US1906763A - waynes - Google Patents

Description

H. F. MAYNES AMUSEMENT RIDE May 2, 1933.

Filed March 11, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR HYLA MAY/V55 ATToRNEYs H. F. MAYNES AMUSEMENT RIDE May 2, 1933.

Filed March 11, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 44 45 47 INVENTOR m1 A F. M4 was 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR HVLA E MAY/v55 BY W ATTORNEYS ATTORNEYS H. F. MAYNES AMUSEMENT RIDE 5 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed March 11, 1932 May 2, 1933.

' May 2, 1933;

H. F. MAYNES AMUSEMENT RIDE Filed March 11, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 5\ \NVENTOR Hru F MA 7N5;

BY 09 M @4 v I ATTORN EY5 Patented May 2, 1 9 33 n.

HYLA F. MAY

' AMUSEMENT RIDE Application area Hawa i, 1932. Serial No'. 598,163.;

This invention relates to anamuseme'ntf rlde whichy besides provld ng a novel form of intertainment, lends itself to use fasa ballyhoo for attracting attention to the ride. The ride of the inventionmay in general character resemble that described in my United StatesPaten-t'No. 1,535,237, dated April 28,1925, in which a passenger-carry: I x 111g Vehicle, such as a car or train of cars,

10 travels around an enclosed e11'dlesjs"track wayandthe term t rackway is used herein in a broad sense to include any roadway over which a Vehicle is designed to travels preferably tortuous and'undulatingand ro- 15 vided with suitable mirth-pr devices to lend novelty to the ride. 'According'to the present invention the portion of the enclosure which extends along the midway or public thoroughfare comprises a rotatable barrel completely surrounding the trackway' and through pass,

Mechanism is provided for opening a p0r-.

which the cars arearrange'd to i ,tion of the barrel during: its rotation to ex-, posefthe car and its occupants to public view.

Preferably the lengthof trackway extending through the' barrel is so designed as to i part motion to' th-e car 'tendingjto unsettle Qits occupants, and as the barrel is opened 39 froml time to time to unexpectedly expose the passengersftoview the resulting r'nerri merit and confusion. directs the attentio'nof thecrowds'passing the midway to the ride; sincethe revolving barrel will normally extend across substantially theentire front 7 of the'lot-o'ccupiedby' the rideythe portion of the barrel capable of being opened is preferably of such dimensions; as to" permit loading 40 the'side of the barrel. p 7

Theou'ter surface. of the barrelmay bear upon it markings so as to produce a kaleido scopie effect ori form a traveling picture when the barrcl lis' rotated. These markings, for

example when pictorial maybe appropriatef' c 1y chosen"; andso' arranged upon the barrel as tcxcreate the-illusion of a cyclone in which the characters and objects-depicted are car rieclskyward. s s v p i; e Other features of the invention reside in hoops are r'ot'atably and unloading of the cars through 7 H the novel construction of the barrel,

lan View taken alongline 3 3 of Figure owing the top of a standard and the man-e nerf in Whicha fabric'coveringis connected to the en'd'hoops of theunits constituting the barrel; 4.is a detail cross-sectionalviewof'the barrel taken along; line 4'4 of Figures 2 and 5 illustrating, the "structure by which the mounted on the standards I and the drive mechanism I Fig. 5 is a fragmentary showing of a per-- tion of thefba'rrel' as; viewed from its inside and illustrating the mode of supporting the r endsof the canvas sheets covering the barrel so that the barrel-can be opened for a portion: o f its' circumference to expose its interior to View ig. 6 is a section taken alongline 6+6 of v Fig. 3 is a detail of a portion of the barrel runs, or? fioRrnf-ToNAwANnA,1nEw YoRmAssIoNoR or ONE-"HALF mo EMMA enemas, 01? NORTH ToNAw'ANnmNEw' YORK Figures 2 and 7 showing the manner in which i the operating rod is' arranged to engage the leading carriage ;of the string" of carriages carried upon] each hoop whereby ;to open and close the barrel;- and y V 7 p ,7 Fi 7 's a side elevation of the. barrel indicanngrhe type of "markings which the barrelimay'bear on its circumference. v 1 I As illustratedfinfFigg lot the drawings, the ride according to thepresentembodiment comprises a tortuous" and undulating track- Way 1 enclosed: throughout its length within, a darkenedtunnel 2, the major partof which tunnelis 'consti't'utedbyv a, canopy 3L car 5,: or a train of .suchrcar's, carrying a load of;

passengers is adapted to runalong. the track way and as'the cars encounter the undulating portions ofthetrackway the passengers, are bumped'up and down or jostledback. and

forth. The cars may be electrically driven and the tunnel may be provided with airblasts, noise producers and illuminated scenic efiects designed to startle or amuse the patrons, a device for directing a blast of air against the car being designated by the numeral 6 in Fig. 1. One such form of ride is shown in my prior Patent No. 1,535,237 above mentioned, to which reference is made for a more complete description of certain details of constructions not contained in the present specification. It will be understood that the ride shown in that patent has been adopted merely to illustrate one type of ride in con nection with which the present invention may be employed and that other types may be readily modifiedto incorporate the novel features of the invention.

The trackway is formed with a generally straight but undulated stretch of track 7 of any suitable length flanking the midway and supported a short distance above the ground level. The section of tunnel corresponding to this straight run of track comprises a cylindrical barrel 8 of sufliciently large diameter to accommodate the cars 5 and in addition aflord adequate overhead clearance for the passengers seated in the cars.

The barrel 8 is made up of a series of independent cylindrical units 9 arranged end-toend and each unit constituting a longitudinal section of the barrel. This has the advantage of permitting the track 7 to be readily associated with the barrel when the ride is initially set up. These units are identical in construction so that a description of one will serve as a description of all. Each unit 9 comprises a pair of hoops 10 of a size determining the diameter of the barrel. The hoops are disposed in parallelism a suitable distance apart and each hoop is formed of an angle iron bent into circular shape and having one of its flanges 11 projecting radially inward toward the center of the hoop and its other flange 12 extending perpendicularly thereto and directed lengthwise of the unit as shown in Fig. i. r Between the two hoops constituting the ends of a unit extends a sheet 14 of flexible material such as canvas. The sheet is associated with the hoops 10 by means of short coil springs 15 connected to the ends of wire stays 16 extending lengthwise of the unit and which may be received within pockets 16a provided on the sheet at spaced intervals around the circumference of the unit. The other ends of the coil springs engage open ings in the flanges 12, whereby the canvas is supported upon a skeleton in substantially the annular shape of the hoops. The sheet 14.- is of suflicient length to completely encircle a unit and have its ends slightly overlapped. Upon the exterior of the canvas are painted humorous characters or other representations 1; in i a e at 17 in liorder that the barrel rotates in a direction so that the side presented to the view of the crowd in the midway moves from the ground upward, the things depicted on the barrel appear to be rising through the air, as in a cyclone.

The barrel is mounted for rotation within supporting standards 18 spaced apart lengthwise of the barrel. The individual standards as shown in Fig. 2 comprise a pair of upright 19 disposed upon opposite sides of the barrel and having flat metal plates 20 on their lower ends to afford solid engagement with the ground, The upper ends of the pairs of cornpanion uprights are connected by arched members 21 spanning the top of the barrel.

The standards are maintained in correctly spaced relation by means of stay-rods 22 reaching between adjacent standards as shown in Fig. 7. For ease of assembly and disassembly the standards 18 are made in two half-sections 18a and 18b united by tongueand-slot connections 24 and pins 25 slidable within registering openings through the slots and tongues. The constituent elements of the standards may consist of metal pipe sections suitably fashioned so as to be conveniently loaded upon a vehicle and transported from place to place; and they may embody the assembly mechanism disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,674,734, dated June 26, 1928, so as to permit them to be quickly setup and knocked down.

Between the two uprights 19 of each standard is secured a ring 26 (Fig. 2) which may also be formed of pipe, this ring being of the same diameter as the hoops 10. The ring occupies a position intermediate the two inwardly projecting flanges 11 of the hoops forming the adjacent ends of juxtaposed units but afl'ording a slight clearance between the rings and hoops so as not to retard the rotation of the hoops. The standards 18 not only rotatably support the barrel 8 but also support above the ground level the straight run of track 7 which traverses the barrel. For this purpose a cross-tie 27 extends horizontally between the uprights 19 of each standard at such an elevation as to intersect the lower half of the ring 26 to define a chord member 27 a. To this chord member is fastened, as by means of clevis bolts 28, a pair of I-beams 29 which support upon their upper flanges the rails 30 of track 7. A loading platform 31 extends alongside the track, a part of this platform being supported upon the cross-ties 27 lying outside the ring and another part of the track at a higher elevation being supported upon members 37 which rest at one end on top of an I-beam and at their other end against the ring. A truss element 32 joining the cross-tie with the bottom of the ring adds strength and rigidity to the standard.

In the interior of the barrel and rigidly da ped to t e r ng 26 at paced i tervals of rollers 35 and 36 rotatable" about axes at rightangles to each other. One pair of roll-' around their inner circumferences: are brackets 34. As shown in Figs.4 and 5, each bracket spans the-two inwardly projecting flanges 11 of the end hoops of adjacent units and upon these brackets are mounted pairs ers contacts withthe-innersurfaces (that is the surfaces located inside the barrel) of the radial flanges 11 of the hoops-to prevent axial separation ofthe-hoops and the rollers 36 engage the inner circumferential surface-of the flanges 12 and support the bearings and precluded from any appreciable.

lateral or axial displacement during rotation. Rotation is impartedto' the units making up the barrelby spur gears 39 fixed upon a drive shaft 40' running lengthwise of the barrel adjacent its circumference and journaled in bearings 41 located upon the crossties 27. Two gears are provided for each unit, arranged to mesh withchains 42 fixed.

to the outer or circumferential surfaces of flanges 12of hoops 1.0 as shown in. Figs. 3 and 4. The shaft 40 may be driven by a reversible electricmotor M, current for which;

is furnished from a power plant'as' indicated in Fig. 1; or it may be driven from. any other source of power through a suitable clutch" or transmission underthe control of the attendant in charge of the ride whereby the direction'of rotation of the barrelmay be reversed at will. a c

As has been indicated the canvas sheets/14 are supported-upon the stays 16 disposed between'the end hoops of the various units and together form the elongated cylindrical wall of the barrel 8; The=meansyfor opening the 1 barrel to permit ingress and egress of the passengers and to expose the carsduring' operation of the ride will now be described.

F or a predetermined "distance around a unit commencing at. a point coinciding withthe overlapped ends ofthecanvas sheetl' l,

the springs 15 connected to the ends of the stays 16 supporting the end, portion of the sheet instead ofbeing fastened'directly'to the flanges 12 are instead connected to'carriage's 4 1 traversible along guiderails 45 carried by the hoops 10 at opposite ends of the unit. The. portionof the sheet supported by these carriages defines in effect a curtain fl adapted to be folded up or shirred for a substantial distance around the circumference of the barrel to form a gap of about degrees ex V follows; While the barreI'S is stationary and I the curtains folded up, passengers pass onto the' loadingiplatform' 31' thrwghthe tending the lengthof theunit. The guide rails 45' are welded-to the lateral edges ofgthe longitudinally extending flanges 1120f the hoops constituting the two ends of a unit and I are of T-shape with the stern of the T forming a continuationof the flange 12 and the crombar disposedperpendicularly thereto or radially of the unit. The carriages i' l span the crossbar portion of 'therails and are pro vided with rollers 48enga ing opposite sides ofboth the stem and cross 'ar portions of the rails as shown in Figs. 5 and 6; The carriages 1 support the curtainat suitably spaced intervals so that when the. carriages are farthest separated as'limitedby their connection with the curtain,cthe curtain is spread toclose the gap and slightly overlapthe ends of the sheet, while whenthe carriages are run together or bunched the curtain is collapsed in the manner' shown in Figs. 2 and 3 with'the canvas neatly folded together to form the gap.

arranged to be raised and lowered 'simul-- taneously during rotation of the barrel to open and close the barrel.

This is acc'omplished by the following mechanism. Paral leling the barrel and. supported in bearings 50 (Fig. '2) on the standards 18 is an operating rod 51 having fastened thereto a lurality of fingers'52, which when the sha t is rocked by swinging the handle 51a are projected into the pathof anabutment 53 formed on the leading carriage of the string or train of carriages carried. on each guide rail 45 When the barrelis rotating clockwiseas in-' dicated in Fig; 2with the curtains drawn,

engagement of thefingers 52' with the abutments on the leading carriages44 of the string will cause'these carriages tobe momentarily arrested so that continued rotation of the barrel operatesto run the carriages to ether to fold np'the curtain. Further rotatlon of the barrel kicks the fingers out of the path of the abutments On the other hand,

when it is desired todraw the curtainto close the gap, the direction ofrotation of the bar rel :is reversed by the attend-ant in charge of Ithe ri'deand the operatingrod 51 rocked to;

again project the fingers into the path of the 'abutments53. This time, however th'e fingers will engage the opposite sides of'the abutments and hold the carriage stationary while continued movement of the-barrel stringsthe carriages out along the guide rails 1 and draws thecurtain closed. The curtains are maintained ineither their raised or low-. ered positions by the inertia of theacar'riages by whichthey are-supported. Stops 54' are provided on the guide rails 45 for arresting the carriages a't'the limits oftheir move ments-and relieve the curtains from stresses.

The mode of operationof the ride is as gap in-the wall of the barrel from which they enter the cars 5 drawn up, beside the platform within the barrel. When the passengers have taken their seats the loading platform is cleared and power is connected to the drive shaft 40 which simultaneously rotates the various units composing the barrel. 8 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2. The attendant now grasps the handle 51a and rocks the operating rod 51 in such a manner as to project the fingers into engagement with the abutments 53 on the leading carriages 44 tocause the folded curtains 47 to be spread out to close the gap as heretofore explained. The barrel is allowed to run free for an interval of time during which the cars travel around and around the endless trackway in the darkened tunnel.

From time to time the attendant changes the direction of rotation of the barrel and pulls the lever 51a to fold up the curtains, as previously described, and unexpectedly expose the cars and their occupants to View as they pass over the eccentric stretch of track 7. The direction of rotation of the barrel is then reversed and the curtains drawn closed. The operations of opening and closing the curtains may be performed at frequent intervals by the attendant in charge of the ride until the time allotted for the ride has expired, at which time the barrel is brought to rest. Before the barrel comes to a stop the curtains 47 will have been raised so that the passengers may step from the cars onto the platform when the cars come to a halt and pass out of the barrel through the gap formed by the raised curtains.

The ballyhoo feature of the barrel which results from the provision of markings upon the exterior of the barrel which when the barrel'is in rotation create in 'efiect a travel-' ing picture, has already been described. These markings need not take the form suggested herein but will depend upon the fancy of the builder of the ride. IVhen characters are depicted in the position they assume when falling or rising through the air a very strik ing effect is attained.

I claim:

1. In an amusement ride, the combination ofa passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway, means for rotating said barrel, and means for opening said barrel.

2. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel enclosing a portion of the trackway,

means for rotating said barrel, and means for opening and closing said barrel.

3. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon. which the-vehicle s adapted to travel,

a barrel enclosing a portion of the trackway, means for rotating said barrel, and means for opening and closing said barrel during its rotatioin 4. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel enclosing a portion of the trackway, means for rotating said barrel, and means for opening and closing said barrel, said last named means being selectively operable during rotation of the barrel.

5. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway, means for rotating the barrel, a loading platform extending lengthwise adjacent the exterior of the barrel, and means for removing a circumferential section of the barrel to provide access from the platform to a vehicle located within the barrel.

6. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway, means for rotating the barrel, a loading platform extending lengthwise adjacent the exterior of the barrel, and means for removing a circumferential section of the barrel to provide access from the alatform to a vehicle located within the barre said portion of the trackway within the barrel being constructed to impart a series of abrupt directional changes to the vehicle.

7. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, atrackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway composed of a plurality of hoops arranged in spaced relation, rollers supporting said hoops, sheets of flexible material extending between said hoops, and means for driving said hoops.

8. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway composed of'a plurality of hoops arranged in spaced relation, rollers supporting said hoops, sheets of flexible material extending between said hoops and constituting the wall of the barrel, means for rotating the hoops in synchronism and means for collapsing a section of said wall during rotation of the barrel of sufficient size to permit access to the cars through the wall of the barrel.

9. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger'carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway composed of a plurality of hoops ar-. ranged in spaced relation, rollers supporting said hoops, sheets of flexible material extending between said hoops and drive mechanism rotating the barrel in either direction, means for rotating the barrel, saiddrive mechanism comprising a chain fixed to the circumference of a hoop, a gear engaging the chain and means for rotating the gear. I

10. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a barrel surrounding a portionof the trackway composed of a pluralityof hoops arranged in spaced relation, rollers supporting said hoops, sheets of flexible material extending between said hoops and constituting the wall of the barrel, drive means for rotating the operable when the barrel is drivenin' one direction to remove a section of the Wall for a substantial distancelongitudinally ofthe barrel, and means operable when the barrel is driven in the reverse direction for replacing the section of the wall.

12'. In an amusement ride, the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway upon which the vehicle is adapted to travel, a'sectional barrelsurrounding a portion of the trackway composed'of a series of juxtaposed longitudinalunits, each unit comprising hoops arranged in spaced relation'and forming the ends of the unit, sheets of flexible material extending between said hoops, a

plurality of standards arranged lengthwise of the barrel and interposed between the ends of the units composing thebarrel, brackets carried upon the standards spanning the hoops forming the opposite ends of adjacent units and rollers mounted upon said brackets,

and engaging the hoops for revolubly supporting the units.

13. In an amusement device the combinationof a horizontally rotatable barrel comprising supporting hoops and a flexible fabric carried by and extending between the hoops, and means for shirringup a circumferential section of the fabric during rotation to expose the interior of the barrel and for extending said Shirred-up section to close the barrel.

14. In an amusement device the combined tion of a horizontally rotatable, barrel comprising supporting hoops, carriages mounted on the hoops and movable circumferentially thereof, and a flexible fabric carried by the carriages and extending between the hoops,

and means for engaging a carriage during rotation of the barrel to shirr up the fabric.

15. In an amusementdevice the combination of a horizontally rotatable barrel comprising supporting hoops, carriages mounted on the hoops and movable circumferentially' thereof through a limited arc, and a flexible fabric carried by the carriages and the hoops and extending between the hoops, and means for engaging a carriage duringthe' rotation of the barrelto shirr up a circumferential section of the'fabric.

16. ,In an amusement ride the combination of a'passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway along which the vehicle is adapted to travel,

a barrel surrounding a portion of the track-v way composed of hoops arranged in parallel spaced relation, a sheet of flexible material extending between the hoops, guide rails mounted upon the hoops, a string of carriages connected to the flexible sheet and adapted to travel along each guide rail,'means for rotating the barrel and means for cans-r ing said carriages totravel along the guide rails during rotation of the barrel, saidlast namedmeans comprising a finger projectible into engagement with one of the carriages of each string of carriages so as to close up or spread out the carriages along the guide rail. 5

17. In an amusement ride the combination of a passenger-carrying vehicle, a trackway along which the vehicleis adapted to travel,

a barrel surrounding a portion of the trackway composed of hoops arranged in spaced relation, sheets of flexible material extending betweenthe hoops, guide rails mounted upon said hoops, a string of carriages connected 1 to the flexible sheets and adapted to travel along each guide rail and means for rotating said barrel in opposite directions, means for causing said carriages to travel along said guide rails during rotation of the barrel,said last named meanscomprising a plurality of fingers projectible into engagement with the leading carriage of each string of carriages so as to close up or spread out the carriages alongthe guide rails.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HYLA F. MAYNES.

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