Importance

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Abstract

A flotation apparatus such as an inflatable tube is designed for a wide sluice waterslide. A coupling for the tube has a prong on the bow of the tube, which is V-shaped, the prong extending forward along a handle portion and downward to a distal locking knob with radial fins. A positioning plate reinforces the coupling between the prong and a mounting plate on the tube. A coupling ring is attached to the mounting plate or the positioning plate, laterally of the prong, and a second coupling ring is provided at the stern of the tube, such that the tube can be coupled to other such tubes in single file or face to face arrays. The fins of the prong and the inside diameter of the rings are complementarily conical in the insertion and removal directions. A wide sluice waterslide to be traversed by the tubes as joined in lines or arrays has a generally downhill contour along a sinuous path. However, the downhill contour is limited to the inside of the curves, and along the centerline of the path as well as along the banked outsides of the curves, the path proceeds uphill as well as generally downward and around curves. Along the uphill stretches, supplementary water inlets are provided, supplying a lateral flow over which the tubes can pass.

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First Claim