GB2118446A - Playground equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The equipment comprises a seating platform 6/8 movable about a pivot 18, which pivot includes an outer sleeve 30, an inner shaft 32, and a plurality of resiliently deformable members 38 located between the sleeve and the shaft. The members become deformed on pivoting the equipment and thereby limit the amount of movement. The equipment may be in the form of a see-saw, swing etc. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Playground equipment This invention relates to playground equipment, and is particularly, although not exclusively, concerned with such equipment generally known as see-saws.

In conventional playground equipment, i.e. seesaws, it is very often possible for the "platform", i.e.

that part of the equipment which pivots about a centre support to touch the supporting surface at opposed points where the arc of pivot meets the supporting surface. This has resulted in accidents to childrens' limbs, since they can quite easily get between the bottom of the platform and the supporting surface, and in addition can quite easily cause the user to be jolted quite badly. In an effort to overcome these dangers, stops have been positioned at or to meet with the points where the arc of pivot meets the supporting surface, such stops either being on the underside of the platform and projecting downwardly therefrom, or alternatively such stops have been positioned at said aforementioned points such that they project upwardly.These stops have prevented the ends of the platform contacting the ground, but there is still a possibility of limbs becoming trapped and jolting occurring as mentioned above.

The invention aims to provide an improved form of playground equipment which will obviate the disadvantages of known equipment.

According to the present invention, there is provided a playground apparatus comprising a platform or seating member movable about a pivot, said pivot including an outer sleeve and an inner shaft which is engaged by at least one resilient deformable member located between the outer sleeve and inner shaft, said resilient deformable member being compressed or deformed upon rotation of said sleeve relative to said shaft so as to limit the amount of movement of said platform or seating member about said pivot.

The pivot may be located at the centre of the platform and may support the platform. Alternatively, a seating member may be suspended from said pivot by suspension arms or members, said arms or members being movable about said pivot.

In the application of the invention to a see-saw, the equipment will include a platform which will be shaped such that, in an equilibium position of the platform with the ends of the platform in a horizontal plane, said ends are at a greater distance from said support surface than the centre of said platform.

Said pivot will preferably directly support said platform.

Said platform will preferably carry at each of its ends a seat member and a hand grip adjacent said seat member.

Preferably, the shaft, will be square, and will preferably be engaged by a plurality of resilient deformable members, said members preferably being rollers composed of rubber or plastics material.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described, by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a see-saw according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view to a larger scale of the pivot member forming a part of the see-saw of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectional end elevation to a smaller scale of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing the pivot member in a different position.

Referring to the drawings, and firstly to Figure 1, there is shown playground equipment in the form of a see-saw indicated generally be reference numeral 2 which comprises a shaped platform 4 having seat members 6 and 8, and respective adjacent hand grips 10 and 12. The platform 4 is, as will be seen from Figure 1, shaped in such a way that opposed ends 4A and 48 thereof are at a greater distance from a supporting surface 14 than the centre point 4C of the platform when the platform is in an equilibrium position with the ends 4A and 4B in a common horizontal plane.

The platform 4 is supported on a generally Hshaped member 16 through the intermediary of a pivot member 18. As will be seen, an upper portion 16A of the member 16 is above the supporting surface 14, whilst a lower larger portion 16B of the member 16 carries a cross-plate 20 and is concreted in position below the level of the supporting surface 14so as to securely fix the H-section member 16 in the desired position.

The platform 4 is secured to the pivot member 18 by means of a clamp 22 which is secured to a plate 24 carried by the pivot member 18, the latter being secured between the legs of the upper portion 16A of the generally H-shaped member 16.

The pivot member 18, referring now to Figures 2 and 3, comprises an outer sleeve 30 and a spindle 32 which projects from each end of the sleeve 30. On the ends 32A and 32B of the spindle 32 are welded or otherwise secured plates 34 and 36 which are themselves welded or otherwise secured to the legs of the upper portion 16A of the member 16 such that the sleeve 30 carrying the platform 4 may pivot about the axis of and relative to the spindle 32.

The spindle 32, referring now specifically to Figure 3, is of square profile where it lies within the outer sleeve 30 and is arranged such that it is 90 out of phase with the sleeve 30. The spindle is of circular profile or cross-section where it projects from said sleeve such that the sleeve may pivot relative to the spindle 32. At the corners of the sleeve 30 and between the spindle 32 and the inside surface of the sleeve 30 are located four rubber rollers 38. Bearings (not shown) are located between the shaft ends 32A and 32B and the sleeve 30. The rollers may, if preferred, be formed of a resilient plastics material.

In use, and assuming a person sitting on each end of the platform 4, if the left-hand end 4A of the platform 4 moves downwardly about the centre pivot - with the result that the right-hand end 4B moves upwardly - the sleeve 20 will rotate relative to the stationary spindle 32, with the resu It that the rubber rollers 38 are compressed and deformed (Figure 4), and art a certain stage of compression, the sleeve will not rotate any further. This stage of compression is such that the end 4A of the platform 4 will not contact the supporting surface 14 and hence avoid any trapping of limbs of the person sitting on the end 4A.

When the end 4A of the platform reaches the limit of its downward travel, the platform 4 will then commence pivotting in the opposite direction under the influence of the rubber rollers 38 which will have begun to expand and dissipate the energy stored on compression. Continued dissipation of this stored energy will move the platform 4 through the horizontal plane - at which point the energy dissipation is complete, and the rollers 38 have returned to their initial states - and thereafter the right-hand end 4B of the platform 4will move downwardly and the left-hand end 4A will move upwardly, the rollers 38 being compressed and deformed as referred to above.

Thus the see-saw action is achieved, with the advantage that the movement of the platform is controlled with the important end result that there will be no contact between the ends 4A and 4B of the platform 4 and the supporting surface 14 and thus there will be no danger of a child's limbs becoming trapped between the platform 4 and the supporting surface 14, and no danger of the users being jolted.

It will be appreciated that whilst the invention has been described with reference to a see-saw, the invention may be applied to other forms of rocking toys, and further that a "four-way" see-saw or other rocking toy may be provided by a suitable arrangement of pivot members 18.

It will also be appreciated that the sleeve and shaft may be other than the shapes described and shown in the drawings. For example, they may be triangular in which case they would be in inverted relationship, or they - or at least the shaft - may be more than four-sided.

In addition, the invention may be applied to a swing in which case a seating member will be suspended from the pivot by means of rigid suspension members or arms whose upper ends are carried by the pivot and which, together with the seating member, are movable about said pivot. In such a case, the pivot will be arranged such that said suspension members or arms will be permitted a limited amount of free swinging movement, e.g. 45o of arc, prior to the restraining means gradually coming into effect.

The invention may also be applied to a swing "boat" in which an elongated platform or seating member, extending in a direction normal to the axis of pivotting, is suspended from two spaced pivots by means of rigid suspension members or arms.

It will be appreciated that the platform or seating member may take any desired form. For example, the platform may take the form of a boat, a car, etc., in which the user or users may sit.

Finally, whilst the invention has been described in relation to playground equipment, the invention is equally applicable to what may be termed domestic "play" equipment for personal use.

Claims (13)

1. A playground apparatus comprising a platform or seating member movable about a pivot, said pivot including an outer sleeve and an inner shaft which is engaged by at least one resilient deformable member located between the outer sleeve and inner shaft, said resilient deformable member being compressed or deformed upon rotation of said sleeve relative to said shaft so as to limit the amount of movement of said platform or seating member about said pivot.

2. A playground apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of resilient deformable members between said outer sleeve and inner shaft.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, wherein said shaft is of square cross-section in a portion lying within said outer sleeve.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 2 or Claim 3, wherein said resilient members are rollers of rubber or plastics material.

5. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said apparatus is a see-saw including a platform which is shaped such that in an equilibrium position of the platform with the ends of the platform in a horizontal plane, said ends are at a greater distance from said support surface than the centre of said platform.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein said platform is secured to said outer sleeve such that said sleeve moves with said platform about said shaft.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 5 or Claim 6, wherein said platform is secured to said outer sleeve by means of a clamp.

8. Apparatus according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said apparatus is a swing including a seating member suspended on rigid suspension members or arms depending from said pivot, said suspension members or arms being movable with said seating member about said pivot.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, wherein said pivot is arranged to permit a limited amount of unrestrained movement of said suspension members or arms and said seat member about said pivot.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 8 or 9, wherein said seat member is suspended between spaced pivots and extends in a direction substantially normal to the axes of said pivots.

11. Playground apparatus substantially as herein described.

12. A see-saw substantially as herein described with reference to and as illutrated in the accompanying drawings.

13. Swing apparatus substantially as herein described.