Safe Compactible Play Structure

Abstract

A child's play ramp, of flexible sheet material, leading up to a play room. Ramp is for climbing and sliding. The playroom is open to the ramp, but part of that opening is covered by a screen. Barriers prevent dangerous falls in directions other than down the ramp. A safety mat is included at ramp bottom. The product is compactible into the form of a box. There is: a specific foothold construction; a specific way of lining side fall barriers; and a specific method of attaching a safety mat to the low end of the ramp.

1 . A play structure for children, comprising a rigid frame and a ramp, where: 
 the ramp is constructed of flexible sheet material; and    the ramp is stretched tight on the rigid frame; and    a climbing portion of the ramp has footholds, and    a sliding portion of the ramp is smooth.    
   
   
       2 . The play structure of  claim 1  where at least one of the footholds is constructed with two strips of flexible sheet material and with bulky material, where: 
 one long edge of the first strip is attached to the second strip at a line along the length of the second strip; and    the two long edges of the second strip plus the remaining long edge of the first strip are attached to the ramp, roughly horizontally, all on the same line or on nearby parallel lines, forming two roughly horizontal tunnels; and    the two tunnels are filled with the bulky material; and    the lower tunnel (with the lower tunnel filling) prevents the upper tunnel (with the upper tunnel filling) from flopping down under the foot of a climbing child.    
   
   
       3 . The play structure of  claim 1  where: 
 the low end of the ramp is held in place by a horizontal beam for the width of the ramp;    a safety mat covers support surface area where children sliding or falling off the ramp will land;    a portion of the safety mat also covers the beam that holds the low end of the ramp in place; and    a long edge of a flap, of flexible sheet material, is attached horizontally across the ramp, near the low end of the ramp and above the beam holding the low end of the ramp in place; and    the flap extends forward, over the beam and over the safety mat portion covering the beam, to convey sliding children from the ramp onto the mat, children being insulated from the rigidity of the beam by the mat; and    the safety mat is detachably connected to the flap, or to the low end of the ramp, or to the low ramp beam.    
   
   
       4 . The play structure of  claim 1  where: 
 the rigid frame also forms a horizontal play platform, level with the top of the ramp; and    the flexible sheet material of the ramp extends also over the front of the play platform, to some line of attachment on or beyond the platform; and    the edge of the platform, which is adjacent the ramp, is padded under the extended ramp material; and    said padding forms a rounded shape, rounding down from the plane of the platform to the plane of the ramp.    
   
   
       5 . The play structure of  claim 4  where: 
 rigid frame material, of the platform surface portion adjacent the top of the ramp, is angled down at a shallow angle as it runs forward; and    the padding covers that angled down material; and    the padding on the upper region of the angled down area has a triangular cross section, forming there a horizontal surface flush with the horizontal surface of the further-from-ramp portion of the platform; and    the top surface of padding, where it covers the lower region of the angled down area, is rounded down to an approximate tangent to the ramp.    
   
   
       6 . The play structure of  claim 1  where the sliding portion of the ramp is constructed of, or covered with, cloth of a satin weave, the satin weave oriented to reduce friction with children sliding down the ramp.  
   
   
       7 . The play structure of  claim 1  where the rigid frame also forms a playroom, the playroom floor being a horizontal platform level with the top of the ramp, the playroom being largely open to the top of the ramp for most of the width of the ramp, the playroom being closed elsewhere.  
   
   
       8 . The play structure of  claim 7  where: 
 a vertical screen of flexible sheet material closes the central portion of the open-to-ramp area on the ramp side of the playroom, and;    the bottom edge of the screen is attached near the center of the top of the ramp, on a first horizontal line parallel with the upper edge of the ramp, and;    the top edge of the screen is attached to, or near to, the front edge of the playroom ceiling, an a second horizontal line, second horizontal line being roughly parallel to the first horizontal line.    
   
   
       9 . The play structure of  claim 7  where the frame is constructed of wood lengths, with rigid plastic sheet material covering areas between the lengths to form playroom walls and/or fall barrier panel surfaces, rigid plastic sheet material being attached to the wood lengths.  
   
   
       10 . The play structure of  claim 7  where, for storage or transport, the rigid parts of the structure can be put in a compacted configuration containing the ramp.  
   
   
       11 . The play structure of  claim 1  where: 
 the frame also provides rigid vertical fall barriers panels along the inclined edges of the ramp; and    flexible sheet material forms a lining on the inner surface of each fall barrier panel; and    each said lining extends upwards, from where it is attached to its ramp edge, to the upper and forward edges of adjacent fall barriers; and    said lining folds over the upper and forward edges of the fall barrier panels.    
   
   
       12 . The play structure of  claim 11  where: 
 a first edge of a sheet of netting is attached to the lining of one fall barrier, near where the lining folds over fall barrier panel edges; and    the netting spans area roughly above the low ramp beam; and    a second edge of the netting (opposite the first edge) is attached (in a similar way as the first edge is attached) to the lining of that second side's adjacent fall barrier.    
   
   
       13 . The play structure of  claim 1  where: 
 the frame also provides rigid vertical fall barriers panels along the inclined edges of the ramp; and    flexible sheet material forms a lining on the inner surface of each fall barrier; and    each lining is attached to its adjacent inclined edge of the ramp; and    each lining extends upwards to upper and forward edges of the fall barriers; and    a sheet of netting is attached, at points a short way in from a first edge of the netting, to the lining of one fall barrier, near the upper and/or forward fall barrier panel edges; and    the netting spans area roughly above the low ramp beam; and    the netting sheet is attached, at points a short way in from a second edge of the netting opposite the first edge (in a similar way as the first edge is attached), to the lining of the fall barrier adjacent the second netting edge; and    the netting fabric extends over the upper and/or forward edges of both fall barrier panels, folding down and continuing some ways down, and/or back, the outside of the fall barrier panels.    
   
   
       14 . A play structure comprising a box-like base, a box-like playroom, and a ramp, where: 
 a portion of the ramp is smooth for sliding; and    a portion of the ramp has footholds for climbing; and    the top end of the ramp is supported by a top edge of the base; and    the playroom sits atop the base and is open to the ramp; and    the ramp can be stored within the playroom; and    the playroom can be stored within the base.    
   
   
       15 . The play structure of  claim 14  where the ramp is constructed of flexible sheet material.  
   
   
       16 . The play structure of  claim 14  and also including vertical fall barrier panels along both inclined edges of the ramp where: 
 some or all of the fall barrier panels are connected to the playroom walls by hinge-like attachments, and fall barrier panels swing on their hinge-like attachments to close over the open face of the playroom.    
   
   
       17 . The play structure of  claim 16  where the ramp is constructed of flexible sheet material.