Amusement devices – Roundabout – Occupant propelled
Patent
1996-09-13
1998-08-18
Nguyen, Kien T.
Amusement devices
Roundabout
Occupant propelled
472 16, A63G 112
Patent
active
057952353
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a carousel for people, especially children, comprising a substructure which is stationary relative to the ground and which has a stator axle essentially perpendicular to the ground and a radial support star essentially parallel to the ground, and a rotor being rotatable about the stator axle and having a turning section for carrying people.
Carousels of this type, as are, for instance, known from German Utility Model 18 06 045, are especially known as equipment for public playgrounds for children or also from the private field. On the one hand, as far as these carousels are concerned, both proper and improper use by toddlers must be taken into account and adequate safety must be ensured. On the other hand, these carousels must be designed such that even when they are used by adolescents or adults the resulting higher loads are carried.
In the carousel described in German Utility Model 18 06 045 there is e.g. the risk that children let their legs dangle out of the rotor downwardly, hitting with their legs against the struts of the radial support star or, in the most adverse case, getting their legs jammed between the rotor struts and the struts of the radial support star.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a carousel of the above-mentioned type that is easy to operate and versatile and affords adequate safety even when used improperly.
According to the invention this object is achieved in that the radial support star is located on a profiled ground plate in recesses thereof that essentially conform to the shape of the radial support star, and that the radial support star or ground plate has provided thereon a central centering shoulder aligned to engage in a central receiving portion provided on the respectively other member.
As a result, the radial support star can be inserted substantially positively into the recesses of the ground plate. As a consequence, the radial support star no longer presents any risk of inflicting injuries. Moreover, the radial support star is secured against rotation relative to the ground plate via its positive fixation, so that the torque acting on the substructure is carried on the edges of the recesses.
The profiled shape of the base plate ensures that the forces acting on the base plate are transmitted to the ground. The profiled shape fixedly anchors the bottom side of the base plate to the ground, e.g. soil. When the ground plate is slightly immersed in the soil, the ground plate is thereby fixed virtually positively to the ground. At the same time, the ground plate increases the support surface of the substructure on the ground, which prevents the substructure from excessively sinking into a possibly wet ground.
The ground plate advantageously forms a fluid-tight seal in downward direction and protects the radial support star from getting soiled. The radial support star which is often made of metal is thus protected against corrosive action from the ground.
To be more specific, the carousel is closed in a child-proof manner by the ground plate also around the bottom portion, so that there will be no risk of injuries even when the carousel is turning around in an actually undesired manner.
When the centering shoulder is, for instance, provided on the radial support star, the central receiving portion is provided on the ground plate, and vice versa. This alignment of radial support star and ground plate via the combination of centering shoulder and centering receiving portion ensures that the ground plate is always arranged in a precise position relative to the rotating rotor. A circular ground plate can thus be arranged concentric to the rotor and stator axles. Such a centering is of special advantage to an accurate termination of the ground plate with an adjacent rotor member. Hence, the members of the rotor that are close to the ground plate are at a radially constant distance to the ground plate when the rotor rotates, thereby preventing injuries.
The centering shoulder is preferably designed as a centering bolt formed i
REFERENCES:
patent: 1733005 (1929-10-01), Clayton
patent: 2686674 (1954-08-01), Behrens
patent: 2785896 (1957-03-01), Ellis
patent: 3749399 (1973-07-01), Fedor et al.
patent: 3873087 (1975-03-01), Burkart et al.
patent: 4119310 (1978-10-01), Trubody
Kohl Karin
Ullrich Jurgen
LandOfFree
Carousel does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Carousel, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Carousel will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1110230