Patent Publication Number: US-4484738-A

Title: Playground deck

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Playground equipment should be versatile allowing for numerous design configurations using a minimum number of manufactured parts. The equipment should be safe to use and thus include no sharp edges from which users can be injured. The equipment should be easily assembled and disassembled and yet not invite disassembly by users of the equipment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The playground deck of this invention utilizes basically three components common to one or more deck sections. These components include corner panels with wing sections at 90° to each other and single panels approximately the size of a wing section and center panels which may be positioned between either oppositely disposed wing sections or wing sections and single panels. Each side of the deck will have an access passageway which may be temporarily closed by the center panel or which provide access to a slide or steps or the like. The platforms are of metal and include downwardly extending flanges around the perimeter which allows for easy solid connections to the corner panels, single panels, and center panels and to each other and in turn to the supporting posts. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a representative playground deck including two deck sections; 
     FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a corner panel being connected to a post; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4--4 in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 in FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 in FIG. 2. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The playground deck of this invention is referred to generally in FIG. 1 by the reference numeral 10 and includes deck sections 12 and 14 interconnected and supported by posts 16 at the corners and 18 in the center. 
     The deck section 12 has a metal floor 20 with a downwardly extending peripheral flange 22 which merges into an inwardly extending horizontal portion 24 which in turn terminates in a return bend portion 26 which presents a rounded edge to prevent any injury to the user by the elimination of all sharp edges. 
     The enclosure around the deck sections 12 and 14 comprises corner panels 28 on opposite sides of a center panel 30 and at corners where an existing corner panel is present then a single panel 32 is provided. The corner panels 28 include wing sections 34 which are the approximately area of the single panels 32. 
     To protect the users from being cut by sharp edges of the sheet metal making up the panels a rod 36 is secured by weldments 38 to the peripheral edges as seen in FIG. 5. A bracket 40 is also secured to the center panels 30 by weldments 42 and includes opposite ends 44 which are adapted to be bolted to wing sections 34 and the single panel 32 as seen in FIG. 1. The bolts 46 used as fasteners are seen in FIG. 2. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the wing section 34 of the corner panel 28 is seen fastened to the post 16 by a bolt 48 having a blind fastener 50 inside the post. A washer 52 is used on the bolt 48 between the bolt and the wing section 28. 
     In FIGS. 2 and 6, it is seen that the center post 18 has the corner panel 28 through its outside wing section 28 secured thereto along with the single panel 32 which is sandwiched against the post and against the wing section 34. The top end of the corner panel 28 and the single panel 32 are secured by the bolt 48 and the blind fastener 50 while the bottom end is secured by a bolt 60 which extends from the outside of the post 18 through the single panel 32 and then through the wing section 34 and then through the flange 22 of the platform 20 where it is held by a nut 62. The side-by-side platforms 20 are interconnected through their downwardly extending flanges 22 by bolts 64, as seen in FIG. 6 and are spaced apart the thickness of the wing section 34 of the corner panel 28. 
     The posts 16 and 18 below the platforms 20 of the deck sections 12 and 14 are interconnected by spaced apart horizontally extending rungs 70 tubular in form and secured to the post by bolts 72. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a slide 74 is connected to the platform 20 of the deck section 12 while steps 76 are connected to the platform 20 of the deck section 14. 
     In operation it is seen that any combination of structures may be created utilizing a wide variety of playground pieces. Common to each of the deck arrangements is that the platforms 20 will have sides made up of the combination of corner panels 28, center panels 30, and/or single panels 32 and passageways 80 are provided between oppositely disposed single panels 32 and wing sections 34 or between oppositely disposed wing sections 34 and these passageways may be utilized in providing access to the slide 74 or the steps 76 or be temporarily closed by the center panel 30. Again, unlimited flexibility is possible through the use of common components. The equipment is totally safe and injury proof due to all sharp edges having been eliminated by rounded surfaces being provided through use of the rods 36 around the edges of the sheet metal or the return bends 26 on the platform flanges 22. The totally metal construction of the equipment makes for long-lasting durable indestructible playground equipment.