TIGHTWIRE SPORTS EQUIPMENT

• US 3,754,757 A
• Filed: 01/21/1971
• Issued: 08/28/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Duane C. Bowen
• Original Assignee: Duane C. Bowen
• Inventors: Bowen, Duane C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oechsle, Anton O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Application Number:
  US05/108,606
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 272/21,22,23,24,57R,60,62 24/73 287/75-82 273/29R,29BB,29BC,29BD
• US Class Current: 482/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 7/08 Apparatus for rope-dancing

Abstract

A cable forming a tightwire is supported above the ground at low height by a pair of spaced apart standards with the ends of the cable secured to ground anchors and stretched over the standards by turnbuckles. A tension spring is connected in the cable string to limit tension forces. The standards have platforms at about cable height and the cables are secured to the standards by Ubolts. A pair of tubes at the sides of the standard have upper ends extending substantially above the platforms to be grasped by user hands in stepping onto the tightwire and leaving the tightwire, and the lower ends of the tubes penetrate the ground, the standards having pad means bearing on the ground to limit ground penetration.

Claims

1. Sports equipment in which tigthwire means is supported above the ground, comprising:

a. a pair of spaced apart ground anchors secured in said ground b. a pair of spaced apart standards between said anchors supported by said ground and having supporting means above said ground c. cable means connected between said anchors and extending from said anchors to said sUpporting means of said standards, and tightening means connected to said cable means and tightening the same, said cable means being stretched and extending from one anchor to the supporting means of the adjacent standard and then to the supporting means of the other standard and then to the other anchor and providing tightwire walking means between said standards, d. a vertical, pole-like upright member at each side of each standard and said upright members penetrating the ground at least a couple of inches for stability of said standards and being spaced transversely of said cable means to each side of said cable means thereby acting to prevent sidewise tipping of said standards.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 in which each standard has a platform at about the height of said cable means extending between said upright members of each standard thereby providing supports for users starting on said tightwire walking means and in leaving an end of said tightwire walking means.

3. The subject matter of claim 2 in which each upright member extends above said cable means at least to the level of the hands of users walking on said tightwire walking means whereby uses leaving said platform of a standard or coming to said platform will have an upright at hand level to grasp for support, said upright members being spaced apart a sufficient distance to accommodate a user on said platform between said upright members.

4. The subject matter of claim 1 in which each standard has pad means limiting penetration of the ground by said upright members and said pad means is a flat, horizontally disposed plate resting on the ground and extending between the lower portions of said upright members, said upright members having pointed lower ends below said plate for ease of ground penetration, said platform including a flat, horizontally disposed, plate-like member, said supporting means being a portion of said plate-like member, the corners of said plate-like member being relieved in the area of said cable means thereby preventing bending of said cable means over square corners, brace means between said upright members and said plate-like member in the area of cable means support for strength in supporting said cable means and for bracing the standard against racking movement, said upright members being spaced to each side of said cable means at the ends of said plate and plate-like member providing room between said upright members for a user on said platform.

5. Sports equipment in which tightwire means is supported above the ground, comprising:

a. a pair of spaced apart rod-like ground anchors secured in said ground by screwing into said ground, said anchors including helical means having a screw action in the ground b. a pair of spaced apart standards between said anchors supported by said ground and having supporting means above said ground c. cable means connected between said anchors and extending from said anchors to said supporting means of said standards, tightening means connected to said cable means and tightening the same, said cable means being stretched and extending from one anchor to the supporting means of the adjacent standard and then to the supporting means of the other standard and then to the other anchor to provide tightwire walking means between said standards, and means securing said cable means with respect to said standards, said cable means consisting only of a single tightwire cable in the area between said standards positioned above the ground no more than about 48 inches.

6. The subject matter of claim 5 in which said ground anchors have eyes and said tightening means consists of a pair of turnbuckles each having a hook engaged in an eye of one of said ground anchors and having an eye on its other end, a tension coil spring having engaging means at each end including one end engaged in the eye of one of said turnbuckles, said cable means consisting of a single cable connected to the eye of one of said turnbuckles at one enD and at the other end secured to the other end of said spring, said supporting means of each standard including a U-bolt securing said cable thereby holding the standard against tipping longitudinally of said cable.

7. The subject matter of claim 5 in which said cable means is secured to said standards and in which each standard has ground penetrating means extending into the ground at least several inches limiting the lower end of each standard from shifting and permitting some limited but substantial pivotal adjustability of each standard as a whole of at least several degrees in the vertical plane of said cable means about the lower portion of the standard thereby accommodating tightening of said cable means, each standard having ground engaging pad means including portions spaced transversely of said cable means to each side of said cable means thereby acting to prevent sidewise tipping of the standard and bearing on said ground, said pad means extending horizontally out from the adjacent portion of each standard and having in the horizontal extension at least a couple times the horizontal area of said adjacent portion whereby said pad means has a substantial effect in limiting standard ground penetration, each standard having a platform at about the height of said cable means thereby providing supports for users in starting on said tightwire walking means and in leaving an end of said tightwire walking means, each standard having upright means extending above said cable means at least to the level of the hands of users walking on said tightwire walking means whereby users leaving said platform of a standard or coming to said platform will have an upright at hand level to grasp for support.

8. The subject matter of claim 5 in which said cable means, anchors, and tightening means form tensed elements including only a single cable whereby the integrity of the tightwire walking means is not impaired by the securing of more than one cable.

9. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard has ground penetrating means extending into the ground at least several inches limiting the lower end from shifting.

10. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard has pad means bearing on said ground, said pad means extending horizontally out from the adjacent portion of each standard and having in the horizontal extension at least a couple times the horizontal area of said adjacent portion whereby said pad means has a substantial effect in limiting standard ground penetration.

11. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard has a platform at about the height of said cable means thereby providing supports for users in starting on said tightwire walking means and in leaving an end of said tightwire walking means.

12. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard has upright means extending above said cable means at least to the level of the hands of users walking on said tightwire walking means whereby users starting to walk the tightwire from a standard or reaching a standard from the tightwire will have an upright at hand level to grasp for support.

13. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard includes an upright and pad means secured to said upright and bearing on the ground, said pad means extending horizontally out from the adjacent portion of each standard and having in the horizontal extension at least several times the horizontal area of said adjacent portion whereby said pad means has a substantial effect in limiting standard ground penetration, and said pad means having means for adjustably securing the same to said upright at various distances from said cable means thereby providing for adjustable height of the tightwire above the ground.

14. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard includes a tubular upright and in which each standard includes pad means secured to said upright and bearing on the ground and limiting ground penetration by said upright, said pad means being of a size to increaSe standard ground bearing area several times, and there being interfitting tubular parts of said tubular upright between said pad means and said cable means whereby the height of the tightwire above the ground can be varied by omission or addition of interfitting tubular parts.

15. The subject matter of claim 5 in which each standard has an upright extending from the ground to a height above said cable means at least to the level of the hands of users walking on said tightwire walking means whereby users leaving a standard to walk on the tightwire or returning to the standard from the tightwire will have an upright at hand level to grasp for support, and said upright being formed of interfitting parts permitting detachment of a portion of said upright above said cable means from the remainder of said upright thereby reducing package length in disassembly for shipment.

16. Sports equipment in which tightwire means is supported above a supporting surface, comprising:

a. a pair of spaced apart standards supported by said supporting surface b. cable means extending between said standards, said standards having means securing said cable means thereto and means supporting said standards in upright position including means engaged in said supporting surface whereby said standards are held against the tension of said cable means c. means operative to tighten said cable means between said standards d. said cable means between said standards consisting only of a single cable to form tightwire means positioned above said supporting surface no more than about 48 inches e. said cable means having secured thereto tension spring means reducing the spring rate of said cable means for the purpose of avoiding failure under normal maximum loadings.

17. Sports equipment in which tightwire means is supported above a supporting surface, comprising:

a. a pair of spaced apart standards supported by said supporting surface b. cable means extending between said standards, said standards having means securing said cable means thereto and means supporting said standards in upright position including means engaged in said supporting surface whereby said standards are held against the tension of said cable means c. means operative to tighten said cable means between said standards d. said cable means between said standards consisting only of a single cable to form tightwire means positioned above said supporting surface no more than about 48 inches e. said means supporting said standards in upright position including anchor means secured in said supporting surface at the opposite end of each standard from the other standard and said cable means extending from each standard and connecting to the associated anchor means, said cable means including only a single cable thereby avoiding impairing cable means integrity by securing more than one cable.

18. The subject matter of claim 17 in which said means operative to tighten said cable means between said standards is a tightening member interposed between said cable means and at least one of said anchor means, and there being a secondary, by-pass safety cable secured to the cable means and extending past said tightening member and connecting to the associated anchor means whereby upon failure in the connection of the cable means to the tightening member or of the tightening member to the associated anchor means, the by-pass cable will accept the cable means load.