US2547152A - Multiplane rotating movement for aerial amusement rides - Google Patents

Description

A ril 3, 1951 Filed April 6, 1948 J. E. BURG MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I BY il I I I ATTORNEYS.

April 3, 1951 J. E. BURG 2,547,152

' MULTIPLANE RQTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES Filed April 6, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 III/I INVENTO ATTORNEYS- April 3, 1951 J. E. BURG 2,547,152

MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES Filed April 6, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 lviiwiw aztzzzi y INVENTOR I BY I I I ATTORNEYS.

April 3, 1951 J. E. BURG MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES 4 Sheets-Shet 4 Filed April 6, 1948 N Nu 5N km m RN km m I/\M, NNJ 4 m M \N RN Sm. M R mm (M1 NW N. W MN MN MW NW NR ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 3, 1951 MULTIPLANE ROTATING MOVEMENT FOR AERIAL AMUSEMENT RIDES John E. Burg, Burlington, Iowa Application April 6, 1948, Serial No. 19,219

This invention relates to an amusement ridin device, such as is found in public amusement parks.

A main object of the invention is to provide a structure of the character described which will impart to cars carried thereby a combination of simultaneous movements designed to produce maximum thrills for the occupants.

Another main object is to provide an amusement riding device which will operate as stated above and will yet be wholly safe.

With the foregoin and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts, hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of the rotatable carsupporting portion of the device, the base not being shown.

Figure 2 is a side elevation, one arm and car supported thereby not being shown.

Figure 3' is a side elevation of the car-supporting yoke of one of the arms, the car'being shown in end elevation.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-6 of Figure 3 showing the connection of the yoke to the arm.

Figure 5 is an end elevation of the yoke, the car being shown in side elevation.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3, the shell of the car being removed for the purpose of showing details of inner construction whereby the car ismounted for movement relative to the yoke, some parts being shown in section.

Figure 7 is a section on line '!1 of Figure 6, end portions of the car shell being cut away.

Figure 8 is a detail section on line 8+8 of Figure 7.

Figure -9 is a detail section on line 9-5 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a detail section on line it-55 of Figure 6.

Figure 11 is a side elevation of a locking means whereby the car is locked to the yoke'to permit entry or departure of passengers portions of the device cooperating with the locking means being shown fragmentarily.

Referring to the drawings in detail, at 5 I have designated a fixed supporting structure or base, the upper end of which is formed as a platform 6 rigid with the base, and is inclined at an 2 Claims. (Cl. 272-51) ted through angularly related meshing gears to an inclined shaft 3, projected through the platform 6 and disposed perpendicular thereto.

Rotated by shaft 3 is a turn-table '8 mounted on the platform 6, and a plurality of arms 9 are secured to and extend radially from the turntable, as best shown by Figure 1. The arms 9 may be in any desired number and are preferably formed from elongated I-beams, this construction being best shown by Figures 2 and 4.

From this point, the description will be confined to the construction of one arm and the parts supported thereby. It will be understood that the other arms and supported parts are constructed identically to that which will be described.

Secured to the free end of each arm 9 is a yoke designated generally by the reference numeral H). In the present instance, yoke iii comprises a pair of channel members if that converge toward their inner ends so as to embrace the outer end of arm 9 (Figure 4). The angles of the channel members are reinforced by gussets l2 and I3.

Registering openings are formed in arm 9 and channel members H and. are threaded to receive studs l4, and lock nuts on the opposite ends of the respective studs secure the connection against any tendency to loosen.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the inner ends of the channel members! i are of curved formation, so that the yoke i 8 extends from the straight arm '9 at an angle. Thus, the yoke at the right of Figure 2 is disposed horizontally, being parallel and close to the ground or other supporting surface. When, however, the yoke is moved through it is positioned as shown at the left of Figure 2, and not only is no longer horizontal, but is disposed at a steep angle relative to the supporting surface.

In the free end of each channel member or yoke arm H, I form an opening l5 (Figure '7) and welded or otherwise rigidly mounted in this opening is a bearing box H5, one end of which is closed by cover plate H. Each of the opposed boxes provided in the yoke includes an outer bushing l8 (Figures 7 and 10). The bearings provided rare for the purpose of permitting axial rotation of opposed stub shafts It, each of which is provided with an inner bushing 20. Roller bear-- ings 2| are carried in the race provided between the bushings, and there are thus provided bearings permitting free rotation of each stub shaft E9 in either direction.

Integral with the inner ends of the respective stub shafts [9 are large arcuate clamps 22 each of which is formed with a thickened center portion from which extend arcuate clamping members 23. Washers 24 are interposed between the clamps and the bearings described above. Each clamp 22 is formed with a longitudinal slot receiving an annular trackway 26 which as best shown by Fig. '7 is T-shaped in cross section, the rib of the track being entered into the slot of each clamp and being secured to the clamp by fastening means 25.

. one end against the collar 48 is the spring 49,

The reference numeral 21 designates spaced 7 V outer disc sections, which may be formed with a plurality of openings 28 (Figure 6) for the purpose of decreasing their weight.

Between the disc sections 21 is interposed an inner section generally designated 29 that is cast with radial spokes 30 integral with a peripheral ring 3|. Ring 3| is concentric with and spaced from track 26 (Figure 7). The outer disc sections 21 and inner disc section 29 are secured against relative rotation by the provision of a plurality of studs 32 threaded through openings formed in the outer disc sections and engaging the inne disc section at the intersection of its spokes 30 (Figure 9). Lock nuts secure the connection against a tendency to loosen.

Cast in the marginal portion of each outer disc section 21 is a plurality of recessed projections 33 that constitute journals for opposed trunnions 35 carried by rollers 35. Rotation of the rollers 35 relative to the outer disc sections is provided by roller bearings 34.

By reason of this construction, it is seen that the rollers 36 and parts immediately associated therewith provide combined rollers and bearings permitting rotation of the inner and outer disc sections relative to track 26, the rollers being interposed between track 26 and the ring 3i.

Opposed shell sections 31 are secured to the respective outer disc sections 21 and to each other in any suitable manner. For example, longitudinal tubular braces 38 can be extended through the car provided for by the shell sections 3?, these being threaded through the outer disc sections and secured in place by lock nuts 39. It is understood that the cars can vary in design, the elliptical shape illustrated being shown purely as an example of one suitable construction. It is understood further that the cars would be cross-braced as necessary so as to insure safety.

To provide access to the tions 3?, I provide the doors respective car sec- 49, hinged at 4! to its associated car section, each door being fitted v with a suitable handle 42.

Referring to Fig. 11, means are provided for preventing rolling of the car in its annular trackway when passengers are being loaded or unloaded. To this end, a tube 43 is provided to the outer end of which is welded or otherwise rigidly secured a box 54 that is rigidly securedto one of the structural frame members of the car section, as for example a cross brace 45.

Slidable and rotatable in the tube 43 is a rod 46 the outer end of which is formed with an apertured locking handle 41.

On the inner end of the tube 43 is a collar 48, and surrounding the rod 46 and abutting at the other end of which abuts against a, washer 50 held by nut 5| threaded on the inner end of the rod 46.

Projecting from opposite faces of the annular trackway 2B is a locking bar 52.

Normally, during operating of the riding device, the locking handle 41 is recessed in the box 44, being yieldably urged into the box by the spring 49. When, however, the riding device is stopped, and passengers are to be either loaded or unloaded, the operators of the device pull the locking handles 4'1 out of their respective lock boxes 44, and partially rotating them to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5, position them over the locking bars 52. Then, the handles are partially. rotated to the full line positions illustrated in Fig. 5, and in these positions will receive the locking bars 52 and will lock the car against movement relative to the annular trackway 26.

As to the operation of the amusement riding device, it is understood that the power means used would be such as would permit the operator to change the speed .of movement of the main arms 9. Variable speed controls for structures of this type are well known in themselves.

' When the amusement riding device is set in motion the radial arms 9 revolve around the inclined axis 8. Each yoke I l and car carried thereby, accordingly, travels in an orbit around said inclined axis 8, and this travel of the yokes is in an inclined plane.

Each annular trackway 26, meanwhile, is mounted between the arms of a yoke for spinning movement. As a result, each car spins o rotates on its transverse axis so that each car in effect has tumbling, end-for-end movement.

There is another free movement of each car, wherein each car rolls freely on its longitudinal axis, by reason of being roller-mounted on its trackway 26.

As may be noted, no movement of a car is controlled by the car occupants. In other words,

the trackway 26 is mounted for free spinning movement between the arms of each yoke, and the car carried by each track 25 is in turn mounted for free rotation within the track. In this connection, the angular relationship of each yoke H to its associated radial arm 9 will give, in most cases, irregular spinning movement to the track 26, and irregular rolling movement to the car carried by each track. This would be by reason of the generally irregular weight distribution of the passengers which would tend to persist in each car, accompanied by the continually changing angles of inclination of the transverse and longitudinal axes of the car during orbital movement of the car in its inclined plane on the end of an angularly related yoke and arm 9.

What is claimed is: l

1. An amusement riding device including a base, arms mounted thereon for radial movement in an inclined plane, a yoke fixedly mounted on the outer end of each arm and inclined upwardly at an angle to said arm, an annular track mounted to spin freely between the arms of each yoke, and a car mounted on each track to roll freely within the track on an axis perpendicular to the axis of spin of the track.

2. An amusement riding device including a base, a tilted shaft mounted. on the upper end of the base, means for driving the shaft, a plurality of radial arms fixed to the shaft and dis posed perpendicular to the axis of the shaft for cured to the disc sections for rotation therewith.

2,547,152 5 6 radial movement of the arms in an inclined plane, REFERENCES CITED yoke F Y Secured to the outer t of each The following references are of record in the arm and inclined upwardly at an oblique angle file of this patent: to the arm, an annular trackway mounted for free spinning between the arms of each yoke, 2; UNITED STATES PATENTS and a car carried by each trackway, each car in- Number Name Date eluding a center disc section concentric with and 1,965,039 Hunt July 3, 1934 disposed within the trackway, rollers interposed 2,203,971 shepherd June 11, 1940 between said center disc section and trackway. 2,274,956 Eyerly Mar. 3, 1942 for free rotation of each disc section within and 1 2,294,166 Eyerly Aug. 25, 1942 relative to the trackway, and shell sections 56- 2,423,283 Austin July 1, 1947 JOHN E. BURG.

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