GB2200566A

GB2200566A - Propelled rocking horse

Info

Publication number: GB2200566A
Application number: GB08802027A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William George Swinnerton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-01-29
Filing date: 1988-01-29
Publication date: 1988-08-10
Also published as: GB8802027D0; GB8702022D0

Abstract

Rocking horse apparatus has wheels 11 mounted on a frame 1. A lever and treadle arrangement 7 and 6 is operable to lift the rear of the apparatus so that legs 12 can swing forward under the influence of gravity. The legs 12 have an offset pivot point 13 such that weight applied at the rear of the apparatus in its raised position causes the apparatus to move forward as the legs 12 pivot backwards. <IMAGE>

Description

Propelled Rocking Horse This invention relates to a propelled rocking horse operated by the rider.

Rocking horses are well known and can be made to rock to and fro by the rider. By emulating the actions of a horse rider, the horse can be made to rock but it remains static in location.

According to the present invention there is provided rocking horse apparatus having ground engaging wheel means, means for raising a rear portion of the apparatus from the ground, and ground engaging leg means acting on the ground to impart a forward force to the apparatus on application of a downward force to the rear of the apparatus in its raised position.

Preferably, the ground engaging leg means is mounted on the apparatus on an offset pivot such that the leg means pivot to a forward position by the action of gravity on raising the rear of the apparatus.

Preferably also, the means for raising the rear portion of the apparatus comprises a treadle and lever arrangement operable by a rider of the apparatus.

Alternatively, the means for raising the rear portion of the apparatus comprises resilient bias means acting between a first fixed part of the apparatus and å second movable part of the apparatus.

Preferably also, non ground engaging leg means are provided pivotally mounted on the apparatus and interconnected with the ground engaging leg means such that said non ground engaging leg means pivot on the apparatus in response to forward and rearward movement of the ground engaging leg means.

Preferably also, steerable ground engaging wheel means are provided.

Preferably also, a pair of ground engaging leg means are provided one on either side of the apparatus mounted on an axle having a limited slip differential.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a rocking horse in a lowest or forward position; Fig. 2 is a plan of the rocking horse of Fig. 1 in the forward position; Fig. 3 is a side view of the rocking horse of Fig.l in a raised or rearward position.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of a rocking horse in a raised position; Fig. 5 is a side view of the rocking horse of Fig. 4 in a lowered postion; Fig. 6 is a front view of the rocking horse of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a side view of a third embodiment of a rocking horse in a raised position; Fig. 8 is a side view of the rocking horse of Fig. 7 in a lowered position; and Fig. 9 is a front view of the rocking horse of Fig. 7 with some parts omitted for clarity.

Referring to Figs 1 to 3 of the drawings a first embodiment of a rocking horse in accordance with the present invention comprises a frame 1 to which are secured a handle bracket 2, a seat or saddle 3, pivot 4 for treadle 5 and pivot 6 for lifting lever 7. Treadle bar 8 is provided at the front end of treadle 5 to allow theCrider to apply pressure at the front end. By activating the treadle 5 and through the rollers 9 at the rear of the treadle 5, an upward thrust at the front end of the lifting lever 7 is induced and wheels 10 pressing down on the floor raise pivot 6.Providing that the rider keeps the majority of his/her weight on the treadle bar 8 the horse will remain in it's rocked forward position, making contact with the floor at front wheel 11, lifting lever wheels 10 and rear legs 12, the latter having tried to rotate to their natural hanging position until they make contact with the floor, and the attitude of the horse is as shown in Figure 3, where the weight of the horse and rider are carried on front wheel 11 and lifting lever wheels 10.

When the rider releases the load on the treadle bar 8 and sits down on the saddle 3, the weight of the horse and rider are then carried on the front wheel 11 and the rear legs 12 and providing that the majority of the load is applied to the rear of the horse at the saddle 3, and is acting on the leg pivot centre 13 which is off-set from the rolling radius centre 15 of the rear legs 12 the applied load will cause the horse to move forward and rock back to it's lowest position assuming an attitude as shown in Figure 1 where the weight of the horse and rider are carried on front wheel 11 and a pair of rear wheels 14.

The rider is thus able to induce a forward movement by the transfer of weight to the front end of the horse and then to the rear.

The rise and sit cycle of the rider can be repeated numerous times to effect an almost continuous forward movement over relatively smooth level surfaces or those of very shallow gradient.

A limited amount of steering can be given to the front wheel and axle providing that the-axXe of the rear legs is split and the two stub sections are connected by a flexible self aligning diaphram when free loaded.

The linkage between the elements of the lifting mechanism can be by sprocket and chain.

With non-slip pads in place of wheels 10 and 14, the horse is capable of climbing a 10% gradient by means of gravity applied forces manipulated by the rider.

The propelled rocking horse is intended as a toy for all ages and can be manufactured in sizes to suit children or adults. Users of the toy may just achieve pleasure out of solely riding the horse and at the same time obtain some physical exercise. It may be that where a competitive condition exists pleasure can be gained by racing two or more of the horses.

Referring now to Figs 4 to 6 of the accompanying drawings a second embodiment of a rocking horse in accordance with the present invention is shown. This embodiment comprises a lower fixed frame 20 provided with wheels 21 and an upper tilting frame 22 which pivots on the lower frame 20 at 23.

The lower frame 20 has a bracket 24 which is provided with alternative fixing points' 2.5 for footrests 26.

The upper frame 22 is shaped to represent a horse and has a pair of front legs 27 which pivot on the frame 22 on a shaft 28 and a pair of rear legs 29 which pivot on the frame 22 on a shaft 30.

A compression spring 31 extends between the lower frame 20 and the shaft 30 on the frame 22. A strap 32 provided with a tensioning spring 33 extends between pulleys 34 and 35 on the shafts 28 and 30 respectively.

The basic operation of the rocking horse is similar to that described in relation to the first embodiment described above with the lifting action previously provided by the lifting lever and treadle arrangement now being provided by the compression spring 31. The rider stand up on the footrests 26 thus releasing his weight from the upper frame 22 which raises up under the influence of the spring 31. As before the legs 29 pivot forwards under the influence of gravity.

When the rider then applies his weight once more to the upper frame 22 the offset nature of the legs 29 is such that the rocking horse moves forward on the wheels 21 as the legs 29 pivot back to the rearmost position and the upper frame 22 returns to its lower position. At the same time the shaft 30 and associated pulley 35 rotate to pull on the strap 32 which in turn rotates the pulley 34 and the shaft 28 causing the front legs 27, which are too short to touch the ground, to pivot forward to take up the position shown in Fig. 5.

As before the rider is able to induce a forward movement by the transfer of weight between the footrests 26 and the upper frame 22. A weight 36 is added to the front of the upper frame 22 to improve the weight distribution of the rocking horse.

Referring now to Figs. 7 to 9 of the accompanying drawings a third embodiment of a rocking horse in accordance with the present invention is shown. This embodiment is a smaller and simplified version of the second embodiment and is particularly suited for small children.

This embodiment comprises a lower fixed frame 40 provided with wheels 41 and an upper tilting frame 42 which pivots on the lower frame 40 at 43.

The lower frame 40 has an adjustable footrest 44 and is provided with extra stability by virtue of an extended front axle 45.

The upper frame 42 is in the outline shape of a horse and is provided with a padded saddle 46. A single rear leg 47 is pivoted to the upper frame 42 on a shaft 48.

A tension spring 49 extends between a mounting 50 and one end of a linkage 51 which pivots on the lower frame 40 at 52 and is attached at to a second linkage 53 which is in turn fixed at the other end to a bracket 54 on the upper frame 42.

The operation of this rocking horse is similar to that of the second embodiment described above. When the rider stands up on the footrests 44 thus releasing his weight from the saddle 46 the upper frame 42 is raised under the influence of the tension spring 49 which pivots the linkage 51 about the pivot point 52. As before the leg 47 pivots forward under the influence of gravity.

When the rider applies his weight once more to the saddle 46 the offset pivoting nature of the leg 47 is such that the rocking horse moves forward on the wheels 41 as the leg pivots back to its rearmost position. As before the sequence can be repeated a number of times to induce a continuous forward motion to the rocking horse.

The embodiments described serve only as examples of rocking horses in accordance with the present invention and modifications and improvements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. Rocking horse apparatus having ground engaging wheel means, means for raising a rear portion of the apparatus from the ground, and ground engaging leg means acting on the ground to impart a forward force to the apparatus on application of a downward force to the rear of the apparatus in its raised position.

2. Rocking horse apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the ground engaging leg means is mounted on the apparatus on an offset pivot such that the leg means pivot to a forward position by the action of gravity on raising the rear of the apparatus.

3. Rocking horse apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the means for raising the rear portion of the apparatus comprises a treadle and lever arrangement operable by a ride of the apparatus.

4. Rocking horse apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2 wheren the means for raising the rear portion of the apparatus comprises resilient bias means acting between a first fixed part of the apparatus and a second movable part of the apparatus.

5. Rocking horse apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein non ground engaging leg means are provided pivotally mounted on the apparatus and interconnected with the ground engaging leg means such that said non ground engaging leg means pivot on the apparatus in response to forward and rearward movement of the ground engaging leg means.

6. Rocking horse apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein steerable ground engaging wheel means are provided.

7. Rocking horse apparatus as claimed in Claim 6, where a pair of ground engaging leg means are provided one on either side of the apparatus mounted on an axle having a limited slip differential.