US2743926A - Springboard and mounting therefor - Google Patents

Description

1956 c. J. KLEIN SPRINGBQARD AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed June 1, 1.955

| T I llll lllllI lllll L I l l I I l CONRAD J KLEIN lNl/EN7DR HUEBNER, BEEHLER WORREL 8 HERZ/G United States Patent v srRrNGnoARn AND THEREFOR Conrad J. Klein, Fresnoyflalif. I Application June 1, 1953, Serial pl asant;

' norm. 01. 272-66) 7 The present invention relates to-ao improved springboard and, mounting therefor and, more. particularly, to a gainers, flips, one-and-a halves, twistsand thev various comfinations thereof, require even grfller height; and. more time in the air for proper execution.

' While the three meter and. thelen feel; .sjpringboards provide adequate heightv and time for the'proper execution or most dives, except in excessive multiples, the regulation one meter and the three feet springboar'ds'. compel constant effort to attain maximum. height for each .dive, it precision of execution is to be permitted, While every exhibition diver encounters this difiiculty, divers. who are light weight find it particularly difilcult to attain desired height. If springhoar'ds are made, quitethin to. aid light. weight divers, they become entirely unsatisfactory for average. or heavy divers.

The constant striving by divers for maximum height subjects the springboarcls, to severe strain and their replacement normally constitutes a major item: of expense in swimming pool maintenance.

'Her'etofore the most popular springboarrls have been formed of hard, spr'ingy wood such as hickoryj or birch. Such springboards are of elongated rectangular form and taper from an anchor end of maximum thickness to an extended end of minimum thickness commensurate with St ength requirements. Such springhoards are usually mounted on a'pair of substantially parallel, inverted U- shaped pipe, members by clamping the anchor end of the board to one ofthe pipe members and resting- :the board at a position intermediate opposite endslthe reof; on the opposite pipe member. The pipe member to which the anchor end of the board isfastnedf is referred to as the anchor and the opposite, pipe member. as; the support. Most springboard breakage occurs;v near the springboard s 'pport' over which the flexing of the board is etfected l' i ig l Y l I v I o ect of the present invention isjto provide an improved springboard and mounting therefore suited to the attainment of increased. height ii diving therefrom as compared. with conventional springboards and mountings. Another objectis to provide a-com-hined springboard and support therefor which makes possible the attainment of maximum height by even light-Weight divers-without impairing the height attainable-by heavier-divers;

Another object is, to provide a. resilient support for .spri ngboards,

Another object is; to providesan improvedtsprizigboard support which can be substituted, lfor conventionahspring- ,haiented ard u po w h a t r' nd inter venience.

Another object is to provide an improved springboard I support which can be substituted for conyentionalfspringboard supports simply by cutting upright posts of cont nal ome n Sliding he wer Q? the Pres n invention downwardly thereover. t

1" a a n is to in m ze h re k o sta nshoards.

'4 Another object is; to provide a springboard supportof the character and .for. the purposes set forth that is economical to construct, durable in form, and which can be installed by eventhe most unskilled labor.

Further objects d adv n a e ill becom epresen in the subsequent description in the specification."

In thev drawing:

Fig. l isa sectional perspective of a swimming pool having a springboard and support therefore mounted adjacent thereto.

Fig. 2 is-a section taken on line 2 -2 of Fig. 1 showing the support of the present invention in elevation.

Fig, 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring in greater detail to the. drawing:

A swimming pool is, indicated generally at 10 illustrative of a; suitable environment for the springboard and mounting of the presentinvention. A slab of concrete, 11 adjacent to the pool represents a suitable base: for the springboard mounting. I

A pair of substantially parallel pipes 13 are embedded in the concrete 11 in corresponding spaced relation to the pool 10 and upwardly extended from the concrete in parallel relation. An elbow '14 is mounted on the. upper endofeach of the pipes 13 and the elbowsinterconnect'ed by a nipple 1 5. The pipes 1 3, elbows 14 and nipple 15 constitute a spring board anchor of well-known form.

A springboard support embodying the principles of the present invention is-indicate'd generally at 16. A pair of posts 17- are rigidly mounted i'n'the' concrete 11in parallel spaced relation and upwardly extended therefrom intermediate the pipes 13 and the'pool 10. Inasmuch as conventional springboard supports usually duplicate the structure described for the springboard anchor, the posts 17ar'e readily madeavailable by simply cutting the pipes of the conventional support in correspondingpositionsin upwardly spaced relation to the concrete. In new instalpipes embedded guides or housingszl are slidably fitted to the periphery of the'flanges 20 concentrically of their flanges respective posts and each provides a lower end portion rested on the concrete and an upper end portion adjacent to the upper end of it's respectively adjacent post. While the flanges Z Ware. s own as weldably secured to both their posts 17 and their spring. housings 21,1r'wi11' be apparent that such double securing is not required but simply vachieves a more readily handled entity which can be packaged,- shipped, sold and installed with a minimum of inconvenience.

A helical compression spring '23'is mounted concentrically on each of the posts 17' within said posts respee. tive spring housings 21. Each spring has a lower end portion rested on the flange circumscribing its post and an 1 upper end upwardly extended tram the post. A substanmetrically on each of the plates 25.

forces imposed thereon.

at this point.

'the sprin s the upwardly extended end portion of each spring housing, as best shown in Fig. 3. Substantially circular cap plates 25 are rigidly mounted in closing relation to the upwardly extended end portions of the telescopic sleeves and are rested on the upwardly extended ends of the springs 23 therein.

- A semi-cylindrical receptacle 27, such as a longitudinally divided segment of a pipe nipple, is positioned dia- The receptacles are axially aligned and a substantially horizontal rest bar 28 positioned therein, as best shown in Pig. 3. The rest bar preferably provides a substantially cylindrical periphery and is conveniently formed from the length of pipe, tubing, or the like of sufficient strength to resist the A bolt 29 is upwardly extended centrally through each of the plates 25 and diametrically through the receptacle and rest bar positioned thereon. Nuts 30 screw-threadably mounted on the upper ends of the bolts tighten the receptacles and the rest bar 23 down wardly against the plates with the telescopic sleeves 24 in substantially parallel relation.

A springboard 31 of well-known form is shown in Fig. 1 having an anchor end secured to the nipple and a portion intermediate opposite ends thereof supported on the rest bar 28. The springboard is secured to the anchor by any suitable means such as a clamp 32 overlaying the springboard and having a pair of bolts 33 downwardly extended therefrom on opposite sides of the nipple 15 at each side of the springboard. A shackle 34- is positioned on each pair of bolts beneath the nipple and tightened upwardly thereagainst by nuts 35 mounted on the bolts.

Operation The operation of the apparatus of the present invention is believed to be clearly apparent and is briefly summarized If the springboard support 16 is to be mounted in a new installation, the posts 17 are embedded in the concrete 11 in the positions described. If the support is to replace a conventional support, the posts .17 are provided by cutting upright pipes of such conventional support in spaced relation to the concrete.

The support including the mounting sleeves 19, flanges 20, springs 23, spring housings 21, telescopic sleeves 24, plates 25, rest bar 23 and mounting means 27, 29 and 30 are made available as a unit and installed in operable position simply by sliding the mounting sleeves 19 downwardly over the posts 17. It is sometimes necessary to vary the lengths of the rest bars 23 utilized so as to fit the device to the spacing of existing posts. In position, the lower ends of the mounting sleeves l9 and spring housings 21 are rested on the concrete and the rest bar ort 16 in the usual manner by stridin toward the end of the springboard disposed over the pool and jumping thereon to achieve maximum height upon reflex action of and the board. Not only does the springilicli of the springboard 31 aid in the attainment like on of maximum height but the springs 33 exercise a substantial upward throwing force which makes possible the attainment of adequate heights by even light divers. The resilience of the sgrii s also provides a shock absor ing feature which reduces the L In on the springboard incident to the jumping action the-con while actually increasing the throwing capabilities of the spring board.

n existing installation. the support of the present invention has substantially reduced the expenses incident to springboard replacement, has made possible improved diving, particularly from the relatively low springboards such as the regulation one meter and the three feet springboards, and achieves these advantages Without so 4 alfecting the timing as to interfere with diving. The supports are economical to produce, easy to install, and thoroughly eifective in accomplishing their intended pur poses.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details dis closed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A portable springboard support adapted for releasable mounting on a pair of substantially parallel posts comprising a pair of mounting sleeves adapted for slidable mounting on such posts, a spring housing positioned in circumscribing relation to each of the mounting sleeves, a spring stop in circumscribing relation to each of the mounting sleeves within their respective spring housings mounted in fixed position intermediate opposite ends of their respective mounting sleeves, a telescopic member slidably mounted on corresponding ends of each of the spring housings and each having a closed end in spaced relation to the end of the spring housing on which it is mounted, a compression spring mounted within each of the spring housings each having an end engaged with its housiugs respective spring stop and an opposite end engaged with the closed end of the telescopic member mounted thereon, and a rigid rest member interconnecting the telescopic members in substantially parallel relation.

2. In combination with an elongated springboard, a pair of parallel posts rigidly mounted in substantially erect position, a mounting sleeve slidably fitted over each post, a substantially circular flange rigidly mounted concentrically on each sleeve in equally spaced relation to the upper ends of their respective sleeves, a substantially cylindrical spring housing rigidly mounted on each flange concentrically of its respective sleeve and having upper and lower end portions, a telescopic sleeve slidably fitted over the upper end portion of each spring housing, a helical compression spring mounted in circumscribing relation on the upper end portion of each mounting sleeve within its mounting sleeves respective spring housing and telescopic sleeve having a lower end portion rested on the flange and an upper end portion upwardly extended from its mounting sleeve, a cap plate rigidly mounted in closing relation to the upper end of each telescopic sleeve rested on the upper end of the compression spring contained therein, a substantially horizontal rest bar having opposite ends mounted on the cap plates, the rest bar supporting the springboard intermediate opposite ends thereof, and an anchor connected to an end portion of the springboard maintaining said end portion at a predetermined elevation.

3. A springboard support comprising a pair of mounting sleeves, a pair of substantially cylindrical spring housings individually located substantially concentrically of the mounting sleeves and having opposite ends adjacent to the opposite ends of their respective mounting sleeves, a pair of circular flanges individually positioned concentrically on the mounting sleeves within their respective spring housings and rigidly mounted in corresponding positions intermediate opposite ends of their respective sleeves, a pair of telescopic sleeves individually mounted on the spring housings for slidable movement longitudinally thereof and correspondingly endwardly extended therefrom, a pair of helical compression springs individually mounted concentrically on the mounting sleeves within their respective telescopic sleeves each having an end engaged with its respective mounting sleeves flange and an opposite end extended from its said respective sleeve, plates mounted on the extended ends of the telescopic sleeves in engagement with the springs therein,

and a springboard rest bar having opposite ends connected to the plates rigidly maintaining the telescopic sleeves and their respective spring housings and mounting sleeves in substantially parallel relation.

4. A springboard support, adapted to fit over a pair of substantially parallel erect posts, for releasable retention in operable position comprising a pair of substantially parallel mounting sleeves having predetermined upper and lower ends, a substantially circular flange mounted concentrically on each mounting sleeve, the flanges being located at corresponding positions intermediate opposite ends of their respective sleeves, a substantially cylindrical spring guide rigidly mounted on each flange concentrically of its respective mounting sleeve having predetermined upper and lower ends adjacent to the predetermined upper and lower ends of its respective mounting sleeve, a telescopic sleeve slidably fitted to the predetermined upper end of each spring guide and endwardly extended therefrom, a helical compression spring mounted in circumscribing relation on the predetermined upper end of each mounting sleeve within its respective spring guide having an end engaged against the flange of its respective mounting sleeve and an end extended from its mounting sleeve, a cap rigidly mounted in closing relation to the extended end of each telescopic sleeve in engagement with the extended end of the spring therein, and a rest bar having opposite ends connected to the caps of the telescopic sleeves in substantially right angular relation to said sleeves.

5. In combination with a substantially fiat base member having a pair of substantially parallel erect posts upwardly extended therefrom, a springboard supporting device comprising a mounting sleeve slidably mounted on each of the posts each having a lower end rested on the base and an upwardly extended end, a substantially cylindrical spring housing located concentrically on each sleeve each having a lower end rested on the base and an upwardly extended end adjacent to the upper end of its respective post, an annular flange interconnecting each of the sleeves with its respective spring housing, the flanges being in corresponding spaced relation to the upper ends of their respective spring housings, a helical spring mounted concentrically on each of the mounting sleeves having a lower end rested on its mounting sleeves respective flange and an upper end extended upwardly from the upper end of its sleeve and adjacent spring housing, a telescopic sleeve slidably mounted on the upwardly extended end portion of each spring housing each having an upper end in upwardly spaced relation to the upper end of its respective spring housing, a circular plate mounted in closing relation to the upper end of each telescopic sleeve, an upwardly disposed semi-cylindrical receptacle positioned axially diametrically on each of the plates, an elongated substanq tially cylindrical spring board rest having opposite end portions disposed in the receptacles, bolts upwardly extended centrally through the plates and diametrically through their respective receptacles and the end portions of the rest therein, and nuts screw-threadably mounted on the upwardly extended end portions of the bolts tightened downwardly on the rest mounting the rest on the plates with the telescopic sleeves in substantially parallel relation.

6. A springboard support comprising a pair of elongated tubular spring housings, means mounting the spring housings in substantially erect parallel spaced relation, telescopic members slidably fitted over the spring housings, a compression spring mounted in each of the spring housings each having a lower end supported in fixed position in its respective housing and an upper end having supporting engagement with the telescopic member fitted over its respective housing, and a rigid rest member interconnecting the telescopic members.

7. A portable springboard support, for releasable mounting on a pair of substantially parallel posts rigidly extended upwardly from a support surface, comprising a tubular housing releasably positionable in circumscribing relation on each post with each housing having a lower end rested on the support surface, a helical compression spring mounted in each housing in circumscribing relation to its respective housings post and having a lower end supported in its housing and an upper end extended upwardly from its housing and post, a tubular telescopic member slidably mounted on each housing each having a closed upper end rested on the upper end of the spring of its respective housing, and a rigid rest member interconnecting the telescopic members.

8. A portbale springboard support for releasable mounting on a pair of substantially parallel posts rigidly mounted in upright position on a support surface comprising a mounting sleeve slidably mounted on each post and gravitationally supported on the support surface, a pair of elongated tubular telescopic spring housing means, means mounting the spring housing means in concentric circumscribing relation on each mounting sleeve with an upper end of each housing means extended upwardly above its respective mounting sleeve, a compression spring mounted in each housing means about its respective mounting sleeve and having a lower end supported in its respective mounting means and an upper end engaged with the upper end of its respective housing means in supporting relation thereto, and a substantially horizontal rigid rest interconnecting the upper ends of the housing means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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