Amusement devices – Surface or enclosure for athletic or exhibition event
Patent
1990-04-17
1992-05-26
Apley, Richard J.
Amusement devices
Surface or enclosure for athletic or exhibition event
5420, 5450, 482 30, 482 51, 482146, A63B 600, A63B 7104
Patent
active
051160455
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a sports mat, notably a movable judo mat made of an elastic foam-like material and, if desired, an elastic cover.
Such sports mats are known in many sizes and thicknesses and are used in many types of sports in order to prevent injuries. The core of such mats consists of a cellular structure. The surfaces have a closed structure, for example, a sealed or imperforate surface. The imperforate surface may be provided by a separate elastic cover. Depending on the structure and the material selected, mats with a characteristic from soft to hard (i.e., a range of elastic characteristics) can be manufactured. To prevent the mat from sliding, the surface of the cover, or of the elastic foam-like material, can be structured, for example in the form or nubs, on its bottom as well as for one or several users. These mats will dampen a shock, a fall, a landing, etc. of one or several athletes in various types of sport such as judo or aikido.
In many types of sport, however, it is important, such as in judo, to be able to recognize shifts in weight, for instance from both legs to one leg, in order to be able to devise an effective attack or defense.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sports mat, notably a movable judo mat, that is improved in the sense that, besides preventing injuries, it makes it possible to recognize weight shifts of one or several users.
This object is achieved according to the invention by the provision of a mat made of an elastic foam-like material and, if desired, a cover for the foam-like material. The foam-like material is placed on a generally stiff circular platform. The underside of the platform has a central projection. The platform is resiliently supported by the displaceable foam material. A skirt may be provided for placement around the platform, which can optionally be covered with an elastic foam-like material.
On the basis of an implementation example, the invention is described in more detail below, referring to schematic drawings and pointing out alternative forms of construction, and citing specific advantages. The figures show:
FIG. 1 A movable judo mat seen from above;
FIG. 2 A cross section II--II based on FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 A judo mat of alternative construction with a central load;
FIG. 4 The mat of FIG. 3 with a lateral load.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the reinforcing elements.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the reinforcing elements.
The movable judo mat according to FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a central, approximately circular section 1 surrounded by a skirt 2 whose circumference is square in the example, but that can also be circular, oval, rectangular, or polygonal, such as pentagonal or hexagonal, and can also consist of combinations of round, straight, and angular sections.
As shown in FIG. 2, the central section 1 is of sandwich construction and features a circular platform 3 consisting of a material of relatively high bending resistance, such as a platform of wood, plastic, or metal of sufficient stiffness, which may also consist of several layers like a sandwich, also including elastic layers (not shown) with no bending resistance.
The circular platform 3 is covered with an elastic foam-like material 4 such as is commonly used in known sports mats. The elastic foam-like material 4 can be attached to the circular platform 3 in a permanent or detachable manner. A detachable arrangement has the advantage of being able to use mats of various thicknesses and/or hardness/softness characteristics.
At the center of the circular platform 3, which should also be the center of gravity of the platform 3, the platform carries a projection 5 in the form of a hemisphere. The projection 5 can also be of conical shape, preferably having a rounded tip (not shown). The circular platform 3 with its projection 5 is "floatingly" supported by a displaceable foam material 6. A displaceable foam material 6 is meant to be a material that can dissipate or evade pressure when loaded unilaterally, i.e., can "f
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Apley Richard J.
Horowitz Karen G.
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