Gradient-adjustable skate park system and methods for using the same

• US 8,858,347 B1
• Filed: 01/05/2012
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ntsl, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ntsl, LLC
• Inventors: Gesner, Eli Morgan
• Primary Examiner(s): DENNIS, MICHAEL DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/344,573
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 472/89, 472/92
• US Class Current: 472/89
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/00 Roller skates; Skate-boards
• 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

Abstract

A gradient-adjustable skate park system and methods for using the same are provided. In accordance with some embodiments, a skate park system comprises a plurality of structures, wherein each structure of the plurality of structures includes one or more features for allowing a skateboarder to perform at least one skateboarding trick, a plurality of raising mechanisms coupled beneath at least a portion of the plurality of structures, and a processor that is configured to control the plurality of raising mechanisms to decline the plurality of structures by a predetermined angle.

Claims

1. A skate park system, the system comprising:

a plurality of skateboarding structures, wherein each structure of the plurality of skateboarding structures includes one or more features for allowing a human skateboarder to perform at least one skateboarding trick and wherein the plurality of skateboarding structures are connected together to form a skate park having opposing ends;

a plurality of mechanical lifts connected to a bottom portion of one of the opposing ends of the skate park, wherein the plurality of mechanical lifts are positioned beneath at least a portion of the plurality of skateboarding structures; and

a processor connected to the plurality of mechanical lifts that is configured to;

detect that a round of a skateboarding event has been completed; and

in response to detecting that the round of the skateboarding event has been completed, control the plurality of mechanical lifts positioned at the bottom portion of one of the opposing ends of the skate park to raise from a first position to a second position, thereby causing the plurality of skateboarding structures to adjust from a first incline angle to a second incline angle.

2. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the one or more features include at least one of:

curbs, ledges, sets of stairs, handrails, sidewalks, driveway bumps, fences, walls, embankments, planters, benches, picnic tables, manholes, pipes, and ramps.

3. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical lifts are a plurality of mechanical scissor-type lifts for raising or lowering the opposing end of the skate park.

4. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical lifts are a plurality of hydraulic lifts for raising or lowering the opposing end of the skate park.

5. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical lifts are a plurality of electrical lifts for raising or lowering the opposing end of the skate park.

6. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mechanical lifts are coupled beneath a first portion of the plurality of skateboarding structures and beneath a second portion of the plurality of skateboarding structures and wherein the processor is further configured to decline the first portion of the plurality of skateboarding structures by a third incline angle and decline the second portion of the plurality of structures by a fourth incline angle.

7. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

control the plurality of mechanical lifts to raise from the first position to the second position, thereby causing an incline angle associated with the plurality of skateboarding structures to be adjusted from the first incline angle to the second incline angle for a first period of time; and

modify the second incline angle of the plurality of skateboarding structures to a third incline angle by controlling the plurality of raising mechanisms to raise to a third position for a second period of time.

8. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive an indication that the skateboarder has performed at least one skateboarding trick;

determine a score for the at least one skateboarding trick based on one or more scoring rules; and

calculate a real-time overall score associated with the skateboarder for a round.

9. The skate park system of claim 1, wherein each skateboarding structure is a modular structure that is interchangeably connected to another modular structure of the plurality of skateboarding structures.

10. The skate park system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of skateboarding structures is the modular structure that is replaced with an alternative modular structure.

11. The skate park system of claim 1, further comprising a real-time scoring display that provides the real-time overall score calculated using the processor.