Amusement ride system

An amusement ride system comprising:

• a chair assembly for supporting an individual during the course of a ride;
• means providing first and second elevated supports arranged in a spaced relationship;
• the chair assembly being arranged between the first and second elevated supports;
• first bungee cord means having two opposite ends wherein one end of the first bungee cord means is joined to the chair assembly;
• second bungee cord means having two opposite ends wherein one end of the second bungee cord means is joined to the chair assembly;
• means associated with the first and second elevated supports for pulling upon the ends of the first and second bungee cord means opposite the one ends thereof to which the first and second bungee cord means are joined for tensioning the first and second bungee cord means from a relaxed condition to a stretched condition;
• means for releasably securing the chair assembly in a ready position between the first and second elevated supports as the bungee cord means are pulled to a stretched condition;
• means for releasing the chair assembly from its ready position so that the first and second bungee cord means are permitted to move the chair assembly as the first and second bungee cord means moves from the stretched condition toward the relaxed condition;
• and
• means for cooperating with the chair assembly so that the chair assembly is guided along a predetermined path for at least a short period of time following release of the chair assembly from the ready position to prevent the chair assembly from being thrown through the air by the stretched bungee cord means until the chair assembly has been guided along the predetermined path.

In an amusement ride system including a chair assembly within which an occupant is seated during the course of a ride performed with the system, a pair of upstanding first and second towers disposed on opposite sides of the chair assembly and fixedly secured to the ground in a spaced relationship, a first bungee cord means having two opposite ends wherein one end of the first bungee cord means is joined to one side of the chair assembly and the other end of the first bungee cord means extends toward the upper portion of the first tower, a second bungee cord means having two opposite ends wherein one end of the second bungee cord means is joined to the side of the chair assembly opposite said one side and the other end of the first bungee cord means extends toward the upper portion of the second tower, and means associated with the upper portion of the towers and joined to the extending ends of the first and second bungee cord means for tensioning the first and second bungee cord means between the chair assembly and the upper portion of the first and second towers to a stretched condition while the chair assembly is releasably secured in a ready position, and means for releasing the chair assembly from the ready position when the bungee cord means are in the stretched condition so that the chair assembly is forcibly moved from the ready position by the stretched bungee cord means, the improvement comprising:

• means associated with the chair assembly for confining the movement of the chair assembly along a predetermined path for a period of time following the release of the chair assembly from the ready position so that until the end of said period of time, the bungee cord means are prevented from throwing the chair assembly through the air.