US20130005493A1

US20130005493A1 - Swing ride tilting swing chair back and forth

Info

Publication number: US20130005493A1
Application number: US13/391,366
Authority: US
Inventors: Nak Sung Kim
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-08-20
Filing date: 2010-01-28
Publication date: 2013-01-03
Also published as: CN102361671B; CN102361671A; WO2011021757A1

Abstract

Provided is a swing ride that enable a rider to sit on a swing chair and tilt it back and forth to thereby perform a swing operation or a reciprocating motion alone by a mechanical design. The swing ride that can tilt a swing chair back and forth, includes: a pivot shaft that is pivotably coupled across the top of a pair of frames spaced from each other; perpendicular rods that are extended downwards from both sides of the pivot shaft, respectively; a swing chair that are pivotably mounted below the perpendicular rods; mounting plates that are further extended downwards from central portions of both sides of the swing chair, respectively, and on the lower ends of which the perpendicular rods are hinge-coupled, respectively; and a rear stopper and a front stopper that are protrudingly formed spaced from each other at each side of the swing chair, to thus make the swing chair stop by the perpendicular rods and to thereby make the swing chair swing back and forth. Here, a number of insertion holes are further provided in the swing chair at the rear side of the rear stopper, in which the rear stopper is detachably coupled into one of the insertion holes.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a swing ride, and more particularly to a swing ride that can tilt a swing chair back and forth so as to make it possible to perform a swing operation or a reciprocating motion alone by a mechanical design without having a rider stamp his or her feet on the ground or another person push the swing ride.

BACKGROUND ART

In general, a swing ride is an amusement ride that enables a person to seat or stand on a seat that is attached below and between two strings and suspended by the two strings and him or her to stamp his or her feet on the ground or another person to push it to thus make him or her enjoy riding and swing back and forth at a flying state in the air. Since ropes used for the swing ride may cause a safety problem, round-type steel rods or metal chains are often used in the swing ride. The swing ride has been developed to enable one or more persons to ride thereon and often installed on playgrounds. However, the kids or physically weak persons who cannot sit or stand on the swing ride and stamp their feet on the ground cannot enjoy playing on the swing ride until someone pushes it. Therefore, there is a need to seek possible ways that enable the kids or physically weak persons to enjoy riding on the swing ride alone.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a swing ride that enables a rider to sit on a swing chair and tilt it back and forth to thereby perform a swing operation or a reciprocating motion alone by a mechanical design.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a swing ride that makes movement of a swing chair controllable to thus adjust a swing operation or reciprocating motion of the swing chair.
To accomplish the above objects of the present invention, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a swing ride that can tilt a swing chair back and forth, the swing ride comprising:
a pair of frames spaced from each other;
a pivot shaft that is pivotably coupled across the top of the frames;
perpendicular rods that are extended downwards from both sides of the pivot shaft, respectively;
a swing chair that are pivotably mounted below the perpendicular rods;
mounting plates that are further extended downwards from central portions of both sides of the swing chair, respectively, and on the lower ends of which the perpendicular rods are hinge-coupled, respectively; and
a rear stopper and a front stopper that are protrudingly formed spaced from each other at each side of the swing chair, to thus restrict the perpendicular rods and tilt the swing chair back and forth.
Preferably but not necessarily, a number of insertion holes are further provided in the swing chair at the rear side of the rear stopper, in which the rear stopper is detachably coupled into one of the insertion holes.
Preferably but not necessarily, a crossbar that is connected across the upper portion of each frame, in which a coupling plate that pivotably accommodates the pivot shaft is attached on each crossbar, and the pivot shaft and the perpendicular rods are integrally coupled with each other.
Preferably but not necessarily, a roof is attached on top of the frames.
Preferably but not necessarily, fixing strings are tied to the frames and the perpendicular rods, respectively, to thereby prevent the swing ride from backing when a rider gets on the swing chair of the swing ride, or the fixing strings are untied from the frames or the perpendicular rods, respectively, to thereby enable the swing ride to start to move.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

As described above, the swing ride according to the present invention enables riders to enjoy getting on the swing ride without the help of someone or without rolling your feet on the ground alone at a sitting position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a swing ride according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the swing ride according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an operating situation of the swing ride according to the present invention, in which a swing chair is tilted back at an equilibrium state;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an operating situation of the swing ride according to the present invention, in which the swing ride proceeds ahead by an action of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an operating situation of the swing ride according to the present invention, in which the swing chair is tilted forth at a state of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an operating situation of the swing ride according to the present invention, in which the swing ride proceeds back by an action of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an operating situation of the swing ride according to the present invention, in which the swing chair is tilted back in order to make the swing ride swing more vigorously.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinbelow, a swing ride that can tilt a swing chair back and forth according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a side view showing a swing ride according to the present invention, respectively.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the swing ride 100 according to the present invention includes: frames 110; a roof 120; crossbars 130; a pivot shaft 140; perpendicular rods 150; and a swing chair 160.
First, the frames 110 include a frame 110 a that is provided at one side of the swing ride 100 and the other frame 110 b that is provided at the other side thereof in which they are spaced apart from each other, to thus determine width of the swing ride 100 and to then be used as support members for supporting the swing ride 100. The frames 110 have a “109” shape, respectively, and play a role of four legs for the swing ride 100. The roof 120 is mounted on top of the frames 110 and thus plays a role of preventing a rider who sits on the swing chair 160 from being exposed to rains or snows. Further, since the lower portions of the frames 110 are supported on the ground but the upper portions of the frames 110 are not fixed to each other, the roof 120 plays a role of supporting and combining the upper portions of the frames 110 with each other and preventing the frames 110 from shaking or falling down to the ground.
The crossbars 130 are mounted at the upper-inner sides of the frames 110, respectively, and include one crossbar 130 that is mounted on the one frame 110 a and the other crossbar (not shown) that is mounted on the other frame 110 b.
The pivot shaft 140 is combined across and on the upper surfaces of the crossbars 130 so as to be pivoted thereon. Although they are not shown in the drawings, coupling plates (not shown) are integrally formed on the upper-central portions of the crossbars 130 so as to be combined with the pivot shaft 140. In addition, although they are not shown in the drawings, bearings (not shown) are embedded between each coupling plate (not shown) and the pivot shaft 140 for smooth pivot of the pivot shaft 140. Since the coupling plates (not shown) and the bearings (not shown) are easily understood by one skilled in the art for pivot of the pivot shaft 140, they will not be described in detail.
The perpendicular rods 150 are extended downwards from respective portions adjacent to both ends of the pivot shaft 140. The swing chair 160 is suspended between the lower ends of the perpendicular rods 150. Here, the perpendicular rods 150 are welded on and integrated with the pivot shaft 140. Thus, when the swing chair 160 moves back and forth, the perpendicular rods 150 are not out of joint from the pivot shaft 140 but the former reciprocates with the latter. In other words, if the perpendicular rods 150 are not integrally combined with the pivot shaft 140, the former 150 move separately from the latter 140, to thus cause the swing chair 160 to fail to perform a smooth reciprocating motion.
The swing chair 160 is configured to have a saddle, a back and a footplate or seat to allow a rider to sit thereon. Here, width of the swing chair 160 is proportional to a distance between the perpendicular rods 150. Mounting plates 162 that are vertically extended downwards from the central portions of both sides of the swing chair 160 are integrally formed at the central portions of both sides of the swing chair 160, respectively. The mounting plates 162 are provided to couple the perpendicular rods 150 with the swing chair 160, in which one mounting plate 162 is coupled with one side of the swing chair 160 and the other mounting plate (not shown) is coupled with the other side thereof. Here, each mounting plate has an inverted triangular shape, and each perpendicular rod 150 is combined with a vertex area of the mounting plate 162 of the inverted triangular shape using a hinge 155.
The pivot center of the combined swing chair 160 is located below the swing chair. Accordingly, the swing chair 160 has a structure that can be easily tilted clockwise or counterclockwise by a gravitational force.
Meanwhile, when the swing chair 160 is tilted back and forth as described above, it is difficult for a rider to sit or stand on the swing chair 160, that is, to get a ride thereon. Thus, it is required that the swing chair 160 should have stoppers for suppressing free pivoting of the swing chair.
Stoppers 170 and 180 are formed to be protruded on either side of the swing chair 160 and are divided into a rear stopper 170 and a front stopper 180. In other words, the rear stopper 170 and the front stopper 180 play a role of making the perpendicular rod 150 stop in order to make the swing chair 160 stop. The stoppers 170 and 180 do not only simply inhibit the pivot of the swing chair 160, but also play a role of making the swing ride 100 gradually swing back and forth while the swing chair 160 moves back and forth if a rider tilts the swing chair 160 by making his or her body tilted back and forth at a state where he or she rides thereon.
In other words, the swing chair 160 can variably move depending on spacing of the stoppers 170 and 180. Thus, in the case that a rider is desirous of making the swing ride 100 move more dynamically according to his or her preference, the spacing between the stoppers 170 and 180 needs to be broadened. Thus, the rear stopper 170 is configured to be detachably mounted on the swing chair 160. Accordingly, insertion holes 190 are formed on both lateral surfaces of the swing chair 160 in order to make the rear stopper 170 selectively fixed thereinto. In this case, since the rear stopper 170 should not escape from the swing chair 160 in view of a safety problem, pushbuttons (not shown) are provided so that the rear stopper 170 can be detached from or attached to the insertion holes 190 formed on the swing chair 160 in a one-touch manner.
In addition, stop protrusions (not shown) that descend or ascend by the pushbuttons (not shown) are built in the inside of the swing chair 160.
In addition, when the elderly steps on a footplate of the swing chair 160 in order to get on the swing chair 160 first in the swing ride 100 according to this invention, the swing chair 160 and the perpendicular rods 150 may be pushed back by his or her gravitational weight. As a result, the elderly cannot easily get a ride on the swing ride 100.
Therefore, fixing strings 200 are fixed or tied to the frames 110, respectively, and then are fixedly hung on the perpendicular rods 150, respectively. As a result, even when a load is applied to the footplate of the swing chair 160, the swing chair 160 is not pushed back to thus enable a rider to get on the swing chair 160 safely. One end of each fixing string 200 is tied on one frame 110 that is positioned toward the sitting direction of the swing chair 160 and the other end thereof is selectively hung on or untied from a hook 210 formed on each perpendicular rod 150. Therefore, the fixing strings 200 are hung on the hooks 210 when riders get on the swing ride 100, and then the fixing strings 200 are untied from the hooks 210 after having got on the swing ride 100.
In addition, the fixing strings 200 enable the elderly or weak people who have poor legs to grab and pull them by hand and thus to make the swing ride 100 swing conveniently.
Hereinbelow, the operating method of the swing ride 100 that is formed as described above and that enables riders to enjoy swing by tilting the swing ride 100 back and forth will be described briefly.
FIGS. 3 to 7 are side views showing operating situations of a swing ride that can tilt a swing chair back and forth according to the present invention.
If a rider applies a force toward a back of a swing chair 160 after having sat on the swing chair 160 at an equilibrium state of FIG. 2, that is, if he or she tilts his or her body backwards, the swing chair 160 is tilted back as shown in FIG. 3. If the swing chair 160 has been tilted back in this manner, the perpendicular rods 150 contact the front stoppers 180, respectively, and then the center of gravity of each perpendicular rod 150 that has been keeping the balance perpendicularly leans back and thus the perpendicular rods 150 are respectively pivoted forwards as shown in FIG. 4.
If the rider does not apply a force toward the back of the swing chair 160, that is, removes the force applied to the back of the swing chair 160, and simultaneously applies a force on a footplate of the swing chair 160 as shown in FIG. 5, in order to push the swing ride 100 backwards again at a state where the swing ride 100 has been pivoted forwards as shown in FIG. 4, the swing chair 160 is tilted forwards and then the perpendicular rods 150 contact the rear stoppers 170, respectively. As a result, the center of gravity of each perpendicular rod 150 leans forward. Thus, the perpendicular rods 150 are pivoted backwards as shown in FIG. 6, to thus make the swing ride 100 move back.
As described above, the swing ride 100 according to the present invention performs a cycle of a reciprocating motion through the operation of FIGS. 3 to 6, that is, the swing ride 100 completes a cycle of a swing operation.
Likewise, if the rider applies a force toward the back of the swing chair 160 to thus make the swing chair 160 tilted back as shown in FIG. 7, the center of gravity of each perpendicular rod 150 leans backwards again, to thus make the swing ride 100 lean forward. Here, since the rider's force is newly applied to the swing chair 160, the swing ride 100 moves more greatly gradually by the moment of inertia of the swing chair 160.
As described above, the present invention has been described with respect to the particularly preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is possible for one who has an ordinary skill in the art to make various modifications and variations, without departing off the spirit of the present invention. Thus, the protective scope of the present invention is not defined within the detailed description thereof but is defined by the claims to be described later and the technical spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A swing ride that can tilt a swing chair back and forth, the swing ride comprising:

a pair of frames spaced from each other;

a pivot shaft that is pivotably coupled across the top of the frames;

perpendicular rods that are extended downwards from both sides of the pivot shaft, respectively;

a swing chair that are pivotably mounted below the perpendicular rods;

mounting plates that are further extended downwards from central portions of both sides of the swing chair, respectively, and on the lower ends of which the perpendicular rods are hinge-coupled, respectively; and

a rear stopper and a front stopper that are protrudingly formed spaced from each other at each side of the swing chair, to thus restrict the perpendicular rods and tilt the swing chair back and forth.

2. The swing ride according to claim 1, wherein a number of insertion holes are further provided in the swing chair at the rear side of the rear stopper, in which the rear stopper is detachably coupled into one of the insertion holes.

3. The swing ride according to claim 1, wherein a crossbar that is connected across the upper portion of each frame, in which a coupling plate that pivotably accommodates the pivot shaft is attached on each crossbar, and the pivot shaft and the perpendicular rods are integrally coupled with each other.

4. The swing ride according to claim 1, wherein a roof is attached on top of the frames.

5. The swing ride according to claim 1, wherein fixing strings are tied to the frames that are positioned at the sitting direction of the swing chair, respectively, and hooks are formed on the perpendicular rods, respectively, to thus make the fixing strings selectively hung on the hooks.