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Acrobatic elevated-path amusement device

Acrobatic elevated-path amusement device description/claims

In the field of entertainment and recreation, an elevated-path amusement device challenging the acrobatic skills of a user.

The invention is anticipated for use in an amusement park environment and typically for the younger person having the strength and endurance needed for acrobatic type exercises. The invention serves a need to supply an amusement device that creates a physical challenge for the user. It serves a need not presently served by passive conveyance rides typical in amusement parks.

Elevated-path amusement rides are known in the industry. However, they typically involve a user seated in the device and being conveyed to another location. Roller coasters are a prime example. The present invention does not employ a device for a seated person, but rather is for an acrobatic user capable of supporting himself and conveying himself along an elevated path. The present invention is unique in one aspect in that it is suited for a user having some acrobatic talent and is not suitable to convey a seated user. It serves a need for a physically challenging amusement device.

Elevated amusement devices sometimes employ a platform to carry a user and a counterweight in a round-about device that returns the user to the entrance location on the same platform. Unlike the present invention this type of device does not employ a frame with a plurality of swings attached to a frame along the length of the elevated path. The present invention does not employ a round-about device, and is further distinguished in that it employs a swing that is held in a user-accessible position by a counterweight.

An example of this type of elevated amusement device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,127, which discloses an oscillating boom amusement ride. A tower pivotably supports a boom. A passenger carriage is pivotably attached to the extended end of the boom. Passengers are loaded into the passenger carriage when the boom is in the down position. The boom is then raised by moving a counterweight fluid into a first storage tank. The boom swings through approximately 270 degrees, and the passenger carriage may make a full-circle loop at the end of the first swing.

An example of prior art that uses an elevated path and does not return the user to the same location is United States Patent Application publication 20040092322. This application describes an amusement ride where the user is conveyed to the end of the elevated path and is then ejected to free falls and an attached bungee cord stops the person at the end of his fall.

The present invention does not use a ride where the user is conveyed to a point, but rather uses a plurality of swings attached to a frame. The present invention does not employ a bungee cord. In order to use the present invention, the user must have some acrobatic skills because the user traverses the elevated path on his own power using swings. These features provide a challenging amusement device that is not disclosed in the prior art.

Accordingly, the present invention will serve to improve the state of the art by providing a physically challenging amusement device for a user with acrobatic skills.

An amusement device enables an acrobatic user to traverse an elevated path. It comprises a user-accessible platform at the beginning of the elevated path; a frame extending the length of the elevated path; and a plurality of swings attached to the frame along the length of the elevated path. Each swing is held in a user-accessible position by a counterweight such that a user exiting the platform to a first swing can employ gravity to move to each successive swing along the elevated path. Each swing returns to the user-accessible position by gravity acting on the counterweight when the user has exited the swing.

Referring now to the drawings in which like three-digit reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout, wherein the first digit of the three-digit reference number represents the figure number, and wherein analogous parts in different drawings are given the same last two numbers:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective of an embodiment of the invention enabling a user to traverse an elevated path.

FIG. 2 is an end view of another embodiment of the invention having a U-shaped-bar swing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective of a single-bar swing in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the U-shaped bar swing in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of a swing having a hollow core rope with a rigid bar insert.

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• Utility Patent

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