Patent Document

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to climbing walls. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a wall structure that is light weight and easier to install. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The sport of rock climbing is becoming more popular as a means of recreation. In order to develop the necessary skills to participate in this sport, many individuals practice on a simulation device that typically includes a climbing wall containing a plurality of man made climbing holds fastened thereto. Climbing of these man made walls has also become a sport of its own, with walls being designed to accommodate the various skill levels of climbers. In the United States, climbers use a standard rating system to describe the difficulty of different routes. There are six classes in this system, ranging from class one (normal walking) through hiking, scrambling and then climbing at class five. Generally “rock climbing” falls in class five. Class six climbing is climbing on rock walls that are so smooth there is no way to climb them without artificial aids (i.e. special climbing ladders or equipment). Class five climbing is climbing without using the equipment to ascend, but instead utilizing the equipment for protection from a fall. Within class five there are currently fifteen different levels that break down in the following manner: 5.0 through 5.4—beginner level which is easy to climb, like a ladder. 5.5 through 5.7—intermediate level which is climbable in normal shoes or boots but requiring more skill. 5.8 through 5.10—experienced level, which generally requires climbing shoes, experience and strength. 5.11 through 5.12—expert level that perhaps only the top 10% of climbers in the world can climb these routes. 5.13 and up is the elite level which can only be climbed by the best of the best. 
   The basic premise behind rock climbing is extremely simple. The climber is trying to climb from the bottom to the top of a rock wall or artificial climbing wall. If that was all there were to it, then the climber would need nothing but his or her body and a good pair of climbing shoes. However, safety issues arise in the sport if the climber slips anywhere along the way. Because of the possibility of falling, rock climbing involves a great deal of highly specialized equipment to catch climbers when they fall. 
   Part of the specialized equipment used on artificial rock walls includes climbing holds. Climbing holds often referred to as handholds, are grabbed and stepped on by a climber in order to ascend the wall. It is important for the holds to be rigidly secured to the climbing wall in order to prevent the hold from moving under the weight of a climber. Also, climbing holds come in a variety of configurations in order to simulate movement patterns in climbing. Such holds are typically formed of synthetic material such as a polyester resin or polyurethane, but may also be natural materials such as wood or rock. 
   There are two conventional types of climbing walls that are used to simulate rock climbing activity. The first type of climbing wall includes a substantially vertical climbing surface that has a rock like texture (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,254,058 to Savigny, “Artificial climbing wall with modular rough surface”, Oct. 19, 1993). The shape, angle (degree of overhang), or texture of the climbing wall determines the level of difficulty associated with maneuvering over this type of climbing wall. The second type of climbing wall includes rock-like hand and foot holds that are attached to a normal (i.e., substantially smooth) wall (See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,877 to Brewer, “Simulated climbing wall,” Jun. 30, 1992). There are two ways to adjust the level of difficulty associated with maneuvering about this type of climbing wall. First, the location of the holds on the wall vary according the level of skill of a particular climber. Second, the shape of the individual holds can be modified in order to make them easier or more difficult to grasp. 
   Using artificial climbing walls to simulate outdoor rock climbing activity is well known. Artificial climbing walls provide rock-climbing enthusiasts with the opportunity to simulate outdoor rock climbing activity at an easily accessible location. The climbing holds are normally attached to a wall using bolts or threaded fasteners. The climbing holds are typically of varying shapes and textures that affect the level of skill required to maneuver on the climbing wall. In particular, climbing walls that have a minimal number of holds are harder to climb or ascend and make it harder to reach the top of the wall. Another factor affecting the level of skill required to maneuver on the climbing wall is the position of the climbing holds on the climbing wall. The closer the climbing holds are positioned relative to one another, the more climbing holds there are available for grasping by a climber as the climber maneuvers on the climbing wall. 
   There are many factors that affect the price of an artificial climbing wall, including the size of the wall, the type of wall, geographical location, and site and accessibility issues. Materials for the artificial climbing wall, steel framework, engineering, installation, equipment rental, handholds and top anchors also affect the cost of artificial climbing walls. Furthermore, climbing equipment such as ropes, harnesses, belay devices, landing surfaces and training are aspects the artificial climbing wall installer or purchaser must think about as well. 
   Three factors that impact how large an artificial climbing wall can be are the budget available, the size of space available, and the number of climbers to accommodate. For example, assume there are 6 linear feet of climbing wall per route or climbing line. Therefore, if there are 5 climbers to accommodate, there will be 30 feet linear (horizontal) feet of wall necessary. Assuming the space is 28 feet tall, multiplying the length times the height times a factor of 1.2 will give the approximate total square feet of climbing surface. Therefore, 30 feet long multiplied by 28 feet tall multiplied by 1.2 gives 1008 square feet of total climbing surface area. 
   It is a common misconception that the amount of space needed to build an artificial climbing wall is simply the amount of space necessary to house the wall. The space for the framing of the wall, the ability to get behind the wall for access, and the space needed in the foreground (in front of the wall) for someone to “fall” is also important. In the climbing wall industry typically a “swing radius” from each anchor point is calculated to determine how much space is needed in front of the wall for a protective landing surface. First, to calculate the swing radius, the amount of overhang for each top rope anchor (the distance the top anchor sits in front of the base of the wall) must be determined. Second, that overhang distance is multiplied by 2.25. This determines the distance a person could swing out from the wall when they fall while being tied to a top-rope. 
   Prior art climbing walls utilize large amounts of raw materials (i.e., steel and plywood) that can make installation slow and expensive. In particular, prior art climbing walls use angle irons around the periphery of plywood wall panels to attach them to a frame. This “perimeter framing” technique makes the wall heavy and not easy to deconstruct in the event of reconfiguration of the wall panels. The present invention overcomes this and other problems associated with the prior art. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   An artificial climbing wall structure is described. The wall structure has a primary frame and a plurality of wall panels. Each wall panel has a periphery adapted for abutment with an adjacent wall panel. Additionally, each wall panel is connected to adjacent wall panels with a mounting bracket such that the wall panels form an integral exterior surface adapted for climbing. Furthermore, the primary frame and the wall panels are connected with kicker struts. Each kicker strut has opposite first and second ends. The first end has a flat bearing surface which is mounted on the wall panel, and the second end has a second flat bearing surface which is secured to the primary frame. This secures the climbing wall “skin” or surface to a substantial frame often called the primary frame. In particular, the first end is mounted to a non-peripheral region of the wall panel. This differs from the prior art artificial climbing walls, which connect kicker struts to angle irons surrounding the periphery of a wall panel. Prior art climbing walls are heavier, utilize more material, and are not easy to disassemble and require more labor to install. Additionally in the present invention, web straps removably connect the wall panels to the primary frame for positioning purposes. A method for installing an artificial climbing wall structure is also described. 
   Additional advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. 

   
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a partially constructed prior art wall structure. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing a wall structure under construction according to a teaching of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is an end elevational view showing panels of the wall structure held in relative alignment by webstraps attached to the primary frame. 
       FIG. 3   a  is an end elevational view of  FIG. 3  with the wall panels hard mounted to the primary frame with kicker struts. 
       FIG. 4  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 3  showing the details of the web strap mounting. 
       FIG. 4   a  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 4  with an exploded view of a handhold device. 
       FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view of wall panel mounting in the present invention. 
       FIG. 5   a  is an enlarged sectional view of wall panel mounting with alternative rods and threaded rods used in place of kicker struts. 
       FIG. 6  is a top plan diagram of a wall structure as related to an adjacent building wall. 
       FIG. 7  is a computer generated perspective view of wall panels in place for typical wall structure installation. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a plywood sheet of standard size with various wall panels laid out on the plywood sheet. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a partially constructed prior art wall structure  101 . Prior art wall structures  101  have a primary frame  106  that is used as a base for the wall. The primary frame consists of columns or tubes  105  and horizontals or girders  106  (collectively called the “primary frame”) is connected to an adjacent building wall  146 . Kicker struts  114  attach the girders  106  to wall panels  104  via angle irons  128 . The angle irons  128  are typically mounted to a wall panel periphery  108 . The kicker struts  114  are then attached to these angle irons  128  to hold the wall panels  104  in place. Prior art wall structures  101  are heavier, use a large amount of raw materials, and are slower to install because the angle irons  128  are mounted to surround the wall panel periphery  108 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that this may be called a “perimeter frame” technique because the angle irons  128  frame the perimeter of the wall panels  104 . 
     FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of a wall structure  100  under construction according to a teaching of the present invention. The wall structure  100  also utilizes the primary frame that consists of columns or tubes  105  and horizontals or girders  106  to connect to an adjacent building wall  146 . If the building wall  146  serves as the columns  105 , then the girders  106  may be attached directly to the building wall  146  to collectively form the “primary frame”. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the primary frame  106  is constructed from, but not limited to, bars of steel. In preferred embodiments, web straps  140  are attached to the primary frame  106 . The web straps  140  are then mounted to wall panels  104 . The web straps  140  help position the wall panels  104  in a desired configuration to the primary frame  106 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that web straps  140  may be attached to the wall panels  104  with bolts or screws.  FIG. 3  is an end elevational view showing wall panels  104  held in relative alignments by web straps  140  attached to the primary frame  106 . 
     FIG. 3   a  is an end elevational view of  FIG. 3  with the wall panels  104  hard mounted to the primary frame  106  with kicker struts  114 . After the web straps  140  are mounted to the wall panels  104 , kicker struts  114  are attached to angle irons  128  in a middle area of the wall panels  104 . Having the kicker struts  114  mounted in this manner utilizes less steel and is easier to install than the “perimeter-frame” technique of the prior art wall structure  101 . Once the kicker struts  114  are attached to the wall panels  104 , the web straps  140  from  FIG. 3  are removed. 
     FIG. 4  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 3  showing the details of the web strap mounting. Phantom mounting bracket positions  111  are shown. Phantom mounting bracket positions  111  are optional places where actual mounting brackets  110  are installed between wall panels  104 . The mounting brackets are shown in  FIG. 4   a.    
     FIG. 4   a  is an enlarged portion of  FIG. 4  with an exploded view of a handhold device  132 . Mounting brackets  110  are installed between wall panels  104  for added strength and support to the wall structure  100  replacing the perimeter frame. Installing the mounting brackets  110  between wall panels  104  also helps in forming an integral exterior surface  112 . Furthermore in alternative embodiments the wall structure  100  may have wall panels  104  formed in an irregular shape to resemble a natural rock surface. Also the wall panels  104  may have a surface adapted for gripping by a climber. In  FIG. 4   a  the web straps  140  have been removed and instead kicker-struts  114  are mounted to angle irons  128 . The first ends  116  of the kicker struts  114  are attached to a center region of the wall panels  104 . The second ends  118  of the kicker struts  114  are attached to the primary frame or girders  106 . 
     FIG. 5  is an enlarged sectional view of wall panel mounting in the present invention. Kicker struts  114  are mounted to angle irons  128 . The angle irons  128  are mounted to the wall panel  104 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the kicker struts  114  and the angle irons  128  may be mounted via a t-nut  134  and bolt  136  system. Furthermore, handhold devices  132  may be mounted to the wall panel  104  to aid in a climber&#39;s ascent of the wall structure  100 . In preferred embodiments the wall panels  104  have several apertures  130  formed therethrough. The handhold devices  132  may be mounted onto the wall panel apertures  130  via t-nut  134  and bolt  136  systems. In addition, a washer  138  may be included in the handhold device  132  installation to prevent cracking and splitting. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the bolt  136  could be replaced by a screw in combination with a locking washer  139  and nut  133 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the handhold device  132  may be selectively mounted to the apertures  130  to form reconfigurable routes on the wall panels  104 . Additionally, it will be recognized that the handhold devices  132  can not only be applied to the wall panels  104  in a varying number and at points to be selected at will, but they can also be disposed at each positioning point with the orientation which is judged the most suitable. For example, a handhold device  132  could be applied and rotated on a wall panel  132  at 90 degrees. The same handhold device  132  could also be rotated 45, 60, 180, etc. degrees at the same or different location on the wall panel  104 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art that reconfigurable routes add variety and challenge to the rock climbing sport. 
   In alternative embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 5   a , the kicker struts  114  could be replaced with rods  114   b  with an flat iron  113  welded on one end and attached to the wall panel  104  via a t-nut  134  and bolt  136  system. Alternatively, a screw in pallet nut  134   a  that is attached to the wall panel  104  with screws  135  could replace any t-nut  134 . In addition, a threaded rod  114   a  could replace any kicker strut  114  and be threaded directly into a pallet nut  134   a  to also replace a bolt  136 . One advantage of using rods  114   a  or  114   b  is that they could have a bend point  115  added to them to accommodate various angles needed to attach the rods to girders  106 . 
   In preferred embodiments as shown in  FIG. 5 , the wall panel  104  is constructed from plywood  122  and has a metal mesh  126  and texture overlay  124 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the wall panel  104  may have a concrete or other polymer texture overlay (e.g. acrylics, epoxies, urethanes, or polyurethanes). Also, the metal mesh  126  may be exterior to the texture overlay  124  or may be between the texture-overlay  124  and plywood  122 . It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the metal mesh  126  is an optional addition to the wall panels  104 . In an alternative embodiment, an adhesive compatible with the liquid concrete texture is used in place of the metal mesh  126  to bond the concrete texture  124  to the plywood  122 . 
     FIG. 6  is a top plan diagram of a wall structure  100  as related to an adjacent building wall  146 . Furthermore,  FIG. 7  is a computer generated perspective view of wall panels  104  in place for typical wall structure  100  installation.  FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a sheet of plywood of standard size with various wall panels  104  laid out on the plywood sheet. This prearranged sketch  142  helps reduce material costs, provides efficiency in arranging the wall panels  104 , and reduces waste. The manufacturing costs of the wall panels  104  can be contained within limits due to the smaller amount of raw materials required. Therefore the overall costs for arrangement of the wall structure  100  can also be reduced. Also, the possibilities of partly varying the wall panels  104  in accordance with the invention or fully dismantling and recombining them in different configurations should be considered. 
   In preferred embodiments, first the primary frame  106  is installed to an adjacent building wall  146 . Next, wall panels  104  are cut from a prearranged sketch  142 . Web straps  140  are mounted to the primary frame  106  and then removably connected to the wall panels  104 . The web straps  140  position the wall panels  104  in a desired configuration planned from the computer generated perspective view. Thereafter, kicker struts  114  are typically fixed to the primary frame  106  and wall panels  104 . In particular, the first ends  116  of the kicker struts  114  are attached to a center region of the wall panels  104 . The second ends  118  of the kicker struts  114  are attached to the primary frame  106 . Angle irons  128  or threaded rod  114   a  are typically used to connect the kicker struts  114  to the wall panels  104 . Mounting brackets  110  are secured between wall panels  104  to help form an integral exterior surface  112 . Subsequently, the web straps  140  are removed from the primary frame  106  and wall panels  104 . 
   It is to be understood that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of various embodiments of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of various embodiments of the invention, this disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of structure and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed. For example, the plywood could be replaced by thinner plywood, oriented strand board, medium density fiber board, high density fiber board, sheetrock, sheet metal, concrete board, fiber glass panels and the like without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Technology Category: 1