Abstract:
An elevating rotary amusement ride having a rotatable passenger carrying-arm which is initially in a substantially horizontal loading position to facilitate the rapid loading and unloading of persons desiring to utilize the ride. The rotatable passenger-carrying arm is elevated to a position at which the rotatable passenger-carrying arm can, indeed, be rotated. A variety of means are available for elevating the rotatable passenger-carrying arm, including gas-powered cylinders and electric motors. Similarly, many means can be utilized to rotate the rotatable passenger-carrying arm, with an electric motor being preferred. In some embodiments, the rotatable passenger-carrying is elevated beside one or more support structures; in other embodiments, the support structure or structures, themselves, move to achieve the elevation of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates to an amusement ride that has a passenger-carrying arm elevated from a loading position prior to being rotated in a substantially vertical plane.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
         [0002]    The Inventor is aware of no other rotational amusement ride where, before rotation in a substantially vertical plane begins, the rotatable passenger-carrying arm is elevated from a position where all passenger can board the rotatable arm.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    The present invention has a rotatable passenger-carrying arm which is initially in a non-vertical, preferably substantially horizontal, loading position.  
           [0004]    In such a position, passengers can rapidly and easily enter seats, one or more of which is attached near a first end of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm and preferably one or more of which is attached near a second end of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
           [0005]    Each seat is equipped with a restraint to prevent a passenger from leaving the seat even when the seat is inverted.  
           [0006]    The rotatable passenger-carrying arm also has a first side and a second side. A support structure is adjacent to the first side of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm; and, preferably but not necessarily, a second support structure is adjacent to the second side of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
           [0007]    Through any means that is well known in the art for elevating substantially heavy passenger carriers, but most preferably with a system employing pneumatic housing, the rotatable passenger-carrying arm is elevated to a position beside the support structure or support structures which position is sufficiently high that the rotatable passenger-carrying arm can be rotated to a desired extent.  
           [0008]    Any means that is well known in the art for rotating a heavy passenger carrier—preferably, but not necessarily, an electric motor-is connected to the passenger-carrying arm and to either the support structure or to an optional trolley; one of the two connections must be fixed while the other must be rotatable. Thus, the means for rotating is either fixedly connected to the support structure and rotatably connected to the passenger-carrying arm, rotatably connected to the support structure and fixedly connected to the passenger-carrying arm, fixedly connected to an optional trolley for bearing the passenger-carrying arm and rotatably connected to the passenger-carrying arm, or rotatably connected to the trolley and fixedly connected to the passenger-carrying arm.  
           [0009]    Of course, when there is no trolley, at least one of the connections of the motor must be a releasable connection. Such connection is made after the rotatable passenger-carrying arm has been elevated to a sufficiently high position beside the support structure or structures and release when it is desired to lower the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 depicts the preferred embodiment of the Elevating Rotary Amusement Ride with the rotatable passenger-carrying arm in the loading position.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the Elevating Rotary Amusement Ride with the rotatable passenger-carrying are in the position for rotation.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 portrays a gas-powered housing utilized for elevating the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a cutaway of a cylinder showing a counterweight.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 depicts a sleeve connecting a cylinder rod to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 illustrates the gas-powered housing utilized for elevating the rotatable passenger-carrying arm when the gas-powered housing is installed above the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 shows the embodiment of FIG. 5 with a pins slidably attached to the support structure for insertion into a cavity within a structure rotatbley attached to the rotatable lpassenger-carrying arm in order to lock the rotatable passenger-carrying arm at a desired elevation.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 illustrates both a brake to prevent rotation of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm and the connection of an electric motor to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 depicts a sleeve connecting a cable to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 portrays a bore within the rotatable passenger-carrying arm containing a slidable piston that is utilized to rotate the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 11 depicts the support structure mounted upon a piston for raising and lowering the support structure and, consequently, the rotatable passenger-carrying arm.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0021]    As portrayed in FIG. 1 and discussed above, the Elevating Rotary Amusement Ride has a rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  which is initially in a non-vertical, preferably substantially horizontal, loading position.  
         [0022]    One or more seats  2  are attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  near a first end of such rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 , and one or more seats  2  are preferably also attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  near a second end  4 . The rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  has a top  5 , a bottom  6 , a first side  7 , and a second side  8 . The seats  2  can be connected to the top  5 , bottom  6 , first side  7 , or second side  8  but are preferably connected to the top  5 .  
         [0023]    Each seat  2  is equipped with a restraint  9  to prevent a passenger from leaving such seat  2  even when such seat  2  is inverted. These restraints  9  can be any type that is well known in the art but are preferably the restraint system of the present inventor for which a patent application has been filed concurrently with the application for the present invention.  
         [0024]    A support structure  10  is adjacent to the first side  7  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 ; and, as discussed above, preferably but not necessarily, a second support structure  11  is adjacent to the second side  8  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0025]    Again as discussed above, through any means that is well known in the art for elevating substantially heavy passenger carriers, the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  is elevated to a position  12 , as illustrated in FIG. 2, beside the support structure  10  or support structures  10 ,  11  which position  12  is sufficiently high that the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  can be rotated.  
         [0026]    A non-exclusive list of such well-known means includes an electrical motor and a hydraulic motor, either of which can be connected to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  with force-transferring devices that are well known in the art such as cables and pulleys, large screws, or chain drives, utilizing techniques that are well known in the art. Of course, as is well known in the art, a hydraulic pump can also drive a cylinder rod  102  having one end attached to a piston within a cylinder and having another end extending from the cylinder. The end extending from the cylinder is connected to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0027]    If the cylinder rod or other force-transferring means  102  is directly attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 , the connection must be made in one of two ways. The first of these is, as illustrated in FIG. 5, having the structure for such attachment rotatable, hollow, and so located around the axis of rotation  13  for the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  that it has the same axis of rotation  13  as does the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  in order to permit the means for rotating  14  the passenger-carrying arm  1  to be attached to the passenger-carrying arm and to rotate the passenger carrying arm  1  about the desired axis of rotation  13 . Such structure could, for example, be a sleeve. The second way (of connecting the the cylinder rod or other force-transferring means to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  without interfering with the rotation of such rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 ) is to have the cylinder rod or other force-transferring means releasably attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  so that the cylinder rod or other force-transferring means can be disconnected from the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  prior to rotation of the passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0028]    Also any lock or brake  15  that is well known in the art for preventing rotation is preferably attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  to preclude rotation until it is desired, such as while the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  is being elevated but before such arm  1  has reached the desired height. Examples of such a lock or brake  15  are a pin slidably attached to the elevating means that can be inserted into a cavity or aperture within the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  or a disc brake attached, as shown in FIG. 8, directly or indirectly both to the elevating means and to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0029]    The most preferred elevating means employs one or more housings  16 , as portrayed in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, to elevate the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0030]    Each such housing  16  has a first end  17  and a second end  18 . The second end  18  can either be open or closed but is preferably open. Slidably mounted within a bore  19  of the housing  16  is a piston  20 . Attached to the piston  20  is a first end  21  of a cable or other force-transferring device that is well known in the art  22 . Preferably in the first end  17  of the housing  16 , but at least closer to the first end than the piston  20  will ever be, is an aperture  23  through which the cable or other force-transferring device  22  passes. Also, nearer the first end than the piston  20  will ever be, and preferably in the first end  17 , are an injection valve  24  and an exhaust valve  25 , although the injection valve  24  and the exhaust valve  25  can be combined within a single complex valve. Of course, the injection valve  24  and the exhaust valve  25  communicate with the bore  19  of the housing.  
         [0031]    A container for pressurized gas  26  is connected, through the injection valve  24 , to the housing  16  near the first end  17  of such housing  16  and communicates there with the bore  19  of the housing  16 .  
         [0032]    Preferably, the gas utilized within the housing  16  is air. Therefore, a compressor  27  is attached to and communicates with the container for pressurized gas  26  to take air from the atmosphere, compress such air, and supply such pressurized air to the container  26 .  
         [0033]    In this most preferred embodiment of the elevating means, a second end  28  of the cable or other force-transferring device  22  is attached to a trolley  29 , rather than being attached directly to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  as is done when there is no trolley  29 ; and the rotatable passenger-carrying arm is rotatably attached to the trolley  29 . (Of course, such a use of a trolley  29  is generally applicable to any embodiment, not just the most preferred embodiment. When a trolley  29  is employed, for the purposes of this patent application, the term “adjacent to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 ” means either closely beside such rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  or closely beside the trolley  29  which is, itself, closely beside the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .) And in the most preferred embodiment there are several housings  16 , preferably four, each with the components described above, including the cable or other force-transferring device  22 .  
         [0034]    The housing  16  can either be placed above the desired position  12  for rotation of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  with the first end  17  of such housing  16  generally facing toward the desired position  12  for rotation, as illustrated in FIG. 6, or below the desired position  12 , as shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 3. When a flexible element such as a cable is actually employed as the cable or other force-transferring device  22  in this latter arrangement, it is necessary to have the flexible force-transferring device  22  pass over a device for changing the direction of a mechanical force  30 , preferably a pulley, that is placed above the desired position  12 .  
         [0035]    In order to raise the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 , gas from the container  26  is injected through the injection valve  24  into the bore  19  of the housing, thereby pushing the piston  20  toward the second end  18  of the housing  16 . In order to lower the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 , gas is released from the bore  19  of the housing  16  through the exhaust valve  25 , thereby allowing the piston  20  to move toward the first end  17  of the housing  16 .  
         [0036]    Preferably, when the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  has reached the desired position  12 , it is locked into place by any means that is well known in the art. Preferably, as illustrated in FIG. 7, one or more pins  103  slidably attached to the support structure  10  or to the support structures  10 ,  11  are inserted into a cavity or aperture  104  within a structure  31  rotatably attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  about the axis of rotation  13  without obstructing connection of the means for rotating  14  to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0037]    It should be noted that when a flexible force-transferring device  22  is employed, the term “flexible force-transferring device” is, for the purposes of this patent application, intended to include simply the cable or other flexible device or to include a device for altering mechanical advantage, e.g., a block and tackle, in addition to the cable or other flexible device.  
         [0038]    Each cable or other force-transferring device  22  is connected to the trolley  29  in such a manner as not to obstruct rotation of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . In its most preferred embodiment, the trolley  29  comprises a first section  32  on the first side  7  of the passenger-carrying arm  1  and a second section  33  on the second side  8  of the passenger-carrying arm  1 . The first section  32  and the second section  33  of the trolley  29  are each rotatably attached to a shaft  34  that is fixedly connected to the passenger-carrying arm  1 . The axis of rotation  35  of the shaft  34  is aligned with the axis of rotation  13  for the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0039]    Of course, when a trolley  29  is employed, any of the well-known elevating means may be attached to the trolley  29  rather than being directly connected to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . In any such case, including the most preferred embodiment of the Elevating Rotary Amusement Ride employing the housing  16 , the preferred optional lock or brake  15  is attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm and to the trolley  29 , rather than to the elevating means. For example, a pin is slidably attached to the trolley  29  and can be inserted into a cavity or aperture within the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 ; or, in the most preferred embodiment, a disc brake  36  has a disc  37  attached to the shaft  34  and a clamping mechanism  38  for frictionally grasping the disc  37  attached to the trolley  29 .  
         [0040]    Also when a trolley  29  is utilized, the trolley  29  functions as the structure  31  for facilitating locking the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  at the desired position  12 .  
         [0041]    A variety of techniques exist for rotating the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . As indicated above, any means that is well known in the art for rotating a heavy passenger carrier—preferably, but not necessarily, an electric motor  39  (a non-exclusive list of other options comprises a pneumatic motor and a hydraulic motor)—is connected to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  and to either the support structure  10  or, in an embodiment having the trolley  29 , to the trolley  29 , as illustrated in FIG. 8; one of the two connections must be fixed while the other must be rotatable. Thus, the means for rotating  14  is either fixedly connected to the support structure  10  and rotatably connected to the passenger-carrying arm  1 , rotatably connected to the support structure  10  and fixedly connected to the passenger-carrying arm  1 , fixedly connected to the trolley  29  and rotatably connected to the passenger-carrying arm  1 , or rotatably connected to the trolley  29  and fixedly connected to the passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0042]    If there is no trolley  29 , one of the two connections of the means for rotating  14  must, using any technique that is well known in the art, be made releasable in order to permit substantially linear vertical movement of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm with respect to the support structure  10 .  
         [0043]    Optionally there can be two means for rotating  14 ; this can occur either when there is both a support structure  10  adjacent to the first side  7  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  and a second support structure  11  adjacent to the second side  8  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  or when the most preferred embodiment is employed wherein the trolley  29  comprises a first section  32  on the first side  7  of the passenger-carrying arm  1  and a second section  33  on the second side  8  of the passenger-carrying arm  1 . In either of such circumstances, a first means for rotating  14  is on the first side  7  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 ; and a second means for rotating  14  is on the second side  8  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . Preferably, these means for rotating  14  are substantially identical to one another.  
         [0044]    In the most preferred embodiment, a first electric motor  39  is connected to the shaft  34  on the first side  7  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 ; and a second electric motor  39  is connected to the shaft  34  on the second side  8  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . Preferably, these electric motors are synchronized by having one act as a master and the other as a slave. Such motors can be purchased from the Allen-Bradley Company, for example. These motors, moreover, have a variable frequency drive, which, through programmed control of the motors, enables the speed and position of rotation to be profiled.  
         [0045]    The drive shaft  40  of the electric motor  39  can have the same axis of rotation  41  as the axis of rotation  35  of the shaft  34 . In order to save space in the most preferred embodiment, however, the drive shaft  40  of the electric motor  39  is placed generally above the shaft  34  and connected to the shaft  34  with a belt  141 , as illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0046]    Also, preferably but not necessarily, as shown in FIG. 8, a gear box  42  is placed between the electric motor  39  and the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . In the most preferred embodiment, between the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  and the belt  141 , the shaft  34  is separated; and the gear box  42  is inserted therein. Again, in the most preferred embodiment, the gear box  42  has a ratio of 240 to 1 with the shaft  34  on the side of the gear box  42  toward the electric motor  39  turning faster.  
         [0047]    When the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  is not locked at the desired position as described above and when the means for rotating  14  is not attached to the support structure  10 , the support structure  10  comprises two columns  43 ; and the means for rotating  14  or a structure to which the means for rotating is attached, such as the trolley  29 , is placed between such columns  43  to restrict rotation of the means for rotating  14 , itself.  
         [0048]    Additionally, in the most preferred embodiment and preferably in each embodiment discussed above, one or more counterweights  44  are used to reduce the load which the elevating means must bear. A counterweight  44  is attached to a first end  45  of a cable or other flexible force-transferring device  46 , and a second end  47  of the cable or other flexible force-transferring device  46  is attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  or, when a trolley  29  is employed, to the trolley  29 . At an intermediate point between the ends  45 ,  47  of the cable or other flexible force-transferring device  46  it is necessary to have the cable or other flexible force-transferring device  46  pass over a device for changing the direction of a mechanical force, preferably a pulley,  48  that is located at a higher elevation than either the counterweight  44  or the point of attachment of the cable or other flexible force-transferring device  46  to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  or, when a trolley  29  is employed, to the trolley  29 . For aesthetic and safety reasons, the counterweight  44  is located within a cylinder  101 .  
         [0049]    If the cable or other flexible force-transferring device  46  is directly attached to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 , the connection must have the structure for such attachment rotatable, hollow, and so located around the axis of rotation  13  for the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  that it has the same axis of rotation  13  as does the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  in order to permit the means for rotating  14  the passenger-carrying arm to be attached to the passenger-carrying arm  1  and to rotate the passenger carrying arm  1  about the desired axis of rotation  13 . Such structure could, for example, be a sleeve.  
         [0050]    A still further optional means for rotating  14  consists of a mass  49  that moves longitudinally along the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0051]    The mass  49  is preferably initially aligned with the axis of rotation  13  for the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . When it is desired to have a given end  3  or  4  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  descend, the mass  49  is moved toward such end  3  or  4 . Such movement can produce rotation of the passenger-carrying arm  1  to any desired degree or for any desired number of rotations in a desired direction.  
         [0052]    Preferably when the mass  49  is employed, the passenger-carrying arm  1  has, as illustrated in FIG. 10, a bore  50  containing a slidably mounted piston  51  constituting the mass  49 . Nearer the first end  3  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  than the piston will ever be and communicating with the bore  50  is located a valve  52  for introducing and withdrawing a gas or hydraulic fluid. Similarly, nearer the second end  4  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  than the piston will ever be and communicating with the bore  50  is located a valve  52  for introducing and withdrawing a gas or hydraulic fluid.  
         [0053]    Of course, the mass  49  could be move by any other method that is well known in the art, such as have the mass rotatably mounted on a motorized screw or having a motor control a cable that is attached to the mass  49  and that is supported by pulleys near the first end  3  and the second end  4  of the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 .  
         [0054]    Finally, the most substantial option of the present invention involves having the support structure  10  (or both the support structure  10  and the second support structure  11 , if there are two support structures  10 ,  11 ) move in order to elevate the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1 . In such a case, the means for rotating  14  is connected to the rotatable passenger-carrying arm  1  and to the support structure  10 . (Of course, as described above, there can be two means for rotating  14 , with one of such means for rotating  14  being connected to the second support structure  11 , instead of the first support structure  10 .) Although one of the two connections must be fixed while the other must be rotatable as discussed above, neither such connection need be releasable for this embodiment.  
         [0055]    The lower end  53  of the support structure  10  is, in one embodiment, rotatably connected to the ground or any structure upon which the Elevating Rotary Amusement Ride is to be placed, which for the purposes of this patent application shall be termed the “foundation.” Any means that is well known in the art for rotating heavy objects is then used to rotate the support structure. For example, this means may be an electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic motor or a gas or hydraulic cylinder having a first end rotatably connected to the support structure  10  and a second end rotatably connected to the ground or any structure upon which the Elevating Rotary Amusement Ride is to be placed. (If there is a second support structure  11 , such second support structure  11  would also have a lower end  54  rotatably connected to the ground and could, but need not necessarily, have another means for rotating connected to it.)  
         [0056]    In another embodiment, the lower end  53  of the support structure  10  is, as illustrated in FIG. 11, connected to a piston  55  slidably mounted within a bore  56  of a housing  57 . The housing  57  has a valve  58  located nearer a lower end  59  of the housing  57  than the piston will ever be for introducing and removing gas or hydraulic fluid. (If there is a second support structure  11 , the lower end  54  of the second support structure  11  is in another housing  60 ; and preferably, but not necessarily, such other housing has a piston  61  slidably mounted within a bore  62  of such other housing  60  with such piston  61  being connected to the lower end  54  of the second support structure  11  and also has a valve  63  located nearer a lower end  64  of such other housing  60  than the piston  61  will ever be for introducing and removing gas or hydraulic fluid.  
         [0057]    When the support structure  10  or structures  10 ,  11  move, it is preferable to use no counterweights  44 .