US3692305A

US3692305A - Powered swing

Info

Publication number: US3692305A
Application number: US129783A
Authority: US
Inventors: Charles F Allen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-03-31
Filing date: 1971-03-31
Publication date: 1972-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 1989-09-19

Abstract

A chain-hung seat pendant from the top of a swing frame has a motor supported on the frame at the side of the top so that a crank keyed to its driven shaft rotates toward and away from a crossbar secured at its ends to the support chains near their top ends. A pull chain connected at one end to the outer end of the crank and at the other end to the center of the crossbar pulls the support chains in one direction during a portion of the rotation of the crank, the seat returning in the other direction by gravity during the other portion of the rotation of the crank. A stiffening bar may be secured to the pull chain adjacent the crank end and the other end of the chain may have a connection to the crossbar including a spring.

Description

United States Patent Allen POWERED SWING [72] Inventor: Charles F. Allen, Camillus, NY.

[73] Assignee: Frank H. Booth, Syracuse, NY. a

part interest I [22] Filed: March 31, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 129,783

[52] US. Cl ..272/86 [51] Int. Cl. ..A63f 9/14 [58] Field of Search ..272/86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 272/92 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 603,152 4/1898 Pouncy ..272/86 1,016,712 2/1912 Schilling; .;.272/86 461,541 10/1891 Bunker ..272/86 51 Se t. 19, 1972 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Threatice Brown Attorney-Bruns & Jenney [57] ABSTRACT A chain-hung seat pendant from the top of a swing frame has a motor supported on the frame at the side of the top so that a crank keyed to its driven shaft rotates toward and away from a crossbar secured at its ends to the support chains near their top ends. A pull chain connected at one end to the outer end of the crank and at the other end to the center of the crossbar pulls the support chains in one direction during a portion of the rotation of the crank, the seat returning in the other direction by gravity during the other portion of the rotation of the crank. A stiffening bar may be secured to the pull chain adjacent the crank end and the other end of the chain may have a connection to the crossbar including a spring.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing figures PATENTEDsEP 19 1912 INVENTOR. CHARLES F. ALLEN ATTORNEYS POWERED swmc BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a power-driven swing and more particularly to such a swing in which a lost-motion connection between driving means and the swing is provided by connecting a rotating crank to the swing by a chain.

Powered swings heretofore known have been complicated devices in which a motor moves a support shaft from which the swing is hung or in which the swing is driven by the motor through a spring or clutch mechanism.

SUMMARYOF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a swing constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a top portion thereof as viewed from the right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the portion shown in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, the powered swing has a seat 11 suspended in the usual manner by chains 12 from the top bar or transverse member 13 of a conventional A-frame-sawhorse swing support 14 having the usual braces 15. To maintain the swing seat 11 in substantially upright position, shorter lengths of chain 124 ex tend from the back of the seat to the supporting chains 12 as shown.

As best seen in FIG. 2, a crossbar 16 is secured to the chains 12, by bolts at 17 at either end, spaced below the transverse member 13 about 10 inches. The crossbar may conveniently be a pipe having flattened ends. A gear motor comprising an electric motor 19 and reducer 20 is secured to the transverse member 13, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, by steel straps 21, extending out from one end where they are bolted at 22 to the top of member 13, and by similar straps 23, extending out from one end where they are bolted at 24 to the bottom of member 13. Both

straps

21 and 23 are bolted at 2.5 to the base 26 of the motor 19 which depends therefrom. The reducer 20 is provided with a driven shaft 27 projecting therefrom parallel with member 13. Motor 19 may be /4 HP. or less and the shaft 27 is driven at about 19 R.P.M.

A crank arm 28 is keyed to the shaft 27 and the outer end of crank 28 has a pivot pin 29 therethrough to which a chain 30 is pivotally secured. The crank 28 may conveniently be about 5 inches from shaft 27 to pin 29 and shaft 27 may be about three times this distance from crossbar 16 when the swing is at rest.

A stiffening bar 31 substantially as long as crank 28 may be pivotally secured at one end to the pin 29 and at the other end to chain 30 by a belt or other means as shown at 32.

Chain 30 is preferably slightly longer than the distance from shaft 27 to crossbar 16, as shown in FIG. 3. The other end of chain 30 is secured to the center of crossbar 16 by securing means comprising, preferably, a bolt 33 passing through crossbar l6 and then through a compression'coil spring 34 retained on bolt 33 by a nut 35, as shown.

Power is supplied to motor 19 by an electric power cable 36, best seen in FIG. 3, and another cable 37 leading from the motor to a switch, not shown, at one side of seat 11 may be interwoven through one of the chains 12, as shown.

When the motor 19 is energized, shaft 27 of the reducer is thereby rotated slowly and, as the outer end of the crank 28 moves away from crossbar 16 it comes to a point where the crossbar is pulled by chain 30 toward the motor 19 causing the seat 1 1 to move in the same direction. When crank 28 passes the 9 oclock position its outer end changes direction and moves toward the crossbar 16 and seat 11 moves by gravity toward its starting position. When the crank reaches its 3 oclock position its end again changes direction and moves with increasing speed away from the crossbar reaching its greatest speed when the crank is shown at its 6 oclock position shown in FIG. 3. Meanwhile seat 11 has moved by. gravity to the position indicated by chain 12 in FIG. 3 and, by momentum, beyond this position.

As the rotation of the crank 28 is repeated the pull of chain 30 is for a longer duration as the swinging of chains 12 increases until the chains 12 incline to about 45 either side of the vertical. It has been found that the swinging of the chains becomes rhythmical with the rotation of the crank 28 and the pull of the chain 30 is like the manual pushing of seat 1 l in one direction.

There is no appreciable shock or jerk on the crossbar 16 .when the pull begins when chain 30 is secured directly to the crossbar but, to make sure, the shockabsorber effect of spring 34 in the connection between chain 30 and the crossbar may be added.

Each time the end of crank 28 moves toward crossbar 16, chain 30 becomes slack and allows chains 12 to move independently away from motor 19. When the crank changes direction again, it starts slowly and gradually increases speed so that it exerts its pull on the crossbar gently.

The stiffening bar 31 is provided to ensure that the chain 30 does not become entangled between crank 28. and the face of reducer 20. When a chain 30 is used the chain is heavy enough so that it does not become so entangled and no stiffening bar is necessary. It will be apparent, however, that such a stiffening bar would be desirable if some other type of flexible member, such as a rope, were used instead of the chain 30.

I claim:

1. A motor-powered swing comprising a seat, a pair of elongated members by which the seat is suspended, a support structure having at least one transverse member to which the upper ends of the elongated 2. A swing as defined in claim 1 having a fail-safe members are suspended, a motor-reducer combination comprising the means securing the pull member to the mounted on the structure at one side of the transverse crossbar including a spring.

member and having its driven shaft parallel th t a 3. A swing as defined in claim 2 having a further failcrossbar having its ends secured to the pair of members 5 Safe comprising a metal ha! having one end shorter and spaced from the transverse member, elongated pull than the P111] means and Pivotally secured to the Outer means, and a crank arm having one end secured to the end of the crank arm, the other end beihS secured driven shaft and having its other endpivotally secured v to the P f to one end of the pull means, the other end of the pull A swfhg as defined 1 h P means having means for securing it to the crossbar, the means flexble member conslsts ofa champull means consisting of a flexible member.

Claims

1. A motor-powered swing comprising a seat, a pair of elongated members by which the seat is suspended, a support structure having at least one transverse member to which the upper ends of the elongated members are suspended, a motor-reducer combination mounted on the structure at one side of the transverse member and having its driven shaft parallel thereto, a crossbar having its ends secured to the pair of members and spaced from the transverse member, elongated pull means, and a crank arm having one end secured to the driven shaft and having its other end pivotally secured to one end of the pull means, the other end of the pull means having means for securing it to the crossbar, the pull means consisting of a flexible member.

2. A swing as defined in claim 1 having a fail-safe comprising tHe means securing the pull member to the crossbar including a spring.

3. A swing as defined in claim 2 having a further fail-safe comprising a metal bar having one end shorter than the pull means and pivotally secured to the outer end of the crank arm, the other bar end being secured to the pull means.

4. A swing as defined in claim 1 wherein the pull means flexible member consists of a chain.