US1847090A - Seesaw board - Google Patents

Description

March l, 1932.

J. H.' HILL sEEsAw BOARD Filed March 7, 1928 Patented Mar. l, 1932 UNTED STATES are JUNE H. HILL, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, ASSGNOR T0 HILL-STANDARD CO., 0F ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA SEESAW BOARD Application led March 7,

My invention relates in general to see-saw or teeter-totter boards, and more particularly to a resiliently supported type of see-saw board of novel construction.

It is common practice to construct see-saw or teeter-totter boards which are adapted to be tilted about a lixed fulcrum. ln such instances the only movement experienced by the board while in use is a single swinging or tilting movement about the fixed ulcrum within predetermined limits. One of the primary objects of my present invention 1s to provide a see-saw having a board which is mounted in such a manner that when the board is in use it will not only experience a tilting movement, but will also experience a combined swaying movement in a direction longitudinally thereof.

Another object of my invention is to provide a see-saw which is resiliently mounted intermediate its ends so that when the users of the board impart the usual tilting motion thereto, the resilient mounting will serve to effect a pleasing swaying sensation compounded with the tilting movement.

A further object of my invention is to provide a see-saw of economical and rigid construction having a resilient support which is adapted to maintain the board in a horizontal positon, that is, approximately parallel with the ground or iloor while not in use, thereby retaining both extremities of the board in elevated positions.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a see-saw especially adapted to Jfurnish amusement for children with a minimum o danger incident to its use, there being no relatively movable joints or rotary bearings in the construction whereby a child might become entangled and crushed.

A further object of the invention contemlates the provision of a see-saw of simple and rugged construction which comprises a minimum number of parts and no relatively movable joints.

A further object of my invention is to pro- Ivide a teeter-totter which is designed to be operated by a single user as distinguished from the usual type of pivotally mounted see-saw boards which must be operated by 1928. Serial No. 259,752.

two persons, and to this end I contemplate the provision of a mounting for the teetertotter board which, when operated by one person will render a combined tilting and swaying movement in a direction longitudinally or' the board. It is still a further object of my present invention to provide a teeter-totter or see-saw which is resiliently mounted intermediate the ends of the see-saw board, said mounting being adapted for association with a portable base or for permanent attachment to the ground or floor.

These and other objects will be more apparent from the following detailed description when it is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a see-saw representing one embodiment of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken longitudinally of the seesaw board onthe line 2-2 of Figure 1.

To illustrate my invention, I have shown in the drawings a see-saw comprising a base indicated generally by the numeral 2, a seesaw board i and resilient support members 6 comprising spaced uprights rigidly secured at their opposed ends to the see-saw board and in the base 2 which base is formed of spaced longitudinal frame members 8, ground members 10 extending between the Jirames and a transverse support member 12. The support member 12 is secured to the upper edges of the longitudinal frame members 8 by suitable 'r'astening means which, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises bolts 14. The parts comprisin the base 2 may be constructed of any suita le material such as wood or the like which will permit the base to be moved ifrom place to place with ease.

rThe spaced uprights 6 comprise iiat strips of spring steel and are secured at their lower ends between the vertical arms of angle irons 16 which engage opposite sides of the uprights, being secured thereto in any Convenient manner such as by welding, riveting and the like. The horizontal arms of the angle irons 16 extend outwardly and may be secured to the support member 12 as by bolts eef 18. The uprights 6 extend upwardly of the angle irons 16 and are rigidly secured at their upper ends to the lower surface of the seesaw board 4 by means of angle irons 20, said angle irons having vertical arms which clamp the opposite faces of the uprights and are secured thereto in any convenient manner. The horizontal arms of the angle irons 2O may be secured to the lower surface of the see-saw board 4 intermediate the ends thereof by means of bolts 22. Handles 24 are positioned at intervals along the upper surface of the see-saw board 4.

Referring to Figure 2, it will be observed that dotted lines indicate positions assumed by the board 4 and the resilient uprights 6 when the see-saw is in use. lt will thus be clear that as the right end of the board 4, as viewed in Figure 2, is tilted downwardly, this tilting movement will be accompanied by a swaying movement to the right of said figure, and likewise when the left end of the board is tilted downwardly, a swaying action in the direction longitudinally and to the left of the board 4 will take place. The resilient supports 6 in this manner provide a fulcrum about which the tilting movement of the board 4 takes place, and also a fulcrum about which said board is longitudinally swayed.v By employing this compounded movement a novel and attractive see-saw effect is produced and obviously different compounded movements of the board may be produced by using supports of different lengths and by using supports having varied resilient characteristics. Aside from the pleasing sensation to the user resulting from the use of a board resiliently supported in accordance with the teaching of my invention, these supports are constructed so as to cause the board to return to a position substantially parallel with the floor or ground subsequent to each use thereof. In this manner the ends of the board will be free from engagement with the gymnasium floor or the ground and greatly facilitate the moving of the see-saw structure from one place to another. Obviously, the resilient support members 6 might be arranged in a manner differing from the spaced relation which they occupy in the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Thus, for example, a plu rality of such support members or leaf springs might be superimposed upon one another in instances where a different degree of resiliency or more rigid construction is desired, this being a matter of constructional arrangement to satisfy the particular needs or which my improved device is to be ev ployed.

Attention is directed to the fact that the described teeter-totter differs from the usual types of pivotally supported see-saw boards in that my device may be used by one person.

` no relatively In this connection it will be seen that I position one of the handles 24 at the substantially the middle portion of the board 4 and this handle provides a suitable gripping means when the board is used by one person. Such a person may very easily straddle the central part of the board adjacent the above mentioned handle and with very little effort cause the board to be swayed in the manner hereinbefore described It will also be apparent that my invention provides a teeter-totter in which there are movable joints or rotary bearings such as journals and the like, thereby reducing to a minimum the potential hazards incident to the use of the usual type of teetertotter having a board tiltable about a fixed pivot. Therefore my invention lends itself very readily for use in connection with playgrounds and the like where it is desirable to employ apparatus for children which is not inherently dangerous. Although the teetertotter herein described provides a convert ient portable type of gymnasium or playground equipment, it will be readily apparent that the resilient support members 6 may be secured in a fixed position as for example t0 a concrete or wooden floor (not shown).

y securing see-saw devices of the type described7 in a fixed position upon the ground or to a gymnasium floor and arranging such devices in alignment, a very pleasing and orderly arrangement of apparatus is provided by reason of the fact that the boards, when not in use, occupy a position substantially horizontal with the ground or floor. My improved see-saw is very durable in construction and yet economical to manufacture because of the minimum number of parts necessary in its construction, and presents a novel and attractive type of playground or gymnasium apparatus.

Although a see-saw of particular design and having a particular type of resilient su port has been herein described, it is to be understood that my invention is capable of many other applications, and therefore should not be limited by the structures disclosed, but only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what claim as new and ters Patent is:

l. A see-saw including a see-saw board, a base, and an upright resilient support member connected to the intermediate section of the board and mounted upon the base whereby the see-saw action is provided by the resilience of the support.

desire to secure by Letsee-saw comprising' a base, a see-saw board adapted to accommodate a user at each end thereof and a resilient support member secured between the base and board, intermediate the ends of said board.

3. A see-saw comprising a see-sawV board,

a plurality of flexible supports rigidly secured to the board and lying in a plane intersecting the plane of the board along a line substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the see-saw board, and base upon which the supports are mounted.

4. In a device of the class described, a seesaw board adapted to accommodate a user at each end thereof, a resilient supporting means therefor positioned substantially intermediate the ends of the board and adapted to effect a combined tilting and longitudinal swaying of the board, and a base upon which the supporting means is mounted.

5. In a see-saw device having a see-saw board, a base, resilient supporting means positioned substantially intermediate the ends of the board and adapted to effect a combined tilting and longitudinal swaying of the board, and a gripping means positioned medially of the board for use when the board is being actuated by a single user.

G. A see-saw comprising a base, a see-saw board and a resilient member secured at its lower extremity to the base and its upper extremity intermediate the ends of the see-saw board, the normal position of said resilient member being substantially vertical to retain the see-saw board in a substantially horizontal position when not in use with the plane of the board positioned substantially perpendicular to the plane including the resilient member.

7. A see-saw comprising a see-saw board adapted to accommodate a person at each extremity thereof, a base, an upright leaf spring secured at its upper extremity to the medial portion of the see-saw board and at its lower extremity to the base, whereby the see-saw board may be swayed longitudinally in response to the tilting thereof occasioned by persons positioned at each extremity of the board.

8. A see-saw comprising a see-saw board, a base, and an upright flexible means for supporting the entire weight of the board, said flexible support being connected at its lower extremity to the base and at its upper extremity to the medial portion of the board, the plane of the board being normally perpendicular to the plane of the flexible support.

9. In a device of the class described, a board providing a seat for a rider, hand hold means mounted on said seat in position to be gripped by a person seated on the seat, a support base comprising a pair of spaced members, a cross member to maintain said spaced members in spaced apart relationship, a block carried by said spaced members and a leaf spring clamped at one end on said block and secured at the other end to said board whereby to permit a see-saw eect to be resiliently imparted in said board when only one person is seated thereon, said spring being arranged for flexion in a vertical plane substantially arallel with and between the spaced memers, whereby to prevent lateral tipping of the device and said spaced members being elongated sufficiently to prevent tipping of the device about one end of the base when one person only is manipulating the device.

10. In a device of the class described, a board providing a seat for a rider, a support base comprising a pair of spaced members, a

cross member to maintain said spaced members in spaced apart relationship, a block carried by said spaced members and a leaf spring clamped at one end on said block and at the other end to said board whereby to permit a see-saw effect to be resiliently imparted in said board, said spring being arranged for flexion in a vertical plane substantially parallel with the spaced members, said spaced members being elongated sufficiently to prevent tipping of the device about one end of the base when one person only is manipulating the device.

In witness whereof, I

scribed my name.

.TUNE H. HILL.

have hereunto sub-

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