Patent Publication Number: US-7717799-B2

Title: Glider teeter-totter

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates generally to the field of playground equipment and, more particularly, to an improved teeter-totter or seesaw. 
   2. Background 
   Teeter-totters (also referred to as seesaws) have been popular with children since before recorded history. In its simplest form, a teeter-totter may be constructed by merely placing a board over an object to serve as a fulcrum or pivot. Modern day playground teeter-totters are essentially the same, although the structural members are more typically steel for improved durability. Thus, a typical playground teeter-totter comprises a beam supported off the ground by a horizontal support member. The beam is coupled to the support member with a simple pivot assembly and has a seat mounted at each end thereof. Children in the seats experience generally up-and-down arcuate motion when playing on a teeter-totter. 
   On a typical teeter-totter, people of different weights have a harder time using the teeter-totter because the teeter-totter acts like a balance, thus causing the heavier person to settle in the lower position wherein they must push off the ground harder to create motion and get the other person down. The heavier person must use leg muscles to push and balance thus straining the legs and taking some of the enjoyment out of the playfulness of a teeter-totter. Some prior art teeter totters have a counter balance spring or weight to counter act the weight of the heavier person. 
   Gliders, both free-standing and suspended, are also widely popular. Their popularity is largely due to the relaxing back-and-forth motion of the glider. Gliders are not affected by different weights of users because the pivotal support is more stable and balancing. Heretofore, no known apparatus has successfully combined the up-and-down accurate motion of a conventional teeter-totter with the back-and-forth motion of a glider creating a more stable teeter totter that is not as sensitive to users of different weights. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention provides an improved teeter-totter with a pair of seats mounted at opposite ends of a longitudinal seat support member. The seat support member is suspended from overhead pivots by a pair of linkage arms to provide riders with a more stable and balancing motion that combines the up-and-down arcuate motion of a conventional teeter-totter with a back-and-forth gliding motion. This motion reduces the bump at the bottom of a teeter totter seat on the ground by including horizontal motion. The bump may be completely eliminated by increasing the horizontal motion at the bottom. The pivotal support of this teeter-totter is more stable and balancing allowing users of different weights, to use the teeter-totter without other counter balance features. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a teeter-totter in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of another embodiment of a teeter-totter in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is another side elevation view of the teeter-totter shown in  FIG. 2  illustrating the path of motion of one of the seats. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known methods and devices are omitted so as to not obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail. 
     FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a teeter-totter  10  in accordance with the present invention. A longitudinal seat support member  12  supports a pair of seats  14  at respective ends thereof. Handlebars  16  are provided to assist users in maintaining their balance while operating the teeter-totter. The seat support member is suspended from support frame  20  by a pair of linkage arms  22 . The linkage arms are independently pivotally connected to longitudinal pivot support member  24  at pivot points  26 . Linkage arms  22  are also independently pivotally connected to the seat support member at pivot points  28 . Foot supports  18  are attached to the linkage arms for use at each of seats  14 . 
   Support frame  20  is composed of leg members  30  and respective base members  32 . The design of teeter-totter  10  with seat support member  12  suspended between the transversely-located leg members  30  eliminates pinch points that are common with conventional teeter-totter design. The spaced apart base members also provide a more stable support for the teeter-totter. As shown, leg members  30  are curved concave to the seat support member  12  forming a hoop-like structure. However, the leg members could have different shapes, bearing in mind that it is desirable to have the leg members spaced apart on either side of the seat support member so as to eliminate pinch points 
   The structural components of teeter-totter  10  may be formed of steel tubing as is conventional in the field of fitness and exercise equipment and may be protected with a powder-coated finish. Seats  14  may be of a molded plastic for durability and weather resistance. Other suitable materials may be used and the invention is not limited in this regard. 
   Teeter-totter  10  is used in a conventional manner, with a rider on each of seats  14 . The motion experienced by riders of the teeter-totter, however, is substantially different from conventional teeter-totters. Suspension of the seat support member  12  by linkage arms  22  imparts a glider-like motion in combination with the up-and-down arcuate motion of conventional teeter-totters. In a conventional teeter-totter, the seats move in simple circular arcs about the pivot point. However, because of the multiple pivot points in the present invention, the seats have paths of motion that are not circular arcs. Riders of the teeter-totter may propel themselves in the same manner as with conventional teeter-totters, i.e., by pushing with their legs against the ground, by a pumping motion with their bodies or a combination of the two. In addition, riders may propel themselves by pressing their feet against foot support  18 . 
     FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of another embodiment of a teeter-totter  100  in accordance with the present invention. This teeter-totter is similar in overall design and construction to teeter-totter  10  described above. In the case of teeter-totter  100 , handlebars  116  are attached to linkage arms  122  rather than seat support member  112 . Attaching the handlebars in this manner allows the riders to propel themselves by pushing and pulling on the handlebars. In this embodiment, foot supports  118  are located below seats  114  on extended linkage arms  122 . As with the previously described embodiment, the foot supports can also be used by the riders to propel themselves  FIG. 2  also shows a pair of pivots longitudinally spaced apart by a distance d 1 , the seat support member  112  is pivotally suspended from the pivots at locations spaced apart by a distance d 2  by a pair of linkage arms  122  having a length l; wherein d 1 &lt;d 2  and l&lt;d 2 . 
     FIG. 3  shows teeter-totter  100  with seat support member  112  approaching a limit of travel to the right. Left-hand seat  114   a  is near its lower limit of travel, while right-hand seat  114   b  is near its upper limit of travel. As indicated in broken lines near left-hand seat  114   a , the seat has a non-circular arcuate path of travel with components of both up-and-down and back-and-forth motion. 
   It will be recognized that the above-described invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the disclosure. Thus, it is understood that the invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.