US2929459A - Combustible gas powered pogo stick - Google Patents

Description

March 22, 1960 G. SPlTZMESSER COMBUSTIBLE GAS POWERED POGO STiCK Filed Jan. 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

United rates COMBUSTIBLE GAS POWERED POGO STHJK Gordon Spitzmesser, Elwood, Ind. Application January 10, 1958, Serial No. 708,294 4 Claims. (Cl. 1808) This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to a pogo stick.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pogo stick for use by children and adults alike that has a self-contained internal combustion engine for assisting the propulsion of the unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a combustion gas assisted pogo stick of the above type which is readily adjustable for the weight of the particular operator and which is extremely safe and harmless and of tremendous entertainment value.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a pogo stick bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and efiicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of a pogo stick made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure l; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view of a valve forming a part of the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a combustion gas assisted pogo stick made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a main support frame that is constructed of a pair of similar frame members 12 having outwardly extending handles 13 at their upper ends and a transversely extending foot rest 15 secured to their lower ends, such as by bolts 14. A drive shaft 16 having a resilient pad 18 at its lower end is slidably received within the central portion of the foot rest 15 and extends upwardly into the lower open end of a cylinder 20.

The uppermost end of the drive shaft 16 is slidably guided'through a lower bearing 23 of the compression cylinder 2t) and is secured to the piston 22. A compression spring 24 that is disposed between the bearing 23 at one end and a stop 25 at the other end, supplies the normal spring action ordinarily required for the operation of any conventional type of pogo stick. This lower stop 25, however, is adjustable between vertically spaced apart settings 26 so as to adjust the pre-compression of the spring 24 in order to accommodate operators of different weights.

A fuel tank 27 is secured to the cylinder by means of a bracket 28 immediately adjacent to the bracket 21 that secures the cylinder 20 to the frame members 12. An outlet valve 29 meters the fiow of compressed gas from the tank 27 to the supply line 39. As is more clearly shown in Figure 3, the supply line 30 is connected to the inlet valve 31 which is in the head 32 of the cylinder 20. This inlet valve has a pair of downwardly diverging outlet bores 33 which are normally maintained out of communication with the supply line 30 by means of a ball 34 2,929,459 Patented Mar. 22, 1960 which is spring biased toward the closed position by a compression spring 35 immediately following the combustion of the preceding quantity of fuel. A sparkplug 40 also carried by the head 32 of the cylinder is disposed immediately adjacent the fuel inlet valve and is energized through a lead 42 by a battery carried within an enclosed battery carrier 43 at the upper end of the frame. The sparkplug 40 is energized in response to the closing of the contact points 46 connected to the lead 45, as the frame descends relative to the drive shaft 16. As the frame reaches the bottom of its stroke, the washer 48 is operative to trip the contact arm 47 carried by the frame to cause the contact points 46 to break, thus creating a spark and igniting the gas. With this arrangement, the current is always off except when the washer 48 trips the contact arm 47. The position of this washer 48 may be adjusted by the stop nuts 49 relative to the length of the drive shaft 16, thus controlling or adjusting the timing.

At the instant the sparkplug 40 is energized by the movement of the contact arm 47 into engagement with the washer 48, the resulting combustion causes relative movement between the piston and the cylinder. Until the piston moves past the exhaust ports 51, the pressure of the gases prevents additional fuel from being drawn into the cylinder. However, as soon as the piston passes the exhaust ports 51, a new supply of fresh air and fuel is'permitted to enter into the cylinder. At the end of this stroke, the piston will abut against a resilient pad 54 so as to cushion the blow. In addition, the outlet ports 53 permit air to escape from the lower side of the cylinder until the piston moves into closing engagement beyond these ports. For the remainder of the stroke, the piston compresses the remaining air which provides an additional cushion that reduces the shock before the piston engages the pad 54.

These ports 53 also provide means for supplying lubricating oil to the sump 55 through an associated passageway 56 that may be brought into alignment with the ports 53, as shown in Figure 1. Oil carried within the sump 55 is distributed through bleed lines 58 to the interior surface of the cylinder. However, since these bleed lines 58 extend from the uppermost portion of the sump 55, downwardly, there is little possibility that all of the oil will drain from the sump 55 at one time. An oil ring 59 at the outermost end of the piston prevents leakage and loss of the lubricating substance.

In using this device, the cycle is started by the operator giving the initial jump upon the foot rest. As the frame reaches the bottom of its stroke, thus causing ignition of the sparkplug, the resulting compression forces the ball valve to seat and remain seated during the compression stroke of the piston and until it passes the exhaust ports in the manner described. The instant that the cylinder is cleared, new air and gas is permitted to enter into the cylinder, thus enabling the cycle to be repeated. Not only does the adjustable washer 48 act as an adjustable timing device, but it also controls the compression ratio in relation to the timing. By being able to select the compression setting enables the operator to have perfect performance for any specified weight. In addition, the settings 26 for the lower bearing member 25 permit the spring compression to be adjusted so as to provide additional or reduced spring cushioning effect during the compression stroke of the piston. Since the drive shaft 16 and associated elements are readily rotatable with respect to the frame and its associated elements, it is not necessary to provide additional structure to prevent rotation therebetween. This further adds to the maneuverability of the pogo stick and the reduction of additional components and parts. Furthermore, since the ignition circuit is energized only during the actual firing of the spark plug, the length of the batteries and the 3 economy of operation of the device is further enhanced.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A combustible gas powered pogo stick comprising, in combination, a frame having a foot rest at a lower end and a pair of handles at an upper end, a readily rotatable drive shaft slidably carried by said frame in symmetrical relationship with said foot rest and handles for reciprocating longitudinal movement therewith, a spring normally urging said driveshaft upwardly toward an extended position relative to said frame, an internal combustion engine carried by said frame for forcefully driving said drive shaft downwardly and away from said extended position, said engine comprising a single cylinder bolted to said frame, said cylinder arranged vertically upon the frame with a closed upper end and an open bottom end, a bearing member horizontally secured with in said cylinder adjacent the lower end thereof, a bearing carried by the central portion of said foot rest directly beneath said cylinder, said drive shaft movably mounted within both of said bearings, a readily rotatable piston slidably carried within said cylinder above said hearing within said cylinder, said piston secured to the upper end of said rotatable drive shaft, a source of fuel for said engine, ignition means for igniting fuel delivered into said cylinder and control means therefor.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said internal combustion engine and ignition means further comprises a spark plug in the upper wall and extending into said closed upper end of its single cylinder, said fuel tank for said engine carried by said frame adjacent the lower end of said cylinder, a fuel supply line connecting said fuel tank with an inlet valve arranged in the up er wall and extending into said closed upper end of its cylinder, a circuit making and breaking mechanism carried by said foot rest for automatically closing an electric circuit for igniting the fuel in said cylinder when the same has been compressed therein and air inlet passages and exhaust passages arranged in the sidewalls of said cylinder below the mid-portion thereof.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein 'said fuel tank is constructed to hold compressed gas therein and having an outlet valve for metering the flow of compressed gas therefrom, and said inlet valve embodying a pair of downwardly diverging outlet boxes normally maintained out of communication with the supply line by means of a ball valve which is spring biased toward the closed position by a coil spring.

4. The combustible gas powered pogo stick according to claim 1, wherein said frame includes a 'pair of tubular members arranged vertically and parallel, throughout a major portion of their length, with each other and having the upper ends thereof diverging outwardly/ from each other in a horizontal plane to provide said handles, a battery carried at the upper end of said frame between said handles and adjacent thereto, said ignition r'nea'n'sifneluding a switch carried upon the lower side of said foot rest and a switch contact member secured upon the lower end of said drive shaft adjacent said switch to operate same when said shaft reciprocate's therepa'st.

References fitted in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hansburg May 21, 1957 An in. Us

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