Patent Publication Number: US-9901836-B1

Title: Inflatable water slide assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The disclosure and prior art relates to water slide devices and more particularly pertains to a new water slide device for continuously recycling water for sliding on the water slide. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a slide that may be positioned on a support surface thereby facilitating the slide to be slid upon. A bladder is coupled to the slide. A lighting unit is coupled to the slide to selectively illuminate the slide. A spraying unit is coupled to the slide and the spraying unit is selectively fluidly coupled to a fluid source thereby facilitating the slide to be filled with a fluid. The bladder retains the fluid on the slide. The spraying unit continuously recycles the fluid to spray the fluid onto the slide without being fluidly connected to the fluid source. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a inflatable water slide assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom phantom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a top phantom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3  of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a bag of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 5  thereof, a new water slide device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 5 , the inflatable water slide assembly  10  generally comprises a slide  12  that may be positioned on a support surface  14  thereby facilitating the slide  12  to be slid upon. The support surface  14  may be ground and people may slide on the slide  12  for recreational purposes. The slide  12  has a top surface  16 , a bottom surface  18 , a first end  20 , a second end  22  and a peripheral edge  24 . The peripheral edge  24  is rounded at the second end  22  to define a pool  26  and the peripheral edge  24  has a first lateral side  28  and a second lateral side  30 . The slide  12  is comprised of a deformable and fluid impermeable material such as polyvinyl chloride or the like. 
     A bladder  32  is coupled to the slide  12  and the bladder  32  is selectively inflated. The bladder  32  is attached to the top surface  16  such that an interior of the bladder  32  is fluidly discrete with respect to the slide  12 . Moreover, the bladder  32  is coextensive with the first lateral side  28 , the second lateral side  30  and the peripheral edge  24  corresponding to the pool  26 . The bladder  32  has an outer wall  34  and the bladder  32  is comprised of a deformable and fluid impermeable material such as polyvinyl chloride or the like. Additionally, an inflation valve  36  is coupled to the outer wall  34  of the bladder  32  to selectively inflate and deflate the bladder  32 . 
     The first end  20  of the slide  12  may extend beyond the bladder  32  to define a ramp  38 . An auxiliary pool  40  extends outwardly from the bladder  32  corresponding to the second lateral side  30 . Additionally, the bladder  32  extends around a perimeter of the auxiliary pool  40  and the auxiliary pool  40  may be positioned closer to the first end  20  of the slide  12  than the second end  22  of the slide  12 . A bag  40  may be provided and the slide  12  may be stored in the bag  40  when the slide  12  is not is used. 
     A lighting unit  42  is provided and the lighting unit  42  is coupled to the slide  12  to selectively illuminate the slide  12 . The lighting unit  42  comprises a first light strip  44  that is coupled to the top surface  16  of the slide  12 . In this way the first light strip  44  selectively illuminates the top surface  16  when the slide  12  is used during night time. The first light strip  44  is coextensive with the bladder  32  corresponding to the first lateral side  28  of the slide  12 . 
     A second light strip  46  is coupled to the top surface  16  of the slide  12  to illuminate the top surface  16  when the slide  12  is used during night time. The second light strip  46  is coextensive with the bladder  32  corresponding to the second lateral side  30  of the slide  12 . Each of the first light strip  44  and the second light strip  46  may comprise an LED light strip or the like. Moreover, each of the first light strip  44  and the second light strip  46  may have light detecting capabilities. In this way each of the first light strip  44  and the second light strip  46  may automatically turn on in a darkened environment. 
     A spraying unit  48  is provided and the spraying unit  48  is coupled to the slide  12 . The spraying unit  48  may be selectively fluidly coupled to a fluid source  49  thereby facilitating the slide  12  to be filled with a fluid  50 . The fluid source  49  may be a garden hose  64  or the like and the fluid  50  may be water. The spraying unit  48  continuously recycles the fluid  50 . In this way the spraying unit  48  may spray the fluid  50  onto the slide  12  without is continuously fluidly connected to the fluid source  49 . 
     The spraying unit  48  comprises a first conduit  52  that is positioned within the bladder  32 . The first conduit  52  is coextensive with the bladder  32  corresponding to each of the first lateral side  28  and the second lateral side  30  of the slide  12 . A plurality of first nozzles  54  is provided and each of the first nozzles  54  is coupled to the outer wall  34  of the bladder  32 . The first nozzles  54  are spaced apart from each other and are distributed along the bladder  32  corresponding to the first lateral side  28  and the second lateral side  30  of the slide  12 . Each of the first nozzles  54  has a distal end  56  with respect to the outer wall  34  and the distal end  56  corresponding to each of the first nozzles  54  is open. Moreover, each of the first nozzles  54  is fluidly coupled to the first conduit  52 . 
     A second conduit  58  is provided and the second conduit  58  is positioned within the bladder  32 . The second conduit  58  is coextensive with the peripheral edge  24  corresponding to the pool  26 . A plurality of second nozzles  60  is provided and each of the second nozzles  60  is coupled to the top surface  16  of the slide  12  corresponding to the pool  26 . Each of the second nozzles  60  is fluidly coupled to the second conduit  58  and each of the second nozzles  60  has a distal end  62  with respect to the top surface  16 . The distal end  62  corresponding to each of the second nozzles  60  is open. 
     A hose  64  is coupled to the slide  12  and the hose  64  has a distal end  66  with respect to the slide  12 . The distal end  66  of the hose  64  is selectively fluidly coupled to a fluid source  49 . The hose  64  is in fluid  50  communication with the pool  26  to fill the pool  26  with the fluid  50 . The hose  64  is selectively disconnected from the fluid source  49  when the pool  26  is filled with the fluid  50 . 
     A pump  70  is provided and the pump  70  is coupled to the pool  26 . The pump  70  has an intake  72  and an outlet  74 . The intake  72  is fluidly coupled to the second conduit  58  to draw the fluid  50  through each of the second nozzles  60  and into the intake  72 . The outlet  74  is fluidly coupled to the first conduit  52  to urge the fluid  50  outwardly through each of the first nozzles  54  and onto the top surface  16  of the slide  12 . The pump  70  may be an electric water pump or the like and the pump  70  may have an on/off switch. 
     A power supply  76  is coupled to the slide  12  and the power supply  76  is electrically coupled to the pump  70 . The power supply  76  comprises at least one battery  78  that is coupled to the slide  12 . The at least one battery  78  is electrically coupled to the pump  70 . A plurality of solar cells  80  is provided and each of the solar cells  80  is coupled to the slide  12  to be exposed to sunlight. Each of the solar cells  80  is electrically coupled to the at least one battery  78  such that each of the solar cells  80  charges the battery  78 . 
     In use, the slide  12  is laid on the support surface  14  and the bladder  32  is inflated. The hose  64  is fluidly coupled to the fluid source  49  to fill the pool  26  with the fluid  50 . The hose  64  is selectively disconnected from the fluid source  49  when the pool  26  is filled with the fluid  50 . In this way the fluid  50  is conserved with respect to continuously supplying fluid  50  to the slide  12 . The pump  70  is turned on to draw the fluid  50  inwardly through the second nozzles  60  and outwardly through the first nozzles  54 . Each of the first nozzles  54  sprays the fluid  50  onto the top surface  16  of the slide  12  thereby reducing friction between the top surface  16  and individuals sliding on the slide  12 . The hose  64  is selectively fluidly connected to the fluid source  49  to re-fill the pool  26  when the fluid  50  in the pool  26  is depleted. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.