Patent Application
20090186711
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of playground equipment and, more particularly, to an improved teeter-totter or seesaw.
2. Background
Teeter-totters (also referred to as seesaws) have been popular with children since before recorded history. In its simplest form, a teeter-totter may be constructed by merely placing a board over an object to serve as a fulcrum or pivot. Modern day playground teeter-totters are essentially the same, although the structural members are more typically steel for improved durability. Thus, a typical playground teeter-totter comprises a beam supported off the ground by a horizontal support member. The beam is coupled to the support member with a simple pivot assembly and has a seat mounted at each end thereof. Children in the seats experience generally up-and-down arcuate motion when playing on a teeter-totter.
On a typical teeter-totter, people of different weights have a harder time using the teeter-totter because the teeter-totter acts like a balance, thus causing the heavier person to settle in the lower position wherein they must push off the ground harder to create motion and get the other person down. The heavier person must use leg muscles to push and balance thus straining the legs and taking some of the enjoyment out of the playfulness of a teeter-totter. Some prior art teeter totters have a counter balance spring or weight to counter act the weight of the heavier person.
Gliders, both free-standing and suspended, are also widely popular. Their popularity is largely due to the relaxing back-and-forth motion of the glider. Gliders are not affected by different weights of users because the pivotal support is more stable and balancing. Heretofore, no known apparatus has successfully combined the up-and-down accurate motion of a conventional teeter-totter with the back-and-forth motion of a glider creating a more stable teeter totter that is not as sensitive to users of different weights.
The present invention provides an improved teeter-totter with a pair of seats mounted at opposite ends of a longitudinal seat support member. The seat support member is suspended from overhead pivots by a pair of linkage arms to provide riders with a more stable and balancing motion that combines the up-and-down arcuate motion of a conventional teeter-totter with a back-and-forth gliding motion. This motion reduces the bump at the bottom of a teeter totter seat on the ground by including horizontal motion. The bump may be completely eliminated by increasing the horizontal motion at the bottom. The pivotal support of this teeter-totter is more stable and balancing allowing users of different weights, to use the teeter-totter without other counter balance features.
In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known methods and devices are omitted so as to not obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail.
Support frame 20 is composed of leg members 30 and respective base members 32. The design of teeter-totter 10 with seat support member 12 suspended between the transversely-located leg members 30 eliminates pinch points that are common with conventional teeter-totter design. The spaced apart base members also provide a more stable support for the teeter-totter. As shown, leg members 30 are curved concave to the seat support member 12 forming a hoop-like structure. However, the leg members could have different shapes, bearing in mind that it is desirable to have the leg members spaced apart on either side of the seat support member so as to eliminate pinch points
The structural components of teeter-totter 10 may be formed of steel tubing as is conventional in the field of fitness and exercise equipment and may be protected with a powder-coated finish. Seats 14 may be of a molded plastic for durability and weather resistance. Other suitable materials may be used and the invention is not limited in this regard.
Teeter-totter 10 is used in a conventional manner, with a rider on each of seats 14. The motion experienced by riders of the teeter-totter, however, is substantially different from conventional teeter-totters. Suspension of the seat support member 12 by linkage arms 22 imparts a glider-like motion in combination with the up-and-down arcuate motion of conventional teeter-totters. In a conventional teeter-totter, the seats move in simple circular arcs about the pivot point. However, because of the multiple pivot points in the present invention, the seats have paths of motion that are not circular arcs. Riders of the teeter-totter may propel themselves in the same manner as with conventional teeter-totters, i.e., by pushing with their legs against the ground, by a pumping motion with their bodies or a combination of the two. In addition, riders may propel themselves by pressing their feet against foot support 18.
It will be recognized that the above-described invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the disclosure. Thus, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.
