Child swing
First Claim
1. A child swing apparatus comprisinga child seat hanging from a child swing frame,a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time,means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to the child seat to swing the child seat, the conducting means including a mechanical linkage interconnecting the swing motor and the child seat andmeans for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to and movable on a portion of the mechanical linkage.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A child swing motor apparatus includes a swing motor and a mechanism for using energy discharged from the swing motor to swing a child seat hanging from a child swing frame. The apparatus also includes an indicator for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat. The swing motor includes a spring and a spring winding mechanism. An escapement mechanism is also provided to impart pendulum motion to the swinging child seat using torque generated by the spring.
68 Citations
53 Claims
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1. A child swing apparatus comprising
a child seat hanging from a child swing frame, a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to the child seat to swing the child seat, the conducting means including a mechanical linkage interconnecting the swing motor and the child seat and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to and movable on a portion of the mechanical linkage.
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5. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means, a housing formed to include a window and wherein the indicating means includes an indicator in the window and means for using energy from the conducting means to move the indicator in the window from a first position representing a fully energized state of the swing motor to a second position representing a deenergized state of the swing motor to display the remaining run time of the swing motor, and first stop means for engaging the indicator as the indicator moves from said second position toward said first position to stop further movement of the indicator at the first position and second stop means for engaging the indicator as the indicator moves from said first position toward said second position to stop further movement of the indicator at the second position so that the indicator is movable only between said first and second positions, the first stop means being mounted to the housing and the second stop means being mounted to the using means.
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6. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, a casing located in a fixed position adjacent to the swing motor, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means, and wherein the swing motor includes an elongated spring having first and second ends and a middle portion extending between the first and second ends, means for anchoring the second end of the spring in a fixed position to the casing so that the second end of the spring is unable to move as the spring unwinds between said wound and unwound positions, and means for winding the elongated spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring and the indicating means is coupled to the first end of the spring and positioned to lie between the spring and the winding means.
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9. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, the swing motor including a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means and to the spring, the indicating means including a barrel formed to include external threads, means for supporting the barrel for rotation about an axis in response to unwinding of the spring, a collar ring surrounding the barrel and including means for threadedly engaging the external threads on the barrel to advance the collar ring along the axis of the barrel in response to rotation of the barrel, and an indicator on the collar ring.
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12. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a housing, a swing motor coupled to the housing, the swing motor including a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, means for connecting a child seat to the swing motor so that the child seat swings relative to the housing in response to unwinding of the spring, the connecting means including spaced-apart first and second hanger arms coupled to the child seat and means for indicating a current position of the spring between said wound and relaxed positions as the spring unwinds from said wound position so that the amount of stored energy currently left in the spring is displayed as the swing unwinds during swinging of the child seat, the indicating means including an indicator formed to include an aperture, the spring extending through the aperture formed in the indicator.
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19. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a housing formed to include a window, a swing motor coupled to the housing, the swing motor including a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, means for connecting a child seat to the swing motor so that the child seat swings relative to the housing in response to unwinding of the spring, and means for indicating a current position of the spring between its wound and relaxed positions as the spring unwinds from its wound position so that the amount of stored energy currently left in the spring is displayed as the swing unwinds during swinging of the child seat, the indicating means including an indicator in the window and means for moving the indicator in the window as the spring unwinds between its wound and relaxed positions, the moving means including a barrel formed to include external threads and means for supporting the barrel for rotation about an axis in response to unwinding of the spring from said wound position to said relaxed position, the indicating means further including collar means for engaging the external threads on the barrel to cause the indicator to move along the axis and in the window in response to rotation of the barrel about the axis.
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23. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a housing, a swing motor coupled to the housing, the swing motor including a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, means for connecting a child seat to the swing motor so that the child seat swings relative to the housing in response to unwinding of the spring, the connecting means including spaced-apart first and second hanger arms coupled to the child seat and means for indicating a current position of the spring between said wound and relaxed positions as the spring unwinds from said wound position so that the amount of stored energy currently left in the spring is displayed as the swing unwinds during swinging of the child seat, the indicating means being positioned to lie between the first and second hanger arms, the indicating means including an indicator and means for moving the indicator relative to the housing as the spring unwinds between said wound and relaxed position, the moving means including a support member carrying the indicator and means on the support member for advancing the indicator relative to the spring in response to movement of the spring between said wound and relaxed positions, the advancing means including a spiraling exterior thread on the support member and a mating spiraling interior thread on the indicator.
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24. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a housing, a swing motor coupled to the housing, the swing motor including a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, means for connecting a child seat to the swing motor so that the child seat swings relative to the housing in response to unwinding of the spring, and means for indicating a current position of the spring between said wound and relaxed positions as the spring unwinds from said wound position so that the amount of stored energy currently left in the spring is displayed as the swing unwinds during swinging of the child seat, the indicating means including an indicator and means for moving the indicator relative to the housing as the spring unwinds between said wound and relaxed positions, the moving means including a barrel, means for supporting the barrel for rotation about an axis in response to unwinding of the spring, and means for advancing the indicator along the axis in response to rotation of the barrel about the axis during unwinding of the spring.
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27. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a housing, a swing motor coupled to the housing, the swing motor including a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, means for connecting a child seat to the swing motor so that the child seat swings relative to the housing in response to unwinding of the spring, and means for indicating a current position of the spring between said wound and relaxed positions as the spring unwinds from said wound position so that the amount of stored energy currently left in the spring is displayed as the swing unwinds during swinging of the child seat, the winding means including a rotatable crankshaft in the housing, the indicating means including a barrel, means for supporting the barrel for rotation about an axis of the rotatable crankshaft, an indicator, and means for advancing the indicator along the axis of the rotatable crankshaft in response to rotation of the barrel about the axis of the rotatable crankshaft, the spring including one end anchored to the housing, another end anchored to the barrel, and coil means between said ends for rotating the barrel about the axis of the rotatable crankshaft during unwinding of the spring.
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30. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a swing motor including a windable spring and escapement means for using torque generated by the spring as the spring unwinds to impart pendulum motion to the child seat, the escapement means including a ratchet wheel having an inner edge, and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, the winding means including a crankshaft, means for supporting the crankshaft for rotation about a central axis of the crankshaft, and a one-way clutch coupled to the spring and mounted on the crankshaft to engage the inner edge of the ratchet wheel to transmit torque from the spring to the escapement means.
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36. An apparatus for swinging a child seat, the apparatus comprising
a swing motor including a windable spring, means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring, escapement means for using torque generated by the spring as the spring unwinds to impart pendulum motion to the child seat, the escapement means including a ratchet wheel, means for supporting the ratchet wheel for rotation about an axis, means for rotating the ratchet wheel about the axis in a first direction in response to unwinding of the spring, drive means for using rotation of the ratchet wheel in the first direction to impart pendulum motion to a hanger arm carrying the child seat, the drive means including a drive pawl pivotably connected to the hanger arm for pivoting movement between an engaged position engaging the ratchet wheel to cause driven pendulum movement of the child seat and a disengaged position disengaging the ratchet wheel to permit free-swinging pendulum movement of the child seat, and stop means for blocking rotation of the ratchet wheel about the axis during free-swinging pendulum motion of the child seat to prevent unwinding of the spring during disengagement of the drive pawl and the ratchet wheel, and ramp means for holding the drive pawl in its engaged position engaging the ratchet wheel during winding of the spring without holding the drive pawl in its engaged position during engagement of the stop means and the ratchet wheel and concurrent free-swinging pendulum motion of the child seat.
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40. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means, the conducting means including a one-way clutch and the indicating means being coupled to the one-way clutch.
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45. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means, and wherein the swing motor includes a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring and the indicating means is coupled to the spring and positioned to lie between the spring and the winding means, the indicating means including an indicator and means for moving the indicator from a first position representing a fully energized state of the swing motor to a second position representing a deenergized state of the swing motor as the spring unwinds between said wound and relaxed positions, the moving means including a rotatable barrel coupled to the spring and to the winding means and an indicator coupled to the rotatable barrel.
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47. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means, and wherein the swing motor includes a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring and the indicating means is coupled to the spring and positioned to lie between the spring and the winding means, the housing including a top shell and a bottom shell coupled to the top shell to define an interior region therebetween, the indicating means being situated in the interior region, and the top shell being formed to include means for viewing the indicating means during unwinding of the spring.
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49. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means being coupled to the conducting means, and wherein the swing motor includes a spring and means for winding the spring between a relaxed position and a wound position to store energy in the spring and the indicating means is coupled to the spring and positioned to lie between the spring and the winding means, the winding means including a crankshaft, a crank handle appended to the crankshaft, and an escapement mechanism mounted on the crankshaft and wherein the indicating means is mounted on the crankshaft and coupled to the escapement mechanism.
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51. A child swing motor apparatus comprising
a swing motor operable to discharge energy for a predetermined run time, the swing motor includes a windable spring, means for conducting energy discharged from the swing motor to a child seat hanging from a child swing frame to swing the child seat, and means for visually indicating the remaining run time of the swing motor during running of the swing motor to swing the child seat, the indicating means including a threaded indicator support member coupled to the windable spring, an indicator threadedly coupled to the threaded indicator support member for movement back and forth along the threaded indicator support member, a stop tab appended to the threaded indicator support member, and means on the indicator for engaging the stop tab to limit further movement of indicator along the threaded indicator support member, thereby preventing overwinding of the windable spring.
Specification