Contoured variably tensionable soft membrane ride surface for ride attraction
First Claim
1. A ride attraction comprising:
- a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon, the ride surface having an inclined portion;
the ride surface comprising a sheet of membrane material supported at two edges of a supporting framework, the membrane material being suspended by the edges and unsupported between the edges;
the membrane material being tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and
a nozzle adapted to direct a flow of water onto the membrane material so that the flow of water flows onto the inclined portion.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A ride surface for water ride attractions and the like is provided. The ride surface is fabricated from a reinforced membrane material tensioned over a supporting framework. The tensioned membrane ride surface serves the dual role of providing structural support for water flow and riders thereon while at the same time providing an impact safe surface that is non-injurious to riders who may fall thereon. The tensioned membrane can be adjusted actively and/or passively in order to accommodate different and varied ride experiences. Optionally, the shape of the membrane ride surface can be changed either dynamically or passively by special tensioning techniques and/or by using auxiliary support structures such as air bladders, pressure/suction, foam supports or/or the like.
52 Citations
96 Claims
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1. A ride attraction comprising:
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a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon, the ride surface having an inclined portion; the ride surface comprising a sheet of membrane material supported at two edges of a supporting framework, the membrane material being suspended by the edges and unsupported between the edges; the membrane material being tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and a nozzle adapted to direct a flow of water onto the membrane material so that the flow of water flows onto the inclined portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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- 25. A ride attraction having a ride surface comprising a fabric-reinforced material tensioned over a supporting frame so as to be suspended between at least two spaced apart members of the supporting frame, the suspended portion of the ride surface adapted to support the weight of a ride participant and/or ride vehicle sliding thereon, the fabric material being coated on at least one side thereof with a fluorinated polymer, the coated fabric material being substantially watertight, and further comprising one or more nozzles for delivering a flow of water directed onto the ride surface.
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34. A ride attraction comprising:
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an inclined ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; the inclined ride surface comprising a substantially continuous sheet of membrane material supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework, the membrane being fixedly attached to the supporting framework in a manner so as to not move linearly relative to the supporting framework where the membrane is attached to the supporting framework; the membrane material having a coating integrally attached to at least one side of the membrane and adapted to provide a substantially smooth and generally lubricous sliding surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles to slide on; and the membrane material being tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A ride attraction comprising:
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an inclined ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; the inclined ride surface comprising a substantially continuous sheet of membrane material supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework; the membrane material having a coating integrally attached to at least one side of the membrane and adapted to provide a substantially smooth and generally lubricous sliding surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles to slide on; the membrane material being tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; one or more auxiliary support structures for providing additional support to the ride surface; and a spring-biased element configured to provide tension overload regulation of the ride surface to protect the ride surface from tearing in the event of an impact force. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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45. A ride attraction comprising:
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a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon, the ride surface having an inclined portion; the ride surface comprising a flexible membrane supported by a supporting framework, the supporting framework comprising at least two generally opposed mounting portions that are each adapted to engage a corresponding portion of the membrane and hold the membrane under tension in a linearly static disposition relative to the framework so that the membrane is suspended between the generally opposed mounting portions; wherein the membrane is tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and wherein the ride surface has a front end, a back end, and opposing sides extending between the front and back ends, and a ride medium is directed across the ride surface in a generally front-to-back direction, and the opposed mounting portions of the supporting framework support the membrane generally along the opposing sides of the ride surface. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A self contained water attraction, comprising:
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a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon, the ride surface comprising a substantially continuous sheet of membrane material; a supporting framework adapted to support the membrane material under tension so as to impart a desired shape to the membrane material; a water reservoir; and at least one nozzle for injecting a flow of water onto the ride surface, the flow of water adapted so that one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles may perform surfing/skimming maneuvers thereon; wherein a pump delivers water from the water reservoir to the nozzle, and water flows over the ride surface and to the water reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A ride attraction comprising:
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a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon, the ride surface having an inclined portion; the ride surface comprising a flexible membrane supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework; and the membrane being tensioned between about 10 kgf/cm and 80 kgf/cm so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and one or more nozzles for injecting a sheet flow of water upward upon the inclined ride surface comprising the tensioned membrane. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68)
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69. A ride attraction comprising:
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a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon, the ride surface having an inclined portion; the ride surface comprising a flexible membrane supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework; and the membrane being tensioned between about 10 kgf/cm and 80 kgf/cm so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and a hydraulic or pneumatic adjustment device for dynamically adjusting the tension applied to the membrane.
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70. A ride attraction comprising:
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a ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; the ride surface comprising a membrane supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework; and the membrane being tensioned so as to provide a resilient support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and one or more nozzles for injecting a flow of water onto the ride surface comprising the tensioned membrane. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74)
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75. A ride attraction comprising:
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an inclined ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; the inclined ride surface comprising a substantially continuous sheet of membrane material supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework; the membrane material having a coating integrally attached to at least one side of the membrane and adapted to provide a substantially smooth and generally lubricous sliding surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles to slide on; the membrane material being tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; and means for dynamically adjusting the tension applied to the membrane material. - View Dependent Claims (76, 77)
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78. A ride attraction comprising:
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an inclined ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; the inclined ride surface comprising a substantially continuous sheet of membrane material supported along at least two edges thereof by a supporting framework; the membrane material having a coating integrally attached to at least one side of the membrane and adapted to provide a substantially smooth and generally lubricous sliding surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles to slide on; and the membrane material being tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; wherein a first portion of the membrane material is maintained at a tension substantially different than a tension of a second portion of the membrane material. - View Dependent Claims (79, 80, 81)
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- 82. A ride surface comprising a fabric-reinforced material tensioned over a supporting frame so as to be suspended between at least two spaced apart members of the supporting frame, the fabric-reinforced material being tensioned between about 10 kgf/cm and 80 kgf/cm, the suspended portion of the ride surface adapted to support the weight of a ride participant and/or ride vehicle sliding thereon, the fabric material being coated on at least one side thereof with a fluorinated polymer, the coated fabric material being substantially watertight.
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87. A ride attraction comprising:
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an inclined ride surface adapted to safely support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon; the inclined ride surface comprising a substantially continuous sheet of membrane material supported by a supporting framework, the supporting framework comprising at least two generally opposed mounting portions that are each adapted to engage a corresponding portion of the membrane and hold the membrane under tension in a linearly static disposition relative to the framework; and means for dynamically adjusting the shape of the ride surface; wherein the membrane material is tensioned so as to provide a resilient, impact-safe support surface for ride participants and/or ride vehicles sliding thereon. - View Dependent Claims (88, 89)
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90. A water ride attraction, comprising:
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a ride surface comprising a membrane; a supporting structure adapted to support the membrane under tension so as to impart a desired shape to the membrane, the membrane being under sufficient tension to support one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles thereon; a water reservoir; and a nozzle configured to direct a flow of water onto the membrane, the flow of water adapted so that one or more ride participants and/or ride vehicles may perform surfing/skimming maneuvers thereon; wherein a pump pressurizes water from the water reservoir for delivery to the nozzle, and water from the nozzle flows over the membrane and to the water reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96)
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Specification