Amusement devices – Swing
Reexamination Certificate
2001-08-03
2004-10-26
Nguyen, Kien (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices
Swing
C472S131000, C472S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06808459
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an amusement ride that uses cables to elevate a carrier for one or more participants between a multitude of towers.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,686 employs a multitude of towers and cables to elevate a carrier for participants. There is no indication, however, that at least the top portion of the towers would be flexible. In fact, the arches shown in FIG. 4 between adjacent towers suggests that there is no such flexibility.
Several patents, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,421,783; 5,649,866; and 5,810,671 have a passenger carrier that is accelerated upward by bungee cords and can relatively freely swing about the ends of such cords. U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,866 uses three towers; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,421,783 and 5,810,671 utilize three towers. No mention is made of any flexibility in the towers of these patents. The lattice construction shown in the drawings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,649,866 and 5,810,671 imply that there would be no such flexibility. Indeed, lines 56 through 56 in column 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,866 refer to the towers as “three upstanding, stationary towers”; and lines 32 through 33 in column 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,8180,671 use the descriptive terminology “pair of spaced, stationary towers.” The relatively short height of the towers shown in the drawings for U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,783 provides a similar implication. And, in fact, line 11 in column 6 of that patent describes the towers as being “rigid structures.”
The passenger carrier in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,421,783; 5,649,866; and 5,810,671 that is accelerated upward by bungee cords can relatively freely swing about the ends of such cords. There is, however, no controlled rotation of the carrier; U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,671, in lines 2 through 5 of column 7, merely indicates that, by “shifting their weight” participants can cause the carrier of the invention to commence rolling.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,111 does involve controlled rotation of a passenger chair (also termed a “support”) for an amusement ride. The degree of rotation is, however, purposefully limited; the limited rotation that is possible apparently occurs only over a restricted, fixed portion of a course upon a tower; and only downward movement occurs when the chair has been rotated from its initial substantially vertical position.
Lines 31 through 37 in column 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,111 explain, “The passenger support, together with the passenger, is tilted forward into a falling orientation which is at a predetermined tilt-angle to the pre-fall orientation. The passenger support, together with the passenger, is dropped or propelled from the drop position to a lower position while the passenger support and the passenger are in the forward tilted falling orientation . . . ”
Lines 3 and 4 in column 3 further clarify, “for safety reasons, the tilt-angle of the passenger and the passenger support is limited . . . ”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,111 continues, in lines 26 through 28 of column 3, by asserting, “A travel course for the carriage is established by engaging a guide that is connected to the carriage upon an elongate rail or track that is coupled to an elevating tower.”
Lines 23 through 25, 39 through 42, and 46 through 49 of column 3 state, “The degree of tilt between the pre-fall orientation
92
and the falling orientation
95
is predetermined and restricted . . . When the latching mechanism
40
is released, the passenger support
22
is permitted to tilt or be tilted from the pre-fall orientation
92
toward and into the falling orientation
95
. . . Alternatively, the tilting action can be induced by an operating mechanism B43B which in the described embodiment is a rotary motor and may be exemplarily electromechanical, hydraulic or other suitable configuration.”
Lines 39 through 46 and 55 through 57 of column 6 consistently provide, “Upon reaching the drop position
70
, the passenger support
22
is permitted to tilt, or is tilted from the upright and sitting pre-fall orientation
92
to the tilted falling orientation
95
. To accomplish such tilting, the latching mechanism
40
is released and the passenger
55
is either motored to the tilted position using the operating mechanism
43
or the support
22
is simply allowed to drop to the tilted position and falling orientation
95
under the passenger's
55
own weight . . . . The tilting action is accommodated by the pivot connection
37
and is limited either by the operating mechanism
43
or appropriate stops.” Then line 67 of column 3 through line 2 of column 7 declares, “Either simultaneously or shortly thereafter, the carriage
34
begins to drop over a falling travel distance
73
.”
Finally, with respect to U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,111, lines 53 through 56 in column 7 observe, “The maximum safe tilt angle
98
is experimentally determined and then the actual tilt angle
98
is restricted within a range between that determined angle and the upright position.”
Furthermore, none of the preceding patents has a restraint system for the participant which employs a harness releasably held in place through the insertion of a serrated rod into an aperture of a directionally biased block.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,686 does not discuss a restraint system. Lines 20 and 21 of column 7 in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,783 simply note, “ . . . each rider is strapped in with dual shoulder belts and a standard lap belt.” U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,866, in lines 58 through 61 of column 3, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,671, in lines 24 through 27, utilize identical language: “Associated with each seat
58
is a five-point harness assembly
60
for securing an individual within the seat
58
when an individual is seated therein.” And U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,111, in lines 6 through 17 of column 5, provides, “The carriage
34
has a passenger support or car
22
mounted thereupon. The passenger support
22
includes a chair-type structure upon which the passenger
55
directly rests. The chair includes a headrest, restraint
31
for retaining the passenger
55
safely in the support
22
throughout the ride's
10
cycle. The restraint
31
is pivotally connected at an upper portion
28
of the passenger support
22
. Supplemental restraints may also be included as required or desired. The several restraints however, are of conventional design and well-known in the amusement ride arts.”
And none of the preceding patents includes a device for maintaining tension in a cable which assists in providing the propulsive force to the carrier for the participant or participants on an amusement ride.
Examples of patents which apply to fluid-powered cylinders associated with cables for powring amusement rides are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,632,686; 5,704,841; 5,893,802; 6,001,022; and 6,176,788.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention utilizes cables suspended from a multitude of towers, preferably an odd number of towers and most preferably three towers, to raise a carrier for passengers.
Any means for causing the end of a cable attached to the carrier to move in a desired direction that is known in the art may be employed. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, a high-speed winch or a fluid-powered cylinder. The propulsive force may be applied to the cable either at the end of the cable other than the end which is attached to the carrier or, preferably, at a point intermediate between the ends of the cable.
At least the upper portion at least one of the towers and, preferably, all of the towers is flexible. Movement of the towers in response to acceleration of the carrier cushions the carrier and, consequently, participants on the carrier.
Preferably, but not necessarily, the carrier has one or more controllably rotatable seats.
Also preferably, but not necessarily, participant are held to their seats with harnesses attached to one or more serrated rods, wherein each serrated rod is inserted into an aperture of a directionally biased block.
And, optionally, a device for maintaining tension in a cable is employed for the cables.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4973042 (199
Fehr Thompson E.
Fehr Law Firm
Nguyen Kien
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