Rotating recreational slide

Abstract

A recreational slide system is disclosed. The recreational slide system includes a support structure and a slide operatively supported by the support structure and rotatable relative to the support structure and about a rotational axis of the slide. The slide includes a tubular slide body that extends between an entrance opening and an opposite exit opening. In particular, the slide body defines a slide surface that is non-wet lubricated over which a rider is configured to travel as the slide is rotated. The recreational slide system includes at least one drive that is operatively coupled to the slide. The at least one drive is configured to rotate the slide about the rotational axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A recreational slide system, comprising:
 a support structure;   a slide operatively supported by the support structure and being rotatable relative to the support structure and about a rotational axis of the slide, the slide comprising a slide body that extends between an entrance opening and an opposite exit opening, the slide body defining a slide surface that is non-wet lubricated over which a rider is configured to travel as the slide is rotated; and   at least one drive operatively coupled to the slide and configured to rotate the slide about the rotational axis.   
     
     
         2 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure comprises a support frame. 
     
     
         3 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one drive is supported by the support structure. 
     
     
         4 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the rotational axis of the slide is coaxial with a central longitudinal axis of the slide. 
     
     
         5 . The recreational slide system of claim of  claim 1 , wherein the slide body includes an inner diameter that is constant along a length of the slide body between the entrance opening and the exit opening of the slide. 
     
     
         6 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the slide body includes an inner diameter that is greater than a diameter of the entrance opening and a diameter of the exit opening to form an entrance shoulder and an exit shoulder. 
     
     
         7 . The recreational slide system of  claim 6 , wherein the slide includes a first end cap that defines the entrance opening and a second end cap that defines the exit opening. 
     
     
         8 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the slide includes at least one track that extends circumferentially about a periphery of the slide body, the at least one drive being operatively engaged with the at least one track to rotate the slide. 
     
     
         9 . The recreational slide system of  claim 8 , wherein the support structure includes at least one driven element that is driven by the drive and at least one idle element, and wherein the track is configured to receive the at least one driven element and the at least one idle element. 
     
     
         10 . The recreational slide system of  claim 9 , wherein the at least one track is located at a joint between a pair of body sections that form the slide body. 
     
     
         11 . The recreational slide system of  claim 10 , wherein the joint is defined by an engagement between a flange of a first body section of the pair of body sections and a flange of a second body section of the pair of body sections, the track being connected to the flanges of the first and the second body sections. 
     
     
         12 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the slide body includes a plurality of body sections connected together in an end-to-end arrangement to define the slide surface. 
     
     
         13 . The recreational slide system of  claim 12 , wherein the slide includes at least one track that extends circumferentially about a periphery of the slide body at a joint between a first body section and a second body section of the plurality of body sections, the at least one drive being operatively engaged with the at least one track to rotate the slide. 
     
     
         14 . The recreational slide system of  claim 13 , wherein the joint is defined by an engagement between a flange of the first body section and a flange of the second body section, the track being connected to the flanges of the first and the second body sections. 
     
     
         15 . The recreational slide system of  claim 13 , wherein the support structure includes at least one driven element that is driven by the drive and at least one idle element, and wherein the track is configured to receive the at least one driven element and the at least one idle element. 
     
     
         16 . The recreational slide system of  claim 15 , wherein the driven element and the idle element are wheels. 
     
     
         17 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the support structure includes a drive support cradle and an idle support cradle, the drive support cradle including the drive. 
     
     
         18 . The recreational slide system of  claim 17 , wherein the drive support cradle includes at least one driven element operatively engaged by the drive and at least one idle element, the at least one driven element and the idle element being in engagement with the slide body. 
     
     
         19 . The recreational slide system of  claim 18 , wherein the idle support cradle is spaced from the drive support cradle along a longitudinal length of the slide, the idle support cradle including a pair of idle elements in engagement with the slide body. 
     
     
         20 . The recreational slide system of  claim 19 , wherein the slide includes a first track and a second track each extending circumferentially about a periphery of the slide body, the first track being configured to receive the at least one driven element and the idle element of the drive support cradle and the second track being configured to receive the pair of idle elements of the idle support cradle. 
     
     
         21 . The recreational slide system of  claim 20 , wherein the first track is positioned at a first joint between body sections that form the slide body and the second track is positioned at a second joint between body sections that form the slide body. 
     
     
         22 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the slide includes at least one ridge that projects a height from the slide surface. 
     
     
         23 . The recreational slide system of  claim 2 , wherein the at least one ridge extends a length between the entrance opening and the opposite exit opening of the slide. 
     
     
         24 . The recreational slide system of  claim 1 , wherein the slide includes at least one divider that defines a plurality of sliding lanes. 
     
     
         25 . A method for imparting motion to a ride vehicle of a recreational slide system, comprising:
 providing the recreational slide system, comprising:
 a support structure; 
 a slide operatively supported by the support structure and being rotatable relative to the support structure and about a rotational axis of the slide, the slide comprising a slide body that extends between an entrance opening and an opposite exit opening, the slide body defining a slide surface that is non-wet lubricated over which a rider is configured to travel as the slide is rotated; and 
 at least one drive operatively coupled to the slide and configured to rotate the slide about the rotational axis; 
   operating the at least one drive to rotate the slide in a first direction about the rotational axis of the slide; and   receiving the ride vehicle onto the slide surface of the slide;   wherein rotation of the slide in the first direction causes the ride vehicle to cyclically move in an upward direction towards a top of the slide and then in a downward direction towards a base of the slide along the slide surface on a first side of the slide.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising operating the drive to vary a speed of rotation of the slide to vary movement of the ride vehicle along the slide surface. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising operating the drive to rotate the slide in a second direction that is opposite the first direction, wherein rotation of the slide in the second direction causes the ride vehicle to cyclically move in the upward direction and then in the downward direction along the slide surface on a second side of the slide body. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 leveling the support structure so that the rotational axis of the slide is substantially parallel to a surface on which the support structure is supported such that rotation of the slide is not configured to bias the ride vehicle toward the entrance opening or the exit opening of the slide.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the slide includes at least one ridge that projects a height from the slide surface, the method further comprising:
 engaging the ride vehicle with the at least one ridge as the slide rotates to move the ride vehicle in an upward direction towards the top of the slide.