Amusement devices – Aquatic
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-16
2001-04-03
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices
Aquatic
C472S136000, C273S394000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06210287
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of children's play structures and, in particular, to interactive water play structures for safely entertaining and educating young and intermediate age children and adults.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the past decade, the popularity of the family-oriented water theme park has greatly increased. This increase is due in part to the desire of families to participate in activities which allow relief from the summer heat while providing thrills and entertainment for the entire family.
Until very recently, most water parks were centralized around a few major ride attractions. The most prevalent of the ride attractions is the water slide. A water slide generally allows participants to slide down a twisting or steeply sloping water trough before encountering a splash landing in a wading pool at the end. Other popular ride attractions include surfing wave simulators, log flumes, and white-water rafting.
As can be imagined, these rides are primarily designed to entertain adults and older children. The rides tend to be fast-paced and may sometimes involve a degree of risk of physical harm, particularly to small children. In addition, participants often complain that they spend much more time waiting in line for the rides than they actually spend on the ride itself.
As a result of these drawbacks, many families with small children are relegated to a more static play environment, such as wading pools and smaller structures designed specifically for the younger children. While these areas of the park may be sufficiently entertaining for smaller children, they are seldom exciting enough for adults and older children. Therefore, the younger families who are going to the water theme parks to spend time together, actually end up spending a great deal of time apart from one another in order to allow each of the family members to achieve a satisfactory level of entertainment. There exists a need in the water theme park field for a play structure which can entertain and challenge children and adults of all ages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an entertaining water play structure that allows and attracts people of all ages to play together. Another object of the present invention is to provide a play structure that is challenging and entertaining for adults as well as small and intermediate aged children. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a single play structure and method of play in which the entire family can participate and interact with one another without having to wait in long lines.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a water play arena is provided for entertaining one or more play participants. The water play arena contains a central target tower which is adapted to actuate special water effects strategically placed among the play participants. The play participants activate the special water effects through the use of various devices, such as a variety of water guns. For example, a play participant may spray a stream of water from a water gun such that a target is struck. Once the target is struck, a controlled valve opens and allows a second stream of water to create a desired water or other effect. By providing targets of various levels of difficulty, play participants of all ages are able to engage in play at the same time and in the same arena.
My U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,048 and related design patent D330,579, both of which are incorporated herein by reference as though fully reproduced herein, first disclosed the concept of “interactive water play” in which play participants can operate any one of a number of valves to adjust the amount of water spraying from one or more associated water effects. Play participants adjust the various valves and can immediately observe the change in the rate of water flowing from the various associated water effects.
Interactive water play allows children to experiment with and learn about causeand-effect reactions using a familiar and entertaining medium, namely water. Small children, particularly, can benefit from the fun learning experiences garnered from such interactive play. See, for example, my copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/409,133 filed Mar. 23, 1995, and incorporated herein by reference as though fully reproduced herein.
Many large-scale successful commercial water parks now incorporate interactive water play structures of the type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,048. Families that have patronized these commercial water parks have discovered for themselves the valuable entertainment and educational benefits that interactive play provides. Sales of admission tickets for many such commercial water parks have surged following the introduction of new interactive water play structures.
The present invention expands and improves on my previous inventions by creating a central target area with which many play participants may interact simultaneously. The central target area creates an environment in which all play participants may interact through either cooperation or competition. Thus, the present invention involves all play participants in an interactive, rather than passive, play environment particularly through the use of the common central target region and the creation of desired play effects as “rewards” for successfully activating various targets or objects.
Another aspect of the present invention involves the recognition that play participants should be rewarded for precise placement of a stream of water. Accordingly, the present invention can include a progressing intensity play effect. One example of the progressing intensity play effect is a simulated geyser which increases or decreases in height for each successive target contact within a set period of time. After the set period of time expires, however, the play effect can be reset to start at the beginning again.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, the invention not being limited, however, to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed.
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Braunfelsbilt Products Brochure by New Braunfels General Store International, New Braunfels, Texas.
SCS Interactive Family Adventures Brochure, Discovery Treehouse by SCS Company, Tillamook, Oregon (1997).
SCS Interactive Brochure, The Interactive Water Funh2ouse by SCS Interactive, Inc., Tillamook, Oregon (1997).
SCS Interactive Brochure, The Interactive Waterplay Arena by SCS Interactive, Inc., Tillamook, Oregon (1997).
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World Waterpak Association, Splash, Sep. 1989.
Creative Water Play Components by SCS Company, Specialized Components Supply.
Koala Corporation
Nguyen Kien T.
Snell & Wilmer LLP
Wood David P.
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