Amusement devices – Aquatic
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-02
2001-05-15
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices
Aquatic
C472S136000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231451
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to interactive play structures, and, in particular, to a kinetic interactive play structure for entertaining and educating children and adults.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been a recent proliferation of commercial play structures designed to meet the recreational needs of young families. Such play structures can provide a safe and exciting alternative to more traditional parks and playgrounds. Conventional play structures may be grouped into two general categories: “wet” play structures and “dry” play structures. In accordance with the respective grouping a play structure may utilize either corresponding wet or dry play media and play elements.
Typical dry play structures may include a padded framework and cushioned floors defining a variety of play elements and/or areas. Slides, tunnels, net bridges, and ladders may be used to interconnect the various play elements and play areas so that play participants can traverse from one play element or area to the next. A particularly popular dry play element is the conventional ball pit in which small, lightweight, hollow plastic balls fill an enclosed pen of a predetermined depth. Play participants jump into the pen and are partially or fully submerged in the balls. Play participants may also throw the balls in the air or at one another. Other typical dry play elements may include viewing towers, rope swings, soft hanging bags and rotating padded drums and the like. Typical wet play structures may include various devices for cooling and entertaining play participants using water. Several popular wet play elements include water slides, spray guns, spray hoses, waterfalls, sprinklers, buckets, and the like.
Most conventional play structures are “passive.” That is, the various play elements are normally static or react only to forces imparted directly by the play participants. While passive play structures can be entertaining, they do not generally stimulate the development of creative thinking or problem solving abilities. It is preferred to provide a play structure that is “active” or “interactive” in order to allow play participants to operate and control any one of a number of play elements while observing and learning about the associated causes and effects. For example, my U.S. Pat. No. 5,194,048 and related design patent D330,579 first disclosed the concept of participatory or interactive waterplay 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 quality, rate or direction of water produced by the associated water effect. Interactive play allows play participants to experiment with and learn about various cause-and-effect reactions using any one of a number of familiar and entertaining play mediums, such as water, balls, balloons or the like. Small children, particularly, can benefit from the fun learning experiences garnered from such interactive play activities.
Heretofore, the design of commercial interactive play structures has centered around providing many different interactive play elements which can be operated independently and simultaneously to achieve a variety of desired effects. While such play structures present the opportunity for group interaction, the elements of group cooperation and team work are not specifically encouraged. In fact, in many respects these play structures are designed to foster individual competitiveness amongst the various play participants rather than cooperativeness, with each play participant competing to douse other play participants with water or balls, or to strike a particular target or otherwise achieve a desired individual effect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention expands and improves upon my previous inventions by providing a fun and entertaining interactive play structure that not only stimulates the development of creative thinking and individual problem solving abilities, but which does so in a way that fosters and encourages group cooperation and team work to achieve a common goal.
The importance of encouraging teamwork and cooperation among young children cannot be understated, as it is the basis for any modern civilized society. It is an important purpose and object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an interactive play structure that allows play participants to experiment with and learn about various cause and effect reactions using a combination of familiar and entertaining play mediums in a manner that encourages and rewards group cooperation and teamwork to achieve a common goal.
It is a further purpose and object of the present invention to provide an interactive play structure which combines various elements and aspects of both wet and dry play structures in order to afford possibilities for play activities that incorporate the widest possible range of fun and exciting play media and mechanisms, such as balls, water, valves, springs, cams, pulleys, gears, cogs, baskets, buckets, water/air-powered devices, and the like, all of which can be employed to provide an interactive play experience that is both fun and educational.
In accordance with one embodiment the present invention provides an interactive play structure for facilitating team-oriented or group interactive play to achieve a common goal. The play structure includes a number of play elements disposed at various locations and elevations throughout the play structure. Each play element can be activated or operated by one or more play participants to complete one of several necessary steps in a chain of triggering events in which kinetic energy is transferred from one play element to the next. The overall completion of the chain of events results in a common desired result or effect, such as a domino-like cascade of various mechanisms, balls, water and/or the like. Play participants achieve the final goal through a collective team effort requiring the coordinated completion of several smaller objectives comprising each necessary step in the chain of triggering events.
In accordance with another embodiment the present invention provides an interactive play structure in the form of a human-sized Rube Goldberg contraption in which play participants can operate any one of a number of play elements to complete one of several steps in a chain of events transferring sufficient kinetic energy to achieve a desired end result, such as the spilling of a giant bucket of water. Play elements may include various, gear systems, pulleys, conveyers, balance beams, water wheels, windmills and any other suitable devices or mechanisms capable of receiving or transferring kinetic energy. One or more human-sized “squirrel cages” or treadmills may also be provided to allow play participants to generate sufficient kinetic energy to operate one or more of the play elements. The play structure can be implemented in any one of a number of desired themes, such as a gigantic clock or factory assembly line, or the like.
In accordance with another embodiment the present invention provides an interactive play structure which combines elements and aspects associated with both wet and dry play structures to exploit the best qualities of both and to create a wide variety of new and exciting play elements and effects otherwise unattainable with wet or dry play mediums, alone. Suitable play elements may include valves, springs, cams, pulleys, gears, cogs, baskets, buckets, and the like, as well as various water/air-powered devices, such as windmills, waterwheels, water or pneumatic-activated ball lifting conveyers, water or pneumatic-operated balance beams and the like.
These and other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, having reference to the accompanying drawings, the invention not being limited, how
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