Improvements in Baby Dancers or Baby Jumpers.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1897
1000
1000
Improvements in Baby Dancers or Baby Jumpers.
We, GILBERT CAPEL HALL, of Ombersley, near Droitwich, in the County of
Worcester, Surgeon, and JOHN THOMAS DERRY, of Ombersley aforesaid, Saddler, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention consists of the combination or arrangement hereinafter described of
parts constituting a baby dancer or baby jumper, whereby the construction of the
baby dancer or baby jumper is simplified and its action made very efficient.
Our improved baby dancer or baby jumper is suspended from the ceiling of the
room or apartinent by means of a strong coiled or other spring by which the weight
of the baby and the apparatus is supported. Through the said spring a linked bar
or bars pass to protect the child in case of the fracture of the spring. The said
spring has an eye at top to which a strap or chain, preferably a strap as it is noiseless,
is connected for securing the apparatus to the ceiling or other support. The lower
end of the said spring is furnished with a hook to which four straps or cords are
connected. These straps or cords descend and pass in a radial direction to the
corners of a rectangular frame or hoop to which the said straps or cords are tied or
otherwise fastened. This frame or hoop is composed of four flat bars of wood, metal
or cane provided with loose joints so that the said bars can be folded parallel to one
another for packing the apparatus for transit or storage. Attached to the corners of
this jointed and folding frame or hoop, and depending from the underside thereof,
are other straps or cords, the lower ends being buttoned or otherwise fastened to a
flexible support to which the baby is secured. This support is situated axially in
the apparatus and consists of a waist or body band of strong fabric, the ends of the
said band being buckled or otherwise fastened around the waist or body of the baby
and of a second or seat band of strong fabric situated beneath and buckled or
fastened by its ends to the middle of the body band and forming a right angle
therewith. Upon this second or crossing band, the baby is seated astride, being
secured upon the said seat band by the fastening of the waist or body band. By
this arrangement of the suspended support the baby is very readily and safely
secured in the apparatus.
The height of the baby jumper or dancer is so adjusted that when the baby is
secured in the suspended support described the toes of the baby touch the ground,
the supporting coiled spring being elongated. By the pressure of the toes of the
baby upon the ground, the required jumping, dancing or swinging movement may
be imparted to the apparatus.
When the baby jumper or dancer is required to be packed for storage or transit its
frame is preferably unhooked from the coiled spring and the latter from the ceiling
or other support and the bars of the frame are folded side by side, together with the
coiled spring. The folded and separated parts occupy little space and are very
portable.
Dated this Fourteenth day of April 1897.

page_text: Improvements in Baby Dancers or Baby Jumpers.
We, GILBERT CAPEL HALL, of Ombersley, near Droitwich, in the County of
Worcester, Surgeon, and JOHN THOMAS DERRY, of Ombersley, aforesaid, Saddler, do
hereby declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment:-
Our invention consists of the combination or arrangement hereinafter described of
parts constituting a baby dancer or baby jumper whereby the construction of the
baby dancer or baby jumper is simplified and its action made very efficient.
Our improved baby dancer or baby jumper is suspended from the ceiling of the
room or apartment by means of a strong coiled or other spring by which the weight
of the baby and the apparatus is supported. Through the said spring a linked bar or
bars pass to protect the child in case of the fracture of the spring.
The said spring
has an eye at top to which a strap or chain, preferably a strap as it is noiseless, is
connected for securing the apparatus to the ceiling or other support. The lower end
of the said spring is furnished with a hook to which four straps or cords are
connected. These straps or cords descend and pass in a radial direction to the corners
of a rectangular frame or hoop, to which the said straps or cords are tied or otherwise
fastened. This frame or hoop is composed of four flat bars of wood, metal or cane
provided with loose joints so that the said bars can be folded parallel to one another
for packing the apparatus for transit or storage. Attached to the corners of this
jointed and folding frame or hoop, and depending from the underside thereof, are
other straps or cords, the lower ends being buttoned or otherwise fastened to a flexible
support to which the baby is secured. This support is situated axially in the apparatus
and consists of a waist or body band of strong fabric, the ends of the said
band being buckled or otherwise fastened around the waist or body of the baby
and of a second or seat band of strong fabric situated beneath and buckled or
fastened by its ends to the middle of the body band and forming a right angle
therewith. Upon this second or crossing band, the baby is seated astride being
secured upon the said seat band by the fastening of the waist or body band. By this
arrangement of the suspended support the baby is very readily and safely secured in
the apparatus.
The height of the baby jumper or dancer is so adjusted that when the baby is
secured in the suspended support described the toes of the baby touch the ground,
the supporting coiled spring being elongated. By the pressure of the toes of the
baby upon the ground the required jumping dancing or swinging movement may be
imparted to the apparatus.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in side elevation a baby dancer
or baby jumper constructed according to our invention.
Figures 2 to 7 both inclusive represent parts or details of the same drawn to a
larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the
drawings.
The baby dancer or baby jumper consists of the following construction and
arrangement or combination of parts. A strong coiled spring a, preferably a safety
spring of the kind shown in the sectional view Figure 2 and hereinafter particularly
described, is suspended by the engagement of its hook al with a ceiling hook b. To
the lower hook a² of the spring a the suspension strap c' is attached by means of a
swivel hook d (shown separately in Figure 3). The suspension strap c¹ has four
branches or cords c, c, c, c provided at or about their middle with a folding
frame e, e, e, e (shown separately in side elevation partly in section, in Figure 4 and

page_text: The
plan in Figure 5) the bars of which are of such a size that when the frame is opened
out into a square or rectangular figure the branches c, c, c, c of the suspension strap c¹
radiate upwards and downwards from the corners or angles of the frame.
corners of the frame are loosely connected together by the passing of the
branches c, c, c, c of the suspension strap c' through holes in the ends of the bars of
the frame as will be understood by reference to Figure 4. The lower ends of the
cords are connected preferably by buttoning to buttons f, f, f, f2 on a body belt or
band (shown separately in side elevation and plan in Figures 6 and 7) to the front
and back of which body belt, a seat band g is connected. The body band fand seat
band g are provided with buckled straps by which they may be adjusted to suit the
requirements of the child to be placed in the dancer or jumper.
In using the apparatus the child is seated astride the seat band g and is securely
held in place by the adjustment of the body band or belt f. The height of the body
band and seat band is adjusted by the buckled strap c of the suspension strap c¹
so that on the lengthening of the spring of the jumper by the weight of the child
the toes of the child just touch the floor of the apartment. On the child pressing
his toes on the floor a jumping or dancing motion is set up in the apparatus.
Or the height of the child from the floor may be adjusted either by loops at
intervals in the suspension strap or by a cord or strap passing over a pulley arranged
in the line of suspension.
The hooks a¹, a² of the safety spring a (Figure 2) are provided with linked bars or
metallic loops, marked respectively a³, a' so that should fracture in the spring occur
the closed ends of the loops coming together the jumper is supported and the child
protected from accident. During the expansion and contraction of the spring the
two looped bars slide upon one another. We do not limit ourselves to this
construction of the safety spring as a strap or the like may pass through or outside
the spring for limiting the elongation of the same and also for supporting the baby
dancer or jumper in case of fracture in the spring.
When the baby jumper or dancer is required to be packed for storage or transit its
frame is preferably unhooked from the coiled spring and the latter from the ceiling
or other support and the bars of the frame are folded side by side together with the
coiled spring. The folded and separated parts occupy little space and are very
portable.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that we claim
as our invention :-
First The arrangement or combination of the parts of baby jumpers or baby
dancers hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings the said
combination of parts consisting essentially of a body belt or band and seat band
suspended by means of four straps cords or the like from a strong coiled spring
hooked to a ceiling hook, the said suspension straps, cords or the like having at or
about their middle a rectangular frame, the height of the baby dancer er baby
jumper being capable of adjustment substantially as and for the purpose bereinbefore
described and illustrated.
Secondly In baby dancers or baby jumpers substantially of the kind claimed in
the prior claim, the use of a loosely jointed or folding frame which when opened out
causes the suspension straps to radiate both upwards and downwards substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Thirdly; In baby dancers or baby jumpers substantially of the kind claimed in
the first claim the use of a safety spring consisting essentially of a combined coiled
spring and linked or looped bars in one piece with the hooks at the two ends of the
spring respectively, the hooks or loops of the linked bars engaging together and
acting substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Fourthly In baby dancers or baby jumpers substantially of the kind claimed in
the first claim, the use of a swivel hook to permit the dancer or jumper rotating

page_text: without twisting the suspension straps substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated the Twenty-ninth day of December 1897.
GILBERT CAPEL HALL.
JOHN THOMAS DERRY.