Claims
- 1. An apparatus for use in playground and recreational environments, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) first and second upright support structures;
- (b) a support pipe rotatable along the pipe's longitudinal axis having first and second ends, the first end of the support pipe braced by the first upright support structure, and the second end of the support pipe braced by the second upright support structure, wherein the support pipe extends between the first and the second upright support structures;
- (c) a manually-operated crank having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the crank is operatively connected to the first end of the support pipe so that manually turning the crank rotates the support pipe;
- (d) a carriage linked to the support pipe, the carriage configured to be capable of moving objects along the longitudinal axis of the support pipe as the support pipe rotates;
- (e) a carrier assembly operatively associated with the carriage and including a carrier having a set of carrier wheels oriented along the outer surface of the pipe so that the set of carrier wheels follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe and advance the carriage along the longitudinal axis of the pipe as the pipe is rotated; and
- (f) a brake depending from the carrier by at least two arms, the brake including a set of brake wheels oriented along the outer surface of the pipe such that the set of brake wheels follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and bind against the pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support pipe has a smooth cylinderical outer surface.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1, the carriage further comprising:
- (a) a handrail extending downwardly from the carrier assembly;
- (b) a platform attached to the handrail and adapted to downwardly depend from the carrier assembly; and
- (c) a protective housing encapsulating the carrier assembly.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cranking deck adjacent to the first upright support structure, whereby people manually turning the crank may position themselves.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1, the arms being substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and the arms being at an acute angle to the support pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the carrier further comprises a substantially rectangular frame having a first end and an opposing second end, wherein the frame is mounted above and parallel to the pipe.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the set of carrier wheels comprise a first pair of carrier wheels attached to the first end of the frame and a second pair of carrier wheels attached to the second end of the frames the first pair and the second pair of carrier wheels frictionally engaging the pipe.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the carrier wheels of the first pair are oriented at a first predetermined angle to one another, and wherein the carrier wheels of the second pair are oriented at the first predetermined angle to one another.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the carrier wheels of both the first pair and the second pair are oriented at approximately the same pitch relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, so that the carrier wheels of both the first pair and the second pair follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe as the pipe is rotated.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the brake further comprises a substantially rectangular plate having a first end, an opposing second end, and a pair of longitudinal sides, and wherein the plate is suspended beneath the pipe and the carrier member and secured to align the longitudinal sides of the plate in parallel with the pipe.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the set of brake wheels comprises a first pair of brake wheels attached to the first end of the plate and a second pair of brake wheels attached to the second end of the plate, the first pair and the second pair of brake wheels frictionally engaging the pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the brake wheels of the first pair are oriented to one another at a second predetermined angle, wherein the brake wheels of the second pair are oriented at the second predetermined angle to one another, and the set of carrier wheels define a first and second pair of carrier wheels that frictionally engage the pipe, the carrier wheels of the first pair oriented at a first predetermined angle to one another the carrier wheels of the second pair oriented at the first predetermined angle to one another, and wherein the second predetermined angle of the brake wheels is greater than the first predetermined angle of the carrier wheels.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the brake wheels of both the first pair and the second pair are oriented at approximately the same pitch as the carrier wheels relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, so that the brake wheels of both the first pair and the second pair follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe as the pipe is rotated.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the brake further comprises a wiper including an adjustable strip, the wiper being adjustably secured to the brake plate and selectively engagably with the pipe, such that the strip does not frictionally engage the pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and such that the strip does frictionally engage the pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a guide rail adapted to direct the carriage, wherein the guide rail is positioned below the platform of the carriage and extends parallel to the support pipe between the first and the second upright support structures.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the carriage further comprises a guide attached to a lower surface of the platform, wherein the guide intermittently engages the guide rail and is positioned to dampen excessive swinging motion of the carriage as it moves along the pipe.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the guide houses a wheel that rollably engages the guide rail when the carriage is occasionally forced into contact with the guide rail.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the guide rail further comprises a first stop located adjacent to the first upright support structure, and a second stop located adjacent to the second upright support structure.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of handrails extending downwardly from the carriage.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a third upright support structure, wherein the second end of the crank is rotatable attached to the third upright support structure, so that the crank extends between the first and the third upright support structures.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a receiving deck adjacent to the second upright support structure, whereby people transported by the carriage may dismount.
- 22. An apparatus for use in playground and recreational environments, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) first and second upright support structures;
- (b) a longitudinally rotatable support pipe having a first end attached to the first upright support structure and having a second end attached to the second upright support structure, wherein the support pipe extends longitudinally between the first and second upright support structures;
- (c) a cranking member operatively associated with the first end of the support pipe, wherein the support pipe is rotated by manually turning the cranking member;
- (d) a carrying member linked to the support pipe and configured to be capable of moving objects along the support pipe as the pipe is rotated;
- (e) a guiding member configured to dampen excessive swinging of the carrying member as the carrying member moves along the pipe as the pipe is rotated;
- (f) a carrier assembly operatively associated with the carrying member and including a carrier having a set of carrier wheels mounted beneath the carrier and adjacent to the pipe, wherein the set of carrier wheels is oriented along a smooth cylindrical outer surface of the pipe so that the carrier wheels frictionally engage the outer surface of the pipe and follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe, thus propelling the carrying member along the pipe as the pipe is rotated,
- (g) a brake including a set of brake wheels oriented along the outer surface of the pipe so that the brake wheels frictionally engage the outer surface of the pipe and follow the helical, thread-like path along the pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and bind against the pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier; and
- (h) a plurality of arms connecting the carrier to the brake such that the brake is suspended beneath the pipe below the carrier.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a receiving deck adjacent to the second upright support structure, whereby people transported by the carrying member may dismount.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the guiding member includes a guide attached to a lower surface of the platform, wherein the guide engages a guide rail that is located below the carrying member and that extends parallel to the pipe between the first upright support structure and the second upright support structure.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the guiding member further comprises a wheel housed within the guide that rollably engages the guide rail when the carrying member is occasionally forced downwardly towards the guide rail.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the guide rail further comprises a first stop located adjacent to the first upright support structure, and a second stop located adjacent to the second upright support structure.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the carrying member comprises a handrail extending downwardly from the carrying member, a platform attached to the handrail suspended below the carrying member, and a protective housing that encapsulates the carrier assembly.
- 28. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a cranking deck adjacent to the first upright support structure, whereby people manually turning the, cranking member may be positioned.
- 29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the arms are substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the support pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and the arms are at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the support pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 30. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the set of carrier wheels includes a first pair of carrier wheels and a second pair of carrier wheels mounted at opposite ends of the carrier, and wherein the set of brake wheels includes a first pair of brake wheels and a second pair of brake wheels mounted at opposite ends of the brake.
- 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the carrier wheels of the first pair are oriented at a predetermined angle to one another and the carrier wheels of the second pair are oriented at approximately the same predetermined angle to one another, and wherein the brake wheels of the first pair are oriented to one another at a larger predetermined angle than the carrier wheels and the brake wheels of the second pair are also oriented to one another at approximately the same larger predetermined angle.
- 32. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein both the first pair and second pair of carrier wheels, and the first pair and second pair of brake wheels are oriented at approximately the same pitch relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe so that the first pair and second pair of carrier wheels and the first pair and second pair of brake wheels follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe as the pipe is rotated.
- 33. The apparatus of claim 22, the brake further comprising a wiper having an adjustable strip adapted to frictionally engage the support pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 34. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a plurality of handrails extending downwardly from the carrying member.
- 35. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a third upright support structure, wherein the cranking member extends between the first and the third upright support structure.
- 36. An apparatus for use in playground and recreational environments, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) first and second upright support structures;
- (b) a support pipe rotatable along the pipe's longitudinal axis having first and second ends and an outer surface, the first end of the support pipe braced by the first upright support structure, and the second end of the support pipe braced by the second upright support structure, wherein the support pipe extends between the first and the second upright support structures;
- (c) a manually-operated crank having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the crank is operatively connected to the first end of the support pipe so that manually turning the crank rotates the support pipe;
- (d) a carriage linked to the support pipe, the carriage configured to be capable of moving objects along the longitudinal axis of the support pipe as the support pipe rotates; and
- (e) a brake operatively associated with the carriage, the brake depending from a plurality of arms connected to the carriage.
- 37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the carriage further comprises:
- (a) a carrier assembly adapted to advance the carriage along the pipe;
- (b) a handrail extending downwardly from the carrier assembly;
- (c) a platform attached to the handrail and adapted to downwardly depend from the carrier assembly; and
- (d) a protective housing encapsulating the carrier assembly.
- 38. The apparatus of claim 37, the carrier assembly further comprising a carrier including a set of carrier wheels oriented along the outer surface of the pipe such that the set of carrier wheels follows a helical, thread-like path along the pipe and advance the carriage along the longitudinal axis of the pipe as the pipe is rotated.
- 39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said brake depends from the carrier by said plurality of arms, the brake including a set of brake wheels oriented along the outer surface of the pipe such that the set of brake wheels follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and bind against the pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 40. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the arms are substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the support pipe when the brake is aligned with the carrier, and the arms are at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the support pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the set of carrier wheels includes a first pair of carrier wheels and a second pair of carrier wheels mounted at opposite ends of the carrier, and wherein the set of brake wheels includes a first pair of brake wheels and a second pair of brake wheels mounted at opposite ends of the brake.
- 42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the carrier wheels of the first pair are oriented at a predetermined angle to one another and the carrier wheels of the second pair are oriented at approximately the same predetermined angle to one another, and wherein the brake wheels of the first pair are oriented to one another at a larger predetermined angle than the carrier wheels and the brake wheels of the second pair are also oriented to one another at approximately the same larger predetermined angle.
- 43. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein both the first pair and second pair of carrier wheels, and the first pair and second pair of brake wheels are oriented at approximately the same pitch relative to the longitudinal axis of the pipe so that the first pair and second pair of carrier wheels and the first and second pair of brake wheels follow a helical, thread-like path along the pipe as the pipe is rotated.
- 44. The apparatus of claim 36, the brake further comprising a wiper having an adjustable strip adapted to frictionally engage the support pipe when the brake is not aligned with the carrier.
- 45. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a guide rail adapted to direct the carriage, wherein the guide rail is positioned below the platform of the carriage and extends parallel to the support pipe between the first and the second upright support structures.
- 46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the carriage further comprises a guide attached to a lower surface of the platform, wherein the guide intermittently engages the guide rail and is positioned to dampen excessive swinging motion of the carriage as it moves along the pipe.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the National Stage of International Patent Application No. PCT/US95/031000 filed Mar. 10, 1995, published as WO95/24248 Sep. 14, 1995, which was a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/209,952, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,012, filed on Mar. 11, 1994.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
102e Date |
371c Date |
PCT/US95/03100 |
3/10/1995 |
|
|
2/13/1997 |
2/13/1997 |
Publishing Document |
Publishing Date |
Country |
Kind |
WO95/24248 |
9/14/1995 |
|
|
US Referenced Citations (16)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
714323 |
Jul 1965 |
CAX |
4-41388 |
Feb 1992 |
JPX |
4-266314 |
Sep 1992 |
JPX |
1033823 |
Jun 1966 |
GBX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
209952 |
Mar 1994 |
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