Play structure for practicing a ball sport comprising an inflatable frame

Abstract

The invention relates to a play structure for practising a ball sport, the structure comprising an inflatable frame (1) comprising an attached chamber (6) that is sealingly attached to the outside of the frame (1), the chamber accommodating an inflation module (7) such that, by pressing on the chamber, it can be compressed over a compression stroke and return to a stable state over a decompression stroke, a first non-return valve (8) being arranged between the chamber and the frame (1) in order to allow air to be injected into the frame over the compression stroke, a second non-return valve (9) being arranged between the chamber and the outside in order to allow air to be sucked into the chamber over the decompression stroke.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a play structure for playing a ball sport.

[0002] It applies in particular to a play structure arranged to form a goal cage, in particular for playing a ball sport such as football or handball.

[0003] We know of play structures with an inflatable frame, which makes them easier to store and transport, and thus makes them particularly suitable for fun sports, especially with children.

[0004] These structures generally present: an upper part intended to stand substantially vertically in the inflated state, to form a target for the ball; a lower part intended to rest on the ground in the inflated state, to form a base for said upper part.

[0005] For example, document GB-2 172 509 describes an inflatable play structure whose frame is arranged to form a goal cage, in particular by being equipped with a net extending between the different tubular portions forming the upper and lower parts of said frame.

[0006] To allow for inflation, these play structures are generally equipped with a mouth valve or, for larger models, a valve designed to be connected to a conventional pump.

[0007] These solutions are not entirely satisfactory, in that inflation by a mouth valve does not generally allow for a structure with sufficient rigidity to guarantee its good hold during play.

[0008] Furthermore, inflation with a pump, in addition to causing additional bulk for storage and transport of the pump, can be difficult to implement, particularly for a child, in that it requires, among other things, correctly connecting said pump with the inflation valve to be effective.

[0009] Document US 2002 / 162584 A1 describes an inflatable structure according to the preamble of appended claim 1.

[0010] The invention aims to improve the prior art by proposing a play structure which is easily inflatable, in particular without the aid of an additional pump, so that it can be easily deployed by a beginner user, in particular a child.

[0011] To this end, the invention proposes a game structure for playing a ball sport, said structure comprising an inflatable frame which has: an upper portion intended to stand substantially upright in the inflated state to form a target for said ball; a lower portion intended to rest on the ground in the inflated state to form a base for said upper portion; said structure comprising an annex chamber which is fixed in a sealed manner to the outside of the frame, said chamber housing an inflation module so that it can, by pressing on said chamber, be compressed on a compression stroke and return to a stable state on a decompression stroke, a first non-return valve being arranged between said chamber and the frame to allow the injection of air into said frame on the compression stroke, a second non-return valve being arranged between said chamber and the outside to allow the suction of air into said chamber on the decompression stroke.

[0012] Other features and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, given with reference to the appended figures, in which: [ Fig.1a ] And [ Fig.1b ] schematically represent in perspective a rear view of a play structure in the inflated state according to an embodiment of the invention, respectively in assembled view ( figure 1a ) and in exploded view ( figure 1b ) ; [ Fig.2 ] And [ Fig.3 ] represent an enlargement of the game structure of the figures 1a et 1b centered on the annex room, respectively in partially assembled view ( figure 2 ) and in partially exploded view ( figure 3 ).

[0013] In relation to these figures, a game structure for playing a ball sport is described below.

[0014] The structure comprises an inflatable frame 1 which has: an upper part 2 intended to stand substantially vertically in the inflated state to form a target for the ball; a lower part 3 intended to rest on the ground in the inflated state to form a base for said upper part.

[0015] Advantageously, the inflatable frame 1 comprises a tubular assembly forming a single inflatable chamber, which allows it to be inflated from a single air inlet point, and thus facilitates said inflation.

[0016] In particular, the inflatable frame 1 has a waterproof envelope 1a, notably formed from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

[0017] In the embodiment shown, the play structure is arranged to form a goal cage for playing a ball sport such as football or handball.

[0018] To do this, the upper part 2 comprises two lateral vertical portions 2a, as well as an upper horizontal portion 2b extending between the respective upper ends of said vertical portions.

[0019] Furthermore, the lower part 3 has a substantially arched shape extending to the rear of the respective lower ends of the vertical portions 2a.

[0020] In particular, this arched shape includes: a top portion 3a extending in a direction substantially parallel to that of the upper horizontal portion 2b; two lower lateral portions 3b each extending to the rear of the lower end of respectively an upper lateral portion 2a, each of said lower portions being further connected to one end of the top portion 3a by an oblique portion 3c.

[0021] The inflatable frame 1 is further equipped with a net 4, for example made of openwork fabric of the 2D mesh type, which extends between the rear of the upper part 2 and the top of the lower part 3 to form the goal cage.

[0022] The play structure comprises a cover 5 covering the inflatable frame 1, in particular for aesthetic reasons and / or to protect said frame against possible risks of wear and / or puncture. The cover 5 may in particular be made of synthetic textile material, for example based on 600D polyester (P600D).

[0023] In particular, the cover 5 comprises a tubular part 10a intended to match the external geometry of the frame 1, and to which the goal net 4 is associated at its periphery, for example by sewing, by gluing and / or by welding.

[0024] The cover 5 comprises two side panels 5a in the shape of a square which are each associated between respectively an upper vertical portion 2a and the lower side portion 3b opposite. In addition to the design aspect, the panels 5 can allow the formation of a pocket for a ballast material of the play structure.

[0025] The cover 5 comprises a connecting strip 5b, each end of which is associated under a respective lower lateral portion 3b, in order to form a goal line.

[0026] To enable it to be inflated, the play structure comprises an annex chamber 6 which is fixed in a sealed manner to the outside of the frame 1, said chamber housing an inflation module 7, in particular made of foam, so that it can, by pressing on said chamber, be compressed over a compression stroke and return to a stable state over a decompression stroke, a first non-return valve 8 being arranged between said chamber and the frame 1 to enable the injection of air into said frame over the compression stroke, a second non-return valve 9 being arranged between said chamber and the outside to enable the suction of air into said chamber over the decompression stroke.

[0027] Advantageously, the cover 5 covers the additional chamber 6, which makes it possible to improve the aesthetic appearance of the play structure by camouflaging said additional chamber. For this purpose, the cover 5 has a part 10b for covering the additional chamber 6, said additional part comprising three pieces, respectively upper 11a, lower 11b and rear 11c, which are joined together, for example by stitching, to form said additional part.

[0028] The cover 5 comprises two parts 12 which are attached to said cover so as to be arranged on either side of said annex chamber, said parts being able to be made of openwork fabric to facilitate the admission of air into the annex chamber 6.

[0029] The second non-return valve 9 may be surmounted by a neck on which the cover 5 rests, in order to prevent said valve from being obstructed by said cover during the decompression stroke. In particular, the neck protrudes around the orifice of the second non-return valve 9, and may optionally be covered by a plate on which the cover 5 rests, leaving air passages.

[0030] In the embodiment shown, the annex chamber 6 is fixed to the lower part 3 of the inflatable frame 1, and in particular at the level of the top 3a of the arched shape. This arrangement of the annex chamber 6, in addition to being intuitive, makes it possible to provide additional balance to the lower part 3 in the inflated state, and thus to improve the stability of the play structure.

[0031] The annex chamber 6 comprises a flexible envelope 13, for example based on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), in which a foam inflation module 7 is arranged, said module being able in particular to be made from a polyurethane foam.

[0032] The flexible envelope 13 is arranged to allow compression support on the inflation module 7 and the elastic return of said module in a stable state. To do this, the flexible envelope 13 has a shape and / or dimensions allowing it to match the external geometry of the inflation module 7 in its stable state, so as to allow on the one hand the compression of said module by support on a wall of said envelope, and on the other hand the elastic return of said module by release of said support.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the flexible envelope 13 comprises two waterproof films, respectively upper 13a and lower 13b, which are assembled at their peripheries 14 and on the outside of the frame 1. Alternatively, the flexible envelope 13 can be formed by means of a waterproof film which is folded and welded.

[0034] In particular, the upper film 13a is arranged to allow the inflation module 7 to be compressed by pressing on it, in particular by means of a hand or a foot, in order to allow the frame 1 to be inflated by exerting several successive presses on said upper film.

[0035] Advantageously, the cover 5 comprises a semi-rigid part 15, in particular a polyester plate, which is arranged on the upper film 13a to allow uniform compression of the inflation module 7 when pressure from the hand or foot is exerted on it. In the embodiment shown, the semi-rigid part 15 is associated with the parts 11a, 11b, 11c to form with them the covering part 10b of the annex chamber 6.

[0036] Furthermore, the second non-return valve 9 is arranged through the flexible envelope 13, in particular by being associated by welding on the upper film 13a.

[0037] In relation to the figures 1b And 3 , the first non-return valve 8 is arranged in the annex chamber 6 and through the inflatable frame 1.

[0038] To do this, the first non-return valve 8 can be formed from a single piece which is assembled to the frame 1, in particular by welding, said first non-return valve also being able to be welded onto the annex chamber 6.

[0039] Alternatively, the annex chamber 6 may have a side wall which is arranged opposite the inflatable frame 1 and is equipped with a first valve element, said inflatable frame being equipped with a second valve element which is assembled to said first element, for example by screwing, to form the first non-return valve 8.

[0040] The inflatable frame 1 further comprises a deflation valve 16 arranged to allow the evacuation of the air contained in said frame, in order to be able to compact the play structure for storage and / or transport.

[0041] In the embodiment shown, the deflation valve 16 is formed on an oblique portion 3c of the lower part 3. Furthermore, the cover 5 comprises an orifice 17 to allow access to the deflation valve. According to one embodiment, the deflation valve 16 is fixed, in particular by welding, through the cover 5 to prevent its relative displacement.

Claims

1. A play structure for practicing a ball sport, said structure comprising an inflatable frame (1) having : - an upper part (2) designed to rise substantially vertically when inflated to form a target for said ball; - a lower part (3) designed to rest on the ground in the inflated state to form a base for said upper part; said structure comprising an auxiliary chamber (6) which is sealingly fixed to the outside of the frame (1), said chamber housing an inflation module (7) so as to be able, by bearing on said chamber, to be compressed over a compression stroke and to return to a stable state over a decompression stroke, the play structure being characterized in that it comprises a first non-return valve (8) being arranged between said chamber and the frame (1) to enable air to be injected into said frame on the compression stroke, a second non-return valve (9) being arranged between said chamber and the outside to enable air to be drawn into said chamber on the decompression stroke.

2. Play structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary chamber (6) comprises a flexible envelope (13) in which a foam inflation module (7) is disposed, said envelope being arranged to allow compression support on said module and elastic return of said module to a stable state.

3. Play structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the second non-return valve (9) is arranged through the flexible casing (13).

4. Play structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first non-return valve (8) is arranged in the auxiliary chamber (6) and through the frame (1).

5. Play structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the first non-return valve (8) is connected to the frame (1).

6. Play structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the auxiliary chamber (6) has a side wall facing the inflatable frame (1), said wall being equipped with a first valve element, said inflatable frame being equipped with a second valve element, said elements being assembled to form the first non-return valve (8).

7. Play structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the annex chamber (6) is attached to the lower part (3) of the inflatable frame (1).

8. Play structure according to claim 7, characterized in that the lower part (3) has a substantially arcuate shape extending behind a lower end of the upper part (2), the annex chamber (6) being fixed at the apex (3a) of said arcuate shape.

9. Play structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that it comprises a cover (5) covering the inflatable frame (1) and the annex chamber (6).

10. Play structure according to claim 9, characterized in that the second non-return valve (9) is surmounted by a collar on which the cover (5) rests to prevent obstruction of said valve by said cover.

11. Play structure according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the inflatable frame (1) comprises a deflation valve (16) arranged to allow the evacuation of air contained in said frame.

12. Play structure according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the inflatable frame (1) comprises a tubular assembly forming a single inflatable chamber.

13. Play structure according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the inflatable frame (1) has a sealed envelope (1a) formed on the basis of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU).

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