US3339919A

US3339919A - Roundabout having seating means journaled about a predetermined bearing arrangement

Info

Publication number: US3339919A
Application number: US405991A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lawrence T Jones
Original assignee: AMF Inc
Current assignee: ROADMASTER Corp A CORP OF
Priority date: 1964-10-23
Filing date: 1964-10-23
Publication date: 1967-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1984-09-05

Description

p 1957 L. T. JONES 3,33

ROUNDABOUT HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNALED I ABOUT A PREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENT Filed om. 25, 1964 ISSheets-Sheet 1 FIG.

- INVENTOR LAWRENCE T. JONES Sept. 5, 1967 L. T. JONES ROUNDABOUT HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNAL-ED v ABOUT A PREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENT Filed Oct. 23, ,1964

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR LAWRENCE T. JONES MURRAY .S'CHAFFER ATTORNEY Sept; 5, 1967 L. T. JONES HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNALED ROUNDABOUT ABOUT A PREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENT 1964 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 25,

INVENTOR LAWRENCE T. JONES MURRAY sc/MFFER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,339,919 ROUNDABOUT HAVING SEATING MEANS JOURNALED ABOUT A PREDETERMINED BEARING ARRANGEMENT Lawrence T. Jones, Olney, Ill., assignor to American l'Vlachine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New ersey Filed Oct. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 405,991

3 Claims. (Cl. 27233) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotational amusement apparatus including a stationary vertical standard having a pair of spaced bearings mounted thereon and a plurality ,of seating members each cantilevered at one end from the standard and journaled thereabout. The seating members each include upper and lower journal members mounted in juxtaposed groups and fastened together about the respective bearings. Lever means are coupled between the standard and each of the seating members to rotate the seating members about the standard.

This invention relates to a new and improved orbital device or merry-go-round especially adapted but not limited to use by children.

The present invention comprises generally an upright standard upon which are mounted horizontal arms or members each having a seat at the end thereof and includes means for the operators to manipulate for rotating the members about the standard as a center, whereby the operators whirl about in a circle.

An object of the invention is to improve the manufacture and mechanisms involved in this device so as to make it simpler, sturdier, and more economical.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of providing new and useful means for easily adding or removing arm members for say two, four, or more operators, and also so that the device may be easily packaged in a relatively small container whereby the device may be easily assembled and set up ready for use by the purchaser.

Another object is to provide the device with a stationary standard having a fixed eccentric at its upper end.

The arm members, provided with outer-most seats, being pivotably cantilevered from the standard, and provided with a lever means member coupled to the eccentric to cause rotary motion when operated .by occupants in the seats. To this end, each member is a cantilevered downwardly U-shaped panel having a closing arm, the panel tapering in depth from the standard to the operators seat, and being aflixed at upper and lower positions adjacent the standard to a support plate rotatable about bearings on the standard.

As another object, each member is matched with an oppositely extending cantilevered arm with its own support plates rotatable about the bearings on the central standard, to provide ease of manipulation around the bearings.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention, including the features of construction, arrangement and combination of its parts will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus assembled for four operators;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary and partly sectional elevation of the means for coupling the various parts to the standard;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the lever upper arm connections taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partly sectional plan of the lower arm and leg couplings taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a partly lengthwise view, on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, showing the pivotable coupling of the operating handle to the rotatable member and the operating lever arm.

The main support element of the apparatus comprises a vertical tubular standard 1, whose lower end is above the ground support, the standard being supported by a number of frames 2, preferably numbering four in this case, for stability and support.

Fillet welded to a lower and the bottom portions of the standard 1 are square upper and

lower plates

3 and 4 to which each frame 2 is bolted. Fixed to the upper plate 3 are four tubular legs 5, each leg at the plate being fiattened and held to the plate 3 by bolts 6, the leg ends meeting the standard 1 and having mating bevelled corners 7 to aid in preventing lateral movement of the legs 5 relative to one another. The legs 5 slope downwardly and terminate in telescoped plastic end caps 8. In the vertical plane of each leg 5 is a bar or leg brace 9 having its upper end bolted at 10 to the lower plate 4 and also sloping down to an end portion of its associated leg 5 to which it is secured by a bolt 11.

Cantilevered from and horizontally rotatable about the standard 1, above the legs 5, are four arms or members 12, these being spaced equally about the standard 1. Each member consists of a downwardly U-shaped channel 13, the upper web 14 extending horizontally, and the lower end 15 tapering up outwardly from the standard 1. A seat 16 for a user is suitably bolted at 17 to the outer end of each member 12. The lower or open end of each channel 13 is fitted with a strengthening tube 18 which is held to the channel flanges by a number of countersunk head rivets 19.

The horizontally rotatable support for each of the members 12 is a pair of

cylindrical bearings

20, 21 around the standard 1. Each member 12 ends closely to the standard 1 and its upper and lower portions are rotatably journalled about the

bearings

20, 21 by each being bolted to separate upper and

lower support plates

22, 23 for each member 12, the plates being four upper and four lower and journalled about the

bearings

20 and 21.

Each support plate 22 is rectangular and all are assembled against relative rotation by bolt and nut assemblies 24 passing through them. Extending outwardly from each plate 22 is an integral horizontal leg 25 to which the web- 14 of the associated member 12 is riveted at 26. The corresponding lower plates 23 are equally held against relative displacement by bolt and nut assemblies 27. An integral leg 28 extends outwardly and slightly upwardly from each plate 23 to meet a flattened end portion of tube 18 to which the leg is bolted at 48.

The effect of the foregoing member 12 supports is to make each member a cantilever supported at its upper and lower ends adjacent the standard 1 by

separate plates

22 and 23 journalled about the upper and

lower bearings

20 and 21. The bolted assembly of upper plates 22 and lower plates 23* forbid relative rotation while permitting rotation about the

bearings

20 and 21. Consequently, members 12 and their

aflixed support plates

22 and 23 may be added and removed, just as desired, without otherwise altering the operation of the device, simply by temporary removal of bolt and

nut assemblies

24 and 27, as will be described hereinafter.

At the upper end of standard 1 is telescoped a tube 29 which is removably held by a through bolt and nut ashorizontal eccentric leg or plate 31 through which extends upwardly a weld pin 32, the cap of which is welded to the underside of plate 31. This eccentric pin 32 (relative to standard 1) mounts a tubular bearing 33 around which are journalled the fiat ends 34 of push-and-pull rods 35, one such rod 35 being associated with each seat for an operator. The upper end of the pin 32 slidably receives a fitted cup 36 over which is removably telescoped a light fixture 37. A cap nut 38 atop the pin 32 holds the eccentric assembly in place. I

A separate lever is provided for each occupant and each is coupled through a rod 35 to the eccentric pin 32, so that the rotary components are pulled around by each occupant due to the eccentricity of each lever connection with respect to the standard 1, the center of rotation. The handle and foot means, now to be described, is easily oscillated by each occupant to effect push-and-pull movement of each rod 35 to cause the rotation of each seat carrying member 12.

Oscillatably coupled by a bolt-and-nut assembly 39 through the bottom of member 12, that is, through the bottom of channel 13 and arm 15, and operatively reachable from the seat 16, is a handle and foot assembly 40. The assembly 40 is comprised of two tubular spaced arms 41 outside of member 12, the lower ends 42 terminating in outwardly extending leg rests 43, and the upper portions 44 curving outwardly and then inwardly and integrally to form a handle 45. The outer end of each tube 35, which tube extends substantially horizontally, is coupled between the arms 41, just above member 12, by means of a bolt and nut assembly 46. Washer plate 47, between the outsides of tube 35 and the inner faces of arms 41 provide for substantially frictionless movement as each handle and foot assembly 40 is oscillated to rotate the members 12.

Note that upon addition or removal of a seat 16 and its member 12 as described hereinbefore, the associate handle assembly 40 and the connection of the push and pull tube 35 to the eccentric pivot 32 are easily added or removed by temporary removal of the stop nut 38 and the bolt 30. Also observe that the temporary removal of a few bolts and nuts is all that is required to effect this major alteration.

The extent of the invention is not restricted to the described and illustrate dembodiment, but is equivalent to all equivalent constructions within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a rotational amusement apparatus, a stationary vertical standard, a pair of vertically spaced cylindrical bearings on said standard, an even multiple of seating members, each seating member extending substantially horizontally and cantilevered at one end from said standard, a pair of vertically spaced upper and lower journal members on each seating member and each received around a respective one of said bearings, the upper journal members of said seating members being arranged in a first juxtaposed group and the lower journal members of said seating members being arranged in a second juxtaposed group, said seating members being aligned in diametrically opposed pairs with means fastening together the journal members of at least one of said groups to prevent relative movement between the journal members of each of said groups, and lever means coupled between said standard and each of said seating members and hand operable to rotate the seating members about said standard.

2. A rotational amusement apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the journal members comprise a plurality of upper and lower support plates arranged in juxtaposed upper and lower groups and each group being journaled about a corresponding bearing means on the standard.

3. A rotational amusement apparatus in accordance with claim 2 wherein the individual seating members and affixed support plates may be readily mounted to the standard without affecting the operation of the apparatus, said fastening means being readily removable to permit such mounting.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,313,668 8/1919 Bourdon et a1. 27233 2,499,164 2/1950 Richardson 272-33 2,542,745 2/1951 Wilson et a1 27233 2,606,763 8/1952 Wilson et al 27233 2,739,811 3/1956 Persons 27233 3,043,590 7/1962 Horowitz 272--33 3,172,659 3/1965 Daleiden 272-33 FOREIGN PATENTS 640,831 7/ 1950 Great Britain.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner.