Patent Publication Number: US-11638484-B2

Title: Border bench apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     None. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention generally relates to playground equipment. Specifically, the invention relates to modular retaining wall systems for retaining cushion material around playground equipment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is well known to provide retaining modular retaining wall systems for playground areas. These modular systems typically are comprised of molded plastic pieces which are held in place by spikes driven into the ground for quick assembly. Adjacent retaining wall sections fit together like a puzzle with metal spikes serving as the dual function of connection points between adjacent sections of the retaining wall and as stabilizers to retain the sections in an upright position. Once a desired area is encircled with a number of retaining wall sections, the area defined by the retaining wall sections is filled with a cushioning material such as wood chips, bark, or composite materials such as shredded tires or other well-known materials. The retaining wall sections tend to be on the order of 10 inches to two feet high. 
     It is known in the prior art to provide pieces to coordinate with the retaining sections to provide for wheelchair handicap access to play equipment. This section tends to be the same length as the pother pieces but provide a sloped access point into the play area. 
     Often in playground areas parents accompanying their children. The Prior art systems do not provide any place for parents to rest while watching or monitoring their children&#39;s play. Prior art systems involved providing separate seating surfaces outside of the area defined by the modular retaining wall. The extra distance between the seating surfaces and the playground equipment with the retaining wall in between increased the response time for a person acting in loco parentis to get from the seat to the playground, if needed, to supervise or physically assist any children in their care. The additional seating surfaces also are an extra expense that must be borne by the school, municipality or other building the playground. It is therefore desired to have comfortable place for parents to rest while watching or monitoring their children near the play equipment while minimizing the cost to provide the necessary equipment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a seat, called a border bench, near and facing the playground equipment. Persons serving in loco parentis often need to be near play equipment to monitor children&#39;s play. The present invention provides modular equipment for use with playground retaining wall systems to provide a seat near and facing the play equipment. The invention is sized to replace at least one retaining wall section. It serves the function of retaining the fill material in place and also provides a seat near and facing the play equipment. The invention can be quickly installed in a new playground setting or can easily be swapped into place for an existing retaining wall section easily and interchangeably engaging adjacent retaining wall sections. 
     There have thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention 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, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in this application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out several purposes of the present invention. Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of the border bench  100 . 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the border bench  100  rotated approximately 90% from  FIG.  1    showing dashed lines indicting the hollow nature of the border bench in a preferred embodiment. 
         FIG.  3    is a front view of the border bench  100  engaging adjacent first and second wall sections  302  and  304 . 
         FIG.  4    is a top view of the border bench  100 . 
         FIG.  5    is a side view of the border bench  100 . 
         FIG.  6    is a side view of the stake  600 . 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of a filler end cap  310 . 
         FIG.  8    is a side view of an embodiment of the border bench  100  with a broadened base  802 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The border bench  100  of present invention is shown with a seating surface  102  at an upper edge  104 . A first end  106  is at the right edge and a second end  108  is at the left edge. A cut-out  110  is defined in the first end. The cut-out  110  is adapted to receive and cooperate with a lower engagement projection  306  from a first wall section  302 . The upper edge  104  is supported by a body  112 . 
     The body  112  is preferably hollow, having been rotomolded or blow molded. Defined within the hollow body  112  are stiffeners of several different varieties. Geometric stiffeners  116  as well as circular stiffeners  120  are shown, though mechanical design and fabrication concerns may dictate a variety of stiffener configurations. A sign stiffener  118  is also shown. The sign stiffener  118  maintains the two sidewalls of the body  112  the desired distance from one another, preferably by joining them together physically. This same configuration applies to each of the stiffeners which generally comprise indentations that close the distance between the sidewalls and join a section of the sidewalls together. In addition to holding the sidewalls together, the sign stiffener  118  serves as a surface on which the manufacturer&#39;s information or information desired by the purchaser (such as a school name or logo) can be displayed. 
     A wing  122  extends out from the second end  108 . The wing is adapted to engage the upper engagement projection  308  from the second wall section  304 . A spike  600  passes down through the upper engagement projection  308 , through the wing hole  124  and into the ground to hold the two adjoining pieces together. 
     The overall height of the border bench  100  is preferably greater than would normally be provided for a seating surface. Chairs usually have a seating height of around 18″ give or take a couple of inches. The border bench is preferably at least 10″ higher than typical chair seating height. The reason for the extra height is that persons resting on the border bench  100  usually face toward the playground equipment, in which case their feet are on the fill material, which is typically 10″ or so above the surrounding ground level. Therefore, a standard chair seating height is provided for persons facing the playground equipment. 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the invention with hatched lines illustrating the internal wall configuration in the preferred situation where the border bench  100  is hollow. The lines illustrate that there are exterior walls and interior hollow chambers. The upper seating surface  102  is shown as well as a stability rib  502 , which can be seen more clearly in  FIG.  5   . The rib serves as a structural stabilizer to maintain the upper edge  104  in a fixed relationship with the body  112 .  FIG.  2    also allows the viewer to appreciate how the stiffeners,  116  and  120  primarily, pass between the two walls both hold the walls together in a fixed orientation as well as to provide structural stability so that the sidewalks do not buckle. 
       FIG.  3    shows the border bench  100  in cooperation with a first wall section  302 , a second wall section  304 . The first wall section  302  has extending out from one edge thereof a lower engagement projection  306 . Similarly, the second wall section  304  has extending outward at one end an upper engagement projection  308 . The foregoing engagement projections are, in the preferred embodiment shown, engaged with a filler end cap  310  to fill excess space. The filler end cap  310  may be provided in different sizes. The first and second wall sections  302  and  304  may have different sizes of lower and upper engagement projections  306  and  308 . Depending on the sizes of those components, different filler end caps  310  will be provided to fill the additional space. When viewed in cooperation, the cut-out  110  receives the lower engagement projection  306 . Disposed there between is the filler end cap  310 . A spike  600  passes all the way from the upper edge  104  down through a hole in the body  112  continuing through a hole in the filler end cap  310  and finally passing through a hole defined in the lower engagement projection  306  before entering the ground. A section of the spike extends down into the ground to provide anchoring and stability securing adjacent pieces in place connected to one another. 
       FIG.  4    is a top view of the border bench  110 . The seating surface for  102  can be seen along with three indentations  114 . The indentation is sized to receive the head  602  of the spike  600 . A body hole  402  is centered in each of the indentations  114 . The body hole  402  is sized to receive the spike  600 . Also visible in the top view is the wing  122  and the wing hole  124 . 
       FIG.  5    is a side view of the border bench  100 . The cut-out  110  can be seen at the lower portion of the body  112 . Disposed underneath the upper edge  104  is preferably a rib  502  which provides stability. A plurality of ribs may be disposed along the length of the upper edge  104  for providing stability thereto. See  FIG.  3    showing four ribs. The seating surface  102  can be seen in relation to the upper edge  104 . In the preferred embodiment where the border bench  100  is hollow, there may be a chamber defined with the upper edge. 
       FIG.  6    illustrates the spike  600 . At an upper hand is the head  602  which has on its lower portion some shoulders  608  to engage the indentation  114 . The shaft  604  is sized to pass through the body hole  402  of the border bench  100 . At a lower portion is preferably a point  606  to facilitate driving the spike  600  into the ground. Optionally, covers may be provided for the indentations  114 . Those skilled in the art will be aware of a wide variety of cap covers some with press-fit, and some having a portion that passes up the shaft  604  to be retained under the shoulders  608  with a hinged cap engaging an upward projection from the portion retained under the shoulders. 
       FIG.  7    is a perspective view of the filler end cap  310 .  702  is a first shaped surface adapted to engage a corresponding edge of the border bench  100 . The second shape surface  706  is adapted to engage one of the wall sections  302  and  304 . The shaped surfaces  702  and  706  allow for adjacent wall sections and the border bench to be disposed at a wide range of angles relative to one another. Defined through the filler end cap  310  is an end cap hole  704 . The end cap hole  704  is sized to receive the shaft  604  of the spike  600 . 
       FIG.  8    is a side view of the border bench  100  having a broadened base  802  to provide stabilization means. The ribs  502  can be clearly seen in the side view. This view is shown from the perspective that allows the viewer to see the cut-out  110 . In either this configuration or the configuration shown in  FIG.  5   , a lower portion of the border bench  100  may be filled with sand, water, metal or other material providing weight to the border bench to provide additional stability.