Abstract:
A support for a play apparatus comprising a plurality of legs with each leg having an elongate base member for contacting the ground and an elongate support member arranged substantially perpendicularly to the base member. Each support member is hingably connected to another support member such that the legs are movable between an erected position, in which the support members define an opening for engagement with the play apparatus and the base members extend outwardly from the opening, and a folded position, in which the base members are substantially parallel to each other.

Description:
This application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 from PCT Application No. PCT/GB03/01343, filed Mar. 20, 2003, which claims the priority benefit of Great Britain Application No. 0206668.6, filed Mar. 21, 2002. 
   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to play apparatus and in particular to play apparatus such as roundabouts which are easily foldable for compact storage. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Large play apparatus such as roundabouts are conventionally intended for outdoor use due to the problem of storage. In particular, roundabouts typically remain erected once assembled. Conventional roundabouts are therefore manufactured to be resistant to erosion from the weather, which is often costly. 
   Storable roundabouts are difficult to produce principally because of the difficulty in producing a support for the roundabout that may be easily dismantled and stored, yet is also strong and durable enough to support a roundabout. In addition, the support must be large enough to give the roundabout stability in use. 
   Roundabouts have been produced which include a ratchet mechanism whereby a child can rotate the roundabout by exerting force on a lever whilst seated on the roundabout. Such roundabouts are not easily stored due to the large support required and the complex dismantling process. 
   There have now been devised improvements to supports for play apparatus and to play apparatus incorporating such supports, which overcome or substantially mitigate the above-mentioned or other disadvantages of the prior art. 
   SUMMARY 
   According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a support for a play apparatus, the support comprising a plurality of legs, each leg having an elongate base member for contacting the ground and an elongate support member arranged substantially perpendicularly to the base member, each support member being hingably connected to another support member such that the legs are movable between an erected position in which the support members define an opening for engagement with the play apparatus and the base members extend outwardly from the opening, and a folded position in which the base members are substantially parallel to each other. 
   The support according to the present invention is advantageous principally because of the ease in which the support may be folded into a compact form that is suitable for storage. In addition, a small number of fixing points would be required to secure the support in the erected position, which further improves the ease of use. The foldability of the support renders the play apparatus with which it is used suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The play apparatus can therefore have a lower resistance to weather erosion thereby lowering manufacturing costs. 
   In a preferred embodiment, the play apparatus is a roundabout, particularly a roundabout that can be rotated by one or more users while sitting on the roundabout, eg by operating a ratchet mechanism as described below. 
   The legs are preferably secured in the erected position by at least one fixing means which preferably secure together legs that are adjacent in the erected position. The fixing means preferably secures adjacent support members together when the support is in the erected position. A support member may include a plurality of fixing means which are preferably spaced apart along the length of support member. The fixing means is preferably a bracket on a support member with a bolt passing therethrough and engaging with an adjacent support member. Alternative fixing means include a clip or hook located on a support member which may releasably captivate an adjacent support member. The fixing means are preferably located on the support member at either end of the hinged connections. 
   The support and base members are preferably integrally formed. The legs may be formed of any suitably strong and durable material, which is preferably a metal and most preferably steel. The legs preferably have a box-section, thereby reducing the weight of the legs. The base members of the legs preferably include feet which may be disc-shaped to provide additional stability to the support. 
   In the erected position, the opening is preferably of a non-circular sectional shape such that any member of similar sectional shape that is closely received within the opening will be prevented from rotating with respect to the support. The support members preferably have flat faces such that, in the erected position, the opening is of polygon section. The support members are preferably of square section and the support preferably comprises four legs such that a square section opening is defined of preferably similar sectional dimensions to the support members. 
   According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a play apparatus comprising a support according to the present invention in the erected position, a play apparatus support member which is closely received within the opening, and a play apparatus structure mounted on the play apparatus support member. 
   The opening and the play apparatus support member are preferably of non circular sectional shape such that the play apparatus support member is prevented from rotating with respect to the support. The support members of the legs and the play apparatus support member are preferably of square section and the support preferably comprises four legs such that a square section opening is defined of preferably similar sectional dimensions to the play apparatus support member. 
   Where the play apparatus is a roundabout, the play apparatus structure preferably includes a mechanism which is operably linked to the play apparatus support member. Such a mechanism preferably allows a child, who is supported by the play apparatus structure, to impart a rotational force on the play apparatus structure with respect to the play apparatus support member and hence the support. The mechanism preferably includes a ratchet but the mechanism may be any which allows a child to impart a force as hereinbefore described. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of a stand according to the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a frontal view of the stand of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 1  of a central portion of the stand on an enlarged scale; 
       FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 2  of a central portion of the stand on an enlarged scale; 
       FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  of the stand in a folded arrangement; 
       FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  of the stand in a folded arrangement; 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of the folded stand of  FIGS. 5 and 6 ; and 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded frontal view of a roundabout according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring firstly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a stand according to the present invention is generally designated  10  and comprises four legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50 . The stand may be formed of any suitably strong and durable material and preferably a metal. In such a case, the attached components are commonly welded together. 
   The legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  are formed from square-section hollow tubes with rounded longitudinal edges. The legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  each comprise a straight base member which arcs at one end to form a shorter straight upright member perpendicularly aligned with respect to the base member. The two side faces of each leg  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  are flat. 
   The legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  of the stand are orientated so that the base members are substantially parallel to the supporting surface and the upright members are vertically aligned. The legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  are arranged so that the upright members are adjacent each other, thereby forming a central support, and the base members extend outwardly from the central support at right angles to each other. The open end of each base member includes a plug  15  of plastics material. Each leg  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  is typically 350 mm in height and 900 m in length. The square-section hollow tube from which each leg  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  is formed has typical sectional dimensions of 25 mm by 25 mm. Each base member includes a removable foot  16  of a disc shape which contacts the supporting surface, thereby giving the stand additional support. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  of the stand form a vertical square-section opening  60  at the interface of the upright members. The opening  60  is of similar sectional dimensions to the legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50 . 
   The upright member of leg  40  is connected to the upright member of leg  50  by a pair of hinges  51 . Each hinge  51  comprises an upper cylinder  52  which is fixed to leg  50  and a lower cylinder  53  which is fixed to leg  40 . The cylinders  52 , 53  are juxtaposed and have a longitudinal bore through which a bolt  54  extends. The bolt  54  is fixed within the upper cylinder  52  and is rotatable within the lower cylinder  53 . The bolt  54  extends beyond the lower edge of the lower cylinder  53  and includes an aperture through which a pin  56  passes. A washer  55  is mounted on the bolt  54  between the lower cylinder  53  and the pin  55 . The pin  55  restricts the longitudinal movement of the bolt  54  within the lower cylinder  53 . Similarly, leg  30  is connected to leg  40  by a pair of hinges  41  and leg  20  is connected to leg  30  by a pair of hinges  31 . 
   Leg  20  includes a pair of spaced apart fixing brackets  21 . Each fixing bracket  21  has a vertically aligned plate with a bolt hole. Leg  50  includes a pair of corresponding bolt holes which are in registration with the bolt holes of the fixing brackets  21 . A pair of fixing cylinders  59 , each with a threaded bore, are located within leg  50  and orientated so that each threaded bore is aligned with corresponding bolt holes of the leg  50  and the fixing bracket  21 . Each fixing bracket  21  and corresponding bolt hole of leg  50  has a threaded bolt  22  passing therethrough and engaging with the threaded bore of the respective fixing cylinder  59 , thereby fixing legs  20  and  50  together. Other suitable methods of removably fixing legs  20  and  50  together could be used such as using nuts and bolts, clips or hooks. 
   Turning now to  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7 , the stand  15  is easily folded by removing the pair of bolts  22  and rotating the legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  so that the base members of the legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50  are substantially parallel and adjacent to each other. The ease with which the stand  15  is folded is a significant advantage of the present invention. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a roundabout according to the present invention is generally designated  100  and comprises the stand  10 , a central support  110 , a disc  111  fixed at the upper end of the central support  110 , a ratchet mechanism  120 , two operating levers  121 , a cross arm  130  and two chairs  131 . The roundabout  100  is commonly formed in a material similar to that of the stand  10 . The chairs  131  are preferably moulded in a plastics material. 
   The central support  110  is a square-section hollow tube of slightly smaller sectional dimensions to the legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50 . The central support  110  is closely received, along arrow  115 , within the opening  60  and the disc  111  is supported by the ends of the upright members of the legs  20 , 30 , 40 , 50 . The shape of the central support  110  and the opening  60  prevents rotation of the central support  110  within the stand  10 . 
   The central support  110  and the two operating levers  121  are operably connected to the ratchet mechanism  120  such that anticlockwise rotation (viewed from above) of the two operating levers  121  with respect to the central support  110  and the stand  10  is permitted but clockwise rotation is prevented. The chairs  131  are fastened to either end of the cross arm  130  and aligned so as to face anticlockwise (viewed from above). The centre of the cross arm  130  is pivotally mounted within the ratchet mechanism  120  and is free to rotate in a horizontal plane. A ratchet mechanism  120  that functions as hereinbefore described is conventional and well known in the art. The ratchet mechanism  120  could be replaced by any other mechanism that performs this same function. 
   In use, a child sits in a chair  131  and exerts force on the operating lever  121  towards the child. Since clockwise rotation of the levers  121  with respect to the central support  110  is prevented, the force exerted on the levers  121  causes the cross arm  130  to rotate anticlockwise with respect to the central support  110 . The lever  121  is then held either by the child or by the cross arm  130  abutting a stop  122  located on the ratchet mechanism  120 . The lever  121  therefore rotates anticlockwise with the cross arm  130 . Subsequent force exerted on the lever  121  by the child in a clockwise direction with respect to the central support  110  will exert a further rotational force on the cross arm  130 . The two chairs  131  and levers  121  allow two users to operate the roundabout  100  simultaneously.