US943448A - Resilient sled. - Google Patents

Description

F. G. MOPHERSON. RESILIENT SLED.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov.12, 1908.

943,448. Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

STATES PANT FFQE.

FRANK G'r. MCPHERSON, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THOMAS C. IVICPHERSON, OF BEAVER FALLS, PENNSYLVANIA.

RESILIENT SLED.

antenas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 19M).

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. MCPHER- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beaver Falls, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Resilient Sled, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sleds, and particularly to sleds such as are used by children in which the runners are formed of bent rods or bars of metal.

One object of my invention is to provide a sled wherein the runners are formed of one piece of metal in the form of a bent bar or rod preferably round in cross section.

Another object is to increase the resilient strength of such runners by providing coils formed in said bars at the front or rear of the sled or both the front and rear of the sled, which coil shall be compressed or tightened by any weight on the sled and act to take up the shock of impact or to resiliently support the weight of the rider.

Another object is to so locate the front coils of the runners that they shall form closed eyes for the attachment of the drag loges lly invention is shown in its preferable form in the accompanying drawings, where- 1n:-

Figure l is a perspective view of a sled made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an under side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective of the rear supports and brace. Fig. 4 is a section of the rear supports across the coils, the brace being shown in elevation.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

2 designates the sled bottom preferably of wood. To the under side of the bottom the runners are secured as usual. Each one of these is composed of a bar of metal preferably steel and preferably round in section, this steel rod being suflicient in size and weight to give the desired strength to the sled and elasticity to the runners. Preferably both runners are made in one continuous solid piece of metal bent in the following manner. 4 designates a forward cross piece which contacts with the sled bottom and is held thereto by the cleats 10 at opposite ends. Beyond the cleats the bar is bent outward at right angles to the cross piece 4 as at 5a. It is then downwardly and inwardly coiled at 6a and extended in a curve downward and rearward to the rear of the sled, preferably to a point beyond the bottom to form the runner 3a. At 7a t-he rod is bent upward and in the same plane with the runner portion 3a to form a heel, is then extended upward and forward for a distance as at 7', then formed into an inwardly projecting coil 8f, and then extended upward and forward to a point vertically forward of the coil, and is then bent at right angles transversely to form the rear cross piece 9 which is attached to the sled by the cleats 10. After crossing the sled bottom, the bar extends downward and rearward to form a portion 7, is coiled as at 8b, extended downward and rearward, as at 7 to the level of the runner 31 to form a. heel, is bent forward to form the runner proper and at its forward end is gradually extended upward to a point above the sled bottom, is coiled as at 6b, and then extended rearwardly as at 5b to the cross piece 4.

It will be seen from the drawings and the description above that the bottom of the sled is supported at points between the two coils 6a and 6b and 7a and 7b, and that thus a resilient pivotal suspension is attained which allows the sled bottom to give in unison with the natural spring or flexibility of the runner frame itself, and that it follows from this description and from the fact that the coils are turned inward that a depression of the bottom 2 acts to close or tighten the coils, thus the coils take up any sudden jar, act to resiliently support the weight of a person on the sled, and greatly increase the total resiliency of the sled frame.

In order to prevent the runners from spreading, ay cross brace ll is attached between the runners, preferably at the rear coils @1 -8". This brace is formed of a metal bar having its ends bent around the ruimer bar at the coils as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and riveted. The particular advantage in attaching this brace to the coils and not to any other portion of the supporting part of the runner is that it is more easily fastened to the coils and held in'place, the coils preventing any slipping or sliding of the brace up or down the support should it become loosened. While the brace is of value in preventing any spreading of the opposed runners, it is not absolutely necessary as the fact that the runners are formed of one piece of resilient metal coiled as described and provided with the rectangular bends at the junction of the cross pieces t with the runners, act to prevent any inde pendent sidewise movement of the runners, if the material thereof has suflicient cross section and torsional strength.

It will be seen that the runner bar after being formed into the rear coil extends upward and forward to a point forward of the coil, and that the portion 7 which forms an arm of the spring, is at an incline relative to the runner, and hence that a depressive movement of the end 7 caused by weight or jar upon the sled, acts to tighten the coil. It will also be seen that the sled bottom is connected to the forward coils by the relatively long arm 5l or 5b and that the elasticity of the sled depends also somewhat upon the length or backward reach of these parts which form the arms of the front coil.

I have shown the coils 8a and 8b as formed at a point midway between the bottom of the runners and the bottom of the seat. I do not wish to be limited to this as the rear coils might be formed at the junction of the runners and part 7 with the same effect. The location shown is however preferable, as the coil is raised and therefore will not contact with snow to impede the progress of the sled and will not become choked or lilled with ice.

The forward coils being closed, not only act to increase the resiliency of the sled, but also form eyes for the attachment of drag ropes, a transverse bar 1l might also be attached to the front coils as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, if desired though I do not regard this as necessary. Ihe cleats which connect the cross bars to the sled bottom do not necessarily bind very tightly upon the cross bars. A certain amount of rotative movement vmay be permitted between the cleats and the cross bars to permit of a still further elastic yielding and iexibility of the sled under impact.

My sled is very simply made, is strong and durable, and is far more elastic under heavy weight than other sleds of analogous construction, for the reason as pointed out that use is made not only of the natural re siliency of the metal rodsor bars, but of the resiliency of coils whose arms support the sled bottom.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A sled having runners thereon, each of said runners being formed of a resilient bar provided with an upwardly projecting supporting portion adapted to support a sled bottom and each provided with an inwardly extending coil formed therewith one end of said coils supporting the downward pressure on the sled and said coils adapted to be contracted by a movement of the bottom toward the runners.

2. A sled having runners thereon made of one resilient bar, each of said runners being formed with an outwardly projecting upwardly extending forward portion, a coil at the extremity thereof and an inwardly bent arm engaging beneath the bottom of the sled, the rear part of each runner being formed with an inwardly projecting portion, a coil thereon, and a continuation forming a support for the rear end of the sled bottom, said coils supporting the downward pressure on the sled bottom.

3. A sled having spring runners formed of resilient bars, each of said runners consisting of a portion forming the runner proper, then upwardly and forwardly extended, then formed into a helical coil, and 9 then extended rearward beneath a sled bottom said coils supporting the downward pressure on the sled bottom.

4t. In a sled, a bottom, helical spring coils forward of the bottom, one arm of each coil extending rearward to support the forward end of the bottom by the resiliency of the coil, the other arm of said coil extending downward and rearward to form a runner proper and then extending upward to support the rear end of the bottom.

5. In a sled, a bottom, spring coils located forward of the bottom on opposite sides thereof, one arm of each coil extending rearward and supporting the forward end of the bottom, the other arm of said coil extending downward and rearward to form a runner proper to a point rearward of the bottom, then extended upward and inward, then formed into a coil, and then extended upward forward and attached to the rear end of the bottom of the sled said coils supporting pressure on the sled bottom.

6. In a sled, a pair of runners formed of one continuous piece of metal, the forward ends of said runners being formed with inwardly projecting closed helical coils providing eyes for the attachment of a rope,

and resiliently supporting the sled bottom.

7. In a sled, runners formed of elastic metal rods upwardly turned at their ends and there formed with inwardly extending coils, the extensions of said coils extending inward to the sled bottom and attached to and resiliently supporting the same.

8. In a sled, a sled bottom, and runners formed of one continuous resilient bar, said bar extending across the under side of the bottom to form a cross piece, then extending.,` forwardly beyond the bottom, there coiled in a circle and extended downwardly and rearwardly of the sled bottom to form a runner, then extended upwardly, coiled in a circle and extended forwardly to the under side of the sled bottom and then bent across said sled bottom to form a cross piece, then downwardly and rearwardly, then coiled in a circle, then extended rearwardly to form a heel, then forwardly and upwardly to form a runner, then coiled in a circle and extended rearwardly and there joined to the forward cross piece, said cross pieces being attached to the bottom of the sled.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto attixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK G. MCPHERSON.

IVitnesses:

JOHN E. EWING, EARL R. LEYDA.

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