Rotating playground equipment assembly
AssigneeGame Time, Inc.
InventorWilliam H. Shannon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotating user-propelled playground equipment assembly or whirl including an equipment support base, a spindle secured to the support base, a rotatable platform assembly supported at least in part by the support base. The rotatable platform assembly includes a hub assembly rotatable about the spindle. A hydraulic brake is used to automatically retard the rotation of the rotatable platform assembly about the spindle. The hydraulic brake includes a drive gear secured to and rotatable with the hub assembly, a pump mechanism driven by the drive gear for slowing the rotation of the rotatable platform assembly, and a connecting mechanism for operatively connecting the drive gear and the hydraulic pump mechanism.
Claims21
A rotating user-propellable playground equipment assembly comprising:
- a support base,
- a spindle secured to said support base,
- a user-propellable rotatable platform assembly supported at least in part by said support base,
- said rotatable platform assembly including a hub assembly rotatable about said spindle,
- a drive gear secured to and rotatable with said hub assembly,
- a fluid pump means connected in a closed hydraulic system and offset from and driven by said drive gear, for slowing the rotation of said rotatable platform and for limiting the maximum rotational speed thereof, and
- a connecting means for operatively connecting said drive gear and said pump means,
- said pump means including a hydraulic bi-directional pump, a hydraulic fluid reservoir, a fluid connecting means for interconnecting said pump and said reservoir, said fluid connecting means including at least one fixed capacity valve means for allowing free fluid flow in one direction and for restricting the flow in the opposite direction, said hydraulic pump, said reservoir and said fluid connecting means defining said closed hydraulic system.
A rotating user-propellable playground equipment assembly comprising:
- a support base,
- a spindle secured to said support base,
- a user-propellable rotatable platform assembly supported at least in part by said support base,
- said rotatable platform assembly including a hub assembly rotatable about said spindle,
- a drive gear secured to and rotatable with said hub assembly, and
- a pump means, driven by said drive gear, for slowing the rotation of said rotatable platform assembly and for limiting the maximum speed of rotation thereof, said pump means including,
- a hydraulic bi-directional pump,
- a hydraulic fluid reservoir,
- a fluid connecting means for interconnecting said pump and said reservoir, said fluid connecting means including at least one fixed capacity valve for permitting free fluid flow in one direction and for restricting the flow in the opposite direction, and said hydraulic pump, reservoir and fluid connecting means defining a closed hydraulic system,
- a hydraulic pump drive shaft for said hydraulic pump, and
- a connecting means for operatively connecting said drive gear and said pump means, said connection means including a driven gear means laterally offset from said drive gear and meshing directly with said drive gear, for, when rotated by said drive gear, driving said hydraulic pump via said hydraulic pump drive shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.