US2657054A

US2657054A - Rotating amusement apparatus

Info

Publication number: US2657054A
Application number: US240177A
Authority: US
Inventors: Myers Mark
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1950-08-19
Filing date: 1951-08-03
Publication date: 1953-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 1970-10-27

Description

Oct. 27, 1953 M, MYERS 2,657,054

ROTATING AMUSEMENT APPARATUS Filed Aug. 3 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 in r/enfior MAX/1 M7595.

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r5 8 m m m w M mm r e P Patented Oct. 27, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT Application August 3, 1951, Serial No. 240,177 In Great Britain August 19, 1950 2 Claims.

This invention relates. in. general to amusement apparatus and, in particular, to apparatus in which persons are amused by being carried by centrifugal force against an inclined wall which is caused to rotate about an axis. Essentially, the apparatus comprises a hollow member having an outwardly flaring conical upper part and a lower cylindrical part and a floor movable only in the lower cylindrical part.

An object of the present invention is to provide improved constructions which afford more amusement both to persons taking part and also to onlookers. It also possesses an increased safety factor.

Under one form of the invention a rotating wall of the apparatus converges downwardly to give the increased safety factor, so that any tendency for a person to tilt forward as the rotating wall slows down is avoided, the body of the person always remaining inclined backwardly against the wall instead of sliding down in a vertical position.

In another construction a person is held or is assisted in being held to the wall by air pressure directed from the axis of a central column towards the wall, that is to say from the centre outwardly.

A temporary support or floor is provided on which a person stands until such time as the support is transferred to the internal part of the wall.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevation of one form of apparatus.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detail views of various contours, and

Fig. 5 is a part sectional elevation of a modified form of apparatus.

Referring to Fig. l the wall has an internal part consisting of a lower cylindrical part 2 and a downwardly converging part I. At the base of the part 2 is a track 3. This track is mounted on runners or wheels 4 which may be pneumatically tired. The runners or wheels 4 are mounted on brackets 5 carried on a framework 6. Mounted on the uprights of the framework 6 are guide wheels I which bear against a track 8 on the external part of the wall. A motor or other source of power 9 drives one or more of the Wheels 4 and through this drive the wall is rotated. Brak ing means as indicated at It may be provided.

Within the wall is a support or platform II which is lowered or raised by a jack device l2 which may be hydraulically air actuated or by some mechanical arrangement. The platform H r is guided for movement by runners I 3' working on tracks I 4 on the. internal part of the wall.

In this construction a platform H. The apparatus is then set in motion and when the person has reached the internal wall due to the centrifugal force set up, the platform is lowered, and the person is held to the internal wall.

Examples of the form of internal wall are shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

In Fig. 2 the internal wall consists of a parallel-walled part l5 and a cup-shaped walled part l6. In Fig. 3 there is shown an internal wall consisting of a parallel-walled part I! and, a downwardly converging part l8 merging into a parallel-walled part 19. In this construction the person could move up the wall l8 for a time, but on reaching the part iii the movement would be discontinued or checked and thereafter the movement would be one of revolution only. Fig. 4 shows an internal wall 20 of hexagonal contour.

Fig. 5 shows another form of apparatus. According to this construction a person is held or is assisted in being held to the wall by air pressure directed from the axis of a central column 2| towards the wall, that is to say, from the centre outwardly. The speed of rotation is generally much slower than with the form in which centrifugal force set up during rotation of the wall is used alone to hold a person against the wall.

The applied air pressure issues from the central column 2 i from multiple outlets, such as elongated slots 22 spaced around the perimeter of the column. The column 2! may be of uniform cross section at the upper part merging at the lower end into the frustum of a cone 23, the slanting sides of which may have multiple outlets 24 for directing streams of air in suitable directions, for example, at issuing angles whereby the said streams intersect the streams issuing from that part of uniform cross section. The path of the latter streams may be at right angles to the wall. The streams of air may be likened to whirling or like sprays directed towards the wall.

The supply of air may be obtained from any suitable apparatus, for example, an air pump or a compressor or blower 25.

A wire meshing 28 may be placed over the air outlets.

The apparatus may be used for purposes other than amusement, for example, gymnastic performances.

It will be apparent that the invention can be person stands upon the variously modified and changed within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An amusement apparatus comprising, the combination of, a hollow member having an open top and rotatable about its vertical axis, means to rotate said member about said axis, the lower part of said member having interior walls formed of a cylinder, the upper part of said member having interior walls formed of a truncated cone upwardly flaring, a circular horizontal floor slidably positioned within said cylindrical Walls and means to raise and lower said floor to alternately close and open the bottom of said truncated part of said member, said floor forming a base, when closing the bottom end of said truncated cone, upon which a person may stand with his back against said upwardly flaring wall, the retation of said member causing said person to remain suspended against said wall when said floor is lowered and to slide upwardly on said wall, the bottom of the cone-shaped part having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical part of the hollow member thus forming an i:Ebutment to limit the upward movement of said our.

2. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, in which means are provided for directing a plurality of air streams from said axis outwardly against said upwardly flaring walls for assisting in holding a person against the surface of said upwardly flaring walls.

MARK MYERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 920,567 Hayes May 4, 1909 2,586,333 Hofimeister Feb. 19, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 452,899 Great Britain Sept. 1, 1936 489,789 Great Britain Aug. 4, 1938