Swing connection guard

A guard for a swing connection comprised of a hook which hooks through the eye of a connector member includes a pair of rigid shells which are slotted at their edges to provide clearance for the hook and the connector member so that the shells can be clamped to opposite sides of the hook and engaged together edge to edge so as to form an enclosure which completely surrounds the hook and its connection to the connector member. The guard prevents finger injuries due to the pinch point at the connection between the hook and the connector member. It also maintains the relative position of the hook and connector member so that the connector member cannot become disengaged accidentally from the hook. In addition, the guard may be shaped and its exterior surface treated so that the guard adds a decorative element to the swing connection.

This invention relates to a children's swing. It relates more particularly 
to a protective guard for shielding a child's fingers from pinch points at 
various connections to the swing and for preventing accidental release of 
those connections. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many gym sets in use today include a swing whose seat, instead of being a 
rigid platform, is a flexible strap which, when suspended by chains from 
the crossbar of the gym set, forms a swing in which the child can sit 
comfortably. Such a flexible swing seat has an advantage because if a 
moving seat happens to strike a child, the impact will not cause serious 
injury to the child. Also, a sling-type seat conforms to the rider's body 
and tends to retain the rider on the seat. Still further, the seat is 
usually more comfortable than a rigid platform-type seat. 
The usual sling-type swing seat includes a flexible rectangular strap 
having a pair of inextensible, flexible connector members, such as metal 
strips or chains captured by the strap adjacent to the front and rear 
edges thereof and extending the full length of the strap. A pair of rigid 
wire hangers are anchored to corresponding ends of those members at 
opposite ends of the strap. The hangers have end hooks which hook through 
eyes or links at the ends of the connector members. The hangers are then 
suspended by chains from an overhead cross bar or other support to 
position the seat above the ground. For this, the links at the upper ends 
of the chains are connected by hooks to bearing assemblies anchored to the 
overhead support. An example of such a seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
3,897,056. 
Conventional flexible swing seats are disadvantaged, however, in that they 
still present some danger to children because the connections between the 
hangers and the inextensible members extending along the strap-like seat 
are more or less exposed and constitute pinch points which can injure the 
fingers of a child sitting on the seat. Similar pinch points exist where 
the upper ends of the chains are connected by S-hooks to the overhead 
support and these connections are also accessible to a child who happens 
to swing while standing on the seat. 
A somewhat similar seat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,410 avoids the 
need for separate connector members in the seat and separate wire hangers 
by routing the seat suspension chains through integral tubes in the seat 
strap. An S-hook connects the free lower end of each chain to the opposite 
chain just above the seat so that the chains themselves form the seat 
hangers. In this type of seat, pinch points are located at the S-hooks 
which connect the chains together just above the seat. 
Another problem with swings of this type as well as with swings in general 
which use hooks as connectors, stems from the fact that the hooks are not 
always closed completely about the chain link, ring or other eye-forming 
member to which they are connected. Accordingly, when the swing is in 
motion, an unclosed hook can disengage accidently from the eye-forming 
member causing one side of the swing to collapse. Obviously such collapse 
can cause serious injury to the child swinging on the swing. Swing failure 
due to incomplete closure of connector hooks is particularly prevalent in 
the case of swing sets assembled by the customers because the customers 
frequently fail to follow the instructions accompanying the swing sets. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a swing 
construction which minimizes the likelihood of a child being injured while 
using the swing. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a swing construction having 
no exposed pinch points. 
A further object to the invention is to provide a protective guard member 
for enclosing pinch points at various connections on a children's swing. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a guard member for enclosing 
such swing connections which prevents accidental release of the 
connections. 
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a guard member of this 
type which is relatively easy and inexpensive to make in quantity. 
A further object of the invention is to provide swing connection guards 
which add an element of ornamentation to the swings. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a connection guard for 
a children's swing which can be retrofitted easily to existing swings. 
Other objects will, in part, be obvious and, will, in part, appear 
hereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the features of 
construction, combination of element and arrangement of parts which will 
be exemplified in the following detailed description, and the scope of the 
invention will be indicated in the claims. 
Briefly, the swings on which my connection guards are installed preferably 
comprise a generally rectangular, flexible, strap-like seat. Extending 
along the seat adjacent to the front and rear or longitudinal edges 
thereof are a pair of flexible inextensible connector members. A pair of 
inverted V-shaped hangers at the opposite ends of the seat have arms which 
terminate as hooks and are hooked through rings or eyes at the opposite 
ends of the connector members. The seat is suspended above the ground by 
suspension chains whose lower end links receive the bases of the V-shaped 
hangers and whose upper ends are hooked to a suitable overhead support, 
such as the bearing units mounted to the crossbar of a play gym. 
In accordance with this invention, relatively stiff or rigid connection 
guards cover the hanger hooks at the opposite ends of the swing seat and 
the connections of those hooks to the connector members extending along 
the seat. Resultantly, there is no possibility of a child's finger being 
caught or pinched at those locations. As we shall see, the guards also 
prevent the accidental release of the hooks from the connector members in 
the event that the hooks were not clinched or closed completely when 
installed. Similar rigid connection guards are present at the opposite or 
upper ends of the swing suspension chains where those ends are hooked to 
the bearing units suspended from the overhead support. 
Each connection guard comprises a pair of more or less mirror-image shells 
which mate at their edges to form a complete enclosure. The two shells are 
arranged to be engaged to opposite sides of a hanger hook and notches are 
formed in the edge of at least one shell to provide clearance for the 
hanger arm leading to the hook and for the connector member attached 
thereto. The two shells are releasebly secured together by a fastener 
which extends through a wall of one of the shells and the associated 
hanger hook and is anchored to a wall of the other shell. When the two 
shells are secured together thusly, they completely enclose the hanger 
hook and its connection to the associated connector member. 
As will be described in more detail later, the two shells are formed with 
internal pedestals which, when the shelves are mated, form an axle which 
extends through the hanger hook. This axle, along with the notches which 
capture the associated hanger arm and connector member prevent the 
connector member from moving to the mouth of the hook and escaping in the 
event that the hook is not completely closed, i.e., has an open mouth. 
In addition to providing the safety features just described, the connection 
guards at the opposite ends of the swing seat and at the upper ends of the 
swing suspension chains also add an element of decoration to the swing by 
virtue of their shapes, which is desirable from a marketing standpoint. 
The guards may also be provided with brightly colored outer coatings or 
given some other surface treatment to enhance their appearance and thus 
the overall appearance of the swing. 
The shells comprising the connection guards are relatively simple parts 
which can be molded of any suitable plastic material. Therefore, they are 
relatively inexpensive to make in quantity. Also, the guards are quite 
easy to install. Consequently, such installation can be left to the 
purchaser of the swing. The guards can even be sold seperately and be 
retrofitted to existing swings to make those swing more safe.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a swing incorporating my invention 
includes a flexible swing seat 10 which is suspended by chains 12 from an 
overhead support such as the crossbar 14 of the gym set (not shown). 
Extending along the length of seat 10 adjacent to the front and rear edges 
thereof is a pair of flexible inextensible connector members 16. The 
connector members may be metal straps as described, for example, in U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,897,056. Alternatively and more preferably, they are short 
lengths of chain which extend through tubes 10a formed integrally in seat 
10, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,410. 
For purposes of this description, we will assume that the connector 
members 16 are chains whose end links 16a (FIG. 2) project slightly from 
the opposite ends of seat 10 and are connected to hangers 22 at the ends 
of the seat. 
Preferably, hangers 22 are inverted generally V-shaped wire members whose 
arms 22a terminate in hooks 22b which are hooked through the end links 16a 
of the associated chain 16 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
The upper ends of the suspension chains 12 are connected by standard 
S-hooks 24 to a pair of hanger bolts 26 whose shanks extend through 
appropriate openings in the crossbar 14 and are secured there by nuts 28 
screwed onto the upper ends of the hanger bolts. Thus, the swing is free 
to swing about pivot points at the hanger bolts. If desired, bearings (not 
shown) may be provided in the upper loops of the S-hooks to minimize wear 
on those connections due to the motion of the swing. Preferably also, the 
suspension chains 12 are covered along their entire lengths by plastic 
sleeves 12a to provide good gripping surfaces for the occupant of the 
swing. 
Surrounding each of the hanger hooks 22b and its connection to the 
associated chain 16 is a relating stiff connection guard 32. The guards 
are shown as being spherical. However, they could just as well be some 
other shape. Similar connection guards 32' surround the lower loops of the 
S-hooks 24 supporting the upper ends of the suspension chains 12. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each illustrated connection guard 32 comprises a 
pair of more or less mirror image, generally hemispherical shells 32a and 
32b. Actually, as best seen in FIG. 2, shell 32b constitutes a slightly 
larger section of the sphere made up by the two shells 32a and 32b. The 
shells are preferably molded of a relating stiff rugged, weather-resistant 
plastic material such as rubber, polyethylene or styrene. However, they 
could just as well be formed out of metal or wood. Formed at the inside 
each shell 32a is a hollow, and radially extending pedestal 34 which 
extends from the bottom of the shell more or less to the diametric plane 
defined by the edge of the shell. A hole 36 in the outer wall of the shell 
extends to the interior of the pedestal and a colinear hole 38 present in 
the top wall of the pedestal is sized to receive the shank of a threaded 
fastener 42 inserted into the pedestal through opening 36. 
Shell 32b of each guard 32 is similar to shell 32a in that it has an 
interior, radially extending, hollow pedestal 44. However, pedestal 44 is 
somewhat smaller in diameter than pedestal 34 and it does not extend all 
the way to the plane defined by the edge of shell 32b. A hole 46 in shell 
32b extends through the outer wall of that shell into pedestal 44 and a 
small colinear hole 48 is present at the top of that pedestal. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, at least two slots 52 and 54 extend into the 
sides of shell 32b from the edge of that shell. These slots are spaced 
around the circumference of the shell so that when that shell is 
positioned adjacent to the hanger hook 22a, the slot 52 is in position to 
receive the adjacent arm 22a of hanger 22 and slot 54 is in position to 
provide clearance for the chain link 16a connected to that hook 22a. 
As shown in the drawing figures, when unoccupied, the swing seat 10 ends 
hang down from the hanger arms 22a at an angle of about 135.degree.; 
therefore, the slots 52 and 54 are spaced around the axis of shell 32b at 
that same angle. It should be understood, however, that that angle may 
vary, depending upon the amount of sag in seat 10, from 90.degree. to 
180.degree.. 
With these slots, the shell 32b can be positioned snugly against the side 
of hook 22b so that the shell pedestal 44 projects through the eye of that 
hook as shown in FIG. 3 and at the right hand side of FIG. 2. Then, the 
other shell 32a can be positioned against the opposite side of that hook 
22b so that its edge engages the edge of shell 32b. Preferably, the 
engaging edges or rims of the two shells are notched so as to interfit to 
maintain the alignment of the shells. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment 
of the invention, the edge of shell 32a has an exterior circumferential 
notch 56a and shell 32b has an interior circumferential notch 56b. Also, 
it may be necessary to provide a slot 58 in the wall of shell 32a directly 
opposite the slot 54 in shell 32b to provide additional clearance for the 
chain link 16a when the two shells are brought together as shown at the 
right hand side of FIG. 2. 
When the shells are mated as shown, the threaded fastener 42 may be 
inserted through opening 36 in shell 32a and through the smaller opening 
38 in that shell's pedestal 34 so that the fastener projects through the 
hanger hook 22b and extends into the hole 48 in pedestal 44 of shell 32b. 
When the fastener is turned down into that last hole, it taps threads into 
the wall of that hole and fastens the two shells tightly together, as 
depicted at the right hand side of FIG. 2. 
When the two shells 32a and 32b are secured together, they completely 
enclose the associated hanger hook 22b and the end of chain link 16a 
connected to that hook. Therefore, it is impossible for a child using the 
swing to insert his or her fingers into that connection and possibly being 
injured because of that action. 
It is also an important feature of the invention that the guard 32 at each 
hanger hook 22b prevents the chain link 16a connected to that hook from 
becoming disconnected because that hook was not closed completely during 
assembly of the swing. 
Instead of using a fastener to secure these two shells together, one of the 
pedestals, e.g., pedestal 44 may be formed with a male snap fastener 
member or barb at its free end as shown in phantom 44a at the left side of 
FIG. 2. When the two shells are brought together, barb 44a is arranged to 
plug into hole 38 in pedestal 34. This connection, as opposed to fastener 
42, tends to be permanent. 
More particularly, and as best seen in FIG. 3, the relative angular 
position of each hook arm 22a and the chain link 16a connected to that arm 
is substantially fixed at about 135.degree. by the slots 52 and 54, 58 
formed in the guard 32 engaged to that hook arm. Moreover, any appreciable 
lengthwise motion of that link is prevented by the pedestals 34,44 forming 
the axle that extends through the eye of the hook. Accordingly, there is 
little or no likelihood of the chain link 16a finding its way to the mouth 
of hook 22b even during the most violent movements of the swing. 
Resultantly, even if a gap G should be present at the mouth of hook 22b as 
shown in FIG. 3 which is large enough to permit the escape of chain link 
16a, that link will be unable to slide along the hook far enough to reach 
that gap. 
It should be mentioned that while the connection guard 32 more or less 
fixes the relative position of the hanger arm 22a and the chain link 16a 
hooked to that arm, the guard does permit some tilting and rotation of the 
chain link 16a about the longitudinal axis of chain 16 because the slots 
54, 58 are somewhat oversize and the guard shells 32a and 32b are free to 
rotate relative to one another about the common axis of the pedestals 34 
and 44, i.e., about fastener 42. 
In addition to providing protection from pinch points and preventing 
accidental release of chains 16 from their hangers 22 as described above, 
the guards, by virtue of their shape and placement, also add decoration to 
the swing. While the illustrated guards are spherical, they could just as 
well be square, elliptical, heart-shaped or given some other shape that 
would make them particularly pleasing to the eye. Also, the guards may be 
brightly colored or provided with a decorative surface coating as 
indicated by stippling 62 on the right hand guard 32 in FIG. 2. If 
desired, these colors may be coordinated with the colors of strap 10 and 
the chain sleeves 12a to enhance the overall ornamental appearance of the 
swing, which is desirable from a marketing standpoint. 
The guards 32' at the tops of the suspension chains 12 are more or less the 
same as the guards 32. That is, each guard 32' comprises a pair of more or 
less mirror image hemispherical shells which engage opposite sides of the 
lower loop of the associated S-hook 24 and the chain link attached to that 
hook. In the case of guards 32', however, the notches 52 and 54, 58 in the 
guard shells are located diametrically opposite one another because the 
suspension chain 12 hangs down vertically from the S-hook 24. Thus, each 
guard 32' maintains a 180.degree. angular alignment of the associated 
S-hook 24 and the claim link connected to that hook. 
Each guard 32', being located directly opposite the upper loop of an S-hook 
24 also closes any gap present in the upper loop of that S-hook so that 
that loop cannot detach accidentally from the associated hanger bolt 26 
when the swing is in motion. 
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the guards 32 and 32' 
greatly increase the marketability of a children's swing because they make 
the swing safer to use and improve the ornamental appearance of the swing. 
Yet, being composed primarily of inexpensive molded parts, the guards are 
relatively inexpensive to make in quantity so they do not add appreciably 
to the overall cost of the swing. Furthermore, since only threaded 
fasteners are needed to attach the guards to the swing, they can be 
installed easily by a customer when the swing is purchased; they can even 
be retrofitted to existing swings. 
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made 
apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained. Also, 
certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing 
from the scope of the invention. For example, similar guards can be 
applied to the ring bolts used to connect wooden swing seats to their 
suspension chains and to the connections of the swing described in the 
above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,478,410. In the latter case, the guard may 
be sized and slotted to enclose the entire S-hook and its two connections 
to the two chains. Therefore, it is intended that all matter contained in 
the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted 
as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 
It will also be understood that the following claims are intended to cover 
all of the generic and specific features of the invention described herein 
.