as well as from the drawings to which reference is made.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3391652 (1968-07-01), Lauber
patent: 3796165 (1974-03-01), Goode
patent: 4036146 (1977-07-01), Tyus
patent: 5613443 (1997-03-01), Ariga et al.
patent: 5732635 (1998-03-01), McKoy
patent: 83 36 946 U1 (1983-12-01), None
patent: 83 36 946 [0 U (1985-07-01), None
Foley Hoag & Eliot LLP
Heinrich Mack GmbH & Co.
Jules Frantz
Morano S. Joseph
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