Swing attachment

Details Swing attachment Swing attachment

2002-07-12

2003-12-30

Cottingham, John R. (Department: 3679)

Joints and connections

Articulated members

Rotatable

C403S071000, C403S078000, C403S026000, C472S118000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06669394

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a children's swing set. It relates especially to a device for pivotally attaching a swing or similar device to the top bar of a swing set.
Children's swings, glide rides and the like usually include some kind of a seating platform suspended by suspension means such as chains, cables, tubes or the like from a top bar or other raised horizontal support. The suspension means are invariably connected to the top bar or other raised support by pivots. In one known example, a pair of eye bolts are mounted at spaced-apart locations along the top bar and the uppermost links of a pair of chains supporting the swing seat are connected to the eye bolts by S-hooks. When the swing seat swings back and forth, the S-hooks pivot relative to the eye bolts. That type of connection is disadvantaged in that it does not allow the chains or other suspension means to pivot completely over the top bar.
There do exist bearing assemblies for swing sets which do allow a chain or other suspension means to pivot completely over the top bar; see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,531,077 and 6,123,480. However those bearing assemblies are relatively complicated devices consisting of several separate parts which must be assembled using a multiplicity of small fasteners. Considering the fact that most present day swing sets are sold in a knock-down condition for assembly by the ultimate purchaser, it is not surprising that those small parts are often misplaced or lost entirely. At the very least, the required installation of all those parts prolongs the time its takes to assemble the swing set.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide a swing attachment in the form of a bearing assembly for pivotally attaching a swing-type ride to a top bar or other raised horizontal support.
A further object of the invention is to provide a swing attachment of this type which is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a swing attachment which is composed of a minimum number of parts that can be assembled easily without requiring any special tools.
A further object of the invention is to provide a swing attachment of this type which allows the chain or other seat suspension means to pivot completely around the top bar or other overhead horizontal support.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a swing attachment which requires only two fastening elements in order to pivotally connect the upper end of a chain or other suspension means to the top bar of a swing set.
Other objects will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the following detailed description, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
Briefly, our attachment attaches the upper end of a swing device to a raised top bar or other overhead horizontal support. The attachment comprises a pair of similar arcuate slide sections, each slide section having first and second ends and opposite inner and outer walls extending between those ends. The slide sections are shaped and dimensioned so that when the slide sections are juxtaposed with their corresponding ends in butting engagement, the inner walls of the slide sections define an opening corresponding the cross-section of the top bar. There are semi-circular grooves in the outer walls of the slide sections which when the slide sections are juxtaposed and butted define a substantially continuous circular slide or track.
The attachment also includes a fastening means for clamping the slide sections to the top bar, yet which are slidable along the slide so that the fastening means (and a chain or other suspension device attached thereto) can execute a 360° rotation about the top bar. Typically, the fastening means may include a U-bolt having a pair of substantially parallel legs connected by a bridging portion having a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the slide and a bracket including a pair of arms having corresponding first ends connected by a saddle portion and corresponding spaced-apart co-planar second ends. Through holes are formed in those second ends which are so spaced-apart and sized as to receive the end segments of the U-bolt. A pair of opposing sliders may project from the bracket arms near the second ends thereof, each slider being slidably received in the slide when the bracket is engaged against the slide sections and the end segments of the U-bolt extend through said holes. Means are provided at the ends of the U-bolt legs projecting through the bracket so as to clamp the slide sections between the U-bolt and the bracket.
When the upper end of a chain or other swing suspension device is engaged on the bracket, the attachment allows that end to pivot a full 360° about the axis of the top bar.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3411774 (1968-11-01), Thornton
patent: 3531077 (1970-09-01), Trottier et al.
patent: 4036789 (1977-07-01), Shim
patent: 4852913 (1989-08-01), Brooks
patent: 4930910 (1990-06-01), Mori et al.
patent: 5529539 (1996-06-01), Hoffman
patent: 6123480 (2000-09-01), Petty et al.

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