INFLATABLE STRUCTURE

The present invention relates to an inflatable apparatus for recreational use, such as a bouncy castle or the like, for supporting a user and having one or more selectively inflatable portions which can be independently inflated and/or deflated relative to the remainder of the inflatable apparatus as required.

The use of inflatable structures for recreational use is well known. For example, conventional bouncy castles for children to play on are popular as they allow children to move around, often boisterously, in a padded environment without experiencing injury. Conventional bouncy castle structures are single chamber inflatable structures which are typically manufactured in the shape of a castle and are typically inflated using a compressor which often runs continuously to ensure that the inflatable structure remains fully inflated whilst being used. These inflatable structures are usually decorated in bright colours, often with cartoon characters and the like which are popular with the target age-group who will play on the structure.

Also known in the art are similar bouncy castle structures which are designed for recreational use by adults. Such structures are generally larger and stronger than a similar structure designed for children and are often inflated to higher pressures to maintain an inflated structure of sufficient strength for use by adults.

Although these inflatable structures are popular with children and adults alike, interest in such structures quickly wanes after the first few uses as the structures are static, have no moving parts and, in today's modern society, are often seen as old fashioned and quickly become dull to use.

The present invention seeks to address the problems of the prior art.

A first aspect of the present invention provides an inflatable apparatus comprising a first inflatable member for providing a structural element of the apparatus and for supporting a user and a second inflatable member which is inflatable independently of the first inflatable member.

A further aspect of the present invention provides an inflatable apparatus comprising a first inflatable member for providing a structural element of the apparatus and for supporting a user and a second inflatable member which is deflatable independently of the first inflatable member.

A further aspect of the present invention provides an inflatable apparatus comprising a first inflatable member for providing a structural element of the apparatus and for supporting a user and a second inflatable member which is inflatable and deflatable independently of the first inflatable member.

Throughout the specification, the term inflatable apparatus is intended to cover all inflatable structures relying on a continuous supply of air pressure to maintain its shape, on or in which users may play by bouncing, sliding and/or climbing, and includes but is not limited to bouncy castle structures, inflatable slide structures and the like.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, an inflatable apparatus may further comprise a valve for controlling fluid flow within the second inflatable member. The valve may be any suitable type of valve such as a solenoid valve or the like.

In an embodiment according to the present invention, an inflatable apparatus may further comprise a water line passing through at least a portion of the second inflatable member. For example, the water line may be ruptured or may terminate

at or just below a surface region of the second inflatable member so as to allow a jet or stream of water to be released at the surface of the second inflatable member.

The water flow through the water line may be controlled independently of inflation of the first and second inflatable members. In this way, the stream or jet of water being released at the surface of the second inflatable member can be switched on and off as desired independently of inflation of the structure. In addition, the pressure of the ware passing through the water line may be varied to provide a water jet of desired strength and/or height at the surface of the second inflatable member.

An inflatable apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may be further provided with bubble means located adjacent the water line such that, in use, bubbles are generated on demand by independently controlling the flow of fluid through the water line and bubble means.

Alternatively, or in addition, foam may be ejected from the apparatus at the surface of the second inflatable member on demand and independently of inflation of the apparatus.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a controller for controlling inflation and deflation of the second inflatable member of an inflatable apparatus comprising a first inflatable member for providing a structural element of the apparatus and for supporting a user and a second inflatable member which is inflatable independently of the first member, wherein the controller is operable to cause inflation of the second inflatable member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention the controller may comprise one or more valves.

The controller may be operable to cause inflation of the second inflatable member in accordance with a preset programme of inflation, such as a pseudo random programme of inflation.

The controller may be operable to cause inflation of the second inflatable member remotely.

It is intended that inflatable structures made in accordance with the present invention will also be manufactured and tested in accordance with European Standard DRAFT prEN 14960 (May 2004) or any other European Standard currently in force at the time of manufacture or testing.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

Figures IA and IB are perspective views of a bouncy castle in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figures 2A and 2B are perspective views of a bouncy castle in accordance with a second embodiment of present invention; and Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an inflatable device according to the present invention.

Figure IA shows a bouncy castle 10 for recreational use by children and comprises a first inflatable member 20 providing a base 30 and side walls 40 for the bouncy castle structure. The bouncy castle 10 in figure 1 A is further provided with a second inflatable member (not shown) which is in a deflated conformation. Figure IB shows the bouncy castle 10 of figure IA with the second inflatable member 50 shown in an inflated conformation. Second inflatable member 50 takes the form of a jack-in-the-box head which is selectively inflated independently of the inflation of the first inflatable member 20. Furthermore, when desired, second inflatable

member 50 can be deflated whilst first inflatable member 20 remains inflated, thus returning the bouncy castle 10 to the conformation shown in figure IA. The independent inflation of second inflatable member 50 is carried out by operating a valve assembly (not shown) which allows air to enter second inflatable member 50, thereby inflating second inflatable member 50 and resulting in the popping up of the jack-in-the-box head from the base 30 of bouncy castle 20. This selective inflation serves to increase enjoyment of the bouncy castle 20 by children who will be able to try and guess when the jack-in-the-box head will pop up and, when it does, will be able to play around it and bounce off of it.

Figure 2A shows a similar bouncy castle 10 to that shown in figure 1, however, the bouncy castle 10 shown in figure 2A is intended for recreational use by adults and the second inflatable member is of adult content. In figure 2A, the second inflatable member 50 is in a deflated conformation and is not visible to an observer. However, when the valve assemble (not shown) is operated to allow air to enter the second inflatable member 50, the second inflatable member 50, which is in the shape of a phallus, pops up from the surface of the base 30 of the bouncy castle 10. Thus, the adult content bouncy castle 10 provides an enjoyable source of adult humour and is intended for recreational use by adults only.

Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of an inflatable device according to the present invention. Valve assembly 70 has an input to which air supply 60 such as a compressor or any other suitable supply of air is connected, a first output to which second inflatable member 50 is connected and as second outlet which vents to the atmosphere. In use, air is supplied from the air supply 60 to valve assembly 70. When valve assembly 70 is in a closed configuration, air is vented to the atmosphere and no air reaches second inflatable member 50. However, when valve assembly is moved to an open configuration, air received from air supply 60 travels through valve assembly 70 to second inflatable member 50 rather than being vented to the atmosphere, resulting in the inflation of second

inflatable member 50. When the valve assemble 60 is returned to a closed configuration, air received from air supply 60 is once again prevented from reaching the second inflatable member 50 but instead is vented to the atmosphere, resulting in the selective deflation of second inflatable member 50. In this way, the selective inflation and deflation of second inflatable member 50 can be controlled.

Where it is desired to have a stream of water or a supply of foam or the like released at the surface of the second inflatable member 50, a pipe or other feed channel is provided through which the water or foam is supplied through the interior of the second inflatable member 50 to the surface of second inflatable member 50. A second valve arrangement 100 is provided to control the supply of water or foam or the like to the surface of second inflatable member 50. When the second inflatable member 50 is deflated, the second valve arrangement 100 is in a closed configuration and no water or foam or the like is provided to the surface of second inflatable member 50 from a supply 90 of water or foam or the like provided in fluid connection with the second valve arrangement 100. When the second inflatable member 50 is selectively inflated, no water or foam or the like will be provided to the surface of second inflatable member 50 whilst the second valve arrangement 100 is in a closed configuration. However, when the second valve arrangement 100 is opened, water or foam or the like will be allowed to pass through the second valve assembly 100 from supply 90 and travel through the pipe or feed channel at the interior of the second inflatable member 50 to the surface of the second inflatable member 50 where it is released from the second inflatable member 50 as a visual display. When it is desired to stop the water or foam or the like from being released at the surface of second inflatable member 50, the second valve assembly 100 is returned to a closed configuration thereby preventing passage of water or foam or the like through the second valve assembly 100 from the supply 90 of water or foam or the like to the surface of the second inflatable assembly 50.

Although aspects of the invention have been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be effected without further inventive skill and effort. For example, although the embodiments illustrated in the figures have second inflatable members in the shape of a jack-in-the-box and phallus, respectively, it will be appreciated that the second inflatable member could take any desired shape which will allow it to pop up from the surface of a first inflatable member. Furthermore, it will be appreciated and understood that although the embodiments shown in the figures show only a single second inflatable member in each case, each bouncy castle may have a plurality of second inflatable members, of the same or different shapes to one another, which may all be independently inflated relative to each other or may be interconnected and all be inflated in a single operation.