Slide apparatus and method

• US 6,280,342 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2000
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Powell Tod
• Original Assignee: Robert Powell Tod
• Inventors: Tod, Robert Powell
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US09/616,215
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 472/116, 472/117, 472/128, 104/69, 104/70, 104/53, 182/48, 182/49
• US Class Current: 472/116
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 21/00 Chutes; Helter-skelters
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 21/18 Water-chutes

Abstract

A slide (10) with a pair of suspension cables (12) and flexible material (14) connected to the cables (12). At least one lift (16) and one fall (18) is provided in the slide (10) from beginning to end. In the preferred embodiments, slide (10) includes lifts (16), falls (18), tunnels, loops and curves. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, free hanging spreader bars (70) are provided to hold suspension cables (12) and flexible material (14) in their original spaced apart hanging position.

Claims

1. A slide apparatus wherein a user slides in a downward direction, the slide comprising:

(a) at least a pair of suspension cables;

(b) a flexible material connected to said suspension cables; and

(c) at least one lift means for temporarily changing a user'"'"'s direction from down to up and at least one fall.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible material further comprises:

(a) a high first end and a low second end; and

(b) wherein at least one fall is located at the low second end and at least one fall is located between said high first end and said low second end.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one fall further comprises:

(a) a first section of flexible material of one width connected to said suspension cables; and

(b) a second section of flexible material of a second greater width independently connected to said suspension cables so as to hang beneath the first section of said flexible material at a low end of the first section of said flexible material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said at least one lift means further comprises at least one direction change cable connected to said suspension cables at one end and to an immovable support at the other end, thereby restraining said flexible material and suspension cables against deflection at the direction change cable connection point with the suspension cables.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a cover on said flexible material, connected to said suspension cables so as to form a tunnel over at least some of said flexible material.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) a plurality of direction change cables connected to said suspension cables; and

(b) said suspension cables and said flexible material conformed into the shape of a loop and held in position by said direction change cables.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) a plurality of direction change cables connected to said suspension cables; and

(b) said suspension cables and said flexible material conformed into the shape of a curve and held in position by said direction change cables.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of spreader bars beneath said flexible material connected to said suspension cables.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said lift means further comprises a wedge shaped insert with a narrow edge of the wedge facing a high end of the slide, said wedge shaped insert attached underneath a first section of flexible material and on top of a second section of flexible material so that a lift is created thereby.

10. In a water slide with a high end and a low end wherein a user slides in a downward direction with water introduced at the high end, a cabled tarp water slide apparatus comprising:

(a) a pair of oppositely positioned cables;

(b) a tarp hung between said cables; and

(c) at least one lift means for temporarily changing a user'"'"'s direction from down to up.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising more than one fall.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said more than one fall further comprises a fall at the low end of said tarp with at least one intermediate fall between the high end and the low end of said tarp.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said more than one fall further comprises:

(a) a fall at the low end of said tarp; and

(b) at least one intermediate fall between the high end of said tarp and the low end of said tarp wherein said at least one intermediate fall further comprises a section of tarp of one width connected to said pair of oppositely positioned cables and an independent second section of tarp of a greater width connected to said pair of oppositely positioned cables and beneath said first section of tarp.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising at least one tunnel.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising at least one loop.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising at least one curve.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said at least one lift means further comprises at least one direction change cable connected to said pair of oppositely positioned cables at a lift point for holding said pair of oppositely positioned cables from deflection in response to a weight passing over said lift point.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising cable protective flaps.

19. A water slide method comprising the steps of:

(a) connecting a pair of oppositely positioned cables to cable supports at a high end of a water slide and to cable supports at a low end of said water slide;

(b) connecting a tarp on and between said of pair of oppositely positioned cables;

(c) providing at least one lift and one fall in said tarp; and

(d) adding water to said tarp at said high end.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of adding at least one slide feature from a group of features including tunnels, loops and curves.