AU736389B3

AU736389B3 - Toboggan and snow tubing slide

Info

Publication number: AU736389B3
Application number: AU48000/01A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Alfio Bucceri
Original assignee: Snow Factories SA
Current assignee: Snow Factories SA
Priority date: 2000-07-17
Filing date: 2001-05-23
Publication date: 2001-07-26
Anticipated expiration: 2007-05-23
Also published as: EP1305092A1; US20030181248A1; WO2002005912A1; AU2001272213A1

Description

P/00/012 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PETTY PATENT Invention Title: "TOBOGGAN AND SNOW TUBING SLIDE" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: THIS INVENTION relates to a toboggan and snow tubing slide.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved slide for tobogganing and snow tubing which can be used in a wide range of climate conditions without the requirement for snow.

It is a preferred object to provide a slide which performs and looks like a snow-covered slope.

It is a further preferred object to provide a slide which employs a mat and a foaming product to produce the simulated snow surface.

Other preferred objects will become apparent from the following description.

In a broad aspect, the present invention resides in a slide for tobogganing and snow tubing including: a mat having a top layer of felt-type material able to hold water and a bottom layer of plastics material able to prevent leakage; banking means along the sides of the mat, to form respective banked side walls in the mat; and hose means along the sides of the mat, operable to spray a snow-like foam, artificial snow or water on to the mat to reduce friction to aid sliding on the mat.

Preferably, the top layer is constructed from woven polyester or polypropylene fibres or from geotextile materials.

3 Preferably, the top layer is 1 to 5 millimetres thick.

Preferably, the bottom layer is constructed from PVC material.

Preferably, the top and bottom layers are sewn or welded together.

Preferably, in one embodiment, the banking means includes soil or like material provided under the side walls of the mat.

In a second embodiment, the banking means includes at least one flexible tube along the sides of the mat, between the top and bottom layers. Where two or more tubes are provided, they are preferably of increasing diameter towards the sides of the mat.

Preferably, the flexible tubes are constructed of plastics or like material. Preferably, the tubes are filled with water and/or air.

Preferably, the hose means extend along the sides and top of the mat, and has nozzles, eg., spaced every 5 metres, to spray the snow-like foam onto the mat to create a fully-covered sliding area.

Products such as "SNOFOAM" or "FXSnow" (trade marks) are suitable surfactants for the production of the snow-like foam.

Preferably, the surfactant and water are premixed and pumped from a tank, to be mixed with air in a mixing vessel, before being pumped through the hose.

4 In alternative embodiments, artificial snow (eg., produced by the "PERMASNOW" (trade mark) process) or water may be sprayed onto the mat.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: FIG. 1 is a part-sectional, schematic view of a slide in accordance with the invention.

The slide has a mat (of any length and width) with a top layer 1, and a bottom layer 2, which are sewn or welded together.

The top layer 1, which is preferably white in colour, is 1 to 5mm thick and is made of woven polyester fibres, woven polypropylene fibres or geotextile fabric, and is designed to hold water.

The bottom layer 2 is of PVC material and protects the top layer 1 from dirt and leakage.

Along the sides of the mat, banking means, comprising flexible tubes 3 of different diameters), are provided between the top and bottom layers 1, 2, to form banked side walls. The tubes 3, of plastics or like material, are filled with water and/or air.

Along the sides, and top, of the mat, a hose 4 is provided to spray a white, snow-like foam, onto the mat, that simulates snow 12 and reduces friction to avoid sliding on the mat.

The hose 4 preferably has outlets at 5 metre spacings to create a fully covered sliding area.

A tube 5 connects the hose 4 to a mixing vessel 6.

Pump 8 introduces a pre-mixture of surfactant "SNOFOAM" or "FXSnow" (trade marks)) and water from a tank 11 to the mixing vessel 6, while air line 10 provides compressed air 7 to the mixing vessel 6. The compressed air/surfactant/water mixture is sprayed from the outlets in the hose 4 to produce the simulated snow surface for tobogganing and snow tubing.

When not in use, the mat can be easily rolled up for transport; and the mat can be fabricated to create hands for undulating ground.

Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described and illustrated without departing from the present invention.

Claims

1. A slide for tobogganing and snow tubing including: a mat having a top layer of felt-type material able to hold water and a bottom layer of plastics material able to prevent leakage; banking means along the sides of the mat, to form respective banked side walls in the mat; and hose means along the sides of the mat, operable to spray a snow-like foam, artificial snow or water on to the mat to reduce friction to aid sliding on the mat.

2. A slide as claimed in Claim 1 wherein: the top layer is constructed from woven polyester or polypropylene fibres or from geotextile materials, and is 1 to millimetres thick; and the bottom layer is constructed from PVC material.

3. A slide as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein: the hose means extends along the sides and top of the mat, and has spaced nozzles to spray the snow-like foam, artificial snow or water onto the mat to create a fully-covered sliding area. DATED this twenty-third day of May 2001. ALFIO BUCCERI By his Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY