WO2012039612A1

WO2012039612A1 - Play plateau

Info

Publication number: WO2012039612A1
Application number: PCT/NL2011/050637
Authority: WO
Inventors: Guo-Hua Verstraaten-Hu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-09-24
Filing date: 2011-09-21
Publication date: 2012-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2013-03-24
Also published as: NL1038264C2

Abstract

Play plateau comprising at least one wheeled board. The boards are provided with a flat and uninterrupted upper surface and a lower surface provided with wheels at least the corners. The boards may for instance comprise at least one base layer of a rigid material and a top layer of a material, which is softer than the material of the base layer.

Description

PLAY PLATEAU

The present invention pertains to a play plateau, providing a removable floor cover on which children can play.

Hitherto, play mats are used to cover a floor when a child wishes to play on it. Such play mats are typically made of a plastic or fabric sheet on which a child may play with its toys. The upper surface of the play mat can depict a printed scene, such as a series of roads or a game. After use, the child's games and toys are removed and the play mat can be rolled and stored. Examples of play mats are disclosed in EP 1 449 570 and EP 1 352 586.

A drawback of existing play mats is that the games and toys, which may include puzzles or towers of blocks or the like, need to be removed first and be broken down where necessary. When the play mat is subsequently put back in place again the child cannot start again where it was the last time.

Moreover, clearing the play mat can be a lot of time

consuming work.

It is an object of the invention to overcome these drawbacks of the play mats known hitherto.

The object of the invention is achieved with a play plateau comprising at least one board with a flat and uninterrupted upper surface and a lower surface provided with wheels at least at the boards periphery.

This way, the child or children can play with its toys on the surface. After playing, the room can be cleared by simply moving the plateau out of the way for storage elsewhere, e.g., below a sofa or other piece of furniture.

The upper surface of the one or more boards forming the play plateau are uninterrupted, which means that the boards are not provided with holes or openings,

The upper surface of the one or more boards is flat in the sense that it is mainly horizontal during normal use and enables a child to sit on it and play. Optionally, the upper surface can be provided with three-dimensional reliefs, for instance representing a train track, a street pattern, a golf course, etc.. The upper surface can also be provided, with studs or other connection elements for connecting matching building blocks or construction toys.

The one or more boards forming the plateau can for instance be square, rectangular, triangular, polygonal, oval or circular or may have any other suitable shape, Board of different shapes can be combined to form a plateau. To optimize stability, square, rectangular, or triangular board preferable have their wheels at their corners.

The boards forming the plateau can have any suitable

dimension. By way of example, the boards can for instance nave a width within the range of about 20 to about 100 cm. The depth of the boards can for instance be within the same range. The boards can for instance have a height, including the height of the wheels, within the range of about 1 to about 55 cm. The thickness of the boards can for instance be within the range of about 0,5 to about 50 cm.

The board can for instance comprise at least one base layer of a rigid material and a top layer of a material which is softer than the material of the base layer. The base layer can for example be made of wood, fiber board or a rigid plastic or similar materials. The top layer can for example be made of an elastomeric material, such as linoleum.

The top layer can for example be removable. This way, it can be replaced by another top layer, e.g., when the first top layer is dirty or when the child is bored by the print of the first top layer. Optionally, the removable top layer can be a washable sheet.

Optionally, the top layer can be stabilized after being- positioned on the base layer, by using connection means such as studs or the like, fitting tightly in corresponding holes in the base layer, and/or one or more magnetic attachments and/or Velcro elements or the like.

The removable top layer can for example be made of a

plurality of printed pieces combinable in one or more ways like a puzzle.

The one or more boards forming the play plateau can for example be provided with rounded corners, to minimize the risk of injury with the playing child.

The play plateau as a whole can be built of a modular set of wheeled boards or modules connectable by connecting elements at a distance below the upper surface to provide a flat and smooth upper surface of the play plateau.

The wheels can for example include omnidirectional wheels, such as swivel casters or ball wheels. Such wheels enable easy movement of the plateau in any direction, For safety reasons, the wheels may be provided with one or more wheel Optionally, the play plateau can be provided with one or more magnetic sections to hold magnetic toys or other articles in place.

In a further possible embodiment, the play plateau may comprise an upper surface with at least one electronic light emitting element, one or more displays, one or more sound generating elements, one or raore battery holders and/or one or more electric feeds for empowering electronic toys.

The invention does not only pertain to a play plateau as such, but also to a method of furnishing a play area on a floor wherein the floor is covered by such a wheeled plateau and wherein toys are provided on the plateau.

The plateau can be used in schools or other types of

professional childcare organizations, such as kindergartens or children's hospitals, or at home.

The present invention will now be further explained with reference to the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1: shows in side view a module of a play plateau according to the invention;

Figure 2: shows in exploded view the lower side of the modu1e of Figure 1;

Figure 3: shows a play plateau formed of modules

individually shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4: shows a p1ay p1ateau wi th an alternative

printed pattern;

Figure 5: shows in exploded view an upper part and a

lower part forming a plateau module;

Figure 6: shows in perspective view two lower sections according to Figure 5 coupled by coupling elements; Figure 7: shows two stackable base layers for a plateau according to the invention;

Figure 8: shows a top layer for a play plateau provided with electronic elements;

Figure 9: shows a further embodiment of a play plateau.

Figure I shows in side view a module 1 for a wheeled play plateau according to the present invention. The module 1 can form such a play plateau on its own or it can be coupled with other similar modules to form a. larger play plateau.

The module 1 comprises a soft top layer 2 of a soft material removably attached to the top side of a base layer 3. At its lower side the base layer 3 is provided with feet 4 holding bail wheels 5 at the corners, which are shown in more detail in Figure 3. At the side edges the upper surface of the base layer 3 is provided with slits 6 for receiving coupling elements. Figure 2 shows the lower side of the module 1 in exploded view. The feet 4 at the four corners of the base layer 3 are provided with cylindrical inner cavities 7. The ball wheels 5 comprise a cylindrical main body 8 receivable in the

cylindrical cavities 7 of the feet 4 with a tight fit. The cylindrical main body 8 is provided with a circumferential shoulder 9 abutting the lower end of the feet 4 when the wheels 5 are placed in the corresponding cylindrical cavities 7. The main body 8 is provided with a spherical inner cavity 10 having its surface covered with a layer of a large number of bearing balls 11. A roller ball 12 is placed, within the spherical cavity 11. A lock ring 13 locks the roller ball 12 and the bearing balls 11 within the inner cavity 10 of the main body 8 in such a way that one end of the roller ball 12 projects out off the cavity 10 to allow contact with a floor. Figure 3 shows a play plateau 12 formed of a plurality of modules 1. The top layers 2 of the modules 1 are provided with a print 14. The prints 14 of the various modules 1 can be combined to form a single image or scene when the modules are arranged in the right order.

Figure 4 shows an alternative arrangement of modules with top layers 2 with arrays of studs 14, e.g. for providing a snap joint with matching building blocks or other types of toys. Alternatively, or additionally, the top layer 2 can be provided with other three-dimensional reliefs, such as a train track, a street pattern, a golf course, etc.

Figure 5 shows a module 1 in exploded view showing the opposed surfaces of the top layer 2 and the base 3,

respectively. The lower surface of the top layer 2 is

provided with an array of studs 15 forming a tight fit with correspondingly arranged openings 16 at the top surface of the base layer 3.

The slits 6 at the edges of the top surface of the base layer 3 have a broadened end. 17 at a distance from the edge. When two modules 1 are placed next to each other, as shown in Figure 6, opposing slits 6 at adjacent side edges of the paired modules 1 form pairs in which dumbbell-shaped or bone shaped coupling elements 18 can be placed, preferably with a tight fit, to connect the two modules 1. In use these

connections are hidden from view by the top layers 2,

Figure 7 shows two base layers 3', 3". One base layer 3' is shown in perspective view from below while the other base layer 3" is shown, in perspective view from above. The top surface of the base layer 3" is provided with the stud receiving openings 16 at each corner. The openings 16 are in line with, the broadened ends 17 of the slits 6. In this embodiment, wheels 5 are provided not only at the corners of the base layer 3, but also at its centre to provide

additional support. At the lower side of the base layer the feet 4 with the spherical wheels are arranged in such a way that - when stacking two or more base layers 3 - the

spherical wheels 5 of an upper base layer 3' rest on the corresponding openings 16 of the next lower base layer 3" in the stack. This way, the base layers 3', 3" can be stacked after removal of the respective top layers 2 and the modules can be stored as a compact stack.

Figure 8 shows a specific embodiment of a top layer 2 of a play plateau according to the invention or of a module of such a play plateau. In this embodiment the top layer 2 comprises a box part 20 with an open side 21, and a plate shape lid 22 for covering the open side 21 of the box part 20. The lid 22 can be attached to the box part 20 by screws 23 cooperating with screw receiving holes 24 in respective parts of the box part 20. In this embodiment, the box part 20 comprises a battery holder 25, a plurality of lamps 26 arranged in a desired pattern, a sound generator 27, a control unit 28 for the control of the lamps 26 and the sound generator 27, and electrical wiring 29 for connecting the various electronic elements 25 - 28. The lid 22 comprises a surface facing the box part 21 provided with a battery holder lid 30 for the battery holder 25. The opposite surface is provided with studs 31 for connecting the top layer 2 to a base layer 3, as shown in Figure 5. An on/off rotary switch 32 is arranged in the lid 22 to functiona11y cooperate with the control unit 23 when the lid 22 is attached to the box part 21. The inner walls of the box part 20 are reinforced with ribs 33. In an alternative arrangement, the rotary switch can for example be provided at the upper surfaced of the top layer, or at a side surface, if the top layer is sufficiently thick.

Figure 9 shows a further embodiment of the base layer 40 of a board for a play plateau. At two opposite sides, the slits 6 are provided with two broadened sections 41, 42, spaced to enable receipt of a connection element 18 when it is not in use for coupling two adjacent boards. Between the broadened sections 41, 41 the slit 6 comprises a small recess enabling a user to grip the connection element between two fingers.

Claims

Play plateau comprising at least one board with a fiat and uninterrupted upper surface and a. lower surface provided with wheels at least at the boards periphery.

Play plateau according to claim I wherein the one or more boards have at least three corners, each corner being provided with a wheel.

Play plateau according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the board comprises at least one base layer of a rigid material and a top layer of a material, which is softer than the material of the base layer.

Play plateau according to claim 3 wherein the base layer is made of wood or fiber board and wherein the top layer is made of a plastic or elastomeric

material, such as linoleum.

Play plateau according to claim 4 wherein the top layer is removable.

Play plateau according to claim 5 wherein the top layer is stabilized on the base layer by one or more reieasable connections, such as magnetic attachments, Velcro elements and/or studs cooperating with

matching openings.

Play plateau according to claim 5 or 6 wherein the removable top layer comprises a plurality of printed pieces visually matching in one or more ways. Play plateau according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the board comprises a modular set of wheeled, boards comprising connecting elements at a distance below the upper surface, wherein the

connecting elements are mutually correctable to provide a flat upper surface.

Play plateau according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least a part of the wheels are swivel casters or ball wheels.

Play plateau according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the board is provided with one or more magnetic sections.

Play plateau according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the play plateau comprises an upper- surface with at least one electronic light emitting element, one or more displays, one or more sound generating elements, one or more battery holders and/or electric feeds for empowering electronic toys.

Modular set of wheeled boards comprising connecting elements at a distance below the upper surface,

-wherein the connecting elements are mutually

connectable to provide a play plateau according to anyone of the preceding claims.

Method of furnishing a play area on a floor wherein the floor is covered by a wheeled plateau according to one of claims 1 - 11 and providing one or more toys or games on the plateau.