Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Pool type – With wave-making means
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-16
2004-05-25
Phillips, Charles E. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Pool type
With wave-making means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06738992
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of wave pools, and in particular, to a wave pool that generates large surfing class waves and has been adapted to control breakpoints and/or reduce rip currents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wave pools have become popular at water theme parks in recent years. Wave pools are man-made bodies of water in which waves are created much like waves in an ocean. A wave pool typically has a wave generating machine located at one end and an artificial sloped “beach” located at the other end, wherein the wave generating machine creates periodic waves that travel from one end to the other. The floor of the pool near the beach is preferably sloped upward so that as the waves approach, the floor causes the waves to “break” onto the beach.
One problem associated with creating waves in wave pools is that rip currents, similar to those that exist in nature, can be created. For example, rip currents can be formed by the reverse flow of water (down the sloped beach) flowing against oncoming waves, which can detrimentally affect how water and energy dissipate, i.e., it can cause waves to break sooner and more dramatically, which in turn, can generate more white water and mass transport of water onto the beach. This not only makes surfing and water skimming maneuvers more difficult to perform, but it can also lead to an increased risk of injury.
In recent years, this problem has worsened due to the use of more powerful wave generating machines in wave pools designed to produce larger waves. These machines are typically installed in pools that are larger and have deeper floors than conventional wave pools. The object has been to produce larger and more frequent waves, and to enable surfing and water skimming maneuvers to be performed thereon.
Such wave pools have several disadvantages. One is the increased occurrence of rip currents, with their attendant risks, which can make it more difficult for participants to perform surfing and water skimming maneuvers safely. Second, wave pools that are larger are inherently more expensive to construct. In this respect, many wave pools are installed in areas where land is scarce, and therefore, building larger wave pools, simply to increase wave size, is not often cost-effective. This is particularly true where wave pools are already installed and significant effort and expense would be needed to modify and enlarge them. Third, where wave pools are used to host surfing exhibitions and competitions, making wave pools larger has the detrimental effect of forcing spectators (who are normally seated on bleachers or grandstands immediately behind the beach) further away from the waves, which can leave spectators further away from the action. This is particularly true given that one way to make wave pools safer is to decrease the slope of the pool floor, which in turn increases the distance between where the waves break and where the spectators are located. Fourth, in order to maximize the productive asset value of a wave pool, it is optimal to attempt to increase the frequency of wave generation in order to allow an increased number of riders per hour with a corresponding increase in revenue per hour using the same asset base. Of consequence with increased wave frequency is increased water movement with resulting increased production of rip currents. A shorter time period between each wave also means there is less time for a fallen rider to move out of the way of a new rider on a succeeding wave. Finally, competition surfing class wavepools will often employ rapid changes in pool bottom topology in order to cause preferred plunging style breakers. Abrupt bottom contours are viewed as hazardous by governmental health and safety organizations, given the increased potential for bathers to loose their footing and inadvertent head injuries and diving accidents.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved wave pool design which enables larger and more frequent quality waves to be produced in a safe manner, without having to increase wave pool size, while at the same time, enabling the control of wave breaking characteristics and reduction of rip currents, which would otherwise be detrimental to wave formation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention represents an improvement over previous wave pool designs insofar as it enables control over the breakpoint and reformation of a wave and reduces detrimental rip currents, while allowing larger and more frequent quality waves to be created, without increasing pool size or floor design hazard. The present invention is able to accomplish this by: (1) providing one or more grates on the pool floor and along the beach side of the pool to allow water and energy from a generated wave to pass through into a cavity below, such that wave breaking characteristics can be controlled, reverse flow minimized, and rip currents reduced; and (2) providing a spatial sequencing in pool bottom topography that allows a generated swell to break, reform into an unbroken swell, and then break again.
Wave pools are typically constructed like large swimming pools, with a sloped floor on one shallow end, wherein a wave generating device is provided at the deep water end, to generate periodic waves that travel across the pool to the shallow end where the beach is located. To diminish the size of the wave as it approaches the shore, wave pools can have side walls that fan out and expand toward a beach area, as well as a sloped inclined floor which causes waves to break. The sloped inclined floor near the beach can cause water moved by the energy of a progressive wave to roll-up the inclined floor until the wave energy is spent, wherein gravity then causes the water to flow back down against other oncoming waves, thereby creating an undercurrent of water that forms rip currents.
In one aspect, the present invention represents an improvement over previous wave pool designs in that it is specifically adapted to reduce rip currents that normally occur in and around the beach area. While energy from a wave breaking along the beach normally creates white water and mass transport of water onto the beach, the after-break zone and beach area of the present invention preferably comprises a grated floor that allows water to pass through into a cavity below, away from the beach surface and thus avoiding a large surge run-up on the beach. That is, as each wave breaks and its forward momentum causes water to flow up onto the beach, water is allowed to pass through the grated floor, and into the cavity below, such that virtually none of the water is allowed to flow back onto the inclined floor of the beach and flow back down again against the oncoming waves. In such case, most of the water that would otherwise flow up the beach simply passes through the grated floor, and is effectively removed from the beach to reduce rip currents.
Reducing rip currents in this respect enables the frequency of the waves to be increased, i.e., more periodic waves can be generated in a shorter amount of time, since there are no rip currents to adversely affect each oncoming wave. In a commercial wave pool environment, a greater wave frequency advantageously results in increased rider throughput, which means greater revenue and a higher rate of return on fixed assets. Reducing rip currents also allows the waves to be made larger and more powerful without having to increase pool size, nor the risk of injury to participants. It also makes more efficient use of existing resources, such as land, since wave pools of the present invention do not have to be enlarged to increase wave size and quality. In fact, the present invention can make it so that wave pools can be made smaller and more compact without sacrificing performance and safety. Also, as mentioned above, an additional benefit of the present invention is that spectator viewing areas behind the beach can be located closer to the waves, which can enhance the viewers' experience. Finally, by introducing a grated false floor near the bottom of the pool, the true p
Phillips Charles E.
Shimazaki J. John
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