Amusement devices – Rockable animal simulation having rider seat means – Having spring support
Patent
1995-03-09
1996-06-04
Nguyen, Kien T.
Amusement devices
Rockable animal simulation having rider seat means
Having spring support
472104, A63G 1308
Patent
active
055227724
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toy on a spring intended for playgrounds.
In general, toys on a spring comprise a structure made from metal, strong wood or hard plastic, which is fixed to a coil spring which is anchored in the ground, at its lower end. The users sit on this structure and can rock by virtue of the adequate lateral flexibility of the spring. The structure may assume the form of people or animals and be produced in flat form, the user sitting astride on a part forming a seat. The structure may also be produced as a three-dimensional structure.
The loads exerted by the user on the hand grips or the foot rests with which the structure is usually provided subject this structure to significant stresses. For this reason, after the toy on a spring has been used a certain number of times, cracks may appear on the structure particularly at the hand grips or the foot rests, as well as at the connection to the upper end of the spring.
To solve these problems of stresses rigid materials, such as metal or wood are used to produce the structure, the employment of which materials is complex and costly, particularly for three-dimensional structures.
It has also been proposed to produce structures from plastic such as polyethylene, but the operational stresses rapidly give rise to cracks and, in the case of polyethylene, to flow, which damages the structure and requires it to be replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to produce a toy on a spring including a three-dimensional structure and in which the stresses exerted on the structure are reduced, thus making it possible to use plastics, particularly polyethylene, for manufacturing the structure.
The subject of the present invention is a toy on a spring including a coil spring, the lower end of Which is fixed to a device for anchoring in the ground and comprising a three-dimensional structure intended to support the user and which is fixed to the upper end of the coil spring by connection means, characterized in that it comprises, inside the three-dimensional structure, a rigid reinforcement secured to the said connection means and including a stress-distribution piece, preferably frustoconical, at least partially set into a housing or onto a boss of corresponding shape, formed in the three-dimensional structure.
According to the invention, the transverse and shear stresses induced by the oscillation of the spring are distributed over a large contact surface between the lateral wall of the distribution piece and the wall of the housing or of the boss and the risks of the three-dimensional structure cracking are substantially decreased.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the hand grips and the foot rests with which the toy on a spring is equipped are secured to the rigid reinforcement, which therefore absorbs the stresses generated by the loads exerted by the user for rocking.
In order best to distribute the stresses exerted on the distribution piece, the axis of the latter is parallel to that of the coil spring in its rest position, or preferably coincident with it.
Preferably, the three-dimensional structure is produced from plastic, for example from polyethylene.
The three-dimensional plastic structure may be produced as a single block, particularly by rotational moulding. In this case, the hand grips and/or the foot rests are produced so that they can be removed. Indeed, since the hand grips and/or the foot rests extend beyond the three-dimensional plastic structure and the rigid reinforcement lies inside the said three-dimensional structure, the said hand grips and/or the foot rests can be fixed to the rigid reinforcement only from outside the plastic structure. However, if the foot rests are fixed to the rigid reinforcement at the connection with the coil spring, the said foot rests may be secured to, and not removable from the rigid reinforcement, the three-dimensional structure being fitted over the foot rests.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the
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patent: 2978245 (1961-04-01), Rempel
patent: 2996298 (1961-08-01), Grosse et al.
patent: 4351521 (1982-09-01), Erdos
patent: 4379550 (1983-04-01), Petersen
patent: 4575072 (1986-03-01), Russell
patent: 5294174 (1994-03-01), Bigolin
Cervelle Philippe
Chenard Alain
Obriot Denis
Roustit Patrick
Compagnie & Plastic Omnium
Nguyen Kien T.
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