Patent ID: 8083600

Claim:
A reinforced swing seat assembly for use in a playset, said assembly comprising: an elongated seat element presenting a top face, a bottom face, and opposite end margins; a reinforcing member extending along the seat element, said reinforcing member comprising a different material than the seat element, said reinforcing member having a tensile strength that is greater than the tensile strength of the seat element, said reinforcing member extending continuously from one end margin of the seat element to the other, said reinforcing member including an elongated central portion and opposite end portions; and a pair of rigid connecting elements configured to operably couple the seat element with suspending elements, each of said connecting elements being operably associated with a respective one of the end portions of the reinforcing member and at least partially projecting from a corresponding one of the end margins of the seat element, each of said connecting elements extending generally away from the corresponding end margin of the seat element along a connection plane, each of said connection planes being generally parallel with at least a portion of the top face of the seat element adjacent the corresponding connecting element such that the connecting elements are prevented from extending inwardly beyond the top face of the seat element, said reinforcing member being at least partially encased within the seat element, said reinforcing member including a plurality of openings defined therein, each of said openings extending through the reinforcing member in a direction substantially orthogonal to the top face of the seat element, said seat element being formed of a material that extends through the plurality of openings.