US541413A

US541413A - Child s hoop

Info

Publication number: US541413A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1895-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 1912-06-18

Description

I. w. ANDRUS.

GHILDS HOOP.

tented June 18, 1895.

U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERNANDO W. ANDRUS, OF WVATERTOWN,l/IASSAOHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANCIS O. BATES, OF NEWPORT, VERMONT.

CHILDS HOOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,413, dated June 18, 1895. I

Application filed November 14, 1894- Serial No, 528,742. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, FERNANDO W. ANDRUS, of Watertown, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Childrens Hoops,of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve the construction of toys ordinarily known as childrens hoops, and the invention consists in a hoop having a small disk or plate supported within it by cords, wires, or equivalent means, said disk or plate being dished or concaved, and astrin g, cord or rope, or equivalent fiexible connection, loosely connected to the center of said concaved disk or plate at the bottom of the concavity, the point of attachment or connection of the rope being the axis upon which the hoop revolves, and by reason of the concavity formed in the central disk or plate such point of attachment is located a short distance to one side of the frame of the hoop, opposite the operator.

The child taking hold of the rope and starting the hoop rolling, can thereafter continue to cause the hoop to revolve as well as guide it by slightly pulling and manipulating the rope, running along beside the hoop as it revolves in substantially the same way as now commonly done when the hoop is revolved by repeatedly striking or otherwise operating upon it with a stick.

Figure 1 shows in perspective a childs hoop embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the central disk or plate, and Fig. 3 a front view of a hoop with a modified form of disk or plate.

The circular hoop a, of Wood or other material has supported centrally within it a disk or plate b which may be made of any desired shape and concaved or dished as represented in Fig. 2. This disk or plate may be made of tin, and provided with holes 2, through which pass cords 3, which are connected with the hoop.

The cords 3 serve as spokes or supports for the central disk or plate I) and may be tightened by suitable adjustable clips 4.

The disk or plate in addition to being concaved or dished may be provided on its periph ery with a series of flukes or curved projections 1), although so far as my invention is v concerned said centraldisk or plate need not be provided with said flukes.

A cord, rope,or equivalent flexible connection 0, is loosely connected to the center of said disk or plateb in any suitable way so that the disk or plate may revolve with the hoop without twisting the rope c, and said rope may be made of any desirable length and provided at the end with a hand piece 0'.

The child taking hold of the hand piece with one hand starts the hoop rolling with the 6 other, and then by running alongsideof the hoop and slightly pulling upon the rope the hoop continues to revolve.

. By manipulating the rope as by pulling it slightly in difierent ways or directions the hoop may be guided along its course.

- In order that the hoop may roll for a long time, oras longas desired,itshouldleanalittle away from the operator, instead of occupying a truly vertical position, as this enables the cord to be held sufficiently taut to guide and roll along the hoop, and it for any reason the hoop should be brought up into truly vertical position, or should lean ever so little toward the operator, it soon falls.

I have found in practice that if the central plate is made flat, that it is very diflicult to keep the hoop leaning away from the operator, and hence it will roll but a very short time, whereas by concaving the disk or plate, the point of attachment of the cord is located at one side of the plane of the hoop, opposite the operator, and as the hoop leans away from the operator, the point of attachment of the cord is still very near a vertical line extending to the top of the hoop, and the tendency to draw the top of the hoop toward the operator is very materially diminished, as compared with a flat central plate. I

As an illustration it may be said that by 5 starting the hoop rolling the child may stand upon a certain spot and by simply turning around or passing the cord behind cause the hoop to describe a circle.

I am aware that toy hoops have heretofore Ioo been made wherein the central hub or plate is engaged by a rigid hand piece,but my invention is limited to the employment of a flexible connection which is loosely attached to the center of a concaved plate supported centrally within the hoop, and which by being pulled and otherwise manipulated may revolve and guide the hoop along its course.

I claim- 1. The toy hoop (1, having a concaved disk or plate I), supported centrally within it, and the flexible connection a loosely attached to the center of said disk or plate, at the bottom of the concavity, and adapted to be pulled and manipulated to revolve and guide the hoop along its course. A

2. The toy hoop a having a concaved disk or plate I), supported centrally within it, pro

vided with radially projecting oblique flukes b, and the flexible connection 0 loosely at- V tached to the center of said disk or plate, at the bottom of the concavity, and adapted to be pulled and manipulated to revolve and guide the hoop along its course, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 2