US3519239A - Recreational device - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 970 G. ROHRER RECREATIONAL DEVICE Filed March 4, 1968 EJE. l

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July 7, 1970 G. ROHRER RECREATIONAL DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 4, 1968 IE. E

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RECREATIONAL DEVICE Filed March 4, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 248-370 18 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A recreational device for children comprises four legs which carry at their upper ends an annular member. Four contraction springs are secured to the annular member at equi-angularly spaced locations thereof and extend radially inwardly across the annular member so that their inner ends are connected with one another. A chain is secured to the inner ends and depends therefrom. A pocket or bag-shaped seat adapted to accommodate a child is connected to the chain so that a child can sit in this support and, when carrying out bobbing motions, will move upwardly and downwardly as a result of contraction and expansion of the springs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recreational device, and more particularly to a recreational device for children.

There is known in the field of recreational devices for children an apparatus which is colloquially identified as a bouncer. This apparatus comprises a pocket or bag having an upper open side and being provided in its substantially closed lower side with two openings through which a child resting in this bag can extend his or her legs. This bag or pocket is secured to a contraction spring `and the upper end of the latter is in turn adapted to be secured to the frame of a door or the limb of a tree. When a child thus supported in the pocket performs bouncing or bobbing motions, for instance by bobbing up and down in the pocket or by pushing with his feet against the ground below, the spring will alternately contract and expand and will thereby both magnify and prolong the bobbing motions. This is not only amusing to the child but also affords a certain amount of physical exercise.

This known apparatus suffers from a variety of disadvantages. Firstly, it can be utilized only if a door with a suitable frame or a tree with a strong enough limb is available. Furthermore, it is cleavl that the height of the bag or pocket from the ground must be adjusted because the apparatus is to be used with children of different size and age as well as with door frames having different heights or with tree limbs which are located at different distances from the ground. Therefore, the upper end of the spring is not directly secured to the respective support that is the door frame or tree limb, but is connected thereto through the intermediary of a chain. This chain is adjustable in its length. However, if the chain is relatively long so as to adapted the apparatus for situations where it is to be suspended from a relatively significant height, then the apparatus is not very well suited for use in the relatively low opening of a door frame because it is then only possible to use a rather short spring. If, on the other hand, a longer spring is used, as is desirable because of the better biasing action obtained, then the chain must be rather short and the apparatus cannot be adjusted to accommodate it to the various problems which may be encountered.

It is therefore a general purpose of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages and provide a recreational device of the general type here under discussion "ice which is more universally usable than what is known from the prior art.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a recreational device which can be utilized wherever desired and which is not dependent upon the availability of a suitable door frame or tree limb for its suspension.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide such a device wherein the support pocket for the child can perform up and down movements of a relatively great distance, and further wherein the position of the pocket in the non-operated condition of the apparatus with reference to a ground or supporting surface can be varied in a rather wide range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one feature of my invention I provide a recreational device which is adapted to be supported on a supporting surface and which comprises frame means having contact portions adapted to engage such supporting surface, and a mounting portion wrich is carried by the contact portions upwardly spaced from the supporting surface. Resiliently expansible means is secured to and carried by this mounting portion, and support means is adapted to support a user thereon and is connected to and suspended from the resiliently expansible means in such a manner as to be capable of movement downwardly toward and upwardly away from the supporting surface in response to alternate expansion and contraction of the resiliently expansible means which in turn results from bobbing motions performed by a user whose weight is supported by the support means.

The novel features which are considered as characteristie for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is an elevational view of a device embodying my invention, certain components of the device having been omitted for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary detailed view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating a detail of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view of FIG. 2 as seen in the direction of the arrow III shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating another embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a view of FIG. 4 corresponding to that shown in FIG. 3 of the embodiment in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is `a further fragmentary detailed view, on an enlarged scale, of a detail shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 7 is a View similar to FIG. 6 but illustrating a further embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a detail view of FIG. l, on an enlarged scale, as seen in the direction of the arrow VIII associated with FIG. l; and

FIG. 9 is a front-elevational view of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail, and rstly FIG. l thereof, it will be seen that I have illustrated therein a recreational device comprising a frame wherein a plurality of elongated legs 2 are connected at their respective upper ends with an annular supporting or mounting member 1. It will be understood that there will be at least three such legs but in the embodiment of FIG. 1 it is assumed that the frame comprises four such legs with the one normally facing the front of the ligure having been omitted for the sake of clarity. Regardless of whether there are provided three or four of the legs 2, however, they will always be equi-angularly spaced about the annular mounting member 1.

The legs 2 are connected with the mounting member 1 so as to be releasable therefrom so that the frame can be disassembled for storage or transport purposes if desired. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate one embodiment of such a connection, namely the one which is assumed to be provided in FIG. 1. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the legs 2 are either tubular or are provided at their upper ends with axially extending recesses or passages into which there project the pins 15 which are rigid with the annular mounting member 1 and project downwardly therefrom. To provide a reliable connection between the respective pins and the associated leg members 2, each of the pins is axially slotted from its free end in the direction towards its connected end which is rigid with the mounting member 1. This slotting bifurcates the pins 15 and provides two parallel arms 15a. As shown particularly in FIG. 3, one of these arms 15a is provided with a tapped bore which, when the respective pin is received in the leg 2, registers with a bore or cutout 16 provided in the latter. A threaded member, illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 as a screw or bolt having a wing head 17, is inserted through the bore 16 and threaded into the tapped bore in the arm 15a which faces the bore 16. FIG. 3 illustrates clearly that, when the head 17 is rotated in a sense inserting the screw deeper into the tapped bore, the leading end portion of the screw will eventually abut against the other of the arms 15a. Continued deeper insertion of the screw will then result in radial deflection of the two arms 15a away from one another and into frictional displacement of these arms with the inner surface surrounding the recess in the leg 2, thus tightly clamping the respective pin 15 therewithin. Evidently, release of the pin and removal thereof can be quickly effected simply by unscrewing the member 17.

Another embodiment which provides an alternative to the one shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 where again the pins are identified with reference numeral and the legs with reference numeral 2. Insofar these elements are the same as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. Unlike these earlier figures, however, the longitudinal slot which subdivides each of the pins 15 into the two arms 15a is convergent in the direction from the free end of the pin towards the mounting member 1. This is clearly illustrated in FIG. 5. Arranged in the interior of the recess or passage of each leg 2 is a suitable expanding means, here illustrated as three bolts, rods, or otherwise configurated members which are spaced from one an other in the axial direction of the respective leg 2 and which extend transversely across the recess, being so arranged therein that they will register with and enter into the slot between the arms 15a when the pin 15 is inserted into the recess of the leg 2. Evidently, continued deeper insertion of the pin 15 will cause the arms 15a to be radially spread apart and wedged against the inner surface bounding the recess in the leg 2. The convergent slot is identified with reference numeral 21 in FIG. 5. It will be appreciated, of course, that instead of three of the members 20, it will be possible to use a smaller or larger number and that the configuration of the members 20 need not be substantially rod-shaped as illustrated but could be otherwise, just as the cross-sectional configuration could be other than what has been shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Returning, however, to FIG. l, it will be seen that a plurality of contraction springs 5 are secured to the mounting member 1. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 there are four such contraction springs which are secured to the member 1 at equi-angularly spaced positions thereof, that is the springs are spaced from one another by 90. Evidently, it would also be possible to use three of the springs, for instance if only three of the legs 2 were to be utilized. How these springs 5 are connected to the mounting member 1 is more clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, it being pointed out that this manner of mounting is identical with the one shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 also. FIGS. 2 and 3 show that each of the springs 5 is provided with a hook-shaped end portion 17 which is hooked into a suitable opening provided in one end of an elastomeric member 18 which is bent around the mounting member 1 and whose other end has an opening which permits penetration therethrough of one of the pins 15. Thus, the elastomeric member 18 is connected to the mounting member 1 by extending one of the pins 15 through the opening provided for this purpose in the elastomeric member 18, and in turn one of the springs 5 is connected to the elastomeric member 18 by hooking the hook-shaped end portion 17 through another aperture provided in the elastomeric member 18. The other end portions of the spring members 5 are secured to one another by being connected, for instance also by means of a hook-shaped end portion similar to the end portion 17, to a ring member 6 which is thus located substantially centrally within the confines of the annular mounting member 1. Thus, in their rest position the spring members 5 are slightly expanded and are located in the general plane of the annular mounting member 1.

An elongated chain flv is secured to the ring 6 in any suitable manner.

Support means for supporting a user, that is normally a child, is suspended from the chain 7 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. Specifically, the support means consists of a pocket or bag 11 of suitable material, for instance a sturdy fabric or a synthetic plastic material, and this pocket 11 has an upper open side and a substantially closed lower side which is provided with two cutouts 13 through which the legs of the child can project. The pocket 11 is illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 8 and 9 where it is also shown that a suitable retaining means is provided at the upper open side of the pocket 11. In the illustrated embodiment the retaining means is in form of an adjustable belt member 14 which is connected to the pocket 11 at the upper open end thereof and whose length can be varied by means of cooperating snap fasteners 28 provided at spaced locations of the member 14. Thus, when the child is positioned within the pocket 11, those of the snap fasteners 28 (only two shown in FIG. 9) are engaged with one another which will so close the upper open end of the pocket 11 that the child will be snugly retained therein and cannot in tentionally or accidentally become disloged from the pocket 11. Two carrier members, which may be rigid or flexible, are identified with reference numeral 12. These carrier members 12 are secured to or integral with the pocket 11 and project upwardly therefrom. Their upper open ends are connected to a transversely extending bridging or supporting member 10 of suitable material, for instance metal, wood, plastic or the like, and this in turn is provided with an opening in which there is secured another ring member 9. The chain 7 is looped through this ring member 9 and is provided at its free end with a spring-latch hook 8, also known sometimes as acar bine hook, which can be engaged with any desired link of the chain 7 so that the length of the chain 7 can be varied simply by engaging the hook 8 with chain links which are closer to or farther downwardly spaced from the mounting member 1. It will of course be appreciated that it is also conceivable to eliminate the ring member 9 and to loop the chain 7 through the opening in the member 10 provided that such opening is dimensioned sufficiently large to permit this.

It is clear that, as the =weight of a childs body is accommodated in the pocket 11, a downward pull is exerted on the spring members 5 and, depending upon this weight, the spring members will be downwardly deflected in the manner which is shown in FIG. 1 'by way of two examples in phantom lines. If the child now bobs in the pocket 11, or pushes against the ground if he can reach the ground with his feet, alternate contraction and expansion of the spring members will take place in the desired manner.

If the device according to the present invention is to be positioned on a hard supporting surface it is advisable to utilize a foot with each of the legs 2, for instance a foot of the type illustrated in FIG. 6. In that figure the foot is identified with reference numeral 3 and is assumed to consist of rubber or another elastomeric material having the illustrated part-spherical configuration. A projcction provided on the foot 22 extends into the interior of the respective leg 2, which is either provided With a recess corresponding to the recess at the upper end or which is tubular throughout its entire length. To lock the foot 22 releasably in the leg the projection 23 provided on the foot has an axial groove 24 in its outer circumferential surface and this groove communicates, as illustrated in FIG. 6 with a circumferential groove 25. The lower end portion of the leg 2 is provided with an inwardly extending projection 26, which in the embodiment of FIG. 6 is simply an inwardly-deliected portion of the leg 2, and this projection 26 is initially aligned with the groove 24 as the projection 23 is inserted into the leg 2. When the projection 26 enters into the circumferential groove 25 and the foot 22 is turned and is now securely locked to the leg, 2. The cooperating grooves 24, 25 and projection 26 thus constitute together a so-called bayonettype lock.

If, on the other hand, the device according to the present invention is to be used on a soft supporting surface, for instance on soft ground, then the projection 23, which is again locked to the leg 2 in the same manner as in FIG. 1, is not provided on a part-spherical foot 22 as shown in FIG. 6, but rather on a pointed spike '27 which can penetrate into the soft ground as illustrated in FIG. 7.

Finally, and as illustrated in FIG. 1 as well as in FIGS. 6 and 7, I prefer to provide a sheet-material member 4 which may consist of a sturdy textile fabric, synthetic plastic material, mesh or the like, and which is provided with openings which are reinforced by eyelets 3. The respective legs 2 extend through these eyelets 3 (compare FIGS. 1, 6 and 7) and the sheet material member 4 thus serves as a connection between the legs '2 so as to prevent the same from moving outwardly away from each other. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sheet material member 4 overlies directly the supporting surface on which the novel device is positioned. It thus can protect this supporting surface against damage, for instance against scratching by the shoes of the child accommodated in the pocket 11 if the shoes can reach the supporting surface. It is equally clear, however, that the sheet material member 4 could be secured to the legs 2 in such a manner that it is upwardly spaced from the supporting surface in which case it could also serve as a protection for the child, e.g. by preventing direct contacts of the legs of the child with the supporting surface because such contact could possibly result in injury to the legs if the up and down motion of the pocket 11 is particularly pronounced.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a recreational device, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can be applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications Without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A recreational device adapted to be supported on a supporting surface and comprising, in combination, frame means having at least three contact portions adapted to engage said supporting surface, and an annular mounting portion carried by said contact portions upwardly spaced from such supporting surface; resiliently expansible means comprising at least four helical contraction springs having respective -tirst ends connected to said annular mounting portion at equiangularly spaced portions thereof, and respective second ends releasably connected together so that by release of thel second end of at least one of said contraction springs the resiliency of said resiliently expandable means can be adjusted to the weight of the user using said recreational device without unbalancing the same, said contraction springs being located in contracted state in a plane which is at least substantially parallel to said supporting surface; sup-port means adapted to support a user thereon and being suspended from said second ends of said contraction springs for movement downwardly towards and upwardly away from the supporting surface in response to alternate expansion and contraction of said springs resulting from bobbing motions performed by a user whose Weight is supported by said support means; and suspending means connecting said support means to and suspending it from said second ends of said springs, said suspending means being adjustable for varying the distance between said support means and said supporting surface in small increments.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting portion is an annular member and wherein said contact portions comprise four leg members connected to said annular member at equi-angularly spaced locations thereof.

3. A device as defined in claim 1; and further comprising a ring member positioned intermediate and connected to said second ends of said contraction springs.

4. A device as defined in claim 3, wherein said support means is a receptacle adapted to at least partly accommodate the body of a user therewithin, said receptacle having an upper open side facing towards said annular mounting portion and a substantially closed lower side provided with two cutouts through which the legs of a user may project.

5. A device as defined in claim 4, wherein said receptacle is constituted by a bag-member.

`6. A device as defined in claim 3; said suspending means comprising an elongated chain extending through said ring member and being secured to said support means suspending the latter from said springs.

7. A device as defined in claim 6, wherein said support means has an rupper portion defining an opening, and wherein said chain has one end portion which is looped through said opening and another end portion which is connected to said ring member, one of said end portions of said chain carrying an engaging device adapted to engage the other end portion at a plurality of longitudinally spaced positions thereof whereby the spacing of said support means from said supporting surface can be varied 'by varying the location at which said engaging device engaes said other end portion of said chain.

i8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said contact portions are leg members connected to said annular mounting portion.

9. A device as defined in claim 8; and further comprising a releasable coupling releasably connecting each of said leg members with said annular mounting portion.

10. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein said couplings each comprise an axially extending passage in the respective leg member, and an axially projecting pin provided on said mounting portion and adapted to be received and frictionally retained in said passage.

111. A device as defined in claim 10, wherein said pins each have a connected end rigid with said annular mounting portion and a free second end, each of said pins being provided with an axial slot extending from said free end toward said connected end so that each pin is bifurcated and consists of two arms; each of said couplings further comprising dellecting means adapted to deflect said arms radially away from one another and into frictional engagement with the respective leg member when the pin is received in the associated passage.

12. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein said slot converges in direction from said free end towards said connected end, and wherein said deflecting means comprises at least one deflecting member rigidly mounted in said passage extending thereacross and being constructed and arranged for entering into said slot in response to initial introduction of said pin into said passage and for deflecting said arms radially outwardly on continued movement of said pin deeper into said passage.

13. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein one of said arms is provided with a transversely extending tapped bore and wherein said leg is provided with an aperture adapted to register with said bore when said pin is received in said passage; and wherein said deflectiug means comprises a threaded member extending through said aperture and being threaded into said tapped bore, said threaded member having a leading end portion adapted to abut against the other of said arms so as to effect deflection of said arms radially away from one another in response to turning of said member causing it to move deeper into said bore.

14. A device as defined in claim 8i, wherein each of said leg members has a first end portion connected to said annular mounting portion and a second end portion remote and downwardly spaced from said first end portion; and further comprising a foot member releasably associated with said second end portion of the respective leg members.

15. A device as defined in claim 14, wherein at least said second end portion of each leg member is tubular and wherein said foot has a projection adapted to extend into the interior of said second end portion; and further comprising cooperating locking -portions provided on said projection and said second end portion and together constituting a bayonet lock for releasably connecting said foot to said second end portion.

16. A device as defined in claim 15, wherein said foot further comprising an engaging portion adapted to engage a support surface, said engaging portion being provided on said projection and having a part-spherical configuration.

17. A device as defined in claim 15, wherein said foot further comprises a spike portion provided on said projection and extending outwardly of said second end portion so as to penetrate into a supporting surface.

18. A device as defined in claim 8; and further comprising sheet means connected to said leg members downwardly spaced from said support means, said sheet means 'being provided with at least three openings and each of said leg members extending through one of said openings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 298,257 5/1884 Vail 24S-188.9 1,384,181 7/1921 Conley 297-275 1,845,677 2/1932 MeKeel 287-124 1,891,048 12/1932 Keefe 287-124 2,103,874 12/1937 Shwayder 16-42 2,601,088 6/1952 Biurgess 287-103 2,852,883 9/1958 Walsh 248-1889 2,860,689 11/1958 Baker 272-85 2,948,287 8/1960 Rupert 13S-1 3,008,741 11/ 1961 MacCormack 287-54 3,144,265 8/1964 Humble 287-124 FOREIGN PATENTS 297,526 10/ 1927 Australia.

562,214 8/1958 Canada.

700,645 12/ 1953 Great Britain.

936,000 9/ 1963 Great Britain.

106,239 10/11899 Germany.

MARION PARSONS, JR., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. XR.

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