Wave river water attraction

• US 5,766,082 A
• Filed: 06/28/1996
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey Wayne Henry, Thomas J. Lochtefeld
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey Wayne Henry, Thomas J. Lochtefeld
• Inventors: Henry, Jeffrey Wayne, Lochtefeld, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US08/672,664
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 472/88, 472/89, 472/117, 472/128, 104/69, 104/70, 104/73, 405/79
• US Class Current: 472/117
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 19/00 Design or layout of playing courts, rinks, bowling greens or areas for water-skiing; Covers therefor golf courses A63B69/3691; water roundabouts A63G3/00; construction of surfaces of foundations E01C; roofs E04B7/00; buildings or groups of buildings for sports E04H3/10; swimming or splash baths or pools E04H4/00; coverings for baths E04H4/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 19/10 Ice-skating or roller-skating rinks; Slopes or trails for skiing, ski-jumping or tobogganing chutes A63G21/00; ski-lifts B61B11/00; making or maintaining surfaces of snow or ice suitable for traffic or sporting purposes E01H4/00; removing snow or ice E01H5/00; production of ice or snow F25C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 3/00 Water roundabouts, e.g. freely floating
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 3/02 with floating seats
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/0006 Devices for producing waves in swimming pools generating current of water in swimming pools A63B69/125

Abstract

The present invention relates to a water ride comprising a channel of water connected to a beach area, wherein a torrential flow of water can be released into the channel, to create a swell that travels through the channel, and then turns into a solitary tidal wave that spills and breaks onto the beach. The water in the channel can also be made to flow in a uniform direction, due to the momentum and energy transferred from repeatedly releasing the torrential flow of water into the channel. The curvature and orientation of the beach area relative to the channel causes the waves breaking onto the beach to travel radially outward in an arc-shape, causing the waves to spill over and break, as they make their way around the beach.

Claims

1. A water ride attraction for use in amusement parks, water theme parks, and the like, comprising:

a channel of water in the form of a loop, wherein the loop has at least one turn thereon;

a wave generator for creating a surge of water;

a discharge channel connecting said wave generator and said channel, through which said surge of water can travel and enter into said channel; and

a sloped area connected to said channel extending substantially along at least a portion of said one turn, wherein the sloped area has an inclined sloped surface thereon, and wherein the surge of water in said channel has sufficient energy to cause a swell to form in said channel, and at least a portion of the water to flow up the sloped surface in a first direction, wherein said sloped surface causes at least a portion of said flow of water to reduce in speed and flow back down into said channel in a second direction.

2. The water ride of claim 1, wherein the water in the channel is substantially uniform in elevation, but for water effects created by the surge of water.

3. The water ride of claim 1, wherein the surge of water can be released by said wave generator, and introduced into said channel, creating a large swell that travels through said channel and around said loop, creating a wave that travels across the sloped area, and spills over and breaks thereon.

4. The water ride of claim 1, wherein the wave generator comprises at least one pump, a sump area, and a tank, wherein water from said channel can be pumped into the tank, and wherein the tank has at least one opening, and at least one release gate, such that water can be stored in said tank, and released through said opening.

5. The water ride of claim 4, wherein the release gate can control the rate, and the amount, at which water is released from said tank into said channel, to control the surge, and can be timed to release said surge at preselected intervals.

6. The water ride of claim 1, wherein the discharge channel is sloped downward from the wave generator to cause said surge of water to flow into said channel, wherein the discharge channel has a substantially horizontal portion adjacent said channel, and narrows to cause said surge to converge before entering said channel.

7. The water ride of claim 1, wherein the discharge channel is connected to said channel substantially tangentially, such that the surge flowing from said wave generator enters into said channel to create, through momentum transfer, a unidirectional flowing body of water in said channel.

8. The water ride of claim 1, wherein the sloped area comprises a beach area that is oriented with respect to the channel such that, when the surge from the wave generator enters the channel, and travels around the loop, forming a swell therein, the swell enters the beach area and forms one or more radially outwardly traveling waves thereon, wherein the sloped surface of the beach area causes one end of the wave to spill over and break, prior to the other end, as the wave travels around the turn.

9. The water ride of claim 8, wherein the curvature and slope of the beach area causes, in combination with the water effects created by the spilling/breaking wave, reverse waves and swells to form which travel against the direction of the original wave, and through the channel in a reverse direction.

10. The water ride of claim 8, wherein walls are provided along the beach area which cause the waves in the beach area to bound and rebound, creating residual waves and flows, and other water effects in the channel and beach area.

11. The water ride of claim 1, wherein a wave pool is positioned substantially on the inside of said turn, facing said sloped area, wherein another wave generator is provided which creates periodic wave formations that flow onto the sloped area.

12. The water ride of claim 1, wherein at least a part of the discharge channel has a turn, such that, as the surge of water flows onto said discharge channel, the water converges against the outside of the turn.

13. The water ride attraction of claim 12, wherein said discharge channel has a dividing wall therein extending substantially in the direction of said surge of water which helps to reduce turbulence in the water before entering said channel.

14. The water ride of claim 1, wherein there is at least one additional turn along the channel loop, wherein the outside wall along the additional turn is substantially high enough to contain the water, which tends to tilt upward against the outside wall.

15. The water ride attraction of claim 1, wherein the channel has a floor and the sloped area extends relatively upward from said channel floor substantially radially outward in relation to said channel substantially along the curvature of said one turn.

16. A water ride attraction for use in amusement parks, water theme parks, and the like, comprising:

a channel loop containing a body of water flowing in a predetermined direction;

a wave generator for creating motions in said body of water and which can drive said flowing body of water in said predetermined direction; and

a beach area connected to said channel, wherein the beach area is oriented substantially outward in relation to said channel, and has an inclined sloped surface thereon extending substantially upward in relation to said body of water, and wherein the motions create at least one swell that travels through the channel, and enters the beach area, such that at least a portion of the swell travels up the sloped surface in a radially outward direction, and wherein the sloped surface of the beach area causes at least a portion of the swell to spill over and break and form at least one wave that spills over and breaks along the sloped surface of said beach area.

17. The water ride of claim 16, wherein repeated surges are created by said wave generator to create repeated motions and waves that flow onto said beach area.

18. The water ride of claim 16, wherein at the far downstream end of the beach area, there is provided an additional sloped surface, wherein the wave travels across the beach area and eventually flows onto said additional sloped surface, wherein the additional sloped surface causes at least a portion of the water from said wave to reduce in speed, spill over and break, and to flow back against the direction of the original wave, creating a reverse wave.

19. A water ride attraction for use in amusement parks, water theme parks, and the like, comprising:

a channel of water in the form of a loop, wherein the loop has at least one turn thereon;

a wave generator associated with said channel adapted to create a surge of water that enters into said channel to form a swell therein; and

a beach area connected to said channel, wherein the beach area has an inclined sloped surface thereon, wherein at least a portion of the sloped surface substantially follows the curvature of said one turn, and wherein the beach area is oriented with respect to the channel such that, when the surge from the wave generator enters the channel, and travels around the loop, forming a swell therein, the swell enters the beach area and forms a radially outwardly traveling wave thereon, wherein the sloped surface causes one end of the wave to spill over and break, as the wave travels around the turn, and wherein one or more walls are provided along the beach area which causes waves in the beach area to bound and/or rebound, creating residual waves and flows, and/or other water effects in the channel and beach area.

20. The water ride of claim 19, wherein the channel has a floor, an inside wall and an outside wall, wherein the outside wall is interrupted and extends radially outward in relation to the inside wall along said one turn at opposite ends of the beach area.

21. The water ride attraction of claim 19, wherein the wave generator is located adjacent said channel.

22. A method of creating waves, comprising:

providing a channel having a body of water therein and at least one turn thereon;

providing a sloped area having an inclined sloped surface extending substantially outward in relation to said channel, along at least a portion of said turn, and upward in relation to said body of water in said channel;

releasing a substantial amount of water into said channel to create a large forward moving swell through said channel; and

causing said swell to travel through said channel and at least a portion of the water to flow upward in relation to said body of water onto said sloped surface, said sloped surface causing said swell to spill over and break to form at least one wave on said sloped area.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising releasing said substantial amount of water into said channel at intervals to cause a series of forward moving swells to form in said channel.

24. The method of claim 22, comprising repeatedly releasing said substantial amount of water to cause said body of water in said channel to flow in a predetermined direction, wherein each time said water is released, momentum and energy from said water being released is transferred to said body of water.