US3829086A

US3829086A - Figure-eight swing

Info

Publication number: US3829086A
Application number: US00160727A
Authority: US
Inventors: M Lelong
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-07-08
Filing date: 1971-07-08
Publication date: 1974-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 1991-08-13

Abstract

A swing for two persons seated or standing at opposing and spaced-apart spreader assemblies which are interconnected by a transversely disposed and rotatably attached spacer shaft means that may be monoshaft or multishaft. A pair of ropes diverge downwardly from an overhead pivot to spaced-apart attachment positions on either side of each spreader assembly. Relative to the spacer shaft means, the support lines may be inwardly inclined, upright, or outwardly inclined. The swing travels endwise and sidewise and is capable of describing an apparent figure-eight pattern when the spreader assemblies move transpositionally. Means are provided for users to initiate endwise and sidewise swinging and for group activity.

Description

1. States Patent [191 [451 Aug. 13, 1974 FIGURE-EIGHT SWING [76] Inventor: Marion Pasteur Lelong, 1308 Seaton Ln., Falls Church, Va. 22046 [22] Filed: July 8, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 160,727

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1939 Zippler 272/89 7/1943 Williams 272/85 Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham Assistant Examiner-Theatrice Brown [57] ABSTRACT A swing for two persons seated or standing at opposing and spaced-apart spreader assemblies which are interconnected by a transversely disposed and rotatably attached spacer shaft means that may be monoshaft or multishaft. A pair of ropes diverge downwardly from an overhead pivot to spaced-apart attachment positions on either side of each spreader assembly. Relative to the spacer shaft means, the support lines may be inwardly inclined, upright, or outwardly inclined. The swing travels endwise and sidewise and is capable of describing an apparent figure-eight pattern when the spreader assemblies move transpositionally. Means are provided for users to initiate endwise and sidewise swinging and for group activity.

19 Claims, 35 Drawing Figures PATENIEMUBIBW 3,829,086

SHEET 1 [1F 5 PATENTED AUG 1 31914 SHEET 2 OF 5 IZIJ INVENTOR MAR/0N P457505 LELO/VG HIEMIEB Aucl 31924 sum '3 OF 5 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII FAIENIED sum 315m SHEEI 5 BF 5 INVENTOR MARIO/V PASTEUR LELONG I FIGURE-EIGHT SWING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to swings having two opposing seats that depend from a support and confront each other. It particularly relates to swings that are interconnected and oscillate to and fro. It especially relates to such swings in which each seat is mounted to be displaced relative to the other seat.

2. Review of the Prior Art Simple swings have been used for uncounted centuries and have been particularly beloved by children. More complicated swings having four suspension lines and two opposing seats, such as the Wallace swing described in US. Pat. No. 862,686, have been appreciated by adults for years because of their more sedate operational characteristics.

Swings which are capable of relatively intricate maneuvers are exemplified by the Williams swing which is described in US. Pat. No. 2,325,456. This swing comprises a horizontal bar which is suspended at each spaced-apart end thereof by ,an outwardly disposed chain. The bar is swingable both endwise and sidewise, and a combination of an upward swing and a sidewise twist simulates the movement of a balking horse.

' it is common knowledge that as suburbia covers increasing area of former farmland, vacant lots, and developers tracts, children are left with ever-decreasing opportunities for physical exercise, muscle development, and coordination testing. In that sense, and for growing children, suburbia often becomes a desert unless parents provide transportation to a recreational area. Directors of childrens playgrounds have also noted the scarcity of available equipment for older children, in striking contrast to the abundant, varied devices which are available for younger children. Innercity areas accordingly also lack coordinative exercise opportunities for older children.

A need evidently exists for both backyard facilities and playground equipment that can be simply and inexpensively installed to furnish both younger and older children with exhilarating exercise, seemingly precarious and consequently exciting play, andopportunities for physical coordination. It is also desirable that an older child should learn to cooperate physically with another person, develop a sense of timing, and have opportunities for laughter and group activity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of this invention is to provide a swingfor two persons which is capable of maneuvering along an apparent figure-eight pattern.

Another object is to provide a swing that, when attached to vertically disposed structures in opposed relationship, can be operated in safety therebetween, without contacting the structures.

An additional object is'to provide a.swing that is usable by three or more persons. r

Still another object is to provide a swing having means with which the riders thereof can induce both endwise and sidewise swinging while either sitting or standing. v

A further object of this invention is to provide a swing that is capable of such intricate maneuvers, acceleration, and deceleration as to stimulate feelings of adventure and exhilarating excitement in the users thereof.

In satisfaction of these objects and in accordance with the spirit of this invention, a swing having opposed and rotatably connected seats for two persons is herein provided that is simultaneously swingable endwise, sidewise, and transpositionally from opposed pairs of tensional support lines which are convergingly fastened to opposed support pivots, whereby said seats are momentarily on opposite sides of the vertical plane passing through both of said pivots, while each rider thereof, if

sitting or standing perpendicularly to his seat, is approximately bisected by the plane longitudinally'and perpendicularly bisecting his seat and passing through the nearer supporting pivot. In addition, the figureeight swing of this invention comprises a spacer shaft means that connects the seats and provides means for additional users of the swing to participate, as a spontaneous group activity, in maneuvers by the riders thereof. Some embodiments further comprise means for inducing endwise and sidewise swinging motions.

In a swing having two opposed and interconnected seats that depend from opposed support pivots and confront each other while adapted to oscillate to and fro, this invention is an improvement that comprises interconnecting means that rotatably connect together, space apart and permit these seats to be mutually displaced transpositionally, whereby the seats are momentarily on opposite sides of the vertical plane passing through both of the pivots, while at all times enabling each of the seats to be disposed perpendicularly to the respective plane that bisects that seatand passes through the nearer of the support pivots.

Specially, the figure-eight swing comprises:

A. a pair of spreader assemblies, each spreading apart sidewise theffastening positions for a tensional support means, and

B. a spacer shaft means that is transversely disposed to the alignment of the fastening positions and spaces the pair of spreader assemblies apart longi tudinally, i.e., endwise, by a selected spacer distance.

The spreader assemblies each comprise:

l. a rider means upon which a single person rides in any desired attitude, such as sitting or standing;

2. a spreader means for spreading apart sidewise the fastening positions for the tensional support means;

3. an attachment means that connects each spreader means to the spacer shaft means while permitting at least rotating movement, but not folding movement, therebetween; and

4. a position means that maintains each of the spreader assemblies in the selected spaced-apart relationship.

The tensional support means for each spreader assembly is a pair of support lines which diverge downwardly from a single support pivot, which is attached to a supporting structure, to fastening positions which are on opposite sides of the spreader assembly and which are aligned so as to be disposed perpendicularly to the spacer shaft means. The tensional support means is preferably a chain but may be a cable, rope, or other type of line having adequate tensile strength and abrasion resistance and is hereinafter referred to as a rope.

The spacer shaft means is preferably a shaft or pole or a plurality thereof, but may be any relatively rigid beam, having adequate strength and a selected stiffness, that is disposed horizontally when the swing is quiescent and is disposed at all times transversely to imaginary lines connecting the fastening positions for each pair of ropes, hereinafter termed the rope ties. The spacer shaft means is hereinafter termed a spacer shaft or a plurality thereof. Endwise refers to the direction in parallel to the spacer shaft, and sidewise refers to the direction trasversely to the spacer shaft. inwards denotes the endwise direction toward the longitudinal midpoint of the spacer shaft means, and outward refers to the endwise direction away therefrom and toward either end.

The spreader means has aequate width, in transverse disposition to the spacer shaft or shafts, to separate or spread apart the pair of ropes attached at the rope ties sufficiently that the spreader assembly remains at all times perpendicularly disposed to the imaginary plane which longitudinally and perpendicularly bisects the spreader assembly and passes through the nearest support pivot. The spreader means and the rider means may be combined as an endwise-narrow-but-sidewiseelongated flat bar or round bar, both herein defined as a spreader bar, capable of supporting a rider and having a sidewise rope-spreading function but no apparent seating function, or may be combined as a generously proportioned seat, herein defined as a spreader seat, having both apparent functions because of adequate endwise depth for seating. Alternatively, the rider means may be supplementary to the spreader means as an auxiliary seat, evidently having a seating function only.

The rope ties.as fasteningpositions for the ro p e s in various embodinients, comprise metal eyes, holes in a spreader bar or spreader seat, retention pins surrounding a rope wrapping section of a spacer shaft or a spreader bar, or nothing at all but a part of the spacer shaft or spreader bar where the structural arrangement prevents slipping therealong. Although metal eyes are desirable for use with chains as the preferred tensional support means, fairly thick manila rope, such as 1-inch rope and thicker, has been satisfactory, particularly for wrapping and tieing around a bare cylindrical member.

The attachment means is attached to the spreader means and generally surrounds the spacer shaft while permitting rotatable movement thereof and preventing folding movement. The attachment means is preferably a strap or a plurality of lined-up straps which partially surround the spacer shaft and are attached at the ends thereof to the spreader seat thereabove or, alternatively, a collar which is in annular relationship to the spacer shaft and is attached, as by welding, to the spreader seat or the spreader bar. The attachment means may also be'a pair of disc-shaped or elongated members which are parallel to the spacer shaft and in straddling relationship therewith while cooperating with a spreader bar and a spreader seat to control movements of the spacer shaft. The disc-shaped members, in some embodiments, cooperate with a spacershaft enwrapping cable as a part of the attachment means, whereby pivoting movement of the spacer shaft is additionally'feasible.

The position means maintains the spacer shaft and the spreader assembly in the selected space-apart relationship while permitting the desired relative movements therebetween. For use with a strap or a collar as the attachment means, a pair of flanges, straddling the collar and attached to the shaft, is preferred. For any attachment means, a cable, which is fastened to a part of each spreader assembly and to the spacer shaft on either side thereof, is satisfactory. If sufficiently slack to provide for a 45 rolling movement, the cable may run longitudinally of the spacer shaft. A pair of cables which are fastened to a part of the spreader assembly and pass in inward and outward directions through a pair of opposed pulleys, which are attached to the spacer shaft, are preferred. For use with spacer-shaft enwrapping cables as a part of the attachment means, retention ridges or loops may be attached to the spacer shaft in straddling relationship to the cable.

Both multishaft and monoshaft embodiments of the figure-eight swing are provided herein. In general, in order that a swing of this invention be capable of executing apparent figure-eight movements, the spacer shaft must be rotatably connected to the spreader assembly and, of course, must be restrained from folding and longitudinal movements relative thereto. If the spacer shaft is centrally disposed to the spreader assembly, such rotating movement is sufficient and is all that is provided in a monoshaft figure-eight swing.

However, if the spacer shaft is not disposed centrally to the spreader assembly, the attachment means must also provide for pivotable movement in addition to r0- tatable movement therebetween. Rotatable movement is herein defined as rotating of the spacer shaft about its own axis and generally no more than :45 Pivotable movement is herein defined as pivoting of the spacer shaft about the spreader seat or spreader bar, as the approximate transverse axis of the movement, in an upand-down direction as measured when the swing is quiescent. Folding movement, which must be substantially prevented, is herein defined as pivoting of the spacer shaft toward parallel disposition with the pair of rope ties of either spreader assembly. As a means for inducing endwise swinging motions, a seesaw means is provided in combination with the figure-eight swing. This seesaw means may be in either or both of two forms: (I) an endwise extension of the rider means outwardly of the rope ties, or (2) an auxiliary assembly of ropes and handbars. If the ropes are inclined outwardly, with resepct to the spacer shaft, toward the support pivots, an up-and-down or seesaw motion is created by the endwise swinging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a swing, having vertically disposed support lines, which remains horizontal when swinging endwise, as shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of a swing, having inwardly disposed support lines, which tilts rearwardly when swinging endwise, as shown twice in phantom,

whereby the trailing end of the swing becomes lower than the leading end thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of a swing, having outwardly disposed support lines between vertically disposed support structures, which tilts forwardly when swinging endwise, whereby the trailing end of the swing becomes higher than the leading end thereof, as shown twice in phantom. A method for ascertaining the maximum length for the spacer shaft means is also indicated.

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view from above that shows a duoshaft embodiment of the swing of this invention, having outwardly disposed support lines attached to the trunks of trees, which is swinging sidewise away from the observer and is, in phantom, in a transposed position.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the duoshaft embodiment of FIG. 4 in its transposed position, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a cableloop attachment means that rotatably and pivotably connects a spreader bar and a spacer shaft.

FIG..7 is a side perspective view from above of a duoshaft embodiment, having a seesaw extension on each end and outwardly disposed support lines, that shows threaded position means and attachment means.

FIG. 8 is a detailed cross section of the threaded tee serving as the position and attachment means that connects a spacer shaft and a spreader bar, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 8-8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one corner of the duoshaft swing of FIG. 7, with a seat attached pivotably to the spreader bar and resting pivotably on the seesaw bar.

FIG. 10 is a sectional elevation view that shows the seat in side view, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 1010 in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an end elevation view of the seat shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 11-11 in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a top view of oneend ofa multishaft swing in which the spacer shafts and the spreader bar are attached pivotably and rotatably by means of a cablewrap attachment means. I

FIG. 13 is a sectional elevation view of the multishaft swing shown in FIG. 12, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 1313 in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an end elevation view of one corner of the multishaft swing of FIG. 12, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 1414 in FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a double-collar joint as an attachment means for spreader bar and a spacer shaft crossing in over-and-under relationship.

FIG. 16 is a top view of a monoshaft embodiment of the figure-eight swing of this invention, having outwardly disposed support lines and tee seats functioning as the rider spreader and means, which is shown in quiescent position.

FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of the figure-eight swing shown in FIG. 16. v

FIG. 18 is a top view of the swing shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 that is suspended between a tree and a porch and is in a transposed position while executing a figureeight swinging motion.

FIG. 19 is an end view of the swing and supporting structures shown in FIG. 18, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 1919 in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a detailed sectional elevation view of the spreader assembly of the swing shown in FIGS. 16, 17, 18, and 19, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 20-20 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 21 is a bottom view of the spreader assembly shown in FIGS. 16, 17, 18, I9, and 20, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing line 2l21 in FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is a side view of another monoshaft embodiment of the figure-eight swing of this invention, having an inward endwise swing means, an in-line endwise swing means, and a sidewise swingmeans.

FIG. 23 is a vertical sectional view of the swing shown in FIG. 22, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 23-23 in FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a detailed sectional view of the spreader assembly at the right-hand side of the swing shown in FIG. 22, looking in the direction of the arrows crossing the line 2424 in FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is an end view of another embodiment of a spreader assembly and of the spacer shaft of a monoshaft figure-eight swing in which a spreader bar is beneath the spacer shaft.

FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 25.

FIG. 27 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

FIG. 28 is an end view of another embodiment of a spreader assembly having a spreader bar beneath the spacer shaft and a seat thereabove, both of which cooperate with a pair of alignment members to form the attachment means. A pair of cables passing over opposed pulleys forms the position means.

FIG. 29 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 28 and 29 that clearly shows the inwardly disposed footrest.

FIG. 31 is a top view of another embodiment of a spreader assembly and shaft which is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 28, 29, and 30 except that the inwardly disposed footrest is omitted and the alignment members have greater depth to resist twisting stresses which are imparted by means of the vertically disposed tilt pole.

FIG. 32 is an end elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG.'31.

FIG. 33 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 31 and 32.

FIG. 34 is a bottom perspective view of a spreader assembly comprising a shaft tunnel with closed outer end which is integrally molded with the spreader seat thereabove, a part of the position means being omitted.

FIG. 35 is a top perspective view of a spreader assembly comprising a spreader seat into which a shaft is centrally molded, forming a crotch ridge, a part of the position means being omitted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MULTlSI-IAFT SWINGS The swing of this invention may be monoshaft or multishaft. If an odd number of spacer shafts are used in a multishaft embodiment, the center shaft has the attributes and characteristics of a monoshaft embodiment as described hereinafter. The most suitable multishaft embodiment is the duoshaft swing whose spacer shafts can be spread far enough apart for use as swinging exercise poles, particularly during simple sidewise swinging, while being accessible to a number of users in group play.

Endwise swinging produces a variety of motions, especially if the support lines are outwardly disposed, and is especially productive of unexpected movements and forces if combined with sidewise swinging to produce what is, or appears to the observer to be, figure-eight swinging, wherein the ends of the swing move independently into transposed positions and over semicircular and spiral paths while the entire swing is being translated in both endwise and sidewise movements.

Endwise swinging is analyzed in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 for the

swings

40, 50, and 60, respectively. The swing 40 has vertically disposed

tensional support lines

41, 42 which are attached to pivot-permitting support positions 43, 44. These are spaced apart by the same distance as the length of the swing 40. Endwise swinging, as shown in phantom, causes the swing 40 to remain horizontal and the lines 41', 42 to remain mutually parallel, so that the trailing end 47 remains level with the leading end 48 as they move through the

arcs

45, 46.

The swing 50, however, is suspended from inwardly disposed

tensional support lines

51, 52 which are attached to the pivot-permitting

supports

53, 54. These supports are spaced apart at a lesser distance than the length of the swing 50. When endwise swinging occurs, the trailing ends 57', 57", of the phantom swings 50, 50 are lower than the leading ends 58, 58" in a natural-feeling simulation of the

arcs

55, 56.

The swing 60 is suspended from outwardly disposed

tensional support lines

61, 62 which are attached to pivot-permitting

supports

63, 64 on vertically disposed

building walls

65, 66. These supports 63, 64 are spaced apart by a greater distance than the length of the swing 60 between the leading and trailing

ends

60a, 60b, respectively.

When endwise swinging occurs, the trailing ends 60b, 60b become progressively higher than the leading

ends

60a, 60a". This lifting effect and the succeeding sinking effect cause children to term the figureeight swing, when mounted with outwardly disposed lines,.a swinging seesaw. If two riders of the swing 60 differ considerably in weight, the lighter person is quite apt to rise to the limit represented by 60b.

When installing a figure-eight swing between two vertically disposed structures, such as the

walls

65, 66 in FIG. 3, the length of the spacer shaft or shafts is measured by stretching and aligning the line 62" with the swing 60" while maintaining the line 61" downwardly taut so. that the leading end 600" describes the are 69. The intersection of the arcs 67, 69 at the downwardly dipping end 60a", must not be dangerously close to any supporting

structure

65 or 66, to the ground 63, or to any other obstructions, so that the spacer shaft or shafts of the swing 60 must be cut accordingly.

The length of the spacer shaft means should not, however, be any shorter than necessary because the available endwise swinging distance is thereby shortened. Obviously, if the spacer shaft means were shortened to the vanishing point so that the

ropes

75, 76 met at common fastening positions, the swing would operate like a true seesaw but would have no freedom to swing endwise. The quiescent angle A must, therefore, be such that the minimum angle A is always as little above zero as is practicable.

A simple duoshaft swing is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. This swing comprises two longitudinal members, which are the spacer shaft means, and two transverse members, which are the spreader means. The longitudinal members are the

shafts

71, 72 and the transverse membets are the spreader bars 73, 74 of the swing 70 in FIGS. 4 and which are connected, by attachment means not shown, so as to permit the

shafts

71, 72 to rotate and simultaneously pivot with respect to the spreader bars 73, 74, as shown in phantom in FIG. 4 and in FIG. 5.

The entire swing 70, suspended at each corner from the two pairs of upwardly converging and outwardly

disposed ropes

75, 76 which are attached to the support pivots 77, 78, respectively, on substantially

vertical tree tunks

81, 82, is free to swing sidewise in directions 31, 32 and to swing endwise in directions 37, 38. Each end of the swing is further free to move circularly beneath its respective support pivot, i.e., the nearer of the two support pivots 77, 78, along the

arcuate paths

33, 34 and 35, 36, but as one end moves along such an arcuate path, the other end must move upwardly and toward the other pivot in a spiral path.

For example, the end comprising the spreader bar 73 must move along the spiral path 39 if the swing moves transpositionally, as indicated by the swing 70. However, the end comprising the spreader bar 73 moves along a more gentle spiral if both ends of the swing 70 stay on the same side of the vertical plane passing through the support pivots 77, 78 while the end moves circularly beneath its support pivot, such as along the arcuate path 36. The bottom of the spreader bar 74' is visible at the right-hand end of the phantom swing 70 which is transposed, each

spreader bar

73, 74 being bisected by the longitudinally disposed

planes

255, 256, respectively, that pass through the

respective pivots

77, 78.

The support pivots must be sufficiently far above the ground 79, with respect to the'length of the

ropes

75, 76, and the

spacer shafts

71, 72 should have such length that the

tree trunks

81, 82 and the ground 79 are never contacted by the swing 70 while the quiescent angle between the

support ropes

75, 76 and the

tree trunks

81, 82 is minimal.

A suitable attachment means is shown in FIG. 6 for use with the swing 70 if the spreader bars 73, 74 are hollow cylinders (such as a pipe, preferably of fiberglas-polyester or like reinforced plastic material) in the same plane as the spacer shafts when the swing is quiescent. This cablc-loop attachment means 230 comprises a disc 236, centrally disposed at each end of each spreader bar 274, that has a central hole therein through which a cabel 231 passes. Each terminus of the cable 231 is a loop 235. A collar 237, having a slightly larger inside diameter than the outside diameter of the shaft 272, is caught within each loop 235. A pair of retention flanges 238 are rigidly attached to the shaft 272 after it has been inserted into the collar 237. A collar hoop 239 is attached to the collar 237 as part of the position means to keep the loop 235 from slipping longitudinally thereof. A turnbuckle 233 in the middle of the cable 231 within the spreader bar 274 enables the cable 231 to be tightened sufficiently to keep the shaft 272 firmly against the disc 236 without impeding thefreedom of the shaft 272 to rotate and pivot as the swing moves transpositionally as exemplified by the swing 70 in FIGS. 4 and 5. An opening 234 is provided in the bottom of the spreader bar 274, of sufficient size to admit a tool for adjusting the turnbuckle 233 when necessary.

A more complex duoshaft swing 80 is shown in FIG. 7. This swing 80 comprises two longitudinally disposed spacer shafts 81, two transversely disposed spreader bars 82, four attachment tees 85, and two seesaw ends, each comprising two seesaw shafts 83, one seesaw bar 84, and two attachment elbows 86, the spacer shafts, seesaw shafts, spreader bars, and seesaw bars being in the same plane when the swing is quiescent. Each member of two pairs of ropes 87 is attached to a shaft 81 by a wrapping 87a therearound. If the pairs of ropes 87 are outwardly disposed, the wrappings 87a must be inwardly of the tees 85, as shown in FIG. 7. If the pairs of ropes 87 are inwardly disposed, it is obviously preferable to locate the wrappings 87a outwardly of the tees 85.

The tees and

elbows

85, 86 are threaded, as may be seen in FIG. 8. The joints between

shafts

81, 83 and bars 82, 84 are made barely finger tight and then backed off by three-fourths of a turn. Pivoting movements 88 and rotating movements 89 are consequently performed by means of the

threads

82a, 85a for the tees 85 and attached spreader bar 82, and by means of corresponding threads, not shown in the drawings, for other shaft-bar joints. Abrasion of the

threads

82a, 85a is preferably minimized by use of friction-minimizing coatings thereon, such as grease or a polymeric lowfriction material of the type sold under the trademark Teflon by l. E. duPont de Nemours & Co.

A seat means 110 for the duoshaft swing 80 is shown in FIGS. 9, l0, and 11, for the right-hand side thereof, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The seat means 110 is pivotably attached to the spreader bar 82 by the wraparound hook 112 and rests pivotably upon the seesaw bar 84 by means of the prism 113, whereby the seat 111 is perpendicular at all times to an imaginary plane drawn through the nearest supporting pivot and bisecting the downwardly diverging pair of support ropes 87 attached thereto even through the seesaw bar 84 moves to other angular relationships that reflect the transposed position of the other spreader bar 82 and seesaw bar 84 at the left side of the swing 80 in FIG. 7.

A side view of this seat means 110 is available in FIG. 10, and an end view if visible in FIG. 11. Pivoting capabilities of the seat 111 relative to the seesaw bar 84 are apparent from this end view and can be increased by increasing the height of the prism 113 or by narrowing the width of the seat 111 over the seesaw bar 84.

A true multishaft embodiment is shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14. The pentashaft swing, shown therein as a fragment, comprises five spacer shafts 91, a spreader bar 92 at each end thereof, and an attachment and positioning means 90 that comprises a pair of spreader discs 93 which straddle each spacer shaft 91 and are flatly adjacent thereto, an endless cable wrap 94 which circumwraps each spacer shaft 91 between each pair of spreader discs 93 and the section of the spreader bar 92 passing therebeneath, and a pair of cable retention ridges 95 which straddle each cable wrap 94 atop each spacer shaft 91. At its simplest form, such a cable retention ridge 95 could be a metal staple driven partially into a wooden spacer shaft 91 so that the parallel side members of the stapel straddle a cable 94 passing over the spacer shaft 91. It is important, however, that the endless cable wrap 94 be loosely fitting, not tightly so, as is the cableloop attachment means 230.

One end of the pentashaft swing is visible as a top view in FIG. 12, and one comer is visible as a sectional side elevation in FIG. 13 and as an end elevation in FIG. 14. A pair of ropes 97 is wrapped around the spread-apart ends of the spreader bar 92, each wrapped fastening, a rope tie, being held in place by a pair of pins 96 in straddling relationship thereto.

Another attachment means, for connecting a cylindrical spreader bar and a cylindrical spacer shaft in a multishaft swing, is shown in FIG. 15. If used on a rnonoshaft swing, the spreader bar would not have be cylindrical, and the spreader bar collar 102 could be correspondingly shaped, for relative pivoting movement would not be needed.

The double-collar joint 100 is an efficient attachment means which comprises a shaft collar 101, a spreader bar collar 102, and a rigid collar joint 103. It is most effective in suspended use. The double-collar attachment means 100 is suitably cast or molded as an integral piece, preferably from fiberglas-reinforced plastics of considerable strength, such as epoxy.

This attachment means 100 is useful as a joint of a multishaft swing; for example, as replacementsv for the tee 85 and elbow 86 in the swing 80 if the bars and shafts cross in over-and-under relationship. The fittings must be loose so that free rotation in two mutually perpendicular planes is readily available. A retention means on the shafts and bars, such as the pair of straddling flanges 238 in FIG. 6, must be used to prevent longitudinal movement of both spreader bar and spacer shaft. Two pairs of such straddling flanges are thus an effective position means, enabling the double-collar joint 100 to be useful in any figure-eight swing having over-and-under crossing of spreader bars and spacer shafts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MONOSHAFT SWINGS The monoshaft embodiments of the figure-eight swing comprise a pair of spreader assemblies, a single, centrally disposed spacer shaft that aligns and spaces apart the spreader assemblies, an attachment means permitting rotational movement therebetween, and a position means that maintains the selected spacing. A pair of support lines are fastened to opposite sides of each spreader assembly and converge upwardly to a supporting pivot which may be attached to a tree, unused telephone pole, building wall, or other vertically disposed supporting structure, or to a tree branch, basement ceiling, or other longitudinally disposed supporting structure. The pivots may be spaced more closely than, the same distance as, or less than the length of the monoshaft swing, as measured longitudinally between fastening positions for the support lines. Both endwise and sidewise swinging movements can be executed, and the ends can follow circular paths as well as spiral paths in executing what appear to be figureeight patterns.

One monoshaft embodiment, the seat-strap swing 120, is shown in FIGS. 16, l7, 18, 19, 20, and 21. The seat-strap swing comprises a spacer shaft 121, two spreader seat assemblies, and a positioning means 130 attached to each spreader seat assembly. The spacer shaft 121 aligns, spaces apart, and connects the spreader assemblies which are transversely disposed thereto. Members of pairs of

tensional support lines

124, 125 are attached to the T-shaped

spreader seats

122, 123, respectively, at the outer sides of each seat,

so that the rope ties are mutually parallel at the fastening positions, and converge upwardly to the support pivots 126, 127, respectively, which in this instance are spaced a greater distance apart than the distance between the fastening positions of the pairs of

lines

124, 125, whereby the

ropes

124, 125 are outwardly disposed. The rope ties are metal eyes, such as the eyes 1240 in FIG. 20.

As a result, the spreader seats 122, 123 tend to follow the

arcuate paths

138, 139 in FIG. 18, which are semicircular when viewed from the

respective pivots

126, 127 and flattened ellipses when viewed from above. When one spreader seat, while following a spirally

downward path

139, 138, is at the leading end as the swing 120 dips at maximum angle, such as swing 60 in FIG. 3, the other spreader seat at the trailing end tends to follow a spirally

upward path

138, 139, respectively, so that the figure-eight maneuver is sometimes more readily perceived with reference to a single spreader seat from the entire swing I20, and the 8 sometimes appears to be steeply inclined.

In FIGS. 18 and 19, the support pivots 126, 127 are respectively attached to a tree trunk 134 and to a porch 135, and the spreader seats 122, 123 are across the vertically disposed imaginary pivot plane 137 between the support pivots 126, 127, i.e., the swing 120 is transpositionally disposed. The

riders

253, 254, who are shown in phantom in FIG. 19 as seated on the

respective seats

122, 123, are at all times bisected by the respective imaginary seat planes 251, 252 which longitudinally and perpendicularly bisect the

seats

122, 123 and pass through the respective support pivots 126, 127. The

planes

251, 252 consequently bisect the respective isosceles triangles formed by the

ropes

124, 125 and the

seats

122, 123. Similarly, the

planes

255, 256 in FIG. bisect the isosceles triangles between the

ropes

75, 76, respectively. At all times, both

riders

253, 254 are swinging relatively dependently of each other in endwise and sidewise movements while generally facing each other. The combinations and permutations of movements and attitudes are consequently numerous during the positional changing that figure-eight swinging provides and particularly so if the

ropes

124, 125 are outwardly disposed so that seesaw swinging also occurs.

In FIG. 19, the spreader seats 122, 123 are shown at what appears to the observer to be maximum angular disposition, similarly to the spreader bars 73, 74 in FIG. 5, that they attain during fast-moving transpositional swinging, as both ends of the swing apparently move in upward spirals. Rarely, if ever, however, do both ends seem to attain such a 90 orientation while they are at the same elevation, particularly if suspended from outwardly disposed ropes. Usually one end of the swing is lower than the other, so that FIGS. 5 and 19 represent idealized maximum positions.

The spreader assemblies being alike, FIGS. 20 and 21 show the details of the spreader assembly for the spreader seat 122 and the attaching means and positioning means pertaining thereto only. This spreader assembly comprises the spreader seat 122, the strap 128 as part of the attaching means, and the positioning means 130. The seat 122 comprises a sidewise seat 122a and an endwise seat 122b. The rider, when seesaw swinging, sits on the outward end of the sidewise seat 122a and places his feet against the outward transverse edges of the endwise seat 1221; as footrests. When seesaw swinging, a footrest or other steadying means, such as a buttocks-shaped depression, can be of great importance, because the rider can very easily slide off a bare seat in almost any direction. For gentle swinging, as preferred by small children, one child can face inwardly while sitting on the seat 1221;, with the shaft 121 beneath his swinging legs, and another child can sit sidewise on the seat 122a, so that four children can ride on the swing.

Each seat assembly of the seat-strap swing includes a strap 128 which cooperates with the seat 122 thereabove to form an attachment means. Cooperating therewith is a positioning means 130 which holds the spacer shaft 121 in the selected longitudinal position with respect to the seat 122.

The positioning means 130 comprises an inward restraint cable 131, which is fastened to an inward restraining screw 135, attached to the extremity of the spacer shaft 121, and to a seat retention screw 133, attached to the bottom of the strap 128, and also comprises an outward restraint cable 132, which is fastened to the same screw 133 at one end and to an outward restraining screw 134, attached to the bottom of the shaft 121. The

cables

131, 132 must be loose enough to permit the shaft 121 and the seat 122 to turn through at least 45. This looseness causes a certain amount of unexpected longitudinal movement and sudden arrests of the

seats

122, 123 during use of the swing 120, but the sensations arenot unacceptable to children, particularly older children of at least 10 years of age.

Another monoshaft swing embodiment is described by FIGS. 22, 23, and 24. The seat-collar swing comprises a spacer shaft 141, a spreader seat assembly 142, and a much longer spreader seat assembly 143. As adjunct means for inducing endwise swinging, an inward handbar assembly and an an-line handbar assembly are mounted above the swing 140 and include the tensional support lines therefor.

The inward handbar assembly 150, illustrated with respect to one end only, comprises the seat lines 151, the support lines 152, the pull rings 153, the handbar lines 154, the pull lines 155, the handbar rings 156, and the handbar 157.

The in-line handbar assembly 160, illustrated with respect to one end only, comprises the seat lines 161, the standup lines 162, the support lines 163, the sitting pull ring 164, the sitdown handbar 165, the standup pull ring 166, and the standup handbar 167. The

handbars

157, 165, 167 are used to initiate endwise swingmg.

Fastened between the

rings

156, 164 is a side handbar 158, on each side of the shaft 141 and parallel therewith, that is useful for group activity and indeed seems to induce children to leap onto the shaft 141 and balance themselves thereon while grasping the side handbar 158. This swing with both side swing initiating endwise and sidewise swing initiating handbar means is most suitable for group activity for up to eight children who participate by pushing, riding on the seats, balancing on the shaft 141, and watching, by turns. Generally, both seat assemblies are alike and both handbar assemblies are alike but need not be so. The spreader-seat assembly 143 is shown in section in FIG. 24. The seat 144 is attached by any suitable means, such as by adhesives, welding, or integrally molding, to the collar 145 which rotates freely about the spacer shaft 141. A pair of

flanges

146, 147 aresimilarly attached by any suitable means to the spacer shaft 141 and in straddling relationship to the collar 145 so that the seat 144 is rotatably attached to the spacer shaft 141 but is longitudinally restrained.

The extraordinary endwise length of the spacer seat assembly 143, as compared to the spreader seat assembly 142, is in itself a seesaw means by which a rider can induce endwise swinging, consequently causing seesaw lifting and falling of the riders if the ropes are outwardly disposed from the support pivots. The rider simply shifts his weight endwise in coordination with the endwise motion of the swing. This seesaw means functions like the seesaw ends in FIG, 7. Although a

handbar

157, 165, or 167 is more helpful for initiating endwise swinging, such weight-shifting on an elongated spreader seat assembly is sufficient, particularly if the rider simply pulls on the nearby support ropes to initiate an endwise movement in the direction in which he is facing. Consequently, any extension of a rider means outwardly of the rope ties for a sufficient distance to permit a rider thereof to shift his weight in an endwise direction constitutes a seesaw means.

A similar monoshaft embodiment is depicted in FIGS. 25, 26, and 27. The spreader bar-collar assembly 170 comprises a spreader bar 172 as the spreader and rider means, the collar 173 and welds 174 as the attachment means, and the positioning and retaining means comprising the outward retention cable 175 which is fastened to the screw 176 on the shaft 171 and the inward retention cable 177 which is fastened to the screw 178 on the shaft 171 near the extremity thereof. Both cables are attached to the collar 172 and have sufficient slack to permit a 45 relative movement of the spreader bar 172 and the spacer shaft 171. Support ropes are fastened to the eyes 179. This spreader barcollar assembly 170 is particularly useful in a figureeight swing for standup operation with a standuphandbar assembly such as the inward handbar assembly 150 if equipped with a handbar at chest height, because of its small mass and suitability for standing when the rider keeps his feet against the eyes 179.

An additional spreader assembly for a monoshaft swing is described in FIGS. 28, 29, and 30. This spreader bar-foot rest assembly 180 is fastened to the spacer shaft 181 by a pulley positioning means 190. The assembly 180 comprises the spreader bar 182, the seat 183, the alignment members 184, the footrest 185, and the holding strap 186. Each of these six components cooperates to maintain the spacer shaft 181 rotatably positioned beneath the seat 183. The rope ties 187 at each end of the spreader bar 182 are holes through which a rope, cable, chain, or other suitable tensional support line may be attached.

The pulley positioning means 190 comprises the outward retention cable 191, the alignment member retention screws 192, which are attached to the alignment member 184, the outward retention pulley 193, the inward retention cable 194, and the inward retention pulley 195. Both pulleys 193, 195 are attached to the underside of the spacer shaft181. The cables19l, 194 are attached at each end thereof to the screws 192 and pass through the

respective pulleys

193, 195. This positioning means 190 is kept fairly taut, and almost no abrupt arresting senstations are felt by users of a swing which is equipped with this pulley positioning means 190.

A child standing up on this assembly 180 must face backwards, while placing his feet on the spreader bar 182 beside the seat 183, if the swing is equipped with an in-line handbar assembly 160, but he can sit, or stand with slight stooping, if the swing is equipped with an inward handbar assembly 150. Because this spreader assembly 180 is particularly suitable for operating between vertical disposed support structures, it is preferred for such installations and is particularly preferred in combination with an inward handbar assembly for each end thereof. The assembly isespecially satisfactory for smaller children who generally prefer to sit down and have well-supported feet while firmly grasping a handbar 157.

A spreader assembly having a crosswise swinging means is shown in FIGS. 31, 32, and 33. The spreaderbar tilt assembly 200 comprises a box-like, rigidly braced spreader bar and seat with an upright tilt pole 205 within which the spacer shaft 201 is freely rotatable. No positioning means is attached to the spacer shaft 201; it is confined at each end within an assembly 200, both assemblies 200 being drawn together by a cable 207 stretching fairly tightly therebetween.

The assembly 200 comprises a spreader bar 202, a seat 203, a pair of alignment members 204, a tilt pole 205, a bottom member 206, an inner toe rest 209a, an outer toe rest 2091;, and a shock absorber 208. The seat 203, the alignment members 204, the tilt pole 205, and the bottom member 206 form an elongated box, open at the inward end, within which the spacer shaft is inserted. To soften endwise shocks from the extremity of the shaft 201, a thick elastomeric shock absorber 208 is attached to the tilt pole 205 within this box. This box is rigid and strong to resist twisting stresses caused by sidewise tilting of the tilt pole 205 to induce sidewise swinging. The spreader bar 202 must also be strongly braced to withstand these twisting stresses and thrusts from a riders feet supported thereupon. Because the tilt pole 205 projects endwise when the swing is at maximum dip, such as the swing 60", this spreader bartilt assembly 200 is not suitable for use between obstacles, such as

trees

81, 82 or

walls

65, 66 when suspended from outwardly disposed ropes.

The spreader-tunnel assembly 220 shown in FIG. 34 comprises a T-shaped spreader seat 222 having an integrally molded shaft tunnel 223 therebeneath which has an open inner end 225 and a closed outer end 224 as a combined attachment means and partial position means. The end of the spacer shaft fitting rotatably thereinto is preferably equipped with a shockabsorbing means to absorb endwise bumps. The closed outer end 224 of the shaft tunnel functions as the inward part of the position means; a cable, which can be a resilient tensile means such as a spring or elastomeric strip, is fastened to the inward edge of the spreader seat 222 or to the bottom of the shaft tunnel 223, for example, and to the spacer shaft (not shown in FIG. 34) as the outward part of the position means, i.e., it prevents the spreader seat-tunnel assembly 220 from sliding outwardly. Alternatively, a flange, such as the flange 146 shown in FIG. 24, is suitable.

In FIG. 35, the spreader ridge assembly 240 is shown in a top perspective view. It comprises the spreader seat 242 and the shaft tunnel 243. The shaft tunnel 243 is molded centrally into the spreader seat 242, forming a crotch ridge 248 which projects endwise above the surface of the spreader seat 242. The shaft tunnel 243 has an open inner end 245 and a closed outer end 244. Buttocks depressions 246 straddle the crotch ridge 248, have drainage openings therein, and possess a roughened surface. At the outward corners of the spreader seat 242 are the rope ties 247, whereby the support ropes clear the rider. This spreaderridge assembly 240 is highly preferred in combination with an inward handbar assembly 150 and is particularly suitable for use between vertically disposed obstacles, such as the

walls

65, 66 or the

trees

81, 82, 134, because the riders are protected from contact with such potentially dangerous objects.

The spreader assemblies described hereinbefore can be combined as desired with the inward handbar assembly 150 or the in-line handbar assembly 160, as a means for inducing endwise swinging, or with the sidewise handbar 158 or the tilt pole 204, or both, as a means for inducing sidewise swinging by the group players and riders, respectively, of the figure-eight swing of this invention. Further, any of the spreader assemblies can be combined with a spacer shaft means that is monoshaft or multishaft or both to the extent that the dimensions of the components thereof permit.

In putting together a spreader assembly according to the teachings of this invention, any spreader means, attachment means, and position means described hereinbefore can be interchanged and interfitted to the extent that dimensions and strength requirements permit. Any rope fastening means can be used in combination therewith whereby the rope ties are spread on either side of the imaginary plane that longitudinally and perpendicularly bisects the spreader assembly and passes through the newer support pivot and whereby the alignment of the rope ties is disposed transversely to the spacer shaft means.

The figure-eight swing of this invention is suitable for use with inwardly, vertically, or outwardly disposed ropes and in even useful when the closely disposed support pivots 53, 54 are merged into a single pivot for the entire swing, whereby the swing is rotatable as a whole into a twisting and successively untwisting means for creating dizziness while undergoing various permutations of combined sidewise and endwise swinging.

The principles and various structural embodiments of this invention have been disclosed in sufficient detail hereinbefore to permit any person skilled in the swing art to construct a figure-eight swing and for children to make use thereof.

Because it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that innumerable variations, modifications, applications, and extensions of these embodiments and principles can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, what is herein defined as such scope and is desired to be protected should be measured, and the invention should be limited, only by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a swing having two opposed and interconnecting i seats that depend from opposed support pivots and confront each other while adapted to oscillate to and fro, the improvement that comprises interconnecting means that rotatably connect together, space apart, and permit said seats. to be mutually displaced transpositionally, whereby said seats are momentarily on opposite sides of the vertical plane passing through both of said pivots, each of said seats being at all times disposed perpendicularly to the respective plane that longitudinally bisects said seat and passes through the nearer of said support pivots.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said interconnecting means comprises a spacer shaft means that aligns, spaces apart, and connects said seats.

3. The improvement of claim 2 wherein said interconnecting means comprises an attachment means for rotatably connecting and preventing folding movement between said spacer shaft means and each of said seats.

4. The improvement of claim wherein said interconnecting means comprises a position means for maintaining each of said seats at a selected spacing apart along said spacer shaft means.

5. The improvement of claim 4 wherein said spacer shaft means comprises a plurality of spacer shafts along which said seats are spaced endwise.

6. The improvement of claim 4 wherein said spacer shaft means comprises a single spacer shaft which is centrally disposed to each of said seats and along which said seats are spaced endwise.

7. A figure-eight swing for two persons that is swingable endwise, sidewise, and transpositionally, compris- A. a spacer shaft means, and

B. a pair of spreader assemblies that are selectively spaced apart endwise along, and aligned by, said spacer shaft means, each of said spreader assemblies comprising:

l. a rider means that is adapted for supporting a rider,

2. a spreader means for spreading apart sidewise a tensional support means,

3. an attachment means that rotatably connects said spreader assembly to said spacer shaft means while preventing folding movement therebetween, whereby said pair of spreader assemblies are independently and mutually rotatable, and

4. a position means for maintaining said spreader assembly in the selected spaced-apart endwise position along said spacer shaft means.

8. The figure-eight swing of claim 7 wherein said tensional support means is a pair of ropes which diverge downwardly from a single support pivot to a pair of fastening positions on each spreader assembly, whereby each spreader assembly remains perpendicularly disposed at all times to a longitudinally bisecting plane passing through the nearer of said support pivots.

9. The figure-eight swing of claim 8 wherein said spacer shaft means is a plurality of spacer shafts and wherein each of said ropes is wrapped around a shaft at each of a pair of fastening positions on each spreader assembly.

10. The figure-eight swing of claim 7 wherein said spacer shaft means is a plurality of parallel shafts.

11. The figure-eight swing of claim 10 wherein said rider means and said spreader means are combined as a spreader bar in the same horizontal plane with said spacer shafts.

12. The figure-eight swing of claim 11 wherein:

A. said swing is a duoshaft swing having a pair of hollow spreader bars in abutting relationship to said shafts, and

B. said attachment means comprises:

1. a tensioned cable, passing longitudinally through each of said hollow spreader bars and having a loop at either end,

2. a spreader disc which is centrally and perpendicularly disposed to said spreader bars'at each end thereof and has a central hole through which said cable passes, and

3. a collar which rotatably surrounds each of said shafts and which is caught by one of said loops, whereby said shaft is free to rotate within said collar and pivot alongside said disc, transversely to said abutting spreader bar.

13.The figure-eight swing of claim 12 wherein said position means is a pair of flanges attached to said shaft in straddling relationship to each of said collars.

14. The figure-eight swing of claim 12 wherein said cableis terisioned with a turnbuckle which is accessible through an opening in said hollow spreader bar for adjustment thereof.

15. The figure-eight swing of claim 11 wherein said spacer shaft means is a single shaft.

16. The figure-eight swing of claim 15 wherein said rider means and said spreader means are combined as a spreader seat.

17. The figure-eight swing of claim 16 wherein said attachment means is a pipe strap and said position means is a cable which is fastened to said pipe strap approximately at the mid-point of said cable and is fas- 2. rigidly attached to said spreader seat, and B. said position means is a pair of flanges which are:

l. in annular, fixed relationship to said shaft, and

2. in straddling relationship to said collar.

Claims

1. In a swing having two opposed and interconnecting seats that depend from opposed support pivots and confront each other while adapted to oscillate to and fro, the improvement that comprises interconnecting means that rotatably connect together, space apart, and permit said seats to be mutually displaced transpositionally, whereby said seats are momentarily on opposite sides of the vertical plane passing through botH of said pivots, each of said seats being at all times disposed perpendicularly to the respective plane that longitudinally bisects said seat and passes through the nearer of said support pivots.

2. a spreader means for spreading apart sidewise a tensional support means,

2. a spreader disc which is centrally and perpendicularly disposed to said spreader bars at each end thereof and has a central hole through which said cable passes, and

2. in straddling relationship to said collar.

2. rigidly attached to said spreader seat, and B. said position means is a pair of flanges which are:

7. A figure-eight swing for two persons that is swingable endwise, sidewise, and transpositionally, comprising: A. a spacer shaft means, and B. a pair of spreader assemblies that are selectively spaced apart endwise along, and aligned by, said spacer shaft means, each of said spreader assemblies comprising:

12. The figure-eight swing of claim 11 wherein: A. said swing is a duoshaft swing having a pair of hollow spreader bars in abutting relationship to said shafts, and B. said attachment means comprises:

13. The figure-eight swing of claim 12 wherein said position means is a pair of flanges attached to said shaft in straddling relationship to each of said collars.

14. The figure-eight swing of claim 12 wherein said cable is tensioned with a turnbuckle which is accessible through an opening in said hollow spreader bar for adjustment thereof.

17. The figure-eight swing of claim 16 wherein said attachment means is a pipe strap and said position means is a cable which is fastened to said pipe strap approximately at the mid-point of said cable and is fastened at each extremity thereof to said spacer shaft, inwardly and outwardly of said pipe strap, with sufficient looseness to permit at least a 45* roll between said spreader seat and said spacer shaft.

18. The figure-eight swing of claim 17 wherein said spreader seat is T-shaped.

19. The figure-eight swing of claim 16 wherein: A. said attachment means is a collar, which is: