US3794317A - Automatic swing - Google Patents

Abstract

A child''s swing operated by a spring motor. The swing includes a frame, upstanding legs supporting the frame and a swing seat suspended from the frame. The spring motor includes a coiled spring having one end secured to a ratchet wheel and the other end secured to the frame. A pair of pawls alternately engage the ratchet wheel, thereby controlling the release of the tension on the spring. The power of the spring in turn drives the seat in a reciprocating pivotal movement. The spring is formed from spring steel, and has a square cross-section. By utilizing the square cross-section, a spring of increased diameter can be used without the coils of the spring skewing. The increased diameter of the main coiled spring permits the swing to operate for at least twice as long as the prior art automatic swings which were powered by coiled springs.

Description

Barrett 1451 Feb. 26, 1974 1 AUTOMATIC SWING [75] Inventor: Edmund Barrett, Narberth, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Jenkinto wn Metal Products, Inc., Jenkintow'n, Pa.

22 Filed: Jan. 19,1971

21 Appl. No.: 107,663

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 885,525, Dec. 16,

1969, Pat. N0v 3,667,756

52 u.s.c1. 272/86, 297/274 51 1m.c1 ..A63g9/16 [58] Field of Search 272/85-91,83 A,

Stone 297/274 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 253,185 1964 Australia 287/110 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant ExaminerTheatrice Brown Attorney, Agent, or FirmCaesar, Rivise, Bernstein 8L Cohen [57] ABSTRACT A childs swing operated by-a spring motor. The swing includes a frame, upstanding legs supporting the frame and a swing seat suspended from the frame. The

spring motor includes a coiled spring having one end secured to a ratchet wheel and the other end secured to the frame. A pair of pawlsalternately engage the ratchet wheel, thereby controlling the release of the tension on the spring. The power of the spring in turn drives the seat in -a reciprocating pivotal movement. The spring is formed from spring steel, and has a square cross-section. By utilizing the square crosssection, a spring of increased diameter can be used without the coils of the spring skewing. The increased diameter of the main coiled spring permits the swing to operate for at least twice as long as the prior art automatic swings which were powered by coiled springs.

4 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures PATENIEBFEBZSIQH 3,794,317

' sum 1 BF 4 I INVENTOR EDMUND BARRETT ATTORNEYS:

PAIENTEUFEB BIM v 3,794,317

I sum 30F 4 uvye/vron I I EDMUND BARRETT ,W, com

ATTORNEYS- This invention relates to a childs swing, and more particularly, to a childs swing that is powered by a spring motor.

Baby swings actuated by spring motors are now in common usage. The motors are wound and the swing is then set in operation, and will continue to reciproate in a small arc under the power of the spring motor until the tension on the spring is fully unwound. Swings of this type normally operate for 12 to 15 minutes each time the spring is wound, and the swings serve to keep a young child occupied and relaxed for this period of time. The swings are also an aid in putting a young child to sleep.

One type of swing presently in use includes a spring motor that has one end of the spring secured to a reciprocating cradle and the other end secured to a shaft 'which is used to wind the spring. One of the problems with this structure is that it has been found that the fingers can be pinched by the cradle against the housing when the swing is in operation, or. when the spring motor is wound. This occurs because one end of the spring was secured to the cradle, and when the spring was wound, the cradle would suddenly be forced against the housing.

In the device disclosed in my aforementioned Application Ser. No. 885,525, the' problem of pinched fingers was obviated by providing hanger bars which were freely rotatable on the rod used for winding the spring, instead of having the cradle which is always under the force of the spring. Accordingly, the hanger bars remain in a substantially vertical orientation during the entire winding operation. The hanger bar is propelled by the spring motor only during the use of the swing.

The device of this invention provides a number ofimprovements over the device disclosed in aforementioned Application Ser. No. 885,525. One of these improvements resides in the provision of an enlarged diameter coiled spring for the spring motor. The diameter of the spring is substantially larger than the diameter of the tube on which the spring is wound. Accordingly, the spring requires a greater number of turns to tighten the same against the tube. The greater the number of turns of the spring, the longer it takes for the spring to unwind. This, in turn, results in providing a substantially longer period of operation for the swing each time the spring is wound. It has been found that the increased diameter spring permits an operating time of up to forty minutes for the swing.

One of the problems encountered in the use of the enlarged diameter spring was that the coils of the spring would skewor overlap during the winding operation. This, in turn, caused the locking of the spring and/or a point of weakness in the spring each time the spring was wound. Eventually, the operating time of the spring would be greatly reduced because-of the locked coils, and in addition, the spring would eventually break because of the fatigue point at the skewed coil.

In order to overcome the problem of the skewing, a spring was developed which was formed from spring wire having a square cross-section. The abutment of the flat face of one coil with the flat face of the adjacent coil prevented the skewing of the coils during the wind ing of the spring. Thus, the round coils of the prior spring had a tendency to slide over and under each other, thereby resulting in the skewing. However, the

fiat sides of the square wire coils abut each other during,

the winding operation, but do not readily slide over each other. For this reason, the skewing is eliminated.

Another improvement of the device of this invention resides in the replacing of a hairspring with a leaf spring. The leaf spring is used to urge one of the pawls into releasable engagement with the ratchet wheel.

During the operation of the swing, a second pawl is brought to bear against the leaf spring, thereby taking the first pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel. In the swing disclosed in aforementioned Application Ser. No. 885,525, a hairspring was used for this function. However, because of the thin wire used in the hairspring, it was found that the hairspring could fatigue during extensive periods of'use. The leaf spring is I far stronger, and should undergo indefinite use without fatiguing.

A third improvement residing in the device of this insupporting the first pawl, and does not damage the leaf spring at a given spot since the contact is over an enlarged area.

A fourth improvement in the device of this invention resides in the provision of a new frame for supporting the fabric seat of the swing. in the prior art swings, the seat was supported by a pair of side rods which had short flanges that were inserted in elongated tubes at the front and rear of the fabric seat. It has been found that it is extremely difficult to insert the flanges into the tubes, and quite often the fabric of the seat was. torn during the insertion. Very little excess fabric was provided because the tension of the fabric on the side rods maintained the flanges in the tubes.

In the device of this invention, the elongated tubes are eliminated, and in their place short sleeves are used. These sleeves have gripping teeth which permanently secure the side rods within the sleeves. Accordingly, the tension of the fabric on the side rods is no longer necessary to maintain the seat frame in place.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a novel automatic swing.

It is another object of this invention to provide an automatic swing that is powered by acoiled spring, which swing will operate for extensive periods of time each time the'coiled spring is wound toincrease the tension thereof.

I It is a further object of this invention to provide an automatic swing having a novel seat assembly.

It is yet a further object of this invention to providean automatic swing having a novel pawl assembly.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing an automatic swing comprising a frame, a horizontal shaft carried by said frame, a seat suspended from said shaft, a coiled spring surrounding said shaft, said coiled spring being adapted to actuate a reciprocating motion to said seat around said shaft, said coiled spring having a diameter which is substan- 3 tially larger than the diameter of said shaft, with the coils of said spring having flattened lateral faces, and means for winding saidcoiled spring to increase the tension of the coils thereof.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic swing embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing the position of the pawls at one end of the arc of the hanger bar; I

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the position of the pawls at the other end of the arc of the hanger bar;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the elements of the escapement mechanism for the ratchet wheel;

, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the seat of the automatic swing embodying the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the front of the seat during the assembly of the sect;

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of the securement mechanism for the rods of the seat;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the coiled spring used in the swing of this invention; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 12-12 of FIG. 11.

Referring now in greater cletail to the various figures of the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, an automatic swing embodying the present invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Device 10 basically comprises a frame 12 having supporting legs'l4 and a seat 16 suspended therefrom.

Frame 12 comprises an upper housing 18 and a lower housing 20 secured thereon. Upper housing 18 includes a top plate 22, side plates 24 which flare outwardly (FIG. 2), a front plate 26 (FIG. 3) and a rear plate 28. Braces 30 extend from rear plate 28 to front plate 26 and are riveted to the front and rear plate, as shown at 32 with respect to rear plate 28 in FIG.- 2. As seen in FIG. 2, the braces 30 have one surface that lies in a plane paralleltoside plates '24. The side plates 24 are spaced from braces 30 a distance equal to the diameters of the legs 14, and the legs are mounted between braces 30 and side plates 24 by sheet metal screws 34 (FIG. 2). Braces 30 also include openings 36 on the sides which are parallel to end plates 24.

Legs 14 are formed from tubular steel, and as seen in FIG. 1, flare outwardly from the frame 12. The flaring is accomplished because the plates 24, 26 and 28 all taper outwardly in going from top plate 22 downward. Having the flared positioning of the legs provides a more stable structure when a child is supported in the swing, and prevents the inadvertent tipping of the swing. Rubber or plastic end caps 38 are placed at the bottoms of the legs. Legs 14 are pivotableabout screws 34 for collapsing the swing, and are held in the open position by side straps 39 (FIG. 1).

Mounted within housing 18, and forming a part of the frame, is a pair of supporting plates 40. Each supporting plate 40 is vertically extending within housing 18, and includes an upper flange 42 which is mounted against top plate 22 of housing 18. Each plate 40 further includes a pair of side flanges 44 which are riveted to front and rear plates 26 and 28 of housing 18 (FIG. 3), as shown at 45. Each plate 40 further includes a first bottom flange 46 (FIG. 6) and a second bottom flange 48 (FIG. 2). As seen in FIG. 2, since plates 40 are arranged in a position whereby they face each other, the bottom flange 48 of one plate 40 will be .aligned with the bottom flange 46 of the other plate 40. Each plate 40 is provided with an outstruck opening 50 (FIG. 2).

A horizontally extending rod 52 is received in outstruck openings 50 of plates 40. One end of rod 52 is held within frame 12 by clip 54 formed of spring steel. Rod 52 passes through opening 36 in one of the braces 30 and through opening 56 in an end plate 24. A crank arm 58 is formed at the end of rod 52, and a knob 60 (FIG. 1) is rotatably mounted on the end of arm 58.

As seen in FIG. 2, rod 52 is provided with a pinched portion 62 adjacent one end thereof. The pinched portion forms a pair of aligned outwardly projecting lips in the rod. Openings 50 in plates 40 are provided with aligned slots 64 (FIG. 6) to permit the pinched portion 62 of rod 52 to pass therethrough. A ratchet wheel 66 is provided with a pair of slots 67 (FIG. 6) which receive the pinched portion 62 of the rod thereby keying the ratchet wheel to the rod. Ratchet wheel 66 contains a plurality of equally spaced ratchet teeth 68 around its circumference.

A tube 70 is telescoped over rod 52 and is mounted between ratchet wheel 66 and one supporting plate 40. One end of tube 70 is secured by a collar 72 which is riveted to plate 40, as shown at 74. A second collar 76 is riveted to ratchet wheel 66, as shown at 78. Tube 70 includes outstruck tabs 80 which are used for the alignment of rod 52 when it is passedthrough tube 70 during the assembly of the swing. Thus, the tabs 80 insure that the rod 52 will pass through the opening in ratchet wheel 66 during the assembly process.

A coiled tension spring 82 is telescoped over tube 70. One end 84 of the tension spring is'rigidly mounted with respect to plate 40 by rivet 74. The other end 86 of spring 82 is rigidly mounted with respect to ratchet wheel 66 by rivet 78.

The lower housing section 20 is mounted on the bot tom of upper housing section 18 by riveting it to flanges 46 and 48 of plates 40 (FIG. 2). Lower housing section 20 is not shown inFIGS. 3, 4 and 5 for the purpose of clarity. A slot 88 is formed in lower housing section 20, as seen in FIG. 2. A hanger bar 90 having a central horizontal section 92 and vertically extending arms 94 and 96 is suspended from rod 52 by passing the rod through holes formed in arms 94 and 96. Arm 94 is received in slot 88 of lower housing section 20. Arm 96 is positioned between plate 40 and a side brace 30, beyond the outer edge of lower housing section 20.

Hanger bar 90 is formed from a tube, with the horizontal section 92 being retained in a tubular shape. The ends of the tube are flatened in order to form vertical arms 94 and 96. A pair of hanger rods 98 (FIG. 1) is supported by horizontal section 92 of hanger bar 90. Each rod 98 includes an upper bent portion 1'00 (FIG. 3) that passes through a pair of aligned holes in hanger bar 90. Horizontal section 92 includes an upwardly projecting slot 102 (FIG. 3) beneath the holes formed for bent portions 100. A chain 104 (FIG. 1) passes upwardly through each slot 102 and is received on the bent portion 100 of each rod 98. The rod then passes through the front of horizontal tube 92 where it is held in place by a cap 106.

Rods 98 and chains 104 support seat 16. The seat comprises a flexible body' supporting section 108 and a metal frame 110. The specific structure of the metal frame and its assembly will be explained hereinafter. The seat is supported by the placing of the metal frame sections in hooks 112 of rod 98 and in one of the links of chains 104.

Vertical arm 94 of hanger bar 90 has a pawl 114 (FIG. 6) mounted thereon. P awl 114 includes a plate 116 that is pivotally mounted on arm 94 by rivet 117. A flange 118 projects perpendicularly from plate 116. Flange 118 in turn includes a downwardly projecting arcuate lip 119. Arm 94 includes an outstruck tab 120 (FIGS. 3 to 6) on which pawl 114 rests.

A second pawl 122 (FIG. 6) is mounted on plate 40 which is adjacent ratchet wheel '66. Pawl 122 includes a plate 124 which is pivotally mounted on plate 40 by rivet 126. A flange 128 projects from plate 124. A leaf spring 130 (FIG. 6) has one arm 132 received in outstruck loops 134 on flange 46 of plate 40 adjacent ratchet wheel 66. The other arm 136 of spring 130 is received in an opening formed in flange 128 of pawl 122. The spring 130 urges pawl 122 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6, around rivet 126.

In F IG.'7, the seat 16 is shown in detail in its assembled condition. As pointed out above, the seat includes a flexible body 108 which can be formed from cotton duck, canvas or plastic. Suitable leg holes 138 are formed in the body. The body also includes a plurality of spaced looped sections 140 through which the frame 110 passes. Frame 110 comprises a pair of substantially U- shaped rods 148 which include legs 150 at the top and bottom of the seat and a bridging section 152 on the sides of the seat. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 7, the bridging sections 152 are angled at the center in order to form the contour of the seat. The rods 148 are received in looped sections 140 of the body of the seat.

In assembling the seat, the rods are threaded through the looped sections 140. At the same time, the chains 104 and hooks 112 of rods 98 are threaded in place. If desired, ornamental discs, such as discs 154 (FIG. 7) can also be threaded on the rods. The ends of the legs of the two rods are. in alignment in the area of the spaces 156 between the upper and lower looped sections 140. The aligned ends of the rods are secured together by the use ofa sleeve 158. As best seen in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, each sleeve 158'has a central opening 160 formed therein. Outstruck teeth 162 project inwardly adjacent opening 160.

In the securement of the ends of rods 150, one rod 150 is inserted into sleeve 158 until its end is positioned in the center of opening 160. Thereafter, the end of the other rod- 150 is inserted in sleeve 158, and a force is applied against the bridging section of the other rod. This force can be the force of a hammer while the first rod is held stationary. This brings the two ends of the rods-into abutment within sleeve 158 asshown at 164 in FIG. 9. As seen in FIG. 10, the two ends of the rods 150 are permanently secured within sleeve 158 by the engagement of teeth 162 into the rods. Thus, any attempt to separate the rods will only cause the teeth 162 to bite further into the rods;

The other two ends of the rods are secured in the same manner as that shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. Accordingly, once the rods have been inserted in the sleeves 158, they are held rigidly in place, thereby forming a permanent frame for the seat body 108.

The coiled spring 82 is shown-in perspective in FIG. 11. As seen therein, the spring includes a central section 166 of a constant diameter and tapering end sections 168. As seen in FIG. 2, the coils of the spring are closely spaced in the assembled condition of the swing. As seen in FIG. 12, the spring is formed from a wire having'a square cross-section. The critical feature of the spring used in the swing of this invention is that the sides of the coils be flat, whereby the flat sides of adjacent coils will abut each other. As pointed-out above, having the flat sides prevents the overlapping or skewing of the coils during the winding of the spring.

The device of this invention-is used by first winding crank arm 58 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1. Since ratchet wheel 66 is keyed to rod 52, the rotation of the crank arm will cause the ratchet wheel to rotate in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 3. to 6. During the rotation of the ratchet wheel, flange 128 of pawl 122 will be moved out of engagement with the ratchet teeth 68 in view of the shape of theratchet teeth, which permit the winding in a clockwise direction. However, wheneverthe winding is stopped, flange 128 will engage the forward edge of a ratchet tooth under the urging of spring 130. Paw] 114 will be slightly removed from the ratchet teeth during the winding of the crank arm 58. In this connection, it should be noted that arms 94 and 96 of hanger bar 20 are freely pivotally mounted on rod 52. Accordingly, when the rod 52 is turned, thereby turning ratchet wheel 66, the arms 94 and 96 will remain substantially vertical. When in the vertical orientation, the pawl 114 is slightly removed from the ratchet teeth 68.

The turning of the ratchet wheel 66 will in turn place a tension on coiled spring 82, since one end of the coiled spring is rigidly mounted with respect to the ratchet wheel by rivet 78 and the other end 84 of the coiled spring is rigidly mounted on plate 40. The winding of the spring supplies the moving force for the spring motor comprising the spring, ratchet wheel and the pawls. The sping is prevented from unwinding by the engagement of pawl 122 in ratchet teeth 68. The fact that the hanger bar is not moved during the winding of the spring is one of theadvantages of the swing of this invention. In the prior art, the spring had one end secured to a cradle which supported the spring. Accordingly, when the spring was wound, the cradle immediately was forced against the housing, thereby presenting the possibility of pinching any fingers that were within the housing. Since all of the elements which are directly controlled by the spring are maintained within bottom housing 20, which is rigidly mounted in place, there is no danger of injury at the time the spring is wound.

After the spring is wound, hanger bar arm 94 will be in the position shown in FIG. 3. During the operation of the swing, hanger bar arms 94 and 96 will reciprocate in the form of a pendulum, as shown by arrow 170 in FIG. 6. The reciprocation of the hanger bar arms will in turn reciprocate the swing seat 16 holding the baby, as indicated by arrow'172 in FIG. 1.

After the spring has been wound, the swing action is initiated by pushing the hanger bar in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3. Referring now to FIG. 5, the action of the hanger bar when pushed forward is seen. Thus, during the forward motion, arcuate lip 119 of flange 118 engages arm 136 of spring 130. The lip glides upwardly on the arm 136 thereby depressing the arm. At the same time, the arm 136 rotates pawl 114 in a clockwise direction around rivet 117, thereby engaging the flange 118 in a ratchet tooth 68. At the same time, flange 128 of pawl 122 is rotated out of engagement with a ratchet tooth 68. With the pawl 122 removed from the ratchet wheel, the tension on spring 82 causes'the ratchet wheel to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. This in turn pushes arm 94 in a counterclockwise direction by the pressure of the ratchet tooth against pawl 114. Accordingly, pawl 114 is moved to the position shown at 114 in FIG. 5.

As the arm 94 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, the pressure against spring arm 13 6 is removed, and flange 128 will re-engage a ratchet tooth 68. The pressure of the spring against pawl 1 14 while the flange 128 is disengaged from ratchet wheel 66 is sufficient to swing arm 94 to the position shown in FIG. 4. Since the swing seat 1.6 depends from the hanger bar 90, the swing seat will be carried backward along with the arm 94 and the remainder of the hanger bar 90.

On the counterclockwise swing of arm 94, pawl 114 is completely free of ratchet teeth 68. This is because the pawl is freely pivotable on arm 94 around rivet 1 17., and gravity will hold the pawl in the position shown in FIG. 4 against outstruck tab 120. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to have any spring tension on the pawl 114, as would be necessary when utilizing the prior art structures.-

After the spring force has carried the hanger bar to the position shown in FIG. 4, the force of gravity will rotate the hanger bar in the opposite direction. On the return movement, pawl 114 will again engage spring arm 136, thereby freeing flange 128 from a ratchet tooth, and engaging flange 118 in a new ratchet tooth. The arm 94. will again be returned to the position shown in FIG. 4 in the manner described above, thereby swinging seat 16 in a counterclockwise directron.

During one full reciprocation of arm 94, the ratchet wheel 16 will be advanced a rotational amount equal to one ratchet tooth. Thus, each time pawl 122 is removed from the ratchet wheel, it is returned to the next successive ratchet tooth. This controlled escapement of the tension on spring 82 permits the swing to be used for periods of time of approximately forty minutes each time the spring is wound.

The reason the swing of this invention can operate for approximately 40 minutes, whereas the prior art spring motor swings could operate for a maximum period of time of only fifteen minutes, resides in the provis'ion of spring 82. As best seen in FIG. 12, the spring is formed from wire having a squarecross section. Accordingly, flat faces are provided for each of the coils. During the winding of the spring, the diameter of the spring is reduced until the spring is tightly wound on tube 70. This brings the coils of the spring into abutment. However, the flat faces of the coils prevent the skewing of adjacent coils. In the priorart springs, the coils were all circular in cross section, and skewing presented a serious problem. Thus, if the coils became 8 skewed or overlapped, weakness developed in the spring, and in addition, the running time of theswing was substantially reduced. Eventually, the spring could break because of the weakness formed by the skewed coils.

Because skewing is substantially eliminated by having the square coils, a greater number of coils can be provided in the same space utilized for the prior art springs having coils of a circular cross section. The greater the number of coils in a given length, the longer the swing will operate. By way of specificexample, spring 82 is formed from square steel wire having a width of 0.062 inch. The outer diameter of section 166 of the spring is l 9/l6 inches. This section of constant diameter is 7 /2 inches in length. The tapering sections 168 are each 1 inch in length, and the smallest outer diameter of the spring is 1 3/16 inches. Accordingly, the springtapers from an outer diameter of l 9/l 6 inches to an outer diameter of 1 3/16 inches over a space of 1 inch. The spring is stretched to a length of 13 inches when secured in the housing 18 in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

The foregoing dimensions are by way of example only. The dimensions can be varied to suit the needs of the user for a specific swing. The critical feature, however, of the spring is that the coils have flat lateral faces. By having these flattened faces, a substantially greater number of coils can be provided for a given unit of length in the swing. This in turn results in greater running time for the swing.

Another feature of the swing of this invention resides in seat 16. The use of short tube 158 to secure the ends of rods 148 in place provides a distinct advantage over the tubes used in the prior art swings. In the prior art, tubes were used which extended over substantially the entire width of the front and back of the swing. The legs 150 of the prior art rods were'extremely short, and had to be forced into the ends of the tubes by stretching the fabric of the seat. The tension of the fabric of the seat against the rods held the ends of the rods in the tubes. One of the problems encountered was that the fabric was not resilient enough to always permit the ends of the rods to be inserted in the tubes with any degree of ease. Accordingly, quite often the fabric of the seat was torn during the insertion.

In the seat of this invention, the tension of the fabric body of the seat plays no part in the securement of the rods in the tubes 158. The ends of the rods are held in the tubes solely by the engagement of pointed teeth 162 in the rods, as shown in FIG. 10. An excess of fabric is provided in the seat to enable the ends 150 of the rods to easily be inserted into the tubes 158. The fabric of the seat is not needed to hold the rods in place, and therefore the fabric need not be taut. This greatly facilitates the assembly of the seat.

Another improvement of .the swing of this invention is the provision of arcuate lip 119. This lip glides against leg 136 of spring during the operation of the swing. Contrasted with this, in the swing disclosed in my aforementioned co-pending Application Ser. No. 885,525, a sharp edge of flange 118 would strike the spring at a single point, thereby fatiguing the spring at that point.

Another improvement of the swing of this invention is the provision of leaf spring 130 instead of the hairspring used in the swing of my co-pending Application Ser. No. 885,525. The leaf spring is much stronger in construction, and should last far longer than the thin wire hairspring of my prior swing.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, adopt the same for use under various conditions of service.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. An automatic swing comprising a frame, a rod rotatably mounted in said frame, a ratchet wheel secured to said rod, a coilspring surrounding said rod, said coil springbeing adapted to urge said ratchet wheel in a rotational direction, a hanger bar suspended from said rod, a seat supported by said hanger bar, said hanger bar having a first pawl pivotally mounted thereon, a second pawl pivotally mounted on said frame, said second pawl being urged into contactwith said ratchet wheel by spring means, said second pawl being urged out of contact with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl contacts said spring means, with said first pawl being engaged by said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and said second pawl being returned to engagement with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel by the power furnished by said coil spring, thereby pivoting said hanger bar on said rod, said spring means comprising a leaf spring having two arms, with the first of said arms being associated with said second pawl and the second of said arms being mounted on said frame, said first pawl having an arcuate lip that contacts said first arm to move said second pawl out of contact with said ratchet wheel, with said first arm. urging said first pawl into contact with said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is moved out of contact with said ratchet wheel.

2. An automatic swing comprising a frame, a horizontal rod carried by said frame, a seat suspended from said rod, agcoiled tension spring surrounding said rod, said coiled spring being adapted to actuate a reciprocating pivotal motion to said seat around said rod,

means for winding said coiled spring to increase the tension on the coils thereof, said coiled spring being formed from a wire having flattened lateral faces, with said faces being adapted to contact each other when the tension on said spring is increased by winding said spring, whereby the flattened lateral faces prevent the overlapping of the coils of said spring when they contact each other during winding, a hanger bar suspended from said rod, saidseat being supported by said hanger bar, said hanger bar having a first pawl pivotally mounted thereon a second pawl pivotally mounted on said frame, a ratchet wheel secured to said rod, said coiled spring being adapted to urge said ratchet wheel in a rotational direction, said second pawl being urged into contact with said ratchet wheel by spring means, said second pawl being urged out of contact with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl contacts said spring means, with said first pawl being engaged by said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and said second pawl being returned to engagement with said'ratchet wheel when said first pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel by the power furnished .by said coiled spring, thereby reciprocating said seat in said pivotal motion, said spring means comprising a leaf spring having two arms, with the first of said arms being associated with said second pawl and the second of said arms being mounted on said frame, said first pawl contacting said first arm to move said second pawl out of contact with said ratchet wheel, with said first arm urging said first pawl into contact with said'ratchet wheel when said second paw] is moved out of contact with said ratchet wheel, and said first pawl including an arcuate lip, said arcuate lip contacting said first arm. 3. An automatic swing comprising a frame, a horizontal rod carried by said frame, a seat suspended from said rod, a coiled tension spring surrounding said rod,

said coiled spring being adapted to actuate a reciprocating pivotal motion to saidseat around said rod, means for winding said coiled spring to increase the tension on the coils thereof, said coiled spring being formed from a wire having flattened lateral faces, with said faces being adapted to contact each other when the tension on said spring is increased by winding said spring, whereby the flattened lateral faces prevent the overlapping of the coils of said spring when they contact each other during winding, said seat being formed from a flexible body and a frame, said frame comprising a pair of substantially U-shaped rods, each of said rods having a pair of legs, with said legs of one of said rods being aligned with'the legs of the other of said rods, said flexible body being secured to said frame, and said legs having the aligned ends thereof received in a pair of sleeves, said sleeves having means formed thereon for retaining said legs in alignment and retaining said frame in its secured position with respect to said flexible body, and said means for retaining said legs in alignment comprising teeth projecting inwardly from said sleeves into said legs, said teeth being unitary with said sleeves.

4. The automatic swing of claim 3 wherein said teeth project into said legs at an angle whereby an attempt to move said aligned legs away from each other will cause said teeth to penetrate said legs.

Claims (4)

1. An automatic swing comprising a frame, a rod rotatably mounted in said frame, a ratchet wheel secured to said rod, a coil spring surrounding said rod, said coil spring being adapted to urge said ratchet wheel in a rotational direction, a hanger bar suspended from said rod, a seat supported by said hanger bar, said hanger bar having a first pawl pivotally mounted thereon, a second pawl pivotally mounted on said frame, said second pawl being urged into contact with said ratchet wheel by spring means, said second pawl being urged out of contact with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl contacts said spring means, with said first pawl being engaged by said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and said second pawl being returned to engagement with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel by the power furnished by said coil spring, thereby pivoting said hanger bar on said rod, said spring means comprising a leaf spring having two arms, with the first of said arms being associated with said second pawl and the second of said arms being mounted on said frame, said first pawl having an arcuate lip that contacts said first arm to move said second pawl out of contact with said ratchet wheel, with said first arm urging said first pawl into contact with said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is moved out of contact with said ratchet wheel.

2. An automatic swing comprising a frame, a horizontal rod carried by said frame, a seat suspended from said rod, a coiled tension spring surrounding said rod, said coiled spring being adapted to actuate a reciprocating pivotal motion to said seat around said rod, means for winding said coiled spring to increase the tension on the coils thereof, said coiled spring being formed from a wire having flattened lateral faces, with said faces being adapted to contact each other when the tension on said spring is increased by winding said spring, whereby the flattened lateral faces prevent the overlapping of the coils of said spring when they contact each other during winding, a hanger bar suspended from said rod, said seat being supported by said hanger bar, said hanger bar having a first pawl pivotally mounted thereon a second pawl pivotally mounted on said frame, a ratchet wheel secured to said rod, said coiled spring being adapted to urge said ratchet wheel in a rotational direction, said second pawl being urged into contact with said ratchet wheel by spring means, said second pawl being urged out of contact with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl contacts said spring means, with said first pawl being engaged by said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and said second pawl being returned to engagement with said ratchet wheel when said first pawl is urged out of engagement with said ratchet wheel by the power furnished by said coiled spring, thereby reciprocating said seat in said pivotal motion, said spring means comprising a leaf spring having two arms, with the first of said arms being associated with said second pawl and the second of said arms being mounted on said frame, said first pawl contacting said first arm to move said second pawl out of contact with said ratchet wheel, with said first arm urging said first pawl into contact with said ratchet wheel when said second pawl is moved out of contact with said ratchet wheel, and said first pawl including an arcuate lip, said arcuate lip contacting said first arm.

3. An automatic swing comprising a frame, a horizontal rod carried by said frame, a seat suspended from said rod, a coiled tension spring surrounding said rod, said coiled spring being adapted to actuate a reciprocating pivotal motion to said seat around said rod, means for winding said coiled spring to increase the tension on the coils thereof, said coiled spring being formed from a wire having flattened lateral faces, with said faces being adapted to contact each other when the tension on said spring is increased by winding said spring, whereby the flattened lateral faces prevent the overlapping of the coils of said spring when they contact each other during winding, said seat being formed from a flexible body and a frame, said frame comprising a pair of substantially U-shaped rods, each of said rods having a pair of legs, with said legs of one of said rods being aligned with the legs of the other of said rods, said flexible body being secured to said frame, and said legs having the aligned ends thereof received in a pair of sleeves, said sleeves having means formed thereon for retaining said legs in alignment and retaining said frame in its secured position with respect to said flexible body, and said means for retaining said legs in alignment comprising teeth projecting inwardly from said sleeves into said legs, said teeth being unitary with said sleeves.

4. The automatic swing of claim 3 wherein said teeth project into said legs at an angle whereby an attempt to move said aligned legs away from each other will cause said teeth to penetrate said legs.

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