U.S. patent application number 10/874935 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-11 for modular play gym for children.
Invention is credited to Bork, Frank, Severa, Michael, Ziegler, William H..
Application Number | 20050176557 10/874935 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34830581 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050176557 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bork, Frank ; et
al. |
August 11, 2005 |
Modular play gym for children
Abstract
A children's play gym including a frame with an elongated
tubular top rail having an inside surface, an outside surface and a
lengthwise keyway between said surfaces, a plurality of legs, each
leg having an upper end wall encircling the top rail, and an anchor
releasably anchoring the upper end wall of each leg to the top
rail. Each anchor includes a bracket bridging the keyway at that
inside surface, and a threaded fastener extending through a hole in
the end wall and through said keyway and being threaded into the
bracket. This enables the upper end wall of each leg to be slid
relative to the top rail and then clamped to the top rail at any
location therealong by tightening the threaded fastener.
Inventors: |
Bork, Frank; (Schellsburg,
PA) ; Ziegler, William H.; (Bedford, PA) ;
Severa, Michael; (Cheswick, PA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CESARI AND MCKENNA, LLP
88 BLACK FALCON AVENUE
BOSTON
MA
02210
US
|
Family ID: |
34830581 |
Appl. No.: |
10/874935 |
Filed: |
June 23, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60543254 |
Feb 10, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
482/35 ;
482/37 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 17/04 20130101;
A63B 2208/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/035 ;
482/037 |
International
Class: |
A63B 007/04; A63B
017/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A children's play gym comprising a frame including an elongated
tubular top rail having an inside surface, an outside surface and a
lengthwise keyway between said surfaces which extends along said
top rail, a plurality of legs, each leg having an upper end wall
encircling the top rail, and an anchor releasably anchoring the
upper end wall of each leg to the top rail, each anchor including a
bracket bridging the keyway at said inside surface, and a threaded
fastener extending through a hole in said end wall and through said
keyway and being threaded into the bracket whereby the upper end
wall of each leg can be slid along to the top rail and clamped to
the top rail at a selected location therealong by tightening said
threaded fastener.
2. The play gym defined in claim 1 wherein the anchor on at least
one of the legs also includes a perforated bearing member engaging
said end wall of that leg, and a threaded fastener extending
through said bearing member.
3. The play gym defined in claim 1 wherein said upper end wall of
each leg includes a key which slidably keys into said keyway to fix
the angular position of said upper end wall relative to the top
rail.
4. The play gym defined in claim 1 wherein said angular position is
fixed so that the associated leg extends out from the top rail at
an angle appreciably greater than 45.degree..
5. The play gym defined in claim 1 and further including at least
one additional anchor secured to the top rail at said keyway, each
additional anchor including an additional bracket bridging the
keyway at said inner surface; a bearing member bridging the keyway
at said outer surface, said bearing member having a hole located
opposite the keyway, and an additional threaded fastener extending
through said hole in the bearing member and through said keyway and
being threaded into the additional bracket, said additional
fastener having a head defining an anchoring point for a children's
ride.
6. The play gym defined in claim 5 wherein the bearing member
includes a key which slidably keys into the keyway to fix the
angular position of the bearing member relative to top rail.
7. The play gym defined in claim 6 wherein said hole in the bearing
member extends through said key therein.
8. The play gym defined in claim 6 and further including a hanger
having an upper end swingably secured to said anchoring point.
9. The play gym defined in claim 1 and further including a
perforated ride support member having opposite ends and engaging
the underside of the frame top rail cross-wise, and an additional
anchor secured to the top rail at said keyway, said additional
anchor including an additional bracket bridging the keyway at said
inside surface, and an additional threaded fastener extending
through the support member and through the keyway and being
threaded into said additional bracket whereby the support member
can be slid to a selected location along the top rail and clamped
in place by tightening the additional threaded fastener.
10. The play gym defined in claim 9 further including a perforated
bearing member engaging under said support member, and wherein the
additional threaded fastener extends through the bearing
member.
11. The play gym defined in claim 10 wherein the bearing member
includes a key which slidably keys into the keyway to fix the
angular position of the bearing member relative to the top
rail.
12. The play gym defined in claim 9 and further including a pair of
hangers having opposite ends pivotally connected to the opposite
ends of the support member.
13. The play gym defined in claim 1 and further including a slide
having opposite ends and being positioned between adjacent legs of
said frame, and securing devices at the opposite ends of the slide
for releasably securing the slide to said lower ends of the
adjacent legs.
14. The play gym defined in claim 1 and further including an
enclosure composed of panels extending between adjacent legs of
said frame, and securing devices for releasably securing said
panels to said adjacent legs.
15. The play gym defined in claim 1 and further including a
container releasably attached to at least one of said plurality of
legs, each said container having a fill opening for filling the
container with a relatively heavy fluid material.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application has the benefit of Provisional application
No. 60/543,254, filed Feb. 24, 2004.
[0002] This invention relates to children's play gyms, swing sets
and the like. It relates especially to a modular play gym which can
be assembled in many different configurations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Children's play gyms and swing sets invariably include a
rigid frame capable of supporting one or more activity toys or
rides such as swings, glide rides, slides, rings, etc. The frame
often consists of an elongated rigid top rail or spine supported
horizontally above the ground by a plurality of legs which extend
from the top rail down to the ground at an angle to give the frame
a relatively large footprint for stability purposes. In its
simplest form, the top rail may be supported at opposite ends by
A-frames.
[0004] The various support legs, rides and activity toys are
suspended from the top rail by fasteners or brackets. For this,
holes are provided at selected locations along the top rail to
accommodate these fasteners and brackets. Each different ride or
toy requires its own set of holes in the top rail. Thus the number,
type and locations of the rides that can be supported by a
particular frame is fixed at the time of manufacture. This means
that once a consumer has purchased a given swing set, the
configuration of the swing set is determined by the locations of
the fastener holes in the top rail. In other words, the consumer is
not able to switch the positions of a swing or a glide ride or
replace a swing with a wider swing capable of supporting two
children. Nor can the consumer easily add more rides to a given
frame because the length of the frame is fixed and there are
usually no extra fastener holes in the frame's top rail to
accommodate the fasteners or brackets for those additional rides.
In other words, the consumer cannot expand a given play gym from an
originally smaller one to a larger version or even reconfigure an
existing play gym.
[0005] Some conventional play gyms are also disadvantaged in that
they are not as stable as they might be because their legs splay
out at only a 45.degree. angle and they may not be adequately
anchored to the ground. Resultantly, when children are using the
play gym's swings, for example, the frame may rock back and
forth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an unusually versatile children's play gym or swing
set.
[0007] Another object of the invention is to provide such a play
gym or swing set whose frame has legs which can be positioned at
any location along the frame's top rail or spine.
[0008] A further object of the invention is to provide a play gym
of this type whose rides or activity toys can be placed at any
location on the frame without altering the frame's top rail.
[0009] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a
children's play gym or swing set whose frame can be expanded easily
to support additional rides or activity toys.
[0010] A further object of the invention is to provide a children's
play gym which is quite stable in use.
[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a play gym or
swing set whose rides can be reconfigured or changed with a minimum
amount of effort.
[0012] A further object of the invention is to provide such a play
gym which allows the consumer to easily replace the original rides
on the gym with new models introduced after the original
purchase.
[0013] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a frame
for children's play gyms or swing sets which enables consumers to
customize their purchases.
[0014] Other objects will, in part, be obvious and will, in part,
appear hereinafter.
[0015] 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.
[0016] Briefly, the subject play gym or swing set includes the
usual frame for supporting one or more rides or activity toys.
However, the frame is unique in that its rigid top rail or spine is
formed at its underside with a keyway which extends the length of
the top rail. In other words, if the top rail is metal tube, the
tube is provided with a longitudinal slot or channel to which the
various support legs and rides may be keyed so that the legs and
rides may be positioned at any location along the top rail. This
construction also allows a plurality of top rails to be coupled
together end to end to increase the length, and thus the capacity
and versatility, of the play gym.
[0017] As will be described in more detail later, the upper end of
each leg and the fasteners and brackets supporting the various
rides are adjustably secured to the top rail by special anchor
assemblies which key into the top rail keyway and clamp to that
rail so that each leg and each ride can be positioned and
repositioned on the frame with a minimum of effort and without
requiring any tools other than a wrench.
[0018] Also as will be seen, the legs of the subject swing set may
be arranged to splay out at a relatively large angle from the top
rail and to be weighted to the ground so as to maximize the
stability of the play gym. Resultantly, even when several children
are using the play gym simultaneously, its frame does not tend to
rock back and forth due to the swinging motions of those
children.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the
invention, reference should be made to the following detailed
description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in
which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a children's play gym or
swing set having a selected leg and ride configuration;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a similar view of the FIG. 1 unit with a different
leg and ride configuration;
[0022] FIG. 3A is a fragmentary exploded perspective view on a
larger scale showing the attachment of an end leg to the top rail
of the FIGS. 1 and 2 play gym;
[0023] FIG. 3B is a sectional view taken along line 3B-3B of FIG.
1;
[0024] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view on a larger scale
showing the attachment of an intermediate leg to the top rail of
the FIGS. 1 and 2 play gym;
[0025] FIG. 5 is a sectional view on a larger scale taken along
line 5-5 of FIG. 1 showing the attachment of a swing bracket to the
top rail of the play gym, and
[0026] FIG. 6 is a similar view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 1
showing the attatchment of a glide ride to that top rail.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT
[0027] Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the subject play gym or
swing set comprises a rigid frame shown generally at 10 which
supports above the ground or other support surface a plurality of
different rides or activity toys exemplified by a swing 14 having
hangers 14a, a pair of rings 16 having hangers 16a and a glide ride
18 having hangers 18a (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,300 and
5,326,326).
[0028] Frame 10 includes a top rail or spine 24 composed of two
sections 24a and 24b connected together end to end by a coupling
26. Top rail 24 is supported above the ground by various legs such
as end legs 28 and intermediate legs 32. These legs are splayed or
angled out from top rail 24 at a relatively large angle greater
than 45.degree., e.g. as much as 60.degree., to optimize the
stability of frame 10. To further stabilize the frame, the lower
ends of legs 28 and 32 may be weighted down by stabilizers
removably attached to the lower ends of the legs, as shown by the
stabilizer 34 on the foremost leg 32 in FIG. 1.
[0029] Refer now to FIG. 2 which shows how the FIG. 1 play gym can
be reconfigured to relocate the various interior legs 32 to
accommodate updated or different rides or toys such as a trapeze 36
having hangers 36a, a glide ride 38 having hangers 38a (see U.S.
Pat. No. 5,163,828 and 5,505,664), a combined climb/slide activity
toy 40 and a vented tent 42 which may protectively enclose a toy T
such as a sandbox or wading pool.
[0030] If desired, the right-hand end leg 28 and tent 42 in the
FIG. 2 unit may be omitted so that the top rail 24 has a right-hand
end overhang to accommodate a swing 14. In that event, the open end
of the top rail 24 may be closed by a suitable end cap (not
shown).
[0031] Also, like the play gym in FIG. 1, the frame 10 of the FIG.
2 play gym may be stabilized by leg weights or stabilizers one of
which is shown at 44 on the foremost leg 32 in FIG. 2. This
stabilizer 44 is somewhat different from the stabilizer 34 as well
be described later.
[0032] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, each section 24a, 24b of
top rail 24 has a keyway 46 at its underside which extends the
entire length of that section. Since the illustrated top rail is in
the form of a tube, the keyway 46 is a slot defined by a pair of
spaced-apart flanges 46a formed by bending up the wall of the tube
at each side of the keyway 46. These flanges rigidify the slotted
tube and provide bearing surfaces for reasons that will become
apparent.
[0033] Each leg 28 comprises an elongated tube whose upper end is
bent more or less at a right angle to form an elbow 28a sized to
telescopically receive the end of a top rail section 24a or 24b. A
hole 48 is formed in the underside of elbow 28a at a position such
that when the leg 28 is angled out about 60.degree. relative to the
center line of the top rail 24, the hole 48 is aligned with the
keyway 46.
[0034] Leg 28 may be secured to the top rail section 24a (or 24b)
by an anchor assembly shown generally at 54. The anchor assembly
includes an inverted U-shaped bracket 56 which is sized to slide
inside top rail section 24a (or 24b) so that it can engage over the
flanges 46a,46a therein as shown in FIG. 3B. The anchor assembly 54
also includes a bearing member in the form of a curved washer 57
which may be positioned against the underside of elbow 28a in
alignment with hole 48, and a threaded fastener 58 which may be
inserted through the hole in the washer 58 and through hole 48 in
the elbow and turned down into a threaded hole 56a in bracket 56.
With assembly 54 being loosely secured to elbow 28a as aforesaid,
the elbow may be engaged over the end of section 24a (or 24b) as
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 such that bracket 56 slides onto the ends
of, and engages over, flanges 46a, 46a as seen in FIG. 3B. Then,
fastener 58 may be tightened to firmly clamp top rail section 24a
(or 24b) between bracket 56 and washer 57 thereby fixing the
position of leg 28 relative to top rail 24. Preferably, the
underside of elbow 28a is upset to form an internal key, boss or
rib 59 which is aligned with hole 48 so that when the elbow 28a is
engaged on the end segment of top rail section 24a (or 24b) as
shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the key 59 will engage in keyway 46 and
thus help fix the angular position of leg 28 relative to the top
rail section to which it is attached.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 4, each intermediate leg 32 of frame
10 comprises a straight elongated tubular section 62 and a T-shaped
coupling 64. The leg of coupling 64 consists of a socket 64a for
receiving the upper end segment of leg section 62. Section 62 may
be secured to the coupling by a threaded fastener 66 inserted
through a hole 68 in leg section 62 and threaded into a hole 72 in
the coupling socket 64a.
[0036] The arms of coupling 64 are formed by an open-ended sleeve
64b sized to receive a top rail section 24a or 24b. Like the elbow
28a of end leg 28, sleeve 64b is formed with a hole 74 for
attaching an anchor assembly 54 to coupling 64. The threaded
fastener 58 of that assembly is inserted through the washer 57,
through hole 74 and threaded loosely into a bracket 56 positioned
inside sleeve 64b. As with leg 28, the hole 74 is located on the
sleeve so that when the sleeve is slid onto an end of a top rail
section 24a or 24b, the socket 64a will splay out about 60.degree.
relative to that top rail section. Coupling 64 and its leg section
62 may be slid to any desired location along the top rail section.
When that location is reached, the fastener 58 may be tightened to
clamp the coupling to the top rail section at that location.
Preferably, the wall of the sleeve 64b is upset to provide an
internal rib 76 in line with hole 74 to project into keyway 46 to
help rotatably fix the coupling to the top rail section.
[0037] Thus using anchor assemblies 54, the legs 32 of the subject
play gym may be positioned and repositioned to give frame 24 any
desired configuration as typified by the ones illustrated in FIGS.
1 and 2. The leg 32 illustrated in FIG. 4 extends from top rail 24
toward the observer. That same leg may be made to extend away from
the observer simply by turning leg 32 180.degree. about its
longitudinal axis so that the opposite end of its coupling sleeve
64b is inserted first onto the end of the associated top rail
section 24a or 24b.
[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the coupling 26 which
connects the two top rail sections 24a and 24b may be simply a
longer version of sleeve 64b so that it can receive appropriately
long end segments of top rail sections 24a and 24b as shown in
those figures. The coupling is fitted with two anchor assemblies 54
adjacent its opposite ends for clamping the coupling to both top
rail sections 24a and 24b similar to the clamping of sleeve 64b
just described.
[0039] Of course, those top rail sections need not be coupled
together at all. Rather, the rings 16 in FIG. 1 may be omitted and
additional legs 32 secured to the opposing ends of top rail
sections 24a and 24b as shown in phantom in FIG. 1 to provide two
separate but smaller play gyms.
[0040] Various ones of the rides depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 such as
swing 14, rings 16, trapeze 36 are conventionally suspended from
the play gym's top rail 24 by way of eye bolts inserted into
predrilled holes in the top rail so that the locations of those
rides are determined at the time of manufacture of the play gym. In
contrast to that, the present play gym makes the eye bolt part of
an anchor assembly shown generally at 82 which may be keyed into
the top rail keyways 46 in the same manner as assemblies 54
described above.
[0041] More particularly and as shown in FIG. 5, each anchor
assembly 82 comprises an inverted U-shaped bracket 84 similar to
bracket 56 which may be engaged over the flanges 46a, 46a of a top
rail section so as to span the keyway. Each assembly also includes
a key 86 having a washer-like outer bearing section 86a and an
upstanding keying section 86b adapted to project into a keyway 46
when the outer section 86a is positioned against the underside of a
top rail section 24a or 24b. The key 86 is provided with a passage
88 for receiving the stem of an eye bolt 89 adapted to be screwed
into a threaded hole 90 in the bracket 84. Thus, each anchor
assembly 82 can be positioned and repositioned at any location
along the top rail 24 of a given play gym as needed to suspend from
the play gym frame 10 a variety of swing-type rides 14, 16, 36 of
the type normally suspended via hangers or chains 14a, 16a, 36a
from eye bolts or fasteners secured to the frame's top rail.
[0042] A similar anchor assembly may be utilized to adjustably
position and reposition any of the glide rides customarily found on
children's play gyms and which include hangers (e.g. 18a, 38a)
mounted to the play gym frame by way of brackets similar to the
brackets 92 supporting the ride 18 in FIG. 1 and the ride 38 in
FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 6, each bracket 92 is often in the form of
a tube or an inverted U-shaped channel having a top wall 92a and a
pair of opposite depending side walls 92b. The channel may be
formed with a transverse groove 94 intermediate its ends which is
sized and shaped to receive a sector of top rail 24 so that the
bracket can be engaged against the underside of the top rail and
extend perpendicular to the top rail as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The
glide ride hangers 18a and 38a are usually pivotally connected to
the opposite ends of one or more brackets 92.
[0043] Here, as shown in FIG. 6, each bracket 92 is adjustably
fixed to the top rail 24 by means of an anchor assembly shown
generally at 96 in that figure. Like assembly 82 described above,
assembly 96 includes an inverted U-shaped bracket 98, a key 100
having a curved washer-like outer bearing section 100a and an
upstanding keying section 100b which can key into the keyway 46 of
a top rail section 24a or 24b. As before, the third component of
the anchor assembly is a threaded fastener 102 which extends
through a passage in key 100 and is threaded into a hole in the
bracket 98. To secure a bracket 92 to frame 24, assembly 96 is
installed loosely in the top wall 92a of the bracket and the
bracket is slid onto an end of a top rail section 24a or 24b such
that the bracket 98 of assembly 96 engages over the flanges 46a,
46a of the keyway in that section as shown in FIG. 6. The bracket
and its anchor assembly is then slid along the top rail section to
the desired location following which the fastener 102 is tightened
to clamp the bracket 92 in place. Then the rides 18 and 38 may be
pivotally connected to the brackets 92.
[0044] As seen from the foregoing, the modular play gym described
herein with its special anchor assemblies for adjustably securing
the legs and rides to the top rail of the play gym enables a
variety of different rides to be repositioned on, and added to, the
play gym. That is, rides and legs can be arranged in any desired
configuration without having to alter the top rail of the play gym.
Thus, consumers can replace older rides with new ones introduced by
the manufacturer at any time after purchase of the frame 10 and
they can expand their gyms from smaller ones to larger versions.
Furthermore, the repositioning of the legs and rides can be
accomplished quite easily simply by loosening with a wrench one
bolt or fastener at each connection of a leg or ride to the top
rail 24.
[0045] Due to the larger stance or footprint of the play gyms or
swing sets described herein, those units are more stable in use.
Also, the offset leg arrangement of the gyms depicted in FIGS. 1
and 2 reduces the deflection of the top rail when it is subjected
to multiple loads. Another advantage is that the open profile of
the top rail 24, i.e. keyways 46, allows paint to reach the inside
surface of the top rail when it is painted at the time of
manufacture giving improved rust protection. Also, for the same
reason, moisture and condensation can escape from the interior of
the top rail when it is exposed to the weather.
[0046] The above described anchor assemblies also improve the play
gym from an aesthetic standpoint in that much of the hardware
supporting the various legs and rides is hidden inside the top
rail.
[0047] As noted above, if desired, each leg of the play gym or
swing set may be weighted down by a stabilizer such as the
stabilizer 32 in FIG. 1 or the stabilizer 44 in FIG. 2 to further
improve the stability of the play gym. The stabilizer 32 comprises
a container 110 of plastic or the like. The container has a
vertical axial passage 112 for slidably receiving the lower end
segment of a leg 28 or 32. The container may be filled with fluid
such as water or sand by way of a fill opening 114 which may
thereafter be closed by a suitable cover or end cap (not shown).
The stabilizer 32 may be formed as a single molded unit or as a
clam shell structure comprising a pair of hinged-together
mirror-image sections which may be clamped around the associated
leg. The anchor 44 depicted in FIG. 2 comprises a discoid container
116 provided with a socket 18 for receiving the lower end segment
of a leg 28 or 32. The container 116 may be filled with a fluid by
way of a fill opening 120.
[0048] The climb/slide activity toy 40 in the FIG. 2 play gym may
be fixed between any two adjacent legs 28, 32 of the play gym. The
toy is a steeply bowed structure molded of a suitable weather
resistant plastic material. It includes a smooth slide surface 124
bounded on both sides by curved rails 126 formed with relatively
large notches 128 constituting foot holds which enable a child to
climb to the top of the toy 40 so that he/she can slide down the
slide surface 124 thereof. To fix the position of toy 40 relative
to frame 24, sockets 132 may be provided at the four corners of the
toy to receive the lower ends of at least two legs 28 or 32 between
which the toy is located.
[0049] The tent 42 depicted in FIG. 2 has a generally triangular
footprint and is composed of panels 42a of weather resistant
material, the corners of the tent being secured to frame 10 by
means of ties 42b. Suitable screened vent openings 42c may be
provided in one or another of the panels to allow air to circulate
within the tent when a child is at play.
[0050] It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above among
those made apparent from the preceding description are efficiently
attained. Also, since certain changes may be made in the above
constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it
is intended that all matter contained in the above description or
shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as
illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *