Abstract:
An adjustable-height free standing slide apparatus has an overall slide surface length that can be increased or decreased by changing the orientation of a single component. The slide apparatus includes a frame that supports a slide member. The frame also supports a block member that can be mounted to the frame in a first orientation in which a first surface on the block forms a substantially horizontal platform surface leading to the top of the slide and a second orientation in which a second surface on the block forms a slide exterior surface meeting substantially contiguously with the slide surface to extend the overall slide surface length.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a freestanding children&#39;s slide apparatus that has an adjustable slide height. More specifically, the invention relates to a slide where the overall slide length and height may be adjusted conveniently by changing the orientation of a component of the slide apparatus. 
     Freestanding outdoor slides for children are known. One example of a known slide includes a rigid ladder piece or assembly connected at the top of the ladder to a single, rigid, slide piece. A cross member at each side connects a medial portion of the ladder to a medial portion of the slide member, providing a generally A-shaped configuration when viewed from the side. 
     This type of slide suffers from the disadvantage that the overall height of the slide is not adjustable. A small slide which is suitable for smaller and younger children may not be suitable for use by older and larger children. Thus, it may be necessary for the user to purchase two slides in order to have slides of different heights. Accordingly, there exists a need in the prior art for a slide that has a conveniently adjustable slide height. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The drawbacks of the prior art are overcome by the apparatus of the invention which provides a slide where the slide height and the overall slide length may be adjusted conveniently by changing the orientation of a component of the slide apparatus. 
     The invention provides an adjustable-height freestanding slide apparatus that has an overall slide surface length that can be increased or decreased by changing the orientation of a slide-block component. The slide apparatus includes a frame that supports a slide member, and the frame also supports a block member that can be mounted to the frame in a first orientation in which a first surface on the block forms a substantially horizontal platform surface leading to the top of the slide and a second orientation in which a second surface on the block forms a slide extension surface meeting substantially contiguously with the slide surface to extend the overall slide surface length. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the slide apparatus in the high slide height configuration. 
     FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the slide apparatus in the low slide height configuration. 
     FIGS. 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F are side, rear, top and front views, respectively, of the slide apparatus in the high slide height configuration. 
     FIGS. 1G, 1H, 1I and 1J are side, rear, top and front views, respectively, of the slide apparatus in the low slide height configuration. 
     FIG. 2A is a left side layout view of the slide apparatus in the low slide height configuration. 
     FIG. 2B is a left side layout view of the slide apparatus in the high slide height configuration. 
     FIG. 3A is a rear layout view of the slide apparatus in the low slide height configuration. 
     FIG. 3B is a rear layout view of the slide apparatus in the high slide height configuration. 
     FIG. 4 is a top layout view of the slide apparatus in the high slide height configuration. 
     FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D are front, rear, left side and top views, respectively of a first side support member. 
     FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are front, rear, left side and top views, respectively of a second side support member. 
     FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D are front, rear, left side, and bottom views of a ladder member. 
     FIG. 7E is a cross-sectional view taken along line A--A in FIG. 7A. 
     FIGS. 8A is a front view of a slide block in the high slide height orientation. 
     FIGS. 8B and 8C are side views of the slide block in the high and low slide height orientations, respectively. 
     FIG. 8D is a rear view, and FIG. 8E is a top view respectively, of the slide block in the high slide height orientation. 
     FIG. 8F is a cross-sectional view taken along line A--A in FIG. 8E. 
     FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C are side, top and bottom views, respectively of a slide member. 
     FIG. 9D is cross-sectional view taken along line A--A in FIG. 9B. 
     FIGS. 10A and 10B are side and bottom views, respectively, of a male connector key. 
     FIG. 10C is a front view of a female connector slot. 
     FIG. 10D is a cross sectional view, taken along line A--A in FIG. 10C, of a female connector slot. 
     FIG. 11A is an exploded view slowing the connectors for the ladder member and the side support members. 
     FIGS. 11B and 11C are layout views showing assembled connectors for the ladder member and the side support members. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. As illustrated in FIGS. 1A through 1J, the slide apparatus 10 generally includes a supporting frame comprising a first side support member 20 and a second side support member 30 which is reversed but symmetrical with the first side member 20. A ladder member 40 interconnects with and spans between the first and second side support members 20 and 30 at the rear of the slide apparatus. The slide member 50 provides an angled slide surface and is connected to the first and second side support members 20 and 30 by fasteners such as screws that pass through holes in mounting points at the front of the first and second side support members and engage jacknuts set in mounting points at the top and of the slide, and thus the slide 50 also spans between and connects the first and second side support members 20 and 30 together. A block 60 is reversible between two orientations to adjust the overall slide height. In a first orientation, depicted in FIGS. 1G through 1J, the block 60 provides a substantially horizontal first platform surface leading to the top end of the slide 50. In a second orientation, depicted in FIGS. 1C through 1F, the block 60 provides an additional step and a higher substantially horizontal second platform surface, as well as a slide extending portion that is contiguous with the top end of the slide 50 and that extends the overall length of the sliding surface. 
     Each of the components of the invention will now be described in greater detail. Referring to FIGS. 5A through 5D, the first side support member 20 has an inner side surface 20a and an outer side surface 20b and includes a front portion 21, a bottom portion 22, a rear portion 23, and a cross-bar portion 24. A foot portion 22a of the bottom portion 22 helps stabilize the side support member 20. The rear portion 23 includes two female connector slots 25a and 25b, which receive and hold male connector keys 42a and 42b on the ladder member 40. The rear portion 23 may also include a handrail flange 26. A ridge 28 may be provided on the inner surface 20a. This ridge 28 helps stiffen the panel 20 and contacts the periphery of the block 60 when the block 60 is in the high slide height orientation to help stably hold the block 60 in that orientation. The first side portion also includes a reinforced hole 29 for accepting a fastener to attach the top end of the slide 50 thereto. A groove 27 is provided to receive and hold a rib 63 on the block 60 when the block 60 is in the first orientation, and to receive and hold a rib 62 on the block 60 when the block is in the second orientation. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 6A through 6 D, the second side support member 30 is similar to the first side member 20 but is symmetrically reversed. Accordingly, the second side member 30 has an inner side surface 30 and an outer side surface 30 and includes a front portion 31, a bottom portion 32, a rear portion 33, and a cross-bar portion 34. A foot portion 32a on the bottom portion 22 helps stabilize the side support member 20. The rear portion 33 includes two female connector slots 35a and 35b, which receive and hold male connector keys 43a and 43b on the ladder member 40. The rear portion 33 may also include a handrail flange 36. A ridge 38 may also be provided on the inner surface 20a. This ridge 38 helps stiffen the panel 30 and contacts the periphery of the block 60 when the block 60 is in the high slide height orientation to help stably hold the block 60 in that orientation. The side portion also includes a hole 39 for accepting a fastener to attach the top end of the slide 50 thereto. A groove 37 is provided to receive and hold the rib 62 when the block is in the first orientation, and to receive and hold the fib 63 when the block is in the second orientation. 
     As shown in FIGS. 7A through 78E, the ladder member 40 includes two step rungs 41a and 41b. The ladder member 40 also includes male connector keys 42a, 42b, 43a, and 43b which fit into female connector slots 25a, 25b, 35a, and 35b, respectively. The design of these connectors (keys 42a, 42b, 43a, 43b and slots 25a, 25b, 35a and 35b) is discussed in more detail below. 
     As shown in FIGS. 8A through 8F, the reversible block 60 is shaped so that fibs 62 and 63 at the sides 61a and 61b of the block 60 can rest in grooves 27 and 37 provided on the first and second side members 20 and 30. In the first orientation shown in FIG. 8C, the rib 63 fits in the groove 27 and the fib 62 fits in the groove 37. The block 60 has a first surface 64 that is shaped in such a way that in the first orientation it provides a low and substantially horizontal platform surface 64 leading to the top of the slide 50. 
     The block 60 is also reversible by flipping it over 180° into a second orientation shown in FIG. 8B, and the block 60 has a second surface 65 that forms a sloped slide portion 65 in the second orientation that becomes contiguous with the slide surface at top of the slide 50 to extend the length of the overall sloping slide to a greater combined length reaching a higher height. In the second orientation, the rib 62 in fits in the groove 27 and the rib 63 fits in the groove 37. The block 60 also has a third surface 66 that forms a substantially horizontal high platform surface 66 which in the second orientation is located at a higher height than the height of the low horizontal platform surface 64 in the first orientation. Each of the surfaces 64, 65 and 66 have upwardly curving sides 64a, 65a and 66a. 
     The back side 67 of the block 60 is provided with a step indentation 69, which when the block 60 is in the second orientation, is located just above the ladder 40 and provides a step for stepping up to the high platform surface 66 on the top of the block when the block is in the second orientation. 
     When the block 60 is in the first orientation, the back side 67 of the block 60 and the step indentation 69 are both positioned out of the way generally behind the ladder 40 and the step indentation 69 is not used. 
     The block 60 also has a v-shaped surface 68 corresponding in shape to the surface of the surface of the top end 52 of the slide 50. The surface 68 permits the block 60 to abut the top end 52 of the slide 50 when the block 60 is in either of the first or second orientations. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 9A through 9D, the slide member 50 has a bottom end 51 that rests on the ground and a top end 52 that attaches to the first and second side support members 20 and 30. Fastener receiving jacknuts 53 and 54 are provided on the sides of the slide 50 near the top end 52 so that the slide 50 can be attached by the fasteners such as screws inserted through the holes 29 and 39 in the first side support member 20 and the second side support member 30, respectively. The slide member 50 provides an angled trough-type sliding surface 59 with upwardly curving sides 59a when attached to the side support members 20 and 30. 
     The slide apparatus is assembled as follows. First, the ladder 40 is attached by inserting keys 42a, 42b, 43a and 43b into slots 25a, 25b, 26a and 26b respectively. Pushing down on the ladder 40 seats the keys firmly in the slots as shown in FIG. 11B. Thus, the side support panels 20 and 30 are held together at their rear portions 23 and 33 by the ladder 40, and the slide block 60 is securely held between the side support panels 20 and 30. This attachment provides some free play caused by flexing at the attachment points of the ladder 40 to the rear portions 23 and 33 so that the first side support panel 20 and the second side support panel 30 can be spread apart slightly relative to each other at the front portions 21 and 31, permitting the block 60 to be inserted in between of the side segment panels 20 and 30 in the desired orientation. (In the first, low slide height orientation, the rib 63 fits in groove 27 and the rib 62 fits in groove 37; in the second, high slide height orientation, the rib 62 fits in the groove 27 and the rib 63 fits in groove 37.) After the slide block 60 is inserted, the slide 50 is attached to both side support panels 20 and 30 by tightening the screws 55 or other appropriate fasteners inserted into jacknuts 53 and 54. To change the orientation of the block 60, the screws 55 are removed to allow the side support panels 20 and 30 to be spread apart slightly, which permits removal of the block 60. Then the block 60 is re-positioned in the other orientation and the screws 55 are reconnected as described above. 
     An example of the the male and female connectors used in the invention to connect ladder member 40 to the side support members 20 and 30 will now be described. Although the connectors described below are preferred, other connectors may be used. The male connector key 42a illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B and the female connector slot 25a illustrated in FIGS. 10C and 10D described below are representative of the general configuration of all of the male and female connectors (42a, 42b, 43a, 43b, 25a, 25b, 35a and 35b). 
     The male connector 42a projects from the ladder 40 and includes a key 102 having a body 110 and a rib 120, with the thickness of the body 110 being greater than the thickness of the rib 120. The body 110 has an upper portion that is of the same thickness as, and continuous with, a lower portion 112. Surfaces 113 and 114 adjoin the rib 120 and the body 110. The inclusion of the rib 120 is advantageous in the manufacturing context when the ladder 40 is hollow and roto-molded (or blow molded) from plastic, since the rib 120 facilitates the flow of plastic to the lower portion 112 during the molding process. 
     The female connector slot 25a includes an aperture 160 extending through the other panel to be connected and having a width at least as great as the thickness of the key 110. A pair of shoulders 170 are located on both sides of a lower portion of the aperture 160 and are shaped to fit against the rib 120. The height between the top surface 173 of the shoulders 170 and the top end 161 of the aperture 160 is at least as large as the overall height of the key 101 to permit sufficient clearance for the key 110 to be inserted into the aperture 160 above the shoulders 170, so that the lower portion 112 will clear the shoulders 170. 
     Generally, to perform the insertion of the key 102 into the aperture 160, the ladder member with the key 102 is raised relative to the panel with the aperture 160. Once the key 101 is inserted, the ladder 40 with the key 101 is lowered so that the bottom 115 of the key 101 rests on the bottom 162 of the aperture 160. The surfaces 113 of the key 101 then also rests on the top surfaces 173 of the ridges 170. The surface 114 may have a curved shape and the surface 174 may have a corresponding curved shape to help resist the key 101 disengaging from the aperture 160 by resisting upward movement of the key 101 relative to the aperture 160. 
     In the preferred embodiment, both the first and second side support members 20 and 30, the ladder 40, the slide 50, and the block 60 are hollow and roto molded from plastic. However, other suitable materials and/or any other suitable molding or other manufacturing methods may be used to manufacture any or all of the components. Also, the panels may of course be molded or formed as solid parts from any suitable material, including but not limited to plastic, wood or metal.