Mobile water ride having sluice slide-over cover
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A nozzle assembly for a water ride attraction, comprising:
- a nozzle having an outlet aperture adapted to emit a jet of water onto a ride surface; and
a nozzle cover comprising a padded material substantially covering said nozzle and including a flexible tongue which is biased downward against the flow of the water to prevent injury to riders riding over said nozzle.
6 Assignments
Litigations
1 Petition
Accused Products
Abstract
A mobile and compact simulated-wave water ride attraction is provided having one or more sluice slide-over covers for ensuring the safety of riders in the absence of an extended transition surface or using a shortened transition surface. Advantageously, the ride attraction comprises a plurality of transportable modules and other associated components that can be shipped between sites using trucks, trains or other transportation means. The slide-over sluice cover advantageously enables riders to safely slide over the sluice gate and/or injection nozzle without risk of injury or interference with ride operation. The sluice cover comprises a contoured flexible pad which covers and extends over the top surface of the sluice gate. A flexible tongue is provided which is urged downward squeezing against the flow and sealing the nozzle area off from possible injurious contact from a rider. The shape of the tongue also provides a short transition surface over the top of which a rider can slide without injury. A padded fixed decking is provided and in conjunction with the sluice cover it allows the rider to perform a variety of new and exciting skimming/surfing tricks and maneuvers.
113 Citations
57 Claims
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1. A nozzle assembly for a water ride attraction, comprising:
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a nozzle having an outlet aperture adapted to emit a jet of water onto a ride surface; and
a nozzle cover comprising a padded material substantially covering said nozzle and including a flexible tongue which is biased downward against the flow of the water to prevent injury to riders riding over said nozzle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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- 17. A cover for a water ride sluice gate from which a flow of water jets out, comprising a contoured flexible pad, a connector configured to removably affix the cover to said sluice gate, a flexible tongue at a downstream end of the cover, the tongue configured to extend over the water that jets from said sluice gate, and a generally flat portion at an upstream end of the cover, said tongue being urged downward against the flow of water jetting from said sluice gate.
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24. A water ride attraction, comprising:
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a contoured ride surface;
a sluice sized and configured to inject a flow of water onto said ride surface; and
a cover which covers and extends over the top surface of said sluice to prevent riders from possibly colliding with or riding over said sluice and/or interfering with the ride operation. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A mobile water ride attraction, comprising:
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a plurality of nozzle assemblies with each nozzle assembly comprising;
a nozzle having an aperture and being adapted to inject a jet of water;
a nozzle cover comprising a flexible padded material to protect riders from possible injurious contact with said nozzle; and
a plurality of transportable modules and associated components which when assembled form a ride surface which is contoured to form a predetermined or preselected wave structure and/or flow pattern. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of providing a compact wave-simulating water ride attraction comprising a sluice gate having an outlet for injecting a flow of water onto a ride surface, said method comprising the steps of
covering said sluice gate with a padded material having a flexible tongue extending over the flow of water emitted from said sluice gate outlet; - and
biasing said tongue downwards to squeeze said tongue against the flow of water emitted from said sluice gate outlet to seal off said sluice gate outlet from possible injurious contact with a rider, whereby said ride surface is configured to have a substantially inclined ride surface and a shortened horizontal transition surface.
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38. A nozzle assembly for a water ride attraction having a ride surface, the nozzle assembly comprising:
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a nozzle having an outlet aperture adapted to emit a jet of water onto the ride surface; and
a nozzle cover comprising a padded material and including, a flexible tongue which is biased downward toward the jet of water so as to shield the outlet aperture from contact with riders riding over said nozzle. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
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42. A nozzle assembly for a water ride attraction, comprising:
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a nozzle having an outlet adapted to emit a flow of water onto a ride surface; and
a nozzle cover comprising a contoured flexible pad being removably affixed to said nozzle, said nozzle cover including a flexible tongue at a downstream end extending over the water that flows from said outlet, said tongue being urged downward against the flow of water from said outlet. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A mobile water ride attraction, comprising:
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a plurality of transportable propulsion modules, each of the propulsion modules comprising;
a circulation pump; and
a flow forming nozzle in fluid communication with the circulation pump and configured to emit a flow of water;
wherein the propulsion modules are configured to be connected to one another to form a water propulsion system;
a plurality of transportable ride surface modules, the ride surface modules configured to be connected to one another to form a ride surface; and
a padded cover, wherein the propulsion system and the ride surface are configured to be connected to one another so that the flowing forming nozzles emit a flow of water onto the ride surface, and the padded cover extends over at least one of the nozzles. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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Specification