OBSTACLE FOR EQUESTRIAN SPORTS

Abstract: This invention concerns a jump for equestrian use composed of modular elements that may be linked together by means of T-joints all in synthetic resin, preferably polymer, and made in such a way as to provide an easy and rapid connection that is nevertheless sufficiently reliable for practical use. The jump also comprises a number of horizontal bars,each made of plastic, over the outside of which close-fitting plastic sleeves in the desired colours are slipped, there having been provided special curved saddles to be attached to the uprights, thus supporting the ends of the aforesaid bars.

Description: The invention relates to an obstacle for equestrian purposes according to the preamble of Claim 1. The obstacle according to the invention is composed of modular elements that may be linked together by means of T-joints, all in synthetic resin, preferably polymer, and made in such a way to provide an easy and rapid connection that is nevertheless sufficiently reliable for practical use. In equestrian centres, and especially in rings provided specifically for show-jumping purposes, fixed wooden structures are generally used; produced on a small scale by craftsmen, they are subjected to atmospheric conditions which render them susceptible to deterioration, thus necessitating continuous or virtually continuous maintenance. Such structures, moreover, are presently produced by small-scale industries and each item as a whole, so that they take up a large amount of space and are difficult to transport, added to which their weight means that it is not easy or convenient to move them even from one point to another one close-by when trying to obtain the most suitable position during installation. The abovementioned susceptibility to deterioration of a fixed structure, made according to the previously mentioned techniques, constitutes an economic burden even when only partial in that the whole structure has to be removed in order to carry out the required repairs and then brought back to its original place of use. Patents FR-A-2-191.441 and FR-A-2048516 describe obstacles for equestrian purposes consisting of a number of tubular uprights moulded in plastic and connected by sleeve joints or by screws or by male and female bayonette connections. The solutions described in these patents are suitable only for producing separated bars to be used as obstacles for equestrian purposes but are not suitable for producing supporting frames formed by horizontal cross-pieces and uprights like the structure of the posts of the obstacle for equestrian purposes. The above French patents provide a number of technical solutions for fixing the tubular elements in sequence so as to form the rectilinear bars, but the problem of how to realize the square connection between two rectilinear elements in order to realize a reticular frame on a two or three-dimensional scale, is not explored. The main aim of the invention is to replace the old equestrian obstacles with their wooden uprights and bars, with obstacles made from a combination of sections of plastic tubing, produced by means of extrusion or moulding. More precisely, the purpose of this invention is to design a new construction technique for obstacles for equestrian purposes whereby any component of the obstacle can be realized by combining modular prefabricated elements so as to form rectilinear bars, frames on a plane and frames extending upwards and sideways. The invention is set out in Claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are featured in the dependent Claims 2 to 6. The obstacle in question, being made up of modular elements, is relatively economical due to the fact that it is easy and convenient to install , it can be assembled and used in different places, and the elements of which it is composed may be replaced, not to mention the ease with which the height of the obstacle may be adjusted. In a preferred embodiment the obstacle in question consists of the following essential modular elements: rectilinear sections of tubing made in rigid plastic, by means of extrusion or moulding, to be joined together so as to form the cross-pieces and the uprights; tubular T-joints moulded in rigid plastic to be inserted at the points of union between the cross-pieces and the uprights; horizontal curved saddles, moulded in rigid plastic, to be mounted on the posts; horizontal bars made up of rigid plastic tubes, produced by means of extrusion or moulding, the ends of which are designed to be placed within the concavities of the two opposing saddles attached to the posts of two different uprights. Particular attention has been paid to the possibility of coupling up the T-joint with the three rectilinear sections of tubing. In an initial embodiment the sections of tubing are inserted into the T-joint by means of a male-female connection in that each of the three open ends of said joint may be forced inside one end of each of the three aforesaid rectilinear sections of tubing. In a second embodiment, designed to render the connection between the T-joints and the sections of tubing firmer and more stable, two diametrically opposed transversal ribs have been provided adhering to the outer circumference of the three cylindrical ends of the T-joints, said ribs being designed to click into two corresponding transversal notches of the same shape provided towards the end of each rectilinear section of tubing, once the latter has been attached, by means of a male-female coupling, to one of the aforementioned cylindrical ends of the actual T-joint. The existence of this additional system of coupling means that the securing of these elements is extremely reliable, thus rendering the overall structure of each upright, wherein such connections between T-joints and straight sections of tubing occur more than once, particularly strong. At the 90° angles formed between the horizontal and vertical wings of the'T' the T-joint bears an equal number of gussets moulded together with the rest of the piece and in the same material, equipped with a central hole onto which the corner of a curtain panel may be hooked and thus attached to the side of the upright. The presence of these gussets which, once the complete structure of the upright has been assembled,find themselves positioned at the four corners of each space delimited by two horizontal and two vertical sections of tubing joined together by the previously mentioned T-joints, is extremely useful for attaching these curtain panels which, at present, have to be held up by additional frames, somehow attached to the side of the uprights, with a much less satisfactory esthetic and functional result. As another alternative to the joint - rectilinear section of tubing coupling previously suggested, it would also be possible , once the tubing has been fitted onto an end of the joint, to insert a pin that would pass through a set of four aligned holes distributed in pairs and situated at appropriate points at the open ends of the joint and towards the end of the rectilinear section of tubing; in this case also there would be a firm connection between the various elements, although this is perhaps a less practical solution. The curved saddle upon which the ends of the bars rest has, on its lower vertical bracket, which is shaped so as to correspond with the rounded profile of the post, two protruding pins designed to fit precisely into two corresponding holes provided as part of a whole series of vertically aligned holes on said post. The two rear extremities of the opposing arms of the saddle, the purpose of said arms being to encircle the sides of the post, are linked by means of a curved metal clip that may be unhooked and that allows the supporting saddle to tightly encircle the entire circumference of the body of the post. The provision of a pair of pins as opposed to just one and the aforementioned curved clip has been conceived with the aim of rendering the cured saddle on its supporting post; to this end, both the role of the double pin inserted into the holes on the post and the role of the curved clip positioned at the rear of said post, may be seen in a positive light, said curved clip tightly encircling the post and thus preventing undesired and troublesome movement on the part of the saddle attachment, even in the event of strong jolts being transmitted from the bar. Said horizontal bar has also undergone improvements in the field of practicality, above all with regard to its external decoration. It is in fact well known that the horizontal bars must have alternating sections in different colours; to this end, up until now the bars have always been painted in this manner, or covered with alternating strips of suitably coloured adhesive paper. In the version of the obstacle according to the invention, several close-fitting plastic sleeves, produced in the desired colours, have been slipped over the outside of a conventional horizontal bar, the colours having been added during extrusion; in order to render such a structure stable, two ends plugs are provided with an elongated central body designed to be pushed into the cavity of the actual bar, said plug also having an outer edge of such diameter and shape that it presses against the last of the coloured sleeves on the bar. For greater clarity of explanation, the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, provided for illustrative and not limitataive purposes, wherein: fig.1 is a schematic frontal view of an obstacle according to the invention; fig.2 is a schematic plan view of an obstacle according to invention; fig.3 is a side view of a post belonging to an obstacle according to the invention; fig.4 is a side view of the T-joint; fig.5 is an orthogonal projection of fig.4; fig.6 is a view of the end of a rectilinear section of tubing; fig.7 is an orthogonal projection of fig.6 fig.8 shows the end section of a bar; fig.9 is an assonometric diagram of the curved supporting saddle. Moving now to the diagrams, and first of all to figs. 1 and 3,it can be seen that the obstacle (10), subject of the invention, is made up of identical lateral uprights, numbered (15) and (18) respectively, placed opposite one another and spaced in such a way as to allow a bar (32) of the desired length to be placed between their respective opposing internal posts (17) and (19). As these two lateral uprights are identical from the structure and functional point of view, the detailed description included herein refers only to the one on the left-hand side, numbered (15). This upright (15), chosen as the example for the purposes of this description, is composed of a sub-structure of two parallel components (11′) and (11″) made up of modular tubular elements, axially connected by means of T-joints (21), the opposing transversal branches thereof serving to connect up with the respective ends of parallel modular tubular elements (12) in such a way as to complete the sub-structure (11). Identical T-joints are provided in the middle of the two said parallel components (11′) and (11″), so that a branch of each joint serves to connect up with the posts of this lateral section (15), part of structure (10), and in particular posts (16) and (17), positioned respectively on the outside and inside of said structure (10). The modular elements that go to form posts (16) and (17) are also linked together by means of T-joints (21), the facing branches thereof serving in this case to connect up with opposite ends of the modular tubular transversal elements numbered (17′). In fig.3 is is shown how, along the generatrix x-x of the outer tubular surface of post (17), there is a set of equidistant holes (22), spaced according to the required height variations of the bar (32). Similarly, another set of holes, spaced in the same manner, is provided opposite, on the facing generatrix of post (19),on the right hand upright (18) of the obstacle (10). These facing holes serve to adjust the positioning of the respective supports (24) for the bar (32), as will be explained in more detail further on, the desired height being obtained by inserting the two pins (28a) and (28b) that protrude from the support (24) into a pair of holes (22) on the post (17), and carrying out the same operation with the holes (22) on post (19), in such a way that, although distant from one another, the curved surfaces (25) of these two supports (24) are positioned co-axially and protrude from posts (17) and (19) in opposing directions so that they provide a seat for the ends of the horizontally placed bar (32). With reference to figs.4 and 5 , on the outside of its three cylindrical tubular ends, be it the opposing longitudinal ones (A) and (B), or the transversal one (C), the T-joint (21) possesses two diametrically opposed transversal ribs (21a) that adhere to the curve of the circumference of said ends. In addition to this, it should be emphasised that on this T-joint (21) there are two gussets (21b), made of the same material and moulded together with the rest of the piece, positioned at the 90° angles formed by the horizontal and vertical wings of the "T", said gussets being equipped with a central hole (21c) to be used for securing a corner of the curtain panel, in the event of one being used, to the side of the upright. With reference to figs.6 and 7, on the outside of each end of each tubular rectilinear section (50) there is a pair of diametrically opposed transversal notches (50a), the same shape as and corresponding to the two ribs (21a) present on the outside of the mouth of the T-joint (21); as already mentioned, using slight force and a male-female system of coupling, the mouth of the T-joint (21) is connected up with the end of a rectilinear section of tubing, so that the two pieces click together, in that the ribs (21a) on the joint (21) enter and settle firmly inside the corresponding notches (50a) of the same shape,in the tube (50). With reference to fig.8,close-fitting plastic sleeves (32a) in the desired colours have been slipped over the outside of a conventional horizontal bar (32) and are held onto the bar (32) by two end plugs (37) provided for this purpose and comprising an elongated central body (37a),designed to be forced into one end of the bar (32) and remain blocked therein, and a head (37b) of such diameter that it functions as a stopper for the aforementioned sleeves (32a). With reference to fig.9, the supporting saddle (24) possesses, below its curved supporting surface (25), a downward facing vertical bracket (30) suitably shaped so as to conform with the rounded profile of the post of the upright, said bracket (30) being equipped on its rear side with two vertically aligned pins (28a) and (28b), designed to fit exactly through two of the many suitably shaped vertically aligned holes (22) situated along the face of the post. This supporting saddle (24) has two opposing arms (27) which, in addition to encircling the two sides of the outer perimeter of the post, also act as a support, their rear extremities being composed of a piece of round metal that forms a curved clip (24b ) that may be unhooked and is made in such a way that it firmly encircles the rear outer perimeter of the post.

Claims: Obstacle for equestrian purposes made of modular elements comprising two more or less identical lateral uprights (15 and 18), set apart from one another at a distance slightly greater than the length of the actual obstacle which is composed of one or more bars (32), the ends of the latter resting upon facing supports (24) provided on posts (17,19) on each of the uprights (15,18), said supports being fixed at adjustable heights, characterised in that the uprights are assembled of modular tubular elements (50) which are connected to one another by means of modular T-joints (21), whereby each upright (15,18) has a horizontal base, (11, 13) resting on the ground with a respective pair of posts (16, 17 and 19, 20) branching upwards from components (11',11'' and 13',13'') of said bases (11,13), said posts (17,19) which delimit the space between said uprights (15,18) and which carry said supports (24) possessing, along their facing generatrixes on either side of said space, a series of holes (22) distributed so as to permit the mounting and securing of said supports (24). Obstacle according to claim 1, characterised by a T-joint (21) as a connecting element between the posts and cross-pieces of the uprights, said T-joint (21) possessing on the outside of each of its three tubular cylindrical ends (A,B and C), two diametrically opposed transversal ribs (21a) adhering to the circumference of said ends. Obstacle according to claim 1, characterised by a T-joint (21) as a connecting element between the posts and cross-pieces of the uprights, the T-joint (21) possessing, at the two 90° angles formed between the horizontal and vertical wings of the "T", an equal number of gussets (21b) equipped with a central hole (21c). Obstacle according to claim 2, characterised by a number of rectilinear sections of said tubular elements (50) joined together so as to construct said uprights, on the outside of each end of each rectilinear tubular section (50) being provided a pair of diametrically opposed transversal notches (50a) of the same shape as and corresponding to said two transversal ribs (21a). Obstacle according to claim 1, characterised by a horizontally placed section of rectilinear tubing that serves as said bar (32), some close-fitting plastic sleeves (32a) produced in the desired colours, being slipped over the outside of said bar (32), said sleeves (32a) being held in place on the bar (32) due to the presence of two end plugs (37), equipped, for this purpose, with an elongated central body (37a) to be inserted into the ends of the bar (32) and a head (37b) of at least the same diameter as said sleeves (32a). Obstacle according to claim 1, characterised in that said supports (24) have the shape of a curved saddle, the rear part of said saddle is equipped with a downward-facing vertical shaped bracket (30) and a pair of pins (28a and 28b) to be fitted into two of the vertically aligned holes provided on the posts, on the rear extremity of the saddle are provided two opposing arms (27) to encircle the sides of the posts, a curved clip (24b) to be fixed at the free ends of said arms and made from a piece of round metal is provided to firmly encircle the rear part of the perimeter of the posts.

Inventors: TOMELLINI, GARZIA DARIO
Applicants: TOMELLINI, GARZIA DARIO
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A63K3
IPC codes: A63K3