Spring powered swing

A spring powered swing incorporating a frame supporting a swing seat for to and fro movement, a spring motor assembly within a sealed enclosure and having a male coupling head detachably engageable with a female component formed on said swing; there being a crank-controlled escapement provided with said spring motor assembly productive of incremental release of power stored in said spring. The swing seat support and the escapement crank are operatively detachably interengageable.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

1. A swing comprising a frame, said frame having components spaced apart in the upper portion thereof, a rock shaft presented in the spacing between said frame components and engaged to said frame for axial rockable movement, a body-support structure secured to said rock shaft and depending therefrom for to and fro swinging movement, a mounting plate secured on said frame and having an extended portion presented spacedly from, beyond, one end of said rock shaft, a spring motor assembly comprising a housing and a spring disposed within said housing for energy-storing winding and energy-releasing unwinding movement, a first mounting means projecting from said housing, a second mounting means provided on said mounting plate extended portion for cooperatively engaging said first mounting means in locking relationship therewith, and means for interengaging said first mounting means and said mounting plate when said first and second mounting means are in locking relationship whereby said spring motor assembly may be optionally mounted upon, or demounted from, said frame.

2. A swing as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by said first mounting means being a male member and said second mounting means being a female member of complementary cross-section and contour to said male member for extension therethrough of said first mounting means for locking relationship said male member having a portion thereof extending a predetermined distance beyond said female member.

3. A swing as defined in claim 2 and further characterized by said mounting plate having an aperture spaced from said second mounting means, said male member having an opening in said portion projecting beyond said female member when in locking relationship therewith and being registrable with said mounting means aperture when interengaged with said female member, and said means for detachably interengaging said male and female members being a fastener accepted within said mounting means aperture and said male member opening.

4. A swing as defined in claim 3 and further characterized by said fastener being a cotter pin.

5. A swing as defined in claim 1 and further characterized by escapement means provided in said spring housing for incremental release of energy stored by said spring when in wound condition.

6. A swing as defined in claim 5 and further characterized by means structurally independent of said first and second latching elements operatively interconnecting said body-support structure and said escapement means whereby operation of the latter when the spring is in wound condition is initiated by impartation of a rocking to said body-support structure.

7. A swing as defined in claim 6 and further characterized by said means operatively interconnecting said body-support structure and said escapement means being spaced from the proximate end of said rock shaft.

8. A swing as defined in claim 5 and further characterized by means operatively interengaging said body-support structure and said escapement means comprising a crank, means supporting said crank within said spring housing for rockable movement of said crank about an axis coincident with, but spaced from, the axis of said rock shaft, and coupling means on said body-support structure engaging said crank.

9. A swing as defined in claim 8 and further characterized by said coupling means comprising a crank coupler carried on said body-support structure and having a receptacle-forming portion, an extension provided on said crank and projecting beyond said housing and engaging said receptacle-forming portion of said crank coupler thereby operatively interconnecting said body-support structure.

10. A swing as defined in claim 8 and further characterized by said means within said housing for rockable movement of said crank comprising a shaft, means attaching said shaft to one end of said spring, said crank being rockably mounted on said shaft, and means attaching said first mounting means to an end of said shaft remote from said shaft attaching means said spring.

11. A swing as defined in claim 10 and further characterized by said escapement means comprising a ratchet wheel adjacent said spring, a keeper pawl for engaging said ratchet wheel to prevent premature rotation thereof pursuant to unwinding of said spring, and a driver pawl carried on said crank and engageable with said ratchet wheel to permit intermittent disengagement of said keeper pawl from said ratchet wheel during swinging of said support structure whereby said spring stored energy is incrementally released.

12. A swing as defined in claim 10 and further characterized by said first mounting means being a mounting head of quadrilateral contour, and said second mounting means element being an aperture of substantially like cross-sectional area and contour as said mounting head for receiving same preventive of relative rockable movement of one with respect to the other.

13. A swing comprising a frame, a support structure swingably secured to said frame and depending therefrom and rockably movable about an axis transverse of said frame, a body receiving member carried on said support structure for movement therewith, a spring motor assembly detachably mounted upon said frame and comprising an enclosure, a spring disposed within said enclosure and adapted for energy-storing winding and energy-releasing unwinding movement, a first cooperative component provided on said enclosure, a second cooperative component provided on said frame for receiving said first cooperative component, means for detachably interengaging said first and second cooperative components whereby said spring motor assembly may be optionally mounted upon, or demounted from, said frame, escapement means provided in said enclosure for incremental release of energy stored by said spring when in wound condition, means operatively interconnecting said support structure and said escapement means whereby operation of the latter is initiated by rocking of said support structure, said means operatively interengaging said support structure and said escapement means being a crank, a shaft provided within said enclosure for rockable movement of said crank thereon, said shaft being spaced from, but coaxial with the axis of swing of said support structure, coupling means interengaging said crank and said support structure comprising a crank coupler fixed on said support structure and having a first mating portion, a second mating portion provided on said crank for engaging said first mating portion.

14. A swing as defined in claim 13 and further characterized by said means within said housing for rockable movement of said crank comprising a shaft, means attaching said shaft to one end of said spring, said crank being rockably mounted on said shaft, and means attaching said first cooperative component to the other end of said shaft.

15. A swing as defined in claim 14 and further characterized by said escapement means comprising a ratchet wheel adjacent said spring, a keeper pawl for engaging said ratchet wheel to prevent premature rotation thereof pursuant to unwinding of said spring, and a driver pawl carried on said crank and engageable with said ratchet wheel to permit intermittent disengagement of said keeper pawl from said ratchet wheel during swinging of said support structure whereby said spring stored energy is incrementally released.

16. A swing as defined in claim 14 and further characterized by said first cooperative component being a mounting head of quadrilateral contour, and said second cooperative component being an aperture of substantially like cross-sectional area and contour as said mounting head for receiving same preventive of relative rockable movement of one with respect to the other.

17. A swing comprising a frame, a rock shaft provided on said frame in transverse relationship thereto for axial rockable movement, a body-support structure secured to said rock shaft and depending therefrom for to and fro swinging movement, mounting means secured on said frame and having an extended portion presented spacedly from, beyond, one end of said rock shaft, a spring motor assembly comprising a housing and a spring disposed within said housing for energy-storing winding and energy-releasing unwinding movement, escapement means provided in said housing for incremental release of energy stored by said spring when in wound condition, means located spacedly from one end of said rock shaft operatively interengaging said body-support structure and said escapement means, and detachably cooperative interengaging means provided on said frame mounting means and said spring motor assembly whereby said latter may be optionally mounted upon, or demounted from, said frame, said means operatively interconnecting said body-support structure and said escapement means being structurally independent of, and spaced from, said detachably cooperative interengaging means, said last mentioned means being located between and spaced from said rock shaft and said operatively interconnecting means.

18. A swing as defined in claim 17 and further characterized by said means operatively interengaging said body-support structure and said escapement means comprising a crank, means supporting said crank within said spring motor assembly housing for rockable movement of said crank, and coupling means interengaging said crank and said body-support structure.

19. A swing as defined in claim 18 and further characterized by said coupling means comprising a crank coupler carried on said body-support structure and having a receptacle-forming portion, an extension provided on said crank projecting beyond said housing engaging said coupler receptacle-forming portion to thereby operatively interconnect said crank and said body-support structure.

20. A swing as defined in claim 18 and further characterized by said means within said housing supporting said crank for rockable movement comprising a shaft, means attaching said shaft at one end of said spring, said crank being rockably mounted on said shaft, and means exterior of said housing attaching a portion of said cooperatively interengaging means to said shaft remote from said spring.

21. A swing as defined in claim 20 and further characterized by said escapement means comprising a ratchet wheel adjacent said spring, a keeper pawl for engaging said ratchet wheel to prevent premature rotation thereof pursuant to unwinding of said spring, and a driver pawl carried on said crank and engageable with said ratchet wheel to permit intermittent disengagement of said keeper pawl from said ratchet wheel during swinging of said support structure whereby said spring stored energy is incrementally released.