Patent Application
20250161829
Conventional playground equipment includes various spinners, i.e. playground spinning devices, and rockers, i.e. playground rocking devices. Conventional spinners and rockers, however, are typically either designed for a single person to ride alone or for a large group of children to ride together.
Many children have difficulty utilizing these conventional spinners and rockers. For instance, conventional spinners and rockers typically do not provide a secure and comfortable seating arrangement for children with muscular and/or motor disabilities. This often prevents children with motor disabilities, e.g. cerebral palsy, from using playground devices of this sort. Further, spinners or rockers that are designed for a large group of children to ride together typically do not provide a user with a clearly defined personal space and often become overcrowded during busy playground days. This is often particularly problematic for children with autism spectrum disorder, who often have strong reactions to surprise physical contact, may have trouble understanding where their body is in relation to other people or objects, and often find it difficult to socialize (particularly in large groups).
Embodiments of the present invention provide playground spinner and rocker devices that promote socialization in play and attunement between two users, while offering users—including for instance those with motor disabilities and/or those with autism spectrum disorder—with a sense of security and comfort that is not found in conventional devices of this sort.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a playground spinner or rocker that is configured so that two children may share the spinning or rocking motion while in a face-to-face relationship, while each still having a defined personal space.
Embodiments of the playground spinner or rocker include a substantially circular base having a first seating compartment and a second seating compartment, with each seating compartment being configured to hold a single child. Each of the first and second seating compartments includes at least an upward-facing surface and a supporting backrest. The base also includes a dividing wall that extends between and separates the first seating compartment and the second seating compartment, thereby serving as a barrier that helps provide each child with a defined sense of personal space. The playground spinner or rocker also includes a support structure to which the base is mounted in a way that provides 360-degree rotation of the base about a central axis (for a spinner) or rocking of the base in a to and fro motion (for a rocker).
In some embodiments, each of the first and second seating compartments may include a seating surface that is elevated above the upward-facing surface and which is adjacent to the backrest. In other embodiments, the upward-facing surface, and more particularly a portion of the upward-facing surface that is positioned near the backrest, may itself serve as the seating surface.
In some embodiments, each of the first and second seating compartments may include a foot support. The foot support may be positioned opposite the backrest, such that the backrest and the foot support respectively define first and second ends of the compartment (also referred to as “head-side” and “foot-side” ends). In some embodiments, the first end of the first seating compartment may be positioned across from the first end of the second seating compartment and the second end of the first seating compartment may be positioned across from the second end of the second seating compartment. In such an embodiment, the first end of the first seating compartment may also be positioned adjacent the second end of the second seating compartment and vice versa.
In some embodiments, the backrest of at least one, and desirably each, of the first and second seating compartments may include a concavely curved portion that transitions into the dividing wall, a concavely curved portion that extends into an exterior sidewall, or both. The concavely curved portion or portions may be configured to receive and partially envelop a child occupant. This has been found to provide some children, and particularly some children with autistic spectrum disorders, with an enhanced feeling of security. More particularly, the enveloping effect may enhance a child's sense of personal space even while that child is sharing a social activity with another child. It may also assist children with motor disabilities, e.g. those with cerebral palsy, safely utilize the spinner or rocker by providing a seat that holds the child securely in place during the spinning or rocking activity.
In some embodiments, the backrest of at least one, and desirably each, of the first and second seating compartments may also be angled rearward to provide further security and/or support for a child occupant.
The height of the dividing wall may be selected so that the dividing wall provides adequate separation of the first and second seating compartments to prevent undesired contact (e.g. kicking) between a child occupant of the first seating compartment and a child occupant of the second seating compartment, while still allowing the child occupants of the first and second seating compartments to see each other's faces, make eye contact, and experience a social, shared enjoyment of the spinning or rocking motion during use. In some embodiments, for instance, the dividing wall may extend between about 5 inches and about 15 inches above the upward-facing surfaces of the first and second seating compartments. The dividing wall may also have a curvilinear shape with a varying height.
In some embodiments, the dividing wall may also extend farther upward at its ends, such that it provides the occupants of the first and second seating compartments with a greater feeling of personal space, particularly in the area around their body and head. In some embodiments, for instance, an end of the dividing wall and the backrest of each seating compartment may together form the concavely curved transition portion described above.
In some embodiments, the dividing wall may extend in a straight line. In other embodiments, however, the dividing wall may be curved. In some embodiments, for instance, the “foot-side” (and foot support) of the first compartment may be positioned immediately across the dividing wall from the “head-side” (and backrest) of the second compartment and vice versa. In such an embodiment, the dividing wall may be curved to provide each seating compartment with a greater width at the first, or “head-side,” end of the compartment (adjacent the backrest) than at the second, or “foot-side,” end of the compartment (adjacent the foot support). This may provide a child with a more comfortable seating space, while also helping to visually distinguish between the seating side and the footrest side of each compartment.
The base may also include one or more peripheral wall portions, which prevent occupants of the first seating compartment and the second seating compartment from falling off the spinner or rocker during use. In some embodiments, the base may include a first peripheral wall portion and a second peripheral wall portion. The first and second peripheral wall portions may be spaced apart and separated from one another by a pair of access openings.
The first peripheral wall portion may surround or at least partially define the backrest of the first seating compartment and the foot support of the second seating compartment, and the second peripheral wall portion may surround or at least partially define the backrest of the second peripheral wall portion and the foot support of the first peripheral wall portion. The access opening to the first seating compartment may be positioned between opposing ends of the first and second peripheral wall portions (e.g. a first end of the first peripheral wall and a second end of the second peripheral wall), and the access opening to the second seating compartment may also be positioned between opposing ends of the first and second peripheral wall portions (e.g. a second end of the first peripheral wall and a first end of the second peripheral wall). In some embodiments, the access opening to the first seating compartment may be positioned directly across from the access opening to the second seating compartment.
In some embodiments, the backrest of each of the first and second seating compartments may form part of a peripheral wall of the base. The foot support of each of the first and second seating compartments may also form part of a peripheral wall of the base. In this way, a surface of the base that is available for two children to occupy during the spinning or rocking motion may be maximized.
In some embodiments, the first and second seating compartments and the dividing wall may together make up an entire interior surface area of the base. Put another way, the entire occupy-able surface of the base may be part of the first seating compartment, part of the second seating compartment, or part of the dividing wall. The base may have no additional seats, handles, etc. for children beyond the two that the base is configured to hold in the first and second seating compartments during the spinning or rocking motion.
In some embodiments, the first and second seating compartments may be identical or substantially identical to one another but oppositely oriented. By substantially identical, it is meant that a child will have the same experience regardless of whether he or she sits in the first seating compartment or the second seating compartment, i.e. that any differences are so minor as to not affect the user experience in any way. By having the compartments oppositely oriented, with the “head-side” of the second seating compartment positioned across from the “head-side” of the first seating compartment, the base is configured so that an occupant of the first seating compartment and an occupant of the second seating compartment are positioned in a face-to-face relationship.
Some embodiments of the spinner or rocker may further include one or more drainage channels that direct water off the base, apertures through which water exits the base, or both. The exact configuration and positioning of these channels and/or apertures may be selected to provide for water drainage in one or more desired locations.
Some embodiments of the spinner or rocker may further include one or more handles configured to facilitate access onto the base from a user in a wheelchair. The one or more handles may be positioned on the upward-facing surface of the seating compartment, on a peripheral wall portion or peripheral wall portions that border an access opening to the seating compartment, or both.
In some embodiments, the base is rotatably mounted to the support structure and configured to rotate 360° about the central axis, thereby operating as a playground spinner. In other embodiments, the base is mounted to the support structure by one or more springs and configured to rock in a to and fro motion, thereby operating as a playground rocker.
Embodiments of the spinner or rocker may be configured to promote social play, including by children with muscular and/or motor disabilities and/or children with autism spectrum disorder, who may find it difficult or impossible to safely and comfortably (physically and/or emotionally) use conventional playground spinners and rockers.
Embodiments of the spinner or rocker may be configured to promote attunement between an occupant of the first compartment and an occupant of the second compartment. Attunement is largely achieved through a coordination of behavior, for which eye contact is critical. Attunement plays an important role in promoting the emotional development of a child, including a child's learning of social skills and communication. In addition to promoting social play, embodiments of the spinner or rocker of the present disclosure promote two occupants having eye contact while experiencing the same spinning or rocking motion, which promotes the coordination of behavior that results in attunement.
A clear conception of the advantages and features of one or more embodiments will become more readily apparent by reference to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings:
Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to playground spinners 100 and rockers 200. The spinners 100 and rockers 200 of the present disclosure may utilize the same base 10, which is configured to seat two children in a face-to-face relationship. A spinner 100 in accordance with a first embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in
A spinner 100 is configured so that a person may spin the base 10 such that it undergoes one or more, and typically multiple, 360-degree rotations about a central axis. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including for instance a non-occupant pushing or pulling the base about a portion of the arc (e.g. by temporarily holding a portion of a peripheral wall of the base), an occupant pushing off from the ground before pulling his or her foot up into a compartment of the base, or both. In some (non-illustrated) embodiments, e.g. where the central rotation axis is angled other than vertical, rotation of the spinner 100 may also be initiated by the one or two occupants shifting their weight. The number of rotations will depend on the amount of force used by the occupant(s) and/or non-occupant(s).
A rocker 200 is configured so that the base 10 may be made to rock in at least a to and fro motion. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including for instance by one or more occupants shifting their weight forward and rearward. A non-occupant may also push or pull the base in a particular direction to initiate the to and fro rocking motion, an occupant may push off from the ground to initiate the to and fro rocking motion before pulling his or her foot up into a compartment of the base, or both. The number of to and fro rocking movements will depend on the amount of force used by the occupant(s) and/or non-occupant(s).
The spinner 100 shown in
The base 10 may be made of a plastic material and may, as shown in the illustrated embodiments, consist of a single, integral molded component (although multi-component bases are contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure). The base 10 may also be circular or substantially circular when viewed from above/below, as is typical for playground spinning device.
The base defines and comprises a first seating compartment 11 and a second seating compartment 12. Each of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 is designed and configured to hold a single child occupant. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, each of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 may be identical or substantially identical. In other (non-illustrated) embodiments, however, the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 may be configured to provide two different experiences.
Each of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 comprises an upward-facing surface 13 and a backrest 14. In some embodiments, including for instance that illustrated in
Each compartment may also include a defined seat surface 15 in the area immediately in front of the backrest 14. In the embodiment illustrated in
Each of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 also comprises a foot support 16. The foot support 16 may be located opposite the backrest 14, such that the seating compartment spans lengthwise between the two. The region of the seating compartment 11, 12 adjacent the backrest 14 may be referred to as the “head-side” of the seating compartment (because the compartment is configured for a child occupant to sit with his/her head at that end) and the region of the seating compartment adjacent the foot support 16 may be referred to as the “foot-side” of the seating compartment (because the compartment is configured for a child occupant to sit with his/her feet at that end).
The base 10 also comprises one or more peripheral walls 17. In some embodiments, the backrest 14 of each seating compartment 11, 12, the foot support 16 of each seating compartment, or both may form part of a peripheral wall 17. In the illustrated embodiments, for example, the backrest 14 of the first compartment 11 forms part of a first peripheral wall 17a and the backrest of the second compartment 12 forms part of a second peripheral wall 17b. Similarly, the foot support 16 of the first compartment 11 forms part of the second peripheral wall 17b and the foot support 16 of the second compartment 12 forms part of the first peripheral wall 17a. In other (non-illustrated) embodiments, however, the backrest 14, the foot support 16, or both of each compartment 11, 12 may instead be a separate structure and may for example be at least partially surrounded by a peripheral wall 17.
Each of the first and second peripheral walls 17a, 17b may span between a first end 21 and a second end 22. The portion of the peripheral wall 17 near the first end 21 may at least partially define (or surround) the backrest 14 of one of the two seating compartments 11, 12 and the portion of the peripheral wall near the second end 22 may at least partially define (or surround) the foot support 16 of the other one of the two seating compartments. For instance, as shown in
The spaces between the opposing ends of the first and second peripheral walls 17a, 17b may serve as access openings 18 to each of the first and second compartments 11, 12. In the illustrated embodiments, for instance, the space between the first end 21 of the first peripheral wall 17a and the second end 22 of the second peripheral wall 17b may form an access opening 18 to the first seating compartment 11. Similarly, the space between the first end 21 of the second peripheral wall 17b and the second end 22 of the first peripheral wall 17a may form an access opening 18 to the second seating compartment 12. In this way, the base 10 may be configured for a first child to enter the first seating compartment 11 through a first access opening 18 and for a second child to enter the second seating compartment 12 through a second access opening. In some embodiments, including for instance the illustrated embodiments, the first and second access openings 18 may be positioned directly across from one another, though other arrangements are also contemplated without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In some embodiments, including that illustrated in
The peripheral walls 17 may take on any of a variety of shapes, with the main requirement being that the peripheral wall 17 is of sufficient height to hold the child occupants of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 within each respective compartment during the spinning or rocking motion of the device 100, 200. In some embodiments, including for instance that shown in
The first seating compartment 11 and the second seating compartment 12 may be separated by a dividing wall 19. The dividing wall 19 extends between and separates the first seating compartment 11 and the second seating compartment 12, thereby serving as a barrier that helps provide each child with a defined sense of personal space. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, for instance, the dividing wall spans lengthwise from the “head-side” of each seating compartment to the “foot-side” of each seating compartment.
The height of the dividing wall 19 may be selected so that the dividing wall provides adequate separation of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12 to prevent undesired contact (e.g. kicking) between a child occupant of the first seating compartment and a child occupant of the second seating compartment, while still allowing the child occupants of the first and second seating compartments to see each other's faces, make eye contact, and experience a social, shared enjoyment of the spinning or rocking motion during use. In some embodiments, for instance, the dividing wall 19 may extend between about 5 inches and about 15 inches, alternatively between about 6 inches and about 12 inches, above the upward-facing surfaces 13 of the first and second seating compartments 11, 12. As shown in the embodiment illustrated in
In some embodiments, including that illustrated in
The dividing wall 19 may also comprise one or more handles 24, which may be shaped and configured for a child to grasp during the spinning or rocking motion. The handles may be located at the ends of the dividing wall, which are each positioned adjacent the “head-side” of one of the two seating compartments 11, 12. The backrest 14 may include a similar handle, particularly where it extends forward to provide an exterior sidewall on the other side of the seating surface 15, as shown for example in the embodiment of
In some embodiments, the dividing wall 19 may extend in a straight line. In other embodiments, however, the dividing wall 19 may be curved. As shown in the illustrated embodiments, for instance, the dividing wall 19 may be curved to provide each seating compartment 11, 12 with a greater width at the “head-side” end of the compartment than at the “foot-side” end of the compartment. This may provide a child with a more comfortable seating space, while also helping to visually distinguish between the seating side and the footrest side of each compartment. The curvature of the dividing wall 19 may best be observed in
The base 10 may further include one or more drainage channels 25 that direct water off the base, apertures 26 through which water exits the base, or both. The exact configuration and positioning of these channels 25 and/or apertures 26 may be selected to provide for water drainage in one or more desired locations. Examples of such drainage channels 25 and apertures 26 are shown in the embodiments illustrated in
Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be configured to facilitate and promote usage by children that are in wheelchairs or other mobility devices. In some embodiments, for example, the upward-facing surface 13 of the seating compartments 11, 12 may be positioned at substantially the same height as a standard wheelchair seating surface, which allows a child to more easily transfer from the wheelchair seating surface to the seating compartment of the base 10. Some embodiments of the spinner or rocker may also include one or more handles 27 configured to facilitate access onto the base from a user in a wheelchair. The one or more handles 27 may be positioned on the upward-facing surface 13 of the seating compartment 11, 12, on a peripheral wall 17 that border an access opening 18 to the seating compartment, or both. An example of such a handle 27 is shown in the embodiment illustrated in
The base 10 of embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured so that a child occupant of the first seating compartment 11 and a child occupant of the second seating compartment 12 are positioned in a face-to-face relationship. This promotes and enables social play and attunement. Because each seating compartment 11, 12 is clearly defined, i.e. by physical structures such as a dividing wall 19, the spinners 100 and rockers 200 of the present disclosure deter undesirable contact enhance a child occupant's sense of security, thereby promoting and enabling usage (and socialization) by children having autism spectrum disorder.
Moreover, each seating compartment 11, 12 may be configured to provide a secure and comfortable seating arrangement for children having motor disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, thereby promoting and enabling usage by a broader range of children than conventional spinning and rocking devices. Further, by placing the upward-facing surface 13 of the seating compartments 11, 12 at substantially the same height as a standard wheelchair and by providing access openings 18 and optionally handles 27 that facilitate transfer from a wheelchair into each of the seating compartments 11, 12, embodiments of the present disclosure promote and enable usage by a broader range of children than conventional spinning and rocking devices.
It can be seen that the described embodiments provide unique and novel playground spinners 100 and rockers 200 that have a number of advantages over those in the art. While there is shown and described herein certain specific structures embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.
