US3778054A

US3778054A - Poolside swing having a seat with an ejection slide mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3778054A
Application number: US00285516A
Authority: US
Inventors: V Esposito
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-08-31
Filing date: 1972-08-31
Publication date: 1973-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1990-12-11

Abstract

A swing-slide has an elongated seat sized and shaped to hold a rider in a seated position with his legs extended. The seat is suspended from an overhead support by front and rear suspension members to normally freely swing back and forth in a substantially horizontal position when the front suspension member is shortened. Lengthening means for the front suspension member is automatically actuated by the height of swing or manually by the rider whereby the front end of the seat is lowered converting the latter to an inclined slide for ejection of the rider into an adjacent body of water.

Description

Esposito, Jr.

POOLSIDE SWING HAVING A SEAT WITH AN EJECTION SLIDE MECHANISM lnventor: Vincent J. Esposito, Jr., 31 Jackson Ave., Wayne, NJ. 07470 Assignee: Erwin M. Barnett, Miami Beach,

Fla. a part interest Filed: Aug. 31, 1972 Appl. No.: 285,516

Related U.S. Application Data 1970, abandoned.

[52] U.S. C1 272/85, 272/65, 272/56.5 [51] Int. Cl A63g 9/00 [58] Field of Search 272/565, 65, 85; 294/73 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 856,211 6/1907 Baus 294/73 1,731,532 10/1929 Hoppes 272/85 Dec. 11, 1973 2,141,702 12/1938 Walsh 294/73 531,472 12/1894 Shorey et al 272/85 3,161,893 12/1964 Siler 272/85 1,648,196 11/1927 Rohmer 272/565 R Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oech sle Assistant ExaminerTheatrice Brown Attorney-Erwin M. Barnett [57] ABSTRACT A swing-slide has an elongated seat sized and shaped to hold a rider in a seated position with his legs extended. The seat is suspended from an overhead support by front and rear suspension members to normally freely swing back and forth in a substantially horizontal position when the front suspension member is shortened. Lengthening means for the front suspension member is automatically actuated by the height of swing or manually by the rider whereby the front end of the seat is lowered converting the latter to an inclined slide for ejection of the rider into an adjacent body of water.

11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures i mum Zoe POOLSIDE SWING HAVING A SEAT WITH AN EJECTION SLIDE MECHANISM This is a continuation in part of application Ser. No. 52, 176, filed July 6, 1970, since abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention: The invention relates generally to amusement devices and more particularly to a poolside combination swing and slide which ejects the rider into the water.

2. Description of the Prior Art: Poolside devices which deliver a rider into the water are presently in the form of slides, usually permanently fixed in place and built of massive brick and concrete. To provide a degree of fun, the slide may be seven or eight feet high presenting a hazard to small children of falling to a hard surface beneath. To reduce friction burns to the skin, running water on the sliding surface is often required. This invention provides a novel approach to poolside devices for projecting a swimmer into the water while affording safety and interest to both young and old and eliminating the disadvantages of the conventional slide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Among the objects of the invention is to provide a poolside, dock or float mounted amusement device primarily for children, but which will also accommodate adults, incorporating features of a swing, the thrill of a slide into the water, and the surprise of not knowing exactly on which swing the slide will occur. The swingslide is rugged in construction, virtually tilt-proof in operation, yet lightweight for carrying by two persons from place to place, has relatively few and simple parts which may be stored and shipped in knock-down condition and readily assembled in do-it-yourself fashion at the site of use. Other safety features include the closeness to the ground of the chute-like seat during its swinging motion, he occurrence of the ejection of the rider, that is, the dropping of the forward end of the seat to convert it to a slide, only on the forward swing while approaching its apogee and is over the water, and, after having ejected its rider, the coming to rest of the seat on the subsequent down swing.

The invention broadly contemplates a chute-like seat, namely, a channel shaped elongated body to serve as a conbination seat and slide sized to accommodate a rider in a seated position with his legs extended and capable of serving as a slide when the front end is low ered to downwardly and forwardly incline the seat so that the rider will slide off into a body of water beneath. To this end the seat is suspended for back and forth swinging movement in a substantially horizontal position by front and rear suspension members. Means is provided for lengthening the front suspension member to lower the front end of the seat to the inclined position as the seat completes one of its forward swings. This lengthening means may be actuated either manually by the rider or automatically when the back and forth swinging reaches a predetermined height.

Various front suspension member shortening and lengthening means are suggested, as for example, a compressed air actuated cylinder may have a reciprocatable piston rod connected to the front suspension member and arranged to lengthen the member on a downward stroke and to shorten the member on retraction. Compressed air is selectively supplied to the desired end of the cylinder by a conventional 4-way solenoid controlled valve. The solenoid may in turn be actuated by a switch within reach of the rider or by a microswitch positioned for actuation by one of the suspension members as it approaches a predetermined height.

A preferred form of the invention herein shown and described in detail is a swing-slide having a framework resting on a pool deck, on a dock, or on a float which includes overhead support means from which front and rear suspension members for the chute-like seat depend. The suspension members are connected to the overhead support means to permit relatively free forward and backward swinging thereof which in turn imparts a forward and backward gliding motion to the seat with a minimum gain in height at each apogee. The rear suspension member is a pair of rigid suspender elements providing tracks along which a crossbar of a shortening means for the front suspension member rides. The latter is likewise a pair of suspender elements which are sectionalized to be shortened to a length for maintaining the seat in a horizontal position for swinging and then lengthened to drop the fornt of the seat to an inclined position. The shortening means for the front suspension member comprises a crossbar extending horizontally across the rear side of the rear suspender elements, traces connecting opposite ends of the crossbar to a midportion of the front suspender ele ments, namely, to the juncture of the sections thereof, and latching means for releasably retaining the crossbar in a raised position wherein the front suspender elements have their midportions pulled rearwardly by the traces to effect shortening thereof. The latching means may comprise a short bar suspended from the overhead support means for swing motion along with the rear suspension member and terminating in a hook which is constructed and arranged to engage the crossbar and retain the latter in a raised, front suspension member shortening position during normal back and forth gliding of the seat, and to release, that is, permit the crossbar to be pulled out of engagement therewith, when the rearward swing of the rear suspension member reaches a predetermined height. The crossbar, having been released by the latching means, slides downwardly along the rear suspender elements as the forward swing thereof progresses and reaches its lowest position as the forward swing approaches its apogee resulting in the lengthening of the front suspension member whereby the forward end of the chute-like seat is lowered with respect to the rear end, inclining the seat to form a slide for ejecting the rider into the water. A manual release for the crossbar may also be provided as an overhead pull rope within easy grasp of the rider and attached by a lever arm to the short bar so that a downward pull on the rope pivots the bar rearwardly forcing the hook to disengage the crossbar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a swing-slide constructed to embody the invention shown positioned adjacent the coping of a pool for proper ejection of a rider therein, the traces of the shortening means being shown in raised position to dispose the chute-like seat horizontally for mounting by a rider and for swinging motion during the first phase of operation.

FIG; 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the swingslide shown in FIG. 1, the supporting frame being omitted, the seat and suspension members being near the apogee of a rearward swing just prior to the release of the shortening means preparatory to the second, that is, the front suspension member lengthening phase of operation.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the swing-slide approaching the apogee of the forward swing after release of the shortening means whereby the seat is inclined to a slide position for ejection of the rider into the pool, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail side elevational view of the latching means releasably engaging the crossbar of the shortening means with the parts substantially in the position shown in FIG. 1, but also showing the latching means equipped with an accessory for manual release of the crossbar.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspective views of the swing-slide similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively, but showing a modified form of release mechanism for the shortening means, and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail side elevational view of the latching means of the modified form of release mechanism shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring in detail to FIG. 1 of the drawings, 10 generally denotes a swing-slide having front and rear overhead supports 11 and 12 from which front and rear suspension members depend, as pairs of

suspender elements

21 and 22, respectively, swingably carrying at the lower ends thereof chute-like seat 20 and having a front suspension member length control device 30.

Any suitable framework may be provided for overhead positioning of supports 11 and 12, as for example, the supports may be suspended from a ceiling enclosing the pool area or may be part ofa permanent installation attached to the pool deck. As here shown, the framework is relatively lightweight for portability, having a wooden platform or base formed of a pair of spaced side planks l3 interconnected at their midportions by a cross plank 14, the latter being suitably joined at opposite ends to planks 13 by fasteners 130 which may be nails, wood screws, bolts and nuts, or the like. The upstanding framework including supports 11 and 12 may be of tubular metal stock provided in sections which telescope into each other, front and rear supports 11 and 12 being formed as parts of inverted U-shaped tubular structures 15 and 16 upstanding from front and rear ends of side planks 13, respectively, and being retained in substantially upright position as a rigid structure by cross bracing -17 extending as opposite sides of the framework leaving the front and rear open for the swinging of seat 20 therethrough.

Chute-like seat 20 may be made of a suitable material, such as, sheet metal, molded plastic or fiberglass, formed in a channel shape, finished with a smooth friction reduced interior surface, and having a bottom wall 200 of sufficient width to comfortably seat an adult and of a length to amply accommodate his legs in an outstretched position when the rider is seated adjacent the rear end of the seat. Opposite vertical side walls 20b of seat 20 may be formed with outwardly extending edge flanges 20c.

Seat 20 may be carried on and be fastened to a pair of

transverse beams

23 and 24 in any well understood manner, such as, by rivets, bolts, welding, or the like (not shown). Front beam 23 is located rearwardly of the front end of seat 20 providing a front overhanging portion while rear beam 24 is located at the rear end of seat 20. Both

beams

23 and 24 are seen to extend beyond each of the seat opposite vertical side walls 201; for overall lengths equivalent to the relatively wide spacing of each of the

suspender elements

21 and 22 along their respective overhead supports 11 and 12 so that

elements

21 and 22, attached to the opposite ends of

beams

23 and 24, respectively, will hang straight down for swinging in vertical planes, the spacing rendering stability to seat 20 and providing ample clearance for the arms and head of a rider which may be inadvertently extended laterally over vertical side walls 20b.

Front suspender elements 21 may be in any suitable form, such as, rope, cable, chain, or bar or tubular stock, capable of being sectionalized in two for midportion bending, that is, the assuming of an angular configuration which when increased or decreased, shortens or lengthens, respectively, the effective straight line length of elements 21. Rear suspender elements 22 are straight and rigid in character, preferably of bar or tubular stock, herein shown as the latter, and also square in cross-section to provide a flat rear track surface 22a along which crossbar 31 of length control device 30 rides.

Conventional means may be provided for swingably attaching opposite ends of front and

rear suspender elements

21 and 22 to their respective front and rear overhead supports 11 and 12 and front and rear

transverse beams

23 and 24. Such attaching means are herein illustrated as eye bolts 25 which extend through overhead supports 11 and 12 and

transverse beams

23 and 24 and engage, through their respective eyes, companion elements terminating the opposite ends of front and

rear suspender elements

21 and 22 in the well understood manner.

Front suspension member length control device 30 comprises crossbar 31, a pair of traces 32 and a latching bar 33 terminating in an open hook 34 which engages crossbar 31 for releasable retention in a raised, front suspension member shortening position. Crossbar 31 extends across the rear surfaces 22a of rear suspender elements 22 and has its opposite ends, which project beyond each element 22, attached to one end of traces 32. The opposite end of each of the traces 32 connects to a midportion 21a of one of the front suspender elements 21. Traces 32 and suspender elements 21 are herein shown to comprise link chain.

Latching bar 33, which may be formed of bar or tubular stock similar to that of rear suspender elements 22, is suspended for swinging movement in a like manner from rear overhead support 12 by an eye bolt 25 located preferably midway between elements 22. As seen in FIG. 4, open hook 34 may be mounted to terminate bar 33 by an adjustable tensioning device shown as a headed bolt 35 extending through coiled compression spring 36, openings in shank 34b of hook 34 and bar 33 and terminating in nut 35a. Hook 34 is shaped to cradle an engaging portion of crossbar 31 inwardly of a protruding lip 34a.

Crossbar 31 and rear surfaces 22a of suspender elements 22 may be provided with any Suitable antifriction device, as for example, a pair of rollers (not shown) carried by crossbar 31 to register with and ride on rear surfaces 22a, or'the latter may be provided with self-lubricating material, such as, nylon or teflon which may be applied as a tape in the well understood manner. Also, suspender elements 22 may be of circular cross-section with coacting rollers carried by crossbar 31 having arcuate grooves shaped to conform to the curved surface thereof.

Manual release means for crossbar 31 is also shown in FIG. 4 as accessory 40 which includes a lever arm 41 suitably bolted to latching bar 33 to extend forwardly above seat 20 and a pull rope 42 having a handle 42a, rope 42 being suspended from the forward end of lever arm 41 with handle 4211 within easy grasp of a rider in seat 20.

The practical utility and operation of swing-slide will now be apparent. After assembly as hereinbefore described and shown in the drawings, swing-slide 10 may be positioned with the front ends of side planks 13 in abutment with coping C ofa pool P, as shown in FIG. 1, the bottom ends of tubular structures 15 and 16 having been secured to side planks 13 in any well understood manner, as by flanged collars (not shown) or by directly fastening the bottom ends to shallow wells or seats formed in planks 13 by nails or screws (not shown) driven obliquely through tubular structures 15 and 16 into the wood. With seat 20 disposed in the horizontal position shown in FIG. 1 wherein front suspension member length control device 30 has its crossbar 31 retained in raised position by engagement in hook 34 so that traces 32 pull front suspender element midportions 21a rearwardly, shortening the effectivelength of front suspender elements 21 to substantially that of the fixed length rear suspender elements 22, swing-slide 10 is ready for the seating of a rider with his body adjacent the rear of seat 20 and with his legs extending forwardly and within the bounds of the seat.

Swing-slide 10 may now be swung back and forth either by another person standing behind and manually giving forward impetus to seat 20 or rear suspender elements 22, or the rider may propel himself by pulling on front suspender elements 21 at the end of each backward swing, both methods being well known and used on conventional swings. It will be clear from FIGS. 1 and 2 that seat 20 during the first phase of operation, namely, while swinging back and forth, maintains a relatively horizontal disposition, changing its elevation only to a small degree. For safety, front and rear suspension members may be designed to position seat 20 on the order of l8 inches above the ground. At this height, the front end of seat 20 with its overhand is relatively close to the water level during ejection. However, should a more daring ride be desired, seat 20 may be located at a higher elevation to provide a greater height of plunge into the water.

Seat 20 with its seated rider will swing back and forth in the first phase of operation until the second phase, namely, the conversion of seat 20 to a slide, is initiated by the release of crossbar 31. This may be accomplished manually, when swing-slide 10 is equipped with accessory 40 shown in FIG. 4, by the rider pulling downwardly on handle 420, or automatically when the backward swing reaches a predetermined height. In the latter case, release of crossbar 31 from hook 34 will occur near the apogee of the backward swing and the downward movement of crossbar 31 along rear suspender elements 22 will progress as the latter swing forwardly, the greater part of the movement occurring when elements 22 are inclined forwardly as will be clear from FIG. 3, so that seat 20 reaches a fully inclined position on approaching the forward apogee. The maximum inclination of seat 20 approaching the forward apogee will exceed somewhat that shown in FIG. 3, it being apparent that as seat 20 continues to swing forwardly over pool P its rear end will rise while its front end continues to lower, all adding impetus for ejecting the rider who will slide down seat 20 into pool After ejection, swing-slide 10 enters its third phase of operation wherein seat 20 without a rider and in a fully inclined position comes to rest before again swinging out over pool P. This phase eliminates any danger to the rider while in the water of being struck by a free swinging seat 20. The reduction of weight carried by seat 20 after ejection, the inclined position of seat 20, and the arrangement of front and

rear suspenders

21 and 22 and the lowered position of front suspension member length control device 30 all contribute to dampening the swinging movement and bringing seat 20 substantially to rest on the down swing subsequent to ejection.

To initiate the first phase of operation for the next rider, seat 20 is returned to the horizontal position by raising crossbar 31 to the height of lip 34a of hook 34 and then urging latching bar 33 forwardly to engage the parts.

Due to various components of force effecting automatic release, it has been found that an increase in the weight of a rider requires an increase in the height of the rearward apogee to achieve automatic release. Thus, any means of reorienting lip 340 other than the tension adjustment of spring 36 by the nut 35a may also be effective as a means for adjusting the height requirement for automatic release for any given load.

When utilizing the manual release feature, pulling downwardly on handle 42a pivots latching bar 33 rearwardly at eyebolt 25 forcing hook 34 out of its engagement with bar 31. Should release be attempted prematurely, that is, for example, when seat 20 is passing the center of its swing in its rearward movement, it will be clear from FIG. 2 that released crossbar 31 will not be able to drop'appreciably until rear suspender elements 22 have passed their rearward apogee and the center of their subsequent forward stroke. No significant'dropping of the front end of seat 20 will occur until rear suspender elements begin to slope in a forward direction.

The modified form of release mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 and seen to be incorporated in front suspension member length control device which is generally similar to device 30 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 but with the following variation. Latching bar 133 terminates in an open hook 134 having its opening facing rearwardly for removable engagement of crossbar 31 therein in a manner similar to hook 34 but in an.opposite direction. With hook 134 disposed in this manner, the mere limiting of the rearward swing of latch bar 133 will release crossbar 31 from hook 134 as swing-slide 10 approaches a predetermined rearward apogee. To this end, any suitable limiting means may be utilized, as for example, an adjustable abutment (not shown) mounted to project from overhead support 12 into the path of rearward movement of latching bar 133, or as herein illustrated, a chain section 135 extending between front overhead support 11 and latching bar 133. Any suitable arrangement may be made for adjusting the effective length of chain section 135, such as, a hook 136 carried by latching bar 133 as seen in HO. 7 to selectively engage one of the links thereof. Rope or cable may serve in place of chain for section 135 and any appropriate shortening means may be utilized to determine the release position of swing-slide 10.

It is thus apparent that control device 130 affords foolproof operation and positive release of crossbar 31. The point of release and hence the extent or height of swing of seat 20 may be readily determined and preadjusted by operating swing-slide 10 without a rider and shortening or lengthening chain section 135 to achieve the desired swing. Links along chain section 135 may be designated by color or otherwise for a low, medium or high swing when such link is engaged in hook 136.

It will also be clear from FIG. 5 that a pull rope, not shown, but similar to pull rope 42 and handle 42a may be suspended from a midportion of chain section 135 for manual operation by the rider in seat oflatching bar 133 to release crossbar 31, the latter being disengaged from hook 134 when latching bar 133 is urged forwardly by a downward pull on such pull rope.

The swing-slide herein disclosed is seen to achieve the several objects of the invention and to be well adapted to meet conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made of this invention, and as various changes might be made in the disclosed construction, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A swing-slide comprising an elongated seat, overhead support means for the seat having rear and front portions horizontally spaced from each other, a fixed length suspension means swingably connecting a rear end of the seat to said rear portion of the support means, a variable length suspension means swingably connecting a front end portion of the seat to said front portionof the support means, and shortening means for said variable length suspension means movable from a first position to dispose the latter in a relatively effective shortened configuration wherein said seat is suspended in a substantially horizontal position for swinging back and forth, to a second position to dispose the variable length suspension means in a lengthened configuration wherein the seat is inclined to forwardly eject a rider therefrom.

2. The swing-slide defined in claim 1 in which said shortening means times the release to take full effect for maximum inclination of the seat as the latter approaches a forward apogee.

3. The swing-slide defined in claim 1 in which said variable length suspension means is flexed at a midportion thereof by said shortening means to assume an angular configuration when said shortening means is in said first position and is released to assume a more obtuse angular configuration when said shortening means is in said second position.

4. The swing-slide defined in claim 1 in which said shortening means includes a trace member connected at one end to a midportion of said variable length suspension means and at the other end to a follower which rides along said fixed length suspension means, said follower being in a raised position when the shortening means is in said first position and in a lowered position with respect to said overhead support means when the shortening means is in said second position.

5. The swing-slide defined in claim 4 in which said shortening means includes a latch member swingably suspended from said overhead support means to engage said follower for retaining the latter in said raised position while the seat is free to swing in said horizontal position, said follower and latch member being constructed and arranged for disengagement of the follower when the seat and fixed length suspension means reaches a predetermined height during a backward swing.

6. The swing-slide defined in claim 5 in which said latch member includes an elongated bar terminating in an open hook, and said follower has a portion sized and shaped to engage and disengage the hook through its opening as said latch member and follower engagement, said hook being resiliently mounted on the bar, and means for adjusting the resiliency of said mounting to control the height of swing requirements for said follower release.

7. The swing-slide defined in claim 5 including means for limiting the rearward swing of said latch member to effect said disengagement of said follower.

8. The swing-slide defined in claim 7 in which said limiting means includes chain means extending between said frontportion of the overhead support means and said latch member, said chain means being adjustable in length to vary said predetermined height of swing of the seat to effect said follower disengagement.

9. The swing-slide defined in claim 4 in which said shortening means includes a latch member swingably suspended from said overhead support means to engage said follower for retaining the latter in said raised position while the seat is free to swing in said horizontal position, and manual pull means extending forwardly from said latch member within grasp of a rider in the seat, said manual pull means, latch member and follower being constructed and arranged when the pull means is actuated by the rider to disengage the follower for movement to said second position for voluntary ejection of the rider.

10. The swing-slide defined in claim 1 in which said fixed length suspension means includes a pair of spaced rigid suspenders extending along opposite sides of the seat, said variable length suspension means including a pair of suspenders flexible at a midportion thereof and extending along opposite sides of the seat, said shortening means including a pair of traces, each connected at one end thereof to one of said suspender midportions, a crossbar riding along a rear side of said rigid suspenders and connected to the other ends of said traces, and a latch member swingably suspended from said overhead support means releasably engaging the crossbar in said first position whereby the traces shorten the distance between said variable length suspender midportions and the rigid suspenders to effect said shortened configuration.

11. The swing-slide defined in claim 10 in which said seat front end portion connection of the variable length suspension means is located rearwardly of the front end of the seat to provide a downward overhang for the latter when in said inclined position.

Claims

1. A swing-slide comprising an elongated seat, overhead support means for the seat having rear and front portions horizontally spaced from each other, a fixed length suspension means swingably connecting a rear end of the seat to said rear portion of the support means, a variable length suspension means swingably connecting a front end portion of the seat to said front portion of the support means, and shortening means for said variable length suspension means movable from a first position to dispose the latter in a relatively effective shortened configuration wherein said seat is suspended in a substantially horizontal position for swinging back and forth, to a second position to dispose the variable length suspension means in a lengthened configuration wherein the seat is inclined to forwardly eject a rider therefrom.

8. The swing-slide defined in claim 7 in which said limiting means includes chain means extending between said front portion of the overhead support means and said latch member, said chain means being adjustable in length to vary said predetermined height of swing of the seat to effect said follower disengagement.